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[general_affairs]

★ RENO
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FF VII COMPILATION

source @ isopods

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de-comaing~

[reargunner]

[The longer things go on the more he's sure he's going to walk up to the cabin door one day and find it blank. He knows people can go under for a while - for longer than you might expect - but it's been a while now... and he's worried.

Alexei's not the only one checking in on Reno, he knows that, but he has managed to find the times when he'll be alone here. It's quiet. He usually reads a book for a while and then goes when Reno continues to sleep. Sometimes he breaks the silence with a comment or two, or tells the redhead about something particularly ridiculous that might have happened.

Like more people getting murdered by the latest psycho who dropped in and got their hands on a weapon. That sort of thing.]

Been thinking of getting some things to put on the walls for Belochka to climb... [Alexei hums to himself, mid-flow of some train of thought as he talks to the silent room.] Maybe she'll stop trying to climb my legs if she has something else to do.

[Then a little huff, a sigh, and he idly prods the man in the arm.]

C'mon, sleeping beauty. You're pushing it.

[general_affairs]

[ Reno, unfortunately, has no concept of the passage of time while unconscious. He slept soundly and perfectly, unmoving and breathing at ease with no need to snore. If he dreamed at all, no one had yet seen any evidence supporting the tell-tale rapid eye movements or twitches. His roots were coming through, though, and the bright red of the rest of his hair was a little faded. There was also some patches of what could be a mere two-o-clock shadow, but that seemed to be the best his genetics could hope to yield.

Whether it was the poke or the chatter, even Reno wouldn't be able to answer, but he did know this feeling. The sort of grogginess of waking up from anesthesia--the kind of sleep without restfulness that left him more tired and barely able to process anything.

There was a small gurgle of defiance as he blinked and squinted into the lights of his room. The brightness offended his eyes, and his offense to their audacity colored his face--even if only just so. His body was still slow to respond and felt heavy in the bed, so while he didn't flip the covers over his face as he might've wanted, he did at least roll onto his side, and then his stomach to instead smother himself in his pillow with another, more defined, rebellious growl. ]

[reargunner]

[He thinks he might be imagining it at first, but then-- no.

Reno's actually doing something other than endlessly sleeping. He makes a noise, he moves, and Alexei's heart shoots up into his throat in a semi-nauseating lurch.]

Reno?

[Did he actually miss him this much? He's almost dizzy with it for a moment as he shifts, braces a knee on the bed, and gives the stubborn, groggy redhead a bouncing shake against his shoulder.]

Hey! I swear to fuck if you fall back to sleep I am shaving your fucking head.

[general_affairs]

[ He growled against into the pillow, the sound bouncing as his head bobbed and body wobbled from being shaken against the mattress. Alas, his body was still too heavy for him to wave Alexei off like an unruly teenager begging for five more minutes. ]

Nnnnnn

[ Roll him over or sit him up, and his head would just loll back, but his eyes would crack open again. ]

Fuck offfff.

[ A slurred grumble as he angrily squinted. ]

What fuckin' hit me?

[reargunner]

You've been down for well over a month and you look like a fucking vagrant.

[He'll leave it just at that for now, because it's probably going to be enough for Reno to take in to begin with.

Never mind the rest...]

Getting the impression you feel as bad as you look.

[general_affairs]

[ A spinning wheel all but appeared over his head as he processed the information. ]

Feels like Hojo got a hold of me.

[ A groan as he rubbed the side of his face, eyes closing again. ]

Turn the fuckin lights off, yo.

[ Ah. Scruff. He felt it scrape against his palm. ]

Shit yeah--what'd I miss?

[reargunner]

Tch...

[Alexei will get up and hit the lights, though, returning with a few quiet steps and sitting on the edge of the bed.

He sighs.]

Oh, you know, usual Barge bullshit that the Admiral's terrible navigation skills drives us in to on a monthly basis. Missed a port that was pretty nice. [A beat.] Vash is gone.

[general_affairs]

[ Now darker, he didn't have to squint and shield his eyes, and he could push himself to sit up slowly, muscles and joints aching with stiffness as he did so. He groaned softly and sat there for a moment, expression dull and groggy as he stared at a wall for a second.

After rubbing at his neck, he'd cautiously start to stretch. ]

Sucks to suck, glad I missed it. When'd he leave? The guy's a magnet for trouble.

How're you n' Aerith?

[ A few pops and cracks from his spine and arms, followed by a relieved groan. ]

[reargunner]

Mm, few weeks ago.

[Can't say he misses the guy being around, either. Alexei likes a bit of trouble as much as the next ruffian but he doesn't tend to go around looking for it where it never existed to begin with.]

Aerith's okay, I think. Probably better asking her. [He gets the feeling more and more these days that things are going on with her that she just doesn't tell him about.]

And you know me, I'm always fine. [That's a lie, but he watches the other man while he tries to work the soreness out of his muscles and adds, quiet but sincere;]

I missed you.

[general_affairs]

[ She's a secretive creature, he's not surprised that's the answer he got. ]

Reno, Reno, don't fall asleep on me again.

[ His voice was nasally and pitched as he leaned towards Alexei with a grin. ]

Yeah, cool as a cucumber. Eh, I'll miss the guy. He's trouble, but not bad. Ethan still here with ya?

[reargunner]

I thought you were gonna disappear without waking up, you fucking asshole.

[Don't mind him giving you a very hard shove there, Reno. God, a guy lets himself show a sliver of vulnerability for half a second and just immediately regrets it.]

Maybe I've got used to having you around.

[Definitely just that!]

But yeah, he's still here, still waiting on Fitz.

[general_affairs]

[ He chuckled off-handedly, head tipping to the side as his eyes lulled shut for a moment. He saw that hard stare and tumbled forward to slough off his weight onto Alexei's back, arms draped over his shoulders and chest and cheek resting somewhere against the side of his head. ]

Can't tell the Admiral what to do, but y'know. I don't plan on it. 'Least not without sayin' bye to you and Aerith if I can..and maybe come back.

[ Whether it was or wasn't just that, he took it seriously enough to assuage the ruffled feathers. It was rough around the edges, and Reno knew better than to make a promise that wasn't in his power to keep, but there was some solace to offer. ]

Fitz, Fitz--which one's he?

[reargunner]

[He grunts a little as Reno drapes against him, but can't find it in him to shove the man off. After all, he did miss him, and quite terribly, so rather than shove at him again he turns himself around so he can wrap an arm around the redhead.]

Dark hair, been here forever, tells a good story if you ask.

[Honestly he isn't sure how he'd describe Fitz to someone who hadn't met him.

He bumps his forehead to Reno's temple.]

You need a shower, and a shave, and your roots are growing out.

[Just saying.]