why yes, we can do fluff
WHO: Reno {redor_dead}, Celena Schezar {zaibachs_best}
WHERE: Room 150
WHEN: Evening, backlogged.
SUMMARY: Reno comes to visit Celena when the walls have vanished.
RATING: G
WARNINGS: Fluff
STATUS:Complete
It had taken Celena a long while to fumble and crawl down to her original room on the first floor. Most of the journey had been conducted on her knees or her backside, feeling her way through the corridors and down the stairs, hardly daring to open her eyes to check. She was grateful for the tough leather of Dilandau's pants and gloves, no matter how incongruous they looked paired with her pretty dress, saving her from scrapes and splinters. Not that she didn't have a collection of bruises adorning her by the time she'd found room 150, tracing the numbers on the invisible doors with trembling fingers.
It was far less terrifying sitting on the first floor than it was on the sixth, though her stomach still lurched occasionally at the sight of the seeming emptiness around and below her. Looking up, she frowned. What on Gaia was that under the bed of the person above her? She didn't want to contemplate such things too closely. Glancing across, she could see the other inhabitants moving in their rooms, arms outstretched and bouncing off of the walls, or staying carefully still. Was that Reno she could see some doors down? The hair was certainly bright enough to be him. Standing on her bed, Celena waved across at the man, hoping to catch his attention with her flailing.
He hadn't quite gotten used to the lack of walls or doors, or pretty much any surface at all. He was used to constant scrutiny. As Turks they were always under fire from some form of organisation in their bid to take over as the electric company for the Planet. But really, how could anyone miss the waving arms, smiling face and bright eyes.
With a smirk, he waved back at Celena, sitting cross legged on his bed, throwing things at the floor to see if they would fall to the ground floor or not. It was odd that he couldn't hear the others, just see them. Although some of the other guests seemed to be acting a little odd. He made a gesture towards Celena to see if she was alright, trying to ask the question without words.
Celena beamed when Reno responded, waving her arms in more enthusiastic flails. She gave him a big thumbs up, thinking he'd been asking about her health, then beckoned at him, trying to summon him over. Their room picnics had been one of the highlights of her time since she'd woken up. How deep did things run between the man and Dilandau, that she would feel so blushing and cheered around him? But it didn't matter, really, he seemed to like her company and that was enough for her to summon him as quick as possible.
Reno contemplated what her enthusiastic waving meant. Figuring that she wanted some company, he nodded his head, pulling his shoes on and hesitantly stepping onto the invisible floor. Freaking weird, he thought to himself as he walked to where he knew his door was -he'd left it open after walking into it twice, choosing not to break his nose on it.
Moving along the hall, small waves to anyone who glanced his way, a hand trailing along the wall. He stopped as his hand connected with the doorway of Celena's room, hand feeling out the door and smiling warmly at the girl.
Celena bounced off of her bed, scampering towards Reno with her arms outstretched. It took some fumbling to find the door handle, but she managed to pull it open soon enough, finally able to talk to him.
"Reno! Oh, how have you been? Are you happy being big again? Isn't it strange with no walls? Oh, I was so scared, and now I've got to wear these pants all the time to stop people looking up my skirts and what do you think we should do about the bathrooms and oh, do you want to come in?" She ran back to her bed, leaping off of the invisible floor and patting the mattress near her.
"I'm sure it'll be fine, since everyone can chaperone now, so you can sit on the bed with me." Celena glanced around, hoping no one was atually watching too closely. It would be embarrassing to be stared at.
Reno was constantly amazed at her energy, although he understood how different she was from Dilandau. With a smile and his usual easy gait, Reno made his way over to her bed, leaving the door open just to be sure there was no more fumbling. Pulling off his shoes again, he sat on her bed, swining his legs up and crossing them.
"Gotta admit, being my usual self is better, yeah." He said, "The wall thing might take a while to get used to." He was rather freaked out when he first woke up, but fell back asleep easily and forgot about it for the most part. "How about you, you doin' okay with it?"
Celena fidgeted, looking down at Reno's toes before answering. His feet were pale and bony and strangely interesting.
"Um, well, it's not very nice, knowing that any moment, someone could be staring at me, even though the Host probably does it all the time." She answered. "And I'm not sure what I'll do about bathing and, ahh, other bathroom matters. I suppose I shall have to wait until it's dark. It would have been a bit easier if I was still a child." She fiddled with her gloves, stroking the small marks in the tip of the middle finger from Dilandau's teeth. Her own fit exactly in the grooves and the glove tugged off easily, exposing long-fingered hands. She met Reno's eyes.
"How are you now your friends from your land have gone? Was it your boss who went away?" She asked.
