"Will you get off the counter?" Aerith huffed.
"Aww, come on, that's the only way to reach this shelf." Reno protested, balancing precariously at the edge of the counter, attempting to reach the top of the cabinets above the counter, which was not actually a shelf.
"You're going to kill yourself." she swatted at him, before giving up, deciding to cook later. The doorbell rang suddenly, and she left Reno to it, walking over and opening it.
"Hey, Aerith." Sora waved.
"Hello Sora." Aerith smiled, letting him in and shutting the door before calling across the room into Riku's room, "Riku, Sora's here!"
As she called that, Reno wandered out of the kitchen, dust covered bottle of cooking wine in one hand and his cell phone pressed to his ear with the other. "Nam, you have to get out of that house. Come on, come over here." Pausing for a moment, he continued, "No, I'm not taking no for an answer. Kairi can handle him for a little bit, and you said it yourself-they're probably going to leave any minute."
Aerith questioned him silently, but he just handed her the wine and shook his head. Frowning, she walked into the kitchen to start cooking, Reno following and leaning on the counter.
"No, I think Kairi will be perfectly fine with that." Pausing, and then sighing, he said, "Do you want me to call Kairi and check to make sure she's fine with it?" Pausing again, he said, "Then come over. Aerith's making dinner, it'll be fun. It will get your mind off of things at least, right? Exactly. Do you need me to pick you up?"
"Namine's coming?" Aerith asked, glancing over at him again.
He nodded, speaking again, "Okay, I'll see you in a few, then."
Zack walked into the kitchen from Reno's bedroom, "Your radio isn't working, Reno."
Reno hung up his phone, glancing over, "What do you mean, it's not working? What did you do to it?"
"Nothing!" Zack said defensively. "I was just looking for a movie to borrow and tried to turn it on for some tunes and it totally wouldn't turn on. I swear."
Reno stared at him to see if he could see a lie, before speaking, "Did you plug it in first?"
"...It's not battery-powered?" Zack asked.
Reno sighed.
"There should be a sign on it or something," Zack grumbled, turning and wrapping his arms around Aerith in favor of ignoring Reno's look.
"I'll be sure to put one there next time you come over." Reno rolled his eyes. "Where're Riku and Sora?"
"In Riku's room, I think." Aerith answered, giving Zack a kiss on the cheek and continuing to cook.
A beat later, there was a knock at the door.
Reno headed out to the living room, opening the door.
"I can only stay for an hour at the most," Namine said, by way of greeting.
"Hello to you too, Namine." Reno said, leaning in and kissing her before leading her inside.
Namine took a breath, "Hi."
Reno knew how she was, so he just took a step behind her and rubbed her shoulders, "Just relax for a bit, okay? Everything's going to be fine."
"I know. I'm fine. Everyone else in the kitchen?" Namine asked, stepping out of Reno's hands.
"Well, except Riku and Sora. They're in Riku's room, and I'm not sure it's safe to go in there to check on 'em."
"Of course it is. The most they've done so far is kiss," Namine said matter-of-factly before walking into the kitchen. "Hi Aerith, Zack."
"Heya Namine!" Zack grinned.
"Hello, Namine." Aerith smiled warmly.
"Do you need any help?" the blonde asked, returning the smile.
"Sure, if you'd like to." Aerith said, shooing the boys out of the kitchen.
Zack nudged Reno, "You okay there?"
Reno nodded, "Yeah, come on, let's go rudely interrupt Riku."
Zack laughed and followed him to his brother's bedroom, shaking his head when Reno just opened the door without knocking.
Riku jerked at the sound of the door opening, preoccupied with sucking Sora's breath out of his mouth.
Temporarily ending the kiss and glancing over at Reno and Zack, Sora raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"
"Namine's here, you guys should stop trying to swallow each other and come out." Reno answered, leaning casually on the doorframe.
Riku flipped his brother off, purposely continuing to kiss Sora for another few seconds before pulling back and saying sarcastically, "Privacy would be great, thanks."
Zack snickered.
Reno grumbled, "Aerith'll start to get annoyed if you're not out here in ten minutes." he said before leaving, not bothering to shut the door behind him.
Riku sighed, pulling back completely and grabbing Sora's hand, pulling him up off of his bed, "C'mon, let's go say hi."
Zack shook his head, wandering into the living room and plopping down on the couch.
Reno sat down in a chair, watching Riku and Sora emerging from the room. He smirked. "Nam and Aerith are in the kitchen." he said, "Did she tell you who's in town?"
Riku groaned, "How pissed is she?"
"What? Who?" Zack asked, confused.
Reno ignored Zack, "Take a guess." he answered.
