Double Measures [Alastair, Reida]

It was later than he had intended when Alastair finally made it back to his apartment, having spent the best part of the day with Arlette or slinking through the city like a secret agent, and the sun was already beginning to dip below the horizon. Still, he had to see Reida and so he sent her a message and waited.

He hadn't told her when he would be back from his trip, frankly, he hadn't known how long it would take but at least he was here now. There was work to be done, matters to attend to, favours to ask, but -more than any of that- he just wanted to cup her face in his hands and know that not everything in his life was going sideways.

It wasn't like he was losing his grip or anything so dire, but there had been a few big waves rocking the boat lately. In a way, it was strange to turn the tables like this. Though she had always said that she would be his rock as he was hers. That was one of the reasons their relationship had been so strong, in his eyes, the mutual respect they had for each other. Other recent events had also strengthened their bond too, but they were less relevant.

Alastair was not a big drinker, he often tried to avoid it in Reida's presence especially. Not that he didn't like drinking with her, quite the contrary really, but equally he did not wish to facilitate her excesses. Still, he stood by the window with a glass of red wine in hand. The bottle was left on the counter, another glass on offer if it was desired. She preferred the hard stuff, he knew that, but he just wanted to take the edge off rather than end up under the table before she got here.

Alastair’s eyes did light up as he turned to answer Reida’s greeting, a narrow smile coming to his lips as he set down his glass of wine and prepared to greet her. An arm wrapped around her waist as she latched onto him, the other already rising to caress the side of her face. He had missed her, so perhaps he could be forgiven for being a little emotive now.

“It had already been too long, darling.” He leaned down to kiss her, a fleeting moment but he had little doubt that there would be time for more later. “But we are both here now, at least.”

They had both certainly been busy lately, doing the work of administrators in their respective fields. It would have been easy to say that this had happened because of the incident, but they had both been putting in the hours long before that fateful day. That was a quality they both shared and he enjoyed, a tireless dedication to duty.

“My trip to Vastime was successful, at least so far as the intended purpose was achieved. But, equally, I may have now become complicit in corporate warfare. A schism has occurred within the Duvalier Group, and I have chosen a side to stand with but it may only get messier from here.”

He spoke wistfully, squeezing her cheek just a little. They were in a dangerous line of work anyway, such risks came up day-to-day, but it was never an easy thing to simply discuss.

His smile grew a shade broader at Reida's initial comment, and the positive reception of his own little display of affection. Alastair was a simple man when it boiled down to it, so it was the simple things that gave him the most excuse for pleasure. Seeing a smile on Reida's face was definitely near the top of the list though.

"Of course, we will manage. Though it will not make my days any shorter, nor yours I imagine. This is more a Todgestalten job anyway, I just walked myself into the middle of it."

Alastair did want to talk about work and business, to discuss various situations and priorities, but there had been something else pressing on his mind. It was rather amusing that she had touched on it first, and that was all the excuse he needed to push everything else to one side and wade on through to that little thing.

"If you are going to the trouble of keeping things tidy then you could always stay."

"Here."

"With me."

"On a more permanent basis."

His apartment certainly was spacious enough, with a guest room that was used more for storage than anything else, though they had already proven that another bedroom was not necessarily a requirement. Still, Alastair knew that he was asking a lot all of a sudden, but there was never going to be a right time to ask if he simply sat on his laurels and waited. Reida had been doing all the front running until this point, this was his moment to show that he was serious.

"Obviously there would be plenty to sort out before it could happen, matters to arrange and such, but I am more than open to the prospect."

Alastair had expected Reida to be reluctant, even to outright refuse him in a polite way, so there was little surprise on his features compared to hers. He shifted his hold on her, wrapping both arms around her back as he bundled her against his chest and held her tightly. Like almost every decision they had made in their relationship, it was a battle with her inner demons rather than with him, and so he had to be there for her.

"Yeah, I suppose I am. I guess it has been on my mind. You have been on my mind."

He leaned down, planting a kiss on the top of her head, and let her work through everything as best as she could. There was only so much that he could ever hope to empathise with in regard to her situation, that she had been through all of this before and lost it all. It was all rather selfish for him to put her through this again, but he was growing to accept that was a facet of what made him *him*.

"It does not have to be today, or tomorrow, or even this year. We can take our time, work out all the details, and make sure that you are happy with everything. I suggested it, but we can handle this at your pace like we always do. I just wanted to be open about where I was at."

"I could tone it down, I admit, but I still want you to hear me say it. Besides, when it is just the two of us then who are you embarrassed for?"

He could tell that she actually liked it, so then she could bear a little playful teasing. Alastair was hardly subtle about almost anything when it came to Reida, and she could see straight through him anyway. It was comforting to be so open around someone when he spent most of his days being so carefully guarded. But, for all his forthrightness, it would never be entirely mutual. No matter how much they both wanted it to be, there was always going to be something in the back of her mind that weighed Reida down. Still, he would strive to do right by her.

"This is not really a home either, just a temporary residence that I would like to share with you. But maybe it is also one more reminder that we are in this together. Not that you needed one, but this is a journey and we have a long way left to go."