#aveny

      Now that it was quiet, they had to contend with their thoughts. It really was strange that after the Turks had been frequenting the bar so consistently, not a single black suit had been seen all night long. Earlier in the night Aveny had been annoyed at themself for thinking too much into it, but now they were only worried. There was one way they could possibly set their mind at ease, the cost of which they'd been weighing all evening. Now they took their phone out of their pocket and barely winced as they opened their contacts list. Would it be the worst or best case scenario to call that number Reno had tried to foist on them a dozen times and hear him crowing in their ear that his incessant pickup lines had finally paid off?

      As their thumb hovered over the call button, a banging at the door startled them. A haggard voice called from the other side, “Honey, I’m home.”

      Aveny’s heart leapt. In an instant they were on their feet, fumbling briefly with the lock before flinging open the door. Their relief at the sight of Reno leaning against the doorframe was cut short with the realization that he was covered in cuts, scrapes, and grime. He appeared to have no major injuries, though, so Aveny swallowed hard and asked, “What happened? You look like hell.”

      He chuckled. “Good to see you, too. Turns out a stun baton doesn't do shit against a Materia Keeper. 

      "Why were you fighting a Materia Keeper?" they couldn't help but ask. 

      Reno shrugged noncommittally. "For work. You still servin’? I could use a stiff drink.”

      They stared incredulously. “You could use a doctor.”

      “No.” He shook his head. “Just a drink. Maybe two. Or three.”

      Aveny ran their hand through their hair. “…alright, on the condition that you at least let me patch you up a little. You’re bleedin’ all over the floor I just mopped.”

      His grin was exhausted, but genuine. “Fair enough.”

        It took no time for Aveny to collect some first aid supplies and pour Reno his drink. They pulled up a chair next to him and scooted as close as possible to get to work. Reno took a long sip first, then sat swirling the cubes in the glass, hardly glancing at Aveny as they prepared an alcohol swab. “This is gonna sting,” they warned.

      He snorted. They considered that as good a go-ahead as any and began gently cleaning the worst of the cuts on his face. Reno didn’t react at all, let alone flinch. He just stared at the circling ice in his drink. Eventually, when they finished cleaning all the wounds on the near side of his face, they asked tentatively, “Can I turn your head?”

      “Uh huh,” he replied despondently.

      However, the instant their fingertips came to light on his jaw, he froze. He offered no resistance as they gently turned his face towards them and brushed his hair back from his forehead to access a gash there. As focused as they were on tending to his injuries, it was some time before they realized his gaze was now fixed on them, his expression uncharacteristically soft.

      Aveny paused their work. “What?”

      Reno blinked. “What?"

      “You’re staring,” they pointed out. “…How hard did you hit your head?”

      That infuriatingly charming smirk of his appeared. “C’mon, Aveny. The line is, ‘did it hurt when you fell from heaven?’.”

      Aveny rolled their eyes and pursed their lips in an unsuccessful attempt to hide a smile. “It was a serious question. Do I need to worry you might’ve got a concussion?”

      “Awwww, you worry about me?” he purred. “I knew you cared.”

      They ducked their head as they fussed with the packaging on a fresh alcohol wipe. “Of course I do,” they said quietly.

      At this Reno suddenly fell silent. When Aveny risked a quick glance up at his face, they found his expression something akin to bewilderment. They coughed. “Ahem. Reno? Are you gettin’ double vision or ringin’ in your ears or anything?”

      “What? No.” He looked even more confused.

      They tapped their temple. “Concussion,” they reminded him. “I wanna make sure you don’t have one.” 

      Retrieving their phone from their pocket, they activated the flashlight. “Lemme test somethin’ really quick.”

      Though initially his pupils were dilated, they saw a normal contraction response when they passed the light in front of his eyes. Aveny breathed a sigh of relief. “Nothing serious. But…do me a favor and skip the drinks for now? I think it’d be a lot better for you to have some water instead.”

      Reno grinned. “I knew you’d know what t’ do.”

      As they retrieved a glass of water for him they asked, only half serious, “Is that why you came here instead of goin’ to an actual doctor?”

      Immediately he sobered. Though he fell silent for several moments, his gaze never left them. “Somethin’ like that,” he said at length. 

      They set the glass down in front of him and took their seat again. Wordlessly they resumed cleaning his wounds. For a while there was a somewhat laden silence between them. Aveny sensed Reno wanted to say something, but they did not press him. When he did finally speak, it was in a much quieter tone than usual, and he didn’t make eye contact. “I came here ‘cause I…wanted t’ be taken care of, I guess.” Now he looked at them, an unusual softness in his emerald eyes. “Specifically by you.”

      Aveny’s heart swelled until it caught on their ribcage and started to hurt. They ducked their head as a telltale warmth raced across their nose and cheeks up to the tips of their ears. It took them a moment to get their brain and their tongue to cooperate, but they managed to murmur, “Well…I don’t mind takin’ care of people. So you can come here for that any time you want.”

      They didn’t dare look up to see his expression, but his relief was evident in his voice. “Thanks, Aveny.”

      His genuineness gave them the courage to lift their eyes and meet his gaze. Sincerity looked so sweet on him that it made their heart ache again. 

      It was at that moment that a loud pounding at the door again startled Aveny. They jolted against the table hard enough to hurt their knee. Reno was reaching for something hidden at the back of his belt when a familiar voice, polite but direct, called from behind the door, “Mx. Aveny?”

      Reno slumped back in his chair. “Dammit, Rude, we’re in the middle of somethin’ here!”

      “No, we’re not,” Aveny told his partner as they let him in. 

      If they weren’t as convincing as they hoped they sounded, there was no indication of disbelief on Rude’s ever-stoic face. “Has he been…inconveniencing you?”

      “No,” said Reno, at the same time that Aveny said, “Yes.” 

      Rude looked at Reno so sharply that Aveny held their hands up in a placating gesture. “I’m sorry, I’m kidding, it’s really no trouble.”

      While Aveny had yet to see Rude relax, he did seem to appear somewhat less intense upon hearing this. At that point Reno piped up, “So does that mean I get a kiss to make me better?”

      “I— Get out of my bar,” they spluttered, unable to summon even a hint of vitriol. 

      With a resigned sigh, Reno hauled himself to his feet. “Alright, alright. Thanks again, Aveny.”

      “Any time,” they said softly. “I mean it.”

      They followed the two Turks to the door. Rude's firm hand on Reno's shoulder ensured the latter exited without further ado, albeit not without further protest. Then Rude turned back to Aveny. "Thank you for looking after him," he said with a nod of his head.