DAY 20: LUNCH

[prisonerofdeath]

While Arts and Crafts wasn't all that bad, Gray Fox was greatly relieved when an intercom announced Lunch. He had almost reached the point where he was going to start eating more of the building materials

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[prisonerofdeath]

The burger was actually pretty good, and the lemonade tasted as though it were actually made with real lemons. The room was mostly empty and it would've been impossible for Fox to not notice the person that was heading straight for him.

What had been a somewhat relaxed posture straitened immediately, with Fox sitting up with his back stiff and his eyes focused completely on this man who shouldn't be Snake, even though it was becoming more and more apparent that he couldn't be anyone else.

Very clearly Snake felt he had to do something, and as much as Fox considered himself to be good at reading people, he had absolutely no idea what was on the man's mind.

'Fox' All doubt was gone when Snake said that, and Fox stood up, practically standing at attention and staring at the man in front of him. The way Snake said his name, the single syllable of his code name. It reminded him of when they had still been on the same side, the days after Outer Heaven, before they'd become close.

"Snake," The way he said it, you would've thought it was painful, and in it's own way it was. But more than that he was glad to see Snake, here stood irrefutable proof that his life was not a hallucination, that he hadn't made it all up.

Gray Fox felt as though he should say more, knew that things needed to be said, but what could he say? He'd abandoned and betrayed Snake, then tried to kill him, twice. He'd tried to get Snake to kill him, and in the end, he'd died for Snake.

Words weren't enough, there was nothing he could say that would put what he was feeling into words.

[prisonerofdeath]

Fear was nothing new to Fox, and he considered himself to be quite familiar with it. He knew what it was like to feel his heart pounding in his chest when an enemy was standing barely a foot away, close enough to hear him breathe. He knew what it was like to be utterly terrified, to experience a fear that was horrible and painful, the fear that came with secrets and guilt.

This was an entirely different fear, though. He was afraid that Snake was going to attack him. Afraid that things would once again end in violence and death.

When the hand came out towards him, Fox couldn't help but stare at it. As Snake tried to pull the hand back, Gray Fox grabbed it, needing to have proof that this wasn't all in his head.

"I'm here." Fox had heard those words before, but had never been more grateful for them.

"Snake...I..." I'm sorry He didn't say it out-loud but the apology was in his eyes "It's good to see you again."

There was no way this was an illusion. Fox could feel the warm, calloused hand in his own, strong and deadly and alive.

[prisonerofdeath]

Fox was a distant person by nature, he didn't get too close to people. It was dangerous, and so full of problems. He usually preferred to keep his distance from everyone.

There were really only three people who hugged him. The first one had been Naomi, who would always run and jump onto him when he'd return to make sure she's okay after being gone for weeks and months. The second had been Natasha. Her hugs were vastly different, hesitant, almost, because she knew how strong and deadly he was up close. Both Natasha and Naomi had clung to him; overjoyed to see him and terrified they'd lose him.

Being hugged by Snake was something else entirely, and it was unexpected. Fox tensed up, fighting the reflexive desire to escape before he could be pinned, telling himself he wasn't being attacked.

Awkwardly, Fox wrapped his arms around Snake, smiling slightly in amusement before pulling away, glancing around to see who, if anyone, had just been watching that. Still, he couldn't deny that it had been nice.

Fox knew Snake very well, they had fought side by side and against one another. They'd trained and sparred and perfected their techniques and tackled each other so many times.

"I didn't think... I was ever going to see you again."

[prisonerofdeath]

"The last thing that I remember, was fighting against Rex... but I'm not sure what happened, I was so certain I was going to die... did you manage to shoot Liquid?" Fox spoke softly, staring into Snake's eyes as he did so.

If he'd imagined that part of his life, then Snake wouldn't know what Rex was, if he hadn't imagined it... things just got a lot more confusing. Either way, there were things that he needed to say to Snake, things he needed to ask.

[prisonerofdeath]

"Snake, I was already dead, I had lost so much in Zanzibar Land, lost myself." But he'd gotten it back, somehow, perhaps whatever happened between Shadow Moses and this place had given him back more than his arm.

At the mention of Naomi, his little sister, he looked away. "Naomi..." She probably hated him now. "Snake... Naomi, does she hate me for what I did?" He looked at him now, afraid of the answer, but aware that he had to ask. It looked like something was bothering Snake, but Fox didn't know what, and didn't know how to help.

[prisonerofdeath]

She didn't hate him, for what he had done? He was so relieved, but at the same time surprised, he'd been so certain she would hate him for what he had put her through, even if he'd done his best to make it up to her.

Fox found it somewhat strange that Snake was telling him what happened to her, the other soldier wasn't completely insensitive, but he generally didn't think very much about peoples emotions and feelings.

And he was smiling a lot more than Fox remembered. "Yes, she can be very stubborn." He agreed quietly, but he was glad to hear that Naomi had been helping Snake, and that Snake had saved Naomi since Fox was no longer able to protect her.

"Snake." Fox sat back down in front of his food, and motioned for Snake to join him. "Thank you, for taking care of her."

[prisonerofdeath]

Fox picked up his burger and managed to get a large bite out of it before Snake started questioning him. He chewed it up and swallowed, taking a drink of lemonade before answering.

"I woke up after breakfast, sometime. And the last thing I remember before that was being stepped on by Rex." It was as simple as that, but so very, very confusing.

"My arm doesn't hurt, there's no scar where it was cut off, and there's no sign of any of the damage I received in Zanzibar Land." Mines were very damaging, and so were Snakes hands and feet, but none of that damage remained, in fact, there was no indication it had ever occurred.

[prisonerofdeath]

"I still have some scars, they're not all gone... I still have..." He still had the ones from when he was tortured. "The scars that I had from before we met."

"Snake... how much time has passed, since Shadow Moses?" He had questions too, and wasn't about to let Snake gain too much momentum in his questioning.