His legs had carried him the short distance to the edge of the couch, and he stood frozen, eyes locked onto a motionless face framed by hair like black feathers. Thin fingers stretched at the thought of touching it, feeling it pour through his palm, or tickle his collarbone as it had on the trip through the city. It took a new favorite song with a strong bassline to finally propel him out of inaction.

As his hands came down on either side of Vincent's head, red eyes remained closed. When Reno's knees came to rest on the thin spaces left on either side of Vincent's waist, the body below remained still. Only when he lowered his face to within inches of the other's ear, did he finally elicit a response.

"I know why I've followed you," he stated evenly, inhaling the amber, metallic scent from before. He was too close to see the red eyes open, but clearly heard the husky voice command,

"Prove it."

Adrenaline racing through his body, Reno buried his hands in the thick ink of Vincent's hair. At the same time, his lips connected with the porcelain skin beneath the other's ear. They curled upward at the sound of a sigh from beneath him. The metallic hand slid out from under his stomach and connected with his side, causing the muscles beneath it to tense.

"Does this make you nervous?" Vincent's suddenly velvety voice asked into his ear, warm breath causing Reno to press further into his smooth neck.

"Yes, it does," he admitted, smiling into warm skin that left a fascinating metallic taste at the back of his tongue.

"Then stop." The words hit like a punch to Reno's stomach. Nauseated embarrassment flooded him, freezing him in place, giving him no option but to listen to what followed. "You don't need this; you hide behind it." With this, Vincent used his hold on Reno's side to gently maneuver him into the inner edge of the sofa, their legs entwining for comfort. Long metallic fingers guided his head downward until it rested on Vincent's chest. "You're tired." Reno nodded, eyes still open and now staring down the length of their bodies. "So rest."

It took only a few minutes before the music coming in one ear and the sound of a heartbeat in the other cancelled out the constant barrage of self-deprecation. As embarrassment left his body, his muscles began to relax, allowing him for the first time to notice the long arm wrapped easily around him, the comforting shared body heat, the hypnotizing rise and fall of the chest beneath his head. The roaring streets several stories below were effectively silenced by the music of the room. In a fleeting moment of clarity, he recognized a feeling of security and chose not to question it, but instead, to give in.

.

When finally he opened his eyes again, the music had faded away into soft, classical instrumentals, a soundtrack that seemed as though it came with the penthouse. A cool shiver rattled his shoulders, and he realized his source of heat had slipped away. The thought that Vincent could literally maneuver out from under him without waking him disturbed him in an unexpected way. He turned onto his back and watched the ceiling for a few minutes, willing himself out of the lazy daze he had been lulled into. Stretching his arms, he glanced at his watch and jolted.

"Shit!" he cried, wondering how so many hours could have passed. He pushed himself up off the couch, eyes scanning the living room and kitchen for Vincent, who was absent. Smoothing his jacket in vain, he darted halfway down the hallway until he heard the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. His legs took him to the door, where he barely stopped himself from walking in. Instead, he knocked to announce himself.

"Did you drug me?" he called through the door, unable to believe he could sleep for an entire day in an unfamiliar place.

No response.

"I've got to get back to Healin. I'm leaving."

More silence.

Frustration with the lack of response mixed with genuine interest in what lay beneath the heavy black leathers, inspiring Reno to bite his lip as he slowly, silently turned the doorknob. He pushed the door open as little as possible to glance in the mirror, where he caught a reflection of a back that seemed sculpted from marble. Black strands reflected the dim light of the room as they stuck to wet skin. A knot formed in his stomach, causing him to pull the door closed with a smirk.

Stepping out into the city, he struggled for a moment to gain his bearings. Remembering the location of his own car, he rolled his eyes at the extra miles he had to travel. As he hailed a cab, his eyes wandered up to the penthouse he had just left, his head shaking once in disbelief.

Another hour passed before he climbed the stairs to the Lodge. The smell of antiseptic crashed his senses as he slipped into the building. The air was colder than he liked. Before entering the back room, he tried to pull the wrinkles from his blazer, to little success.

Rufus sat against headboard, his uncovered eye staring out the window toward the waterfall below. He did not turn.

"Back so soon?"

Reno bristled, then shrugged it off, pulling the collection of wallets from his inner jacket pockets. He dropped them into Rufus's lap one at a time.

"Was I supposed to know these assholes' schedules? They weren't just waiting for me at the city limits."

A blond eyebrow arched before Rufus finally turned to look at him. "You let them get a hold of you?" he asked nodding at the cut on Reno's neck.

"Only briefly. He came to regret it. I think it was the leader...of this group, at least."

"There are more?"

"I honestly don't know. It's possible. The operation seemed pretty half-assed. I mean, there were..." Reno paused to count the wallets on Rufus's lap, "seven of them? And, well, here I am."

"And what, exactly, were they after?"

"Records. Employee files. Arms connections." He paused again, suddenly recognizing the severity of his next words. "The science department. Lab reports."

Rufus stiffened visibly. "Who is buying these records?"

Reno had to shrug. "No names."

After a heavy sigh, Rufus asked for confirmation. "The threat is neutralized?"

Reno glanced at the blood on his cuffs. "This particular threat is neutralized." He pulled the silver chair up to the side of the bed and peeled off his jacket, tossing it over the back before sitting down. "Have you been up all day?"

Rufus nodded.

"You look tired."

"I am. But..." the thought died on his lips. He shook his head once to disregard it. Reno leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"But?"

The tension cracked as Rufus melted into his pillows, his eye closed in consternation. "I don't want to sleep."

Reno knew to translate the answer to, I'm afraid to sleep. He sighed.

"You won't get any better without rest."

"I've been 'resting' for weeks." When his eye opened, it had grown irritated, his blue iris glowing against the redness. "I want my company back. I want my body back. I don't have time for this," he growled, gesturing to the IV tubing in his arm and the bandage around his head.

Reno's mouth opened and closed twice, words of comfort falling away in pointlessness. Instead, he took a deep breath and stood, collecting the wallets from Rufus's lap and tossing them onto the bedside table. Ever-so-carefully, he slid into place next to his boss, his arm encircling thin shoulders.

"I know. I know you're frustrated. The company is in good hands." He suppressed a cringe as the words hit the air. "And you're staying awake more and more each day, right? You'll be back in business in no time. 'Someday we'll wake up and this will all be behind us,' remember? You told me that."

After a long moment of cool avoidance, Rufus finally leaned into Reno's shoulder, a position he had occupied more than once in their past. They remained in this position for half an hour, silently communicating support and gratitude to one another until Rufus finally raised his head, his nose resting in the crook of Reno's neck. He inhaled deeply, gathering strength to sit back up, when his brow furrowed.

"You have a new cologne?"

It took all of the training Reno had to keep from tensing up under the inspection.

"No, things got a little heated with one of those thugs. He got an arm around me. Hence the cut. Must have rubbed off on me."

"Hmm. Whoever he stole that from had good taste. It suits you."

"You want me smelling like a criminal, huh?"

"Like I said: It suits you."

Reno lightly jabbed Rufus in the arm before pulling him closer. Within minutes, the former president had fallen into a heavy sleep, happily inhaling the smell of metallic amber.