Yowamushi Pedal

[redheadedstepson]

Who: Reno and Makishima
What: Reno wanders modern Earth and takes a fool chance.
When: Modern times, in the last decade.
Where: England
Warnings: Possible smut, but everyone is of age and consenting.



A fateful night under the mistletoe just a few days after Reno stumbled into the boring-ass world called "Earth" and he ended up with a phone number and a lingering taste in his mouth. He waited a long time to call. Not months, but a couple of weeks, once he learned about the local holidays and realized they were meant for family and close friends, not date with strangers you snogged in bars. Well, depending on your upbringing, anyways, but he figured Makishima for a more quality figure than himself.

So it was that the day after Christmas, Makishima's phone rang and it wasn't someone from Japan or any of his relatives. It was the lazy drawl and accent of the guy from the bar.

"It's uh...it's Reno. Remember? From the party?" he offered up as gently as possible in case Maki didn't have the privacy to talk. Usually Reno didn't think about much, saying whatever he felt like when he felt like it, but the weeks of wandering around (which was actually more than a month for him, being as he went portal jumping in the meanwhile) gave him time to think about how not to screw everything up in the first hour. It was pretty sweet having time to make plans and rev himself up. Plus it meant time to beat the crap out of some punks to rip them off, shuck their wallets and get enough local scratch to take a guy out for a night on the town and not look like a cheap-ass.

Good times.

"Look uh, I know it's been a while but I thought you'd like time with the family and all. But apparently the holiday was done yesterday and I didn't want you to forget me" the Turk laughed, trying not to sound desperate. Fucking hard to do when you were playing out a seen from goddamn Lady and the Tramp. Good thing he'd never seen the movie. Loveless was bad enough.

"That dinner? Uhh...you hungry?"

[ Continued from here ]

Comments

[irridescentspider]

Makishima busy looking at one of his many gravure magazines which meant he really wasn't busy at all.

He hadn't forgotten about the strange red-head he'd met at his teams Christmas party, and he was a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten a call from him sooner, but he wasn't going to try and dwell on it either.

Christmas had been busy for him, and while it wasn't really a holiday overly celebrated by his family he had flown back to Japan for a weekend to see Kinjou, Tadokoro, Toudou, and the rest. Of course Toudou had somehow known something had happened at the holiday party and he'd pestered Maki until he'd spilled about the mistletoe and the stranger. Toudou of course had been pissed, and Makishima supposed he couldn't blame him but it was for the wrong reasons. Whatever the reason Toudou hadn't texted him or tried to call for the past few days and it was weird, so when the phone rang Maki almost ignored it in favor of making Toudou stew a little longer.

In the end he had answered it, in Japanese no less and with a tone of annoyance, but when he heard the voice on the end of the line a smile burst on his face.

"Sho! Y-yeah of course I remember you." He leaned back against his headboard, running a hand through his hair as if Reno was there to see it in it's less than perfect state.

The way Reno said it led Maki to think Reno must have definitely been from somewhere other than England. He hadn't had a British accent, but Maki hadn't been able to place the tone either. There was a lot he didn't know about Reno.

"A-ah...I...I don't think I could forget you." Did he have to say such embarrassing things? Maki's cheeks tinted pink and he looked away out of habit. "N-yeah...I'd like that." He wasn't overly hungry but he could sure work up an appetite for a date.

[redheadedstepson]

"Really? I mean...Yeah? Cool. Uh...hang on," the phone muffled briefly, Reno's voice just barely able to be made out as he covered it with a gloved hand to ask a passing stranger for the time. And few rough sounds later and he was back, sniffing softly and a cocky grin in his voice.

"Right on! So uh, how's about we meet up somewhere? I'd pick you up but I figure telling me your address is kinda off-limits 'til you know me a little better, right?" That and it would have meant lifting a motorcycle or a car, and he wasn't sure the wiring would be the same as places back home, and he suspected the police milling about were as troublesome as the soldiers back home. Best not to tempt fate yet.

"Whatcha wanna eat? You wanna go somewhere first? You a long walk in the part kinda guy? It's pretty fuckin' cold out...wanna get some uh...hot drinks somewhere or something? Just chill and chat? Work our way up to dinner, if you still wanna go at it?"

