Reno could ignore the jabs at his lack of patience or care towards the kid in the past. In his eyes he'd tried once to be nice and then given up on winning the kid over. That ship had sailed the moment he had talked too much about his past. Fine. It was more fun for Reno to play dirty. Roland wasn't wrong about that. He just smiled at the words as he knew them for truth.
When Roland kept talking, however, Reno felt the heat rise in him. He didn't like the phrasing of the words, he didn't like the tone, and he didn't like being assaulted by someone he knew he could take down. He was a Turk. People didn't talk this way to a Turk without getting hurt.
The kicker though was when Roland told him he deserved it. Deep down Reno knew it was the truth. That didn't make his rage any less hard to ignore in that moment. It made it worse. Brought it to the boiling point. Roland had a second's worth of time to register it in Reno's eyes as they lit up wild like on the day of which they spoke--before the redhead rushed forward lightning quick, closing the distance between the two of them in an instant. The counter kept them apart but Reno didn't seem to notice as he grabbed Roland by the collar with his right hand, left raised into position for a punch.
It never came.
Reno's fire burned bright but, for once, something held it back. He was smarter than this. Being a Turk wasn't always about beating the shit out of the other guy. Not when it caused more trouble than it solved. He'd seen cheap plays before--hell, he'd been the one to carry them out when the order came--and he hated that. His biggest sin was following the orders of that damn mad man. He wasn't in charge anymore, thank the Lifestream, but Reno wasn't acting much smarter right now.
Reno had always been the quick one--quick to talk, quick to take action, quick to get into trouble. He knew that. He knew without his fellow Turks he was at a disadvantage. But he had to be quick to think. He could do it--he'd run the Turks for a time and no one had said how bad he was at it. Sure, Tseng was better but Reno could do it. He had to play the smart game.
He didn't realize how shaky his breath was until he started to talk. He hid it behind a low growling tone. He was still mad after all. His rage still burned deep down, smothering him, making him see red.
"As I recall," he said in that low, dangerous tone, face close to Roland's as he pulled the other man over the counter towards him at the same time he leaned forward, "I stopped fighting when I saw your gun. You let Inigo continue the fight. You watched as he came at me with his sword drawn. You could have stopped him then and there. But what? You couldn't ignore a few heated words? Be the bigger man? He couldn't take it any more, but what about you, Mr. High-and-Mighty? Let's face it, you didn't want it to stop. You wanted it as bad as he did."
Reno's lips curled into a dark smile as he stared into Roland's eyes. "And you know what? That I get. Respect, even. Because it's just. like. me."
He released Roland suddenly though he didn't take a step back yet. "Fighting to defend your honor. Fighting to protect something you care about more than anything else. I get that. Sometimes you have to break a few bones to get what you want. To prove a point. Nothing wrong with that."
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When Roland kept talking, however, Reno felt the heat rise in him. He didn't like the phrasing of the words, he didn't like the tone, and he didn't like being assaulted by someone he knew he could take down. He was a Turk. People didn't talk this way to a Turk without getting hurt.
The kicker though was when Roland told him he deserved it. Deep down Reno knew it was the truth. That didn't make his rage any less hard to ignore in that moment. It made it worse. Brought it to the boiling point. Roland had a second's worth of time to register it in Reno's eyes as they lit up wild like on the day of which they spoke--before the redhead rushed forward lightning quick, closing the distance between the two of them in an instant. The counter kept them apart but Reno didn't seem to notice as he grabbed Roland by the collar with his right hand, left raised into position for a punch.
It never came.
Reno's fire burned bright but, for once, something held it back. He was smarter than this. Being a Turk wasn't always about beating the shit out of the other guy. Not when it caused more trouble than it solved. He'd seen cheap plays before--hell, he'd been the one to carry them out when the order came--and he hated that. His biggest sin was following the orders of that damn mad man. He wasn't in charge anymore, thank the Lifestream, but Reno wasn't acting much smarter right now.
Reno had always been the quick one--quick to talk, quick to take action, quick to get into trouble. He knew that. He knew without his fellow Turks he was at a disadvantage. But he had to be quick to think. He could do it--he'd run the Turks for a time and no one had said how bad he was at it. Sure, Tseng was better but Reno could do it. He had to play the smart game.
He didn't realize how shaky his breath was until he started to talk. He hid it behind a low growling tone. He was still mad after all. His rage still burned deep down, smothering him, making him see red.
"As I recall," he said in that low, dangerous tone, face close to Roland's as he pulled the other man over the counter towards him at the same time he leaned forward, "I stopped fighting when I saw your gun. You let Inigo continue the fight. You watched as he came at me with his sword drawn. You could have stopped him then and there. But what? You couldn't ignore a few heated words? Be the bigger man? He couldn't take it any more, but what about you, Mr. High-and-Mighty? Let's face it, you didn't want it to stop. You wanted it as bad as he did."
Reno's lips curled into a dark smile as he stared into Roland's eyes. "And you know what? That I get. Respect, even. Because it's just. like. me."
He released Roland suddenly though he didn't take a step back yet. "Fighting to defend your honor. Fighting to protect something you care about more than anything else. I get that. Sometimes you have to break a few bones to get what you want. To prove a point. Nothing wrong with that."