Rena's head was bowed, her hand flying across the page in front of her. Every so often, she would glance up and look at the screen, occasionally scrolling down or clicking onto another page. It was late, and the only source of light in the room was coming from the computer screen in front of her. She was alone; the only sounds reverberating across the walls was the sound of her pen and the soft clicks of the mouse. It wasn't even late, yet she was probably the only person in the entire building. Or so she thought.

The door to her lab slowly creaked open. Startled, she looked up from her work and squinted in the direction of the door, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light that had suddenly poured into the room.

'Caine?' She said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

'In the flesh!' He replied, grinning. 'What you up to?'

'Oh,' she said, brushing her stuff aside on the desk and clicking off the document, 'not much really, kinda just trying to catch up on some work.'

'It's like... 8.'

'And? That's not that late!'

He chuckled and leant against the wall, arms folded across his chest. 'It's a Friday night. Don't you have anything better to do?'

'Okay first of all, rude. Second of all, I need to do this! I'm getting pretty behind!'

'Oh yeah? Why's that?'

Rena shrugged. 'I dunno... just got a lot going on I guess?' She thought it best not to tell him about night patrol or psycho Tadashi.

Caine laughed. 'Full offence, but that's the lamest excuse ever. Come on, live your life a little!'

Rena shook her head, grinning. 'What, you mean sitting here on my own on a Friday night in sweats and a hoodie isn't living my best life? Rude.'

'Tell me, how do you feel about alcohol?'

Rena narrowed her eyes. 'Why?'

'Just wondering.'

'Uhhh... I don't know... wine is nasty?'

'Well yeah, no shit. Have you ever even tried it?'

'What, wine? Yeah! I mean like... a sip once or twice yeah.'

'Yeah but have you ever tried alcohol properly?'

She rolled her eyes. 'Caine, look at me. Do I look like I've ever been on a wild night out and gotten pissed?'

'Let's do it then.'

'Wait.. what? Now?'

'Yeah! Why not? I've some vodka in my car, and I know a place we can go.'

Rena laughed. 'I'm good thanks. I need to finish this. Thanks for the offer though.'

Caine raised his eyebrows. 'Why? You scared?'

She flipped him the finger. 'Okay, fuck off now.'

'And you called me rude! Come on,' he walked over to her and grabbed the pen out of her hand. 'I dare you.'


'Where the hell are we going?' Rena yelled.

Caine looked back at her and smirked. 'You'll see!'

'It better hadn't be far!'

Rena hurried after him. The air was cold and she could see her breath in front of her. The fast food lights of the city all blurred together into a kaleidoscope of colours. It was almost enough to make her eyes water.

They ran along a street quickly, the only sounds were their rapid breathing and their shoes as they slapped against the damp pavement. This part of the city was quiet, and it felt like they were the only ones in the world. Rena followed the blonde haired boy around a corner and almost smacked straight into him. He was stood at the foot of a tall building, staring up at the scaffolding that surrounded it.

'We're going up there.' He said, pointing upwards.

Her eyes drifted upwards to the top of the building where he was pointing. She couldn't help but smile. 'Up the scaffolding?'

'Indeed m'lady!' Caine replied, grinning. He adjusted his coat and gestured to the metal poles. 'Ladies first?'

She rolled her eyes and surveyed the scaffolding. Hesitantly, she reached up and grabbed the pole above her. 'If I fall and die, I'll kill you.'

'Noted.'

Rena hoisted herself up and perched on the wooden platform a few feet up. She looked down on Caine below her and grinned. 'Need any help, princess?'

'Give us chance!' He replied, shaking his head. He jumped up and grabbed the pole, pulling himself up. He crouched on the wood next to her and smiled. 'See? I'm not that bad!'

'Yeah, only 10 floors to go.' Rena replied, looking up at the beams and metal above her. 'Race you?'

'You're on!'

Ten minutes later, Rena collapsed onto the roof of the building. Caine triumphantly stood above her, waving a bottle of vodka in the air. 'I win bitch!'

'HOW?!' She yelled, exasperated.

