Reno slid out of the bed with a groan, sorry to leave its warmth, but eager to seek out his prey. He crossed the distance from the bed to the hallway silently, then stepped lightly to the bathroom door, pressing his forehead against it in, again employing his few fuzzy memories and vivid imagination to predict the scene from the other side. He heard caps pop open and click closed, and pictured the suds streaming down Vincent's neck to his chest, likely pooling for a moment in the hollows of his collarbones before trailing the length of his stomach to land at the joint of his hip, following lines of muscle downward. He bit his lip, amusing himself with such imaginings, then gripped the doorknob and turned.
The air had filled with a light steam, adding a heaviness to the room that Reno quite enjoyed. He took a deep breath and stepped in, again finding Vincent with his back turned. His memory had served him well: water slid in familiar patterns down his muscular shoulders while heavy black hair was plastered to marble skin. The glass of the shower door had fogged only slightly, allowing Reno a clear enough view as he approached silently, fingers working at the buttons of his own black pants. He managed to undress quietly, placing his clothes on the counter near Vincent's own.
Vincent visibly flinched and sharply turned as the seal on the shower door broke. His shoulders relaxed at the sight of Reno stepping into the steam beside him. He arched an eyebrow at the man's sudden appearance, eliciting a devilish grin from the Turk.
"Good morning," Vincent said coolly, seemingly unfazed. His eyes traveled upward from Reno's face, examining the messy shock of electric red hair as it darted in dozens of directions.
"Are you always such an early riser? I heard you coming in this morning. Where'd you go?"
"To work. I visited your storage depots and their surrounding streets."
"Anything interesting?" Reno asked, watching Vincent's throat as he spoke.
"You owe me two thousand dollars."
"Oh, really?" Reno fired back, eyes lifting to meet Vincent's.
"They were scouts, about half a mile from Site A. They were aggressive."
"Aggressive, huh?"
Vincent pushed away the heavy black strands sticking to his neck, revealing the beginnings of deep bruises at each corner of his jaw.
"Shit, son," Reno uttered, shocked at the severity of the injury. "Got an arm around you, huh?"
"Briefly."
"Down in the thick of it. You really did get your hands dirty." The image of Vincent fighting hand-to-hand seemed foreign to Reno. The thought of those long arms throwing punches while dark hair whipped with the impact sent a thrill down his spine. He grinned as he considered how the taller man had escaped the hold on his neck.
"That smirk again," Vincent said lowly before turning his face up toward the showerhead. He remained still as two hands made their way into his hair, massaging his scalp before pulling away, allowing the silky strands to stick again to his own skin. Warm breath brushed over his shoulder.
"I can't help it. I never did have much of a poker face."
Reno stepped carefully behind him, weaving his arms under Vincent's, palms making full contact with either side of his chest. Water pooled in Reno's bent elbows, running over onto Vincent's sides and down the length of his legs. Reno rested his head against the back of Vincent's shoulder, letting his own hair cling wetly to it. He let his hands slide slowly down the front of Vincent's body, unconsciously memorizing every curve and angle of his abdomen, his ribs, the subtly raised scars that peppered his body.
"This...this is definitely why I showed up last night."
"Ah, the truth comes out of its terribly ineffective hiding."
Reno laughed into his shoulder, fingertips tracing the ridges of Vincent's pelvis.
"The morning makes me honest."
Vincent turned his head toward Reno. "And what of those two deviants scouting out your storage facility?"
"Alright, so this is an added bonus. Perk of the position."
"Position."
"Your employer."
It was Vincent's turn to laugh lowly. His muscles rippled under Reno's arms as he did so. The Turk's palms flattened against Vincent's hip bones just before his fingertips dug into his skin possessively. The gesture caused Vincent to raise his right hand to the tiled wall in front of him, steadying himself. He returned the sentiment by imperceptibly sliding his foot backward just enough to cause the back of his body to connect fully with Reno's front. Reno groaned against the pressure. His right hand slid inward, easily finding its target. As he wrapped his fingers around Vincent, the gunman dropped his head forward, sighing into the sensation. He bent forward slightly, leaning more heavily into the wall. Reno tested his limits, pressing himself against Vincent's backside, exhaling heavily as Vincent rocked back into him.
