plate_builder | [Open Post]

"No," Reeve says, thoughtful. "But I love him, Reno. I don't know what I'd do without him."

Rude shifts nervously at that. Clearly he doesn't know what to do with that information.

Reno grins at Rude, nudging him with an elbow and saying something about owing Reno 20 bucks, before he turns back to Reeve and gives him what constitutes his most serious smile.

"Come on, man, give us some credit. We're going to protect the boss, and nothing and no one is going to hurt him."

"Good. Because if they do, I'll find a way to visit his suffering back on you," Reeve says with a soft smile. And then he's moving away. There's a whole world of problems he has to face right now.

"Yeah, yeah." Reno waves Reeve away, before turning back to Rude to chat or do whatever they do when it's just them and no Tseng around, though everything about their posture says they are ready for anything.

It will be a time before Rufus reaches out to Reeve, busy dealing with the Remnants. However, he will reach out to Reeve the day after the healing rain.

The phone rings and it doesn't matter that Reeve's in the third of too many continual meetings that had taken off since the attack on the monument. So much to be done for the WRO, and he's no longer hedging his thoughts about this.

But seeing the ID on the phone, 'Dave - Accounting', well... Reeve pauses the meeting and slips out. It's not like anything will be figured out. He finds a quiet room to be in, locks the door behind him, and answers.

"Please tell me it's you."

"Well, Reno isn't allowed to use my phone," Rufus chuckles, even over the phone showing his amusement as he finishes speaking. "Not since he left nudes on them the one time I allowed him to borrow it."

The relief in Reeve's voice is beyond palpable. He won't hide it at all.

"I've been worried about you. I heard you were in Edge recently.

"Unfortunately, I was. Had to deal with Kadaj."

Had to deal with Kadaj? that couldn't be a good thing. Reeve frowns as he considers how he's supposed to respond to that.

"Were you out when the rains happened?"

"Hmm, well, if I say you can come look for any remnant of the Stigma personally,, would that answer your question?" He sounds too amused. "It won't take much, as we haven't returned home yet."

Forgive him for the fact that he is so relieved to hear that. His lover, finally given the chance to truly live the rest of his life. Who knows how long that will be, but it has more potential now.

"I worried about you," he lets Rufus know, but clearly he knows that was a thing. "Especially after Cloud seemed ready to give up."

"I'm surprised you thought he would give up for too long." Rufus remarks. "When it comes to Sephiroth, Cloud just won't stay down."

"He's been bad for the last several months. From my understanding you saw him when he came by Healin. He had some sharp words about that when the group of us met at the church."

Of course, Rufus is correct, but he has less of an idea of how bad it was. Reeve, of course, was able to learn about it from Tifa. The full and copious truth of how willing Cloud was to just let his Stigma kill him. If Reeve had known... if he had thought to tell the others...

"He is driven, though. I will give him that."

"He seemed the usual Cloud to me when I saw him, though Reno and Rude did inform me he was..." He pauses here, searching for a good word to describe the colorful report he had obviously gotten. "Well, down is sufficient. Reno said 'mopey ass.'

"But I wasn't worried."

"You're not a part of AVALANCHE. Of course you weren't given to seeing how bad it had gotten for him," Reeve sighs, shaking his head. "With what I've come to understand I fear he may ultimately have let the Stimga consume him."

Which was a horrible way to be talking about a hero, but he knew it was the way it was. He had been trying to give Cloud jobs away from the routes that would be the most painful memories for him, but the world had no patience for such consideration.

Heroes were merely humans who had done something others considered helpful and beyond the means of those viewing them. The Shinra Company had been considered a hero once. Sephiroth had been considered a hero, as well as countless others. Only time, the things they had done and the shifting of the public view had changed their title. Perhaps eventually, Cloud would be called something else as well.

Either way, it meant giving up was something entirely probable and likely when pushed to extremes. Rufus had been there, perhaps it had contributed to his getting the Stigma, and could understand. But ge understood something else, as well.

"If Cloud had ever confided in me, I would be concerned. Still, it has worked out, and worrying about before will do us no good."

"One can still have concern for the friends they care for," Reeve counters. Then, well... with the Stigma gone perhaps he can admit it. "I had no greater fear, Rufus, than that I would help this world but lose you. You've grown to mean so much to me."

"He'll be fine now, Reeve." Why does he sound so sure? Reeve is right that he doesn't know AVALANCHE, at least this version, very well. Yet he does know Cloud. Or knows him enough to be sure that the fight with Sephiroth, the cleansing rain, everything that had happened would have mended something broken inside the man.

Not that he would be much more social, of course, but he would be more complete. Something even Rufus felt. After all, that rain had been peaceful, and for a moment even he felt a sense of the world's forgiveness. Something Reeve probably could not understand, seeing as how he had never carried the Stigma, and certainly had not felt it hunted him out.

Still, he's not so much different that he doesn't chuckle at the last, his voice teasing as he speaks. "Is that so? Sure it's not just our compatibility in the bedroom?"

"If my options were either to have your affection or your body, I'd choose affection," Reeve assures him. "Forgive my sentimentality, but I care, Rufus, as you know. It can lead to foolishness."

HE sighs and looks at his watch, trying to figure out if he could manage to slip away.

"Tomorrow? Can I come by tomorrow? I might be able to steal some time then."

"I know." He chuckles once more, before his voice levels out to a more serious tone. "However, I have an audience right now... so we can certainly discuss all of that tomorrow."

Or, in other words, he won't say a certain three words because he would have to listen to Reno all night. However, he does give Reeve his hotel and the room number. He wasn't lying that he had stayed in town, mostly at Tseng's insitance.

In town? Reeve is shocked by that. Beyond shocked.

"You know... I could come by tonight," he offers, his voice soft. Sure, things are in a bit of a crisis, but could he be blamed for sleeping? And that hotel is closer to his current headquarters than his apartment is so it wouldn't seem weird to go there instead.

"That's up to you and your schedule, though I wouldn't mind seeing you. However," Rufus pauses and can be heard asking Tseng something before returning. "Tseng is insisting we stay at least till the day after tomorrow, in case anything else Stigma related comes up."

He won't mention that the Turk is also not wanting to move until they know the situation around people knowing Rufus is alive, especially since that would require letting Reeve know about base jumping without a parachute...

Don't tell Reeve. He has enough of an issue with heights as it is.

"I'll find time for you. I want to be there... to make sure you're all being thorough."

"Tseng is here. If things are not thorough, he gets mad." Reeve will probably be able to hear Reno agree in the background, before making some noise or another that means he has probably gotten a pattented Tseng look before Rufus speaks again. "But you're welcome to check where he can't. Just call when you come, I'll clear the room."

"I don't wish to send your security team away," Reeve assures him. But he is smiling. Because he can accept the idea as well. "Take care of yourself, and send me which room and all that. I'll come by with dinner for all six of us later. I'm glad to hear Tseng is alright. I'm going to assume Elena is too."

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Sorry for the long delay,,, car accident Wed and con over the weekend ahah...

Are you okay!?

Yeah just got shaken a bit. I'm good though

oh hun I'm glad you're okay

Thanks. Car has to be totaled

Oh no. I'm so sorry

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SOMEONE had to have seen that BS move

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