52Disclaimer : I do not own FFVII, Crisis Core, Advent Children, or any of the characters that you recognise. As much as I love these guys, they belong to those other guys.
AN: Helloooooo. So, I have noooo idea if anyone will even read this. I've been reading a LOT of fics recently and it inspired me to have a wee crack at it myself. I used to write fics when I was like 16 and haven't written since, so if you do stumble upon this, please be gentle ^^'
The title may change and I'm not sure how long this is going to be since it's just for fun. Rated for Reno's language and some possible fluff later on. Enjoy!
Chapter 1 : Working Hard Or Hardly Working?
Reno hated snow. That was the funny thing.
And yet, here he was, surrounded by it day in and day out, as far as the eye could see. The snowflakes that drifted from the sky melted almost as soon as they came in contact with his flushed skin. The only sound in the silent winter landscape was the thunk of the axe Reno was swinging as it connected with the base of the tree he laboured to fell, and the harsh breaths that escaped his parted lips accompanied by a cloud of moisture with each exhale in the cold air. Slinging the axe onto his shoulder, Reno swiped his free arm across his brow. As much as he enjoyed the manual labour, it still took a bit of getting used to sweating so much in such a cold environment. He was so used to the muggy Midgar air, and even Edge had seemed claustrophobic compared to where he was now. The conflicting cold against his heated body was irritating.
He had been almost as surprised as Rude was when he had told his partner that he was leaving. Ex partner, Reno reminded himself with a frown. He couldn't explain what had been the final deciding factor, but something just clicked after the triplets had been defeated. Seeing Cloud facing up to Sephiroth yet again had been a deja vu Reno did not not care to relive. And with the cure for Geostigma working it's way through the infected citizens of Edge, life had changed for the ex-Turk. He no longer had a purpose there. Not in his mind anyway. And he didn't fancy staying around in Edge, making pleasantries with everyone from his past life with ShinRa. So he left. He wandered the Eastern Continent, picking up odd jobs here and there. Then he made his way to the Western Continent, but still he felt like something was missing. And so, he'd found himself on the Northern Continent.
There was always work to be done in and around Icicle Inn. Thankfully, even with Reno's extremely recognisable features, none of the village folk seemed to care that he was an ex-Turk. Honest work for honest pay. Even still, he settled himself in a small cabin just outside Modeoheim. He would rather not hang around the village proper too much, in case he bumped into someone with a grudge against ShinRa. It had been 4 years since Meteorfall, and over a year since the last traces of Geostigma had finally been wiped out. But those who had escaped from Midgar towards the end had settled all over Gaia, and more often than not they still heavily blamed ShinRa for losing their homes. Not that any of them were well trained enough to actually do Reno any serious harm, but he was quite comfortable where he was (minus this friggin' constant snow) and would rather not have to deal with constant confrontation from the villagers. Nope, Reno just wanted to wake up, work, and head home. Maybe with a bit of fun thrown in here and there for good measure.
Sitting down on a stump and resting his axe on the ground behind him, the redhead eased off one of his gloves with his teeth and with his now free hand, pulled a flask from one of the breast pockets on his padded jacket. Sure, he wasn't supposed to be drinking on the job, but a little nip to warm his insides wouldn't hurt. Pulling down the heavy scarf that was wrapped around the lower half of his face and tipping his head back, Reno lifted the flask to his lips and felt the amber liquid slide down his throat. Most people would have coughed or gagged as the whisky burned it's way towards their stomach, but this wasn't Reno's first rodeo. Instead, he simply sighed with satisfaction as the warmth spread out from his chest as he screwed the lid back on the flask and placed it back in his pocket.
"Right. Enough time wastin'. Quicker I get through this, the quicker I get home and get a real drink, yo." Reno said aloud, despite there being no one around. He was more convincing himself to get back to work than explaining to anyone. He picked the axe back up and took a step towards the tree he was working on and was just about to take a swing when a noise reached him even under the woolly hat he had pulled down to protect his ears from the biting cold. Frowning, Reno lifted his hat slightly to listen again to see if he had imagined it. Back in Midgar, he would never have allowed anything to impair his hearing, but out here he allowed himself to relax slightly. Straining his ears, Reno heard what was unmistakably a scream for help. A girl, judging by the pitch of the noise. Mind you, pretty sure Rude reached a similar range that time Elena accidentally nailed him right between the legs in Wutai. That was some vacation. And who knew she got so feisty when drunk? Reno couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he weighed up his options. He could simply ignore the noise. He wasn't exactly known for his glowing conscience. He knew he would sleep fine tonight if he simply finished his work and headed home. But on the other hand, he would be able to procrastinate some more if he investigated the source of the sound.
Another cry for help pierced the silence, and Reno made his mind up. After all, the trees weren't going anywhere.
AN: Chapter 1 done! Hope whoever reads this enjoys it so far and Reno doesn't come across OOC! If you notice any typos please let me know :) Although I should mention I'm Scottish so there will be some spelling changes from the American spellings! :3
