Reeve went to lay down, admitting if only to himself that he did feel like he needed it. It was impossible to get his mind to settle, however. All he could think about was how he should have known. Should have realized the origin of what he'd been feeling. It had always been harder to sense the reactors out of Midgar, but if it was enough to make him sick, he should have realized…

He closed his eyes tightly, blowing out a breath and curling onto his side. The burn was gone from his chest, it was just lingering aches and exhaustion now. The aftermath and phantom pains after the reactor had died. It wasn't as bad as the explosion in Corel, but it was still potent, lingering. He needed to get himself together, so he could get back and get to work on damage control.

Chelle was more than competent, he knew that, but it wasn't the same. The reactors were his, in a way that they hadn't even been his father's, and letting someone else handle the fallout felt wrong on a fundamental level.

A deep breath. Two.

He held the second a long moment before letting it out in a hiss. He was just going to have to wait. He couldn't explain to Tseng what had happened, and without that explanation, Tseng reasonably believed he was sick. And if he had been sick enough to pass out, it definitely would have been cause for alarm. Understanding the problem didn't quite help him feel better, didn't make it any easier to wait, but it would have to do.

An hour's rest… an hour's wait… it would feel like forever, but it wasn't terrible. It would take longer than that to get teams on the scene, to have someone there to investigate and give feedback. And as much as he wanted to fly out there himself… that would be asking for trouble. He needed to ride out the worst of the backlash first, adjust to the feeling so when he did get there it wouldn't overwhelm him.

(Would he even feel anything now that it was dead?)

Reeve tightened his grip on his pillow, then let it go, trying to consciously relax the tension gripping him. There was no way he'd actually rest, not like this, and if he was going to wait then he needed to make the time count.

A sudden, familiar warmth washed over him, a soothing resonance, and he opened his eyes to see Cait peeking his head out of the closet. "…what are you doing in there?"

His words were just a breath, not wanting to catch Tseng's attention, but Cait must have taken the invitation to talk as permission to leave his hiding spot, scampering over and climbing up on the bed. He crawled across it, kneeling on the bed next to Reeve. "You're hurt."

Oh. Cait was too young to remember the mess in Corel clearly. But this… he raised an arm, beckoning Cait over to tuck against him. "I'm alright. A reactor…" his breath caught on saying it, and he cleared his throat. "The Gongagan reactor exploded. That's what you felt."

"Oh." Cait tucked close to him, giving a little shiver. "I dinnae know. You just felt… wrong."

"Very wrong," Reeve agreed quietly.

Cait was silent a long moment, small chest rising and falling in the same rhythm Reeve's was, warm under his hand. "Will it be okay?"

Reeve smiled tightly, petting along the velvety fur and closing his eyes. How could he even begin to explain the cost of such a tragic event? Should he? In so many ways, Cait was still a child, with a child's innocence, and he wanted to protect that so long as he could. But he couldn't lie to him, he'd know. The little cat was far too clever not to. "…we'll do our best."

"Okay." Cait tucked a little closer against him. "Your friend is here?"

"Tseng, yes." Reeve smiled faintly. "You heard him and hid?"

"Uh huh." Cait nodded. "Should I again?"

Reeve tightened his arm slightly around Cait before the question had even registered properly. Of course, that would be the smart thing to do. Cait… he was still a secret. Still one of the things he'd kept even from his closest friends. And yet…

"I can stay until you fall ta sleep," Cait offered quietly, when the silence stretched out without an answer.

Reeve swallowed against a lump of emotion. "I'd like that."

Cait made a rumbling approximation of a purr, something he'd picked up at some point watching tv when Reeve had been out, and nuzzled under his chin. "Just rest."

Reeve sighed, and closed his eyes again, feeling exhaustion threaten to tug him down now that he'd calmed with Cait's presence. This time, he gave into it. He was out in moments.

When he opened his eyes again, Cait was gone. Stretching stiffly, he sat up and ran a hand back through his hair. A glance at his watch said he'd overslept, a total of three hours gone by. But he had to admit he did feel better. Stable. He sighed quietly and eased himself out of bed, heading to the attached bathroom to get a good look at himself.

Still a little pale, but nowhere near so bad as he'd been. The burn in his chest was gone, and took the small lines of pain away from his face. His body still ached, but it had faded to something he could ignore now. Physically, he was moving past it.

If only it was that easy for the rest.

Reeve closed his eyes a moment, hands tightening on the countertop before he made himself let go. Time to get moving.

He headed back to his closet, changing out of his casual clothes back into a suit, his own uniform in Midgar blue. This time, his hands were steady as he did up the buttons. Cold calm had settled over him, as he made his way out to the main room. Tseng was on his phone, but snapped it shut once Reeve entered. For a moment, they watched each other, before Reeve managed a small, warm smile for him. "I'm ready to go back."

Tseng didn't ask if he was sure, he knew better - knew even this much time off in the middle of a disaster had been pushing it - but simply rose to his feet, keys taken from the table. "I'll drive."

Reeve didn't fight him on it, gesturing for them to go.

He had work to do.


Tseng watched Reeve subtly on their way back. He moved less fluidly than usual, but he was steady, and the signs of pain were gone. He was tired, but that was no surprise. The change was that he no longer seemed ill. And there was no makeup to do that, no mask, no acting. He really, truly was that much more stable despite passing out a mere three hours ago.

It made him wonder things that he'd been able to ignore for the better part of a year. Things like how he'd heard Reeve had been throwing up the better part of the evening the Corel reactor blew. Like the night that they'd been called out to Sector Seven and something had happened. Something that never made it into his reports. A miracle, where Reeve stared down a reactor on its way to a meltdown until suddenly things were alright again. He'd never told a soul, but he'd never forgotten. It shouldn't have been possible. And yet…

Dangerous thoughts, ones Reeve wouldn't appreciate, he was sure. If there was a secret there, it was kept close to his chest.

In a place like ShinRa, that was probably wise.

But Tseng was a Turk - the leader, now, at least until Veld came back. He dealt in information, in secrets. The instinct to dig was there, powerful - almost irresistible.

Almost.

His mother had raised him to understand that there were forces in the world beyond his knowing. Things that mortal man could not know, let alone explain. Things that were to be left alone, if you were wise.

So long as he could, Tseng would leave it alone. They all had their secrets, didn't they?

He pulled the car to a stop in Reeve's parking spot, pausing with his hand on the door. "See you this evening?"

Reeve's expression was blank for a moment, before he winced. "I don't know. I'll let you know how it looks. I might need to catch a flight out."

"Mm. Let me know if you do; I'll send Reno," Tseng said. The thought of Reeve in the hands of one of Palmer's pilots… no, he'd send Reno. Reno might not be sure what he thought of Reeve some days, but he was trustworthy.

"I'll do that." Reeve stopped at the elevator, stepping in and pushing the button for his floor before looking at Tseng again. "Thank you for this, Tseng."

Tseng hummed quietly, watching the floors rise. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Much." His smile still wasn't quite right, still a touch forced, but with what he was coming back to, Tseng couldn't blame him. As the elevator bobbed to a halt, Reeve looked at him, and his expression softened to something more genuine. "I'll be in touch.

"Be safe," Tseng said quietly, watching him exit onto his floor. The doors quietly shut and he hit the button to take him up to the Vice President's office.

Rufus would want his report in person, and there were some details he couldn't write down.