[irridescentspider]

Maki let out a small laugh at how excited Reno sounded. Yeah it reminded him exactly of Toudou. "Hey, hey, calm down." He was chastising but there was a definite sound of amusement in his voice.

"We don't have to do it all you know." There'd be time for that wouldn't there? Unless this meeting completely tanked the good feelings he'd had from the bar. "There's plenty we can do, but ah...I'm not that familiar with the city yet." He was getting there though.

"There's a bar my team and I go to sometimes after cycling. We can go there." A bar sounded like something far more up Reno's alley than anywhere fancy which was fine by Maki. He may have come from money but he appreciated that which didn't glitter."We'll figure things out from there, sho."

[redheadedstepson]

Bars were definitely more Reno's style, but he did clean up nice and he was willing to be fancy for his fancy friend. Truth be told, if he were back home he'd be able to give Maki all the good things in life. Maki came from money in his world, but Reno made the money in his. Turk paychecks were no laughing matter. Unfortunately, in Maki's world, Reno had to rob people (granted, ones that tried to turn him over first) to get money.

Not that it was hard or morally challenging for someone that had killed people as part of his living.

"Hey, whatever sounds good to you sounds perfect to me. I just wanna do whatever makes you comfortable until you don't think I'm a drunk lunatic lookin' to score. I'm a sober idiot lookin' to score. Much more genteel and realistic," the redhead grinned and laughed before realizing he'd pretty much just stated his intentions to knock boots in the future.

Welllll fuck.

"I mean. That's a joke. I'm joking. It's in poor taste. Shit. My bad. I promise I'm not a total idiot. I just like the taste of my shoes, apparently."

[irridescentspider]

It was a shame there wasn't some sort of instant money transaction between the worlds. Maki would be very impressed if Reno did show him the time of his life, though it really wasn't something he was gunning for. The foot in mouth comment nearly made Maki choke. That wasn't quite what he was gunning for either and listening to have quickly Reno began to backpedal actually made him laugh.

"Ah...sho..." Was Makishima Yuusuke blushing? Yes he actually was. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought of where else that kiss might have gone, but it hadn't and there was no sense in wishing for something that might not even come up. When Reno hadn't called Maki assumed he'd been right but here he was.

"I think you're right about being an idiot, sho." Maki laughed a little as proof that he was teasing Reno. He was used to dumb idiots who didn't know how to not run their mouths. He looked over at his own clock judging how long it would take him to get ready. "Meet me in 2 hours at --" He gave the address, explaining where it was in case Reno wasn't familiar with the streets.

[redheadedstepson]

"Aw man, come on. You're harshin' my vibe," Reno whined over the line, a smile in his voice nevertheless. He had a love of people who picked on him without being outright mean. A little push and shove was good in a friendship, let alone a relationship. He liked being on his toes.

He liked being on his back, too, so whatever got them from point A to point B was good enough for him.

"Two hours. Right...riiight. Alright, I got it written down. See you then!" he chirped into the phone, kissing the receiver before hanging up. No saying goodbye for him, he had to get his ass to the spot!

Two hours later, Reno was already at the location, dressed nicely enough in a suit pretty identical to the one before, although it was freshly pressed and smelled of clean linen and surprisingly subtle cologne for one so overbearing. He was leaning lazily against the outside wall, hands in his pockets and looking like a well-dressed thug who belonged right where he was. He looked at home there, waiting for the next mark, his bright red hair hanging in his face over the goggles perpetually attached to his head. blue eyes sliding over everyone that passed, measuring them like a predator. It all changed the second he saw Maki, though. A flash of green caught his eye and the Turk was on his feet and charging over with a grin, throwing an arm around the teen's shoulder.

"Heyyyy! You made it! And here I was sure a guy like you would come to his senses and realize he had better taste!"

[irridescentspider]

"Ah..." Maki heard the kiss and it did nothing to help that blush on his face. He hung up, swinging his legs off the bed and rushing to take a shower and get ready for his first ever date. At least Reno wouldn't have any marks of comparison to compete against.

It took him less than two hours to get ready, but he didn't want to seem over eager and be the one waiting. He took his time walking to the bar and when he got there it would have been impossible to miss Reno. That red-hair could be seen a mile away and it reminded Maki of Naruko. The two might actually like each other when they weren't arguing as the red-head was prone to do. It made Maki smile.

