#Reno and Rude immediately steps down and tell you to go | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shianhygge-imagines · 5 years ago

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Sundown 勿忘草 [Reno/Reader]{Final Fantasy VII}

AN: I’ve been wanting to write a Reno one shot, but never really managed to get my lazy ass into gear. This is a long one (though at this point, I’m just known for really long story posts... let me know if you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing). I was debating splitting it into parts, but you all know how bad I am with posting updates to any of my fics written in parts. Also, can anyone tell me why I keep seeing “#reno sinclair” in the Reno tags? Since when was Reno’s surname Sinclair? None of the Turks have last names that I recall.

Was hoping to get it to 10,000 words, but I’m around 2,200 short :P

Title is “Sundown Wasurenagusa” meaning “Sundown Forget-me-Nots; ”Forget-me-nots meaning “True Love” in hanakotoba (Japanese language of flowers)

If you like the content I create, please consider donating to my Ko-fi! Please help me feed my tea addiction!

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A heavy and tired sigh escaped your lips as you continued to read through the various reports scattered upon the table before you, scribbling down information into your work notebook that would act as relevant evidence to support your proposal for several structural upgrades to the plates. Though it was a concern that your boss, Reeve Tuesti, had brought up during various board meetings, it seemed that the executives of Shinra Electric Power Company would do nothing without a formal report containing sufficient evidence to support immediate action.

Already over worked from his other projects, Reeve had personally asked you to oversee the project proposal. As a resident of the Sector 5 Slums, you felt that it was your duty to do everything you could to make life for your fellow under city residents better. So, despite the fact that you would be working on the project alone, you accepted Reeve’s task.

Now, sitting at a corner table on the Relaxation Floor, you were almost regretting taking on the task alone. Outside the large windows overlooking Midgar, the sun had long since set, the city lights and mako lighting up the dark space below in a sea of various colors. Most Shinra employees had left the building hours ago, yet here you were, still working, dinner purchased from the cafeteria sitting off to the side and half gone.

After reading another set of reports, you paused in your scribbling to slam your head non too gently on the cafeteria table, “You’d think with all the complaints we’ve had about falling metal pieces from the plate almost killing slum residents, that the company would immediately do something.” No one responded to your muttering. Not that you expected an empty space to provide commentary to your misery and exasperation. So, you stayed in that position, debating whether to call it a night so that you could catch the last train home.

“Well, color me surprised, I didn’t think any of you pencil pushers liked staying after hours.” Just when you were about to relax, a sly and cocky voice decided to interrupt your solitude.

Jolting up with a twitch of your eye, you glared at the redhead who approached your corner table, suit and dress shirt unbuttoned and showing off an ample amount of chest. Had you not lived in the Sector 5 Slums for your entire life, you probably wouldn’t have recognized the man as a Turk. Besides, the people at Shinra liked to gossip. Red hair pulled into a weird ferret tail looking ponytail, goggles resting on the crown of his head, red marks under his eyes, and a severe need of a slap to the face… yeah, there was no doubt in your mind that the man steadily approaching your table was Reno of the Turks… and the Turk second in command.

Rolling your eyes, you sat up and began to straighten out the papers on the table, putting them into a pile to slip neatly into your briefcase. “Just my luck. The entire cafeteria is empty, Turk. Why are you bothering me?”

A little hostile, but you couldn’t help it. Having grown up watching these strange men in suits harass Aerith… you didn’t exactly have a kind opinion of them. Plus… they were unwaveringly loyal dogs to Shinra, something that didn’t sit well with you.

Reno feigned a hurt expression, placing a hand upon his chest, “Why the hostility? It was an honest question.” The redheaded Turk smirked and lifted his hand to raise his pinky, “Pinky swear.”

Reigning in your frustration, you huffed and propped your head upon a raised hand, closing your eyes in an attempt to calm down. “Yeah… yeah… Sorry.” After inhaling and exhaling for a few seconds, and listening as a chair was dragged out from the other side of the table, you opened your eyes to stare tiredly at the now seated Turk. “Uh… what are you doing?”

“Keeping you company, of course.” The cocky smirk widened as Reno leaned back and propped his feet upon the table, narrowly missing your half finished dinner.

Reaching a hand out to grab the remains of your dinner, you quietly started to finish said meal off, “Uh…huh… sure. I buy that.” You remarked sarcastically, eyes not leaving Reno’s form. “So Reno of the Turks decides to just randomly pop on by to keep a Shinra office worker company as they work overtime… sure…”

The grin didn’t falter as his blue eyes wandered to observe you, “It would seem so.”

“Right.” You muttered, finishing the last of your meal before standing up with your bag and tray, “Sorry to cut this short, but I’ve got a train to catch.” You weren’t sorry, but you still called out to him as you walked away, “See ya, I guess.” Hopefully not.

“You can bet on it!” Reno called back to you, watching as you threw away your trash and left the Relaxation Floor. As the doors slid close, you caved and turned around to look back at Reno, meeting his gaze just as the doors closed. Why did you feel like that was more than a promise?

…

…because it was.

The two days after were supposed to have been your days off. Yeah, perhaps you still had to structure your formal proposal a little more, but at least you were surrounded by fellow under city residents instead of Shinra employees… yeah, no, that was perhaps a little harsh of you. Not all Shinra employees were like the Turks and executives. But you were still bitter at how content the employees were with this company. It’s sickening.

When you left your home across from Leaf House on your second day off, you had fully intended to spend the day stocking up on groceries and helping either Aerith or Miss Folia. What you didn’t expect was to run into a duo of Turks when you stepped over the bridge to Aerith’s house. The duo had stopped to stand just outside of Aerith’s house, clearly speaking to one another and absolutely intending to enter the residence. The moment you’d cleared the bridge and walked into sight, you paused with wide eyes and gingerly took a step back, hoping to walk away without drawing any of their attention towards you.

You didn’t want to be seen outside work. Much less while you were wearing the sundress that Aerith had insisted you get for yourself. It was girly and feminine, and not at all professional. But still, Aerith had asked you to bring her flower baskets back home while she helped look for the Leaf House kids, who had all gone on patrol again.

Unfortunately, the bridge creaked under your foot, and two pairs of eyes were suddenly turned to stare you. “Uh…” you faltered for a moment before raising a hand in greeting, “Hi?” The end of the word pitched up into a squeak and you suddenly wanted to dive off the bridge and escape.

Recognition appeared in a familiar redhead’s eyes, “Pencil pusher! Didn’t think I’d see you here of all places!” The bald man with the shades coughed and glanced towards his coworker with raised brows.

Growling indignantly, you stomped a foot and approached the two Turks, “Don’t call me that!”

“And why not? You never gave me your name.” Reno pouted dramatically, “How’s it fair that you have mine, but I don’t know yours?”

Your expression doesn’t budge the slightest, “It’s Y/N. I work in the Urban Development Department. And I know yours because there’s only one redheaded Turk that draws in so much gossip.”

That infuriating smirk was back on Reno’s face as he pat the taller man’s shoulder roughly, “Ya hear that, Rude? The people know me.” Rude looked like he wanted to say something, if the slightest twitch of the brow and parting of the lips was any indicator. Unfortunately, the stoic looking Turk didn’t get a chance to respond before his partner opened his mouth again. “So… Y/N, huh? Cute name, cute face… it’s a wonder that I haven’t seen you in HQ before yesterday.” The statement seemed innocent enough, except for the strange look in his eyes.

For Shinra’s version of secret service, you already knew where this line of inquiry was leading to. So you stared at Reno dispassionately, “Yup, it’s an absolute wonder that a Turk such as you, who has to work outside the building most days, has never seen my face in the five years that I’ve been employed at Shinra. It’s not as if I’m just a faceless grunt among a few thousand office workers who are also cooped up in their offices during the work day.” Rolling your eyes, you continued forward, practically bulldozing your way past Reno when he didn’t move aside with his partner. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” You waltzed up the front steps, raising the weaved basket in your hand, “I’ve got a basket to drop off. If you’re looking for Aerith, she’s not home, yet.”

There’s a sound of a metal baton snapping to full length behind you, “If you hurt her…”

Sighing in annoyance, you turned to glare at Reno, who seemed to look like he was going to charge at you with the stun baton. Rude, likewise, was in a combat ready position. “And why the hell would I hurt her?” You hissed, propping a hand on your waist. “Don’t just come to random conclusions. I’m simply here as a favor to her, she’s in the town helping Leaf House.” Waving your hand in a shooing motion, you turned to open the front door, “You Turks are all about the mission, right? So, go!”

Maybe you shouldn’t have been so antagonistic… maybe you shouldn’t have turned around. Because the next thing you know, your arm is yanked backwards, and you’re suddenly pinned facedown to the front porch floor, arms restrained behind you and the painfully tingly end of the baton jabbed into your back. The scream that left your lips was one of outrage, fear, and pain. “What the hell!” You cry out, tears in your eyes as you try to struggle.

“Y/N!” The front door of the Gainsborough household pulled open to reveal Elmyra, who cried out in horror at the scene before her. Before long, the blonde woman had settled on shoving Reno off you, “Get off of her! Just what do you think you’re doing?!” Startled into falling off of you, Reno merely stared wide eyed at the enraged woman, who gestured for you to run as she laid into the jerk with her words.

With Reno no longer pinning you down, your limbs were able to finally take on a more natural position, though the stabbing pain from having them forced into an unnatural position still remained even as you clambered to your feet and sprinted away from the house. Rude didn’t bother to stop you, going so far as to step way off the path to let you through. You didn’t look back as you ran, not even stopping to greet Aerith as she crossed the wooden bridge.

When you were safe in your shabby second floor apartment, you did everything you could to get rid of the pain in your limbs, stretching them out and massaging them.

No such luck.

The pain remained, following you into the next day as you prepared to head back to work. Luckily for you, your job mostly consisted of office work. Signing and arranging paperwork, project reports, and other desk work.

Unluckily for you, you were the only person in the department with your first name. When you returned to your office from lunch, rubbing an aching limb, Reno awaited you, leaning against your desk. The moment you saw him, you paused and walked out of the office intent on avoiding the Turk that had caused you bodily harm.

From behind, Reno sprinted after you, “Y/N! Buddy! Wait up!”

“I don’t see you. I don’t hear you. You are absolutely, definitely not following me right now.” You muttered, not turning your head from its fixed position staring straight and down. If I can just get my ass to Reeve’s office, he’ll leave me alone. If I can just get my slow ass, in these stupid heels, to Reeve’s office, he’ll leave me alone.

Reno, for his part, had no problems keeping up with you, catching up and strolling along beside you, making you growl inwardly in frustration. “Y/N, c’mon. I’m sorry about yesterday. Slow down, you’re going to-”

An uneven part of the carpet failed to catch your notice until your foot caught it, sending you sprawling toward. Ah shit. This is gonna hurt. You muttered to yourself, bracing yourself for impact and closing your eyes… only for the impact to come sooner than expected… and less painful than you expected… I’m still upright? You questioned yourself, opening your eyes to find yourself being held up by Reno, face practically buried in his open shirt and his arms gently holding onto both of your arms.

“See.” The cocky expression was gone now. Only mild annoyance remained as he made sure you could stand on your own two feet, roughly kicking at the uneven carpet in an effort to smooth it down.

“I… thanks.” You finished lamely, slightly unsure as to what had just happened, but glad that you were saved a few bruises… and probably a more severe injury to your limbs.

Reno raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, “Can we talk now?”

You wanted to say no, the memory of being pinned down and tasered still fresh in your mind, but by the Planet, the jerk had just saved you from further injury, hadn’t he? The heavy sigh and slump of your shoulder betrayed your reluctance even as you agreed to speak to the redheaded Turk. “Yeah, fine.”

The Turk second in command seemed surprised that you’d agreed, a breathy and relieved “Great” leaving his mouth as he followed your lead back to your small office.

As you walked the short distance back to your office, you kept a bit of distance from Reno whilst attempting to block out the stares from your fellow colleagues. I can practically hear the gossip spreading now. Oh, did you hear? Y/N’s in a relationship with Reno. Oh, Y/N probably got in trouble with the company if the Turks are investigating them. The thoughts only worsened when you entered your office and Reno closed the door behind him. And that’s my cue to put as much distance as possible between us. You thought to yourself, shuffling to stand behind the desk. Yes, because a waist high wooden structure is enough protection against a Turk…smart. Reallll smart.

“You know, I’m not going to hurt you, right?” Reno looked slightly put out and frustrated at the fact that you had immediately shuffled behind your desk. And you had to hand it to him… despite his reputation as a bit of spazz, his observation skills were fitting for a member of the Turks.

“Tell that to my poor arms.” You spat, rolling your shoulders in another unsuccessful attempt to alleviate the pain that remained from yesterday.

Reno deflates a little when you wince in pain, and lightly scratches his cheek. “Yeah… about that… my bad.”

“Your bad…” you mimicked back at Reno with a hint of disbelief. “Heck yeah it’s your bad! I mean what the hell! What kind of a reason did you have for assaulting a civilian!?”

“That’s uh… we were assigned to look after Aerith… and the way you were acting yesterday… I thought you did something to her.” The explanation that came pouring out of the redheaded Turk’s mouth was lacking, but you let him continue because oh boy did the man sound like a certified walking mess. “And um… I reacted too harshly… which is totally my bad. And I know that’s no excuse, and I’ve already gotten an earful from Elmyra, Rude, and Tseng, so… what I’m saying is… I’m sorry.”

…he looks like a kicked puppy. You muttered to yourself, heaving a sigh as you sat down at your desk and allowed your posture to relax just the slightest. “Fine, apology accepted, but my shoulders still hurt like I got trampled by a fiend. How the hell do I get it to stop?” Apology vaguely accepted, you just wanted him to stop giving you that look.

“I uh… figured that you’d still be in pain.” Reno winced before sheepishly slipping a hand into his pocket and pulling out a beautiful glowing green materia, “It might be overkill, but casting Cure will get rid of the ache-ah… if you’re okay with it?”

You wondered offhandedly what Elmyra had said to Reno for his behavior to have shifted so drastically towards you. Look at the Turk now, you figured that there was no harm in befriending the man. Besides, you probably needed more outgoing friends anyways. “If it’ll get rid of the ache, go ahead, Reno.”

The smile on his face was almost boyish as his arm glowed faintly, casting the healing spell on you. “One full body stress reliever coming right up!” Hm… maybe he’s not that bad after all. The spell was like a wave of relief, not only alleviating the pain from yesterday, but also taking away the tension from months and months of stress. “Feeling better?”

The groan of relief that escaped your lips was probably enough answer for Reno as you stretched, a smile on your lips appearing at the redheaded Turk’s chuckle. “Much better, thank you.”

A moment passed between the two of you until the silence was broken by the sound of Reno’s phone. You couldn’t see the caller ID, but by the way he picked up almost immediately, you guessed that it was his boss, Tseng. “Hey-” The redheaded man was cut off from his greeting as he listened, “Yeah, I just finished…” Blue eyes met yours as he mouth, ‘got to go.’

Reno started to move just as you gave him a farewell salute, smirking when the Turk simply winked back at you before the door to your office closed.

Although you initially didn’t expect the day to turn out so well, you went back to work in a good mood. I guess being friendly to Reno won’t be such a bad thing. As the day passed, your mind absentmindedly wondered when you would see him again.

December 11th… Twenty-four days and seven hours later

“Oho, staying late again?”

A familiar voice broke you out of your furious scribbling while you once again stayed late to progress further in the piles of maintenance reports on the plates. And while you were tired from staring at black and white letters all day, you pushed aside the cranky attitude to at least smile and greet Reno as he approached your usual corner table. “Hi, Reno.” You raise a brow at the drink tray in his hands and gesture for him to sit wherever. “Late night for you, too?”

Reno shrugged and took the seat just to your left, setting the tray down on a spot free of paperwork, “Turks are always on call.” He handed over a covered paper cup, “Coffee?”

“Oh boy, yes please.” You beamed ecstatically when the redhead handed you the heavenly drink. “I’ve been working on this project proposal for the past… I don’t know how long… and it’s just… so much.”

Taking a sip of his own caffeinated drink, Reno took a peek at one of the files sitting on the table. “Huh… ‘Maintenance Walkways In Hazardous State of Disrepair’…’Infested with Mako Mutated Fiends’… I forgot you worked in urban development. What’s Reeve got ya doin that requires so many late nights?”

Despite his asking, Reno made no further attempts at reading the papers on the cafeteria table. Pursing your lips, you eyed the Turk second in command for a long moment, regarding him with as much suspicion as he had directed towards you nearly a month ago. It was well known throughout Shinra that the corporation had bigger goals and aspirations than to serve the people. There were many in the company that truly believed in the work that Shinra did, but as someone who had lived in the slums all your life, and one of the project leaders within Shinra’s Urban Development Division, you held no such illusions of grandeur. With the exception of Reeve, the higher ups in Shinra had no qualms of neglecting the public, only paying attention to the people beneath their feet in order to satisfy their egos and prevent rowdy citizens from forming anti-Shinra groups like AVALANCHE. Reno, a Turk, had to answer to the President and Vice President of Shinra directly, and everything they do is by the will of the two highest powers in the company. If you told Reno of the plate restoration project… would it cause a negative reaction within the company?

“If I tell you, Reno… you have to keep quiet about it.” Despite being tired, you leveled the red head with a grave stare.

Reno raised his arms and displayed his palms out in a ‘I’m harmless’ manner. “If it doesn’t have anything to do with an assassination attempt or terrorist attack, my lips are sealed.” The Turk shrugged, “And if you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. I mostly came here to keep you caffeinated… and to ask if you wanted to grab dinner sometime?”

Well… that came out of left field.

The blush that rose to your cheeks made your embarrassment pretty clear to Reno, who hummed and leaned forward to observe you closer. “Huh… Red’s a good look on you.”

The wink that the Turk sent your way did not help you calm down. “That’s not… uh… why?” Why was Reno asking you out to dinner? You’d known each other for all of twenty something days… not that it was completely unusual for individuals your age to go on dates… if this even was a date.

“I figure you could do with a night free of worries.” Reno explained, now positioning himself to lean on the table towards you. “Plus I get to take a beautiful woman out to dinner.”

You raised a hand to stop his flirting, knowing the rumors that spread throughout the company of Reno’s flirtatious ways. “I accept, but it’s just dinner, okay? I shouldn’t stay out too late.”

The red head seemed happy that you accepted, but pouted nonetheless, “Well then… that’s boring. I was thinking of taking you out drinking with Rude and I.”

