KH AU: Institution XIII, 6
Warning: Contains slashiness between several combinations of the following: Sora, Riku, Axel, and Roxas. Involves the crazification and institutionalization of next to every character within Kingdom Hearts, including but not limited to your favorite Square characters and your childhood memories of Disney characters. (Collaboration and shameless encouragement credit goes to refracting, among others.)
.institution thirteen: 6.
Sora sat with his arms folded over his legs. "Yeah," he admitted, "but I've never really seen the appeal. They're just kicking a ball around. It's fun, but a great game, like on an international scale? Now, swimming--" He brightened a little. "Now, swimming is something I'd love to compete in. Man, it's such a rush--"
"You are retarded," Roxas pronounced. "Swimming isn't a sport, it's exercise that they do next to each other and call a sport because they're tired of calling it laps. Soccer is the pinnacle of sport--"
"What's the dictionary definition of sport?"
They stared at each other. Roxas pitched a pebble at Sora, and he caught it.
"Where were you last night?" the brunet asked, curious. Roxas continued to stare, so he elaborated, "I woke up when Even came in to check in on me, so I saw you sneak out. Where did you go?"
"Maybe I went to see your boyfriend," Roxas drawled. Sora had heard so much teasing of this sort in the last twelve hours that he'd already become immune to it.
The bolt of the door slid open, and Ansem peered into the room. He smiled at the sight of Sora curled up in the corner. "Good morning," he said smoothly, stepping inside and opening the door all the way. "How are you feeling?"
"Good," Sora chirped, leaning back. "Although sleeping on the floor is never all that comfy, so my back aches a bit."
"We'll get you some exercise before lunch," Ansem promised, although he seemed to be mostly talking to himself. "Did Dilan put you in here, Sora?"
"Yeah. Punishment for letting my room get trashed," Sora said, stubborn. He stared at Ansem. Go on. Say I did it.
But Ansem only sighed, stepping into the room and rolling his shoulders. "That was thoughtless of him. Solitary wouldn't be much of a punishment for you, is it, Sora? Not when your best friend never leaves your side, I'll bet." His blue gaze swept the room, as if looking for Roxas.
Roxas folded his arms and smirked as Ansem's eyes passed over him.
"Well, come on out, Sora," Ansem said, smiling again, generous. "Allow me to tell you what's scheduled for the rest of your day. You're free until lunchtime, and you should get some exercise in. But after you've eaten, I'd like for you to go up to the second floor lounge -- you'll be joining Saix under observation as a penalty for your misbehavior."
He'd been distracted getting to his feet and trotting out the door, but that caught his attention. "Hey!" Sora said, a little indignant. "Wasn't I just locked in that room all night?"
Ansem raised his eyebrows. "I was just talking about this. Were you alone in there, Sora? I would love to hear you say that you were."
Sora quieted mutinously. Damnit. Roxas muttered, "Just tell him you were, they like it when you play nice with the doctors," and Sora wanted to answer and explain to him why that was pointless. He wasn't even a very good liar, and they always knew.
The blond man shook his head. "Precisely. Solitary isn't a punishment for patients who can't perceive themselves as alone. I wish I could make Dilan understand that, but he's very set in his ways... They work well for most patients, but--"
Roxas jabbed Sora in the side, and he yelped. Ansem stopped talking for a moment to give him a puzzled look.
"I thought that would shut him up," Roxas said, smirking a little.
"Well," the doctor said, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. Later we'll talk about this. You've been assigned a new room, and Elaeus will help you find it after supper tonight." Then, reprovingly, "It doesn't have as much or as nice furniture, since we can't trust you with it."
After a pause to let that sink in -- and Sora did feel bad about the damage... he probably should have stopped Roxas, or tried harder -- Ansem nodded to him, smiled kindly, and laid a hand on his shoulder before taking off for the exit at a brisk pace.
Sora rubbed his side. "Jerk," he said.
"I know."
"I meant you, not Ansem!"
They were about to start bickering again, but as Sora turned to face him, he noticed a pair of long legs dangling from the stairs near them. He started and looked up into Axel's bemused features. A little jolt of surprise went through him, and his eyes darted to Roxas.
"You're adorable," Axel said dryly. "They should give you guys your own TV show."
"Why'd you come here?" Sora wanted to know, uncertain how to react to this. Roxas was hovering very close to him.
Axel shrugged. "Heard you were getting out of solitary, figured I'd come be the first to greet you." He smirked a little. The redhead had an unlit cigarette between his lips. "Seeing as how we're friends and all."
Are we really? Sora wondered, and in the same heartbeat Roxas murmured into his shoulder, "He's making fun of you."