"Yo," He raised a hand in greeting. His own outfit was as outlandish as it had been the night the two had met. That night he'd been wearing a long sleeved button up with green and blue vertical stripes and dark olive slacks, tonight underneath his orange peacoat there was a teal paisley shirt that was tucked into a pair of slim navy slacks and cream colored oxfords on his feet. Around his neck was a gold necklace with thick links that he'd been wearing before.

Truth be told it had taken Makishima a longer time than normal to get dressed. He really didn't care much what others thought about his fashion sense but that didn't mean he didn't take some pride in it.

His body swayed with the force of Reno's arm but he laughed lightly despite it. The slight smell of cologne wafted into Maki's nose and he had to admit that despite Reno's flashy appearance he had some taste after all.

"Ah...Well you haven't proven me wrong yet, sho." He grinned tilting away a bit as if he were trying to get out from Reno's arm but not making any actual forceful movements to do it.

[redheadedstepson]

Nevertheless, Reno loosened his grip a bit, taking the opportunity to slide his hand down to loop around Maki's back, guiding him gently towards the bar with a grin and waggle of one brow.

"Lookin' mighty fine, there. I dig the bright colors and bold patterns. It's definitely you," he remarked, nodding to the teen's hair by way of indicating his assessment was based on Maki's choices and not Reno's assumed knowledge of him personally. He did like it, though. Really popped where Reno was obligated to wear dark uniforms all the time. He longed to show his individuality, and broke dress code with his goggles and untucked, often rumpled shirts, but past that he wasn't willing to piss off the boss more than he already did.

"Give it time," Reno assured the cyclist, rolling his eyes and twirling the finger of his free hand in the air before using the palm to push the bar door open. "I'm public enemy number one, back home. You don't know what you're gotten yourself into. You're doomed, babe."

[irridescentspider]

"Ha! You don't even know me yet, sho." The yet was a definite keyword and Maki was teasing anyway as he got the reference. He really did hope they could get to know each other better, and that Reno actually liked the bright colors of his outfit really made a good impression with him. Not many people actually appreciated his sense of style.

"Tch..." He stepped inside, looking back at Reno as he walked past to indicate to the hostess that they needed a seat for two. "So where exactly are you from?" Maki was still trying to figure out Reno's accent. It wasn't Japanese, it wasn't British, American maybe? It was hard to tell, but it wasn't one he'd heard before.

Heading to the booth, Maki shrugged off his jacket and sat down as the hostess handed out their menus and advised their waiter would be right over.

[redheadedstepson]

At the booth, Reno considered sitting on the opposite side, trying to make polite distance or preserve the moral bias of other patrons. In the end, he decided they could go fuck themselves, and plopped down into the booth next to Maki instead. He didn't try to get cozy, but the lack of real distance and a table between them was clear enough as he propped his cheek in his hand and leaned against the table with a smile.

"Midgar. Not too far from a little farm town called Kalm. Juno isn't far away, either. Further than Kalm, though. I don't really hang out any of those places though. I'm more partial to the streets of lower plate Midgar. Or I'll hang out in Wutai when I'm off duty," he mused, shrugging slightly and glancing over the courtesy glasses of water left for them. Water? Please. He was going to need something a hell of a lot stronger than that if he wasn't going to fall flat on his face on what was his first honest date in...well, maybe ever. He wasn't sure taking a hooker out for dinner was really a date.

"What about you? Where are you from? You sound different from all the people around here. They're all kind of...I dunno. Snobby, I guess. And drag on forever when they talk, but you've got this real nice...uh...kinda drawl? Maybe. I dunno. I like the way you talk. The rest is irrelevant, I suppose. Where we're from doesn't have a lot to do with where we're going."

[irridescentspider]

"Nh!" Maki hadn't expected that. He'd sat more in the middle of the booth so when Reno took up the rest of the space he didn't have much of a choice but to scoot further down. His cheeks were burning read and he was looking both flustered and embarrassed by the action. Yup he'd been right about Reno being that type of pushy personality. Maki must have been crazy to be attracted to him.

The embarrassment gave way to confusion as Reno explained his origins. It didn't make any sense at all. He'd never heard of these places before and the more Reno talked the more Maki was starting to wonder if he hadn't actually picked up a crazy person. The implication that where they were going was going to be to the bed hadn't completely fizzled away. Maki hoped Reno didn't think he was going to just give it up on the first date, though maybe the bar the first time would have been the first date? He really wasn't too sure. Either way as much as Reno wanted to ignore their origins that was going to be really hard for Maki.