You gesture towards the paperwork all over the table, “I have to get the work done eventually, Reno.”

“Fine…” the sigh that left Reno sounded more like a whine than acceptance. The mischievous smirk did nothing to ease your concerns as Reno stood up to help you clean up the piles of paper and notes. “C’mon, the sooner we clean up here, the sooner we can get some grub into your growling stomach.”

“My stomach is not-” Gurrrggghhh… You blushed crimson when your stomach cried out for food.

“You were saying?” Reno raised a brow, mirth glinting in his blue eyes as you tried to act nonchalantly.

“…” Snatching the last of the paperwork on the table and shoving it into your bag, you sniffed in embarrassment, “We’re dropping this stuff off in my office before we go anywhere.”

The red headed Turk actually had the audacity to smirk and salute you.

… Twenty minutes later, you found yourself in a car heading towards Sector Eight… Although Reno had advertised the outing as a dinner between just the two of you, the two of you somehow found yourselves seated in the back seats of the vehicle while Rude drove and Tseng sat in shotgun. Glancing to the side at Reno, he seemed at a loss for words for once, blue eyes glaring sulkingly at the back of Tseng’s head.

“So, Y/N, as I understand it, you work closely with Reeve Tuesti?” Tseng asked, his eyes meeting yours in the rearview mirror despite its angle.

Somehow, you felt like you were about to get interrogated by Reno’s ‘parents,’ if the groan of exasperation from the red head beside you wasn’t enough of a give away.

“Um… I would say closely enough. I’m one of his project leaders, but even that title can be grossly overestimated.” The explanation leaves your lips before you can so much as think, “Because I work on projects that focus on the slums, most of my time is spent doing research and putting together proposals for projects that urgently need to be addressed.” Not that any of my proposals have been accepted thus far. You left the last statement unsaid, and your bitterness at the company unheard. Still, the discontent must have shown on your face, as Tseng started to speak again.

“Do you not like your job?” Such a simple question, but not something you could answer simply. The pleasant smile on the Turk commander’s face, which you glimpsed from the side view mirror, told you that he was well aware that you would have to expand your answer.

Wincing, you turned your gaze away to stare out the window as the car pulled off the highway. “I don’t dislike it, no… but I took the job as project leader in order to help make a difference for my community. But every project proposal that I’ve drawn up and presented has been turned down by the people that have a say in the company.” The sneer that started to form froze before smoothing into a less intense expression as you took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Sorry. Forget I said anything.”

“If you only wanted to help your community, then why take a job at Shinra? And why didn’t you simply quit?” Tseng was prodding at you, knowing that you knew what he was doing.

“Uh, Boss? Bit of a touchy subject, yeah?” Reno protested, sending very clear glares at Tseng’s way.

The Turk commander’s lips twitched in the slightest of smiles, “My apologies, Y/N. I didn’t mean to press you.”

Didn’t mean to press me, my ass! What the hell is this? Another round of ‘Y/N is a suspicious person?’ You thought with a lot of snark, outwardly shrugging, “You Turks certainly do live up to your reputation.” When Tseng rose a brow and Reno stared at your questioningly, you elaborated with another shrug, “The questioning… the false pretenses… you guys are very good at what you do, but…” Sighing, you shook your head and decided to shut your mouth, “Nevermind. Forget it. So long as you’re good to Elmyra and Aerith, I don’t give a damn if you guys restrain me and take me in for questioning.”

“…I thought I already said sorry for that!” Reno pouted, a wounded expression on his face.

The car stopped in front of a restaurant, but you were no longer hungry. Glancing down at your watch, you feigned a sigh, “Well, looks like I won’t be joining you guys for dinner tonight. I just realized that I had something to do in Sector 5.”

“Wait… hold on-”

“Would you like us to give you a lift?” Rude offered, cutting Reno off from his protests.

Bowing your head, you made to get out of the vehicle. “No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine taking the train back. I’m sorry for the trouble. I’ll see you three at work tomorrow.”

With that, you slid out of the car, shutting the door with as little force necessary before strolling down the street towards the train station. After turning the corner, you paused and sighed, shaking your head at the dinner plans. If you were being honest, you were actually quite excited to have dinner with Reno. He had turned out to be more thoughtful and intuitive than you had first pinned him as. Maybe we can have dinner alone next time. Suddenly hopeful, you resumed your gait towards the train station. If you hurried, you could catch the next train back and be in time to eat at the restaurant around the corner from your home.

“Y/N!” A familiar voice called out to you, accompanied by the sound of sprinting dress shoes, just as you were about to enter the train platform.

“Reno?!” You stared at the red head as he sprinted the last few meters to stop in front of you, perplexed and worried that he’d run all the way to the train station. The people sharing the train platform stared at the pair of you even as the train pulled into the station. “I… um… thought you were going to have dinner with Rude and Tseng? Did you need something?” You asked, glancing towards the train as it opened its doors.

“Y-you…” Reno gasped, clearly panting for breath despite the fact that he was supposed to be used to this. “You don’t work tomorrow.”

Tilting your head to the side, you admired Reno for a moment, pleased with his listening skills during the times that you spoke. “You’re right. No, I don’t.” You watched as the passengers all started boarding the train. “Reno… I have to catch this train, what is it?”

“Let me walk you home!” the red headed Turk suggested, straightening up and gently taking your wrist in his.

“Wait… What?” What the hell-

“It’ll be fun.” Reno didn’t give you much of a choice, as he led you aboard the train, careful not to tug on your arm too roughly. Once the doors slid close, the red head smirked at your completely baffled expression, “I promised you a dinner date, didn’t I?”

Your turned red as you stuttered, completely conscious of the stares incoming from the other passengers. “But what about Rude and Tseng? How are you going to get home after?”

Reno grinned, “They’re the ones who ruined our plans in the first place, so of course I’m ditching ‘em. And if I need to head home, I’ll just head back with the infantrymen stationed in Sector 5. So don’t worry.” Then, as if realizing that your face was growing more and more red because he was now holding your hand and had moved just a breath away, Reno coughed and backed up. Letting go of your hand, the embarrassed Turk raised a hand to scratch his cheek in the same nervous tic that you’d noticed before. “Anyways, let’s find a seat, okay? It’s been a long day for you… so if you want to take a breather…” Reno’s voice trailed off as the two of you shuffled through the cart to find a pair of empty seats.

Once seated, you sighed and leaned back on the uncomfortable bench. “Five years ago, I was living with my parents in the Sector 7 Slums. My father was an infantryman in Shinra’s army, and my mother was just a regular housewife. Around that time, fiend attacks had mysteriously started to increase… and people started to go missing. My mother went missing one night, and my father was a part of the infantry that was sent to investigate.” The dull ache in your chest increased as you thought back to the events years ago. “Neither of the two came back, and suddenly I was alone. But… I wasn’t the only one who lost a loved one that day.”

“So, that’s when you decided to do something to help your community?” Reno muttered, having turned to pull you into a hug, “But why Shinra? The slums have neighborhood watches that you could have joined…. Oh… eh… but you don’t have to tell me if you’re not up to it.”

Leaning your head to rest on Reno’s shoulder, you chuckled, “You don’t have to worry about walking on eggshells with me, Reno. I mostly gave Tseng a hard time because he was being too nosey.”

“Well… that’s good to know.” The Turk gave a light hearted laugh of his own, relaxing in his mannerisms. “Felt like I was standing on trial for a moment there.”

Rolling your eyes, you elbowed Reno in the side lightly. “Drama queen. But anyways, after mom and dad disappeared, a SOLDIER and his protege were assigned to hunt down the fiends. Before they started their hunt, they made a point to visit all the families that lost someone from the fiends attacks. It was sweet of them, taking the time to check up on us. And it’s because of them that I decided to work at Shinra. That if those two truly believed in the company that employed them, that I would be able to make a difference if only I had those same resources.” The smile on your face turned bitter once you started to think about those two. “After three years, I found out later that both mentor and mentee were quite popular in Midgar… and that they had died.”

“I think I know the two you’re talking about.” Reno muttered, gaze taking on a far away glint. “It’s good to know that they left behind a legacy.”

“They left behind more than a legacy.” You whispered with a fond smile, “Zack’s fanclub became the inspiration for Sector 5’s neighborhood watch. They all wield wooden replicas of Angeal’s sword.”

“A new generation of heroes, huh?” Reno smirked and closed his eyes, “I bet Zack would be ecstatic.” Blue eyes suddenly meet yours, a brightness in them as Reno addressed you, “Be honest, were you part of that fanclub?”

“And if I was?” You raised a brow, glad that the tone of conversation had shifted back to something light hearted.

Reno pouted and slumped in his seat, pulling you along as he playfully whined, “Where’s my fanclub? I want groups of people singing my praises, too!”

“Now you’re just being silly.” You chided, amused by the man’s antics. When Reno continued to pout, you rolled your eyes, playing along. “Fine. Then from now on, you can count me as your first fanclub member.” You raised your head to look him in the eye, “Happy now?”

The hug tightened, but Reno stuck out his tongue in reply. “Eh… I don’t think I can handle having a fanclub. Too much noise. Nah. I’m good.”

This time, you didn’t bother holding back your strength when elbowing him.

…… Around twenty minutes later, the pair of you departed the train with the rest of its passengers, and found yourself seated at your favorite noodle restaurant in Sector 5. Although it was thirty minutes before closing, the boss and chef knew you well enough to take your orders without much of a fuss. While the food was being prepared, you and Reno swapped stories about work and random weird stories.

“-I’m serious about the doomrats! They’re always appearing in Sector 7, stealing random shit and everything! My entire childhood was spent with threats of doomrats coming to steal my toys! My friend, Eli, her entire toy house was taken when her side of the sector was overrun with the pests!” You laughed in between bites of noodles.

“But that’s nowhere near as bad as having to deal with Hojo!” Reno protested, a string of noodles slipping out of his mouth to hang against his mouth. “The guy just takes things without telling anyone and somehow it returns with a bunch of stains on it! It’s like he has no regard for anything outside of his research.”

Your brain brought up a memory of passing Professor Hojo in the hallway once, and you let out a full body shiver. “Ugh… yeah… he does give off that whole… egotistic mad scientist vibe… sometimes, I wonder what the hell is so important that we have to devote so many floors to his research lab.”

“Y/N?” Reno’s humor suddenly disappears.

You blink, startled by the change, “Yeah?”

“No matter what happens… stay away from Hojo, okay?” There’s some concern in his eyes and tone, but he doesn’t elaborate.

You don’t know how else to respond to a somber Reno than to reluctantly nod your head, “Yeah. Okay. He gives me the creeps, so that’s not a problem.”

“I mean it, Y/N. If anyone in the company tells you to bring something to Hojo, you refuse. And if it’s a higher up, you come to me first.” The intensity in his stare is startling.

“Got it, Reno.” Not knowing what to do, you reached out to lightly poke his cheek, “C’mon, I know you have your own reason to be concerned, but I work in urban development. There’s little to no chance that I would have to cross paths with Hojo. So, let’s finish our noodles and stop worrying, okay?”

Reno pauses for a brief moment, taking in a breath and letting it out, a small smile making an appearance again. “Okay. Fine.” Reaching into his pocket, Reno pulls out more than enough gil for your meal and stands up, leaving the money on the table and offering a hand to you, “Let’s getcha back home, okay? It’s gettin late.”

Trailing after the red headed Turk, you stared at his back with a questioning stare. Though you pretended like the sudden shift in attitude from Reno hadn’t alarmed you, your thoughts kept shifting to linger upon the warning that Reno had wanted to make sure you understood. I feel like… something bad will happen if I don’t listen to him… When Reno stopped just outside your apartment building across from Leaf House, you tilted your head to the side, “Why am I not surprised that you know where I live? That’s kind of creepy, ya know?”

Reno startled, spluttering excuses as he let go of your hand and backed up, the warmth from his palm instantly being missed. “I ugh… You know it’s my job-and I just wanted-cause Tseng’s super paranoid about people close to-I’m just gonna shut up now.” The Turk second in command stopped his muttering when he noticed the teasing glint in your eyes, “Oh, ha ha. Very funny.”

“C’mon, Reno. You think I was going to miss my chance at teasing you?” The grin on your face was infectious, prompting Reno to return your easy-going smile.

Gesturing to the two story building, Reno bowed, “I will rest easy knowing that you got home safely, my lady.”

“Oh my!” You gasped, a hand raised to rest against your chest in mock surprise, “What a gentleman!”

There was a silence before the two of you burst into laughter that was probably too loud for that time of night. From down the street, you could hear one of the residents open their window and shout, “Fer cryin out loud, would ya lovebirds shut up! People are tryin ta sleep!”

Stifling your laugh, you practically danced towards the metal stairway leading up to the second floor apartments. “I guess that’s my cue to get inside.”

Reno’s eyes glinted as he stared after you fondly, “Yeah…” There was brief pause before he spoke up again, “Hey, Y/N? Let’s go out for a proper date… maybe, tomorrow or the day after?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” You smiled as the agreement fell from your lips without much thought except the want to get to know the man before you better. “I’ll be at my friend’s place celebrating her birthday tomorrow, but I don’t have plans for the day after.”

“Great!” Reno gasped, seemingly breathless as he took a step towards you, “I’ll pick you up at 10, then?”

“Ten works for me!” You agreed, watching the red headed Turk as he closed the distance between the two of you, closing your eyes as you expected something to happen, only to feel a hand rest on your cheek before pulling away.

Confused, you opened your eyes just in time to catch Reno’s smile as he turned away. “I don’t kiss on the first date.” A wink is sent your way as he rounds the corner, disappearing from sight. “Sweet dreams, Y/N.”

You don’t know if you want to squeal at the gesture, or punch him for leaving you hanging. Biting your bottom lip in a manner befitting anticipation, you turned to climb up the rest of the stairs with a smile, very much looking forward to the next two days.

When Reno returned to Shinra HQ for the night, Elena would make note of the stupidly happy grin on her senpai’s face… even when he was handed a datapad containing the plans for the next night’s operation.

December 12th

The following night…

You grinned as you watched your friend, Selene, open up her gifts from each member of your friend group. She had just been accepted at her dream career of being a planetary conservationist, and was due to move away from Midgar tomorrow. Though her apartment was empty, you and your friends had brought enough food for the lot of you while you all celebrated and bid your goodbyes to a long time friend.

“Let us know if you meet any handsome guys where you are!” you heard someone joke, patting Selene on the back with a teasing grin. “City men aren’t romantic at all!”

“Hey! I resent that! We’re not all bad!”

“No… she’s right. We’re not romantic.”

Maybe it was the good vibes and laughter that prevented you all from noticing when the ground started shaking. Maybe you had all indulged a little too much on the alcohol. Regardless, no one was laughing when a large steel beam crashed through the apartment roof and landed on top of where Selene had been standing with her parents.

The room descended into shocked silence as all eyes stared at the metal beam…the crumbling ceiling…the limbs sticking out from under the mess of rebar, concrete, and wire…and the blood… All of your faces went pale at the realization of what happened. And then, the panic.

“Oh god!”

“Selene!”

“Someone call emergency services!”

“Help me lift this thing up!”

“So… much blood.”

Stumbling backwards, your eyes darted from the rubble to the moving bodies in the apartment before looking at the hole in the apartment ceiling. The beam could only have been from the plate… But how had it fallen? Had a piece been loose this entire time? …Had this been your fault? You were in charge of the plate maintenance project… you hadn’t read any reports about structure integrity over Sector 7… but maybe there had been something hidden. You shook your head in denial. No, the project proposal was sitting on your desk at Shinra HQ, nearly finished except for the conclusion. There had been nothing irregular about the plate above the Sector 7 slums. Not even when you’d gone personally with the inspectors to investigate.

And then, above the shouting voices and confusion within the apartment, you heard it. Helicopters and gunfire… people screaming outside.

“No…” you whimpered, eyes wide as you sprinted for the front door, throwing the latch open and ramming yourself into the metal door in your rush to get out onto the apartment balcony hallway.

Now that the door was wide open… now that you stood with a view of the Sector 7 Slums, the cacophony of screams and noises reached your ears with no problem. The plate above groaned as explosions detonated along the underside of its structure, sending larges pieces of debris crashing down like meteors upon the residential buildings below. You could see several Shinra helicopters flying away from the plate pillar, where the explosions seem to have originated from. Down in the streets below, the residents of Sector 7 scramble in different directions to avoid being crushed by the seemingly crumbling night sky.

“The plate’s falling!” You cried out to your remaining friends before making a break towards the stairway down to the ground floor, ensuring that the path was clear before waving your friends over. Just as you stepped off the stairs, another massive explosion rumbled violently from above you, the sheer volume of the noise popping your ears and throwing off your balance. A random civilian ran in your direction, screaming and flailing his arms, knocking you down in his haste to get away from another falling metal beam.

You’d landed on your arm wrong, but the adrenaline running through your body kept you moving as you stumbled to your feet and trailed after your friends. Behind you, another giant piece of the plate crashed into Selene’s apartment building with such force that the ground beneath your feet shook as the structure caved in on itself. You watched as people fled from their homes, as fires started and spread. You watched as people begged to be rescued, their limbs trapped under flaming metal and wood. You continued to stumble forwards even when rubble rained down upon you all like hellfire, crushing the unlucky many on the path ahead of you and blocking you off.

You wanted to cry… or maybe you were already crying. All around you, the plate continued to fall, blocking you off from any means of escape. Your ears rang from the magnitude of noises. Your arm had begun to ache from your fall. The flames consuming the houses rose in intensity, scorching your surroundings while you fought to maintain your balance. Trying, among the chaos, to find a way out of this impossible situation. But no. If you went one way or the other, you would be burned severely. Any other way would require you to pick through pieces of metal that were easily ten times your body weight.

Another explosion, this time coming from the direction of the pillar, sent you crashing to the floor from the force it left in its wake.

I hope you all made it out of here. You prayed to the Planet that your friends had gotten out of Sector 7. Looking up towards the falling sky, you could only sob as it fell too fast for your liking. Resigned, you brought out your phone, intent on calling a certain red headed Turk one more time.

“Hey, Reno. It’s me, Y/N…” you dry swallowed and held back another sob, hand raising to muffle your cries of misery. “I just wanted you to know that I’m glad that I met you. I’m really annoyed that you didn’t kiss me yesterday night, and I-” the line on your phone beeped to signal a disconnect, and you pulled the phone away to stare hopelessly at the screen.

No signal.

A bitter laugh escaped your lips as you bent forward, pressing your face to the cracked glass screen. A shadow swallowed your figure whole as the last of the plate fell down. “Reno…”

“I was really looking forward to our date.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading!