"What happened out there?" Reno asked, voice casual as if his hands were nowhere out of the ordinary.
"I found a vantage point from a garage near the facility," Vincent began, his words moving slowly and deliberately from his lips as he tried to divide his attention. "The sun had not fully risen. They were moving through an alley when I spotted them." He stopped to inhale as Reno momentarily tightened his grip, then returned to distractingly soft strokes. "They were searching the facility for entrances when I approached. I had files on them; I recognized them quickly. I wanted information from them, but when they saw that I was armed, they attacked."
"Tell me about that," Reno said as his left hand raised to sweep the hair from Vincent's shoulder, replacing it with grazes from his lips.
"One swung at my face, making it easy to grab his wrist...and break it…" He sighed heavily into Reno's manipulations. "But while he came at me from the front, the other got behind me. I don't know how they moved so quickly."
"And?" Reno asked into his neck.
"And he wrapped his arm around my neck. His grip was much stronger than I expected from his size," he confessed. A quiet groan followed as Reno again tightened his fingers. "He dragged me down to the ground with him...in the process, giving me a clear shot at his partner."
"Which you took?"
"Which I took. The sound of it startled him just enough... to release just enough…" The fingers loosened around him. "For me to turn…" He dropped his hand from the wall and turned to face Reno, then raised his hands to the wall on either side of Reno's head. The move emphasized the difference in their sizes, as he seemed to tower over the redhead for a fleeting moment, his eyes taking in the full sight of Reno in an extended, intrusive pass, before the door cracked open and he finished the thought. "...and slip out."
Reno was left standing in the shower alone, still facing the empty air where Vincent had just stood, wondering how he could let the man leave, and how the man could stand to leave himself. He realized he'd been holding his breath, and inhaled quickly before asking, "And what happened then?"
Vincent's voice was steady as ever. "I shot him. And you owe me two thousand dollars."
"You know I don't have it on me. I guess you'll have to meet me somewhere."
"Or you might wire it," Vincent replied, exiting the bathroom quietly.
The words ignited a devilish grin that Reno couldn't shake for several minutes. Vincent could act as cold as he wanted, Reno figured, but he would not soon forget this shower, or the unspoken promises made in its duration.
Vincent had been quietly consulting maps and sketches of Edge and Midgar when Reno finally left the apartment. He'd dragged his feet enough to allow time for an invitation to stay, but it never came. He smiled as he opened the elevator gate, wondering how long Vincent might wait to collect his payment.
On his way out, he'd managed to pick up the files of the recently deceased smugglers and thumbed through them once sitting in his car. The pictures were unfamiliar: two unsurprisingly rough faces in two unsurprising mugshots. He skimmed their criminal records, finding mostly assault and theft charges, before tossing the folders into the passenger seat and heading for home.
Later that week, in an afternoon visit, Reno brought the two files with him to Healin. They sat under his jacket in the silver bedside chair. Outside, it rained a steady downpour with thunder rolling in from the eastern plains. Reno sat at the foot of the white bed, unwrapping a bandage from Rufus's damaged left leg in order to redress it, as recommended on the neatly-typed, yet unchanging schedule that hung on the wall near the bedside table. Typically, only Shinra-appointed nurses followed these orders, but on this particular day, Rufus had kindly asked Reno to do it a few hours early, claiming that the wound was itching. The blond's uncovered eye watched droplets dance down the windowpane as Reno worked as delicately as possible.
"I've memorized this view. I could paint it with my eyes closed. The grass, the waterfall. That little cave. It's all I see."
