Author's Notes: An AU fiction involving Reeve in college. This is only considered AU because Reno is in college, is Reeve's dorm mate and is a math major. One of my favorite short stories based off of a small AU RP and profile I did with a friend of mine. Oh, and Commons is a college campus term for Cafeteria. And Yuffie was a random add in. God Damn it. I hate them. Bad Reno and Reeve! Why do they always steal my stories?
Warning: Yaoi at some point I think. Lime at best.
Theme: Days
Lunch in the Commons
A large sheet of blank paper was stretched before him, a pencil in his hand and yet nothing was drawn. In truth, his mind was as blank as the paper. And the idea of this project was killing him inside. Strands of silky, dark brown hair fell into clear green eyes, and welcoming the minor distraction, he reached to push the strands back behind his ear.
No sooner did he pray for a new distraction than the door of the dorm opened wide. Enter Reno Fletcher, math major in his third year and one of the biggest party animals on campus to boot. Reeve, Reeve Leon Evans Jr. that is, a fourth year with a double major in architecture and engineering, looked upon the red-haired male with a look that could be called wither relief or irritation.
"Yo, Evie-J, whatcha doin'?" the younger male questioned as he stretched out over Reeve's bed to watch the senior work.
"Someone from Shin-Ra came into out class today. The man who helped design Upper-Junon. Told everyone that Shin-Ra was looking for someone new to design an entire city. Professor Carney decided to have us all develop blueprints and a model, albeit it general, for a city like this as our final exam. And I have NO ideas at all."
The icy eyed math man got one of those looks on his face, one that Reeve didn't like. It was a very hungry and cunning look.
"Oh no Reno," Reeve growled, "I am not going to do something inappropriate."
This brought laughter to the perky male, who jumped up from the bed.
"I was going to say let's order pizza for dinner, but whatever. Come on Evie-J, you need a break. We're going to eat at the Commons tonight, my treat!"
There was one thing that everyone upon campus knew, and something Reeve had never taken to heart. What was that? One never had any meal with Reno if it involved the commons. Really, if you did you would realize that the junior was wasted in math and really belonged to the art department. Unfortunately Reeve never listened, so he was always there when Reno took his food and made a new piece of art, often called by titles such as 'Breakfast Thing Blue' or 'Dinner Thing Number 23'. Today was no different.
The subject today was vegetables. Reno had begun by getting two extra plates with his dinner and filling them up at the salad bar. Then he'd stolen the mashed potatoes from the lunches of a few freshmen, and then he had set to work. The first plate was covered with a perfectly level layer of mashed potatoes, much to Reeve's amazement (how did he do that without a level and a trowel?). This was followed by sliced carrots laid in a perfect line and came together to meet an upturned tower of cups in the middle. All around this were other vegetables and side paths of carrot slices. In the end Reno took his knife and chopped up some lettuce to sprinkle over the whole thing, along with grated cheese, for some unknown reason.
With his 'masterpiece' done and dubbed 'Dinner Thing Vegetables', Reno took his other plate of food to actually eat. Reeve, having finished his meal already, was staring hard at Reno's creation and trying not to laugh or flat out knock it over. There was no shock when the flash of a camera interrupted Reno's munching and Reeve's silent pondering of the thing. This was as much a custom as Reno's creation of the food art.
"Great one Reno, what do you call it?" Yuffie, a student from Wutai and the head of the OFFICIAL Reno Fletcher Fanclub, asked. She kept a record of all of his things along with pictures and comments 'from the artist'.
Reeve had, at this point, stood and was lifting up his tray. Yet he froze, everything else ignored as he viewed the art from a new perspective.
"Reno… You're a genius," he announced suddenly after some time. Reno, deep into his ritual flirting with Yuffie looked up in shock at his friend.
"What did I do this time?"
Without another word Reeve pushed his tray into Yuffie's arms and stole the picture from her hands, glad she always used that instant kind. And he didn't even notice the female yelling at him as he rushed from the commons.
Ten days later the male was once more staring at the piece of paper before him, this time no longer blank. It was filled with sketches from many different angles, notations about scale and stress relief and all of that good stuff. Yet he was still to solve his biggest problem in the whole plan. The area that Shin-Ra intended to build upon was not level ground. How could his plan work?
Once more inspiration burst in upon him, in the form of Reno and pizza. Twice a week his roommate ordered pizza for them. One night was for Reno's choice of toppings (pineapples and celery did NOT go together in Reeve's opinion) and the second for Reeve's choice (olives and hot peppers was the ONLY way to go). The pizza box was balanced shakily upon the top of a two liter of the only pop they could agree upon, orange soda. Reno always pushed for booze, and Reeve wanted to insist upon coffee, so this was the happy medium.