#shian imagines #reno #ffvii reno #final fantasy vii reno #final fantasy vii remake #final fantasy vii #ffvii #ffvii remake #reno x reader #mentions of other characters #rude #ffvii rude #tseng #ffvii tseng #x reader angst

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sapphire-weapon · 5 years ago

Text

IT CLICKED

I GOT IT

Rufus sees the Whispers in Shinra HQ because he’s in the process of exterminating greater Avalanche.

This is why Rufus’s reaction to and relationship with the Whispers seems so odd. They’re helping him. And he doesn’t realize it. Rufus is the only character whose reaction to seeing the Whispers for the first time isn’t to try to fight them or run away -- rather, he actually moves towards them and is so entranced by them that he’s still staring out the window long after they’re gone.

Let’s back up.

In Before Crisis (which appears to be canon-ish for the Remake, considering the reference to the assassination attempt on President Shinra and the greater organization of Avalanche as a whole), Rufus was Avalanche’s inside contact. He provided them with information on Shinra and funded their terrorist campaign.

In the Remake, Mayor Domino refers to himself as being Avalanche’s man on the inside, which initially made a bunch of Rufus fans (myself included) scratch their heads a bit. But when looking closer, it becomes pretty clear that Domino is working with Rufus to fund/assist Avalanche and undermine Papa Shinra’s administration.

However, also established in Before Crisis is the detail that Rufus never cared about Avalanche as an organization nor the fate of the planet itself. He was simply using them as pawns to murder and usurp his father.

As we can see from Rufus’s introduction, once Papa Shinra is dead, Rufus doesn’t need Avalanche anymore. He shoots down the Avalanche extraction chopper and steps onto the scene in order to personally declare face-to-face that the alliance is off.

So, the order of events is:

1. Rufus puts the call out to Avalanche HQ to storm Shinra HQ and flush out the president.

2. Rufus calls Domino and tells him to assist Avalanche once they get to the building so that they can remain unseen in their journey to the top floors.

3. Cloud, Barret, and Tifa coincidentally happen to show up first, unaware of the larger plot about to take place. Domino assists them on their ascent, assuming that they’re the ones to carry out the mission at hand.

4. Rufus calls Tseng and mobilizes the Turks. Reno and Rude go to pick up Rufus, who is likely planning on pulling the trigger on his father himself while Avalanche causes chaos and creates an opening to do so.

5. Aeris is rescued.

6. Larger Avalanche (along with Wedge) arrive on scene to carry out the assassination attempt.

7. Rufus arrives on scene and very smugly makes it a point to personally give the order to arrest who he believes to be Avalanche operatives who are only there in the first place by his orders. Boss fight occurs.

8. Meanwhile, Tseng is searching for President Shinra, unaware that he’s already dead at this time.

9. Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aeris, and Red XIII make their escape from Shinra HQ.

10. The Whispers surround the Shinra tower.

11. Rufus enters the Executive Suite and sees the Whispers for the first time.

12. Tseng gets a call from someone (presumably Reno) and is pleased by what he hears. He tells Rufus that “The men are on standby.” To which Rufus responds, “Bring them in.”

13. Rufus gives Reno and Rude the order to exterminate every Avalanche operative still on site.

Now, I realize that 12 and 13 are a little bit vague, and you might be wondering how I arrived at number 13 at all.

The important thing to understand that the main narrative tool that FF7R utilizes is misdirection. Rufus’s line of “bring them in” is just one example of many. After he says this, the scene cuts back to Cloud & co. on the highway as Shinra soldiers are deployed after them, so the immediate assumption is that Rufus just gave the order to dispatch soldiers to detain the party.

However, if this line was truly in reference to the pursuit of Cloud & co, then Tseng’s phone conversation no longer makes sense. We hear him say, “I see. Very good.” This reaction isn’t internally consistent with the idea that someone has just told him that the party has escaped.

More likely, Tseng was getting an update from Reno that the chopper has been parked and they’ve returned to HQ. “The men are on standby” -- Reno and Rude are back and awaiting orders. Rufus then gives Tseng the order to have Reno and Rude come into the office. There, the order is given to take out Avalanche. This also explains why Reno and Rude are missing from the final sequence in which Rufus takes the throne -- they’re still likely out and about in the aftermath of the mass murder they just performed.

The Whispers are non-hostile to Rufus, and he seems completely distracted and mesmerized by them. He can see them, but they’re not impeding his progress in any way.

Avalanche HQ are not supposed to be at Shinra HQ. This is not how the original script/”destiny” plays out. So, by giving the order to hunt down and kill every Avalanche operative, he’s actually doing the bidding of destiny/The Whispers, even if he doesn’t realize it. He’s basically doing the Whispers’ job for them.

So when the order comes, the Whispers decide to help out and encircle the Shinra building in order to ensure that none of them escape.

Knowingly or not, the Whispers serve to establish the bounds of Rufus’s villainy and mercilessness. His inaugural speech about ruling the world through fear is no longer necessary, as he’s just turned Shinra HQ into a locked-down prison for the “heroic” team, in which he orders and orchestrates a bloodbath.

#final fantasy vii remake #spoilers #rufus shinra

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kumeko · 4 years ago

Photo

A/N: For Suga, who wanted a Renobowl! I’m sorry this took so long, but I hope I added enough characters/potential romance routes to more than make up for it!

…

i. Cloud

It was a ridiculously stupid. Reno stood in the unfinished basement of the cruddy bar, Seven Minutes in Heaven or something. A table stood in the center of the room, multiple painstakingly handmade maps sprawled over it. The walls were covered with blinking lights and cameras that were more stylistic than functional.

This was the great AVALANCHE’s headquarters. This was where the renegade group of morons thwarted Shinra and somehow survived to tell the tale. This was where all of their slipshod improvised plans were made.

“This is a shitshow,” Reno muttered, leaning against the wall. How the fuck had they even once lost to these guys? It had to be luck or something equally silly. There was no fucking way it was anything else.

Even worse? He was joining this merry band of idiots.

Maybe he had hit his head back in the church.

“You can leave anytime you want to,” Barret growled, glaring at him over the map. The guy overprotective of everything, whether it was his daughter, the bar, or the people he worked with. It was entirely unlike Shinra’s hands-off management team. Reno almost missed the single-worded orders and lingering silence.

“Nah, I’m good.” Reno smirked, his lips curling back as he bared his sharp teeth. It had cowed the other, lesser members of the team, but Barret didn’t so much as flinch.

“You try anything funny, and you won’t have a choice,” he warned, before going back to his ‘plan’.

Reno snorted. Like he hadn’t already gotten that warning from AVALANCHE’s rabid dog. He could still feel the bar digging into his back from when Cloud had pushed him against it, his grip tight on his collar. Despite his constant claims of just being a mercenary for hire, there had been a rough concern in his voice as he’d growled If you betray us to Shinra…

Cloud’s sword was sharp, his hands strong, and it didn’t take much to imagine just what he’d do if Reno turned traitor.

Not that he’d planned to; he’d had enough being Shinra’s lapdog. Yet, even now he could feel Cloud’s hot breath on his face, his heart racing at the possibilities. If he had reached up to grab Cloud’s collar too, if he had closed the gap between them, what would have happened? How rough would it be?

Rude had always warned him he was self-destructive, and well, he wasn’t wrong. Across the dark room, Cloud regarded him with Mako-bright eyes and Reno could only lick his lips in anticipation.

ii. Tifa

“Oh great, another one to haul out. Why can’t they leave before they pass out?”

Blearily, Reno looked up from his empty glass. At the bottom was a drop or two of gin, and he pressed his lips against the rim as he tried to force them down.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Remembering the voice, he looked up. Standing across the bar, a pretty brunette eyed him wryly as she pried his glass away from him. His hand instantly clenched, but it was too late, she’d slipped it out too fast. There was something about her build, about the muscles on her arm and the smooth way that she didn’t so much as walk as flowed across the floor that reminded him about something. It was like a fighter’s. Or a dancer’s. Both were common enough in this town.

“Youree hot,” he slurred, trying to reach over and take it back. He smirked at her; it worked about half the time, if he was lucky.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t lucky today. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she set the cup down behind her. Walking around the bar, she wrapped an arm around his waist and hoisted him up. Immediately, he corrected his previous guess. She was definitely a fighter. That strength was no dancer’s, all muscle and little finesse. He was certain she could toss him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

“You should take me home,” he leered. No one could claim he knew when to quit.

She wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes, clearly used to this sort of talk. Opening the door, she hauled him outdoors. As usual, the slums smelled like coal dust and shit, but her whiskey scent cut through it. He was half drunk on it. “You smell good.”

The bartender rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, where should I drop you off?”

“My place then?” You couldn’t claim Reno knew when to quit.

For his efforts, he was promptly deposited on the hard ground. Swiping her hands against each other as though to wipe off her germs, she firmly replied, “I’m sure you can make it back on your own.”

Reno chuckled, getting up on wobbly feet. “Tomorrow then?”

At her responding glare, he laughed the entire walk back.

iii. Barret

Reno couldn’t tell you why he’d decided to suddenly help AVALANCHE. It certainly wasn’t one of those good reasons, like pity or kindness. It certainly wasn’t self-preservation either—if he wanted to live, he should have stuck with Shinra. The man owned almost all of the city and had more than enough connections everywhere else to make life uncomfortable.

Then again, Reno had never claimed to be exceptionally smart. He’d always choked against every restraint put on him, always struggled underneath his former boss’s heel.

(He remembered Tseng’s cold voice as he accepted the sector drop, and maybe that twinge of guilt had been more than just a twinge.)

Either way, here he was lying on the roof of the building, the helicopter in pieces around him. Rude probably survived the crash, he survived everything, the dumb fuck, but he definitely wouldn’t be happy to see Reno after the stunt he pulled. Shinra had more than enough men to protect him, the ass.

This was a stupid idea. Which was probably why he didn’t even think when he crashed their helicopter on the pad instead of fighting Barret and his band of merry idiots. What a stupid idea. They’d only live for maybe a few minutes more.

He coughed and winced. That was a broken rib. Two, if he were unlucky, and Reno was always unlucky. He’d been born under a cursed star, after all.

“You friggin’ moron.” Reno barely had time to open his eyes before he saw a thick, black arm wrap around his waist, picking him up with an unexpected gentleness despite the rough voice. “What were you doing?”

“Saving your asses,” he croaked, laughing. Big mistake, his ribs definitely didn’t like that. Spitting blood on the ground, he smirked. “What’re you doing?”

Barret snorted, running down the stairs in a desperate attempt to escape. Escape what? Reno frowned, his head aching as he tried to remember. There had been a bomb—the building was set to explode and he’d warned them.

“We’re not gonna make it,” he mumbled. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Tifa and Cloud racing ahead, clearing the way.

“We’re going to friggin’ try.” Barret tightened his grip as he bounded down the stairs even faster now, taking them three steps at a time. “Can’t believe you did that.”

“And you’re carryin’ me.” Something about this struck him funny. He wasn’t sure if it was the concussion or if it had always been funny, but it was. He tried not to laugh. His ribs ached nonetheless.

“Tifa insisted.” Barret ground out, looking a little put out. “You saved us, sure, but it’s probably ploy.”

“I feel like a ploy,” Reno agreed. That made sense. He was certain that made sense.

“Yeah, you do.” Barret tried not to jostle him as he turned down another flight of stairs. The whole building was endless. No wonder Reno had taken the helicopter up. “But I guess she’s got a point. No one’s going to kill themselves just to get in.”

“I’m in?” Reno wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Queasy, though that might have been the concussion.

“I’m not letting you near us, but you get to live.” Barret glanced at him, the hardened face of a leader. “You’ve earned that much.”

“Have I?” he questioned, but his head jostled and he fell into the welcoming darkness.

iv. Sephiroth

There were many things Reno expected during his time with the Turks, but sitting in a helicopter across from SOLDIER’s greatest warrior hadn’t been high on the list. Considering the kind of wild card he was, he’d expected the brass to keep them as far apart as possible.

Maybe the higher ups liked flirting with danger too. The chopper’s blades were loud and it was hard to think, let alone talk. Reno glanced at the door, taking in the snowy mountains below. “Why’d anyone want to go to a nowhere like this?”

Sephiroth didn’t say anything, only coolly regarded him with bright, mako-infused eyes. Something sparked underneath his peaceful expression, some sort of violent storm that was just waiting to explode. Reno didn’t want to be anywhere near when it happened.

He also wanted to stand right in the middle of it all.

Rude had always called him a contradictory bitch.

“I can see them sending me over to this boring backwater town as a punishment, but you?” he raised a brow, egging him on. “Thought you’d be too big to come here.”

His silver hair almost hid his face as he leaned against the other door and silently took in their destination. Quietly, he replied, “You can stay on the helicopter when we arrive. You aren’t needed.”

“Huh?” Reno snorted, resisting the urge to yank on his long hair and force him to look at him. If there was one thing that grated on his nerves, it was being ignored. “What, you want to hog all the glory?”

“There’s two SOLDIERS.” His gold-flecked eyes met his, and Reno was certain now that he saw some spark of untameable emotion behind his glass exterior. “A Turk is useless.”

“I’ll show you useless.” He smiled wolfishly, all teeth. Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed, just a smidge, and he personally made it his goal to see just how long it’d take for the big man to lose control.

v. Aerith

“Oh, you poor dears,” Aerith murmured as she knelt in the single patch of sunlight in the slums. Reno had once wondered just what the odds were that it shone through the hole in her church, that it hit the only place flowers grew, and then remembered he’d hated numbers. “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Hands in his pockets, Reno slowly made his way down the aisle to her, his footsteps echoing in the vast room. People might have come here once upon a time, but it was abandoned now, forgotten by all but a lone flower-girl. He glanced at the torn-up flowers at her feet, the over-turned dirt, and snorted. “This happens every time. You should just let them die.”

“Never.” She immediately rejected his suggestion just as she’d done the last nth number of times this had happened. “You could help, you know, instead of standing there.”

He shrugged. “They don’t pay me enough to watch you and help you.”

“You don’t have to watch, you can just help,” she replied sweetly, her innocent smile not quite masking her sharp eyes. The girl was a match waiting to light up. “I won’t tell.”

“Sure, and Shinra won’t have my head when he finds out.” Reno rolled his eyes. They had this conversation once a week. The company goons would come and get her (they also didn’t pay him enough to help them), she’d beat them up and flee, they’d make a mess of her garden, and she’d fix it up.

And then rinse and repeat.

It was boring. If he had to get stuck in this small-time slum with this small-time girl, then at least he should be properly entertained. “Why do you even care about those things?”

“They’re pretty,” she replied earnestly, her fingers digging in the dirt and righting a plant. “They’re resilient. And…”

“And?” Reno raised a brow.

“I like them.” She grinned as she lied. He was pretty sure that the reason his boss wanted her was in her last, silent response. “Do I really need another reason?”

“For this much work? Yeah.” Reno shrugged.

Aerith chuckled, tucking a lock behind her ear. “If you say so. But if you change your mind…”

“Not happening.” Reno snorted, sitting in a pew a couple of rows down. Crossing his arms on the bench in front of him, he rested his chin and watched as she went back to work.

He was starting to sit closer each time.

He didn’t want to think about what that meant.

vi. Tseng

“We’re balancing the scales,” Tseng ordered, his voice carefully neutral. It was always careful with this guy. The bastard liked to pretend he didn’t have feelings, that he was above all that. That the cold that came naturally to Shinra was also his own.

Reno knew better. He made the same lies, only he didn’t buy into them. “Yeah…not.”

“Do you really believe that?” Unfortunately, Rude bought Tseng’s act wholesale. A tragic flaw of his. As soft as he was, he needed some point to this, some reason for it all. There wasn’t. There never would be. And he’d never accept that. His hand clenched as he stared at Tseng.

Reno knew Tseng’s response before he even opened his mouth. Whatever the man might feel, he wouldn’t change his mind. “Does it matter?” Tseng raised a brow. Thatching his fingers, he regarded them coolly. His eyes lingered on Reno’s, as though he knew what would come next.

Maybe he did. They did the same song and dance every time this happened. “What questions? We do the thing.” Reno shrugged, sitting up now. He ran a hand through his hair. “Just like always.”

Rude looked at him sadly and sighed. “I’ll get ready.”

Disheartened, he left the conference room, glancing back at Tseng one last time like a kicked puppy. If tactics like that could work, they wouldn’t be in this business in the first place. Reno snorted. As the heavy door slowly closed shut with a soft thud, he finally turned to Tseng. “You’re a fucking liar.”

As usual, Tseng didn’t even bother to look up from his computer. His fingers ran quickly over the keys, tapping in an unknown code. Maybe if he did it enough, he could become one with the machine. “I didn’t lie.”

Reno laughed, slipping off the couch and stalked toward the desk. Tseng still didn’t look up and he growled.

Nothing got to him more than being ignored. “Every time you open that mouth,” he grabbed Tseng’s jaw, “You lie.”

He didn’t so much as flinch. His eyes were dark. “I’ve never lied.”

“Even that’s a lie,” Reno muttered.

Tseng turned off his monitor. “Don’t make a mess on my desk this time.”

“No promises.” It was all the warning Reno gave before he tugged Tseng closer and crashed his lips on his. There was nothing smooth or gentle about what they did—about the way Reno cleared the desk with a crash or Tseng pulled at his jacket, almost tearing it. This wasn’t a relationship, wasn’t anything more than just pent up emotions needing a release.

And if that release was something physical, almost always bruising, then all the better. Hell, if he left enough marks on Tseng’s perfectly clear skin, then perhaps he could pretend he’d actually protested what they’d done.

That he’d tried and quelled the ghosts that refused to leave him alone.

vii. Rude

“What if we flew away?” Rude asked, glancing at Reno as they flew the helicopter to Shinra’s building. There was a strange lit in his voice, one that took Reno several seconds to recognize as hope.

“Back to headquarters?” he asked, playing dumb. Maybe it’d be enough for Rude to back away like he always did, take the coward’s way out.

“No,” Rude shook his head. For once, he was being obstinate. “I mean…away.”

It was his fault. He’d never been one for pillow talk, and that was the reason that Rude insisted on ambushing him everywhere else with these types of conversations. Hell, they were half-way to destroying AVALANCHE, and the man wanted to talk about escaping Shinra. Reno snorted, shutting it down immediately. “Like that’s fucking happening.”