Caine grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. 'Found a ladder.' He said smugly, 'you've a splinter by the way.'

Rena looked down at her hand and blinked. 'Oh yeah.' She pulled it out, wincing. 'I can't believe you found a ladder and never told me, that's so mean!'

He shrugged. 'It's your fault for making it a race. What can I say, competition brings out the worst in me.'

'I could've avoided a splinter! That's just straight up evil to be honest.'

Caine laughed. 'I think you're being dramatic. Besides, you'll forgive me when you see this view.'

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the edge. 'See? San Fransokyo's better at night.'

'Wow.' Rena breathed. 'It's.. yeah. Beautiful.'

She shivered and wrapped her hoodie tighter around herself. The wind circled their heads and made her hair blow around in her face. Caine pointed towards the Golden Gate bridge, the hundreds of cars driving across it winking at them in the moonlight. The red of the bridge stood out against the night sky and the water below it looked calm and still as opposed to murky and dirty as it usually did.

'You know what makes it more beautiful?' Caine said, turning around and pulling a bottle out from his coat. 'Ta daaa!'

Rena laughed as he brandished a bottle of vodka in the air. 'Where did you even get that?!'

'I have my ways!' He grinned mischievously. 'Now - how much of a lightweight are you?'

'I have NO idea.'

'Well, now's the time to find out!'

He tossed the bottle to her. It went flying through the air and she screeched and dived towards it, luckily grabbing it before it went crashing to the ground. 'Oh you're an IDIOT! She gasped, clutching it to her chest. 'What if it had smashed?!'

Caine grinned, 'then you would owe me a bottle of vodka!'

Rena laughed and unscrewed the bottle. 'On a scale of 1-10, how rank is vodka?'

'Oh, definitely a 10. It's disgusting.' Caine replied, 'you'll love it.'

Rena shrugged and took a huge mouthful, almost coughing it back up onto the ground in front of her. She was bent forwards, coughing and her eyes streaming. 'I think... I drank... too much..'

Caine roared with laughter. 'Atta girl! Although maybe a little bit less next time, no?'

Rena flipped him the bird before sitting down cross-legged on the rooftop. She took another swig of the vodka and placed the bottle down it front of her, sighing and tipping her head up towards the sky.

Caine walked over and sat next to her, taking a mouthful himself. 'Long week, huh?'

'I've had a long ass year, not gonna lie to you.'

'Oh yeah?' Caine said, sitting back and tilting his head, 'elaborate.'

Rena sighed and grabbed the bottle, tracing the logo with her thumb. 'It's just... everything. Y'know? First the fire, then I like... nearly died. Then the cafe got robbed. My brothers are determined to drive me up the wall. Although that's been a reoccurring thing ever since Hiro was born.'

'Sounds pretty rough.'

'Yeah.' She took another swig of the vodka.

'Slow down!' Caine said, laughing and taking the bottle for her.

'But it's nice!'

'Stop kidding yourself. You know it's not.'

'Yes but... yeah okay I don't have an excuse.'

Caine rolled his eyes. 'Honestly!'

'Don't blame me! Blame my brothers for driving me up the FUCKING WALL!'

'That bad is it?' He questioned sympathetically. 'Man. If I didn't know better I'd say you hate them.'

Rena studied him. 'Do you have any brothers?'

Caine sighed. 'Nah. Just me and my parents. Well.. until I moved out it was.'

'Then you wouldn't get it! I mean, no offence. But it's like... I would do anything for them. Both of them. I'd give 'em a kidney, but there's no way they're borrowing my phone charger. Ever. You get what I mean?'

He looked sad. 'Yes. Yes, I think I do.'

Rena waved her hands in the air wildly, the alcohol beginning to take effect. 'I love them! God, I do! I want nothing but the best for them! But sometimes, I just wish they would SHUT UP! Or like... just... be normal. Be safe, or whatever. I don't want anything to happen to them, but they keep getting themselves in dangerous situations. Like the fire... that fucking fire...'

Caine didn't say anything for a while. 'It's sweet. It is.'

Rena smiled. 'You're a good listener. And I think I'm going a little mad. Now pass the vodka.'

