Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter XI

My Favorite Cheerleader

"What goes better with the pants? White shirt, or Purple Shirt?" RJ uttered nervously, pointing to two shirts lying on his bed, as he wrestled with a pair of pants he was trying to put on.

"You told me not to turn around!" Revin said annoyed, her backed turned toward her love, respecting his privacy.

"Revin for Spirit's sake, my date is in a half hour. I can do without your sarcasm" RJ squeaked, as he took to frantically brushing his dirty blonde hair.

"You're the one making me – ah whatever!" Revin hissed, turning around to help RJ choose a shirt.

As Revin turned around, she caught a glimpse of the shirtless Human, manically trying to untangle parts of his bangs, and brutally brushing the rest of his hair into submission. She could not, in the split second before he closed the door, help but notice his physical form. Considering she was but a figment of his damaged imagination, she could easily have penetrated the door of the bathroom RJ was in, yet she supposed she needed to retain her corporeal sense of privacy.

She wasn't conventionally attracted to humans, she wouldn't even have known what to look for and what to avoid. She noted that RJ had gained a slight amount of weight, which was surprising considering he seemed to spend much of his time at work. Although, considering she hadn't been around to force him on intense physical missions, it was only natural that his physique degraded slightly. Considering she was a veritable ghost, she was little more than RJ's cheerleader.

That wasn't to say RJ had become unattractive. In Revin's eyes, he'd always be the epitome of perfection. The slight ridge forming around his midsection didn't detract from his substantially muscled limbs, nor his piercing blue eyes that struck into her heart. She felt sad that all she could be was his cheerleader, an inner voice that guided him instead of a physical presence to assure him. She did not know why her physical incarnation had to die, because she couldn't think of any reason to abandon the man she loved.

In no time, RJ emerged from the bathroom clad in a purple button-up shirt, black dress pants, and a light black jacket. Revin could see plainly that RJ was uncomfortable in the garb, considering he repeatedly tugged at his collar and frantically checking for any undone buttons. RJ was thrilled when he and Revin had been promoted to independent detectives, he wasted no time in burying his wardrobe of formal suits and replaced them with cargo pants and leather jackets.

Revin approached the nervous human and dexterously fastened the final button at the top of his shirt, below the pre-fabricated divot in the neck. RJ savored the feel of Revin's hands so close to his neck, though subconsciously aware that it was all in his head. Her three-fingered hands felt cold, though not rough, but they may as well have felt like sunbeams to RJ as he noted their origin.

Once upon a time he'd have fantasized about this act every day of his life. Revin buttoning up his jacket or shirt, him filing the grime off of her cheek protrusions to make them look extremely threatening. Two lovers doting on one another as lovers were meant to, but RJ didn't know if he'd ever be comfortable enough to do such a thing with the true Revin. After all, he'd had her close to him for God knows how long, and he never made any attempt to tell Revin that he cared about her more than a friend.

He'd have to settle for this moment alone, and he wished those precious seconds never ended.

"I've said this at least a dozen times, but I'd like to reiterate that I think this is a bad idea" Revin said as she maneuvered her massive fingers around a button.

"I've also explained at least a dozen times that I have no choice in the matter. If she so much as suspects that I'm not well, I'll never find out who killed you" RJ replied, having been knocked out of his euphoric stupor.

RJ considered himself experienced on reading the emotions of aliens, considering the volume of which he had interrogated them. He could see plainly that Revin was depressed, her mandibles were pulled close to her mouth in stress, and she had refused to make eye contact. It pained him that he was doing this to her, as he'd never seen her like this from anyone besides her family. He wanted to break down then and there and profess his love for her, whether or not she was an apparition or not. He wanted to hold and kiss her, as much as it would take to make up for all those lost years.

But he could not, so he had to do what he could.