"Do you wanna call Kairi?" Riku asked Sora, letting go of his hand and taking a step to the kitchen. "I'll check on Nami."
Sora nodded, "Sounds good." he said, pulling his phone out, "I'm gonna go back in your room to call her, then." he said, vanishing down the hall.
Riku entered the kitchen, "Hey, Aerith. Namine, scale of one to ten?"
Namine thought for a moment, "Eight."
"Damn," Riku cursed under his breath. "Did you guys already do the grocery run? You need anything?"
"Yes, and we're fine. Thank you, Riku," Namine smiled at him.
"Call me if you need the usual pranks done," Riku nodded.
"I will. Probably not for a few more days, yet," Namine said.
Aerith raised an eyebrow, questioning them.
"All right," Riku said. To Aerith, "You need help with the food?"
Having a feeling that whatever had just happened was a best friend thing, Aerith dropped it. "No, that's okay, we're almost done."
Riku nodded and smiled at Namine again before heading out and to his room to check on Sora, and through him, Kairi. He'd only find out the details from her since Namine was currently freezing everyone out.
Sora was sitting on the side of Riku's bed, mhmm'ing at Kairi as she ranted. The sound from Kairi's ranting was loud enough that Riku could hear it, but he could only understand a couple of words.
"How bad?" Riku murmured, sitting next to him and wincing as Kairi's voice hit a particularly interesting note.
Sora winced as well and shook his head at Riku to imply that it was pretty bad.
"Nami gave it an 8," Riku said quietly.
"Nine," Sora mouthed.
Riku nodded. Kairi always did round up.
Kairi's rant was starting to calm down, and finally, Sora was ending the conversation with a promise to come by when he got home. Hanging up his phone, he sighed.
"Namine's her usual frozen-self. I can only imagine that Reno got a good taste of it, since he's currently avoiding her," Riku said. "And Kairi?"
"That conversation didn't have a beginning." Sora answered. "She picked up and started ranting. She usually at least makes sure that it's definitely me first."
"Well, it was you or Xigbar and I'm sure he knows by now," Riku grinned.
"I can't believe we had to find out through Reno." Sora chuckled. "Anyway, she said they'd gone out for dinner, and wouldn't be back until late, so we might want to pass that on to Namine."
"You know how Nami gets. I'm surprised she's here at all, really," Riku said, shaking his head.
Sora nodded, "Kai mentioned wanting me to stay over there tonight or something." he shook his head, "We usually wait for the male-best-friend freakout until like day seven."
Riku frowned slightly, "She must really be spooked. Namine hasn't started any of the usual plans yet, but it's only a matter of time, especially if Kairi is."
"Judging by the freshness of the anger, I have a feeling it was sparked by something that happened after Nam left to come here." Sora said.
"Oh god, she is going to kill Reno when she finds out!" Riku paled. "I can hear it now, this is the perfect example of why she doesn't leave the house or Kairi alone when they get this kind of company!"
"Well, Reno doesn't actually know any of the routines when this stuff happens." Sora reminded him, "And Namine will remember that when they've left and she's calmed down. Until then, Kairi also said not to mention it and she'd take care of it when Namine got home."
Riku nodded, "I hope you're right." He stood, offering the brunette his hand. "We should get back out there before Reno comes bursting in again."
"RIght." Sora said, taking Riku's hand and squeezing it.
The pair walked back into the living room just as the girls came out of the kitchen. Zack winked at them but turned to his wife, "It's all done?"
"Yep." Aerith smiled, "Ready to eat?" she asked them.
"I'm always ready to eat your cooking!" Zack grinned, standing and kissing Aerith.
"Definitely." Reno nodded, sending Namine a smile.
"I'll set the table," Namine said, disappearing back into the kitchen and glancing at the clock.
Riku squeezed Sora's hand, watching his brother with a worried frown.
Reno glanced over a Riku, giving him a look that had implied wanting an explanation later.
They all sat down at the table and ate the food that Aerith and Namine had prepared, with Aerith giving her brothers heating instructions for the meals she had stashed in their fridge.
As soon as she was done, Namine spoke up, "Thank you for having me over, but I really should be going."
Reno stood up, "I'll walk you out, then." he said.
"Call me later," Riku said firmly.
Namine nodded, standing. "Goodbye!"
"Bye, Namine. Take care," Zack said seriously, having picked up on something not being quite right.
"See you later." Sora waved.
Reno led Namine out of the apartment and towards her car.
"You didn't have to walk me to my car," Namine protested.
"I wanted to." Reno said, "I'm not gonna ask if you want to talk about it or anything-that's what Riku's for-but remember I am here if you need me, alright?"
Namine smiled softly and placed her hand on his cheek, "Thank you."