Reno nodded, looking down at her hands for a moment, small smile tugging at his lips over her concerns. "I'm sure people will respect your privacy as much as they can."
While he had reacted worse when he'd first realised that each of his co-workers and his boss were no where in the hotel, his issues seemed much more prominent and his emotions hardly controlled at all while in his seven year old state.
"Yeah, my boss and two co-workers," he told her, "the three of them are gone. I'll be fine though."
Celena watched the man in front of her carefully, trying to measure how much was truth and how much bravado. She reached out to pat at his hair, so pretty and red and wild.
"Well, if you ever get lonely, you're always welcome to visit me. I know it's terrible, feeling left. But you're always welcome to see me, all the time!" Celena beamed, her cheeks somewhat red while making her offer. "Well, unless I'm in the shower or changing, but you'd only have to wait a little while to see me even when I'm doing that."
Reno grinned at her, wide and genuine, nodding his head at her. He really didn't mind it so much anymore, understanding that they probably didn't get a choice in the matter, and that if he had to choose, he'd wish that the three of them were gone from here rather than stuck. But he really didn't enjoy the niggling feeling at the back of his mind, the one that was almost always there.
"Thanks Celena, you really are a gem." How she could always be so sweet and adorable he wouldn't know, least of all when Dilandau was the total opposite. Most of the time. Although they both seemed to like his hair enough.
Celena beamed back and giggled at the praise and the smile, a giddy happiness rising up in her. She pulled her hand away from his hair, smiling and peeking through her lashes.
"You're welcome, Reno. And I'm not sure I'm actually a gem." She replied in a teasing voice. "If I was, I'd be far harder and not have these bruises from the walls." She yawned suddenly, quickly covering her mouth. Moving down five flights would not have tired her normally, but the clinging and uncertainty and tentative feeling had left her a bit drained.
Reno smirked and chuckled slightly at her analogy, shaking his head slightly. "Well, you're a sweetheart anyway." Looking around Reno figured that mostly everyone would be rather drained from the whole experience with this lack of visible boundaries, walking into things and bumping against walls, doors and Reno was sure he'd seen someone tumble down the stairs, this was going to get rather interesting.
"You tired?" He asked, seeing her quickly covered yawn and smiling a little -she really was adorable.
Celena began nodding her head, but quickly changed it to a firm shake of denial as her eyes widened.
"Oh, no, not really that much, I can stay up for longer." She bit her lip. "You don't have to go." Since Dilandau had moved in with Temari she had become used to having someone near her when she slept. The memory of the horror of isolation seemed far more distant when she could hear someone breathing close by. But how to put this in a way that wouldn't give Reno too much of a wrong idea, or worse, the entire hotel?
"You know, if you don't want to give yourself more bruises, you can even stay overnight. I'm sure we can find something in the wardrobe for you to lay on the floor."
Reno nodded slightly. "I'll stay if you want, I don't mind the floor." He was used to having someone to lie with at night now -a habit he was sure he'd have to break himself of. It wasn't right to get used to such a thing, least of all when it wasn't always an occurrence. He'd grown too used to sleeping with Dilandau, it would be seen as a weakness and he knew it affected his senses anyway.
"I just need a pillow and I'm good." Lying on the floor was a good way to start breaking his habit, better than going cold turkey. Cold turkey hardly ever worked. Weaning himself off it, that's the way to go. "You need anything?"
"Oh, yes!" Celena answered immediately. "You have to close your eyes and cover your face with your hands, since I need to change." She stopped, glancing around the hotel. "Um, or maybe I'll go inside the wardrobe to do it. I'm sure at least one person might be rude and peek." She stood, taking the small bundle of clothes she'd carried from the sixth floor over to her hiding place. "There might be some of Dilandau's clothes still in here if you want to wear anything different." She offered to the other man.
And then, without warning, darkness came. Like a light being switched off, everything became black as curfew hit. After all these months it wasn't shocking, but still, it caused a momentary stumble. Celena's first impulse was to grope for the light switch, but then, when she looked around, she realised that it wasn't pitch blackness. Rooms around the hotel were lit up from bulbs dangling in mid air.
"Oh, my, do you think people will see us so clearly if I turned ours on too?" She asked. "I'm not sure I want to be watched."
Looking around, Reno saw the number of lit rooms and figured she'd be better getting changed without the light on in her room. "What about getting changed in the wardrobe, with the door open just a crack so you can see what you're doing?" He offered. She was so modest and old fashioned that sometimes it threw him for a loop. There were a lot of people in the hotel who had no such worries; showering without care, shamelessly sleeping nude. He figured he would've been one of them if Dilandau was here in Celena's place.