He immediately grasped Revin by her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. He squeezed her as forcefully yet tenderly as he could. Revin could only freeze at the gesture, unsure of what to do. He pulled himself back whilst keeping his arms firmly planted onto her shoulders, studying her puzzled face. It looked as if the words were stuck in her throat, not knowing which to say first.

"I think we have a few things to talk about" RJ whispered somberly.

"Yeah, I think we do…" Revin replied, finally choking out a sentence as best she could.

"I know that you're just my imagination, and you probably already know how I feel" RJ grimaced as he slithered out the words, "Even so, I don't think I can go another day without spilling my guts".

Revin was left gobsmacked once again, uncertain how to respond or how she was meant to respond. Did he mean what she thought he meant? What should she say? Why was her throat stopping her from speaking?

"I-I think I feel the same…" Revin exclaimed after cheering her throat.

RJ hadn't ever seen Revin nervous like this, much less choking on her own words. Whatever she was, whatever had happened to her, he couldn't help but think this was the True Revin. The Revin that was a mortal Turian, despite her façade of the ultimate badass. The Revin that felt emotion, nervousness, and perhaps love. RJ knew in that moment that he hadn't felt more attracted to Revin than he had in that moment.

"I-I'm coming with you!" Revin suddenly exclaimed, breaking free of their embrace and rubbing her shoulder nonchalantly.

"Rev-" RJ stopped himself just as he began that sentence. He could sense her concern. It wasn't a foreboding sense of danger, it was fear. Not just fear but jealousy. Maybe it was his ego empowering an incorrect intuition, yet he knew that Revin would only be at ease if she could witness his forced date. Considering what RJ was planning to tell her that night, he couldn't refuse such an innocent, if unspoken, desire.

"Yeah, I think that could work" RJ corrected after clearing his throat, "Where ever would I be without my favorite cheerleader?" He jested, chuckling to himself smugly.

Such a tension-breaking joke resulted in Revin giving RJ a swift, and powerful kick in his left shin. Try as the love-less being may, they just couldn't resist any opportunity to make a crack at the others expense. They both believed that nothing less would be a true display of friendship.

"Peregrine Falcon, here we come!" RJ muttered through his lips, as they made their way to the unmarked Police Cruiser.

Dr. Yuibo had instructed RJ to meet her at the front of the restaurant, not an easy instruction when the front of the restaurant consumed an entire block of the Citadel. RJ had caught sight of the culinary conglomerate once or twice during a drive, yet had never lowered his self-respect enough to entertain the notion of enjoying a meal at the establishment.

He'd imagined a high-class dining corporation would feature a façade of dim light and natural foliage, as it often did on Earth. Yet the massive monolithic facility that constituted the Peregrine Falcon appeared as any other collection of fast-food restaurants on the Citadel. The name Peregrine Falcon was printed in large, blocky letters on the top of the large tower, appearing more childish and generic than it did sophisticated.

RJ knew what Dr. Yuibo really wanted, at least allegedly in a physical sense, but he could not help but wonder if this all was some sort of test as well. Was she clever enough to monitor his sanity in a social environment whilst simultaneously undressing him with his eyes? He could only wonder.

RJ parked his car beside a valet, whom he gave his keys to park, and walked as casually as he could muster to the front of the restaurant. In fact, he wasn't even sure where he was meant to enter the thing. Revin didn't trail far behind him, yet she was hardly interested in conversation at the present time, not with the whirlwind of thoughts and ideas racing around in her head. RJ's eyes drew him towards the largest collection of people he could see, assuming that it would lead him hopefully to the enterence.

"Oh ARJAAYY" A loud, sing-song voice echoed behind him.

The source of the bellow was none other than the very doctor whom had invited him. Dr. Yuibo had her head hanging out of the back of a car window, motioning with her arm to come forward. As RJ approached her, he could see a preview of what the good doctor had dressed herself in. He could muster it was a dark teal colored cocktail dress, with its most defining feature being the matching lace gloves that went up to her elbows.