“But if it could?” Rude asked again, oddly insistent. His hands curled on the throttle as he eased the helicopter up. With his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

“Fine.” Sittng back in his seat, he rolled his eyes. “Let’s say Shinra doesn’t kill us or hunt us down. Where would we go?”

“One of those small towns on the outskirts?” Rude suggested, though he sounded like he’d thought this out for months. Maybe he had. Maybe if Reno had just pretended to listen and slept through it all when they were in bed, he wouldn’t have to deal with that now. “There’s dozens of those.”

“There’s a reason they’re small.” Reno scoffed, wrinkling his nose to the idea. He could barely handle them for a mission, let alone living in one. “What would we even do?”

Rude shrugged, trying to sound casual. “Farm?”

Reno snorted. “Can you imagine? Or maybe you could, but me? Do I look like a farmer?” He gestured at his body. Even on his best days, he knew exactly how scrawny he was. In all honesty, he’d always been a city boy; even the slums here were more interesting than some backwater town.

“There’s other things to do.” Rude flicked a switch and pressed a button. “It’s a small town, not the middle of nowhere.”

“Might as well be.” Reno watched as they got closer and closer to the tower. Any minute now, they’d have to jump out. Getting up, he glanced at Rude. “You good now?”

Something about him deflated as he nodded. “Yeah. I guess.”

Reno bit back a groan. This is why he shouldn’t have even encouraged him. What a pain the ass. Looking out the window, he grumbled, “We can talk about this tonight, fine?”

He could almost hear Rude smile. There was that annoying, hopeful sound again as he replied, “Yeah.”

#ff7 #reno #sephiroth #aerith gainsborough #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #tseng of the turks #barret wallace #rude #fanfic

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aerlths · 5 years ago

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fourth rank. tseng

request: would like to request a tseng imagine where he finds out his S/o is pregnant probably back to the accounts of what they did in the office/home in your last fic and Elena being jealous of S/o tries to upset her as much as possible but tseng making sure what belongs to him but he happy to have a child with his s/o. Also can we get supportive uncles rufus, rude & Reno please.

previous imagine referenced (you don’t need to read that one, they’re independent works)

[reminder that requests are open for headcanons, imagines or fake text messages, all characters and pairings.]

word count: 3704

You hid the pearl white object between your palms, staring straight ahead at the dark cherry wood of the cubicle’s door. Shinra’s bathroom wasn’t quite the place where you’d idealized such a moment, but as you’d moved in with Tseng a month back, it was the only viable option. Your knee began moving on its own accord, up and down in a rhythm that resembled your rapid heartbeat.

The passing of those unbearably slow couple of minutes was announced with a light beep – a new model designed for discreetness while reassuring it had done its job. You took a second longer, just one, and turned the test in your hand to see ‘8 weeks pregnant’ written in bold letters.

“Fuck,” it left your parted lips before the magnitude of this new reality had even begun settling in.

You instinctively reached for your stomach, fingertips circling in a soft caress, as if to reassure this new life that you knew they were there, that mom was here. Fuck, mom. You were going to be a mom. And Tseng would be a dad - the two of you would be building a family? The thought of your fiancé coddling a small bundle immediately brought you to tears, and you had to bury your face in your hands to muffle the sounds of joy that escaped your throat.

Leaving that small stall you’d been sitting on for most of your lunch break proved to be a much more difficult task than it had been coming in. Your reflection clearly denounced that something had happened, and you could only pray that no one was to come in while you blew your nose and fixed your makeup.

When you finally walked out, you were met with a long-haired man leaning against the wall by the bathroom. You practically jumped at the sight of him, like a cat caught nipping at the fish. By the preoccupied look he threw you, it didn’t slip by unnoticed.

“Are you alright, love?” He asked in a cautiously low tone, and you couldn’t help the way your heart dropped in his presence. The little object buried within your suit jacket surely explained the overwhelming adoration you’d been feeling for him lately – you could tell daddy would be the favorite.

You considered him, leaving his comfort zone to approach you at work, and offered him a smile. “I am, shouldn’t I be?”

“You were in there for a while,” he gestured towards the ladies’ room behind you, “I was worried something might have happened.”

God, it would take immense willpower not to immediately blurt everything at him. You made an attempt at striking up a pose. “I was doing my makeup! You know I like to look good when we do field work.”

Tseng scrunched his nose and eyed you, searching. You felt yourself heat under his gaze, never quite getting used to the intensity of those eyes. “I don’t believe you. We’ll talk later.”

He’d caught you but didn’t seem the slightest upset. Instead, you were blessed with a brief kiss to your temple, the sweetness of it melting at your core. He guided you through the small of your back along the corridor, only inching away from you when you arrived at the office’s entrance.

The thought that graced your mind when he left for his desk in the adjacent room made you flush from head to toe, and you had to quickly turn away from him to avoid any questions. Eight weeks, the test had said. Six weeks dated back to a particular night in this very office, or perhaps its follow-up only a mere hours later. Six weeks in which he subtly eased your presence into his work life, where he slowly released his stoic façade to meet you in a healthier in-between.

You hadn’t had much time to think of just how you would reveal the news to him, but you instantly knew that you wanted to make him feel. For a brief moment the idea of requesting his friend’s help to surprise him crossed your mind, but you scratched that – you want him to be the first one to tell, and, figures, walls have ears and Elena does too. The last thing you wanted was her finding out this early, and your raging hormones would most likely have you clawing at her face or blowing up that annoying little smirk.

Breathing deeply to avoid feeding the thought, you searched for your two companions for the day’s mission – Reno and Rude. Tseng was to stay behind signing off some paperwork, and you would be exceptionally supervised by none other than the vice-president himself, Rufus Shinra.

No one knew exactly why he was involving himself in this case. Despite its importance, it was an extremely rare occasion to have him take even a smidge of interest in your activities. Some had speculated that he was planning to raise the position of one more Turk, but you doubted it – most likely, he had a personal connection to the group of men you were investigating.

And so, as cheerful as you had never been in the years you’ve served the company, the four of you arrived at the scene. Reno was tapping his nightstick against his shoulder, as if doing so enlightened him in some way, and you could see Rufus side-eyeing him, not maliciously, but with curiosity. He was about to go further ahead when you halted him with a raise of your arm.

“Wait,” you warned, and touched the yellow materia tucked within your wristband. When you felt no response from the sense command, you lowered down your arm. “Now it’s clear.”

Rude chuckled behind you, and you heard a chirp bark of something along the lines of ‘that’s tsengs girl’ from the fiery redhead already marching ahead. You proceeded with caution through the dark tunnel, fully aware that there was something very important that needed protection. Your fight style, though, was almost exclusively based on your powerful materia usage, as you had a particular endurance and skill for handling magic attacks than most. This meant that you could engage in a battle from a safe distance, and that you could just as easily cast a barrier upon yourself.

He probably won’t allow me to do missions like this once he finds out, though, were the words that found themselves into your head. Nevermind that, you continued on the second highest ranking turk’s heel, fingertips lingering around the green orb at your hip, just in case.

“Fuck!” You heard, and that was the catalyst to lead you all into a chase.

Reno, having mastered his impressive speed materia, was already way ahead, and in what turned out to be a very unsatisfying short-lived action moment, caught up to the runaway. He hit him right across the chest, harshly, and in the blink of an eye Rude had him secured, arms behind his back.

You remained in place, wary of the easiness with which you’d found this man. You’d been looking for an old Turk, a runway that had resurfaced with the threat of spilling all the dirty little secrets he’d learned while on the job, and the three of you – three of the very best – had been sent to take him down. Would someone who was fully aware of the risks and yet still provoked Shinra be this weak?

Just as you’d suspected, there was only the warning of rustling behind one of the pillars before something was shot in your direction. Without a thought, you cast Barrier on the Vice-president, knowing you should first and foremost protect him. Before you could shield yourself, however, a man came flying towards you, delivering a blow right in the middle of your chest. One of your hands came to instinctively meet your stomach as you fell to the ground, while the other reached for the metal staff that was shrunk in your pocket. As you pulled the object out, it extended to its full, massive length, and shone a silver-ish light around your body.

Beside you, Rufus was surrounded by the same protection, his pistol in hand prepared to shoot at the figure hiding once again. He looked over to you, blue eyes lingering a moment too long on your middle area, and back ahead. Reno and Rude rushed over two your side, and they too exchanged a suspicious glance, but said nothing. You weren’t certain if it was the hormones or the maternal instincts kicking in, but by the intensity of your glare and the iron grip on your staff, anyone could tell you had entered murder-mode.

“I know it’s been a while since you’ve been a part of the team buddy, but you really shouldn’t underestimate us fresh faces like that.” Reno taunted, clicking his tongue in disapproval. He too seemed more than a little pissed at the dirty trick.

“I don’t feel like playing.” You looked between the men around you and exhaled loudly, raising your weapon in the direction of their target. “We’re not giving you time to prepare, you stupid fuck.”

Rude winced behind you, but quickly changed his expression into one of awe as you wordlessly blew up the pillar where he hid with a powerful Fire spell, blasting him back in the process. You stepped back, knowing full well you should leave them to the rest if you wanted to keep up to barriers. They, of course, wasted no time in engaging him in battle, ultimately resulting in knocking him out.

As they fought, Rufus inched closer to you, his voice low. “The fourth spot is yours.”

You blinked, confused. “Pardon, Mr. Vice-President?”

He gave you the smallest of smiles, the silver shimmer still strong around his form. “At first, I was simply curious to see to exactly whose wedding I had gotten invited to, but I now see that there must be a change in rank. I can comprehend why Tseng would place a ring on you.”

The harsh sound of Rude’s fist against the target’s cheek had been unsettling enough that you were momentarily distracted, but Rufus continued, unphased. “I’m moving you up. You have very impressive control, especially considering your…situation.”

His gesture towards your stomach had your face going very pale, eyes wide. “H-How did you…?”

But you looked down, and realized your palm was still placed protectively against the area. Ah. “Thank you, Mr. Vice President. But please don’t mention the baby to Tseng, I have just found out myself.”

A very loud echo of “Baby?!” had you jumping in surprise, the seemingly finished duo turning towards you with cat-like grins. Well, there goes telling your fiancé first.

“Dude, Tseng’s gonna be a dad? What the fuck.” Reno practically yelled, twisting the arm of the detained man in his excitement. “Does this mean I’m like, an uncle?”

The usually calm and extremely quiet Rude nearly mirrored his colleague’s excitement, and it warmed your heart to see him as such. His expression changed significantly into one of worry as he seemed to have reached a realization – you braced yourself. “(Y/N), you do realize Tseng will murder us once he realizes we let you get hit, right?”

Reno widened his eyes and let out another loose ‘fuck’. You shook your head at them, smiling. “I can take care of myself, and I’m only eight weeks in. That trash bag hit me in the chest, I’m fine.”

They didn’t relax at all, but you didn’t blame them. Even you were preoccupied with the possibility of him being upset.

Upset?

Holy shit, Elena was about to burn the entire Shinra’s Headquarters down. She’d been the previous fourth place, praised for her martial arts skills, and now not only had she dropped down from the golden quartet in lieu of you, but she would also have to swallow down the very big ‘you’ll have her crush’s child’ lump. She was going to lose her mind, you were completely certain – and, well, she did.

In the trip back the two men chose to ignore the death countdown above their heads to go back to the excitement of the news. Even Rufus himself seemed thoroughly amused, and you felt a bit like a celebrity with the amount of attention you were receiving from them. The commotion didn’t go unnoticed when you arrived back at the office, mission successful, and you had to practically implore the two Turks to act normal and go back to their jobs. They had, however, helped you come up with a sweet idea, and were currently ensuring that no one would disturb you as you went over to his office.

Seriously, if you didn’t tell him right then, it was bound to reach his ears before the end of the day. Reno didn’t quite understand the meaning of secrecy, and had rambled so loudly in the truck you took that you wouldn’t be surprised if all the lower ranking SOLDIERs – snow-balled information from the drivers in your trip – already knew. So there you were, a small package in your hands, and the softest smile you’d ever given him.

You closed the door behind you as you entered, granting you an immediate raise of his brows. “I gather it went well?”

“It did! The Vice President even gave me Elena’s place.” You mused, slowly walking up to him.

“He did?” He asked, and the pointed look you shot him had him backtracking. “Not that I don’t think you deserve it! He just doesn’t seem the type to make sudden changes like that.”

You leaned against his desk next to where he sat, trying desperately to hide the excitement. You faked a pout. “I’ll have you know he was impressed by my quick response and magic use!”

“I know love, you’re the most talented I know.” He assured you, and you felt your cheeks warming at his words. He closed the laptop he’d been typing on to fully turn to you, giving you his undivided attention. There was something in that little gesture, something that was still novelty in your relationship, that had you melting inside. “You came here for something, right? Is everything okay?”

Smiling again, albeit a bit shyly this time around, you placed the nicely wrapped package in front of him. “It’s a gift for you. I think you’ll need it.”

He looked at you with that warm, loving gaze he reserved for your most intimate moments. It had you dying to jump him and hold him tightly, but you didn’t want to ruin the surprise. He palmed the packaging, instantly being able to tell what it was, and smiled. “I always need book; you know me well.”

“This one is special though.” You commented, almost as if absentmindedly, and waited for him to tear apart the dark blue wrapping paper.

The cover for the parenting book “Cribsheet” was staring right at him. You didn’t fully comprehend what it was from the way his expression transitioned from confused to understand to blatant happiness that turned on the faucet and had the water works begin. Wordlessly, and with every inch of him practically yelling adoration, he pulled you into his lap and sank his head in your chest.

You arms wrapped around him, holding him close. “We’re going to be parents.”

He nodded against you, still refusing to look up. He whispered against your body. “I love you so, so much (Y/N).”

Your heart was filled to the brim with a type of joy, a blissful feeling you couldn’t explain or pinpoint. Only then you realized, you hadn’t once considered the chance that he might not want this child. You knew the man you loved, and you knew he didn’t do anything on accident – if he was occasionally ignoring contraceptives, you knew that it meant that he was ready. And you were ready too, to love and protect whatever precious thing that you’d give birth to.

After a little while, he pulled away to take in your image, the goofy grin on both your faces priceless. “How long?”

“Two months.” You said, to which his smile only grew. “There’s actually a chance that they were conceived right here, you know?”

Tseng visibly gulped and scratched the back of his head, pretending it had nothing to do with him. You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped your mouth.

***

The following day, it soon became evident that the entire floor was aware of your situation. On the pleasant side, it did feel good to have people gushing over you, praising you, and overall just being extra nice. You knew you wouldn’t tolerate it if you were to spend the next seven months being coddled as if you were made of glass, and you’d made it very clear to Tseng the previous night that you’d continue working for as long as it was safe for the child. However, this initial warmth from your coworkers was doing wonders to your ego and already excellent mood. That was, until Elena came into play.

You’d pondered before that if she were to bother you while you had something this important, precious baby growing inside of you, she’d finally get to see you at your worst. For two years – the time you’d officially dated Tseng, you tolerated her and her big mouth under nothing but respect for her as a coworker. She, on the other hand, had gotten bolder and bolder instead of realizing that he was playing catch with no one, as Tseng was completely off limits. You had yet to give her the taste of your metal that you’d been wanting to solely because of your man, who had to protect the order within the Turks.

Right now, with that lopsided smirked and the malicious twist of her hair, you were about to say a big fuck you to all of that.

It started in the early morning, when you were in the line to get coffee, when you heard a snicker and the words, “That’s why she’s been looking so fat,” out of Elena’s mouth. The baby inside of you not only was obsessed with daddy, but also apparently with blood, because you very nearly spilt the hot liquid in her flat chest.

Breathe, remember? You told yourself to find that perfect picturesque place inside your head, travel far down there, and leave the blond alone or she would, and emphasis on the complete certainty, get some serious bruises on herself.

The baby, think about the baby.

And so you ignored her. And you ignored her when she complained about her rank swap, when she commented on your appearance at least three other times, when she wondered aloud whether Tseng was cheating on you or not, and soon the “think about the baby, calm down” turned into “think about the baby, they want you to destroy her”.

At about the seventh time you heard another off-hand comment from her, you understood why she was acting so bold. Somewhere on that dysfunctional brain of hers, she concluded that you would sit quietly and take it because you had a child to protect. She’d apparently forgotten that you could most likely beat her up with an eight month’s belly, much easier with only two months.

Reno and Rude had been off on a mission of their own, nowhere near to hold you off, and Tseng was working from within his personal office. There was no one around with competence to pull you off from her if you did decide to give in to bloodthirst. Good.

It was at the eight comment, that was met by even her friends with disgust, that you flew from your chair to stand in front of her.

“What the fuck did you say?” You snarled, dared her to repeat. You’d heard her pretty clearly, much more than you ever wanted to hear.

Your profession wasn’t particularly dignified, and you all did a lot of bad things – but fuck if you aren’t going to bash her head in for the words that escaped her mouth.

She stared at you, clearly taken aback. “It’s a joke…calm down.”

“Say it,” you taunted, reaching for a blue orb that dangled in the belt by your waist, fully ready to go all out, “repeat how you just “joked” about me losing this child. Say it.”

Elena gulped visibly, and you were right to assume that she was under the impression you magically became a defenseless centerpiece. “Lighten up, I was obviously jo-“

She didn’t finish, because you’d already taken your staff out, fully intending to rip her a new one. Before you could even Poison her, though, a firm hand came to rest on your shoulder. You knew without turning around who it belonged to.

You attempted to explain. “Tseng, she just--“

“I know, I heard you.” His tone was cold, borderline terrifying, but you knew you weren’t the target of his rage. If there was a hole in the ground, Elena would’ve hopped in without looking back.

“Tseng, I can expla--” She tried.

“You’re suspended.” He stated firmly, a gloved hand pointing accusingly at her. “I’m taking up this matter with Vice President himself. I’ve had it up to here with your antics. Your big mouth has caused us enough troubles as it is, but you can’t even keep it to yourself in your workplace. Workplace harmony is also extremely important for a job like ours where we only have each other to rely on, and the only conflicts we’ve had in ages we’re solely provoked by you. You’re suspended.”

You were left staring in a mixture of shock and absolute delight at your future husband, relieved beyond measure that he’d finally put her in her place. You were, however, disappointed that you didn’t get your chance to finally get revenge.

Later on, when the two of you lay in bed, his hand lazily tracing soothing circles against your back and chin tucked atop your head, he reinforced just how amazing you were, and that no Elena would change the fact that you were the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. (Ah, and perhaps you discovered that this man had an…inclining to seeing you fight. Figures.)