"So what am I supposed to say?"
"Ask him what else."
Sora turned up to look at Axel, and repeated, "You've greeted me then. What else?"
The older boy's gaze wandered, idly, over the hallway, to where Ansem had disappeared. "Thought I'd give you a heads up. The shrinks've been asking about you in my sessions."
"Asking about me?" Sora repeated, and got jabbed again. He glared at the blond hanging over his shoulder. "I mean-- what kind of things?"
Axel pulled his legs up and swung neatly to his feet. "Oh, things," he said airily. "What we talk about and why."
Roxas leaned into Sora, forehead to the small of his back. "Does he tell them?"
Almost as if hearing him, Axel added, "Don't worry, I haven't told them anything except what amuses me to tell them."
Sora didn't find that too reassuring -- honestly, it seemed like all too much amused the redhead. But he could feel Roxas relax, and that made him relax a little too. "Well." Rubbing the back of his neck. "Good."
Roxas prompted, "Lunch?"
Earlier he'd been kind of thinking about going to find Riku... Maybe kissing him again. There had been far too little of that and far too much talking about things yesterday. But it was a schoolday and he was probably busy, and Roxas...
So Sora said thoughtfully, "What are you doing for lunch?"
* * *
Everything was going pretty well until something clattered in the hallway. More attuned to trouble, Axel looked up a heartbeat before Sora said, "What was that?"
"The afternoon's entertainment," Axel told him blithely.
That squawking indignation could only be one person; Donald hurtled into the cafeteria, red-faced and flustered. Even was a step behind him and in much the same condition.
"Donald!" he snapped. "Stop that ridiculous slurring right this instant!"
The boy's response was almost unintelligibly mangled, but Axel picked out something about not knowing what he meant, not being able to help it.
"There's nothing physically wrong with you! This is all psychosomatic!"
Sora looked distressed. "Oh man-- Get off it, Roxas. Donald's in trouble..."
"Nope," Axel corrected, grinning as Donald went even redder and started squawking out indistinct curses. "Now he's in trouble."
* * *
Observation, it turned out, was the most deathly boring experience of Sora's life. No talking -- no moving -- no exceptions. Saix looked like an interesting sort, with long dyed hair and a distracting scar between his eyes that made Sora wonder if it was possible to hold a conversation with him without staring at it... but of course, Sora wasn't even allowed to look at him.
Dilan sat at the front desk, little spectacles on his nose and taking notes in what appeared to be a magazine. At even the slightest fidget he would glance up and stare with his piercing eyes, and it was hard not to freeze like a deer in headlights.
For a little while, Roxas kept him company by talking, but his stories were often amusing, and if Sora so much as coughed to cover a laugh, Dilan would say with cold distaste, "Silence must be maintained by imaginary friends as well."
Then, back-stabbing jerk that he was, Roxas took off to someplace more entertaining, leaving Sora to stare at the ceiling. He asked Dilan how much longer, and the man said, "It depends. How long until I forget that because of you I was remonstrated by my boss? Maintain absolute silence."
Saix was so utterly still for so long that Sora wound up staring at him suspiciously, wondering if he was a robot. After about ten minutes of that, the taller boy's head turned, sloooowly, to stare back at him, without changing expression. Sora looked away.
He'd never been so glad to see Ansem.
"Am I free?" he said eagerly as the blond man left his soft conversation with Dilan, seating himself casually on the student's desk in front of Sora.
"Dinner is in only a litle bit, and then you'll be free," Ansem answered, serene. "But you'll be back tomorrow."
I'll die. I'll kill myself. Sora slumped in his seat, unutterably depressed.
Ansem smiled, as if sympathetic. "Sorry. I do, however, have a few questions for you. Saix, you don't mind, do you?"
The older boy shot them both a flat, displeased look, and then shook his head, still silent. Maybe he's mute?
"Sora, you know that your friend Kairi will be visiting in two days. We haven't spoken much about her before, because I understand she's a sensitive subject. But I think it's important to get it out now, before she comes here." Ansem's voice was low, quiet and earnest.
The brunet shifted uncomfortably, looking about. But Roxas was nowhere to be found.
Noticing the gesture, Ansem asked, "Is Roxas uncomfortable with this topic?"
Sora hesitated and shook his head. "It's just-- Okay, what do you want to know?" He steeled himself.
"You insist that Roxas is the one who pushed Kairi. So let me ask you again, Sora. Why does Roxas dislike Kairi? What is it that makes her a threat?"
It felt like treachery. Like Roxas was staring at him, hurt all over again. But he wasn't here -- he wasn't and Sora was sure of it -- so he said, quiet, "She ignores him."