He chuckled and passed her the bottle. 'How is Tadashi?' He asked anxiously.

'He's uhhh... He's Tadashi.'

'Yeah? Now forgive me, but what does that mean?'

She threw her hands in the air. 'I don't know! He's a dickhead. And something's going on with him. Something always is recently. He... just needs to chill!'

Caine chewed his lip. 'Well. I don't know what advice I can offer you.'

'I don't want anyy!' She sang loudly, 'everything is going great!'

Caine laughed. 'I was right! You are a lightweight!'

'Sh... shut it!' She replied, elbowing him in the side. 'I knew I was a lightweight! Joke's on YOU!'

'Thought you said you'd never tried it?'

'I was LYING!' She giggled, 'aren't you gonna have anymore?'

He shook his head, grinning. 'One of us needs to be able to walk in a straight line by the end of this.'

'First of all... rude! Second of all... fucking rude!'

'Alright, alright. Go on, tell me about the time you first had alcohol.'

Rena swallowed, her eyes suddenly turning sad. 'High school. With this... girl.'

She closed her eyes and if she concentrated really hard, she could just hear her laugh. Clara. They were sitting on the rooftop, a bottle of stolen alcohol wedged in her backpack. The stars were above them and Rena could remember her pointing upwards and gazing at them with adoration.

'They say stars are the living souls of dead people. I think it's nice, y'know? There's always someone watching over us. Keeping us safe. Loving us despite not being able to talk to us any longer.'

'They're actually formed by nuclear fission. Massive clouds of gas and dust clump together and get hotter and more pressurised until fission occurs and a star is born.'

Clara laughed and elbowed her friend. 'I should've known you'd come out with something like that!'

Rena smiled. 'I like stars.'

'Yeah. Me too.' She craned her neck up to the sky and spread her hand out, as though tracing the stars beneath her fingertips. 'You are my sun, my moon and all of my stars.'

Rena felt dizzy. She glanced at her friend and tried to ignore how fast her heart was racing. 'E.E Cummings.'

Clara grinned. 'I've taught you well!'

'When you consider like the stars, our affairs don't seem to matter that much. Do they?'

'Nice. Virginia Woolf.'

Rena nodded, her cheeks flushed. 'You know I'm a science kind of person. But... I think your literature is starting to grow on me.'

Clara smiled softly and tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. 'I think your nuclear fission is starting to grow on me.'

Rena laughed. 'Fission is it's own kind of beauty.'

'You're such a nerd.'

'Back at you.'

Clara grabbed the bottle and held it high into the air. 'To nerdiness!'

'To nerdiness!'

She snapped back to the present, opening her eyes to stare at the same blanket of stars she had done with her. How long ago was it? 2 years? 3? It didn't matter. Ever since Clara had moved to France, there was an aching inside her chest that could never quite be replaced.

Alcohol helped.

'Oh yeah?' Caine asked, waiting for her to continue the story.

Rena tilted her head to one side and smiled softly. 'We..we were drinking gi..gin on a rooftop. Don't ask me which, I got too pisssssed to remember where we were. She fell off the roof... broke her f..foot. T...Tadashi got quite the scare when I rang him, crying and begging for him to come pick us up.'

'Who was it? Honey Lemon or something?'

'God no. This...This girl... she was my be-best friend. She moved to France when..when we were still in high... school.'

'Oh?'

'I.. I miss her.' Rena whispered, her eyes watering.

Caine gently put his arm around her shoulder. 'So you're an emotional drunk. I see now.'

Rena hiccuped. 'Shut up!'

'Are you still in contact with her?'

'I have... I have her phone number. Her Twitter.'

'Have you tried to talking to her?'

Rena stiffened. 'N..No. I did.. something bad. I think. She... hates me.'

'I'm sure that's not true. How could anyone hate you?'

'You're just being n..nice cause I was... cryinggg.' Rena slurred, collapsing into his shoulder.

'I was saying that cause I mean it. I really like you Rena.'

'Th...thanks. Me too.'

Caine laughed gently. 'Yeah.'