#ffvii #final fantasy 7 #tseng imagines #tseng fanfiction #ffvii tseng #ff7 tseng #wowwwww i wrote a lot for this one #i loved writing this #the parts after the *** were added because of the request #since the request specifically asked for that #though it didnt go much w the flow

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sadistic-second · 5 years ago

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ShinRa Company Policy

//So I wrote a little something. Nothing fancy. Just trying to explore ideas that I come up with. This was inspired by an audio I heard on tiktok. I managed to find the whole song and well. @turkoftheslums indulged and helped me a little bit with this. So please, enjoy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The plate drop had been on his mind for several weeks now. Most of his injuries had healed up. There were a few bruises that felt like they refused to heal. Something that worked as a constant reminder of what he had done. And sure, okay. He hadn’t even really been the one to push the button. All he had done was set it up. His hesitation at the computer had forced Rude to hit the final button. His best friend, his partner in crime, one of three men he would sacrifice himself for. He had tried to apologize, make it up to the man the best ways he knew how. No matter what Rude said or did, Reno felt like it wasn’t enough.

How did one ease a burden like this upon their own soul?

It was early morning when he walked into Tseng’s office. Sure he’d knocked, but that hadn’t stopped him from waiting for an answer. Papers of resignation had been thrown onto the man’s desk. The only words Reno had said was, “I quit.” He knew the consequences of these actions. Under the old regime, that meant a bullet to the back of the head. While that had been what he’d figured Tseng would do the moment he turned his back. When it didn’t come, he found that he was allowed to walk out of his office. Unsure with what to do actually do now, he decided his best course of action was to clean out his workspace and go home.

The space that he called his own was messy at best. Picking the trashcan up from the floor, he started throwing discarded candy wrappers into it. He didn’t really want to take down his wall of pink slips, but that would have to go, wouldn't it? He’d keep them, maybe shove them into a drawer in his apartment for safekeeping. Everything that could be thrown away was. Everything else was put into a box for him to carry out. There wasn’t much worth keeping in his office.

Lifting the box from his desk, he turned to walk out. Waiting for him outside was his Director. Or well, his former Director. All the man did was look at him and gesture in the direction in which he wanted him to walk. Now, a thought occurred to Reno: Tseng wasn’t his boss anymore so there was no reason to just blindly follow his orders. So when the redhead took a step in the other direction, he heard the distinct sound of a cocking gun. Alright. Swiveling on his foot, he began to walk in the direction that had been previously indicated.

Now, what the ex-Turk thought was going to happen included being taken into a room with all the other Turks and an example being made of him. Or perhaps they wouldn't even give him that. Tseng might just end him right there in the hallway. Each footstep scared him more than the last. His breath quickens, his heart rate rose rapidly. An anxiety attack seemed imminent. However, they stopped in front of the elevator. Was he just going to be escorted to the lobby? Perhaps he would be allowed to leave after all.

The elevator went up. That alone was a good sign. Or so he would have liked to believe. They traveled past the lobby. Nervous eyes watched the people below get significantly smaller as they ascended. A glance towards the display let him know exactly where they were going.

"Hey man, there's no need to get the President involved." A pause to see if the man would respond. Silence. A pair of canines lodged themselves into a tender section of cheek hard enough to draw blood. "Seriously, just let me leave, man. This doesn't have to escalate any further." Still nothing. The air was growing heavy between them. It was only a matter of time before the redhead had a panic attack.

Finally, the doors opened. Immediately upon instinct, Reno tried to make a run for it. When Tseng didn't make a move to stop him, he figured that he could getaway. But that's where he was wrong. Rude had been waiting for him outside the doors. Almost as if everyone knew the idiot would try and run. Now escorted by his former partner and director, the ex-Turk had no choice but to walk down that path towards the unknown.

Rude had been told to stand guard and prevent the redhead from leaving should he choose to run once more. The redhead knew exactly what was awaiting him on the other side of that door. Perhaps that was why he hadn’t moved. The two Turks beside him were discussing something that fell on deaf ears. His mind had chosen to wander in a different direction; if Tseng wasn’t going to be the one to put him down, was that job being entrusted to Rufus? Imagine having his brains blown out all over the floor with a shotgun.

Oh, but then again, didn’t he have an aversion to blood? So perhaps there would be another way that his life would end. Or maybe, and this was the one that he was banking on, they would just let him go. Cut any and all ties necessary and then just boot him off somewhere. The middle of nowhere sounded nice. Maybe a little island or something. But could Reno get that lucky? One would like to think this, but given the streak of things that had been happening lately, that wasn’t very likely.

A nudge to the small of his back and he was being brought back to reality. Another nudge and he was being forced through an open door. When in the blazes had that opened? Not that he had much time to really think. Eyes were wildly searching the vast open room before him. There was no sign of the blond at first glance. Either his eyes just didn't register another person from the sheer amount of panic now coursing through his veins or the man simply just wasn’t there.

“Director Tseng tells me that you’ve decided to quit.”

The voice came from the side. When his head whipped around, Rufus ShinRa came into view. Hands seemed to be clamped behind his back, his gaze never seeming to leave the redhead. There was something of a shiver running down his spine now. Said mentioned Turk had slipped from his place behind Reno and was now standing off on the opposite side.

“Uh, yeah. That’s what I’ve decided to do.”

“And why might that be?”

“Can’t live with the guilt.”

Everyone in the room knew what the redhead was referring to. Here again, even if Reno hadn’t been the one to push the final button, he had initiated it. That, in his mind, was just as bad. Rude seemed to be handling this a lot better than him. Seemed to be alright with what they had done. Little did Reno know that his best friend was battling some of the same feelings that he was. Just seemed better at handling it than he did. If only they had talked about it instead of this impulsive idiot acting alone.

“It would seem to me that you’ve forgotten something, Reno. Did you not read the company policy? It clearly defines you all as my own property.” There was this sickeningly sweet smile on the blond’s face. That alone was enough to terrify Reno.

“Sir, wha-”

“It waivers your say in autonomy. I hope you know your life will always belong to me.”

That wasn’t really something that Reno could argue against. The man had pardoned them and in a sense, that did more or less mean he owned them. But as far as the man taking possession of their lives? Was that really something that the redhead was going to stand for?

Whatever his own thoughts on the matter might have been, they seemed to vanish the moment he watched the President start to advance towards him. His hands had unclasped, they were now raised to his sides.

“We put the loyalty back into disloyalty. If you’re upset, that’s a vulnerability.” The look on Reno’s face was that of someone who was upset. This whole situation for one didn’t make much sense. The redhead wanted to quit. What was with this display? Was he being toyed with right now? “We’re a family forged in mass tyranny.”

The closer the man came to him, the more he backed away. Tseng hadn’t moved from his spot, silent as ever, merely watching these events unfold before him. The redhead started to stutter, stammer. Fail at attempting any sort of words. This was starting to scare him a little bit.

“Sir, I don’t thi-”

“Tut tut. There’s no ‘i’ in ‘team’, Reno, but there is a ‘die’ in ‘diversity’.” A pause to consider the horrified look on the Turk’s face before continuing. “You thought your service was over? Are you really that dumb? Reno, you’re not sober. This exposure is making you bolder. So why don’t you venture back down to your slum.” An arm was waved somewhere behind him as if gesturing to where the plate had just fallen. A somewhat meticulous grin spreading across the blond’s face.

“Just know that we'll always have eyes on you. Is this really worth the trouble you're going through?”

The redheaded Turk just kind of backed himself into a corner. Or rather, tripped himself into a corner. He misstepped in his need to get away from the other. Landing flat on his ass, he was staring up at an almost immaculate sight. The way the man shielded him from the lights created what he would have called an almost genuine halo-like effect. Too bad he couldn't be sure that this man was really an angel. More like a devil in disguise at this point.

Despite whatever words fought to escape from betwixt his lips, they were all swallowed. There was frustration written all over his features. A faint ‘tch’ was the only sound he made. His gaze eventually broke away from the blond’s face and he was looking off to the side, staring at the wall. Fingers had curled up, hands balling into fists.

Every single thing this man had said to him was true. Maybe the redhead really was that dumb. Stupid enough to think that he could actually just walk away as if nothing had happened. If ShinRa didn't kill him, the other Slum Rats would. Their reasons would vary, of course. Turks. The scientists. SOLDIERs. The civilians. Literally, anyone or anything could end his life at any moment. But as long as he worked for the Turks, he would be perfectly safe.

Though saying that he was safe was relative at this point. There he sat on the ground in this corner, cowering. There was no trying to hide it. The redhead was scared. Anyone looking at him would have seen it written all over his face. Where was the warning shot? Half expected a shotgun to press itself under his chin. Feel the warmth of the metal against his flesh. Leave a burn as a reminder of what happened here. When no such thing came, he opened his eyes. When they had closed he wasn’t sure. But he found himself staring back up at the man. That’s what he seemed to be waiting for. A hand had reached into his pocket and that’s when Reno flinched. After several moments of silence and no echoing gunshot, his eyes opened once more and there was a hand in front of his face.

But placing in the palm was something that he had never seen before. It looked metallic. Chain links? They appeared to be stuck together in a way that was impossible to break apart. The hand shook just enough for the chains to jingle. So it wasn’t as rigid as it first appeared. But he could tell that they couldn't easily come undone. The blond toyed with it, manipulated it this way and that. No matter what he did, the three links stayed together.

“Do you know what this is?” Reno shook his head. “It's a . . . Metal puzzle of sorts. One of those ‘impossible puzzles’, I’m told. These three chain links aren’t meant to come apart, but if you somehow manage it? I’ll let you leave your service.”

This puzzle could be solved. They were meant to be incredibly difficult to take apart, however. The truly intellectual would be able to pull them apart. Not to say that Reno wasn’t smart. But he lacked the particular set of logic required to figure it out. This toy would sit in his possession for quite a while. He would either figure it out and get to leave. Or he would eternally be in this man’s employ until he was dead.

Rufus tossed the puzzle into the Turk’s lap and ruffled his hair before turning around and dismissing him. Tseng walked over and nudged the redhead with his foot. Motioned for him to get up, follow him to the door. There was a lot of work to be done and so little time to do it. It was a bit of a struggle, but once he was on his feet, they were leaving the office. Rude was rejoining them and the redhead looked down at the puzzle in his hands.

This, this was never going to get solved, was it?

Well fuck.

#ShinRa Company Policy #Written By Asher #Inspired by The Stupendium THE FINE PRINT | The Outer Worlds Song #Parodied and Edited by turkoftheslums #Man if only this translated the way I wanted it to #Brain words and written words differ a bit #But I mean #I like the overall final product #:genhappy:#What I would do to roleplay this or something similar though #OOF

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qiianze-moved · 5 years ago

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❈⋆ “ 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖... ? ” ⋆❈ @radhalaus

gods, had he truly missed so much? had so much time passed that they all thought he was gone for good? reno took his spot as lead turk, yet failed to keep the president safe —- fuck the idea that rufus had no longer been president. he had been calling him that years before it was even official, and he didn’t see himself stopping anytime soon. president of what? he didn’t fucking know anymore. the planet? gods, he would give rufus that and more if he would still have him. if he would still let him. together, they could accomplish great things, at least that’s what he had been telling rufus for years. what did he think of him now? reno was able to fill tseng in a little bit, though bewilderment still clouded his ability to explain much —- a mention of kidnapping, mention of beating, another kidnapping -— and then the geostigma.

“how the FUCK could you let this happen!?” slender fingers tightened around windpipe. the redheaded turk didn’t bother trying to pry the hands away, he only took it with tears lining his lids. was it lack of oxygen, or fear? both, tseng assumed. “how could you let this happen?” asked again; he’s almost expecting an answer despite reno’s current inability to reply. but there’s nothing, and if it wasn’t for rude stepping in with his usual stoic demeanor, speaking tseng’s name in a tone that reminded him of a calm storm, perhaps tseng would have killed reno right then and there. but he releases his grip and he smirks as reno gasps for air. “you’re a piece of shit.” one last insult that reno takes without argument before rude nods forward, silently directing tseng to the hall where a room waited at the end.

rufus’ room.

was he ready to see the president in such terrible shape? he had heard rumors, heard whispers about his condition and about how the sickness ate away at his health day by day. he had already broken his promise once —- that he would stay by his side no matter what -— so what was another broken promise? unfair blame. tseng had no choice in the matter. after all, he didn’t ask for sephiroth to sink his blade between his ribs.

there’s quiet hesitation as tseng makes his way down the narrow hallway. hand reaches out to grab the doorknob, but he stops himself. takes a breath. reaches out again. this time, he opens it with reluctance and he’s met with a conflicting feeling of both relief and concern. it takes everything for tseng not to sprint over and fall down next to him. to grab his hands and beg for forgiveness. explain everything. but he knows that he has to treat this with care. he has to be sensitive. rufus thinks he’s dead. they all did. and in his current state, tseng can’t imagine rufus will have an easy time digesting this revelation.

so, he’s careful. slow in his movements, like a stalking jaguar. the wheelchair is jarring and it has him wavering the slightest bit; he’s thankful rufus’ back is to him so he can compose himself before circling around and in front of him.

oh.

the reaction is immediate. this wasn’t the plan; he wasn’t supposed to show weakness, but gods ... looking at him, tseng can’t help but fall to his knees, hands quickly finding those of the president. there’s a million things he wants to say: apologies, oh so many of those. confessions of love, infatuation, admiration, adoration —- everything and anything he could think of. relief that rufus hadn’t perished without him, but no words would leave his parted lips. instead, the two share a gaze with one another, staring as if blinking would cause the other to disappear in thin air. but then rufus dares utter the simplest question. a question he can’t even finish. a question tseng knows he can’t answer.

“ 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖... ? ”

tseng shakes his head, a smile threatens to crack his features just from hearing his voice. one hand moves to rufus’ face, fingertips laying flat against the bandages around his head as thumb swipes along the skin, “another time, love.” soon, his other hand is joining against the other side of the presidents’ face as he rises the slightest bit so he can get a good look at him, “how could they let this happen...”

it’s a whisper just loud enough for rufus to hear, “i’m —-.” he chokes on the word, not because of his pride, but because it feels inadequate. he should have been there. he should have done more, but instead he was trapped between life and death, forced to sit idly by until the others decided he was free to go, and the funniest part is: this time he wanted to. as he sat there, bleeding out in that damn cave, tseng felt despair. that desire to perish and never return to gaia again was absent; all he could think about was the fact that he was leaving rufus behind, and he couldn’t even explain it to him. “-— I’m so sorry.”

#𝙼𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃 ➟ 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 #𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴 ➟ 𝐖𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐃𝐒. / 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 #radhalaus #( anyway .... this turned into a drabble #instead of just a regular answered ask and i'm #sorry i got inspired lis #i love them i love them i love them i love them i lo -#aaAAAAA )

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gingerwerk · 6 years ago

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so since ive been really busy with school lately and will continue to be really busy for like three more weeks and tbh, don’t know when i’ll get around to updating, so here’s a sizable chunk from chapter 16 ✌️

“Shouldn’t you be up to your ears in textbooks or something right now?” Eugene asked Wednesday afternoon, his phone wedged between his right ear and his shoulder as he quickly rearranged one of the displays.

“Yeah but I figured maybe it’d be good to take a break and see what you were up to,” Sidney responded from the other side of the phone. “Clearly it was a mistake.”

“Well, we all make those,” Eugene mumbled as carefully removed his phone from its position.

“What are you up to, Eugene?” Sidney persisted genuinely. “It’s been a minute.”

“Uh, well my old C.O. is back in town so we’ve been busy helping him reno his family house this week,” Eugene explained as he moved around the shop, gently spritzing the flowers with his spray bottle.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m helping him landscape his backyard. The other guys are helping tear down wall paper, repaint rooms, get rid of old furniture,” Eugene continued casually. “All hands on deck kinda situation.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

“I guess but it’s not bad,” he said, shrugging. “We work for a couple hours and then it’s mostly us all hanging out. Even when we’re working it’s kinda like we’re just goofing off.”

“So is that why you’ve been ignoring your mom’s phone calls again?” Sidney asked, his tone light but Eugene could tell that there was something harder.

“Yeah, Sid, I’ve been busy,” he said honestly. “I was doing yard work and was away from my phone yesterday when she called.”

“So busy you couldn’t call her back?”

“It was late by the time we were finished I didn’t wanna be rude,” Eugene said, a little less honestly; it was still only the early evening when Eugene noticed the missed call from his mother.

“Couldn’t call her back today?”

“It’s on my to-do list, okay? And why’re you on my case about this?” Eugene snapped.

“Because I ran into her at the grocery store last night and she yelled at me again to tell you to call her. Made it sound like it’s my fault you won’t pick up,” Sidney retorted. “Like you can only answer two peoples phone calls and you’ve chosen your dad and me.”

Eugene didn’t immediately respond because honestly, Sidney wasn’t wrong. When it came to Mobile, he really only made an effort to keep up communication with his father and his friend, and even then the lines were a little strained at times.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized softly.

“If you’re actually sorry you’ll pick up the phone the next time she calls,” Sidney countered firmly. “Honestly, do you know how awkward it is to have the Mrs. Sledge chew you out in the middle of a Whole Foods?”

“Funny enough, Sid, I can imagine what that’s like,” he said with a hollow smile as he set the spray bottle down on the front counter.

“Yeah, well, let me know the next time it happens and then your wife hears about it before you even get home,” Sidney muttered.

“You see, that’s why I left Mobile,” Eugene said smugly, leaning against the counter. “Too many people knowing everyone’s business.”

“Uh, huh, sure,” Sidney mumbled. “Call her.”

“I will, promise,” he sighed. “Once my CO’s outta town I’ll have more time to chat.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

After the two friends said their goodbyes, Eugene returned to his work and was just finishing up his last needed task of the day when Bill entered the shop.

“Delivery’s go alright then?” Eugene asked.

“Oh, yeah, more than alright,” he responded with a grin as he pulled out a wrinkled twenty-dollar bill from his pocket. “Ms. Sullivan’s tip is gonna buy me some drinks tonight.”

Ms. Sullivan was a regular of theirs- or, to be more accurate, her daughter was the regular. Every other week since they opened, Ms. Sullivan’s daughter, who lived out of state, ordered a dozen flowers to be sent to her mother, who was pushing eighty and lived by herself a block away from the shop. Every time Eugene delivered flowers to her, she always tried to lure him inside with tea or homemade cookies, which he always politely declined. Bill, however, had no such qualms.

“What’d you have to do to get that outta her?”

“Only turn up the old Bill Leyden charm,” Bill answered cockily, still smiling at the note.