"I'll be fine in my clothes." He'd slept in them enough times, what was one more?
"Well, if you're very, very sure." Celena answered, before climbing in. "And if I see you looking through the gap, I'll hit you!" She warned. She pulled the door ajar and began struggling out of her clothes, elbows banging on the sides as she worked, grumbling at the ties and lacings on her various layers. It took a while to struggle out of her clothes and into a pair of Dilandau's pyjamas, stopping to roll up the legs and smooth down the vest. At least his sleep wear, unlike his usual lavender undershirt, was long enough to actually cover her stomach.
She climbed out, groping around slightly as she wandered back to the bed, looking around at the layers of lit rooms above her. She perched next to Reno, yawning.
"Can you see anyone you know up there?" She asked, peering at the feet walking above.
He watched them for a moment, amused at how it looked from his position on the floor. "A few." He could recognise a couple of people, it was hard to see all the way to the top floor, but he could see at least to the fourth floor fairly clear. "It's kind of odd, right." He supposed this was what x-ray vision would be like. Seeing through the walls and floors, just to look at what everyone was doing.
"Maybe this is how the Host sees."
Celena shivered at the thought. "Oh, it could be. I'd hope he doesn't watch us every single moment, the horrible man. To think, this might be more honest with no walls than it usually is..." She sighed.
"Do you imagine we'll ever find out how to get free?" She asked wistfully. "I've known so many people here, and lost them when the Host got bored, and it hurts to think I'll never see them again." She lay back on the bed, pulling the blankets over herself, passing a pillow down to Reno.
Taking the pillow with a murmured 'thanks' while thinking over things. "Well, the people who've come back don't seem to remember things. I'd guess, when you're sent back to your home...you'll forget about everything." Which would probably be a blessing for a lot of people, Celena especially.
"He can't keep us here indefinitely, no matter how he tries." Reno figured that at some point, at least, someone would have to figure out a way to get home, some way out of this place rather than just waiting for the Host to grow bored. "It's just a matter of when I suppose."
Celena bit her lip. "If I forget about here, I'd lose so much. I don't even know if I'd come out again. And... I have memories of you. They aren't coming clear yet, but I know they're there, under my mind. I'm trying my very best to remember you from when I was a man. I don't want to lose that either." Her eyes sank closed as she held her hand off of the bed, out to him.
He smiled slightly and curled his long fingers around her tiny hand, leaning up and kissing her fingers slightly. "It's probably best not to think about it." Since she probably wouldn't remember losing anything, he figured there was no reason to let her worry over it. She had friends in the here and now, so why bother with what would happen if or when they all went back?
"Maybe...maybe you shouldn't try too hard on remembering those things. About me, I mean." He wasn't too sure how she would react to what his relationship with Dilandau was like -hell, he was even thinking of it as a relationship now. She would probably be entirely shocked by the whole thing.
Celena's blush was hidden by the darkness. His lips were warm and soft when they brushed over her fingers. "But I know they're good memories." She murmured, squeezing his hand. "My other self really likes being around you. I can feel it when you're near. The feelings are mine." She paused. "You're mine." She said slowly, knowing the words were true.
Sleep was rising up in her, slowing her breathing, loosening her grip on Reno's hand. The warm, callused touch was enough to soothe her as she drifted off.
Reno just listened to her steady breathing -enjoying the fact that there was at least someone else in the room again. He didn't really want to think about the why, but her words settled something inside him. No matter the differences in personality, Celena and Dilandau were essentially the same person; shocking as it may seem.
Although he wasn't sure how he felt about her remembering things that he and Dilandau did. The realisation of the things they've done might just be too much of a shock for the girl.
.....
Celena wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep before the dreams started. It was the same as always, no matter what personality she had on. The darkness. The cold. That single, barred window, high above. Calling out, calling and screaming and wailing and no one was coming and her hair was shorn and she'd been there for so long and there were things scuttling in the corners and the door was too heavy and no one could hear her and she'd die and she was alone, alone and...
She sat up, gasping, a hand clamped to her eyes to stifle her tears. The panic was still there, in this darkness and loneliness, panic enough to make her whimper and grope about for anything, anyone, rather than be alone again.
Reno was usually a light sleeper -years on the street, years as a Turk, years catching a few quick minutes of shut eye while on the job, honed that skill. So Celena's fussing caught him enough to bring him out of the light sleep he'd fallen into on the floor. He reached his hand up, knowing full well about Dilandau's nightmares and the chance that he'd wind up with another smack from flailing arms.
"Hey," he whispered softly, mostly just letting her know he was still there in an attempt to soothe her somewhat. "Y'okay?" His fingers lightly brushed her hand, trailing over her skin to offer the contact.