Reno smiled, "Drive safe." he said, leaning in and giving her a quick kiss, pulling back quickly in case she wasn't in the mood.
Namine sighed softly, "I will." She climbed into her car, giving him a small wave before heading home.
XXXX
Namine pulled the car into the driveway, noting that her father's car was gone. Grabbing her things and cutting the engine, she climbed out and headed inside, locking the door behind her.
"Kairi! I'm back!" she called, dumping the keys onto the table by the door and slipping off her shoes.
Kairi walked into the room, holding one of their spare blankets, "Hey."
"Is it cold in your room?" Namine asked, frowning.
"Well, yes." Kairi said, "But Sora's sleeping over tonight. How was Reno's?"
"Sora's staying over already?" Namine asked, surprised. "What happened?"
"You're avoiding the question I asked you." Kairi commented.
"Reno's was fine. Kairi, what happened?" Namine demanded.
"She's just trying to pull family bonding shit already. Figured I'd try and dispel that as quickly as possible."
Namine sighed and nodded, "All right then. I'll call Riku and we can just get everything over with now."
Kairi nodded, "Gonna go throw this in my room, then." she said, darting up the stairs.
Namine dug out her cell phone and called Riku. "Riku? It's Namine."
"Everything okay?"
"There's been a change of plans - could you ask Sora to come over, please? Kairi wants him to sleep over." Namine explained.
"What do you need me to do?" Riku asked.
"Well, they aren't here now, so if you could just wait at Sora's house until they get back, that'd be great. Then you could get the car on your way in." Namine said.
"Got it. We're leaving now." Riku hung up.
Namine put her cell away and went into the kitchen for a drink - this was going to be a long night.
Kairi wandered in a few minutes later, leaning against the counter.
"Sora's on his way," Namine told her. "Where exactly did Dad and Lenore go?"
"I stopped listening, so I have no idea. Dinner, maybe." Kairi answered.
Namine nodded, "So what do you think of this one, then? She seems... overeager."
"That." Kairi said, "And she's freakin' psycho."
"Like Kate or like Martha?" Namine asked.
"More Martha, but still a little worse."
"How is she worse?" Namine asked, wondering how anyone could be worse than the deranged psychopath that was Martha.
"Showing her true colors quicker." Kairi answered, pouring herself a glass of wine.
Namine nodded, "That's true."
Kairi sighed. The door opened, and a moment later, Sora appeared in the kitchen. "Well, the wine bottle isn't empty yet. That's a good sign."
Kairi shoved him, "Shut up." she rolled her eyes.
"Would you like a glass?" Namine asked.
"Sure. Riku's at my house." he told her, "He'll come over when they get here."
Namine nodded as she got him a glass, pouring him the drink. "Thank you."
Sora took it, thanking her back.
XXXX
It was only a few minutes later that they heard the door open again. Kairi exchanged a glance with Sora, before nodding at Namine and muttering, "Call Riku."
Namine quickly pulled out her phone and sent a text to Riku, letting him know that her dad was back and he could get started. Once sent, she followed Kairi and Sora out of the kitchen to greet the happy couple.
"Oh, there you are." Their dad turned as they walked in.
"Hey, Mr. White." Sora greeted as nonchalantly as possible.
"Oh." he said, pausing, "Hello, Sora."
"Sora, that's Lenore." Kairi introduced them.
"Hello." Lenore said kindly, "Are you Kairi's..."
"I'm something." he answered, not elaborating.
She paused, "I... see."
Namine hid her smile behind her glass of wine, "How was dinner?"
"It was quite nice." Lenore smiled, "Did Kairi tell you what I was thinking we'd do tomorrow?"
"No, she didn't, but she's been busy with Sora," Namine replied.
Glancing over at the other twin and noticing her quite preoccupied talking in a low voice with Sora, Lenore paused, "Oh."
"So you planned something?" Namine prompted, ignoring the movement she could see outside through the window.
"Oh, yes." Lenore perked up again, "I was thinking we could go shopping, maybe to the spa afterward. A little..." she paused, "Mother daughters time."
Even though Kairi had warned her, Namine couldn't help the irritated sigh that slipped out just before the door opened with a bang and she was internally praising her best friend's timing.
"Oh my God!" Riku yelled, slamming the door shut behind him and bracing it. "Nami! You've gotta help me! This - And I was - And then! Wait!" He rushed to the window, kneeling and peering out, whispering, "Did he follow me?"
Namine quickly set her glass down and rushed over to him, "What happened, Riku?"
"I was just doing some work, and then he - But you know what happens when - I swear I took my meds!" Riku blurted out.
Namine patted his back and managed to pull him away from the window, "Why don't we sit down and you can tell me all about it. Someone is following you?"