"I don't know where any of those places are." And it wasn't as if his geography was that horrible either. If it was Naruko maybe Reno could have gotten away with it. "Where is that?" That Reno might not recognize Maki's own origins was a given. He'd found many Asians were mistaken for other branches of Asian rather readily in an otherwise Caucasian culture.

[redheadedstepson]

"Um...Well, Midgar is a little south and west of Kalm. Juno is across the bay and Wutai is part of the islands. That's pretty far from home, though. Here, look!" Reno sniffed, digging in his pocket for his phone and flipping it open. Pip pip pi, the keys went, then he turned the screen towards Maki, leaning in a bit to show a series of photos.

"This is Midgar," he said, clicking around to photos of what looked like a heavily industrialized version of old Chicago. there were brick buildings mixed in with metal factories, people walking around and Reno taking a selfie in front of a huge banner advertising some play called "Loveless".

"This...hang on...gotta find it," pip pip pip, "This is Kalm," he offered, showing a quaint little village of sorts that looked a lot like a French township, vines growing on the sides of gray-stone homes, cobblestone streets and Reno taking another selfie with an over-sized mug of beer.

"Oh, oh, this is Wutai! Man, i love Wutai. Too bad they're always buttin' heads with the government and shit," he mumbled, showing a series of photos, no selfies, depicting beautiful rock formations, jungle edges and clearly very East Asian architecture, including massive stone statues carved into the sides of the cliffs, though whether it was Buddha or something else was impossible to tell at the distance from which the photos were taken.

"This is me and the guys," he beamed proudly, flicking to a photo of a large group of people, all in uniform, most of them far more put-together than Reno, who smirked at whoever took the photo for him.

"Man, that's an old one. I never delete shit," he murmured fondly, leaning back a bit to look at the photo himself before clicking over and brightening.

"Oh, oh! This is me and my partner. He's Rude. I mean like, that's his name. Rude. He's alright. Doesn't talk much."

he nodded, leaning back in the seat again and going through more photos before snapping his phone closed and setting it on the table, through with the virtual tour. At least he'd obviously been places, even if Maki had never heard of them.

"You still haven't said where you're from," Reno observed, arching a brow slowly.

[irridescentspider]

Maki was frowning a little but his nerves and concern over potentially dealing with some weirdo were calmed by the pictures. No it didn't look like anywhere that Maki knew or had been to, but there were thousands of cities in the world and perhaps Reno actually knew some things he didn't. It was clear from the diversity of the pictures that Reno traveled in his work which meant he had to have some money. He had to wonder then what Reno was doing here in England, but of course then Reno brought up Maki's own lack of answer.

Lucky for the both the waiter came then to get their orders. Maki had been here enough time to know to order an appetizer he knew he liked and hopefully Reno would too, but they'd wait on actual food until both had a chance to look over the menu properly.

With the waiter gone again, Maki supposed he could answer the question of his own origins.

"I'm from Japan, Chiba prefecture. I'm here for college."

6 Months Later

[irridescentspider]

It has been six months. Six months since he and Reno had started dating and it has been on hell of a trip. Of course after winter break Makishima had gone back to school and had to focus on his studies. Reno was off doing whatever it was he did for work, but every weekend he was there to spend time with his green haired boyfriend. Makishima for the most part had loved every moment of it. It was nice having Reno around, and watching him get better at cycling, perhaps a little too good as some reckless tricks seemed to prove, and generally getting to live with him.

Actually if Makishima was honest it was the living with Reno on the weekends that was putting a bit of a strain in their relationship. Reno was a handful too be sure and Makishima really wasn't used to people being that close in his space. Now and again he'd find things moved or food missing and Makishima couldn't help but be annoyed. Sure he was used to his stuff being touched, he was a middle son after all, but that didn't mean he'd like it. Now that summer was here and Makishima was once again on vacation Reno was over nearly all the time and Maki was really feeling the strain.

He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.

It wasn't just that either. Underneath it all Makishima still didn't know much about Reno's life or wherever he came from. He had learned some, that Reno came from a poor background and had worked his way up the ranks of whatever organization he was a part of, but everything else still came across as one big mystery that Makishima didn't understand.