Celena rolled off of the bed when she felt that touch, groping across the floor until she found Reno. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging, her head buried into his neck, not caring that they were alone, or this was a man or that she was dressed only in thin cotton, because he was here and he was kind and real and familiar. Her body was shuddering with relief, still sleep-warm against his as she gasped though the aftershock of her sleeping fears.
"Don't leave me." she whimpered. "Don't ever leave. I don't want to be alone. Promise me you'll stay."
Reno wrapped one arm around her waist, his other hand running up and down her back to try and calm her. "Hey, it's okay, I'm not leaving." He wasn't used to hysterical females clinging to him, he wasn't really used to anyone clinging to him. He couldn't say what it was, her sniffling, how small she seemed or the fact that this was Dilandau in his other form, but Reno knew he'd probably end up joined at the hip with her.
He tried to figure it out in his head while he shushed her, hand almost automatically rubbing her back while he let her cling to him. In the end it probably wouldn't matter why he did it. "It's okay, you were just dreaming." At least this time he wasn't getting whacked.
She sniffed loudly, wiping the wetness on her face off on his shirt. To be held, to be petted, it was soothing the fear back into the recesses of her mind. Reno's body was hard against hers, so skinny, but he was warm.
"Good." She whispered. "Because if you left I'd chase you." She swallowed slightly, wiping her face once more against him. "And if you made me chase you, I'd be mad. So it's best if you stay."
He smiled in the darkness, slightly amused that there was still the lingering 'don't get me mad' aspect of her character. He didn't mind it so much -not after the whole finger breaking thing blew over. "I'll stay till you want me to leave, how's that?" He asked, willing to stick around for however long she wanted. It wasn't like he really had anything else to do. All the people he knew had vanished almost over night, there was no job, no need to go anywhere. Why not just stay with her?
"You want to go back on the bed? Since I promise not to leave?" He was used to the cold, hardness of the floor, but in all likelihood, she'd be better off in the bed -and under some covers to stay warm.
Celena nodded, knowing she certainly wouldn't be able to be comfortable on the floor. But still, he was warm and the way his voice echoed in his chest and his hands soothed her was lulling her. Her bed would have gotten cold by now...
"And you'll come too? For sleeping, just sleeping, okay?" She tacked the last parts on quickly, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that when her other self would make such an offer, it was not for the same reasons.
"Yeah, okay," Reno nodded as much as he could, trapped beneath her and head on the pillow, "I come to sleep." The bed would be far more comfortable, but it was only so that she would be able to sleep peacefully. That was all.
He only agreed to the offer because she clearly didn't want to be by herself at all, not even just on her bed. It didn't have anything to do with how fond he was of sleeping with another person next to him, or waking up with a warm body, or cuddling -he didn't like cuddling at all damnit. It was just her; her and her little voice, scared shaking and lingering memories. He was only doing it for her.
He was careful as he shifted, moving to stand and helping her up with him. Pulling back the covers on her bed and picking up his own pillow. "You want me to sleep on top of the covers?" He knew how modest and proper she was -she probably couldn't stop from thinking about appearances for a moment.
Celena settled down into the covers, keeping a hand on him, making sure the contact was never broken. In the darkness, if he moved away she'd never be able to tell if he disappeared forever.
"Um, yes, that's a good idea." She said, remembering the walls and her neighbours. "But keep holding me?" She smoothed down the blankets with her free hand, patting them invitingly, though the politeness was ruined by her other hand fisted into his shirt, clinging.
Reno moved onto the bed, lying beside her and draping his arm over her waist -it was enough to have the contact she wanted, and for him to feel at ease, but it wasn't what he would think of as inappropriate. Then again, anyone who made comment within earshot of him would likely get their nose broken for their troubles -Gaia save them if Temari took objection.
"I'll be right here." He told her, fighting the urge to move closer, to bury his nose in the back of her neck, to nuzzle at the base of her hairline. He needed to keep some distance. And he wasn't about to take advantage of her want for some comfort.
Celena leaned into him, sighing softly. "Thank you." She murmured, stroking his hand. He was so kind to her, so gentle. And he smelt nice too. That scent was familiar to her, the scent of someone who belonged to her. Her eyes closed against the dark as she began to go limp once more, falling into a gentle doze.
He stayed awake a while longer, listening to her soft, easy breathing and slowly relaxing himself. While the occasional burst of nightmares wasn't unusual they seldom went away completely. He'd stay awake to be sure, so that she was comfortable. He'd stopped telling himself he was doing it for an easy life, finally accepting that he had somehow started to care. Which was bad news on its own, never mind who he'd ended up caring about.
