Thanks for the memories

“Thanks for the Memories”
A Reno fanfiction
Chapter 3: “Recruitment”
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*Disclaimer: The world that this story is set in and all characters therein belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.*
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I talked to Rufus a lot after that. He isn’t big on the whole range of human emotions but for some reason, I was able to pick up on things he kept below the surface, yo. I could tell when he was stressed, even though the change in his voice was so small most people probably wouldn’t have picked up on it. I called him every couple of days or he called me. I hadn’t seen or heard anything from Bruce since the day I showed Rufus around town. I sure as hell wasn’t going to complain about that, even though I thought it was pretty weird. Usually the guy showed up at the worst times and I’d have to spend about an hour in my office, getting groped by him before sucking him off.

Never count on things going your way until you know for sure they will, yo. You’ll set yourself up for disappointment if you do. I made that mistake when my loan shark left me alone for a while, thinking he was finally tired of me and I could pay him back the rest of the money without having to suck his cock anymore. I found out differently on the weekend after driving around with Rufus.

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Rufus was so enamored with Reno that he started taking it upon himself to watch him as well, instead of leaving everything to his Turks. He bought a used car to use for his stakeouts, knowing that his own was not only conspicuous but would have been easily recognized if Reno spotted it. It was Friday night and the mechanic had already sent his employees home and he was getting ready to close up the shop and do his nightly routine of adding up the day’s profit before going home.

As Rufus watched, a mid-priced, blue luxury car pulled up in the shop’s parking lot. The VP frowned and put his binoculars to his eyes. He recognized the middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and his free hand clenched into a fist. He disciplined himself and waited rather than act on his first impulse. Perhaps Bruce was only there to tell Reno his debt was paid. Rufus’ instincts said otherwise but he could leave the car for a closer look if he needed to.

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Reno looked up at the sound of the bell on the door and started to reach for the collapsible baton strapped to his belt loop. When he recognized Bruce he hardly relaxed, but he stopped reaching for his weapon. “I guess some things are too good to be true, yo.”

The older man frowned at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’d like a few minutes of your time. Lock up and join me in your office, Flynn.”

Reno opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it and sighed. He wouldn’t have to put up with this forever…in a few months he should have the loan paid off and then he could beat the hell out of the guy if he tried to get more from him. “Just a sec,” Reno sighed in resignation. He hated the man’s smug smile. He came out from behind the desk and walked to the door, locking it securely. “Let’s hurry it up, yo.” Reno motioned to Bruce and walked to the back of the building, where his office was. Bruce followed him in and closed the door behind them.

“I have an offer to make you,” Bruce said as his hazel eyes scanned Reno’s body hungrily. “If you’ll let me fuck you, I’ll call off your debt and we can be finished with all of this. What do you say, Reno? Just one last encounter the way I want it and you’ll be finished.”

Reno’s mouth twisted. He wasn’t a shrinking violet and he didn’t entertain romantic fantasies of being deflowered by some Mr. Right, but he sure as hell didn’t want his first time to take it up the ass to be with this guy. “No thanks man,” he said, “I’d rather just keep things the way they are until I’ve paid you off.”

Bruce crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t say I’d take ‘no’ for an answer, Flynn.”

Reno scowled, “You threatening to rape me?”

“I’m telling you to do what the fuck you’re told,” Bruce snapped, “I’m the one calling the shots here.”

Reno wasted no time in reaching for his baton, but the other man had evidently anticipated that and he reached into his blazer and pulled a gun on the redhead before he could finish the action. “Keep your hands up.”

Reno slowly raised his hands, glaring at the man with loathing. Keeping his eyes on him, Bruce reached into his blazer again and produced a pair of handcuffs, tossing them to the redhead. Reno caught them one-handed without having to even think about it or moving any other part of his body. An impressed expression crossed Bruce’s face briefly before he gave his next order. “Put them on one wrist and turn around. Keep your hands behind your back and walk backwards to me.”