He was worried about Reno, and that worry was beginning to stress him out.

Right now, they were at the bar where they'd had their first date, sharing a plate of nachos and while things were going decently well Makishima chose that moment to speak up, "Reno...I need to talk to you about something, sho."

[redheadedstepson]

Here it comes, he thought, sighing audibly and turning in his seat to devote his full attention to Makishima. The break up line everyone knew in some form or fashion. We need to talk.

Talk. Tch. There was never a lot of talking done.

But it had been a great six months. At least for Reno, who was lucky to last six days. Even as he smiled up at Makishima and swallowed the last chip he'd been chewing he started running things over in his head that he must have said or done wrong. He'd even been as painfully slow about sex as he could manage to be - which he surprised himself with by being particularly careful and slow to graduate.

"Yeah, babe?" he mumbled, keeping his usual cool guy expression and cocking his head to the side as he waited, virtually none of the defeat that he felt actually showing. Maybe he should have taken Elena more seriously when she laughed at him about saying he was going steady. He stopped taking vacation in Wutai, stopped lurking around the lower plate red-light district, stopped drinking so much.

Maybe he really was just a no-good trouble maker...

[irridescentspider]

"It," Makishima started to speak before his own nerves caught up with him. He paused and took a deep breath and a drink of his water. He had to remind himself that this might not be an ending. It wasn't going to be an ending.

"I've been thinking and," Another pause as his words caught in his throat. He really was no good at these sort of things. Maybe he should just keep quiet? No he had to do this. "I've really enjoyed us being together, sho." He let out one of his nervous laughs then, pushed back his hair in a nervous gesture and reached out to play with his straw in the water he'd been drinking.

"There's some things I'm having a little trouble getting used to. I'm...I'm not used to someone else always being there and I still don't know a lot about what you do for a living, sho." He kept his gaze firmly fixed on the plate of nachos. Looking at Reno was too hard right now. "I'm always worried about you. I...I'm scared one day you're just not going to answer my text and I won't know what happened."

Forget the chips. Makishima let go of the straw and put his hand up over his eyes as if that would help.

"And besides that you...I feel like you treat me like I'm going to break sometimes, sho." He lets out another laugh and drops his hand. "I...It's too much right now and I have school to focus on and..."

He looked at Reno then and felt as if his own heart was jumping up to his throat. "I think I just need a break for a bit, sho." Not forever, just a little. Just to get his head back into the game. That was okay wasn't it? Then why did he feel like an ass?

[redheadedstepson]

"Okay."

Never had a single word sounded like so many different things at once, to Reno. The slamming shut of two massive metal doors, the crash of a body against a barrier, a released breath, the final fall of a gavel, the last clang of a hammer upon an anvil. He turned away, smiling still as he lifted his drink and took a sip, nodding slowly, as much to himself as to answer Makishima's explanations. He was right, of course, though he had to applaud Makishima for the patience he'd shown already. It was the best and longest relationship of his life, but all good things came to an end.

"Comes at a good time, anyways. I've got a pretty big job coming up so I won't be able to visit for a while." A lie, of course, but Reno was paid to do a lot of things, and lying was something he'd learned to do at an early age for a good many reasons. Lying to Maki was something he never wanted to do, but when it was over it was over. Why bother standing on moral ceremony? They didn't owe each other anything. Clearly Maki didn't owe him shit.

"Honestly, I'll probably get in trouble for being late already, but it was date night and you know my priorities aren't the best," the redhead laughed, shrugging dismissively, not caring how the words were taken. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his usual too-heavy wad of cash and thumbed through the bills, tossing too much on the table without real interest.

"Call me later?" he asked, knowing he wouldn't bother answering even as he stood and leaned in to press a kiss to Makishima's cheek.

That bit hurt. He'd enjoyed the little affections, being able to embrace a better part of himself, being so careful not to use his more-than-human strength all the time. Then again, he supposed, he must have been too careful. Ah well.

He shrugged, reaching up and cupping Makishima's face briefly, running his thumb over the mole beneath his lip before clearing his throat and waving to the bartender and server to indicate he was leaving.