WHERE: Room 150
WHEN: Evening, backlogged.
SUMMARY: Reno comes to visit Celena when the walls have vanished.
RATING: G
WARNINGS: Fluff
STATUS:Complete
It had taken Celena a long while to fumble and crawl down to her original room on the first floor. Most of the journey had been conducted on her knees or her backside, feeling her way through the corridors and down the stairs, hardly daring to open her eyes to check. She was grateful for the tough leather of Dilandau's pants and gloves, no matter how incongruous they looked paired with her pretty dress, saving her from scrapes and splinters. Not that she didn't have a collection of bruises adorning her by the time she'd found room 150, tracing the numbers on the invisible doors with trembling fingers.
It was far less terrifying sitting on the first floor than it was on the sixth, though her stomach still lurched occasionally at the sight of the seeming emptiness around and below her. Looking up, she frowned. What on Gaia was that under the bed of the person above her? She didn't want to contemplate such things too closely. Glancing across, she could see the other inhabitants moving in their rooms, arms outstretched and bouncing off of the walls, or staying carefully still. Was that Reno she could see some doors down? The hair was certainly bright enough to be him. Standing on her bed, Celena waved across at the man, hoping to catch his attention with her flailing.
He hadn't quite gotten used to the lack of walls or doors, or pretty much any surface at all. He was used to constant scrutiny. As Turks they were always under fire from some form of organisation in their bid to take over as the electric company for the Planet. But really, how could anyone miss the waving arms, smiling face and bright eyes.
With a smirk, he waved back at Celena, sitting cross legged on his bed, throwing things at the floor to see if they would fall to the ground floor or not. It was odd that he couldn't hear the others, just see them. Although some of the other guests seemed to be acting a little odd. He made a gesture towards Celena to see if she was alright, trying to ask the question without words.
Celena beamed when Reno responded, waving her arms in more enthusiastic flails. She gave him a big thumbs up, thinking he'd been asking about her health, then beckoned at him, trying to summon him over. Their room picnics had been one of the highlights of her time since she'd woken up. How deep did things run between the man and Dilandau, that she would feel so blushing and cheered around him? But it didn't matter, really, he seemed to like her company and that was enough for her to summon him as quick as possible.
Reno contemplated what her enthusiastic waving meant. Figuring that she wanted some company, he nodded his head, pulling his shoes on and hesitantly stepping onto the invisible floor. Freaking weird, he thought to himself as he walked to where he knew his door was -he'd left it open after walking into it twice, choosing not to break his nose on it.
Moving along the hall, small waves to anyone who glanced his way, a hand trailing along the wall. He stopped as his hand connected with the doorway of Celena's room, hand feeling out the door and smiling warmly at the girl.
Celena bounced off of her bed, scampering towards Reno with her arms outstretched. It took some fumbling to find the door handle, but she managed to pull it open soon enough, finally able to talk to him.
"Reno! Oh, how have you been? Are you happy being big again? Isn't it strange with no walls? Oh, I was so scared, and now I've got to wear these pants all the time to stop people looking up my skirts and what do you think we should do about the bathrooms and oh, do you want to come in?" She ran back to her bed, leaping off of the invisible floor and patting the mattress near her.
"I'm sure it'll be fine, since everyone can chaperone now, so you can sit on the bed with me." Celena glanced around, hoping no one was atually watching too closely. It would be embarrassing to be stared at.
Reno was constantly amazed at her energy, although he understood how different she was from Dilandau. With a smile and his usual easy gait, Reno made his way over to her bed, leaving the door open just to be sure there was no more fumbling. Pulling off his shoes again, he sat on her bed, swining his legs up and crossing them.
"Gotta admit, being my usual self is better, yeah." He said, "The wall thing might take a while to get used to." He was rather freaked out when he first woke up, but fell back asleep easily and forgot about it for the most part. "How about you, you doin' okay with it?"
Celena fidgeted, looking down at Reno's toes before answering. His feet were pale and bony and strangely interesting.
"Um, well, it's not very nice, knowing that any moment, someone could be staring at me, even though the Host probably does it all the time." She answered. "And I'm not sure what I'll do about bathing and, ahh, other bathroom matters. I suppose I shall have to wait until it's dark. It would have been a bit easier if I was still a child." She fiddled with her gloves, stroking the small marks in the tip of the middle finger from Dilandau's teeth. Her own fit exactly in the grooves and the glove tugged off easily, exposing long-fingered hands. She met Reno's eyes.
"How are you now your friends from your land have gone? Was it your boss who went away?" She asked.
