"Theoretically, it's perfect." Rude turns his head toward the looming Sister Ray, watching workers walk the length of the cannon carefully. He touches his glasses habitually, eyebrows furrowed.

"Theoretically? How 'bout nontheoretically?" Reno asks, his voice carrying a serious tone I haven't heard it wear in a long time.

"It leaves me concerned."

"Then I'm relieved."

I frown, pushing my hands into my pockets. The sheer size of the gun makes me woozy. "What do you mean?"

"I thought I was the only one worried." Reno gestures to the place where steel meets steel, the joint between the weapon and its base: Shinra HQ. "Are we seriously going to fire this thing? What about testing it out? What about Midgar?"

"Will it all look like Sector Seven?" I wonder aloud, turning my eyes to the lights if the city beyond our pedestal.

"Would you reassured if I said it'll be alright?" Rude counters with an edge in his voice. I kick at a puddle, watching the water spray and listening to the faint patters of droplets landing on the pavement.

Reno scratches the back of his head, shrugging one shoulder. "Hey, don't get mad."

I grimace as a soldier slips and tumbles over the edge of the canon, falling to his death between the cracks in the upper plate. Gods, I pity whoever finds that body. Reno glances in the direction of the movement before looking back to the Sister Ray, unfazed.

"Scarlet's crazy, man."

"I agree."

"She had to do something," I point out, nodding toward the source of the city's new maroon glow. "Meteor's getting close. Feels like I can almost touch it."

Reno stares at our imminent doom a little longer. "Yeah…."

"Should we go inside? I'm tired of watching it rain bodies."

"We can," Rude nods. "If you're sick of the show."

"I am. Besides, I want to find Elena."

"What for?" Reno asks, swinging his rod around before resting it on his shoulder. He looks distracted, eyes darting about the grand entrance to the Shinra Headquarters- a place we've all come to call home.

"I just want to talk to her, I guess."

I spare Meteor one last look before stepping through the glass door Rude holds open. Is this going to kill us all? As if on instinct, my hand raises to brush the fabric over my stomach. Is trying pointless? The fate of the world rests in the hands of a rag-tag rebellion we were told to stop so long ago. Now, all I can hope for is the strength to disobey. With my track record, it shouldn't be this hard.

"Girl stuff?"

"Huh?" I frown, turning to Reno. He raises an eyebrow. "Oh. Not really. It's just…" I laugh, taking my hand off my stomach. Too early to act like a mother. "I need a little womanly input and I haven't told Amelia yet."

"Oh, that." His voice is flat, bored, and his eyes turn to the dreary staircase that burns our tired legs.

"Yeah, this."

"You're doing alright?" Rude asks, brows creasing back into his usual frown. I can't help but smile at his concern, looking over my shoulder with a lopsided grin.

"Better than I thought I would be. Maybe it hasn't really hit me yet." I shrug, staring hard at Reno's back as he hurries a couple of steps ahead. "And maybe I'm scared for the future. Forget losing this for a while—what do we do if Meteor doesn't stop?"

"Die."

"Well—"

"There's no point to worrying," Rude continues, catching up to my side and shooting me a stern look. "Your concerns are valid, but you can't help the situation."

"Wish I could."

"Don't we all?" Reno calls back, draping his arms over the rod balanced across his shoulders. He forces a grin, but it never reaches his eyes. "Don't worry about the kid, Kitty Kat." I shudder. "We can worry about what they get to see of our lives later, right? You don't have to stop working if we survive this, y'know. No one's gonna stop you." Rufus might.

Thankfully, he turns around before he can see my guilty expression. He doesn't know yet… Rude reads me clear as day, but he stays quiet. I shake my head, keeping my voice low.

"This is such a mess."

"Has to be like that sometimes," he grumbles back.

"It didn't have to be, though. Could've been more careful."

"You learned your lesson."

"And now my kid has to suffer for it?" I demand, irritated with myself. Reno huffs, glancing over his shoulder.

"Quit whisperin' back there."

"This is taking a turn I don't like," Rude murmurs, shaking his head.

"You didn't like the whole thing to begin with," Reno reminds him. "Startin' with Kat."

"It's just different."

"And you hate different," I sigh, hugging my arms to my body as a group of cadets hurries past. "We know."

"I don't hate you."

"… I know."

Rude presses the button for our floor on the elevator and steps back, head low. His partner sighs and slouches against the glass wall, closing his eyes and rolling his head back.

"Elena's probably typin' away in her office," he mutters. "Thinks she's still gotta keep up with work even though Rufus told 'er to give it a rest."

"She likes to work hard, I guess," I shrug.

Rude shakes his head. "It's Gun."

"Yeah, I know. I'm familiar with the whole family rivalry scene."

The lift chimes and we step out, the air filled with a chill I haven't felt in years.

