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It's the ticklish feeling under his nose that wakes Renato Lyra from his slumber. The half moon is high in the sky, casting just enough light that he can see around the room as he brushes the back of his hand under his nose, realizing just what had woken him up.
There is a full head of unruly hair tucked under his chin, the black strands having a mind of their own as they stick out in every which way and unfortunately, a lock had found a way to tickle Renato's nose. Following the lock of hair down to its owner, Jake Park continues to sleep uninterrupted, chest rising and falling with each breath he takes.
Jake is gorgeous like that, long black hair in a messy heap on the pillow, his broad shoulders silhouetted in the moonlight.
Lightly brushing Jake’s bangs away from his face, Renato carefully pulls his arm free from where it’s pinned under the older man before he rolls over onto his back. Jake stirs, Renato laying still for a few moments until the other settles, only then swinging his legs off the side of the bed and standing up.
The floor is cold underneath his bare feet, Renato hopping as quietly as he can over to the closet to tuck his feet into his slippers. He glances over his shoulder, making sure the older man is still asleep before ducking out of the room.
By the time the Kite-Fighter makes it to the kitchen, he doesn’t need to feel around in the darkness to avoid crashing into anything, his eyes having adjusted.
Throat feeling dry, it’s significantly better when he drinks a cup of water, the moment interrupted when a crash resonates in the otherwise quiet apartment. Renato jumps, turning around to look for the source of the noise. Making his way down the hall, he pauses when he steps on shattered glass, a broken picture frame on the floor.
How it had fallen off the wall is beyond Renato, but he doesn’t linger on the thought too much as he crouches down to grab the frame and flip it over, the corner of his lips tugging into a frown when he sees which photo fell.
He stands up with it and places it on the kitchen counter as he passes through on the way to grab the broom, returning to find that the sound had woken Jake, the older man standing at the threshold of the bedroom at the other end of the hall, hand on the door frame in an attempt to keep himself upright.
“What?” Jake manages, voice heavy with sleep.
“It just fell,” Renato offers, gesturing to the now empty space on the wall.
The Saboteur furrows his brows, glancing at the wall for a brief moment before focusing on Renato again, the Kite-Fighter able to make out the blank expression on the older man’s face. Jake hadn’t understood him, that much made evidently clear when he pushes away from the doorway and steps on the shards of glass scattered in the hallway.
“Jake, stop!” Renato tries but it’s too late, a barely audible hiss of pain escaping Jake as he lifts his bare foot off the glass.
The Kite-Fighter is stepping over the glass and grabbing Jake’s arm before he can even process it himself, the Saboteur putting his foot down on the floor to catch his balance before he winces in pain and lifts it up again, blood smeared on the floor as he holds onto Renato for support.
“Told you to stop,” Renato chastises lightly, more upset with himself for not having stopped Jake on time. He lets the broom lean on the wall in favor of using his other hand to help balance the Saboteur.
“Let me see it,” Jake mutters softly.
“What?”
Jake uses his free hand to point at the frame on the kitchen counter, “The picture.”
“Jake, you’re bleeding...”
“Renato,” the Saboteur breathes out, gray eyes finding brown.
The Kite-Fighter purses his lips, holding Jake’s gaze before he nods, “Fine, but don't get blood on the rug.”
The Saboteur rests his arm over Renato’s shoulder as the Kite-Fighter wraps an arm around his waist, letting Jake lean on him as the younger man lifts him up and carries him over the broken glass, only setting him down on Jake’s uninjured foot when they’re in the living room.
“Sit,” Renato commands, guiding the older man to the couch before heading back into the kitchen to grab the frame.
The Kite-Fighter hands it to Jake, lingering for a moment before he returns to the mess and sweeps up the shattered glass. He makes sure to sweep over the area a couple of times before he dumps the glass into the trash.