"Hey, you're awake on a regular basis. The fact that you can see it at all is a miracle. And that's not even true. You saw the main room the other day. Don't forget that grand gesture. Does this hurt?" Reno asked, unwinding the clean gauze carefully. Rufus shook his head.
"They aren't talking to me. The doctors don't talk about 'the next step' anymore. First it was remembering the day before. Then a regular sleep schedule. Then clear vision. Now...there is no 'next step.'"
"That can't be true," Reno replied, sidestepping the tone in Rufus voice that resembled paranoia.
Rufus inhaled deeply, drawing Reno's eyes. He stared for a moment before Rufus caught and held his gaze. "Do I sound crazy?"
Reno did not know how to answer the question. "Only if your concerns are unwarranted, I guess." He lowered his eyes to pull the strand of gauze away from the skin beneath and for a moment, forgot to breathe: The scar beneath the wrapping was ugly, a vicious reminder of the attack on Midgar, but completely healed.
"How...why is this…"
"Reno," Rufus started, his tone suddenly more grave than usual, "listen to me. They want me to be wounded, to be weak. They think that I can be edged out, forgotten. They think that I will surrender to my injuries, and embrace the help they so graciously toss my way."
Reno had rejected the notion of a Board, but never considered this possibility. He initially rejected it just as easily. "Look, Rufus, I don't want to see that happen, either," he tried to interject.
"You're looking at my 'injuries.'"
In an instant, Reno felt the immense trust that Rufus had placed in him. The significance of this confession weighed heavily on him, inspiring great curiosity for what hid beneath the rest of the bandages on Rufus's body. He slid forward to sit closer and reached for the bandage taped to the skin beneath a pronounced collarbone. With the edge of his fingernail, he peeled it back an inch and peeked beneath the gauze pad at another healed scar, even smoother than the last.
"Have you looked in a mirror?" Reno asked.
"No, but...I remember what I looked like, and I know that I'm not so far from it anymore. I remember who I was. More importantly, I remember how to run this company, how to manage a city. I know how to rebuild. I know who to turn to now that SOLDIER is gone. I've known all along."
Reno inhaled deeply in the silence that followed. At a single nod from Rufus, he reached forward and pulled the bandage away from a clear blue eye. A single small scar lined his eyebrow, but the rest was bright and unchanged.
"Rufus…" was all Reno could say, and it came out of a relieved sigh. Tension he did not know he carried released from Reno's shoulders. The distance between them seemed to close itself as Rufus sank into a tight embrace.
"How long have you…"
"I noticed a few days ago that the orders hadn't changed. I hadn't been looking at the injuries," he admitted, reminding Reno of his boss's strong aversion to open wounds, "but I decided to see for myself. They had warned me that if the bandage came off of my eye, that I could go blind, if I hadn't already."
"No...nobody wanted this. We all wanted you healthy. We want you back."
"I believe you," he said, pulling back. "I know I was facing death. I remember being carried to the ambulance. I know what happened."
"I'll find out who is behind this. We'll put a stop to this today. We're doing more without their direction than under it. Look," he started, now excited to reveal the papers he'd brought in. He reached for the hidden folders and handed them to Rufus, who accepted them warily, eyes still adjusting to their new depth perception.
"Is this...the raids…?" he asked quietly, skimming the research in his hands. "I've never seen you write anything this in-depth."
Reno laughed once. "Well, I figure...without a partner on this, I better get it all down. Anyway, they're out of the picture."
"Both of these men?" Rufus asked incredulously.
"Both of them. That makes nine now. You hadn't asked in a while, and I didn't want to worry you with it, but I'm not so sure they're still after the science department. After watching the roads they travel, most of the interest seems to be pointed in the other direction."
"The armory? I'd say that's a notable change in incentive, Reno."
He stiffened as Rufus called him by name. Rufus's ability to condescend had not been lost in Midgar.
"Yes. I agree," Reno shot back curtly. "But we're poking holes in their operation, and I'll know if and when they plan to attack. We'll be ready for it, and without the support and direction of the board, I'd say that's pretty damn fine work. It's enough to prove we don't need them running things anymore."
