Rude sat across from Reno, hands folded over his knees. He looked past his unconscious partner, out the window to the still burning flames. He closed his eyes and tucked his head, not wanting to see the results of what they've just done. There was nothing else, though. What was done was done. Instead, he brought his gaze to Reno, one hand resting on his chest as it slowly rose and fell.

He wasn't bleeding out and was still breathing. All in all, it could have been a lot worse. The only things he could make out were the blossoming bruises over his face and what he could see of his chest and hands.

For half the ride back, the redhead hadn't so much as stirred in his sleep. And when he did, it was so mild that Rude almost missed the moment he came to. The only giveaway was the slight grimace he allowed to slip through. One of Reno's hands raised to tentatively brush his cheek, eliciting a soft hiss from the man.

"Sh't," he breathed out, dropping his hand back to his chest. He went to sit up, but stopped after a couple inches and lied back down, closing his eyes. "So?" he asked after a few moments.

"So, what?"

"Did we win?" He cracked an eye open to rest on Rude.

The other man hummed and leaned back, folding his arms. "Yeah … we did."

Technically.

Reno pressed his lips together and closed his eyes back. "Oh … great." He sighed with another wince, fingers twitching. They tapped along his chest, curving down the side until he hit a spot that made him hiss again. He gazed down at the slightly darker bruise peeking from under his jacket.

Definitely a busted rib or two in there somewhere. He pulled his hand away and settled himself in for the short ride back. Reno kept his breaths shallow and his movements to a minimum. Unsurprisingly, Rude didn't say much other than their initial short-lived conversation. But he could sense it, his partner's eyes watching him quite closely.

The helicopter ride wasn't so bad. The landing, however, was something else. The slight jittering had Reno closing his eyes tight and gritting his teeth until everything fell still again. He would have been perfectly content just lying there for a while, but it was clear no one was willing to give him that small luxury. A few of their troops hovered around him, ready to assist him.

He was not having it and waved them away. "Back the fuck off, will ya?" He propped himself up and managed to get himself sitting. It took a few seconds longer than normal and more than a couple choice words, but he got there on his own. Still, the other men stayed close, hands ready to grab him at a moment's notice.

If anything, this hardened his stubbornness and he forced his walk to stay as steady as possible. An instant failure when his left ankle protested every step he took. Despite this, he bit through it.

"Sir?" he heard one of them, but promptly chose to ignore. He wasn't so damn helpless that he couldn't walk on his own. Sure, his stride was unsteady and a little on the uneven side of things with his gradually worsening limp, but he was making it fine on his own.

Was…

Until one misstep and everything twisted around him. Just as quickly, everything stopped as a hand looped around his waist, saving him from ending up as a heap on the cold concrete.

"You good?"

Reno cut his eyes up to Rude.

"Tch … I'm fine," he growled, straightened and shoved his partner's hand away. He swayed for a split second before regaining his balance and carrying on. Rude's eyes still followed him every step of the way inside. Of course, he wasn't being too subtle about it when he didn't let more than a foot separate them at any given time. One small blessing was that the troops at least gave some space. He was sure that was more due to the fact that they weren't granted permission to follow farther.

It wasn't a very fair tradeoff in his opinion. Rude was a lot more overbearing.

There was a twinge of annoyance in the back of his head. There really was no need for everyone to fret as much as they were. They were all overreacting. Hell, he barely lost … He might not have even lost at all if not for almost being hit by a damn helicopter. With a deep inhale, and a stab through his chest, he redirected his focus on just walking. Last thing he needed was to stumble again and cause another unnecessary panic.

One foot in front of the other. Hand on door. Push it open. Don't move too quickly. He repeated each and every little thing to ensure he was doing everything correctly and without incident. There were no detours, no distractions as he made his way straight to their destination. As he stepped in, he stopped to lean on the door frame, glancing over the room.

It was still some time before they were supposed to meet with Tseng. He had at least a little bit of time to better compose himself. He knew he should go get himself patched up. But on the other hand, there was a perfectly good couch right there.

"F'ck it," he sighed, dragging himself over and collapsing onto it. He only had his eyes shut for a few minutes before something was dropped on the floor next to him. Reno cracked an eye open to see the first aid kit sitting there with a pair of legs standing behind it. His gaze trailed up to his partner standing over him.

"You mind?"

Reno narrowed his gaze. "Uh yeah … a little."

It was like his refusal to be looked after was completely ignored. Rude crouched and popped the box open.

"The hell are ya doin'?" Reno asked, one eyebrow raised. "I said I don't need it."

Rude didn't respond with words. Instead, he reached out, too fast for Reno's sluggish reflexes, and unclipped his jacket.

"Hey!" the redhead blurted, grabbing the man's wrist with trembling fingers. "Knock it off, partner!"

Again, his complaints were disregarded and Rude used his free hand to unfasten his dress shirt. As the clothing shifted, more of the discoloration along his side was displayed. Even Reno had to stop in his fight to gaze down at the bruise. It was a bit larger - and darker - than he initially expected.

Without warning, Rude prodded the spot with a shockingly soft touch. Though, as careful as he was, Reno still gasped and twisted away from the man.

"I'm calling a medic."

"No, you're not," Reno ground out. "S'just … a cracked rib at most." He slowly relaxed back into the cushions, but the tension stayed in his shoulders. "Jus' need to wrap it up … and it'll be fine," he assured with a wave of his hand. He said this, but made no move to actually carry through. Rude doubted he could.

"Do you need hel-"

"No."