"Ignores him," Ansem repeated. "But she can't hear him, Sora. No one can."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean they have to ignore him!"
Ansem shook his head a little, to himself. "And that's why he pushed her? Because she ignored him and he didn't like that?"
"Wouldn't you?" Sora challenged.
"I wouldn't like it," Ansem said, bemused. "But I wouldn't try to kill someone for it."
This had been a stupid idea. Sora shook his head. "He didn't mean to kill her, he told me! He just... just wanted her to pay attention to him."
"To see him as he really was?"
See me. Yes, Sora had heard that often enough.
"Does Axel pay attention to Roxas, Sora?" Ansem said, his tone almost inaudibly gentle.
Sora didn't notice the way Saix turned to look at them again. "...yes."
.institution thirteen: 6.
Sora sat with his arms folded over his legs. "Yeah," he admitted, "but I've never really seen the appeal. They're just kicking a ball around. It's fun, but a great game, like on an international scale? Now, swimming--" He brightened a little. "Now, swimming is something I'd love to compete in. Man, it's such a rush--"
"You are retarded," Roxas pronounced. "Swimming isn't a sport, it's exercise that they do next to each other and call a sport because they're tired of calling it laps. Soccer is the pinnacle of sport--"
"What's the dictionary definition of sport?"
They stared at each other. Roxas pitched a pebble at Sora, and he caught it.
"Where were you last night?" the brunet asked, curious. Roxas continued to stare, so he elaborated, "I woke up when Even came in to check in on me, so I saw you sneak out. Where did you go?"
"Maybe I went to see your boyfriend," Roxas drawled. Sora had heard so much teasing of this sort in the last twelve hours that he'd already become immune to it.
The bolt of the door slid open, and Ansem peered into the room. He smiled at the sight of Sora curled up in the corner. "Good morning," he said smoothly, stepping inside and opening the door all the way. "How are you feeling?"
"Good," Sora chirped, leaning back. "Although sleeping on the floor is never all that comfy, so my back aches a bit."
"We'll get you some exercise before lunch," Ansem promised, although he seemed to be mostly talking to himself. "Did Dilan put you in here, Sora?"
"Yeah. Punishment for letting my room get trashed," Sora said, stubborn. He stared at Ansem. Go on. Say I did it.
But Ansem only sighed, stepping into the room and rolling his shoulders. "That was thoughtless of him. Solitary wouldn't be much of a punishment for you, is it, Sora? Not when your best friend never leaves your side, I'll bet." His blue gaze swept the room, as if looking for Roxas.
Roxas folded his arms and smirked as Ansem's eyes passed over him.
"Well, come on out, Sora," Ansem said, smiling again, generous. "Allow me to tell you what's scheduled for the rest of your day. You're free until lunchtime, and you should get some exercise in. But after you've eaten, I'd like for you to go up to the second floor lounge -- you'll be joining Saix under observation as a penalty for your misbehavior."
He'd been distracted getting to his feet and trotting out the door, but that caught his attention. "Hey!" Sora said, a little indignant. "Wasn't I just locked in that room all night?"
Ansem raised his eyebrows. "I was just talking about this. Were you alone in there, Sora? I would love to hear you say that you were."
Sora quieted mutinously. Damnit. Roxas muttered, "Just tell him you were, they like it when you play nice with the doctors," and Sora wanted to answer and explain to him why that was pointless. He wasn't even a very good liar, and they always knew.
The blond man shook his head. "Precisely. Solitary isn't a punishment for patients who can't perceive themselves as alone. I wish I could make Dilan understand that, but he's very set in his ways... They work well for most patients, but--"
Roxas jabbed Sora in the side, and he yelped. Ansem stopped talking for a moment to give him a puzzled look.
"I thought that would shut him up," Roxas said, smirking a little.
"Well," the doctor said, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. Later we'll talk about this. You've been assigned a new room, and Elaeus will help you find it after supper tonight." Then, reprovingly, "It doesn't have as much or as nice furniture, since we can't trust you with it."
After a pause to let that sink in -- and Sora did feel bad about the damage... he probably should have stopped Roxas, or tried harder -- Ansem nodded to him, smiled kindly, and laid a hand on his shoulder before taking off for the exit at a brisk pace.
Sora rubbed his side. "Jerk," he said.
"I know."
"I meant you, not Ansem!"
They were about to start bickering again, but as Sora turned to face him, he noticed a pair of long legs dangling from the stairs near them. He started and looked up into Axel's bemused features. A little jolt of surprise went through him, and his eyes darted to Roxas.
