~ Tongue ~

By: LunarPlexus

Plot: Again, there is none. This is the second part to Nothing. This is supposed to be from Reno's POV.

Warnings: A little cursing, and implied M/M…that's it, I guess.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, and I make no profit from writing this…although Reno loves me more, anyway.

I dreamed again tonight.

I always dream something, but this was one of those other ones.

This is not a story.

Slip your tongue over your teeth, and say "lies."

This was one of the ones that don't make any kind of sense. Where nothing happens, ever.

There are no monsters, no villains, no kings.

It's just space. Empty space.

I know I hit Rufus in my sleep sometimes. This is why he thinks I have nightmares.

I've never had a nightmare. I've never had to fight anyone in my dreams. I've never gotten hurt in my dreams. If I did, it still wouldn't scare me.

Nobody can touch me. I know that.

I've battled monsters and villains.

The kings?

I've loved them, more than I can count. The kings are always out to kill me.

This is not about love.

Slip your tongue over your teeth, and say "deaf."

* * *

"You know I know."

"Know what?"

"I know you're gonna make me disappear one day."

"I hope you bite your tongue off, Reno. Maybe you'll talk less rubbish."

"Fuck off, Rufus."

* * *

This dream...it doesn't scare me. It makes me uneasy. It's a dream about floating. Floating in an empty space. There's no sound, or sight. There's no light, but there's no dark.

I don't know how to explain what anti-light looks like.

There's nothing there, at all.

There is a smell, though.

I know what it is too. It's the damp smell of a woman.

Say "earth."

Like soil and foliage after the rain.

It makes me uneasy.

Rufus wakes me up often, when I'm sleeping violently.

I usually get pissed at him.

He's one of the kings. You can't be equal to a king.

You can take one down, though. Then the kingdom.

The king always has the last laugh.

This is not about Rufus.

Stretch your tongue out, say "lust."

He's already woken me up once tonight. He never has any reason. I suppose he just feels like pissing me off, or maybe he just wants to check that I'm still alive. It shouldn't matter to him, though.

He's pretty much waiting for me to die.

He'll wake me up again before morning. He's probably waiting for me to die, just so he can wake me up then.

I know what it'll be.

Run your tongue over your lips, and open your mouth.

Don't say anything.

* * *

"Dreams again?"

"Never."

"Reno, you're a bad liar."

Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth.

Moan.

"Tell me a story."

"About what?"

"About us."

"We don't have a story, Rufus."

* * *

This is not a story.

There are no monsters, or villains.

There's just a dream where nothing happens.

Just a smell, like warm soil.

This is not about my dreams.

There's a king, yes. It's not about him, either.

The King has fallen asleep, again.

I will too, but I know he'll wake me.

Stick your tongue out again. Run it up my cheek.

Do I taste like soil?

Like I said, there's no story.

But there are things I could tell you.

If you'd sit down and shut up, I could tell you everything.

Middle to start, then to end.

All you have to do is open your mouth, and stick out your tongue.

~ * ~

A/N: Ok, now this sort of poured out of me, and I didn't want to mess with it too much, for fear of losing something good. Because of the way it happened, it may be a little hard to follow, but I tried to straighten it out a bit. Reno's thought patterns in this are meant to be quite hectic, and nonsensical. Anyway, please review and let me know how it goes down, and give me some advice if you feel I could improve it!

~Plex.