Riku shuddered, sitting extremely close to Namine and continually glancing out the window. "Dr. Even. You know how pervy that old man is, I wasn't doing anything I swear! I was - and he - but then -" he broke off, eyes welling up.
Lenore glanced at her husband, concerned, but he just looked incredibly exasperated, remembering one of the reasons he was never home.
Kairi sniffled, "Oh not Dr. Even again." she whined, burying her face in Sora's chest.
"Can I... can I stay here tonight?" Riku whispered.
Namine took his hand and squeezed it, "Of course you can. And I'll go with you tomorrow to confront Dr. Even."
"What? You can't, he'll - but then! And I - " Riku sputtered.
"It'll be okay, I'll sort it all out again, don't you worry. Does your brother know you're here?" Namine asked.
"N-no," Riku mumbled, a few tears slipping down his cheeks.
"I'll call him, then. You're lucky I still keep your prescriptions here, just in case," Namine smiled kindly at him before turning to Lenore. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'll be busy tomorrow, and so will Kairi. I'll need hers and Sora's help."
"Augh, I don't want to." Kairi protested, even as Sora rubbed her shoulders lightly.
"I... oh." Lenore nodded, "Of course."
"Namine," Riku whimpered.
"Come on, let's get you upstairs. You can sleep in my room, tonight, in the sleeping bag. It'll be all right," Namine said, standing and pulling Riku to his feet.
Lenore glanced at her husband, who just groaned, not protesting.
"Come on, Sora." Kairi tugged on his arm, "If I've got to deal with Dr. Even tomorrow, then I'm going to relax now." she said.
"Go on up with Kairi and Sora, Riku, I'll be right there," Namine said, passing him off. Turning to her father and his wife, she said, "Is there anything you two need? It seems we'll both be upstairs preoccupied for the rest of the night."
Lenore simply shook her head, too in-shock to do anything else.
"Good night, then. I'd suggest you stay inside the rest of the night - this is mainly a college town, after all, and it is Thirsty Thursday," Namine said with a smile before heading for the stairs herself.
Upstairs, Kairi, Sora, and Riku were in Kairi's room. The door was shut, but not locked, since Kairi knew from experience that her dad would venture nowhere near the door for the rest of the night, if he even lasted the rest of the night.
Namine slipped inside her sister's room, quietly closing the door behind herself. "That went well," she smiled.
"Surprisingly." Kairi said, "We're a little out of practice."
"I know I almost lost it a couple of times," Riku snorted.
"Regardless, Dad had a look of dawning horror and Lenore one of terror and shock as I came up here," Namine said.
"Always a good sign." Sora commented, "Is it just me or... she definitely pulled the family bonding stuff faster than most of them, right?"
"I wasn't exaggerating with my nine." Kairi answered.
"She's determined," Namine said flatly, face hardening.
Riku silently reached out and squeezed her hand, "Wonder when they'll notice the car?"
Almost as if in response, there was a screech from downstairs.
"Oh yeah, they'll be gone by morning." Kairi grinned.
Riku shared a look with Sora, "I hope so."
XXXX
Sometime during the night, the four of them had passed out in Kairi's room, the girls on the bed and the boys cuddled on the sleeping bag on the floor. When Kairi woke up, she glanced around and resisted the urge to squeal in delight as she spied her best friend, before carefully stepping over them and leaving the room.
Riku cracked an eye open and noticed her leaving, yawning and kissing Sora awake, telling him to follow her in case her dad hadn't left yet.
Sora groaned, standing and following Kairi out. He was a little sore from the night on the floor, but mostly just tired and wanting to be back in Riku's arms right now, thank you. He caught up to Kairi before she reached the stairs. The door to their dad's room was open (and empty, he noted), which was a good sign.
"Think they're gone?" Kairi asked, not surprised that he'd appeared behind her.
Not quite awake enough for words, Sora just shrugged.
Riku stifled another yawn before standing and stretching, reaching out to shake Namine awake. "Kairi and Sora went to check on things."
Namine nodded, yawning, "Let's go down, too, then."
Riku nodded and together they went out into the hallway, catching up to the other two by the stairs.
Kairi glanced at her sister, "What do you think?"
Namine went to the window without answering and looked outside, "The car is gone. Was the bedroom empty? I didn't notice."
"Yeah." Kairi nodded. "He usually leaves the 'leaving, see you eventually' notes in the kitchen, right?" she tore down the stairs, heading into the kitchen.
Namine walked back over to Sora and Riku, waiting to hear what Kairi found.
"Yep, he's gone." Kairi walked back out of the kitchen, waving a note.