“You don’t have charm,” Eugene said flatly. “Or shame apparently.”

“And here I was about to split my spoil with you,” he said with fake hurt in his voice.

“I’m not too heartbroken about it,” he before he began walking to the back office to grab the sweater he had needed this morning. “Besides, I’m heading over to Andy’s for a bit,” he added as he returned to the front of the shop.

“Thought you guys finished the backyard yesterday.”

“We did but I gotta go over some last minute things with Flo for her renewal,” he explained.

“Alright, well, see ya later, boss. Don’t work yourself too hard.”

“I won’t,” he said before he exited the shop and headed up towards the apartments.

Eugene ran inside his apartment briefly to grab the notebook he had Flo’s flower information in before he exited. Pausing only to lock the door, Eugene turned, went to take a step towards the stairs, but stopped when he found Snafu standing at the top of them.

“Oh, hey,” Eugene greeted him, feeling the momentary jump of his stomach.

“Where you runnin’ off to in such a hurry?” Snafu asked as he continued to block the top of the stairs.

“Going to Andy’s. Gotta do some last minute preparations with Flo,” he answered, gesturing to the notebook in hand for added explanation. “Trying to catch the next train over.”

“... I could give ya a lift,” Snafu offered after a beat.

“What?”

“I was gonna head over there in a bit,” Snafu explained, dropping his gaze as he finally moved away from the stairs. “Hillbilly called and asked if I’d be able to lend them my truck for the evening, somethin’ ‘bout a fire pit. But if you gimme a minute I’ll save you a train ride.”

“Sure,” Eugene decided after a slight pause, fidgeting with the notebook in his hand.

“Good,” Snafu said, a slight smile coming to his face. “I’ll be out in five.”

Surprisingly, true to his word, Snafu was back out on the balcony in just under five minutes, dressed in the slightly dirty work clothes he had worn earlier in the week, a fresh cigarette placed firmly between this lips. Snafu paused briefly to light his cigarette before he looked to Eugene and jerked his head towards the stairs. Eugene followed him.

Pulling out onto the street a minute later found them almost immediately stuck in the typical level of hellish congestion that was Boston traffic. Snafu, never one to get anywhere in a hurry, settled into his seat and turned up the car radio slightly while he smoked his cigarette.

“At this rate the train would’ve been faster,” Eugene admitted tiredly as they inched along the street.

“You can still get out and catch that train if you want,” Snafu suggested cheekily before the traffic momentarily cleared up and he was able to roll forwards.

Eugene turned his head and watched as Snafu blew out a cloud of smoke and flicked his cigarette bud out the window. With the bright, spring sun shining down on Snafu, tan skin glowing warmly, the usually harsh lines of his tattoos looking somehow softer than usual-

“What?” Snafu asked, breaking Eugene out of his head with a jolt. “Tryna get pointers on how to actually drive?”

Eugene scowled as he turned away, eyes focusing on the traffic in front of them; he could still see Snafu’s shit eating grin out of the corner of his eyes.

“I’m not that bad,” he countered with a huff. “You just wanna blow shit out of proportion.”

“Me, Burgie, and Leyden all blowing it out of proportion?” he asked cockily.

“Yeah, cus you’re all assholes,” Eugene muttered flatly as he turned his head to stare out the passengers window; Snafu chuckled.

“Well how ‘bout this? When we get to Ack Ack’s, we have him and Eddie get in and you take my truck for a spin round the block; think they gonna just be ‘assholes’ when they tell you that you drive like shit too?”

Recognizing Snafu had him cornered, Eugene turned and glared at him, his scowl only deepening when Snafu burst out into a fit of laughter.

“Fuck you, Snafu,” Eugene muttered.

In response, Snafu turned his head away from the road in front of him and grinned at Eugene, an unexpected softness present in his eyes that made Eugene’s irritation disappear for a brief second.

“Call me a bad driver… maybe you focus more on driving and not heckling me,” Eugene mumbled as he felt his heart rate increase slightly.

“Good drivers can multitask, Sledgehammer,” he said, turning back forward before he added. “Ya know, maybe one day I could try my hand at teaching, give you some decent driving lessons.”

“I think I’ll pass thanks,” Eugene responded flatly.

“Suit yourself,” he said, grin still wide on his face.

#flowers and tattoos au #yeah uh. sorry but i had really bad writters block and then also realized that it was almost the end of the semester #and i needed to do a million things #and now i feel like i only have to do like a hundred things but still gotta get through the next three week s #hopefully will be able to write this chap quickly after the semester is over so you guys arent waiting too long :/#kelly writes

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n-o-x-i-o-u-s · 5 years ago

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I (don’t) Love Us (anymore)

I met you when I was 15. You were 16. You were the new kid from Nevada but didn’t notice me until the following year. I remember getting a notification on Facebook when I was with my friends; “Do you know him? Why did he add me?”-- I thought you added me by accident. Then you messaged me, “hiya. remember me? ^~^” I was even more scared. I thought you wanted to tell me how much of a poser I was or something.

You were with this girl, a psychotic weirdo. Even when you two were broken up she still stalked your life and tried to claim you, whist liking me. I didn’t believe you liked me, however. Immediately you “married” this then online “famous” girl, Pauline. I didn’t have a chance. You talked to so many girls I didn’t want to even bother fighting for a damn spot.

We texted everyday and got closer. I started to notice you everywhere. My friends knew I was starting to catch feeling and playfully teased me. One even tried to push me to you when we passed each other. I remember waving at you. Took me a lot of courage for that tiny gesture. Towards the end of the school year we met up a few times to hug for the entire lunch/recess. I remember loving the warm embrace.

However, I was with someone at that time. I told him I loved you. He wanted to kill himself at first, but acceptance as you lived closer and our chemistry was better. But your fucking exes wouldn’t leave you alone.

During the summer, I found out you were moving. Ultimately it was my choice somehow.. but you ended up moving. When you got back to Nevada, that was the first time you broke my heart. You were suddenly rude to me, and my menstrual cramps wasn’t making anything better. You didn’t know I knew your blog, I checked it as I did everyday.. “I love Brett. The end.” -- I should’ve stopped our story there.

You apologized after. Did what I told you to do: tell me you love me 100 times.

September 3rd, 2011. A date I will never forget. I came back from a family party. For the past few days I was vaguely giving you hints to ask me out, as I have no idea how to ask anyone out. We phone called. “Would you fancy a relationship?” ok, Cook. I rolled around, giggling, making weird seal noises. I’ve never been happier.

A day later your stupid ex yelled at you. Why? You’re not her property, haven’t been for like 6 months.. (remind you of anything?) I got hurt again. I don’t know howto deal with that kind of situation. Should I message her too? Yell? Let you take care of it. I was intimidated. I was weak. But why again? You were mine now.. what gave her the right?

A few months into our relationship, I found out through social media you went to prom with another girl, Lianza. I didn’t know anything but her profile picture. My stomach dropped, I felt like I had a heartquake. I couldn’t stop shaking. Friends or not, she previously posted a song on your profile. Talamak - Toro y Moi. The lyrics messed me up when I pieced things together.

Then, I had to go through another girl, Taylor. Thought she’d be our “relationship guardian angel”.. She was nice to me, but too nice to you. Didn’t know you two video chatted. Didn’t know you two were so close so quick. Envy consumed me.

Throughout a good, almost 2 years of our emotional relationship I’ve never been through so much girls names. I could make a mambo no. 5. I got so messed up it drove me insane. I assumed the worst in any scenario. I became abusive. I became destructive. I couldn’t stop. Endlessly harassed you if you didn’t reply quick enough. I hurt you because I was always questioning your love. Do you really love me enough to be hurt by me? You stopped replying like before. Took you hours. I only assumed you were talking to other people. That’s when I stepped way over the line and blackmailed you.

July 2013 we broke up. Knew it was my fault that time. You told me if I loved you in a year, you’d come back to me. I didn’t think I’d love anyone else. My best friend was dating your ex friend. It was hard, feeling so close to you but knowing it’s not the same you. I hung out with your high school friends too. They were good hearted and had nothing but nice intentions, but them being your friends in the past hurt me because all I thought about was you.

A month later, I found out the hard way, social media again, you found someone else, Jessica. My heart shattered. I scream cried. I drank vodka straight from the bottle and kept myself intoxicated for days just to make the pain somewhat tolerable. I had to do hypnosis. I called my best friend up screaming, I called her boyfriend at that time too. They didn’t know.

I tried so hard to see if we could reconcile, forgetting how much pain I’ve caused you and that it takes a long time to forgive. I contacted you through email. You told me you loved her and you’re not letting anything come between you two. In February 2014 I accepted it. I said my goodbye via email.

May 2014.. I woke up from a bad dream that got me shaken up. It was of you. You had long hair in a ponytail, and was crying. Your sister came to me and told me you needed me and you wanted to kill yourself. I woke up shaking, but calmed down and tried to remember it was only a dream. An hour later, I got an ask on my main from a deleted blog. It looked like a cry for help. I checked where the ip address was located. Reno. I knew it was you.

You then came back into my life. I felt like I was on eggshells. I didn’t want to fuck it up again. Suddenly I guess we were okay again. You still loved me. My heart felt better than the last 10 months.. I moved to California not too long after. I was away from familiarity. I guess that’s what you took advantage of. You started to hurt me directly. I thought you were the one so I just tried to take it. You would tell me how much you missed and loved your ex. You masturbated to her, and loved fucking her. That I was “just jealous that she bounced on you and not me”. It hurt even IF it weren’t true.

You’d leave me every weekend, drank and partied with your friends. I hated your best friend especially. I couldn’t concentrate and stopped trying in school because my mental health was getting bad again. I stayed up til sunrise and slept til sunset. I didn’t want to live anymore. I just stayed in bed all day doing nothing but cry.

I moved back home. I felt a bit better but it was harder because I was so used to living alone, I didn’t have the space to cry.. then I met someone else.

He became my best friend. Someone I would rant to when things got heated between you and I.

I became hurt to the point of being spiteful. I used him to hurt you like you did with Jessica. I felt powerful. Two could play at that game.

Everything was a blur, full of abuse and fights. I only remember begging for you a lot and you being drunk a lot.

December 2018, you finally visit because I bought you a ticket to prove my love and devotion to you. We rented a bnb. I’ll never forget that time. It felt like we were actual getting to know each other in a calm way. It felt like Howl’s Moving Castle. You met a few friends and family. I thought things were nice again.

You came back again in March. I felt like things were a bit different. We got into more fights. You even pulled your arm away from me in the middle of Waikiki because you thought I was flirting with a guy. I guess smiling and saying hi is flirting. You met my birth dad’s side of the family. You proposed to me at the beach. I thought everything was perfect after that.

That following night, my sister stayed with us. I left my phone in the bathroom and you went on my Snapchat. You found a message from 2016, when we weren’t even together, of my ex best friend saying he loves me. You got angry, I got drunk. I wanted to just go home so bad. How do I deal with walking on eggshells in person? At least through text messages you can avoid it easily by not replying.

Then you started hurting me again. You threatened to kill yourself with your uncle’s gun a few times. Scared the shit out of me.

I went back to San Francisco for pride at the end of June. You came down to meet with me.

I met your friends, including the one I don’t like. They had you take acid. In the Golden Gate Park. Could things get any worse? I had an anxiety attack from stress and realizing you were tripping. One huge park with lots to do, and all we did was lay in a fucking field that looks like any other field. I ran away. I had a hard time breathing. I’ve never been so upset at anyone. I actually think I almost been my angriest.

Your birthday came and you were so fucking snobby. “I knew you were gonna get me a cake. Oh, my best birthday ever was when I was 8. I always have shitty birthdays”. I wanted to give you a nice birthday so bad you negative asshole. We went to the piers. Snobby again. Racist. Calling any brown-local looking person “monkeys” knowing damn well I’m local. I’d say more on this trip but it’s fucking tiring to remember it.

Then you visit me. It was my family reunion on my grandma’s side. You met a good amount of people. I was ecstatic to have you be a part of my family.

You stayed for a month. I don’t know how much fights we’ve got into. Is this how it’ll be if you moved in with me? Is this how it’s going to be for the rest of my life once we’re married?

We’re two different people, different cultures. What’s okay with you wasn’t okay with me. I’ve never been so upset with someone so often.. is that how love is suppose to be?

Two fights I’ll never forget is at the beach. I tried to pick up your stupid expensive sunglasses your dumbass brought into the ocean with my toes, because that’s how I pick things up if I can’t use my hands. You called me useless after getting it yourself. (Hey, I didn’t have to help you in the first place, buddy.) My blood boiled. I wanted to leave you at the beach desperately. I drove recklessly, causing my hoses in my car to burst. You ended up staying an extra week because I paid for it.

Another was when we were watching my grandma’s house. I felt something was off. I pried your phones out your hands.. Ah yes, lovely Aspen. How I’ve missed you. I realized I’m going to eternally going to have to go through girls with you. You denied it and literally screamed in my face til I cried. My ears start ringing when I think about it. You whipped a blanket at my face too.

I would bring you to places and try to show you things but it was always “I didn’t ask to come here”. Do I really need this negativity..?

You finally left. I felt drained. I knew it was the beginning of an end.

Things were back to our normal texting routine. I grew tired.

August, I was trying to find something on your Facebook. I ended up finding something else. You had someone else back in 2015 when we were still talking. Jordan.. I’ve never been so heartbroken again. Is this a nightmare? I was sleeping over my best friends house too, which made it worse. I had to go into the garage to weep. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t sleep. My energy was so bad, her front door even opened. A ghost actually checked up on me. That’s when I knew I couldn’t handle this anymore.

November, you called it off. I made a joke about your best friend maybe liking me because of him always trying to sabotage us. You didn’t take it lightly. I don’t blame you because I’ve made harmful jokes on going to your brother and friends in the past.

One of your friends said asshole things to me and you didn’t do anything to stand up for me. You didn’t respect me.

For months until this June, I still wanted to be in contact. I wanted to at least be friends because you were there a lot of times regardless where we stood.. but things built up. I’ve realized this is always going to be a cycle. Love > fight > heartbreak > reconcile. As much as I loved you, and as much as I wanted things to work out-- even if we got along and were close, the bad outweighed the good. I’ve never hated so many people I’ve never met. Never cringed at so many girl names to the point where I used to have a burn book. I could make a damn list. I couldn’t do it anymore. You would always cry to other people whenever things went wrong and some even came to me. You even turned things around, started harassing me (AND my friends and family which I’ve never done to you), gaslighted me, verbally abused me, and even blackmailed me back which was the whole reason why we broke up in the first place.

I’m greatly traumatized. I’ll always be a ‘fat face whore’ to you. I’ll never be good enough for you. There will always be a “sweetie” better than me. I’ll always be inferior. How can you give me all that shit but don’t want me to go to anyone else? There’s a difference between cheating, and constantly breaking up with someone and calling an engagement off, then pushing them away, and telling them to leave you alone.

With all of this over, my heart’s been the most at peace it’s ever been in years..

Travis, if you’re reading this. Know this is a goodbye message. I’m no longer here to give you anymore “worst” years. Live your upcoming best years. We’re no longer at each other’s necks, there’s nothing to worry about anymore. Please never contact me or my friends or family again.

#personal #long post #reposting cause this psycho ass decided to reply and taint it

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zephfair · 8 years ago

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Cloud ficlet, Gen, Humor

Based on this post by @silver-elite-official with a wonderful addition by @ardwynna I had this stupid idea for a little crack/fluff/humor fic. Many thanks to the wonderful @pttucker for all the encouragement! Thank you!

Poor Cloud; his life is hard.

Gen fic, no pairings, no warnings needed, I think?

Cloud doesn’t think anything of it at first.

His luck has—if he’s honest with himself—always kind of sucked, so when annoying little things start happening around him, he figures it’s just life.

Only they keep happening more often. Little things that are really irritating but usually easy to explain away.

The scratch along the entire side of his motorcycle, right through the clear coat and into the paint. He questions the kids quietly and calmly but they disavow any knowledge of what could have happened.

Cloud shrugs and writes it off as the neighborhood kids or some drunken neighbor. Even when it happens the next week on the other side and he fumes as he has to buff and repaint it as well.

Then there’s the unexplained flat tire one morning when he has an important delivery. After he borrows a vehicle and makes it back to Edge the next day—tired, cranky and thoroughly disgruntled with trucks that still manage to make him vaguely carsick—he busts a lug nut getting the wheel off. He drags it to a tire shop, only there’s nothing in it: no cut, no glass, no sharp edge to explain why the tire has gone flat.

So there’s no reason why it does it again. Or why the new tire he finally breaks down and buys suddenly is flat the very next day.

“Never saw nothin’ like it, mister,” the tire shop owner so helpfully tells him and fills it up again as Cloud grinds his teeth.

Then there’s the morning he picks up his leather sleeve and it’s cut through, a long gouge that was obviously made by something sharp.

He doesn’t have time to fume before he has to be on the road, but he sits the kids down that night with Tifa and delivers a very stilted and confusing talk about the importance of respecting people’s possessions and not damaging things that belong to others, careful not to assign blame or accuse.

As he flees the room embarrassed by his rare attempt at responsibility, he hears Marlene ask Tifa, “Is there something wrong with Cloud? Did he do something to your stuff?” and he knows that he’s on the wrong track.

The next day, his boot laces are knotted together and the strap breaks on his goggles as he’s putting them on and it stings the back of his head.

“Oh come on,” he mutters and revs the engine much harder than necessary.

Cloud’s toothbrush is always disturbingly wet, no matter how long it’s been since since he brushed, and his bath towel is never dry. His bottle of shampoo seems to empty overnight. He knows he didn’t drop the toothpaste with the lid off where he would so conveniently step on it and squirt it out all over the floor.

One morning he wakes up to scissors on his nightstand and what looks like bits of hair on his pillow. He panics and starts to worry that maybe he’s sleepwalking and somehow doing this all himself, but that ends when he’s in the shower and the toilet flushes. He’s doused in alternately icy then steaming water and he shrieks as he tears open the shower curtain to discover the culprit.

Only there’s no one there.

At least he stops worrying whether he’s somehow doing it to himself.

As his frustration and Tifa’s confusion grow, the incidents happen more frequently. When he lies down to sleep, his bedroom light turns on. If he wants his window open, it slides shut.

Only his super reflexes save him the night he slides on a skateboard left in the dark at the top of the stairs and he catches himself before he can take a tumble down the steps. He narrows his eyes and looks around and wonders if it’s true that it’s not paranoia if someone actually is out to get you.

