The third time he sees the blond, he's got too many of Shin'Ra dog's on his tail to really care about it at first. He'd been caught stealing from one of the Warehouses – upgraded robotic security, quick, lethal and now worryingly silent on their metal claws that no fucker had bothered telling him about – but apparently it was confined to the property, because it was Troopers that were on his butt rather than bullets flying at him at one hundred rounds a minute.
Normally he'd lose them quickly enough – slum kids just didn't run on the ground. They climbed buildings, jumped roofs, flew through the smallest gaps imaginable, and Reno was one of the best – but whatever that Robot had been armed with had had drugs of some description in it. Because the world was spinning, he was seeing crazy colours, and his body just wasn't responding right.
So when he darts down the side of a building and lands in an alley from the ladder, he isn't reacting fast enough to stop himself face planting, or thinking quite clearly enough to identify the shock of yellow to his right for what it is.
The man the shock of yellow belongs to, however, is.
So Reno doesn't meet the ground, but instead is held by two hands which catch him as he folds. He's too dizzy to take advantage of the position – the pockets are temptingly exposed, and the man would have to be fucking fast to catch his hands in this position – but his instincts are as sharp as ever. Because he's fighting those hands the moment he feels them. The shouts of the Troopers only act to make him more desperate. He will not be shot by Shin'Ra, and he will not be caught!
He hasn't fought this long to-!
"Let me go, bastard-!"
"Shut up and keep still." The man's voice is level, like he's helping him up rather than restraining him.
Reno snarls, moving to bite because those hands are fucking strong and wrenching isn't going to do shit except maybe break his wrists –
And then there's a wash of something, warm energy and then the noise of the Troopers, the cars and even the sounds of Midgar fade out. Reno almost flips, but the fact he can still move means he hasn't been paralysed or put to sleep, as he's seen some SOLDIER's do to their captives. Which means it must be an area effect. Why area – area wouldn't help the guy contain him and certainly wouldn't stop him escaping if he managed to get free-
He freezes as a helmet peeks over the roof, and the Trooper begins to climb down, before fighting even more fiercely even as the arms move around his middle and haul him out from underneath the ladder. Some honour this SOLDIER has! Hold the hurt urchin as his death approaches.
"Still and quiet, Reno." And this time it's said in a tone that has him obeying before his brain can catch up, the primal part jumping the gun with instinctive fear. Authoritative, deadly fucking serious. And the guy could crush him easily, Reno knows.
More to the point, how the fuck does the guy know his name?
The Trooper heads down the ladder so slowly it's almost certain the dog is afraid of heights, and Reno has to stop himself from scoffing even as he tries to stare holes into his captor's head. He'll never forget the guys face, and when he escapes Shin'Ra's clutches, he'll hunt the guy to the ends of the earth. Nobody messes with Reno.
When the dog reaches the ground, Reno stiffens, and nearly hisses as the SOLDIER carrying him takes a step back. What the fuck does the guy think he's doing? If he's going to hand Reno over then at least he should do it with some fucking conviction –
The Trooper walks right through the space they've just vacated, not even glancing at them.
Reno can't help it, too shocked to keep fighting. The pieces fall into place like the tumblers of a lock, even through the haze of the drug. Small area effect, tied to Blue Eyes. Moving out of the way. He stares, studies that lean face with hard eyes, at the SOLDIER even as the man deftly steps around the Trooper's sweep pattern – all the while surrounded by that shiny bubble of energy that's just barely big enough for the two of them.
The SOLDIER was… hiding him.
The Trooper pokes around long enough that Reno half expects him to start sniffing at the ground like the loyal dog he is, but eventually moves back up the alley reporting to his boss – loudly – that the 'punk' isn't there. And as quickly as the man is gone, suddenly he's making a downward journey.
His fall to the ground is stopped, and dizzyingly fast he's lying on as if he's been placed there. With efficient motions, Reno's shirt is suddenly off and his wound bared, almost too quickly for Reno to see.
"Yo, man, what the fuck-?" His protest dies as sudden pain flares from the wound, and he recovers himself in time to see the SOLDIER toss a bloody monstrosity of a bullet over his shoulder. That thing was in him? No wonder it had hurt like a bitch. Speaking of –"Leave me alone, bastard-"
He's barely finished the sentence before the wound is packed with something that burns almost worse than the removal of the bullet did, and this time he can't help the full-body shudder. When he uncurls from the pain of it – because that shit hurt – the man is walking away and the pull of the skin is the familiar one of stitches and gauze sticky pad. Fuck, these SOLDIER's were fast.
"What was that for, yo!?" He complains after the blond, trying to shift up and having to steady himself on the wall before he's halfway there.
And within a blink, the guy's gone.
Thoroughly confused, Reno stares after him.