Riku grinned and Namine visibly relaxed, heading down the stairs to read the note for herself and to find something to eat for breakfast.
Kairi threw her arms around Sora to thank him before hurrying into the kitchen after her sister.
"Wanna go back to sleep at your place?" Riku asked, taking Sora's hand.
Sora nodded, "Yes please. Kai! Nam! Riku and I are leaving!"
Namine came out and gave them both a hug, "Thanks again!"
Riku grinned, "Anytime. G'night."
Namine smiled, "Sleep well!"
"Bye!" Kairi called from the kitchen.
XXXX
After the boys had left, Namine and Kairi put away all the things they had dragged out for the visit and restored their mother's picture to its rightful place. It was later that night, after class and homework, when Namine was reading comfortably on her bed as Kairi burst into her room.
"Come on, we're going out." Kairi said, grabbing her sister's arm.
"What?" Namine asked, laying down her book and allowing Kairi to pull her up. "After all the recent excitement, I'd much rather stay at home."
"And I really want to get drunk." Kairi said, "And your boyfriend's working right now, right? So it works out well for both of us. Come on, you can't tell me you don't want a drink."
Namine hesitated, "All right, I'll go, but I'm not drinking - someone has to be able to drive home."
"We'll call Sora or something. You're drinking." Kairi dragged her sister out of the room.
"Do you think Riku talked to Reno about all of this?" Namine suddenly blurted out, blushing a bit as she followed Kairi downstairs.
Kairi glanced at her as she pulled her boots on, "He probably told him enough. Why?" she paused, "What did you do?"
"Nothing," Namine said, sighing. "I did nothing, I told him nothing. I was irritated with him the other night and now I couldn't gather the courage to call him so I just sent him a message telling him they left when I knew he was sleeping." She stared at the floor, a little ashamed.
Kairi smiled softly, "Come on. Now you really have to talk to him."
"He's probably angry," Namine said, shaking her head but nevertheless putting her shoes on.
"I doubt that." Kairi said.
"Have you talked to Xigbar?" Namine asked randomly as they left the house and headed for the car.
"I called him earlier, yeah." Kairi said, "But I think he was at work, so I just left a message."
"This happened so close to our birthday... I wonder if Dad will even remember this year," Namine mused as Kairi pulled out of the driveway.
"Who the hell knows." Kairi rolled her eyes, "I could honestly care less at this point."
Namine nodded and they fell silent until they arrived at the Chocolate Chocobo.
"I don't know if this is really a good idea, Kairi..." Namine hesitated.
"Of course it's a good idea." Kairi said, parking and shutting the car off. Climbing out, she went around to the other side of the car to drag her sister out.
Namine let Kairi pull her from the car, worrying her bottom lip as she followed her twin inside.
Once there, the two girls headed for the bar, Kairi pushing Namine towards a seat before taking one of her own. Spotting them, Reno smiled and walked over.
Namine smiled nervously, "Hi."
"Hey." Reno smiled, "Sorry I didn't answer you earlier-I was running late getting here." he gave her a quick kiss.
"That's okay," Namine said, blushing lightly.
"So, how are you two?" Reno asked.
"Better." Kairi smiled, "Can you get us both something very very strong and fruity?" she asked without bothering to check with Namine first.
"Sure." Reno nodded, "Be right back."
A few minutes later he came back with two drinks and set them down in front of the girls. While mixing them, he'd called Xigbar, telling him that he should probably come to the bar.
"Thank you," Namine murmured, taking a sip and finding it surprisingly tasty.
"No problem." Reno smiled. The bar was pretty empty, so he was able to justify hanging out with the two girls for a bit.
"I... I wanted to apologize for the last few days, they've just been... stressful," Namine said.
"Don't worry about it." Reno smiled, "I understand. I'm glad things are better."
Namine smiled, "Okay." She took another sip of her drink, really liking it.
Kairi was taking her drink a little slower than Namine was, having mostly dragged her out here so that she'd see Reno and less for the reason she'd told her sister.
As Reno walked away to tend to another customer, Namine turned to her sister. "Thanks for making me come here," she said, slightly flushed.
"No problem." Kairi said, smiling at her sister, "I should probably try Xigbar again." she said, glancing at the time on her phone and thinking out loud.
"Try what, exactly, Red?" a voice said from behind her.
Kairi jumped, spinning around in her chair, "Fuck! Don't do that!"
Xigbar grinned, grabbing hold of her and kissing her soundly. "You okay?" he murmured.
Mostly recovered from the surprise of him appearing behind her, she nodded, "Mhmm."
"Good," he said as he slid into the seat next to her. "Hi, Namine."
Namine grinned widely, "Hi Xigbar!"