~Fuck,~ Reno thought as he slowly obeyed, ~I don’t think he’s gonna slip up enough to give me the opportunity I need. Goddammit, he’s one of the last guys on earth I’d want fucking me, let alone popping my cherry. Think!~ His rising fear made it easier said than done, though. He couldn’t find any loopholes in the situation for him to slip though and he didn’t fool himself into thinking he wouldn’t get shot if he tried to attack the guy or run.

Bruce licked his lips with anticipation and kept the gun leveled at Reno as the redhead snapped one of the cuffs over his left wrist, turned around and put both his wrists behind his back. He turned around and walked backwards as instructed, until he was close enough to satisfy Bruce.

“Stop and hold still,” the loan shark demanded.

Reno did so and the older man reached out and snapped the other cuff closed. He removed Reno’s collapsible baton from the belt loop and tossed it across the room, and then he caught the young man’s waist-length ponytail and let it slide through his fingers. He put his gun away and freed Reno’s hair from the elastic band and spread it out over his back.

Reno couldn’t contain a shudder of revulsion when the older man’s big hand cupped him between the legs and squeezed his crotch. Bruce leaned in and put his mouth close to the redhead’s ear. “I’ve been wanting to fuck that tight little ass of yours since I first laid eyes on you. This is going to be—“

His sentence ended abruptly when the office door swung open wide. Both Reno and his captor turned their heads to stare as a man stepped through the threshold. Rufus ShinRa raised a shiny, compact handgun and narrowed cold gray eyes on Bruce.

“You had your chance to walk away,” the VP stated icily.

Reno jumped as a silencer-muffled shot was fired from the weapon. The loan shark’s hands immediately released him and Bruce crashed to the floor, dead by a neat hole in the side of his skull before he even hit the dingy carpet. Reno stared down at his would-be rapist, then looked up at Rufus with wide eyes. The VP smoothly slipped the gun into his dress jacket, his eyes softening ever so slightly as they met Reno’s. He crossed the room and knelt beside the fallen man, rifling through his pockets until he found the keys to the cuffs.

“We aren’t going to panic, are we?” Rufus murmured as he freed the redhead from his cuffs and turned him around to study him closely.

It took Reno a moment to find his voice. “I don’t panic, yo. I’m just…surprised. How’d you get in without us hearing it?”

“I shot the lock,” Rufus explained, running a hand gently down Reno’s arm. “The silencer muffled it. I’ll send for someone to replace the lock tonight, of course.”

Reno felt light-headed. “How did you know what he was gonna do to me, Sir?”

Rufus sighed and ran his fingers through Reno’s hair. “Because I know his type, and I can personally attest that you’re far too tempting to resist.” Deciding that a white lie was the best course for this delicate situation, he finished: “I have to confess, I found you too intriguing to leave alone. I did a bit of digging and found out that this man was blackmailing you, so I’ve been having him watched. Tonight I just happened to be watching him myself.”

“So you spied on me,” reasoned the redhead. He couldn’t believe he was standing there having this conversation with a dead body at his feet.

“I prefer to think of it as watching out for you,” Rufus smiled, “and before you get indignant, it had nothing to do with my respect for your ability to take care of yourself. I simply wanted to be sure you weren’t in any outstanding trouble with finances or the law. I tend to be protective of those I’m interested in, Reno.”

Reno’s heart thudded in his chest at those words and he again wondered how this conversation could be happening right now, let alone how Rufus’ protective urges toward him could make him feel so warm inside. “What do we do about him?” He glanced down at the corpse meaningfully.

“I’ll have that taken care of right away,” Rufus assured him. “This never happened and you haven’t seen this man since the last time you paid him, understood?”

“Got it,” Reno said with a little awe.