Reno nodded, looking down at her hands for a moment, small smile tugging at his lips over her concerns. "I'm sure people will respect your privacy as much as they can."
While he had reacted worse when he'd first realised that each of his co-workers and his boss were no where in the hotel, his issues seemed much more prominent and his emotions hardly controlled at all while in his seven year old state.
"Yeah, my boss and two co-workers," he told her, "the three of them are gone. I'll be fine though."
Celena watched the man in front of her carefully, trying to measure how much was truth and how much bravado. She reached out to pat at his hair, so pretty and red and wild.
"Well, if you ever get lonely, you're always welcome to visit me. I know it's terrible, feeling left. But you're always welcome to see me, all the time!" Celena beamed, her cheeks somewhat red while making her offer. "Well, unless I'm in the shower or changing, but you'd only have to wait a little while to see me even when I'm doing that."
Reno grinned at her, wide and genuine, nodding his head at her. He really didn't mind it so much anymore, understanding that they probably didn't get a choice in the matter, and that if he had to choose, he'd wish that the three of them were gone from here rather than stuck. But he really didn't enjoy the niggling feeling at the back of his mind, the one that was almost always there.
"Thanks Celena, you really are a gem." How she could always be so sweet and adorable he wouldn't know, least of all when Dilandau was the total opposite. Most of the time. Although they both seemed to like his hair enough.
Celena beamed back and giggled at the praise and the smile, a giddy happiness rising up in her. She pulled her hand away from his hair, smiling and peeking through her lashes.
"You're welcome, Reno. And I'm not sure I'm actually a gem." She replied in a teasing voice. "If I was, I'd be far harder and not have these bruises from the walls." She yawned suddenly, quickly covering her mouth. Moving down five flights would not have tired her normally, but the clinging and uncertainty and tentative feeling had left her a bit drained.
Reno smirked and chuckled slightly at her analogy, shaking his head slightly. "Well, you're a sweetheart anyway." Looking around Reno figured that mostly everyone would be rather drained from the whole experience with this lack of visible boundaries, walking into things and bumping against walls, doors and Reno was sure he'd seen someone tumble down the stairs, this was going to get rather interesting.
"You tired?" He asked, seeing her quickly covered yawn and smiling a little -she really was adorable.
Celena began nodding her head, but quickly changed it to a firm shake of denial as her eyes widened.
"Oh, no, not really that much, I can stay up for longer." She bit her lip. "You don't have to go." Since Dilandau had moved in with Temari she had become used to having someone near her when she slept. The memory of the horror of isolation seemed far more distant when she could hear someone breathing close by. But how to put this in a way that wouldn't give Reno too much of a wrong idea, or worse, the entire hotel?
"You know, if you don't want to give yourself more bruises, you can even stay overnight. I'm sure we can find something in the wardrobe for you to lay on the floor."
Reno nodded slightly. "I'll stay if you want, I don't mind the floor." He was used to having someone to lie with at night now -a habit he was sure he'd have to break himself of. It wasn't right to get used to such a thing, least of all when it wasn't always an occurrence. He'd grown too used to sleeping with Dilandau, it would be seen as a weakness and he knew it affected his senses anyway.
"I just need a pillow and I'm good." Lying on the floor was a good way to start breaking his habit, better than going cold turkey. Cold turkey hardly ever worked. Weaning himself off it, that's the way to go. "You need anything?"
"Oh, yes!" Celena answered immediately. "You have to close your eyes and cover your face with your hands, since I need to change." She stopped, glancing around the hotel. "Um, or maybe I'll go inside the wardrobe to do it. I'm sure at least one person might be rude and peek." She stood, taking the small bundle of clothes she'd carried from the sixth floor over to her hiding place. "There might be some of Dilandau's clothes still in here if you want to wear anything different." She offered to the other man.
And then, without warning, darkness came. Like a light being switched off, everything became black as curfew hit. After all these months it wasn't shocking, but still, it caused a momentary stumble. Celena's first impulse was to grope for the light switch, but then, when she looked around, she realised that it wasn't pitch blackness. Rooms around the hotel were lit up from bulbs dangling in mid air.
"Oh, my, do you think people will see us so clearly if I turned ours on too?" She asked. "I'm not sure I want to be watched."
Looking around, Reno saw the number of lit rooms and figured she'd be better getting changed without the light on in her room. "What about getting changed in the wardrobe, with the door open just a crack so you can see what you're doing?" He offered. She was so modest and old fashioned that sometimes it threw him for a loop. There were a lot of people in the hotel who had no such worries; showering without care, shamelessly sleeping nude. He figured he would've been one of them if Dilandau was here in Celena's place.