Xigbar smirked as he took in the mostly empty drink in front of the blonde, eyes catching a glimpse of red as Reno made his way over.
"Thanks for that call, Reno. Looks like I made it just in time for the party," he nodded at Namine, slipping his arm around Kairi and noting that her drink was only half empty.
"No problem." Reno nodded, "Want anything?"
"No thanks. I'm thinking I'm the driver tonight," Xigbar chuckled.
"Reno. Renooo," Namine whined, waving her hands to get his attention.
Amused, Reno turned to his girlfriend, "Yes?"
"This is delicious! Can I have more? It's like... like... drinking stars!" the blonde smiled.
Reno chuckled, "How about something a little less strong this time?" he suggested.
Kairi snorted, leaning into Xigbar, "Probably should've asked for wine for her. She doesn't drink much." she muttered so he could hear.
Namine pouted, "But this is stars, Reno, stars! Don't you want me to have the stars?"
Xigbar snickered, "I had no idea, Red." He winked at her, greatly amused.
"I think you've had enough stars, Nam." Reno said.
"Renoooo," Namine pouted, reaching across the bar and grabbing his hand, "I really like you, don't you like me? You're so pretty..."
Reno chuckled, having absolutely no idea what to do with his quite-drunk girlfriend.
"Should we get her outta here, Red? Although, doesn't look like she's leaving without the pretty bartender," Xigbar snickered.
Kairi giggled, "When do you get off, Reno?"
"Half hour." Reno answered.
Kairi glanced back at her sister, frowning.
"I love your hair," Namine sighed. "It's all red and flow-y. And your eyes! They make me want to kiss you." She attempted to lean over the bar, balancing precariously on her chair.
Xigbar hastily stood up, moving to get behind her, just in case she toppled.
Kairi sighed, "Yeahhh, we'd better get her out of here." she said.
Reno grabbed Namine's arms before she could tumble forward, satisfied Xigbar would catch her if she went the other way.
Namine frowned, "I wanna kiss you, Reno. Kiss me. Don't you like me? Kiss me."
Xigbar looked over Namine's shoulder at Reno, ready to pluck her off the stool and out of the bar, if that's what he wanted, leaving the decision to him.
Tifa approached, "I think you should probably get your girlfriend out of here." she suggested.
Surprised, Reno turned to her, "You sure?"
"I think I can handle the bar for a half hour." Tifa answered.
Reno flashed her a grateful smile, "Come on, Nam." he said, hopping over the bar instead of going around like any normal person would do and carefully pulling her out of her chair.
Namine squealed, "Yay! Where are we going, Reno? Will you kiss me there?"
Xigbar chuckled, nodding at Tifa in thanks before grabbing Kairi's hand and pulling her up, "I want you to come home with me, Red."
Kairi glanced at him, "Not complaining, but why?" she asked.
"Because I haven't been able to talk to you and wanna make sure you're okay," Xigbar said. "We'll chill and watch crappy movies and make fun of Seifer. And I missed you, Red. Do I really need a reason?"
Namine stumbled, laughing giddily as she clutched onto Reno as they made their way out of the restaurant. "Look! Look!" she exclaimed, pointing up and almost falling over again. "There are stars!"
Reno chuckled, putting his arm around her mostly to hold her up, "Yes there are." he said, guiding her towards his car.
Kairi grinned at Xigbar, "Of course not." she said, giving him a kiss, before calling across the parking lot to Reno, "Take care of her, okay?"
"Of course!" Reno called back.
Giggling and still looking at the stars, Namine finally realized Kairi and Xigbar weren't coming with her when Reno opened the car door for her. She looked across the parking lot at Kairi and Xigbar as they were just reaching his car and yelled, "Bye Kairi! Bye Xigbar! Bye bye!"
Xigbar saluted her, opening the door for Kairi and trying very hard not to laugh.
Kairi laughed, waving back, before turning to Xigbar, "Er, what about our car?" she asked, just realizing this.
"Hmm," Xigbar said, closing the door behind Kairi and climbing in himself. Pulling out his cell, he sent a quick message to Leon, getting an almost immediate response.
"Cloud and Leon'll drop it off at your house before they come back to the apartment, Red," he grinned, triumphant. "Now, let's get outta here."
"Er, don't they need these?" Kairi asked, holding out her keys.
"Cloud can handle it without them, but if it makes you feel better, Red, you can lock them inside so he doesn't hotwire it, too," Xigbar grinned.
Kairi blinked, "Er. Right. Lemme do that." she chuckled, quickly getting out the car and running over to hers to lock her keys inside of her car and really hoping that she wasn't going to have to call a locksmith in the morning.
