The past few days had been a blur for Reno, between receiving orders from Rufus, playing nice with the execs, leading the Turks and demanding updates when he found himself in the medical wing of ShinRa tower every six hours. Any and all rest he got was two hour max bursts on the couch in the R&D office with naught but his jacket to serve as a makeshift blanket. Paperwork piled through the roof and Reno found himself envying Tseng less and less than he already had with every passing minute.
He wakes up to a takeaway coffee and a note from- huh, Elena, about taking some extra time to rest and, as much as Reno appreciated the rookie's sentiment, he was on the clock and time was a-wastin'. So he sets the note off to the side and makes his way back to Tse his desk with coffee in hand, leaving his jacket behind on the couch.
As he sits down, an unpleasant sensation settles itself and begins to niggle at his core. He brushes it aside and pulls the previously abandoned report close to him. This little shitbird forced him to take the break in the first place, what with all its dancing words and moving letters. Perhaps this time it will behave.
Some minutes later, the niggle in his stomach grows and Reno knows he won't be able to maintain focus for much longer, so he decides to take a walk around the building and maybe try to find fresh air. He downs the coffee, pulls on his jacket, and just as he opens the door, the person on the other side jumps back in surprise. Quite frankly, Reno is too tired to deal with this person and whatever antics they had in store while hanging around Turk territory, but he'd promised he'd be on his best behaviour when in the company of non-Turks, so he merely sighs inwardly.
"Hey, what's up? Are ya lost?" he asks, forcing as much genuine-sounding concern as he could into his voice.
And Reno could have sworn he heard a pin drop when the person - a nurse - told him Tseng was awake and asking for him. It takes everything in him to simply follow the nurse and not brush past to get to Tseng faster. But with a blink, he finds himself staring at the door with the nurse asking him if he is okay. He deflects the question and is soon ushered inside to see-
"Tseng..." the name falls out of his mouth with practiced ease, and he doesn't move as his eyes sweep over his friend's form, taking in every visible imperfection and mentally noting how to correct them. It hadn't been long since Reno himself was in a similar position, injured by Avalanche in the fight for Sector 7. Rude was there for him when he woke up, but he never entertained the idea that Tseng would come if he asked for him.
Reno steps forward, almost afraid that being too brash would disturb the illusion that Tseng was awake and alive before him, and he collapses into the bedside chair. A beat passes before he pulls the chair closer to the bed and he reaches for Tseng's hand, but falters for a moment, and instead settles on resting it next to the other's hand.
He thinks for a moment about Tseng's question: how was everyone? On the surface, everything is pushing forward as 'normal' - Rufus is running his little schemes and the Turks are operating as his right hands. But beneath the surface...
"We're fine," Reno answers, not quite looking Tseng in the eyes as he tries to keep his tone even. "Things have been a little messy... but we're fine." Not okay, but simply fine, and that's good enough. Though someone flitters through Reno's mind and his mouth goes dry. He can't tell him about her yet, not when he's like this.
His fingers twitch from their position on the bed as if an itch is compelling them to pull Tseng from death's edge and into a sheltering embrace. He mentally shoves the thought aside instead, and settles for finally grasping his hand and looking into his eyes.
"Don't talk too much, okay chief? You gotta get better 'cause my handwritin's still too dogshit for ya to retire," a smirk tugs at his lips but doesn't quite reach his eyes as he continues, "and I think the execs can only take so much before tryin' to make Rude take my place."