Rufus sighed, dropping the files on his lap. "Is it? Operating covertly on an anonymous tip? Where's the proof that we've really done anything at all?"
"Is that a trick question? 'Cause I feel like those two who were caught snooping around the armory and when approached about their presence on said site, attacked immediately...I feel like that's worth something. Also...did you say anonymous tip?"
"A letter was delivered, describing vague threats to our reconnaissance efforts in hopes that we could take action to prevent our materials from falling into the wrong hands."
Reno nodded, eyes losing focus as he leaned heavily into his own thoughts. So many times before had they worked on similar tips that he started to see the irony. The Turks had never had to justify their actions. They'd always worked for the head of Shinra as an extension of his power. Without that power, Rufus could afford no loose ends. His word alone was no longer good enough. He had less authority than his Turks.
He did not do well with powerlessness, Reno knew. Rufus could never sit back and let nature takes its course; he had to be ready for everything, with a finger on every button. The rebuilding efforts had come from a great deal of his own planning. He had sensed that a city built on reactors may require reconstruction, and established a team to design Edge long before the Weapon threatened Midgar. He was a major player in the lives of every survivor, and yet his work had gone unannounced, uncredited. Reno furrowed his brow at the thought, then locked eyes with Rufus.
"Let's leak this. I'll find someone in the press to write a story on this threat to innocent Shinra employees, describing how, despite your injuries, you still take interest in your citizens' wellbeing. You couldn't stand the thought of the Board ignoring this problem, so you risked your own reputation sending me out. You were right; we took down the threat; you're a hero and can't wait to go back to work, et cetera, et cetera."
Rufus narrowed his eyes, unsure of the goal of such a move. Reno continued to light up with enthusiasm.
"We can leak your orders for the plans for Edge, show that you were prepared to rebuild for your people, should the day have come. You had meetings on alternative energy before Meteor. Maybe we can find some minutes from those sessions to show your concern for the planet. Get that public that you've been looking out for to help you back into power. When the board sees that everyone wants you back, they'll have to start taking steps to restore you. That was the deal. They're just bridging the gap."
"It seems ironic that we're manipulating the press in order to boost opinions of my forethought and kindness."
"Not manipulating, utilizing. We won't lie. Everyone knows we did some bad shit." Rufus dropped his gaze at the words. Reno continued, wrapping his fingers around Rufus's forearm. "But people are also always looking for a reason to forgive, and somewhere to place their faith. A faceless Board of Executives is hard to care for, but a man bent on redemption, trying to protect his city, even from his sickbed...That's something to believe in."
"Tell me again why you weren't in marketing?"
"Because sometimes my persuasive skills depend on the use of a gun, and that sort of thing is frowned upon in business."
Rufus smirked, then looked out the window and sighed heavily. "You have to go to the Board. Tell them about the security threat."
"What? What are you talking about?
"If you want to tell the truth, then the truth has to reflect their refusal to take action. If they decide to recruit soldiers for this, then we're back at the start. They become the faceless benefactor trying to protect the people. The one who didn't wound the planet enough to bring about Meteorfall."
Reno tightened his grip on Rufus's arm, cracking a smile. "That won't happen. These raiders haven't made a major move yet. Picking on a few cleanup crews hardly warrants the building of an army. Trust me. Your people will be rooting for you in no time. But until then…" he trailed, looking over the uncovered scars, "what do you want to do about this?" he asked, nodding toward the uncovered blue eye.
"Nothing, I think. I'll play dumb. Get this story off the ground, and we'll start fighting back. Until then, I can be weak for as long as it suits me."
Reno nodded, taking a moment to bask in the revival of the cautious, intelligent, and cunning man for whom he made a career of risking his own life. The sharp mind had reawakened, and filled the room with its workings, for the briefest of moments, making Reno feel small in its presence.