"Kairi! Are you coming with us?" Namine yelled, ecstatic and successfully avoiding Reno's attempts to get her in the car ("But there aren't stars in your car, Reno!").
"No, just dropping something in the car." Kairi laughed, "Good luck, Reno." she said, rolling her eyes, before climbing back into Xigbar's car. "Can you just tell Cloud to drop the keys next door with Roxas or Sora after he drops the car off?"
"Sure thing, Red," Xigbar said, texting Leon just that. "All right, let's get outta here before your sister decides to make a break for us."
Namine absentmindedly noticed Xigbar's car leaving the parking lot, far more interested in trying to climb up Reno in order to get her kiss and a better view of the twinkling lights in the sky.
Giving in, Reno kissed her, using her momentary distraction to push her down into the car and shut the door, quickly hurrying around and getting in the driver's side.
Namine grinned as he climbed in, launching herself at him and haphazardly kissing his face.
"Kay, Nam." Reno said, lightly pushing her back into her seat and leaning over to buckle her in, "I have to drive now."
Namine giggled and swatted at his hands, "That tickles, Reno!"
Reno managed to buckle her in and pulled on his own seatbelt, pulling out of the parking lot.
Namine stared, amazed, out the window. "Reno! Reno!" she yelled excitedly, "The stars are moving! They're following us!"
Reno had never seen Namine drunk before, and he was never serving her anything like that again if he had any choice in the matter. "Er, yeah. They do that."
"Where are we going? Can the stars come, too? Are we going back to Disneyplace?" Namine asked. "That was so fun; you're the bestest boyfriend ever in the whole world times infinity."
That made Reno smile, even if Namine was just drunk and rambling.
"Kairi was right, this is so much fun! We should go out more! And drink the stars, 'cause they're so awesome!" Namine grinned.
Reno parked his car in his apartment complex's lot and turned it off, unbuckling his seatbelt and hurrying around to help Namine out.
"Reno!" Namine yelled, trying to jump up to him but jerking back due to her seatbelt. She frowned, staring down at it as if it had just appeared out of no where for the sole purpose of keeping her from her boyfriend.
Reno chuckled, unbuckling it and offering her a hand.
Namine giggled, taking his hand and stumbling out of the car, "You're so amazing."
"Thanks." Reno said, shutting the car door and locking it, before leading Namine carefully towards his apartment.
Namine squinted up at Reno, stopping dead in her tracks. She reached up and traced his tattoos lightly, "You have red on your face."
"I'm going to hope that you noticed that before now." Reno commented.
"Reno, Reno, listen. You. Have red. On your face," Namine emphasized slowly. "It's beautiful! Don't wipe it off, kay?"
"Kay." Reno chuckled, helping her up the step at his door, and shutting it behind them.
Namine glanced around, "This is your apartment!" she exclaimed loudly, giggling.
"Yes it is." Reno nodded.
"Reno," Namine turned back to him, holding up her arms, "Reno, pick me up. Like in the movies!"
Reno blinked, but swung her into his arms carefully.
Namine laughed, kicking her legs lightly, managing to wrap her arms around Reno's neck. "You're amazing and pretty and the best ever," she murmured, smiling at him.
Reno chuckled, carrying her across the room to his bedroom to put her down.
"No, wait! You have to kiss me first! You can't put me down without kissing me!" Namine protested, legs still kicking.
Reno laughed, giving her a kiss.
"Mhmm," Namine sighed, grinning as Reno set her down and stumbling slightly, landing on his bed. "Your bed is comfy," she said, crawling up onto it fully and cuddling a pillow.
Having been around quite a few drunk people in his life, Reno knew what was coming next.
"I love you, Reno," Namine said, closing her eyes.
And that was not it. He stiffened, surprised, not sure if that was her or the alcohol talking.
Namine shifted slightly before completely relaxing as she fell asleep.
Reno sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed so that he could reach her shoes and pull them off, before covering her with the blanket and heading out to the living room to try and get some rest on the couch.
XXXX
Namine groaned, rolling over to try to get the sunlight out of her eyes. Wincing, she cracked them open. Her tongue felt like sandpaper in her mouth and the small amount of light that hit her eyes caused her searing pain. It took several long minutes before she was able to open her eyes fully and as she sat up, a painful migraine made itself known. The room spun a bit as she placed her feet on the floor and she finally realized she was not in her room but in Reno's.
Blushing as she started to remember the night before, she managed to stand and wobble out to the kitchen in search of something to drink.
Reno was leaning on the counter when she walked in. Smiling, he pulled a mug off the shelf, "Coffee?"
Namine nodded gratefully, sinking down into a chair at the table and wincing at every noise Reno made.
Reno quickly handed her a mug of coffee along with a small glass of water and some vaguely painkiller-like pills.