"It's a wasteland," I mutter. "Dead."

"Reports say we've got four days left. People are leaving to be with their families."

"I get that. Nowhere for us to go, though."

"Nope," Reno puffs out, brushing past me without another word.

Frowning, I exchange glances with Rude and head for Elena's office. She jumps when I open the door, tucking her pale hair behind her ear and sitting up straighter.

"Hey, Kat. Need something?"

"Not really." I lean back on the edge of her desk, crossing my arms. "You know you don't have to do that report, don't you?"

"Yeah…" She blushes, ducking her head. "It's stupid, but I want something to feel normal. Kinda sucks living like we're all about to die."

"Well…"

"Don't do that. There's still a chance."

I kick at the floor, shrugging. "I guess… How do you feel about it all?"

"It sucks," she laughs, shaking her head. "But I wish I could stay here forever, even if Tseng's not here. It's good having friends like you."

I choke on my stifled scoff with a nod. "Yeah, it is. I feel the same."

I take a deep breath, unsettled. Not by anything that Elena said, but by Reno's behavior. He's acting closed off and snarky, more so than usual. It's disheartening. I thought things were going well, but these past few days… They've been weird. I want everything to go back to the way it was before Tseng died. At least they were more comfortable.

"Hey, Elena?"

"Mhm?"

"I need to tell you something." I turn around, itching to claw my own skin off. I'd rather die than admit the truth out loud, but I have to acknowledge it. I have to tell Reno.

"Okay…?" Elena smiles, nervous.

"It's nothing to do with you, really, but I'll go crazy if I don't say it."

"Then say it."

"I—" I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. "The baby. It's Rufus's."

"Oh." Elena's eyes go wide and she takes a deep breath. Shaking her head, she leans forward, face contorting into a frown. "Wait, how do you know?"

"Well, it's pretty self-explanatory," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck. Laughing awkwardly, I hang my head. "We took a riskier approach than me and Reno."

"Oh—Ew!" She shakes her head quickly, holding her hands up. "I mean, you do you, but I don't really want to envision that."

"Yeah, I'd prefer if you didn't," I retort, crinkling my nose. "I don't want to think about it, either."

She slumps back in her chair, turning a pen over and over in her hands. Suddenly, she straightens, struck by realization. "Wait, does Reno know?"

"Nope." I roll my eyes at her expression. "I'm telling you to psych myself up. It's the first time I've ever even said it out loud."

"Oh geeze." She runs a hand through her hair, resting her chin in her palm. "Well, now I'm stressed out for you."

"You don't think he'll take it well?"

"You do?"

"No."

"Look, Kat." Elena sits up, her eyes soft and sympathetic. She reaches out and takes one of my hands, smiling gently. "You know him better than anyone in the world. Even if you tell him, he won't up and leave you."

"No, but he'll be bitter for a long time." I let my head hang forward, the weight of my consequences crushing me slowly. "Maybe even forever. And I don't know if I can take that." Taking a deep breath, I cock my head to the side, weighing all the possibilities. "Or we'll die in four days and nothing will matter, so I should either tell him so that he knows before he dies or keep it a secret so that we're happy until the end."

"Gods, you're morbid." Elena shakes her head and stands. "I say tell him soon. Like, today." My heart skips a beat and I turn to frown at her. "The longer you keep this a secret, the more it'll weigh on you. You won't be happy if you stay quiet, Kat, you'll be guilty."

"How the helldid you get to know me so well in such little time?" I wonder aloud, puffing out a short laugh. Her smile broadens and she shrugs.

"You're easy to read, I guess. At least, compared to the others. You wear your heart on your sleeve and you don't hide your intentions." She rests a hand on my shoulder, genuine. "You're an honest person, and that's why you'll be miserable if you hide this any longer." Honest?

"You should be my therapist," I scoff, earning a small laugh. My chest feels tight considering what she said, but I know she's right. He has to know. What's a better time than the present? "Okay, well, thanks for helping me feel better. Means a lot."

"Of course. You did the same for me."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I wasn't just returning the favor. I swear I care about both of you guys." She tucks her loosened hair behind her ear and shrugs. "It's nice having friends."

"Isn't it?" I take a deep breath and square my shoulders. "Okay, well, I'm off to spill the beans. Pray he doesn't throttle me into a new dimension."

Grinning, she raises her hands. "Finger crossed!"

I force a smile and leave her office, heart pounding and fingers trembling. I wish Tseng was here. I'm not sure what he could do to help, and he'd only be disappointed in me, but at least he could tell me what to do. Right? I sigh. No, he'd just tell me it was my choice and refuse to talk about it anymore. Maybe he'd even add a little extra cushion to his persistent babying. I can't help but smile at the thought, crossing the empty space to Reno's door. Gods give me strength.