Reeve gladly took the distraction and decided to pose the problem to his friend. Surely the math guy could figure out something he could not. The brown haired youth moved to the low table in the 'living room' area and watched Reno throw open the lid of the pizza box. There was the sound of a deep inhalation of pleasure from both males. One of the few times they chose to compromise even on the pizza, resulting in the sweet and hot taste of pineapples and hot peppers. A wide smile touched the face of both of them.
"So Evie-J, before we dig into this bountiful feast," Reno started, "You seem to have a question for the Wise One?"
He almost had to laugh at Reno. The man was sitting on the couch in a classic Buddha pose.
"Wise One? And who would that be?" he demanded, and was answered by a pillow in the face. "Alright! Shesh. Listen, you know that project I'm working on? Well, I've got a problem with it. The ground isn't LEVEL, and it can't be made so…"
"The Great Reno sees all and knows all," Reno spoke, "And will share all. Look now towards the humble pizza and find your answer!"
Willing to play along for now, the male turned his attention to the open pizza box. And there it was, his answer. Reeve looked upon one of those little white things in the middle of the pizza that look like a white, three-legged table, used to keep the top of the pizza box from being forced down to smash the pizza.
"Plates… Oh my god Reno, you really are a genius!" he shouted triumphantly before lunging at his friend and hugging him violently. There was even a bit of a kiss in there somewhere.
After that the two drew apart, shock written on the features of each. With a mumbled apology Reeve grabbed a paper plate, a few pieces of pizza and the little table thingy from the pizza and fled to his room.
When he next encountered his friend it was a few days later, and Reeve was putting the finishing touches upon his model of the city he had dubbed Midgar. It was a circle with buildings, separate plate sections, and a large tower in the center. There were pillars, one major per place and one as wide as the center portion where Shin-Ra facilities would be, as well as many smaller support pillars in areas that could expect more weight. There were spotlights and mako reactors even. The red haired youth watched Reeve from the door of his dorm.
"That thing due today?" he asked, cutting into the three day silence they had cultivated.
Reeve nodded, focusing on adding a few people from his game of Risk for effect and scale reference.
"Want help carrying it to class?" he pressed on.
This was answered by a simple shake of the head.
"Reeve, I'm not mad at you for kissing me. I know I'm the most desirable man on this whole damn campus. Trust me, there are plenty of pretties like you lined up for a piece of Reno."
The sudden and violent change of Reeve's flesh from tan to the same shade of Reno's hair was the reaction that was desired.
"It's not like that Reno," Reeve said, only to be cut off.
"Yeah, I know. So get the hell over it Reeve. Come on, you're going to be late," the younger said, moving to grab the sealed cardboard tube that held the plans of the city for Reeve. He watched with a smile as Reeve lifted the model carefully second by section and placed them in 9 separate boxes, which he stacked. Reno grabbed four and left five to Reeve. And now they were off to find out Reeve's fate…
The man looked at down at the model of Midgar, joy and pain both in his eyes. In anger that had taken him in days previous he had smashed the removable section that had once been Sector 7. How could it all have gone wrong like this? It was his dream, created together with his best friend of years, and ruined in a single explosion. And by that very friend who had given him all of this in the first place.
"Reeve?" came a hesitant voice at the door. The man didn't even look up to face the one he KNEW was there.
"Fuck off Reno."
"Sorry, Tseng said I'm not allowed to on duty, but I'll take a rain check," he said, moving to just inside the door.
"I said get lost, and that is an order."
"And if I disobey, sir," the Turk asked, crossing his arms.
Reeve shook his head and moved to touch the ruins of his model. It had all been made by hand, right down to the little people he'd made for it, and the cars. Even the lights were real Mako Energy lights. All gone.
Then he felt arms around him, a body pressed up against his from behind. Reeve almost pulled away, until he heard the whisper of Reno's voice in his ear.
"Yo, it's okay Evie-J. Things will get better, okay?"
That was a Reno he hadn't known in years, in so many years. Reeve could not help but relax back into Reno's warm embrace. Quickly he turned in it to cry upon Reno's shoulder. It was the first time he'd cried in a long time. And through it all Reno held him quietly, like he had back when Reeve had learned his mother died while he was in the middle of a test in his psychology class. When there were no more tears left Reno slowly lifted Reeve's head so he could look into the misty green eyes.
"Don't worry Evie-J. You're gonna be okay. You're still the good guy."
Reeve nodded meekly and rested his head against Reno's shoulder.
It felt like he had rested there for days when he finally broke away. Deep inside, he wished it had been days, and that he never really had to go.