Rufus nodded with satisfaction and pulled a cell phone out from the inside of his dress jacket. He selected a number on his auto-dial and put the device to his ear. After a moment, he spoke to someone on the other end. “Tseng, I need a cleanup crew sent to Flynn’s Auto in sector eight. Do you need the address? Good. I also need a locksmith. No, I’m not injured. Yes, I’ll see you then. Goodbye.” He ended the call and replaced the phone in his pocket before studying Reno again. “Shall we go to the reception lounge while we wait? I can’t imagine the proximity of a corpse being conductive to a decent conversation.”

~*************************************~

Reno sipped on a soda from the vending machine and sat beside the VP in the reception area. He stared at Rufus, trying to figure him out.

“You certainly aren’t shy,” Rufus smirked as he met the redhead’s curious, sea-green eyes. No, Reno wasn’t shy and his gaze was as open and inquiring as the animal he reminded Rufus so much of. “Is there something you’d like to ask me, Reno?”

“You want me?” Reno answered without hesitation.

Rufus was so taken aback by the sudden, naked inquiry that he nearly dropped the bottle of mineral water he was sipping. He stared at Reno and tried to think of an elegant way to answer the question. Finally, he opted to just give him the honest truth. “Yes, I do want you. What made you ask such a question, though?”

Reno shrugged and smiled a little. “I figured you must, to go through all this trouble for me, yo. I just wanted to hear you say it so I could stop asking myself if it was all in my head. When you plugged that sonofabitch, you told him he ‘had his chance’. You paid off the rest of my debt to him to get him to leave me alone, didn’t you?”

Rufus nodded slowly. “You’re nobody’s fool, are you? Now, I have a question for you, Reno.”

“The answer’s yes,” said Reno without missing a beat, giving the blonde man a sexy smirk.

Rufus returned the smirk. “How do you know what I was going to ask?”

“You had ‘Sex Face’,” Reno shrugged.

Rufus laughed softly before he could stop himself. “’Sex Face’, is it? I hadn’t realized my desires were so…transparent.” Now wasn’t the time to begin luring the redhead into his bed, though. If he started sleeping with him, it could influence his decision to join the Turks. Besides, as cool and nonchalant as Reno was acting, Rufus could see the tension in the slim mechanic’s body. He’d nearly been forced in his own office and Rufus thought it would be vulgar to make advances on him in such a vulnerable moment. Bondage and seduction were one thing…outright forcing an unwilling party was quite another. He reached out and slowly put an arm around the redhead, drawing him into a gentle, half-embrace.

“I would like to explore this further, in time,” Rufus whispered. “For now, this is enough.”

Reno started to respond but a sleek black four-door pulled up outside at that moment. He twisted in his seat and watched as three men and a woman got out of the car, all wearing identical, tailored suits.

~Law agents? Or are they…wait, I think I’ve heard of these guys.~

“Are those guys who I think they are?” Reno murmured as he pointed at the approaching suites.

Rufus watched him carefully. “Who do you think they are, Reno?”

“Uh, I’ve never seen ‘em myself before but I’ve read things and heard some stuff. Are they Turks?”

Rufus nodded.

“Cool,” Reno grinned.

Rufus smiled back, pleased that instead of being nervous or worried, the redhead seemed fascinated. Tseng came through the door first, pausing to look at the damaged lock. His dark eyes regarded Rufus for a moment before examining Reno. “Where is the rubbish, Sir?” He asked Rufus.

“Through the office door in the back,” answered the VP.

Tseng motioned to two of the men, giving them a silent signal. They nodded and opened the trunk of the black car while the woman went with Tseng to the office. Reno watched as the other two Turks brought in a body bag and a bucket full of bottles of various cleaning chemicals. They swiftly walked to the office, each of them giving Rufus a respectful nod in passing. Before Reno could ask any questions, the woman emerged from the back office and went to the front door, dropping a black, square case on the floor as she knelt in front of the door.

Reno watched as she opened the case to reveal various tools, locks and keys. He couldn’t say he was surprised to find out that the Turks employed someone that was good at changing locks.

In less than a half hour, the Turks had the body in their trunk, his office cleaner than he’d ever seen it before, and his front door sporting a sturdy new lock. Reno was amazed and impressed by how quickly they worked and he studied the Wutaian man with the raven ponytail with more than a passing interest as he spoke to Rufus.