It’s only when Tifa actually raises her voice at the kids for leaving the refrigerator open—again—and letting the milk out on the counter to spoil—again—that Cloud suspects there’s something weird going on. There’s no way the kids could be doing all this bothersome stuff, not with the way they are loudly arguing that they haven’t ever done it, and Denzel is lactose intolerant besides.

Tifa doesn’t mention it at first, but when Cloud’s trying to relax one evening at the bar and the overhead lights go out, she slaps down her rag and admits that it’s been happening several times every night.

When Cloud is there, the jukebox takes on a life of its own. The customers laugh when that one really obnoxious song starts playing again and they all swear they didn’t pick it, but when it plays again, and again, and again, they all breath a sigh of relief when it switches to another. But the annoying one comes back on again and Tifa swears under her breath as she scrambles for the plug.

Then Rude and Reno stop by for a drink one night and Tifa herds Cloud into the bar to keep them company, and Rude makes a face when he takes a sip of his beer.

“That’s not what I ordered,” he mutters and waves for another.

“You’re too snobby,” Reno tells him and happily steals the mug. “Whoa, that’s not beer!”

“That’s what I said,” Rude says as Reno chugs quickly.

“Yo, Tifa, I don’t know what you did to the drinks, but thanks!” Reno tries his own and smacks his lips. “I wanted rum and soda but this is just fine. Is it a new mixed drink? I think vodka and maybe tequila?”

“What?” Tifa drops Rude’s new mug onto the table and snatches Reno’s glass as he tries to cling to it. She sniffs at it then takes a tentative taste. “Oh no, what’s going on?”

She closes the bar temporarily while they check her bottles to find that many of the liquors and spirits were poured into different bottles while others were watered down or emptied. The taps had been switched as well, and as she set to work trying to swap them back, Reno says, “Hey, get me another mystery drink first. That was pretty good.”

Now that Tifa believes something is wrong, she is convinced that someone broke in to the bar, even though nothing is missing. She argues with Cloud about getting some kind of security alarm, and Cloud is still too weirded out about the situation to admit that he’s never seen a culprit for the pranks or whatever it is he’s been going through.

He tries to research what could be happening to them and wonders who would know what the hell’s going on. Should he could ask Vincent if he’s ever experienced something like this or seen anything like it before? Or should he just find a priest and beg for an exorcism? The word poltergeist comes up in a search, but whatever it is, it seems to be focusing on him.

Cloud thinks for just a moment—one hopeful moment—that it was all some kind of … message from the Great Beyond. That maybe Aerith was trying to get his attention from the Lifestream, but then he’d shut that down because if she wanted him, she’d shown before that she would get him.

And while Zack would probably definitely enjoy messing with him, he didn’t think Zack would ever be mean about it.

No, this definitely feels more nefarious, especially since he could be injured when his bike breaks down and he has to watch every step he takes in the house to prevent injury. He is sleep-deprived, he is exasperated, he is frustrated and he is ready to fight.

It’s suddenly an eerily familiar feeling, and he wonders if… maybe there’s a way he can find out for sure, without anyone else thinking he’s crazy.

So he heads out to the church, the one place he feels like he can just relax and be still. He sits down among what’s left of the flowers, closes his eyes and breathes in deeply.

There’s a creak from behind him then a pew tips over and lands on its side beside him. It feels like something brushes his upturned face.

“You missed,” Cloud says smugly.

A lily uproots and slaps him in the face, getting pollen in his eyes. Cloud sneezes then pulls away and brushes it off.

“Is that really all the better you can do? I thought you were so amazing,” he taunts, no longer feeling strange about talking aloud because it’s obvious he’s really not alone.

“If you’re still so great, then here I am. Come and do your worst.” Cloud opens his arms and waits, but there is nothing. Not even a waft of displaced air, but he suddenly feels lighter and that prickly feeling in the back of his neck hair vanishes.

He goes home and everything is back to normal.

Until two months later when Marlene and Denzel run into the kitchen with shouts and yells of “Can we keep it, you have to let us keep it, we’ll take care of it, we promise.”

Tifa dries her hands on a towel and leans down while Cloud is curious enough to look up from his paperwork. Denzel carefully unfolds his shirt tail to reveal a tiny furball with a pink nose, teeny whiskers and a mix of silver/white/gray fur that is drenched from the rain.

The world’s tiniest mew comes out and all of them are immediately in love.

After drying and warming and milk and broth, then Tifa’s lecture on responsible pet ownership, the kids are thrilled they can keep the kitten. Marlene promptly christens it Fluffy Princess Silver Sparkle until Tifa checks and informs them it’s a Prince instead. Marlene is perfectly happy with Fluffy Prince Silver Sparkle although Cloud has to hold in a laugh at Denzel’s forlorn expression as he tries out that name.

The kitten explores the kitchen on wobbly legs, and Cloud gets back to his work until he feels a nudge at his foot. The fluff ball of silver-tipped white—or was it silver fur with white tips?—purrs like a miniature Fenrir and Cloud murmurs at it.

In response, the kitten digs in needle-sharp claws and tries to climb up his pants’ leg. Cloud yelps and instinctively reaches to grab the kitten and stop the pain, but Marlene runs toward him. “No Cloud, he just wants up on your lap!”

So Cloud bites his tongue as the kitten victoriously finishes the ascent to his lap with a joyful clap and grin from Marlene. It celebrates by turning around in his lap then settling down to knead at his thigh, perilously close to where it would hurt even more. But Cloud doesn’t say anything as the kitten meows and yawns, putting all those razor-sharp teeth on show, and falls asleep on him, just when he needs to get up.

Cloud shifts and Marlene grabs his arm. “You have to stay still, Cloud. Fluffy Prince Silver Sparkle needs to rest.”

“But I have to—”

“Cloud, sit,” Marlene commands and when she crosses her arms over her chest and glares like that, she bears an overwhelming resemblance to her father, and so Cloud has to grit his teeth and bear it.

And if his fingers sneak down to pet the thick ruff of neck fur, no one says anything. But the kitten does wake up and bite him.

The next morning, Cloud wakes to kitten butt fur in his mouth.

The kitten sheds over everything Cloud owns to the point where he wonders if it has a skin disorder, but it just seems to make more hair. It’s worse when Marlene explains in her most authoritative voice that it wouldn’t be so bad if he’d actually wear a different color than black.

The kitten favors his leathers for sharpening those needle-like claws. No matter how secure his room is, the kitten gets in and sits on his face, bites his toes, nibbles his ears and chews on his hair.

The puddle in his boot is only an accident, Prince always uses the litter box, Denzel earnestly explains as he brings Cloud a fresh pair of socks.

“I’m going to put a bell on you, I swear,” Cloud mutters when the kitten twines around his ankles. It’s always when Cloud is on the stairs or just entering a room and unprepared for the attack.

The kids just tell him “He loves you Cloud! He’s marking you with his scent!” but Cloud and the cat meet gazes and Cloud wonders if this is what insanity feels like.

“That damn cat,” he mutters six to eight times a day but always under his breath because to do it when they could hear would be to face Marlene’s disappointed face, Denzel’s big eyes and Tifa’s eye rolls.

Isn’t until the early morning of a delivery run when things come to a head. Cloud creeps through the house so not to wake the others and makes himself a huge travel mug of coffee. He slumps against the counter, waiting on toast, when he hears a strange noise, and sees Fluffy Prince Silver Sparkle climb up on the counter.

The kitten’s long fur has a few small mats in places, Cloud can see, but he would allow no one but Marlene to brush him, and then never his belly. Cloud wouldn’t have tried it for anything. He valued his life and preferred his blood on the inside since he knew all too well that the kitten had perfected the art of death by tiny claws.

Now the kitten sits on the counter next to his mug with no lid, its bright green eyes unblinking and meeting Cloud’s.

Cloud shifts as he notices just how very bright those eyes suddenly look. Sure, they were green but didn’t most cat’s eyes change color at a certain age? Maybe they just looked glowing from the dim kitchen light?

Then the fuzzy paw reaches out and pushes at his mug.

“No,” Cloud says in a calm voice of authority and takes a step closer.

The cat reaches out again. Cloud stops and the paw retracts.

“You have got to be kidding me,” he breathes out.

The cat hasn’t taken its brilliant green eyes off him, hasn’t even blinked.

Cloud thinks, what is his life, how is he in a standoff with a cat, when the cat raises an eyebrow and bats the mug off the counter to splash coffee all over the floor.

Cloud’s “You have got to be kidding me” shout wakes the whole house.

Cloud is still raging and muttering the words “cut your balls off myself” when Tifa hurries into the kitchen.

“Isn’t that cat old enough to be fixed?” Cloud demands as he tries to wipe coffee off the cupboards.

Tifa looks from him to the cat primly grooming its paw on the counter and says, “Now that you mention it, probably. I’ll call the vet and find out.”

Cloud knows he shouldn’t feel such pride but he does, and he has to resist the urge to stick out his tongue at the cat as he leaves.

Only Fluffy Prince Silver Sparkle disappears the night before his appointment with the vet. Marlene is inconsolable, Denzel is bewildered and Tifa shoots glances at Cloud when she thinks he can’t see. He hums a little as he gets ready for the best night’s sleep he’s had in ages.

When the cat reappears a week later, Cloud corners it in the pantry alone for another confrontation, but Fluffy Prince Silver Sparkle only rubs against his ankles and bumps its butt into his shin. Cloud picks it up, at great risk to his major arteries and skin, but the cat only hangs limp and purrs, trying to rub against his wrist to make him pet it.

Tifa walks in when Cloud is holding the cat up to try and stare into its eyes, but she backs right back out.

“It’s just a cat,” Cloud announces, plopping it down on the floor next to its bowl.

“Well, yes,” Tifa says as the cat daintily laps at the water.

“It’s safe now,” he tries to explain.

“Okay,” Tifa says slowly. “Only he’d had all his shots before.”

“No, I mean, it’s just a cat now,” and at Tifa’s concerned and confused look, Cloud gives up.

“I’ll have to reschedule the neutering appointment,” she says.

Cloud glances down at the cat again, but it is sitting, licking a paw and passing it over its face. “I don’t think that will be any problem.”

And so Cloud was delivered from the wrath of Sephiroth again, and while he never shared the whole story with Tifa, he knew she was relieved when he stopped yelling at random occurrences in the house and started sleeping without fear.

Until Denzel and Marlene ran in one evening carrying a tiny dog with big pointed ears that trembled and snarled every time Cloud got near.

That was it. He was moving to Kalm.

The end

#my fic #humor and fluff #cloud #sephiroth #inspired by tumblr post #ffvii

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daxicab · 5 years ago

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Chapters: 22/63 Fandom: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Rating: Mature (18+) Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Reno (Compilation of FFVII)/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Original Character(s) - Character, Reno, Tifa Lockhart, Cloud Strife, Rude, Elena, Denzel, Tseng, Zack Fair, Rufus Shinra, Aerith Gainsborough, Genesis Rhapsodos Additional Tags: Additional Warnings In Author's Note

Season 1 is finished with 22 Chapters!

Chapter 1 is below. Reader-insert version can be found here.

There is an empty desk in front of Alexis. There is the noise of high schoolers chatting, but it sounds like her head is in a fishbowl. Everyone's faces are blurry as Alexis looks around, then her focus returns to the desk in front of hers. It takes a while for her to remember that a boy sits there. He is usually late for class, explaining why it remains empty. As if on queue, the door swings open, and a young man walks in. Alexis is not sure when the teacher started teaching, but she goes quiet as the kid enters. Tilting her head, Alexis can vaguely make out his face. He pulls the black beanie further down his head, covering his hair entirely. There is an injury on his eye, or at least there was until she looks at him again. The classroom is eerily silent, but Alexis is sure people are moving their mouths. The chair in front of her desk slides out. Looking up at the boy, his eyes make contact with hers. They are such a beautiful color, though Alexis is not sure why she thinks that. She cannot precisely tell what color they are.

Suddenly the school bell rings, and Alexis finds herself in front of her locker. Groaning, she realizes vaguely what is happening. It is another dream of her past, something that is frequently occurring now. Annoyed, Alexis lets the dream carry on though she knows she will wake up in confusion with no answers to a lot of questions. Alexis packs her school bag for the weekend and head outside, the trip being much shorter than it really was in reality. Going towards the bike rack, she unlocks the bike and decides to walk it to the sidewalk. Everything begins to have a sense of deja vu, and Alexis somewhat remembers this day. After leaving the school grounds, a car drives by. It almost drowns out the cry of pain followed by the sound of metal being struck against something. Moving towards the sound and peaking around the building corner, Alexis sees a member of the football team pick up the kid that was late by his shirt collar. There is no feeling of fear, but she remembers the horror of seeing the blood drip from the young man's lip, the eye already turning red.

"Trying to hide from us, slum rat? Shouldn't be trying to cover up that hair either. Only an idiot would color it that way to get attention," the boy that grips her classmate by the collar. When he doesn't get a response, he throws him on the ground and kicks Alexis's classmate in the ribs.

Before his lackeys join in, she finds herself shouting, "Stop!"

The gang turns on Alexis, all of them grinning. All of these boys look the same, their faces existing, yet she cannot discern any features. As she backs up, her back hits the wall, and suddenly she is cornered. They yell at her, calling her names that she cannot remember, but she remembers the fear. As soon as the boy raises his hand to slap her, he stops. Alexis remembers a shout, and she hears it, but again everything is muddled. Behind the bullies, she sees her classmate standing up, face covered in scratches. Suddenly he is taller, a darker face, and carrying a weapon like a pipe. He clubs one of the kids–no an adult now in the head. Alexis shakes her head, knowing that this was not the memory and try to focus back on the dream. As soon as her focus returns on the three bullies and her classmate, back to normal, Alexis hears someone clear their throat, and she looks behind her–the wall suddenly is gone. Lane, dressed as a Turk, stands behind her and causes the bullies to scatter. As soon as he approaches, Alexis is dragged away, and she turns to look at who or what is pulling her and stares into two split red eyes.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Bolting upright, Alexis looks around and slams her hand down on the alarm. Taking deep breaths, she slowly calms herself. Groaning, she throws herself back down, head bouncing lightly on the pillows. The dreams are already becoming fleeting memories. By the end of the day, she is only going to remember bits and pieces. Running a hand through her hair, she stares at the time and rolls out of bed. The bathroom is so far away, but Alexis shuffles towards it. Deciding a hot shower should help finish calming the nerves, she steps into the shower and lets the water pour on her head, massaging her scalp.

After the shower, she gets her wait-staff clothes on and fixes her hair up. When entering the living room, she notices that Lane is missing. Saying a small prayer for him, she walks outside, hoping he is simply on another search for answers. Tilting her head, she stares at the gloomy sky, made even darker with Midgar's remains blocking the real horizon. Another rainy day. After a little sigh, Alexis walks to her small car and gets in.

The drive to work seems to get busier and busier as the years go by. Edge reminds her of the rise and fall of Shinra Electric Power Company. Some WRO soldiers pass by her, and she notices their presence has increased as well. Seemingly privately funded, the organization rose from Shinra's ashes almost quite literally. The funding seemed to be timely and generous as well.

As if someone is trying to make amends, she thinks with a smirk. Though it was never released on who funds WRO, only a few people still have that sort of money. The flames of the rumor spread even faster as Shinra employees quickly joined WRO.

Upon reaching the bar, Alexis gets out of the car only to feel the light touch of rain. Then the skies open up.

"Crap," she says, running into the building. It was not fast enough as her clothes are soaked, making her both exceedingly uncomfortable and cold.

"Aw, come here," the bar owner says and drags her down a hallway. The woman gives Alexis a sympathetic smile that reaches her red eyes, then speaks, "Change into the spare uniform and take some time to get yourself together. Once you feel better, you can get to work. Okay? Take your time."

She gives her a small pat on the head and rushes out, her long black hair framing her turn. Looking down at the clean uniform, Alexis lets out a heavy sigh. Hopefully, this is not the start of a really horrible day.

The end of the world did not change anyone. People are still as rude and mean as ever. You'd think you'd be a little more grateful after surviving like how many crises? I lost count.

Unfortunately, she is right in her assumption about the day, the spare uniform does not last long. A small child decides the white front needs to be red like his fruit punch. Of course, the parents only give a half-hearted apology, do not chastise the child, or pay much attention to him. The next customer that Alexis serves is already intoxicated and demands more wine. She denies him the request and insists on buying something to eat instead, hoping to help the man sober up and maybe save his liver. However, this causes him to make a scene that involves her. The insults, plus the embarrassment from the entire diner staring at Alexis, brings a knot in her throat, and she prays no tears to start forming. The owner, Tifa, promptly handles the guest, but the damage is done, and waiting on the tables is now that much more awkward. It is a long nine-hour shift, especially when she realizes it has only been two hours into it. By the fourth hour, Alexis decides that once she gets home, she will plop down on the couch and gorge on whatever ice cream remains in the fridge. Maybe indulge and watch a horror movie. A sigh leaves her mouth as she silently hopes Lane is home. Perhaps the two can finally play this mysterious "Monopoly" game he mentioned last time he was home.

It does not help that her dream keeps popping up. Well, really, it is only the last image from the dream–the two snake-like eyes. It makes her shudder. Alexis feels as if there is a shadow watching her from her peripherals. However, every time she looks, there is nothing there. Tifa catches Alexis, making a worried face several times throughout the night. Towards the end of the night, Tifa finally asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Alexis answers, several times, not wanting this caring woman to worry about her more than she probably already is. Alexis is sure once she gets home, she will be much, much better.

At the end of the night, the tips are low, and business is hindered by the rain. After helping Tifa clean up and saying goodnight to her, Alexis walks outside and immediately groans. It is still raining, making her rush to the car and almost slip on the way there. With no defense against the rain, Alexis is once again soaked to the bone. In the car, she decides to wait it out a little, hoping the massive rainband will pass soon. Once it lightens up, she pulls out and drives home. Unfortunately, the reprieve is a fluke, and the rain pours down with a vengeance. Slowing down, Alexis put the wipers on the fastest speed, but the visibility is no more than five feet. It is going to be a nerve-wracking drive home, but the storm might not worsen. Alexis decides to look for a safe place to pull over before someone gets hurt.

As soon as the thought leaves her head, someone steps backward in front of her car. Alexis tries to slam on the brakes to no avail. Even at a low speed, the vehicle hydroplanes directly towards the pedestrian. They look at her right before the impact, and Alexis notices the familiar face. She lets out a scream as soon as the car hits the man. SHIT!