Reno's feet are kicked up on his desk as per usual, his shoes hiding his face as he stares down at his phone. When I open the door, he glances up, raising an eyebrow. When I don't speak, he sighs and hauls his feet down to the floor and sets his phone facedown on the desk.

"What's up, Buttercup?"

"Nothing really." I shrug and sit on the edge of his desk, trying to gather my courage. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, just a little tired, I guess."

I offer a smile, but he refuses to look up from the surface of his desk. "Really? Thought giving you some space would help you get to bed at a good time."

"Yeah, you're distracting," he mutters half-heartedly, leaning back.

My smile falters and the room suddenly feels cold. He's radiating tension. I'm not welcome here.

Picking at my fingers uneasily, I gnaw on my cheek, mustering up all the courage I can. Here goes nothing. "Reno, I—" My words catch in my throat and I squeeze my eyes shut. Rip the bandage off. "I have to tell you something."

"No surprises there." He crosses his arms and shrugs when I shoot him a puzzled look. "Got a knack for hiding shit and you know it."

"So do you," I retort. Pressing my lips together, I shake my head. I'm not here to fight. Don't make things worse. "I mean it, though. This is important."

"Why? Does it have anything to do with me?"

"Well, obviously. I wouldn't be—"

"I know it's his, Kat."

I flinch, unable to breathe around the tightening of my chest. His voice is dry, his words so blunt. I wasn't expecting it. Rufus got to him first… Sighing at my slumped shoulders, Reno stands, pacing across the room to get some distance between us.

"Why doesn't this have to do with you?" I ask finally, watching his back as he stares up at a photo of Midgar on the wall. He snorts, shaking his head.

"What does it have to do with me?" he counters. "Not my kid, not my problem." My stomach churns, and for a moment, I think I might puke. "If we make it through this shit, Rufus wins."

"He wins? What's that supposed to mean?" I demand, confused by his change in attitude. "Reno, all it means is that this kid is entitled to a slice of Shinra's power. I'm not running back to the guy just because my kid carries his DNA."

"Not that simple," he says under his breath.

Irritated with his pouting, I roll my eyes. "Reno, for fuck's sake, look at me!" He doesn't listen, shaking his head and turning his eyes to the ground. "Fine, don't. Whatever." Nothing. "This doesn't change anything. I don't want Rufus—"

"This doesn't change anything?" he snaps, glaring at me. At least he's looking at me now. He looks pissed. "It changes everything, Kat! He's gonna hold this shit over your head for the rest of your goddamn life, and there's nothing I can do."

"I won't let him!" He rolls his eyes and turns back to the photo. Scoffing, I push myself off his desk and cross my arms. "Re, he can whine and complain and yell all he wants, but if he wants to remain respected, he can't force me to do anything."

The only response I receive is a half-assed shake of his head. My heart begins to hurt. I sigh, carefully squeezing him into a hug behind and resting my cheek on his back. For a moment, the silence is suffocating. Slowly, it begins to ease up. The tension shatters altogether when he rests his hands over mine, leaning his head back until it lays on top of my hair.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Re. I won't let you go so easily."

"… Okay."

"Okay? That's it?" I tease, squeezing him a little tighter. He laughs quietly, straightening and shaking his head. "You can do better than that."

"Yeah." He loosens my grip and pries himself free from my grip. "You're my favorite problem to deal with, Kitty Kat."

"Wow." The effects of the nickname have faded since his episode in his apartment all that time ago, but it still gives my stomach a gentle twist. It'll leave eventually. Reno pushes his hands deeper into his pockets and rests against his desk, raising an eyebrow when he catches me watching him.

"Like what you see, Sweetheart?"

I don't have time to acknowledge his question before my own comes tumbling out. "Do you really feel better, or are you putting up a front?" Reno frowns, shifting his weight to the left. "Because after I first told you the situation, you starting throwing shit around your office."

"No, this isn't like that," he assures me, shaking his head. After a moment, he puffs out a small laugh and offers a smile, nodding for me to come closer. I obey, raising an eyebrow. He brushes my hair out of my face and pinches my chin, tilting my face upward. "We'll figure it out if that's what you want."

"Is that what you want?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's what I want too."

"That's not how this works," he points out, laughing.

"It is now, even if it sucks. I've put you through enough trouble for this lifetime."

Reno grins, cocking his head to the side. "Well, look on the bright side. At least I find it endearing."

"It's not the bright side," I scoff, pulling his hand off my face.

"Then what is it?"

"Well…" I laugh, standing on my toes and pushing his forehead down to meet mine. "I'd like to think it's my luck finally beginning to turn."

Reno rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "Thought shitty jokes were my thing."

"Hey! I'm not joking!"

"I know, but..." Reno sighs and closes his eyes, pulling me closer. "I know."