Work Text:
It wasn’t like him to be this late. Or at the very least, not without a warning. If Reno was getting caught up in work, he always sent you a message so you didn’t worry. This time, however, you feared the worst. And just when your thoughts were threatening to drive you mad with concern, there was a knock on the door.
You jumped to your feet, rushing to the door and swinging it open to reveal a beat up Reno being held up by Rude. You looked up at the latter, seeking an explanation. He only sighed and ushered his injured friend until Reno dragged himself closer to you. Immediately, you wrapped an arm around him to support him just like Rude had.
“We had some complications at work” Was his mere explanation.
“I’m fine!” Reno exclaimed somewhat rudely.
“Look after him” His workmate told you, leaving you two alone.
“Reno…” You uttered, taking him inside with you and closing the door behind you with your foot. “Are you okay?”
“What did I just say? I’m-” He suddenly pushed you off him to stand on his own, but it was a mistake. Immediately, he wobbled without your support.
“Reno!” You tightly held him by the arm, successfully avoiding his fall.
“I’m okay…” He groaned, even if he was clutching his side and limping.
You sneaked under his arm and let him drop his weight over you. He sighed in relief as you helped him reach the couch, where he plopped down like a dead weight. For a moment you feared he had fallen unconscious, but his incessant moans of pain told you he hadn’t.
For several seconds you could only stand there, watching him in shock as you noticed more and more wounds by the second. His white shirt was darkened with crimson in many spots and his face was a bit swollen and full of small cuts and bruises, panting his skin red and purple.
You paced up and down, trying to think clearly. You needed to relax. You needed to help him, but didn’t know how. Should you call a doctor? It felt like the wrong decision, as Rude would have taken him there himself… right? Should you try to patch him up yourself then? You didn’t really have any experience in the subject, but maybe…
“Y/N” He tiredly called out, holding your hand to keep you in place. His grip was urgent and desperate, like he was clinging to you. “Stop”
No quips, no jokes, no flirting. Something told you that his body hadn’t been the only thing hurt. It seemed like, whatever had happened, had been enough to hurt him to the core. You wondered what it could have been to leave him with a bruised soul.
“I’ll get the first aid kit” You mumbled, taking a cautious step closer to see if he let go of you. When he reluctantly did, you hurried to the bathroom.
Thoughts buzzed in your mind as you gathered everything you would need.
Reno didn’t often talk about work, and you weren’t exactly sure what he worked as to be honest. You just knew it was dangerous, but it had never affected him like that. He only came back with lots of energy, wanting to unwind and flirt and spend some time with you. But now…
Clutching the supplies in your hands, you returned to the living room with him. He hadn’t moved an inch, and neither did he look at you. Even as you sat down at the edge of the couch, his eyes were still fixed somewhere up ahead.
“Do you want to talk about it?” You whispered, afraid to speak too loud.
“Ugh…” Reno groaned, shaking his head. He seemed exhausted. “No”
Your hands were shaking, but you made an effort to focus. Gingerly, you opened his shirt to reveal his bruised chest. Taking deep breaths, you managed to keep your fingers from shaking too badly. Otherwise it would make the task impossible.
“I’ll heal” He told you, finally turning his head to watch you. “It’s no big deal”
“I’m not worried about your injuries… not that alone…” You carefully cleaned off the dry blood, relieved to see the wound was almost closed. “I’m worried about what you did too”
“It’s best to forget it” His voice was devoid of any and all emotions. “Really, Y/N”
That was another way you knew it had impacted him. He was calling you Y/N, only by your name. No ‘babe’, or ‘gorgeous’ or ‘sweetheart’. No nicknames, no fond and cheeky terms of endearments. No nothing. Just emptiness. He was tired and grumpy and fed up.
None of you talked for a while. The heavy silence in the house seemed to contrast with the usual loudness of your voices mingling together, your harmonizing laughter, even the sound of the TV blasting. Now the silence was deafening.
As you finished patching him up, you put extra care on the bandages. You softly passed your fingers over them to ensure they would stick. You bathed him in small kisses all over his face that he seemed to appreciate as they almost brought a smile to his lips. Almost. It almost returned that gleam to his eyes and brought him back to life. Almost.
Reno closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. Once he was healed and resting, he seemed to regain some sort of solace and peace. It wasn’t enough to restore his usual energetic and snappy demeanor, but it was progress.
“What do you need?” You kindly asked him, putting the hair away from his eyes.
“Nothing, just for you to be here with me” He urgently took your hand in both of his, squeezing it tight as though you were the only thing capable of anchoring him to that peace.
And as you carefully lie down with him in the couch, he finally took a deep breath. He could finally breathe. Your closeness was making his wounds sore, and his posture was uncomfortable in such a small space. Still, he finally felt okay once he was with you again.