The man rolls over the hood, his shoulder ramming into the windshield, cracking it slightly. When the car does come to a stop, he slides off the hood. Gripping the steering wheel so hard, her knuckles are white, and she tries to calm down. The adrenaline is coursing through her, but Alexis remains frozen in the seat. Swallowing hard, she gets out and makes her way to the front of the car. Kneeling down, she recognizes the black suit, and her blood runs cold when she looks at the owner's face. The hair is dark due to blood and the rain, but the familiar pair of red marks give him away.

"Oh, gods. Oh no. Oh fuck," Alexis says in terror. I just killed a Turk. Not only a Turk but RENO of the Turks. No criminal record until now. Now I'm a murderer, a Turk-killer! I don't even hate Shinra enough to kill them! They were patrons of Tifa's bar, and now they are going to hunt me down and kill me. This is it. Life is over.

Stress overwhelms Alexis, and she begins to cry. It muffles the sound of footsteps, and Alexis jumps when someone speaks.

"Holy shit, you just saved my life," the man says, gripping his shoulder. He tries to hide the gun behind his back, but Alexis notices it. He gives her a friendly smile and walks closer. "Just walk away, lady, and no one will know you killed the Turk bastard."

Neither of them notices the pair of eyes staring the criminal. The man walks closer. "Thanks, again, I'll take the car and get out of here. You better start running now."

A metal ball pegs the man in the chest. A current of electricity runs through him, making him twitch violently before falling over. Covering her mouth, she looks away from the convulsing body on the ground. Alexis notices the Turk grinning while still lying on the street. "Gotcha, asshole…" he says weakly before passing out.

Staring at Reno, Alexis finds herself breathing heavily because now there are two bodies are lying near her. One dead, one probably not dead, but at the same time, is no longer moving. Squatting down, she places a hand on his chest and feels it slowly rise and fall. When she pulls her hand away, she gags when it is covered in blood. That is when she realizes how injured the man is. Staring at the other guy, Alexis groans and decides to drag Reno into the car. Someone else can deal with the random dead man on the side of the road.

Getting a full-grown man into her car is much easier said than done. Alexis ends up dropping him in the back seats causing him to groan in pain, and she panics. Hurriedly, Alexis slams the door shut and gets in the driver's seat before he sees her. The problem is, Alexis does not want to go to the hospital. Even if the Turks are not the most well-liked group of people, they have been helping out more with the public than they were five years ago. Alexis will more than likely have to explain to many people why she is covered in Turk blood, with a Turk body in the back of her not Turk car, while she also does not work for Rufus Shinra and his Turks. Shaking her head, the only reasonable place to go is home, where she has materia and medical supplies. When he wakes up, he can take himself to the hospital after explaining that everything was a total accident.

"Or he dies in my room because this is a stupid idea, he could have internal bleeding," Alexis says to herself. Still, the hospital is a bit of a drive away, and with today's track record, she does not want to risk it. At least if he dies in her room surrounded by medical supplies, it might be obvious she tried to save him. Right.

Alexis also hopes that Lane is not home and does not come back tonight, after all.

As she reaches the apartment complex, she gets the Turk out of the car, hitting his head on the frame. He groans, and Alexis flinches when his eyes weakly glare at her. Surprisingly he does not fight her as she walks him into the complex and into the elevator to her floor. Getting him into her apartment is harder as the Turk goes unconscious in the elevator, forcing her to drag him to the door. Once inside, Alexis catches her breath, then drags him to her bedroom. There is no way she is getting him onto the bed without a lot of effort. So, she gently lays him on the floor and places a pillow under his head. The bloodstains are more visible on his skin and clothes, even after the rain washed some of it away. Looking him over, her eyes land on the two red tattoos, and she absentmindedly runs a finger over one of them, causing his cheek to twitch. Shaking her head, Alexis opens his shirt up to see the bruises from the collision and figures there has to be a broken rib. Suddenly he starts shivering, and she realizes just how cold it is. Jumping up, she rushes to the linen closet and pulls out heavy blankets. Hurrying back to him, she lays them over his body, then runs to the bathroom. Digging through the medicine cabinet, Alexis gathers various medical supplies and a cure materia.

"Okay, Cure can't repair all the major damage or wake him up, but it should take care of some of the injuries and lessen the serious ones," she says to herself. "Sorry, Reno. I don't have enough power to use it a lot…can maybe get off a Cura without passing out."

Nodding, she steps out of the bathroom and feels the cold metal press against her throat, a static shock zapping her throat, and she freezes in place.

#final fantasy vii #the turks #reno of the turks #reno x oc #reno x reader #ff7 turks #ff7 #ff7r #final fantasy 7 #ff7 reno

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eachainn · 8 years ago

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So I wrote the Exorcist Sorey AU and got excited. So I wrote more.

Mikleo pressed his back against the building, staring up at the stars. They looked dimmer in the city, or maybe he was just used to seeing them from the deck of the Sparrowfeather. There wasn’t much to block them out at sea, but Loegres had buildings that covered them.

He tried to work out familiar constellations, interrupted from his stargazing when Edna poked her umbrella hard against his side.

He yelped, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle a sound. Mikleo turned to glare at Edna, watching as she grinned. “Quiet now, Meebo. Don’t want to alert the guards.”

“I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t poked me.”

“Blaming a lady, Meebo? How rude.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but he snapped it shut quickly. There was no point in arguing with Edna. She would just twist him in circles until he was arguing against himself, and he didn’t need the distraction, certainly not when they were about to do something so dangerous.

Mikleo leaned over to look at the paper that Michael was holding. The man was so concentrated on the request that he didn’t notice him, which was fine with Mikleo. They all needed the time to think out what they were doing.

He tipped his head to the side, turning the thought over in his mind. It was still new enough to be a wonder, the ability to think and feel for himself. He curled his fingers into his coat, trying to get himself to concentrate on what the Scattered Bones had requested of them

Save an ally from the market square. Red headed man, responds to the name Guren.

Mikleo swallowed and looked up at Michael, watching the expressions cross his face. The mix of emotions were still strange to him, but he was getting better at picking them apart. He didn’t get a good enough read on Michael before the man sighed and folded up the paper. “I don’t like it.”

“It was either this or going to kill the High Priest Reno. And you were firm about not killing.” Edna shrugged like that was enough of an answer, and maybe it was.

Michael sighed again, but he nodded. “Stay close and quiet. Edna, I want you to watch for guards.”

“That’s fine by me. I’d prefer not to get into a messy situation.”

Mikleo frowned, but didn’t bother to correct her.

The whole situation they were in was messy. They were trying to earn the trust of an assassin’s guild that were part time merchants and part time pirates. And all for information on what Heldalf was planning now that he had gotten himself announced as Shepherd. Still information was something that they desperately needed, far more than they needed free rides on the Sparrowfeather.

Besides, Mikleo almost sympathized with Rose and Dezel. He knew what it felt like to be searching for something that always seemed out of reach.

He let go of his jacket when Michael pushed away from the wall. He fell into step behind Michael, glancing around at the houses around them. The whole city was asleep, but he was still sure that he could feel eyes on him. Mikleo was expecting someone to call out and report both him and Edna as untethered malakhim and tried to tie them down again.

Mikleo shuddered, reaching up to grab at his arms. He didn’t want to go back to that, not when the numbness felt so horrible to him. He couldn’t go back to that, blindly following orders and waiting to be used up.

He jumped when he felt something rest against his lower back. He turned his head to look at Edna, expecting her to do more than just rest her umbrella against his back. But the umbrella remained in place, Edna carefully not looking at him. “Nobody is going to touch us.”

Mikleo smiled and reached out to rest his fingers against her wrist in support. They had been tethered together and they had escaped together. It was only right that they had each other’s backs.

Edna dropped her umbrella from his back, her attention focused on the open square at the end of the street.

She jerked back as she stared at it, Mikleo having to step to the side and peer around Michael to see what had shocked her. When he saw the raised platform in the middle of the square, he reached out for her, almost pulling her back behind him.

She went without protest until she was almost tucked away behind him, but then she held herself steady. Mikleo could feel the tremble in her arm, but her voice was steady. “Disgusting.”

Michael made a sound like he agreed, one that Mikleo almost wished that he could follow up on, but he was still struck by how horrible it looked.

Three men were shackled to wooden posts, all three of them kneeling on the ground. Their chains were tight, Mikleo sure that the position wasn’t a comfortable one, but the men were probably asleep with the way that they weren’t trying to get out of it. Asleep, too used to it or dead.

He fought against the urge to take a step back or run until he reached the inn. He had chosen this mission over any of the others because he didn’t want to have to kill. To have come into himself so soon and go to kill immediately had seemed to be too much. Besides, Mikleo was sure that Lailah had looked relieved when he had chosen to go with Michael. Maybe she had similar feelings when she had promised to help look after the inn for the meantime. He’d have to ask her, because it was almost too much for him to work out himself.

Mikleo bit his lip, looking back at Michael only to find that the man was halfway across the square. Mikleo shot a look at Edna before jogging after him. He could hear her following along, although she was moving more slowly than the two of them, probably to keep watch for the guards.

The last patrol had gone past a few minutes ago, but Mikleo didn’t think any of them wanted to push their luck. Stories about what Muse, Michael and Selene had done at Hellawes and Vortigern had already spread, and people were on the look out for anything that was suspicious enough to be the work of daemons.

He swallowed and followed Michael up the platform. He turned partially to look at where Edna was lingering at the bottom. For a moment, he was tempted to join her.

This was beyond anything that he had ever expected or anything that he could hope to understand, but he had to try, or else it would bother him.

“Michael?”

The question was enough, Mikleo sure that the man was used to the questions that he and Edna asked him.

Michael glanced back at him before sighing and shaking his head. “It’s a punishment for disobeying the laws.”

“How long have they been out here?”

“I don’t know. But it’s killed them.”

Mikleo recoiled before he had the time to think about his reaction. He took a deep breath and looked at the men, trying to resolve what he was seeing.

He knew humans had laws to protect each other and that there were punishments for them, but he couldn’t imagine killing them, especially like this. He knew that humans were fragile, but they seemed to make up for that in other ways. Then again, he didn’t think that they could help themselves when they were chained up and just left.

He took a cautious step forward as Michael crouched down by the red headed man, sucking in a quick breath when he saw the bloody mess that the man’s face had become. He heard Edna make a squeak, but then Michael let the man’s head drop.

Michael shook his head, wiping his hands on his pants. “I thought I was done seeing things like this. I seems I can’t really escape it.” He sighed, Mikleo surprised by the weight behind the sound. “Well, we might not have been able to save him, but we might as well take him back. There will be someone who misses him.”

“And the others?”

Michael tipped his head, considering them before shaking his head. “We’ll be around for a few days. We can sneak the others out over the next few nights. Anything more would be suspicious.”

Mikleo frowned, not quite sure that he agreed. He turned to look at Edna, not surprised to see that she was turned firmly away from the platform. He didn’t blame her for that, three dead humans was a sight he didn’t want to see.

He let Michael crouch by the body, walking down the platform as the man started to pick the locks on Guren’s manacles.

Mikleo glanced at the two dark haired men at the other end of the platform, giving them a long look. He couldn’t imagine what they had done to deserve something like this.

He sighed, about to turn away when he heard the clink of chains. Mikleo took a step back, staring as the last man in the row looked up at him.

The right side of his face was a mess of blood, Mikleo’s stomach turning at the sight. He couldn’t even seen the man’s right eye because of all of it. His left eye wasn’t much better, but at least it was visible although it seemed to have trouble focusing on him. Mikleo would tell the moment that it did, because the man smiled at him.

“Amenoch.”

The name sent a chill down his spine, Mikleo staring at the man in shock.

He couldn’t remember much about when he had been tethered, just snippets. A cold place, a library piled high with books, the numbness that scared him so much now, a bright smile and a name that wasn’t his.

His exorcist had called him that, the one that had sent him away. The one who had allowed him this.

The exorcist didn’t seem to notice his hesitance, the man just leaned forward to look at him. The familiar smile was there, but it looked all wrong. “You made it...you look...”

The exorcist swayed in place, taking longer than he should have to collect himself. Then he was looking around, seeming to have trouble seeing anything. “E-Eumacia. W-where?”

“Here.” Mikleo jumped as Edna spoke from behind him. She stuck by his side, reaching out to grab his wrist. “But that’s not my name.”

“Edna...”

“G-good. Tried to get you names but couldn’t g-get you to choose. Edna sounds...it sounds...”

He slumped forward again, Mikleo lunging forward to catch him before he really thought about what he was doing.

He looked down at the limp body in his arms, carefully propping the exorcist back against the wood.

Mikleo found himself combing his fingers through the exorcist’s hair, staring at the ruin of his face.

The last he had seen of Sorey had been on the ship away from Hellawes, but Mikleo wasn’t sure if he’d been capable of feeling anything then. He hadn’t heard of more exorcist actions or failures, which meant that Sorey was there because of them, because he had helped them.

He twisted to look back at Michael, not daring to let go of Sorey. “We need to take him too. He’s still alive!”

Michael startled, nearly dropping Guren from his shoulders. He adjusted the body before edging over. Michael stared at Sorey for a moment before nodding. “Him too, if you both agree.”

Mikleo turned, ready to argue with Edna. She had always been very vocal about what she thought of the humans enslaving her kind. According to her, all she wanted to do was find a nice place to exist far away from humans and what they did.

He took a deep breath, stopping when Edna gave him a nod. “We’re taking him. They can’t have what’s ours.”

Mikleo gave her a thankful smile, completely prepared for Edna to poke him in the side.

“Get that off your face, Meebo. I’m just sick of these humans taking everything from us.”

He shifted away from Edna’s umbrella, giving Michael the room to work at the locks on the manacles. Even then, he didn’t feel right letting go of Sorey. The human may be unconscious, but he thought that it would help him to have someone familiar close by. Mikleo didn’t know if it would work, but it made him feel a little bit better.

And maybe that was because Edna was right. This was them holding onto something of their’s to spite everything that Heldalf and the Abby had tried to do to them. Or maybe it was something else that he didn’t completely understand and he’s have to ask Lailah or Selene. Either way, he would figure it out and finally get the chance to thank Sorey for giving them the chance to be free.

Sorey woke slowly, some part of him sure that he had gone to heaven or whatever was waiting for him after his death. He got a moment of bliss before all the pain came rushing back, and that was enough to convince him otherwise.

He cursed and cracked open his left eye, not trusting his right. It hadn’t worked since the other exorcists had finished with him, Sorey not even sure how bad it was. He supposed that it didn’t matter, because he had spent three days on display. Anything that would have helped it would come too late.

He glanced around the room, surprised to be somewhere that looked so fancy. He hadn’t expected Heldalf to have mercy on him or any of the other exorcists to protest the way that he had been treated. He was sure that he had been expected to just be on display until he died.

Sorey hissed a breath out from between his teeth, trying to sit up enough to get a better look at the room. Knowing just where he was meant the difference between life and death, and he wasn’t quite ready to die yet.

He got up onto his elbows before the pain became too much. His arms wobbled, holding his weight for a split second before he collapsed back onto the bed.

Sorey whimpered at the pain that flared along his back at that, clutching at the covers as he tried to breathe through it.

It was only when the mattress sagged that he realized that there was someone else in the room with him.

He tried to jerk away, opening his right eye in the hope that he would get a better look at the person. It didn’t help much, everything to that side nothing but darkness. Sorey swallowed and turned his head, trying to get a better look at the person even as he moved away.

He got a glimpse of a blue jacket before a hand rested on his shoulder, the slight pressure enough to keep him from moving further. He tipped his head back, expecting to see another exorcist or, in the worst case, Heldalf. Instead, he saw a familiar face.

Sorey slumped back against the covers, reaching up with a shaky hand to touch the hand on his shoulder. “A-amenoch?”

The malak shook his head, Sorey drudging something out from the back of his mind, something that he was sure had been part of a dream. “No...that’s not it anymore. You have a new name.”

“Yes.”

Sorey sighed, letting his head drop back to the pillows. “That’s good. It’s what I hoped for.”

From his position he couldn’t quite see the malak’s expression, but he considered it good that the malak hadn’t moved away. He shifted slightly, not daring to move much and awaken more of the pain. He took a few deep breaths to try and push most of it away.

The hand on his shoulder squeezed, Sorey sighing when some of the pain ebbed away.

He offered the malak a smile. “I need to thank you for saving my life, and I don’t even know your name.”

“Mikleo.”

“Thank you Mikleo. And...”

“Edna, but she’s not here right now.” Mikleo lifted his hand from Sorey’s shoulder, Sorey mourning its loss, but he had no right to it. It was a miracle that Mikleo had decided to help him after everything that had happened.

Mikleo shifted on the edge of the bed, Sorey feeling it more than seeing it. The malak remained silent for a while before clearing his throat. “You’re at the inn. We brought you here when we found you. Lailah and I did what we could but...it will take a while. And your eye...you won’t ever be able to see out of it.”

Sorey frowned, sure that he should be reacting to that information, but he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. He had known about his eye, but everything else seemed to be nothing but words.

He yawned, sure that he muttered an apology for it, but he wasn’t sure if Mikleo heard him or not. The malak laughed like he did and moved off the side of the bed. “Lailah said you would need more rest. You have a lot to recover from.”

Sorey made a vague sound of agreement, keeping his left eye open to watch as Mikleo moved around the room.

He wanted to slip back to sleep, but there was a part of him that was afraid that he would just wake up back on the pillory for another day of angry people shouting and him and throwing stones. Sorey shivered, stopping himself from reaching out for Mikleo. The malak wasn’t there to comfort him and he already owed Mikleo so much for what he had done.

He glanced around the room, trying to fit what he could see of the other inns that he had been in, but it was hard to get a good view of the room when he couldn’t move much. Sorey guessed that it would be better to take the advice and rest while he could.

If Michael and the others were in Loegres then Sorey couldn’t imagine that they would want to stay for long. When they left he wanted to be able to keep up, because there was nothing to keep him close to the city or the Abbey. Now that he was stripped of his power and running away from the law there were very few places left to go. Besides, Michael’s ground seemed to be the only ones helping the malakim, and that fit in with his own plans.

He smiled to himself and nuzzled into his pillow, sure that he heard Mikleo laugh. He tried to follow the sound but it was too hard to move his head and his one good eye was starting to slide shut.

Sorey was ready to attempt to shake himself awake when he felt a hand rest on the top of his head. The tension leaked out of his body at the touch, Sorey drifting off to the soft touch on his head.

#my fic #tales of zestiria #fic: exorcist au

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