“We’ll dispose of the rubbish properly and see to it that it won’t be tracked back here, Sir.” The raven-haired Turk bowed shallowly to Rufus, his velvety eyes regarding the VP with an easy familiarity that made Reno wonder if their relationship went deeper than work. He didn’t ask Rufus what happened to lead to the loan shark getting plugged and he didn’t seem the least bit curious.

“Thank you, Tseng,” Rufus responded, “I’d like you to meet Reno Flynn. Reno, this is Tseng. He’s next in line to lead the Turks, and he’s one of the men I trust the most.”

Reno reached out and took the hand that Tseng offered him, shaking it lightly. “You guys are just…cool,” he said. He flushed with embarrassment and wanted to smack himself as soon as the words left his mouth. He really sounded his age with that one.

Tseng smiled softly at him, his gentle expression oddly contradictory to what he did for a living. “And you’re the amazing mechanic that Vice President ShinRa has been speaking so highly of. He only praises exceptional talent, you know.”

Reno glanced at Rufus, who was nodding in agreement with Tseng. “Well thanks, yo,” the redhead answered.

“Perhaps we’ll see more of each other, in the future,” Tseng suggested with a polite nod at him. “Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Flynn.”

Reno watched him leave and get into the car with the other Turks. When they pulled out of the lot, the redhead looked at Rufus again. “This is going down on record as the weirdest night of my life, yo.”

Rufus smiled. “Too weird?”

Reno considered the question and shook his head. “Nah, I can handle it. Hey…thanks. You know, for stopping that asshole.”

“It was my pleasure, Reno.” It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if the mechanic was a virgin, but Rufus throttled his eagerness and told himself that the question could be asked at a much more appropriate time.

“I’m still not sure why a rich, cultured guy like you is interested in a street rat like me,” Reno said.

Rufus slid his hand under his chin and gently cupped his jaw, looking him in the eye. “You’re no rat. You’re a fox.”

Reno smiled a little with pleasure and Rufus couldn’t resist closing the distance and giving those pretty lips a soft, brief kiss. He pulled away before it could become heated and he stroked Reno’s hair. “Let me drive you home.”

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I didn’t see Rufus in person for a while after that night but he called me every other day. I figured he was just really busy and I kept telling myself to quit worrying that he’d changed his mind or something, yo. I got restless and I didn’t know what the hell was going on with him, and that made me frustrated. I dyed my hair a brighter red out of boredom and decided I liked the color, so I’ve been doing it regularly since then, yo. I was starting to lose faith that Rufus really wanted me, until the week of my birthday.

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“What do you think, Ma?” Reno stood in front of his mother and grinned down at her.

Lena looked up at her son from her seat on the couch and stared, her mouth dropping open a bit. “It’s…very red,” she said carefully. “Honey, how long did you leave it on for?”

“It’s supposed to be this red,” he chuckled. “I know it looks a little extreme now but that’s just ‘cause you’re used to seeing me with my natural hair color. It’s ‘Firebrick red’. It’ll fade a little after a few washings so it won’t be so shocking, after a while.”

Lena sighed good-naturedly and smiled at him. “You always did love the color red, my dear. I must say, you’re one of the only people I know with the complexion to pull it off. If you’re happy with it than I suppose I’ll grow used to it.”

He bent over and placed a firm kiss on the top of her head. “Thanks, Ma. I’m gonna go check the mail now.”

Reno went out the door and flipped up the lid on the mailbox. He frowned when he pulled a small, square package out with the envelopes. It was addressed to him but there was no return address.

“Huh…weird.” Shrugging, he brought the mail in, handed his mother hers and opened up the package with his name on it. His mother watched curiously as he tore the paper off to reveal a cardboard box with a card attached to it.

“Happy birthday, Reno,” he read aloud, his brows lowered curiously.

