Snippets of Dysfunctionalities - Confessions

By Crystal Snowflakes


Reno felt himself waking up to something cold digging almost painfully into his shins. With his eyes still closed, he did a mental check of his surroundings; he sensed the smooth bed sheets beneath his back, smelt the familiar stale breeze from the window, and heard the noises far below in the city he considered his home. While his instinctive response would be to normally lash out and ask questions later, something about the discomfort seemed so familiar and normal that he forced himself to still his limbs.

What the hell was it?

His left arm was curled around it—warm, small and snickering?

Somehow, despite his fatigue, he managed to crack his eyes open, and he felt his lips curve slightly at the sight as his mind realized what exactly had been irritating him so much.

They were her damn toes.

"G'morning, Turkeyhead!" Yuffie said brightly as she leaned towards him, blocking the view of the sun behind her. Even against the blazing golden rays, her eyes glowed vividly with glee and unbridled affection—for him—and he couldn't stop the way his heart swelled up uncomfortably.

"Mornin', brat," he muttered tiredly, voice raspy, as he tightened his arm around her just slightly before releasing his hold on her. Shifting position to turn toward the bedside table, he reached blindly—all the while balancing precariously on the edge of the bed—for his phone. As soon as his fingers made contact with the cold metal of his phone, he heard the bed creak next to him; she had moved closer next to him, the warmth of her breath against his cheek.

"Hey, Reno?" There was an unusually serious tone in her voice.

Snagging his phone off the table, his hand continued to roam in search of his hair tie next as he turned his head to look at her. "Yeah?"

Her eyes flickered to where his hand was before looking at the way he was positioned. And then the corners of her eyes crinkled in mirth as her lips twitched—though it was obvious she was trying to suppress the impish grin that crossed her face. "I love you."

Maybe it was due to the unexpectedness of it, because he was half-expecting her to declare that she had stolen his secret stash of materia in his personal safe or something equally mischievous. But her words had surprised him, so much so that he felt his jaw slacken and his eyes widen before he slipped off the bed and landed on the floor with a loud thump.

"Shit!"

Her immediate boisterous cackles filled the bedroom before she peered down at him from the edge of the bed, doe eyed and feigning innocence. "Jeez. You okay?"

The little shit had known that it'd throw him off; she had probably waited until he was reaching over for his phone so that she could catch him unaware. Watching her with her eyes shining so bright as she attempted to hold in her giggles, he felt his chest clench. Maybe one day, he would tell her how he felt about her.

"You're a fuckin' gremlin," he muttered as he stood up, ignoring the dull ache from where his ass had hit the ground.

"Gremlin, huh?" she asked with a snort, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "That's a new—"

Without warning, he tackled her on the bed and held her hands above her head as he straddled her, digging his fingers into her sides. Her shrieks of laughter were instant as she squirmed to evade his hand. Before she could escape, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his, pressing her down against the bed.

She gave a small breathless sigh as her eyes fluttered close.

And for the time being, he was happy to show her how he felt about her instead.

.

.

.

She was so fucking small in Reno's arms—so fucking small and bloody and pale.

Yuffie's skin was pallid and cold to the touch, her breathing was so shallow that it was barely perceptible to his ears, and he could feel her faint pulse beneath his fingertips—she was barely moving. Anger and fear tore through his veins, and he tried in vain to reel them in as his heart raced, thumping loudly in his ribs.

It was supposed to be a simple job—in and out. Nobody should have gotten hurt at all. To repay their debt to the planet, they had decided to return on the regular to and clean up the shithole that was now Midgar. The Turks—under the direction of Rufus Shinra—would return to the almost deserted city to dispatch any stray monsters that wandered too close, for the sake of whatever inhabitants were left.

Citing that she was bored out of her mind, Yuffie had announced that she would be joining this month's clean-up. Elena had been more than happy to welcome her as she complained about being stuck with Reno and Rude again. Everything had been going according to plan, and he had been trailing behind Yuffie—she often liked to take the lead—as they argued as they usually did with Elena chiming in occasionally and Rude being his usual stoic self.

Until a single, loud shot rang out through the air, and whatever was on the tip of his tongue to retaliate something she said died.

Yuffie's knees buckled before she stumbled, and it was only because of his quick reflexes that he managed to catch her before she hit the ground. By the time he had looked up, Elena and Rude had already shot forward to chase the perpetrator—he knew they would meet back at the hospital with him later. With a curse, he laid her down gently before checking the wound above her hip; there wasn't an exit wound. The cure materia Yuffie always had on her wasn't going to be helpful.

On the bright side, the hospital was mere minutes away from where they were.

As Reno carried her back to the helicopter, she was still muttering obscenities under her breath, complaining about assholes who should be more grateful instead of being entitled jackasses. It didn't take long for him to realize that the shot had been meant for him; it wouldn't make sense for a Midgar dweller to aim for her.

By the time they reached the helipad at the hospital in Edge, she took a turn for the worse. There were no more snarky comments on Midgar residents, nor did she continue her commentary on how much her bullet wound burned. When the helicopter finally touched down, there was already a team of doctors and nurses waiting to receive her with a trolley bed, and he mentally thanked Elena for having the foresight to call ahead.

And then he had lifted him in her arms to take her to the bed, only for him to realize how small and frail she suddenly looked.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Reno hastened to take the few remaining steps to reach the hospital bed and laid her down. Yuffie looked so uncharacteristically pale and small and exhausted against the white sheet. Then, ignoring everyone else's presence—just for a moment—Reno leaned down and brushed her bangs out of her face with the back of his fingers.

Without thinking, he brushed his lips against her forehead. "I love you," he muttered under his breath, surprising himself. "So don't die on me yet, dipshit."

Yuffie's eyes widened in shock before her mouth twisted into a grimace of a smile, her gaze softening. "T-that bad, h-huh?" she managed to croak out.

"You look like shit," he said with a small quirk of his lips.

A weak chuckled escaped her, but when she opened her mouth to respond, a nurse rolled her bed away; he didn't stop her. Reno's fists clenched at his own sides as he watched her disappear from his sight.

Someone was going to pay, and it wasn't going to be pretty.


Author's Notes: 'I love you's are incredibly difficult for these two idiots. That is all. I will never again (watch me eat my words) write a confession scene with 'I love you' between the two of them again because they're both emotionally stunted.

Completed: July 29, 2021