Sparing Jake a glance, Renato steps into the bathroom before he returns to the older man’s side with the first-aid kit. The Saboteur’s attention is trained on the photo, not looking up at the younger man as he kneels in front of Jake to take a look at his injury.
Only when Renato pulls out the glass shard does Jake react, the Saboteur hissing in pain before he attempts to pull his foot back out of the younger man’s hold.
“Hey, hey, suck it up,” Renato chastises, pulling Jake’s foot back into his lap so that he can properly clean the wound. "Thought something like this would be nothing for you."
Jake squirms a little, but otherwise lets the Kite-Fighter tend to his foot, attention returning to the photo in his hands.
To the Saboteur's credit, he hasn't done more than hiss under his breath to express his pain - and even then it can be confused for a sharp exhale. The Saboteur still hasn't lost his uncanny ability to remain completely silent in the face of any injury, big or small. It makes Renato idly wonder if he's also managed to retain any of his own abilities. But ever since escaping that realm, there hasn't been much use for them.
“It’s scratched,” Jake mutters, a frown tugging at the corner of his lips as he runs a thumb over the picture. “Only one I have.”
“We’ll get a new frame,” Renato assures, wrapping the bandage around the older man’s foot, pausing to look up at the Saboteur’s face to find Jake’s gaze already focused on him. “We’ll hang it back up and make sure it’s on real good.”
Jake nods, gaze dropping back down to the picture as his bangs fall across his face. Pursing his lips, Renato secures the bandage wrap before he lifts himself up onto his knees. He fits himself between the older man’s legs, arms wrapping around Jake’s waist as he surges forward to place a soft kiss on the Saboteur’s forehead.
Renato lets his head fall forward onto Jake’s shoulder, the old picture of the original four taken back in the Entity's realm staring up at him from the Saboteur's lap. Dwight's barely visible smile from behind his fist, Meg with both of her arms slung over Claudette and Jake's shoulders respectively. The glass had in fact scratched the photo, Renato frowning at a particularly bad one crossing right over Dwight’s shoulder.
The photo is one of the few things from that place Jake had in his pocket when he'd woken up back home. It's the only thing Jake has as proof that Dwight, Meg, and Claudette existed back there. The Saboteur hasn't been able to find any of them.
Those three aren't the only ones. Renato knows of Ace, Jane, Elodie, and Felix. And of course, Thalita. But the others? Nothing. Renato had been lucky to find Jake and sometimes finds himself staying up at night thinking about the what if of not having been able to. He genuinely hopes that others have found each other as well. He also hopes it's only a matter of time before they finally manage to make contact.
Renato can only imagine how much Jake must miss them. Since the beginning of the Saboteur's existence in that place, he'd had Dwight, Meg, and Claudette with him. They were pretty close, sharing a kinship that pretty much served as the basis for all the survivors finding themselves in the fog. If the Kite-Fighter had returned back to the real world only to find that he'd been separated from Thalita, with no clue of her well-being or her where-abouts, he doesn't know what he'd do with himself.
Lifting his head from Jake’s shoulder, the Kite-Fighter tilts his head to catch Jake’s eye, "We'll find them. Call me cliche or sappy or whatever, but they're out there somewhere. And I'm sure they're looking for you too. It's only a matter of time."
Jake is silent, gaze holding onto Renato's for a long moment before a small snort finally escapes him, the older man ducking his head and letting it fall forward onto Renato’s shoulder. The sound is welcomed, the Kite-Fighter wrapping his arms around the Saboteur.
“Dork,” Jake breathes out into the younger man’s neck.
“You love this dork,” Renato grins, hand running up the Saboteur’s back before it settles at the base of his neck.
“Yeah, I do,” Jake responds, not missing a beat.
The words make Renato’s chest feel light, warmth spreading from his stomach all the way down to his toes. Threading his fingers into Jake’s hair, he gently pulls away from the older man to be able to look him in the eyes.
“Love you too,” Renato admits as he leans forward to place a gentle kiss on the Saboteur’s lips.