"See you around, babe," he said cheerily, flashing sharp teeth in that fox-like manner of his before heading straight for the door. He didn't want to hear anything else, didn't want to talk, didn't want to hear more explanations. He wanted to go. He had to go.

[irridescentspider]

Something about that single word sent shivers down Makishima's spine. He wasn't sure what that niggling feeling was, but he brushed it off as just that -- a feeling. If Reno was okay with it then that was a good thing right? Except then Reno was talking about some big job that would keep him away. It made Makishima's eyebrows knit together in confusion. Surely he would have said something about it before wouldn't he? Well, he supposed it wouldn't matter now if they were going on a break and that was all for the best wasn't it? Then why did he feel sick all of a sudden?

"A-ah-h," He made a small sound in the back of his throat as acknowledgment. "Sure, sho." Of course he wouldn't question Reno's motives. He'd always been truthful and honest with him, at least for the most part. He had had to pry a little to get straight answers from him but he never felt like Reno was intentionally lying to him so he didn't suspect anything now either. Except that kiss felt weird and something in Reno's eyes worried Maki. Something in the way he held Maki's face and looked at him as if it was the last time he'd see him made Makishima worry. Surely he was over reacting. It was his first relationship after all and this was just a break. It wasn't permanent, it was just some time to get his head on straight so he could keep being with Reno and not feeling as if he was free falling off a cliff.

He nodded shallowly at Reno's farewell, watching as he headed out the door. The heavy feeling in his heart didn't go away.

What had just happened?

He stared at the money, always more than the bill was and even more than what a tip should have been, but Maki never said anything about it. He always assumed Reno was just generous and that was one of the things he loved about him.

Loved...Had he fallen in love with Reno? Makishima knew he'd been dancing around that particular 4-letter word for some time, but even though it'd been 6 months it all felt too soon. Too much too fast and that was why he'd had to pull the breaks, but now that he had he felt disoriented.

He stared at the cash and the remainder of the food, idly twirling his straw when that niggling feeling seemed to find the cord it had been looking for. What if Reno had thought Makishima meant the break was permanent? Fear rang true in Maki's heart and he pulled his phone out to call Reno right then just to make sure he understood that Maki hadn't meant the break to be anything permanent at all. At the least he wanted to ease his own fears that Reno had misunderstood him. This always seemed to happen with their important talks and Maki cursed himself for not trying to be more clear on his intent.

He slid out of the booth and headed out of the door as he waited on the rings, but when the phone went to voicemail he felt his heart drop into his stomach.

No, way. He was just over reacting wasn't he?

But what if he wasn't?

What if he lost Reno right then because he'd been an idiot?

Fear guiding him, Makishima looked right and then left down the street but there was no sign of the red-head. He needed to find him, so taking off at a run he headed in the direction he'd typically seen Reno leave. He had to find him before he lost him for good.

[redheadedstepson]

Having a solid head-start and moving at a good clip out of anger and a surprisingly emotional response, Reno was a good distance from Makishima by the time the green-haired man figured himself out. He stalked down the street and alleys with uncommon fury; not a lot of things got the usually unflappable man angry, but his rage - directed at himself - was palpable.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough to stop a trio of drunk bully-boys from stumbling out of the shadows and trying to start something with him. He was not in the mood. Not at all. When the first one lurched forward, Reno didn't even pause to consider his strength or the fact that the malcontents were fairly harmless.

He beat them bloody. There was no mercy, no patience, no fun to be had. They were in his way and he wanted to leave before he didn't something really fuckin' gay, like cry. He was at the level of angry where he was pissed at everyone, pissed about everything. Stupid him for being a weak ass punk bitch. He should have just hit it and quit it, of course. Dumb as hell for getting invested. Domestic bliss was for idealistic kids like Cloud and Tifa. He should have known better.

He repeated bitter mantras of self-deprecation in his head as he took normal human men - some fairly larger than himself - and flung them about as casually as a child would a doll. He took one by the back of his shirt and pants, lifting him clear overhead and spun, throwing him so hard into the freight door across the alley that the metal bent inward. When they stopped moving, or at least stopped coming after him - it took less than a minute - Reno pulled all his cash out of his wallet and threw it in the air. No need for currency of that world anymore, he reminded himself.

Stalking around the corner to close the gap between himself and the portal that went home, Reno left no end of stomp-crushed garbage bins and punch-bent dumpsters in his wake. At least he knew as soon as he went through the portal there would be a good fight on the other side. He needed to kill something and drunk assholes wouldn't do.