Rude sighed but didn't press things. He stood and sat in one of the chairs nearby and crossed his hands in his lap, eyes settling on the redhead.

"What? You wanna watch the show or somethin'?"

Rude remained silent and leaned back. Even through the shades, Reno knew he was gazing down towards him.

"Fine."

One hand cradled around his torso, Reno carefully sat up, staying propped in the corner of the couch. He was up, but now he was faced with a totally new, more challenging obstacle. Actually grabbing the kit still on the floor. He stared down at it as his side throbbed with every breath. And he still hadn't attempted to bend.

His eyes flitted from the kit to Rude and back down again. Was he really going to make him do this in front of him? It seemed so. Holding his breath, Reno straightened just a hair. That was it. That was all it took for him to gasp and fall back into the corner of the couch, both arms wrapped around his aching side.

Eyes squeezed shut, he grunted at the steps that approached and there was a shuffle.

"You're just going to make it worse," Rude said flatly, digging out a few things. "Take your shirt and jacket off."

Reno begrudgingly obliged, albeit slowly. They were dropped to the floor without a care. That and he lacked the energy to properly place them anywhere else. Not that it mattered, they were already ruffled as it was.

Rude held a swab in one hand and a bottle of disinfectant in the other. No point in wrapping anything with all the cuts and scrapes over his torso. Reno averted his eyes as his partner set to work dabbing at the dried blood. There was the occasional hiss and groan. But other than that, nothing much was said between the two of them. Once everything was cleaned up, he placed a few bandages over the worst of them.

Next was the actual wrapping. This required a bit of maneuvering on both of their parts.

"I still say you should go to the infirmary," Rude suggested, unraveling the gauze.

Reno shook his head with a low hum. "Nah."

Rude sighed through his nose and made the first go-round with the bandages, wrapping a little tighter than normal. This, of course, got more than a hiss from Reno. He flinched with the slightest of whimpers.

"You still good?"

"Mmhmm." His head tilted back, it was clear he was focusing on his breathing as each one shuddered in and out. "Jus' do it … quick."

Nodding, Rude did his best. It wasn't the greatest work, but it would hold. Still, he glanced up at every whine and grunt and finally tied it off. As soon as he was done, Reno dropped back, arm wrapped back around his injured side.

"Son of a bitch," he wheezed, head now pressing into the back of the couch. "Gettin' real sick of that bastard…" he muttered before wincing at the sting in his cheek. He cracked an eye as Rude dabbed again at the cuts on his face. "Easy…"

"Well, a professional would probably be more gentle."

Reno scoffed and snatched the swab from Rude's hand. "I think I got it from here." He took over with the cleaning and the dressing of the small abrasions on his face. He tossed the bottle of antiseptic back to Rude who replaced it into its box.

Everything was patched up and yet, Rude still crouched there.

"You waiting for a tip or something, yo?"

"Your ankle," Rude said after a moment. "I noticed you were favoring it. Let me take a quick look."

"It's fine …" Reno ground out pointing to his shirt and jacket. "Now, lemme get those back." Rude cooperted, but he was not going to let it go quite that easily.

"Now let me see. If it's nothing, then I'll let it go."

Reno struggled a bit with his buttons and even more so with the clip on his jacket. And when he finally got both back into place, he leaned back against the arm of the couch and pulled his legs to stretch out over the cushions. He let out a sigh and sank slightly into them.

"Just do whatever the hell you want," Reno mumbled with a weak wave of his hand.

Rude nodded and shifted to the other end of the couch, kit in hand. He took a seat before easing his partner's leg onto his lap. With extra care, he slipped the other man's shoe off, but not without another bout of complaints in the form of whimpers and gasps. Then, he rolled his sock down and pants leg up.

He stared at it for a moment and hummed to himself with a pinched brow. The swelling was already obvious and added an extra small shine to the bruise wrapping around the appendage. He doubted it was broken with the way Reno was still able to walk on it. Though, it certainly didn't do it any favors. Sprained maybe. Hairline fracture at the worst if he had to guess. Wasn't ideal, but it was something that could be easily taken care of as long as he stayed off it for a little while. Wishful thinking.

Placing one hand on Reno's heel and the other above his ankle, Rude gave it a very gentle turn. The reaction was instant: the small cry and the kick with his other foot.

"Dammit, Rude!" he gritted out, sucking a breath between his teeth.

"Sorry," the larger man replied, releasing his hold. He grabbed the bandages back and gave Reno's ankle the same treatment as his torso: binding it tight, but not so much so as to cut off blood flow. He muttered more apologies along the way until everything was said and done. Then, he returned Reno's leg to the couch and saunted back over to his chair. He gave the redhead one more glance over.

"Is that everything?" he asked after a moment, watching Reno's face for any telltale signs. By now, he never expected the man to be honest about these things. He could be bleeding through his clothes and still deny anything was wrong.

Reno nodded. "Think'so." He took a deep breath and huffed it out.

With all the commotion settled, Rude noticed the stark lines accentuating his partner's features. Not just pained creases, either. They were deeper than that. He didn't need to ask, he was sure he already knew exactly what it was. And he was sure he borne the same.

So much he wanted to say. Thought he should say, but none of it sounded right in his head. And so, he kept it to himself. What was done was done. There was nothing else to do other than move on. Neither one of them spoke of it, but it was thick in the air. The fear of what moving on would entail.

There was no more time to dwell on it as the door opened and Tseng strolled in, sparing the both of them a fleeting glance.