“Well, isn’t that sweet,” Lena cooed. “Who is it from, dear?”

“Doesn’t say,” Reno answered as he opened the box.

“Does my boy have a secret admirer?” she teased.

He shot a grin at her before looking inside of the box. He nearly dropped it when he saw what was inside. “Holy fuck,” he gasped. He cringed at his mother. “Sorry Ma.”

She got up to see what had caused her son to swear like that in front of her. Inside of the box was a very expensive watch of white gold. “Oh, that’s a Durex,” she exclaimed with wide eyes. “It seems by boy has a RICH secret admirer.”

Reno put the watch on and held his arm out, admiring it. He could only think of one person that could afford such an expensive birthday present. “’Scuse me, Ma. I’ve gotta make a phone call.”

He went into the kitchen and took the phone off the wall, dialing Rufus’ cell phone number with familiar ease. It rang three times before the VP picked up.

“Hello, Reno.”

“Hello yourself,” the redhead grinned. “Yo, I just got a really SWEET watch in the mail for my birthday, but whoever sent it didn’t leave a name or anything. I wonder who it could have been?”

“I wonder,” Rufus said dryly. “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” Reno laughed, “I almost creamed my pants! Uh…sorry.” He flushed. It felt just as wrong to use vulgar terms and swear words in front of the VP as it did to use them in front of his mother.

Rufus chuckled. “Your enthusiasm makes me happy. I’m glad that you like it, Reno.”

Reno twirled the phone cord in his fingers, feeling a little shy all the sudden. “So, when do I get to see you again, Sir?” It had become an automatic reflex of his to address Rufus respectfully, though the man had never asked him to.

“Unfortunately my duties have been keeping me away from Midgar these past few weeks, but I hope to get back into town soon to see you again. Are you getting impatient, Fox?” The last was said in a teasing, flirtatious tone that made shivers race up Reno’s spine.

“Maybe,” Reno said evasively, grinning. “You’ll call me when you make it back in, won’t you?”

“Of course,” answered the blonde man immediately. “and when I do, I’d like to take you out someplace nice on the weekend. Would that be acceptable to you?”

“That sounds real nice,” Reno said hesitantly, looking down at his less-than-refined clothes. “Only, I don’t have any really nice outfits to wear, yo.”

“You can leave that to me,” Rufus assured him. “I’m eager to see you again, Fox.”

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When another week came and went without Rufus returning or even giving him an idea of when he might be, Reno grew restless again. One Sunday, he decided to try a change of scenery to ease his mind and he took a tour of the Channel Seven news station. Midway through the tour, he snuck away and managed to get on the roof without anyone catching him. He just wanted to be somewhere high and this was the highest building near his neighborhood.

He was feeling mischievous and a little immature. He was about to spit his gum out over the side of the building when he caught sight of not one, but two helicopters on the landing pads in the middle of the roof. Reno approached them eagerly, having never actually been this close to his favorite kind of aircraft before. The blue one had the News Station logo on it but the sleek black one on the other pad was void of any identification logos. The redhead wiped his mouth with his sleeve in case he was drooling and he slowly walked to the black chopper.

“Well hey there beauty,” the redhead murmured as he reached out and stroked the smooth side of the chopper. He looked around furtively. “I probably shouldn’t,” he muttered, but his body kept moving even as he said it and the next thing he knew, he was in the pilot seat with the seatbelt securely fastened. He picked up the noise reduction transmission headphones and placed them over his head, pulling his sunglasses down over his eyes. “I know I look good in this,” he grinned.

He examined the control panel and found it easy to work out which switches did what. Different model choppers had some slight variations but it was close enough to the control panel on the simulator he always fooled with for him to know what he was doing.

~Okay, that’s enough fun, yo. Time to go before I get caught. But you know, I kind of wonder if I could really get away with stealing this baby.~

His body reacted to the silent gamble and Reno watched his own hand reach out and push the starter button. The engine came to life and the main rotor and tail rotor started spinning. He sat there looking around while the rotors picked up speed, thinking that he should knock it off before someone came up and saw what he was doing.