[irridescentspider]

Makishima was panting, breath wheezing as he ran down the street. It had nothing to with how physically fit he was or wasn't, it had everything to do with the anxiety gripping at his chest. What if he couldn't find Reno? What if he lost him? He tried again to call Reno's cell but again there was no answer and he cursed.

He had to find him, he had to!

It was by sheer luck that the cries of the men Reno was currently beating to a pulp drifted to Makishima on the wind. He hesitated for only a moment before deciding if there was ever a reason to be a scuffle it might have been Reno letting off steam. His boyfriend ( Though perhaps he should think of him as his ex, considering how Maki had essentially just dumped him. ) had always had a bit of a short fuse and a loose temper, but he'd never turned it on Makishima. He'd always excuse himself and go out for a bit only to come back with bumps and bruises and maybe a cut if someone else had been lucky. It had worried Makishima and been part of his reasoning for asking for the break, but now he was grateful for it. He hurried in the directions of the sounds and stopped dead when he found the bodies barely breathing. It looked more like they'd been hit by a truck rather than a lone man. The dent in the freight door was enough to make Makishima think maybe it wasn't his lover but someone, something, else that had made the men scream. The scattering of bills laying amidst the bodies didn't exactly give Makishima comfort. It'd be too much to hope that this was a drug deal gone wrong, rather than Reno deciding that Maki's request was the nothing in an all-or-nothing statement.

The sound of metal being hit further down the alley caught Makishima's attention and he skirted around the bodies and hurried to it.

Here were more signs that something stronger than a man had gone through. The dumpsters looked like they'd been done in by a car rather than someone's fists. Had Reno really done this? How? How could that even be possible and yet something inside of him continued to pull Makishima down that alley. This had to be the way he'd gone. It had to be!

He hurried along until he barely caught sight of Reno's red whip of hair going down another alley. He skidded, stumbling for a moment and calling out before it was too late, "Reno!" He couldn't lose him, he couldn't! He didn't even notice the way the world shifted around Reno, the strange appearance of it just beyond him. He noticed none of this as he flung himself at the red-head, arms outstretched, as they both crashed straight through the portal and into Reno's world.

[redheadedstepson]

There were a lot of things Reno expected, but being barreled over by his wisp of a (ex)boyfriend wasn't one of them. The only reason he even turned around was because against his will it had become reflex to get excited at the sound of that awkward voice. Like Pavlov's bell, there was some sudden eagerness there despite the anger and hurt. Those too blue-green eyes shifted, caught sight of bright green and snapped open before the world rippled around them both like water.

Fear instantly gripped Reno, erasing all the anger as his arms wrapped tight around Maki and craushed the younger man against his chest.

"DON'T LOOK!" he practically screamed over the rush of sound around them, light blasting a blinding array on them as he tried to right himself for the oncoming fall. The portal spit him out over a short cliff drop - only 6 or 7 meters - and nothing to someone like him, but it could have been absolutely devastating and certainly bone-breaking for Makishima. All he concerned himself with was making sure the younger man wouldn't be grievously injured. If that meant a few cuts, scrapes and dents for himself, that was fine.

Everything broke apart then rushed back together again in an instant for them both. One moment they were stumbling back towards a wall in evening England, the next they were tilting back, gravity changing directions and they were falling through the air to land extremely heavily on dusty red desert in the height of noon. Reno slammed into the ground on his back with a pained cry, the air punched clean out of his lungs and his head cracking against hard, crack dirt. He wheezed, gasping weakly for air, but didn't dare let go of Makishima until he was sure the fall had been absorbed and the other man could get up safely.

Safe being purely subjective since Reno knew for a fact that the desert outside Midgar was absolutely swarming with dangerous creatures. He didn't even have time to worry about the explanation. He needed to get up and get them on the move immediately, but everything hurt so freakin' bad! Saving lives was always so much harder than wrecking them, damn.

[irridescentspider]

Makishima barely had time to register what was happening as he slammed into Reno. He felt more than saw the world rip around them as he listened to Reno's words and slammed his eyes shut. He held on tightly to Reno not even daring to scream though a small squeak escaped him as he felt his stomach jump up from his navel to his throat as they fell through space. The wind was knocked out of him as they both landed in a hard heap on the dusty red earth of Reno's home and even then he didn't open his eyes right away. What he noticed first was the heat. This was no English heat, and certainly no night.

