When Rude woke up Reno was still splayed across the foot of his bed, his fingers curling in the scratchy hospital sheets as he slept. Rude studied his face, trying to discern just what Reno was dreaming about, but Reno's face was as blank as a sheet of unlined paper. Rude sat up gingerly, the pain in his leg a dull ache that sent his stomach spinning. He reached over and shook Reno's shoulder gently, trying to wake him as thin fingers clenched white sheets so hard knuckles could be seen, but Reno simply gave a tired grunt. Rude frowned and tried again, shaking Reno with a little more force. Reno grabbed his wrist and pushed him off his shoulder, holding his arm to the bed. Rude grinned and gave a small chuckle at Reno's sleeping antics, "Reno, wake up."

"G'way." Reno mumbled, still clenching Rude's wrist almost painfully tight as he tried to pull away.

Rude gave an amused sigh and ran his free hand through Reno's hair, "When did you fall asleep?"

"Msleepin?" Reno mumbled and nuzzled his head into the hospital bed, his sleeping face showing traces of confusion.

"Yes Reno, you're sleeping." Rude grinned and pushed Reno's hair out of his face, "Do you want to wake up?"

"No, havin' a dream." Reno whined and pulled Rude's hand under his head, nuzzling into the back of it as he used it for a pillow.

"That's my hand Reno." Rude chuckled, still petting red-hair.

"It's warm." Reno yawned, "You got a fever or sumthin' Rude?"

"No." Rude shook his head, twining red-hair in his fingers.

"Yer gon put ma back ta sleep pettin ma head like dat." Reno mumbled, a tired smile lifting the corners of his lips.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?" Rude asked, ceasing his petting.

Reno nodded, "Don't stop pettin', feels good."

Rude chuckled and resumed running his hand through Reno's hair,

"Alright."

Reno smiled and released Rude's hand, settling his head on his arm instead. "You need ta sleep too."

"Sure thing Reno." Rude remained where he was, watching Reno as he fell asleep, fingers tangled in red locks.


Tseng walked in a while later, eyebrow raised at the scene. "What the-?"

Rude brought a finger to his lips, shushing Tseng impatiently, "He's sleeping."

"Why are you......petting him?" Tseng asked, bewildered.

"It keeps him asleep." Rude shrugged, still scratching his way through red hair as Reno slept peacefully. "He needs it."

"I'll agree with that." Tseng whispered, looking at Reno with a grin, "He almost looks innocent in his sleep."

Rude chuckled quietly, "Always has. You'd never guess that he'd wake up ready to traumatize the world."

"How are you?" Tseng asked, looking Rude over critically.

"Fine. The pain is dull and the materia fixed the leg most of the way. When should I be able to go home?" Rude asked, tearing his eyes away from Reno's happily sleeping face to look at Tseng.

"In a few days. Take some time to recover, with all this mess in sector seven we won't have any actual work for awhile." Tseng sighed mournfully.

"Veld give you hell?" Rude asked, eyeing Tseng quizzically as he further tangled his fingers in Reno's hair as the red-head mumbled incoherently in his sleep.

"Yes. We've never lost so many people in one fell swoop before." Tseng gave another sad sigh, "Shinra is considering pulling the plug on our funding and flooding the money into soldier."

"But they need us." Rude scowled, "Soldiers aren't bodyguards or assassins, they're not as specially trained as we are."

"We can do things that Soldiers can't it's true," Tseng admitted proudly, "And they don't have to waste the mako on us, but Heidegger and Hojo are trying to convince Shinra that we aren't any good anymore."

"None of this would have happened if Hojo had kept his hands off of Matt." Rude frowned, his hand stilling in Reno's hair.

"I know that." Tseng nodded in agreement, "Veld and I have to convince Shinra that we're worth the funding. It happens to every department at some point."

"What are you going to do?" Rude asked calmly, his face impassive.

Tseng shrugged, "We've got a good track record before this that we can flaunt to our advantage. Heidegger and Hojo don't have as clean a slate as we do."

"And if they end up shutting down the Turks anyways?" Rude raised an eyebrow as Reno shifted under his hand.

"They'll either throw us into the Soldier program, give us desk jobs, or kill us." Tseng shrugged nonchalantly.

"None of that sounds pleasant." Rude frowned, resuming his petting as Reno whimpered in his sleep.

"Why does that keep him asleep?" Tseng asked, watching Reno quiet down almost instantly under Rude's hand.

Rude shrugged, "It just does. He gets nightmares sometimes and this seems to make them go away."

"Weird." Tseng gave a puzzled snort and left the room.

"I know." Rude smiled, watching Reno's face relax. He ran his fingers over one of Reno's tattoo's tenderly, jerking his hand back when Reno shifted.

Reno grabbed Rude's hand sleepily and set it back on his head, "Di'n't say stop."

Rude chuckled and resumed his petting, "You heard what Tseng said?"

"Nope." Reno mumbled, shifting his head on his arm, "Msleepin'."

"Sure you are." Rude chuckled, "How are you talking to me then?"

"Magic." Reno yawned, arching his neck into Rude's scratching fingers.

Rude laughed, "You act like a cat."

"Whoever heard o' a red cat?" Reno grumbled, smiling in his sleep, his eyes still shut tight.

"Why do you enjoy this?" Rude asked, stilling his hand.

Reno whimpered, "Don't stop Ru. 'S like a massage fer ma head."

Rude smirked, "Remember the night after our first day of training?"

Reno sniggered, eyes still closed, "Course, I 'member the massage fun. Gareth got me an I got you. I always get you."

"That's probably more true than you know." Rude smiled, digging his fingers into Reno's scalp in a gentle massaging circle.

"Huh?" Reno cracked a bleary eye open and turned it towards Rude. "Wha's tha' s'posed ta mean?"

"Nothing Reno, go back to sleep." Rude smiled, sliding a thumb over Reno's eye, shutting it once more.

"Wha'ever." Reno yawned, nuzzling into the crook of his arm.

Rude grinned at his sleeping friend, hoping he wouldn't remember his little slip of the tongue, almost an admittance of his increased affection. He was sure Reno didn't know how he actually felt, and he planned to keep it that way for as long as he could manage. Reno didn't need another relationship after what transpired between Gareth and himself, especially considering the fact that either of them could die at any time. He just hoped Reno had really been asleep.

Of course, Reno had been able to hold conversations in his sleep since Rude had met him, he never remembered them though. At least he claimed he didn't remember them. Rude laid back on the bed, his hand still running through Reno's hair as his own eyelids started to droop closed. He smiled as he listened to Reno's deep even breathing echo around the room, the air rattling slightly with every inhale the red-head took. He closed his eyes with a sleepy murmur, "Night Reno."


Author's Note: I'm so bad letting a chapter this short pass for an update! *beats self in head with rusty spoon* The next one will be longer, okay?

Let me know if you see any mistakes okay? I'll fix them ASAP!!!! I've been missing typos and things lately, been a little too tired for my own good.

\

/

\

\/

Click this button!