Astraphobia [M] [Closed]

Reno slowly licked his lips as he tried to not think about what that could. "I'll leave the front door open for you," he replied softly, even though he knew that Seph had a key for both the elevator and the front door. "I'll make us some coffee and see if there's anything worth eating left in the fridge."

He ran his fingers through his hair with a soft sigh. "Get that perfect behind here, then."

He went to say 'I love you' and stopped. It was something he'd wanted to say for a while but it wasn't the right time - and certainly not something to say for the first time over the phone.

"I'll see you in ten," he settled on.

It didn't take long for Reno to make himself close to presentable - even though he could have greeted him dishevelled and in his pyjama pants he had a feeling it wouldn't be appropriate. It niggled at him as he pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and padded to the kitchen to make coffee and rummage around for something to eat, finding some slightly stale croissants still in the cupboard that they could dip in the coffee and claim to be going continental.

Ten minutes seemed to stretch on for a lifetime as he waited for Seph to arrive, looking up as the buzzer pinged to let him know that someone was on their way up to his floor. He willed himself not to wait at the door but found himself hovering near it in any case.

Reno pulled him close, baffled by his actions as they were not very like him at all. He gently stroked his hair and pressed a kiss to his head.

"What's wrong?" He questioned worriedly. "Are the boys okay? Are you okay?"

Even if things had been painful and difficult with two of the three sons, Reno cared for them nonetheless. If something had happened to any of them he wanted to know how he could help, how to make things better.

Reno didn't need to open it to know what the letter was, his heart almost stopping as he forced himself to take and open it.

"Effective immediately," he murmured softly, needing to hear it aloud to try and make the words make more sense to him, even if he fully understood what it meant. "Oh gods..."

His eyes slipped closed and he took a deep breath - this was the worst case scenario they had avoided thinking about for two months. Slowly he opened his eyes and folded the letter back into the envelope before slipping his arms around Seph's neck and kissing him softly.

"The base isn't too far away," he murmured, resting his forehead against Seph's, trying to find a silver lining. "I can make sure the kids are all right, distract Yazoo by making him look after Cerys... I'll keep them as distracted as much as possible..."

He pulled Seph closer, not wanting to let him go. "We'll all get through this," he vowed. "All of us," he repeated, meaning Seph as much as himself. He was going to be there, and he would wait. Not even a war was going to keep them apart.

Years.

The words hit him like punch to the stomach, his breath completely taken from him as he tried to keep himself calm and remember that this was not, and did not need to be, the end of the world.

"Rent it out," he suggested when he managed a shuddering breath. "Clear out what you want to keep, put it in storage, and leave the rest to me. Renting it out as a fully furnished 4 bedroom house will be easy if you want to look at covering just the taxes and maybe a touch extra. You'll be able to stay on base when you're relieved of duty, so we can put a clause in the rental agreement that they'll be given say... a month's notice. It's fairly common around here, so many military families..."

He knew that if he gripped Seph any tighter he was liable to hurt him but he needed him close, needed to hold him. "I'll let Jess know I'll take her today whether she goes out or not... She might insist on sleeping between us again though... she'll know something is up and want to stick close."

It was getting harder and harder to keep calm about the situation. "This just isn't fair," he muttered, letting a minute fraction of the frustration out.

Reno chuckled very, very softly and looked up, kissing him tenderly. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean to help," he reassured him, stroking his cheek. "If you and the boys sort what you want to go with you, and what to leave in the house, then I will pack the rest after you've moved to base and I will make sure it's in a secure storage facility."

His hand moved up and ran through Seph's hair, drinking in every inch of him and re-committing it all to memory. "They won't be able to keep us apart even if they try. If they won't accept me there on a personal basis then I will just have to be there on a professional basis - but they have no reason to keep us apart, Seph. That's the one good thing about our military - no one gives a crap what who you're in a relationship with as long as it doesn't interfere with the job."

He smiled at the thought of Seph being unable to sleep because one of his sons twitched in his sleep. "Thank goodness she doesn't, otherwise she'd be banned from sharing," he chuckled, gripping on to the humour of the situation. He turned serious at Seph's plea and kissed him again. "I've already made the plan to tell work they can go stuff themselves for the next week. I have vacation time, they're just going to have to get over it. I'm not leaving you to handle this alone."

"While you're at the school I can pack some clean clothes, some of Cerys' stuff and pick her up. That way we don't cut into our time together. I doubt you want me tagging along when you fix things with the high school."

He rest his head on Seph's with a soft sigh. "I know we'll be fine, but... The thought of not having you here... It's a small price for peace, but I don't..." He sighed again. "I'm losing the ability to think," he chuckled sadly. "I'm going to miss you too... so much... But I'll be there when you get back - I promise you that. I will seriously wrestle your kids to welcome you back first. Though with it being three on one they might just win that fight."

Reno pulled him back into the kiss, needing it more than he ever thought was possible. He knew that even though they both needed to do things there was no way either of them were going to let the other out of their sight for longer than needed.

"How about you help me pack, I'll call Jess while you're sorting the paperwork and then we both go and pick Cerys up?" He suggested as he broke the kiss. "I don't think you can walk out that door right now... and I don't think I could handle watching you leave. Not yet."

Reno nodded and lightly kissed the tip of Seph's nose, his hand trailing down and snagging on his partner's as he pried himself further away from him. "I won't need too much - I'm used to travelling light. Besides, I've probably managed to leave half of what I'd need at your place so it'll still be there."

He guided Seph to the bedroom and went to the wardrobe, grabbing a decent sized duffel bag and looking around the room, his mind blank at where to begin. "Erm... boxers, I guess. It'll save space and washing if I wear underwear for once and then can wear my jeans for a couple of days instead of just once..."

He lifted Seph's hand to his lips before slowly letting go. "If I get that, then you can grab some shirts and t-shirts - they're over there." He pointed to the wardrobe and the dresser next to it. "Three of each, any will do - I'll let you choose." He gave a flicker of a smirk as he brushed past him to grab the boxer briefs from the long neglected drawer. "Underwear is all black, so there's no fun for you in that drawer."

Reno grabbed the underwear and crammed it into a corner of the duffel bag, moving out of the way for Seph to place the shirts in too. When the arm went around his waist he leant back into him, his own arm resting over the top and taking his hand.

"I love you, you know that right?" He said softly, pulling Seph's other arm around him. It had come out before he could consider that it wasn't the best moment to be saying it... but he needed to say it. Before...

"Don't worry, you don't have to say it back. I just... can't not say it any more."

Reno kissed back every time and smiled when the kisses ceased, contented to have said his piece and receiving it back (albeit with an 'I think' but that was good enough for him).

"We're not going to get anything done, are we?" He chuckled softly, not wanting to move from Seph's embrace. "I want to stay like this forever, forget the world..." He sighed and pulled Seph even closer. "I really don't want to you to go... but I know you have no choice."

"I'm going to miss you too."

He bypassed the hand and wrapped his arms around Seph's neck, kissing him hard as he tried to block out the increasingly awful mental images that were starting to flood him. He knew what could happen, and it was that which scared him more than being without him for a few months.

"Promise me you're coming back," he murmured against his lips. He knew it was a promise that Seph couldn't make but he needed to hear it.