He opened his eyes slowly to be greeted by bright daylight and earth the color of copper. His eyes widened and he straightened up slowly, legs falling to either side of Reno's waist as he looked around at the world they had landed in. This sure as hell wasn't England or anywhere else on Earth that Makishima knew of. His head swiveled around to look at their surroundings and in the distance he could see a city. Though Reno had never given any concrete details or pictures of the world he lived in Makishima knew that he must be looking at Midgard.

"What..." It was the only word Makishima could get out as he was in far too much shock to process much else. How had they gotten here? What happened to England? What was going on? There were too many questions in Makishima's head and he felt his heart start to hammer in his chest and his breath shallow as he started to panic. What the hell had happened?!

[redheadedstepson]

"Ugh...fffffffuck."

Reaching up and running a hand over his face several times, Reno finally got a good breath in. Closing his eyes and counting helped keep him from yelling a sleu of obscenities. His other hand went up, rubbing his face, scrubbing at sand and sweat and probably tears - of anger, he would insist if asked - before he forced his hair away from his face and stared hard at Makishima.

"Okay. Yeah...so...you've got a lot of questions - some old, some new - and that's totally understandable, and at this point totally deserving of answers, but uhh...this is really, really not a safe place. So can you get up? Like now? We've got to go. Midgar is too far away so we're going to Kalm for the night. It's over the ridge and about a mile walk. We can talk on the way, yeah? Alright?" the redhead half asked, half ordered. His speech rambled like it did when he was worried, or nervous or just lost in general. He did not want to run into anything and risk Makishima's safety more than he already had.

"Be confused later. Right now maybe you oughta think'hey, I'm in the wilderness where dangerous shit is' and get moving, regardless of what makes sense, yeah?"

[irridescentspider]

Makishima barely heard what Reno was saying. He was too shocked by what he was seeing to really process much of anything. The only words that seemed to get through were dangerous and moving. He nodded, barely noticing he did so, and moved off of Reno's hips. Once standing, he put his arms around himself and tried all that he could to process what was actually happening regardless of what had led them here. There was a hot sun in the sky, they were definitely in some kind of desert, and there did seem to be not one but two cities on the horizon one near one far. The nearer one must have been Kalm and though the name didn't exactly help to calm Makishima down the idea of being in a city and not some strange desert with some dangerous creatures on the prowl seemed like a better option than standing around.

He looked towards Reno, clearly scared and despite the fight they'd just had or Makishima's wishes for a break he needed Reno more than ever.

[redheadedstepson]

He didn't know what he was supposed to do, under the circumstances; on the one hand, Makishima was still the man he had confessed (at least to himself) to loving, and he should have been comforting and kind about the likely extraordinary circumstances the man was faced with. On the other hand, Makishima was also the same man that had apparently gotten fed up enough with Reno that the idea of being with him was no longer bearable enough to be valid for attempting to reconcile the complications before asking for time apart.

...On a third hand (was that even a thing?), Makishima did come running after him, which Reno could only assume meant the other man had misgivings about the situation in the first place. What he really had to ask himself was if he was willing to let his heart be toyed with for the duration of time it took Makishima to figure his shit out.

Then again it could be a moot point anyways, since Reno wasn't sure if Makishima would even want to talk to him, knowing he was - for all intents and purposes - an alien from another world.

"Keep up," he muttered brusquely, head down and eyes turned away towards the village. Reno really couldn't bear to see the complicated emotions on Makishima's face; he didn't want things any more difficult than they already were, so it was better to just trudge forward and get them out of the sand and onto grass and cobblestone.

"Talk and walk. When we get to Kalm, I want a drink. I don't want to have you buzzing in my ear once I'm in my cups," the redhead grunted, swiveling his head side to side and watching for danger as he got up, pulled his coat off and started hoofing it in the direction of the village.

"I'll start: No, I'm not from your world. I never was. Yes, you're on my world now. Yes, you can go home. I think. Most likely. But it'll take a while to get there; it doesn't just happen, but you'll show up reasonably close to the time you left. Maybe a few days later...different time passage. I'm not a scientist, I don't know how it works."