"What are you doing here?" Dr. Yuibo asked.

This question stunned RJ, what else could he be expected to answer?

"Didn't we schedule a… personal appointment?" RJ said

"No, I meant what are you doing right here? The entrance to the Peregrine Falcon is all the way at the top" She said, motion by pointing an arm to the top of the endless skyscraper, revealing even more of her admittingly attractive lace glove.

RJ's eyes widened at the revelation. It was a rather rookie mistake, he figured. Why would the rich and famous whom he assumed patronized the restaurant ever enter a fancy restaurant through the bottom with the riff-raff. It could be adequality excused that RJ had a great many more important things on his mind, yet even such an obvious mistake baffled him.

"Don't worry! You can ride with me!" Dr. Yuibo said a little louder, to pierce the cacophony emanating from the crowd behind her.

It was as RJ embarked the skycar, he realized it wasn't a skycar at all, but a limousine. He knew that Dr. Yuibo was rather well-off considering her occupation, in addition to the near limitless amount of mentally-ill patients she serviced, yet it was a substantial shock to RJ at the realization that she could afford such a luxury. Revin also experienced a substantial shock at the sight of the man she admired figuratively entering the arms of another woman, well Asari.

The Doctor and RJ took seats beside one another, Dr. Yuibo's eyes not leaving RJ for a second, and Revin morphed herself into an adjoining seat, staring daggers at the Doctor equally. The sky-limo, no doubt piloted by a chauffeur, rose it its place high from where RJ had embarked it. It was like an outdoor elevator, as RJ was close enough to the Peregrine Falcon to watch the floors disappear and new floors reappear as the sky-limo ascended. As the limo ascended, RJ found the mystery of the Peregrine Falcon solved, it wasn't tailored exclusively to the high-class, but to absolutely everybody.

RJ noticed floors of simple working joes, children themes pizza-arcades, and even on a single level, a homeless kitchen. Evidently this Peregrine Falcon had cornered the market at this part of the Citadel, which made it even more remarkable that neither RJ nor Revin had ever heard of the conglomerate. Considering that RJ had sustained himself on low-quality chicken sandwiches from a Turian dive, he admitted to himself some anticipation at the prospect of tasting fine dining for the first time in forever. Or at least, since he'd patronize that old restaurant with Revin, or as RJ himself would refer to it as: the restaurant where he spat in the face of romantic destiny.

"Fascinating place, isn't it?" Dr. Yuibo sparked up, noticing RJ's focused attention on the climbing floors.

"I can't believe I've never heard of this place, it literally has everything!" RJ exclaimed, taking especial note of an Italian floor, almost being able to sniff the aromatic pasta.

"Our stop is on the top floor, I can assure that you haven't tasted true food until you tried their broiled Sorlchem Beast, they're world renown for it!" Dr. Yuibo beamed, placing her blue, serpentine head beside RJ's, nearly touching his dirty blonde hair.

The sensation of an attractive "female" beside his head tickled his male ego, yet he didn't dare move his head in fear of facing the face of Revin. He didn't know exactly how she'd feel about it, rather he did, she'd be furious, but why? Would she be jealous? Would she think him foolish? Did she even like him?

As he asked these questions to himself, they just nearly arrived onto the high roof platform. Peregrine Falcon was written in human cursive, no doubt to mark it as the fanciest iteration of the brand. RJ noted to himself that Dr. Yuibo had behaved herself this far, at least not giving off the "slutty vibe" that Revin had so eloquently put it. Perhaps she simply wanted a pleasant evening with a patient, or a night out in general.

RJ's emotions were a wreak, he'd spent God knows how long wallowing in sorrow and rage, and God knows how long in confusion and regret. Perhaps he'd take this opportunity to place his burdens off his shoulder for one night, just a single night to relax and enjoy life.

Yet even then, he could feel Revin's death stare, and figured he'd do well to be weary of it.