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burstmodes) wrote2020-02-11 10:24 am
burstmodes) wrote2020-02-11 10:24 am
burstmodes) wrote2020-02-11 10:24 am
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it's just—there's so much work. he'd woken up back at Healen Lodge after what felt like months away and found that it had only been a fucking night, and he'd thrown himself right back into the rebuilding in an effort to forget. to drown himself in things to do, productivity, to avoid thinking about what was apparently the most detailed fucking lucid dream anyone on Gaia has ever had.
so here he is. it's early afternoon and Reno's in civvies, except for the concealed carry under his sweatshirt and the steel-toed boots he's wearing. he's got his hands in his pockets. there's a murmur of activity around him on the street, but there almost always is, it's downtown.
and then he hears a voice.
it stops him dead in his tracks in a second. at first, honestly, Reno thinks he's hallucinating. there's no possible way—is there? he'd just started to get used to the idea that the whole thing was a dream, that he'd made all these people up in some sort of weird vivid feverish haze—
but when he turns around, there's a familiar head of blond hair too, and Reno's heart clenches so tight he swears it stops beating. ]
Prompto? [ he can't make his voice any louder, but it doesn't matter. Prompto squeezes through the crowd and there he is—looking exactly like he did the last time Reno saw him, just as brilliant—and Reno doesn't hesitate before he reaches out to grab him by the biceps.
it's both to keep him upright and to make sure he's real. ]
What the—fuck? What the fuck? How are you here?
[ his hands come up to cup Prompto's face on instinct, and Reno's eyes are wide and shocked. it quickly melts into something else, though, something sweet and complicated, and he pulls Prompto into a hug, apparently completely unconcerned that they're in the middle of the sidewalk. ]
I thought I imagined you.
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wherever this place is.
but it all seems to zero out the moment reno touches him. solid and... and real. he's even got the same roughness to his hands, the same glint of warmth prompto had come to recognize in the look he gives him. even his embrace is the same, coming terribly close to unraveling prompto from the inside as he's tugged close and held, and damn. how could he have forgotten all of this so quickly when it had been his life for months?
he sinks into the weight of him, pressing his face against reno's shoulder and drawing in a soft breath. he knows this. he knows him. ]
I–I dunno. I was just... [ existing, he thinks. he shakes his head, voice muffled. ] I don't know.
[ prompto allows himself another few seconds before he eventually leans away, gaze lingering on the people weaving around them and staring. even frowning at him, though he's sure he's imagining that part of it. instead, he looks at reno, his fingers curling into the material of his shirt. ]
Where's here though? Where are we? [ it's not like he'd seen any signs or had any help figuring it out. ]
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he steps back when Prompto leans away, although Reno couldn't give less of a shit about anybody looking at them. his hands move, briefly cupping Prompto's face, then dropping to his shoulders, gripping him still tightly like he's afraid if he lets go, Prompto will vanish.
a glance around, and then a wry smile tugs at one corner of Reno's mouth. ]
Welcome to Midgar Edge.
[ it's not quite Reno's hometown—the Wall Market slums had been crushed under Meteor's bleeding fury the same way the rest of the city had. but it's close enough, just down the road. Reno casts his gaze over Prompto again, and then, seemingly satisfied that he isn't just a trick of Reno's imagination, he nods. ]
I have the—this is weird as fuck to say out loud. I got the afternoon off. Lemme take you back to mine?
[ he doesn't want to let Prompto out of his sight, not for an instant, and Reno's apartment is probably the safest place he could possibly be in this city. ]
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prompto's expression almost immediately drops at that response. ]
Whoa, wait. Your Midgar? Really?
[ it's like he's taking the entire place in through new eyes, trying to pinpoint things reno might have told him or locations that might be clear from where they're standing. but in all honesty, he's somewhat shaken by the fact he's there. in reno's home world, in a city he really knew nothing about. why there? why now? why... well, why ever? not that he isn't glad to see reno again, especially considering the way he feels about him, but it's just strange. weird, even. and he knows he's probably wearing all of that on his face.
he lifts a hand up to catch one of reno's and gives it a sharp squeeze. mostly to reassure himself that this isn't some weird dream and to also give reno some kind of comfort. it had only been several hours since he'd seen him last, but for some reason, it seems like a lifetime. ]
Uh, yeah. I mean, show me around on the way? Kinda feels like I'm goin' a little crazy right now. [ there's a nervous sort of laugh. ] This is for real, right? Like... I'm here?
[ just to be sure he hasn't actually lost his mind. ]
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[ it is weird. Reno would think it even stranger if Prompto didn't feel some kind of way about his second time being plucked up out of his home world and dropped somewhere else. he reads all of that in Prompto's expression and can't help but sympathize: as glad as he is to see Prompto, the circumstances probably leave a little something to be desired.
when Prompto brings his hand up to hold Reno's, Reno laces their fingers together and doesn't let go. ]
Seems like it, or whose hand am I holding? [ he teases, but it's gentle, and he squeezes Prompto's hand along with the words. there's a lot of city to show, but if what would help Prompto feel more grounded is to see the parts of it Reno can show him, then he's more than willing to play tour guide this afternoon. ]
Let's walk. You hungry or anything?
[ this is so surreal. for Reno, it's been much longer than a few hours, and so the absolute familiarity of this strikes him: how clearly he remembers the weight of Prompto's hand in his own, the shape of his grin when he's nervous or when he's happy.
it ain't every day you get to reunite with someone you thought you'd never see again, after all. ]
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...as long as reno doesn't go more than a few steps from him, though he figures that probably makes him sound like a coward—which he isn't. usually. he's only a little stressed about the situation, glad to have someone around who's familiar to him and knows him. if he'd had to start all over like he had when he'd been in the city, he might have spent too much time moping over it. instead, his deeper emotions are easier to curb, squeezing reno's hand and nodding at his words.
yeah. walking seems like a good idea. ]
Not really. Just... surprised? I mean, it's good to see you, but none of this makes any sense. [ understatement of the century, blowing out his following breath as he wanders next to reno. ] And this totally isn't how I imagined your home.
[ not that there was much imagining to prompto's own world, since he'd still had photos on his old phone of various places. but midgar's general ambiance is somewhat somber despite the liveliness of the crowd around them. he sticks close to reno, doing his best not to bump into anyone. ]
Is it just me, or are people looking at us? [ maybe his paranoia is already running away with him. ]