~Whoa, what the fuck am I doing? This is a really stupid idea!~

He did not, however, turn the engine off. While he wrestled inwardly with himself, the door to the staircase leading into the building open and security guards came running out. The looks on their faces made Reno’s decision a lot easier. He took hold of the stick in one hand and reached out to toggle some switches. The chopper lifted off of the roof just before the guards made it across the surface and Reno felt a mixture of sheer terror and utter exuberance as he steered it away from the news station.

He forced himself to stay calm and remember everything he’d learned; the last thing he needed was to make a suicide dive because he let his uncertainty rule him. He smiled hugely as he quickly adjusted. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to him and before long, he was flying level over the huge city and hooting with excitement.

He gave a little start as he got a transmission over the radio. “Attention, pilot…this is the Midgar air control. You have taken an aircraft without authorization and you’re required to land it immediately and give yourself over to the authorities.”

“Screw that,” Reno grunted. If he let them catch him, this stunt was probably going to put him behind bars for years and then his mother wouldn’t have anyone to look after her. He regretted his impulsive theft but when he realized that there were three other choppers giving chase from the west, there was no going back.

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Rufus got the phone call from Tseng as soon as he got into Midgar. It was so odd it made him speechless.

“Sir, I think you should come to Headquarters as soon as you can. Your little redheaded friend is in serious trouble. It seems he stole one of your unmarked helicopters and led the authorities on a merry chase. We have him in custody now and I can only keep it from the President for so long before he finds out about this.”

He immediately went to the ShinRa headquarters and met up with the Turk. “Tell me how this happened,” he insisted as he walked brusquely beside the Wutaian through the halls.

“I’m not entirely certain, Sir,” Tseng answered with a faint frown, “I received the call this afternoon that a thief attempted to make off with the new helicopter that was waiting for you at the News Station. When they gave me the name I came here as quickly as I could. Reno claims he’s never flown an actual helicopter before but according to Midgar air control, he’s the most skilled pilot they’ve ever seen. He evaded them until his fuel got low and he was forced to land—which is no easy feat for even veteran pilots.”

Rufus felt a soft swell of pride and he couldn’t even bring himself to be surprised that a mechanical genius like Reno flew like a pro on his first trip out. “Did Reno give an explanation as to why he took it?” He asked.

Tseng’s lips twitched as he nodded. “Yes Sir. He said that he did it just to see if he could.”

~**********************************~

Reno looked up as the door to the little room he was in opened and Rufus ShinRa walked through. He would have stood up if the manacles chaining his ankles to the floor didn’t make him so clumsy. “How did you find out I was here, yo?” he asked a bit sheepishly.

Rufus examined him with faint surprise, his pale eyebrows rising. “You colored your hair,” he said as he sat down on the other side of the table. “It suites you.”

“Uh, thanks,” Reno said. “I don’t think my hair is what matters here, man. I didn’t want you to get involved in this—“

Rufus smiled with faint amusement and interrupted him. “Why Reno, I had to get involved in this. The helicopter you stole was one of mine.”

Reno’s eyes widened. “You’re shitting me.”

“I’m afraid not,” Rufus countered, threading his fingers together on top of the table casually.

“B-but there was no ShinRa logo on it!” Reno denied, a touch of desperation coloring his voice.

“That’s because I hadn’t yet gotten the opportunity to have it done,” Rufus explained patiently. “It was brand new. I had it waiting for me at the News station until I could have an older model disassembled for scrap metal and free up a space for it.”

Reno stared at the VP with horror he couldn’t hide. ~Fuck…guess the honeymoon’s over now.~ Aloud, he asked: “So what are you gonna do to me, Sir?”

Rufus gave him an intense look and a faint smile. “Do to you, Reno? Why, I’m going to offer you a job.”

~**********************************~

Ever heard of the expression: “Struck dumb”? Well, that’s about how I was at this point.

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-To be continued