"I'll be fine in my clothes." He'd slept in them enough times, what was one more?
"Well, if you're very, very sure." Celena answered, before climbing in. "And if I see you looking through the gap, I'll hit you!" She warned. She pulled the door ajar and began struggling out of her clothes, elbows banging on the sides as she worked, grumbling at the ties and lacings on her various layers. It took a while to struggle out of her clothes and into a pair of Dilandau's pyjamas, stopping to roll up the legs and smooth down the vest. At least his sleep wear, unlike his usual lavender undershirt, was long enough to actually cover her stomach.
She climbed out, groping around slightly as she wandered back to the bed, looking around at the layers of lit rooms above her. She perched next to Reno, yawning.
"Can you see anyone you know up there?" She asked, peering at the feet walking above.
He watched them for a moment, amused at how it looked from his position on the floor. "A few." He could recognise a couple of people, it was hard to see all the way to the top floor, but he could see at least to the fourth floor fairly clear. "It's kind of odd, right." He supposed this was what x-ray vision would be like. Seeing through the walls and floors, just to look at what everyone was doing.
"Maybe this is how the Host sees."
Celena shivered at the thought. "Oh, it could be. I'd hope he doesn't watch us every single moment, the horrible man. To think, this might be more honest with no walls than it usually is..." She sighed.
"Do you imagine we'll ever find out how to get free?" She asked wistfully. "I've known so many people here, and lost them when the Host got bored, and it hurts to think I'll never see them again." She lay back on the bed, pulling the blankets over herself, passing a pillow down to Reno.
Taking the pillow with a murmured 'thanks' while thinking over things. "Well, the people who've come back don't seem to remember things. I'd guess, when you're sent back to your home...you'll forget about everything." Which would probably be a blessing for a lot of people, Celena especially.
"He can't keep us here indefinitely, no matter how he tries." Reno figured that at some point, at least, someone would have to figure out a way to get home, some way out of this place rather than just waiting for the Host to grow bored. "It's just a matter of when I suppose."
Celena bit her lip. "If I forget about here, I'd lose so much. I don't even know if I'd come out again. And... I have memories of you. They aren't coming clear yet, but I know they're there, under my mind. I'm trying my very best to remember you from when I was a man. I don't want to lose that either." Her eyes sank closed as she held her hand off of the bed, out to him.
He smiled slightly and curled his long fingers around her tiny hand, leaning up and kissing her fingers slightly. "It's probably best not to think about it." Since she probably wouldn't remember losing anything, he figured there was no reason to let her worry over it. She had friends in the here and now, so why bother with what would happen if or when they all went back?
"Maybe...maybe you shouldn't try too hard on remembering those things. About me, I mean." He wasn't too sure how she would react to what his relationship with Dilandau was like -hell, he was even thinking of it as a relationship now. She would probably be entirely shocked by the whole thing.
Celena's blush was hidden by the darkness. His lips were warm and soft when they brushed over her fingers. "But I know they're good memories." She murmured, squeezing his hand. "My other self really likes being around you. I can feel it when you're near. The feelings are mine." She paused. "You're mine." She said slowly, knowing the words were true.
Sleep was rising up in her, slowing her breathing, loosening her grip on Reno's hand. The warm, callused touch was enough to soothe her as she drifted off.
Reno just listened to her steady breathing -enjoying the fact that there was at least someone else in the room again. He didn't really want to think about the why, but her words settled something inside him. No matter the differences in personality, Celena and Dilandau were essentially the same person; shocking as it may seem.
Although he wasn't sure how he felt about her remembering things that he and Dilandau did. The realisation of the things they've done might just be too much of a shock for the girl.
.....
Celena wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep before the dreams started. It was the same as always, no matter what personality she had on. The darkness. The cold. That single, barred window, high above. Calling out, calling and screaming and wailing and no one was coming and her hair was shorn and she'd been there for so long and there were things scuttling in the corners and the door was too heavy and no one could hear her and she'd die and she was alone, alone and...
She sat up, gasping, a hand clamped to her eyes to stifle her tears. The panic was still there, in this darkness and loneliness, panic enough to make her whimper and grope about for anything, anyone, rather than be alone again.
Reno was usually a light sleeper -years on the street, years as a Turk, years catching a few quick minutes of shut eye while on the job, honed that skill. So Celena's fussing caught him enough to bring him out of the light sleep he'd fallen into on the floor. He reached his hand up, knowing full well about Dilandau's nightmares and the chance that he'd wind up with another smack from flailing arms.
"Hey," he whispered softly, mostly just letting her know he was still there in an attempt to soothe her somewhat. "Y'okay?" His fingers lightly brushed her hand, trailing over her skin to offer the contact.