Namine took a sip of water and picked up the pills, popping them without question and downing half the glass in order to swallow them. Gagging slightly, she picked up the warm mug and took one whiff of the coffee before bolting out of the room and into the bathroom, barely making it before she was sick.
Reno cursed, following her towards the bathroom.
Having not eaten much before her night out drinking, there was little for her stomach to expel but oh, did it try its best. Namine sagged over the toilet, head pounding, stomach twisting, and mentally cursing her sister for letting her drink so much.
Reno rubbed her back, "Kay, back to bed, I think."
Namine groaned and croaked out, "I need a shower."
Reno frowned, "Can the shower wait until your sister can get some clean clothes here for you?" he asked.
"I just feel gross," Namine said. "Can I at least have a towel or something just to wash my face?"
"Of course." Reno pulled one out of the cabinet for her.
The blonde stood on shaky legs, gripping the sink counter for support for a moment before scrubbing her face, grimacing at the taste her mouth. "You wouldn't happen to have an extra toothbrush, would you?"
"We actually might." Reno said, opening the cabinet again. A minute later, he came back with an unopened toothbrush. "Aerith got into a motherly phase a couple weeks ago." he explained, ripping it open for her.
"Thank you," Namine said, taking it from him and thoroughly cleaning her mouth. Once done, she followed him out of the bathroom, heading back to the kitchen for another glass of water - she'd try coffee later.
Finishing her previous cup, she managed a smile, "Thank you, Reno."
"No problem." Reno smiled, "Feeling any better?"
"A bit," Namine answered, stomach somewhat settled now. "I'm sorry about last night," she blushed.
"Don't worry about it." Reno chuckled.
"I'm really sorry. I hope I didn't get you in trouble with Tifa," Namine said.
"Trust me, you didn't." Reno laughed, "The bar was slow anyway."
Namine nodded, still feeling really bad. Bits of the night kept coming back to her and flushed at remembering how many times she threw herself at him.
"Did I... tell you not to wipe your tattoos off, by any chance?" she asked hesitantly, dreading the answer.
"Yep." Reno nodded, smiling at her.
She buried her face in her hands, mumbling out an apology.
"Don't worry about it." Reno chuckled.
"I don't drink very much very often," Namine said, blushing.
"I know." Reno smiled. "I shouldn't have given you that drink. Sorry about that."
"It's not your fault; I shouldn't have taken it," Namine reassured, smothering a yawn.
"If you're tired, you can get some more sleep." Reno said.
Namine's blush brightened, "Maybe I'll just lay on the couch for a bit. My stomach's still in knots."
"You can have my bed, you know." Reno said, "It's really no big deal."
"Oh, but..." she trailed off, realizing something. "Um, if I slept in your bed last night, where did you sleep?"
"Couch." Reno answered, shrugging.
"I'm sorry!" Namine said. "You didn't have to do that, the couch would have been fine for me..."
Reno laughed, "Not happening." he said.
Namine just shook her head, rubbing her eyes as her migraine seemed to focus just behind him.
"Come on, you should sleep." Reno chuckled.
Reluctantly, Namine stood with a sigh. "Thank you," she murmured, blushing a bit as she moved to give Reno a hug.
Reno hugged her back, before leading her into his room.
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Namine asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Of course I'm sure." he chuckled.
"Okay... but just for an hour or so. Then I should go so you can get ready for work..." Namine said.
"Just sleep." Reno chuckled.
Namine smiled, scooting up the bed to lay down. She frowned slightly at the crumpled pillow and moved to fix it when she suddenly remembered just what exactly she had said last night before falling asleep. She blushed bright red and glanced at Reno with wide eyes before busying herself with the blanket.
Reno raised an eyebrow, "You alright?"
She made a strangled sound before simply nodding.
"I'm having trouble believing you." he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"I'm fine," Namine managed to say, "I'm sorry, I should just leave."
"Not happening." Reno said, "Besides, you have no way to get home. Go to sleep." he stood up.
Namine let out a small breath, "O-Okay."
Reno smiled, heading towards the door, "Hey, Nam?"
"Yes?" she asked, fiddling with the edge of the blanket.
He smirked, "Love you too." he said, before shutting the light and the door behind him.
XXXX
This chapter… oh this chapter.
So, this chapter was born out of Kairi wanting to get drunk and then turned into Kairi not actually getting drunk and other things happening.
Those two girls will kill us one day, I swear it. Like, if you suddenly stop hearing from us, assume that Kairi and Naminé killed us.
In a few months, though, you might be able to change that to Axel and Hayner.
Why Axel and Hayner? Not telling. :-P
Thanks for reading. :-D