Don't Play With Fire (Turks FFVII)

XXVIII) Vacation

I hardly make it to the bathroom in time the next day, my knees slamming onto the tile hard enough to break my kneecaps and my hands clutching a toilet bowl that's likely never been cleaned as I empty my stomach. When I can finally catch a breath, I swipe the cold sweat off my forehead, rinse my mouth out at the sink, and head to the kitchen for water. I shudder when I feel that heavy presence return to my head.

Again?

Yeah?

This isn't normal.

I'm sick.

Are you?

I refuse to let my mind wander, walking over to the window in the living room and opening it wide before lighting up a cigarette to calm myself. Puking first thing in the morning should be considered trauma. The sun rises slowly, light picking up Midgar's omnipresent haze of pollution. In the distance, the edge of Sephiroth's Meteor looms overhead.

I hear something shift behind me, but I don't look. Two warm arms wrap around my body, startling me, but I don't have the energy to react. Reno presses a kiss to my neck and I lay my head back on his shoulder, not quite caring when he plucks the smoke from my fingers to have a taste for himself.

"Still sick?"

"Yeah."

"Hm." He hands the cigarette back, staring out at the skyline. "Don't feel warm or anything."

"I dunno." I sigh, closing my eyes. Wish we could stay here forever. "I'm starving, but I can't keep anything down."

For a moment, all he can muster is a hum. Then he squeezes me a little tighter and kisses my cheek, taking a long, slow breath. "You know what you need?"

"What?"

"A vacation. Wutai's nice."

"So I've heard."

"I wanna go." Reno cocks his head to the side, his thumb running back and forth across my hands where they rest on his arms. "Elena got back last night. Think she'll come?"

"She wouldn't miss a chance to get on my nerves." I open my eyes, turning my head upward to look at him. "Rude invited too?"

"Course he is. Can't live without 'im."

"Right." I put my head back on his shoulder. "How do we convince Rufus to let his entire group of Turks leave?"

"Easy. We don't have jack to do and Shinra's gettin' nowhere with Avalanche."

"Maybe don't mention that last part."

"Maybe not. Or maybe I send you in so you can work your magic."

"Yeah..." I sit up, taking one last drag before crushing the end of the smoke on the windowsill. "I'm gonna get back in bed."

"I'll start makin' calls."

"Good luck."

"Don't need it."

I fall into Reno's bed and hug his pillow to my body, wincing when my back begins to ache. Weird. It feels like I have a fever, but I'm not warm. I squeeze my eyes shut. Maybe I'm just dealing with the backend of the sickness. Outside the bedroom, I hear Reno's voice echoing around the bathroom as he talks on the phone. A long series of calls later, he enters the room and crawls onto the mattress, looming over me with a grin.

"Ready to get your stuff together?"

"I guess." I push him away and stand, stretching. Reno holds up my phone and I stick out a hand, waiting to catch it. It slams against my chest and I double over, the pain rippling down my spine. "Holy #$%^! That hurt way more than it should've."