Celena rolled off of the bed when she felt that touch, groping across the floor until she found Reno. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging, her head buried into his neck, not caring that they were alone, or this was a man or that she was dressed only in thin cotton, because he was here and he was kind and real and familiar. Her body was shuddering with relief, still sleep-warm against his as she gasped though the aftershock of her sleeping fears.
"Don't leave me." she whimpered. "Don't ever leave. I don't want to be alone. Promise me you'll stay."
Reno wrapped one arm around her waist, his other hand running up and down her back to try and calm her. "Hey, it's okay, I'm not leaving." He wasn't used to hysterical females clinging to him, he wasn't really used to anyone clinging to him. He couldn't say what it was, her sniffling, how small she seemed or the fact that this was Dilandau in his other form, but Reno knew he'd probably end up joined at the hip with her.
He tried to figure it out in his head while he shushed her, hand almost automatically rubbing her back while he let her cling to him. In the end it probably wouldn't matter why he did it. "It's okay, you were just dreaming." At least this time he wasn't getting whacked.
She sniffed loudly, wiping the wetness on her face off on his shirt. To be held, to be petted, it was soothing the fear back into the recesses of her mind. Reno's body was hard against hers, so skinny, but he was warm.
"Good." She whispered. "Because if you left I'd chase you." She swallowed slightly, wiping her face once more against him. "And if you made me chase you, I'd be mad. So it's best if you stay."
He smiled in the darkness, slightly amused that there was still the lingering 'don't get me mad' aspect of her character. He didn't mind it so much -not after the whole finger breaking thing blew over. "I'll stay till you want me to leave, how's that?" He asked, willing to stick around for however long she wanted. It wasn't like he really had anything else to do. All the people he knew had vanished almost over night, there was no job, no need to go anywhere. Why not just stay with her?
"You want to go back on the bed? Since I promise not to leave?" He was used to the cold, hardness of the floor, but in all likelihood, she'd be better off in the bed -and under some covers to stay warm.
Celena nodded, knowing she certainly wouldn't be able to be comfortable on the floor. But still, he was warm and the way his voice echoed in his chest and his hands soothed her was lulling her. Her bed would have gotten cold by now...
"And you'll come too? For sleeping, just sleeping, okay?" She tacked the last parts on quickly, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that when her other self would make such an offer, it was not for the same reasons.
"Yeah, okay," Reno nodded as much as he could, trapped beneath her and head on the pillow, "I come to sleep." The bed would be far more comfortable, but it was only so that she would be able to sleep peacefully. That was all.
He only agreed to the offer because she clearly didn't want to be by herself at all, not even just on her bed. It didn't have anything to do with how fond he was of sleeping with another person next to him, or waking up with a warm body, or cuddling -he didn't like cuddling at all damnit. It was just her; her and her little voice, scared shaking and lingering memories. He was only doing it for her.
He was careful as he shifted, moving to stand and helping her up with him. Pulling back the covers on her bed and picking up his own pillow. "You want me to sleep on top of the covers?" He knew how modest and proper she was -she probably couldn't stop from thinking about appearances for a moment.
Celena settled down into the covers, keeping a hand on him, making sure the contact was never broken. In the darkness, if he moved away she'd never be able to tell if he disappeared forever.
"Um, yes, that's a good idea." She said, remembering the walls and her neighbours. "But keep holding me?" She smoothed down the blankets with her free hand, patting them invitingly, though the politeness was ruined by her other hand fisted into his shirt, clinging.
Reno moved onto the bed, lying beside her and draping his arm over her waist -it was enough to have the contact she wanted, and for him to feel at ease, but it wasn't what he would think of as inappropriate. Then again, anyone who made comment within earshot of him would likely get their nose broken for their troubles -Gaia save them if Temari took objection.
"I'll be right here." He told her, fighting the urge to move closer, to bury his nose in the back of her neck, to nuzzle at the base of her hairline. He needed to keep some distance. And he wasn't about to take advantage of her want for some comfort.
Celena leaned into him, sighing softly. "Thank you." She murmured, stroking his hand. He was so kind to her, so gentle. And he smelt nice too. That scent was familiar to her, the scent of someone who belonged to her. Her eyes closed against the dark as she began to go limp once more, falling into a gentle doze.
He stayed awake a while longer, listening to her soft, easy breathing and slowly relaxing himself. While the occasional burst of nightmares wasn't unusual they seldom went away completely. He'd stay awake to be sure, so that she was comfortable. He'd stopped telling himself he was doing it for an easy life, finally accepting that he had somehow started to care. Which was bad news on its own, never mind who he'd ended up caring about.