"You're adorable," Axel said dryly. "They should give you guys your own TV show."
"Why'd you come here?" Sora wanted to know, uncertain how to react to this. Roxas was hovering very close to him.
Axel shrugged. "Heard you were getting out of solitary, figured I'd come be the first to greet you." He smirked a little. The redhead had an unlit cigarette between his lips. "Seeing as how we're friends and all."
Are we really? Sora wondered, and in the same heartbeat Roxas murmured into his shoulder, "He's making fun of you."
"So what am I supposed to say?"
"Ask him what else."
Sora turned up to look at Axel, and repeated, "You've greeted me then. What else?"
The older boy's gaze wandered, idly, over the hallway, to where Ansem had disappeared. "Thought I'd give you a heads up. The shrinks've been asking about you in my sessions."
"Asking about me?" Sora repeated, and got jabbed again. He glared at the blond hanging over his shoulder. "I mean-- what kind of things?"
Axel pulled his legs up and swung neatly to his feet. "Oh, things," he said airily. "What we talk about and why."
Roxas leaned into Sora, forehead to the small of his back. "Does he tell them?"
Almost as if hearing him, Axel added, "Don't worry, I haven't told them anything except what amuses me to tell them."
Sora didn't find that too reassuring -- honestly, it seemed like all too much amused the redhead. But he could feel Roxas relax, and that made him relax a little too. "Well." Rubbing the back of his neck. "Good."
Roxas prompted, "Lunch?"
Earlier he'd been kind of thinking about going to find Riku... Maybe kissing him again. There had been far too little of that and far too much talking about things yesterday. But it was a schoolday and he was probably busy, and Roxas...
So Sora said thoughtfully, "What are you doing for lunch?"
* * *
Everything was going pretty well until something clattered in the hallway. More attuned to trouble, Axel looked up a heartbeat before Sora said, "What was that?"
"The afternoon's entertainment," Axel told him blithely.
That squawking indignation could only be one person; Donald hurtled into the cafeteria, red-faced and flustered. Even was a step behind him and in much the same condition.
"Donald!" he snapped. "Stop that ridiculous slurring right this instant!"
The boy's response was almost unintelligibly mangled, but Axel picked out something about not knowing what he meant, not being able to help it.
"There's nothing physically wrong with you! This is all psychosomatic!"
Sora looked distressed. "Oh man-- Get off it, Roxas. Donald's in trouble..."
"Nope," Axel corrected, grinning as Donald went even redder and started squawking out indistinct curses. "Now he's in trouble."
* * *
Observation, it turned out, was the most deathly boring experience of Sora's life. No talking -- no moving -- no exceptions. Saix looked like an interesting sort, with long dyed hair and a distracting scar between his eyes that made Sora wonder if it was possible to hold a conversation with him without staring at it... but of course, Sora wasn't even allowed to look at him.
Dilan sat at the front desk, little spectacles on his nose and taking notes in what appeared to be a magazine. At even the slightest fidget he would glance up and stare with his piercing eyes, and it was hard not to freeze like a deer in headlights.
For a little while, Roxas kept him company by talking, but his stories were often amusing, and if Sora so much as coughed to cover a laugh, Dilan would say with cold distaste, "Silence must be maintained by imaginary friends as well."
Then, back-stabbing jerk that he was, Roxas took off to someplace more entertaining, leaving Sora to stare at the ceiling. He asked Dilan how much longer, and the man said, "It depends. How long until I forget that because of you I was remonstrated by my boss? Maintain absolute silence."
Saix was so utterly still for so long that Sora wound up staring at him suspiciously, wondering if he was a robot. After about ten minutes of that, the taller boy's head turned, sloooowly, to stare back at him, without changing expression. Sora looked away.
He'd never been so glad to see Ansem.
"Am I free?" he said eagerly as the blond man left his soft conversation with Dilan, seating himself casually on the student's desk in front of Sora.
"Dinner is in only a litle bit, and then you'll be free," Ansem answered, serene. "But you'll be back tomorrow."
I'll die. I'll kill myself. Sora slumped in his seat, unutterably depressed.
Ansem smiled, as if sympathetic. "Sorry. I do, however, have a few questions for you. Saix, you don't mind, do you?"
The older boy shot them both a flat, displeased look, and then shook his head, still silent. Maybe he's mute?
"Sora, you know that your friend Kairi will be visiting in two days. We haven't spoken much about her before, because I understand she's a sensitive subject. But I think it's important to get it out now, before she comes here." Ansem's voice was low, quiet and earnest.
The brunet shifted uncomfortably, looking about. But Roxas was nowhere to be found.
Noticing the gesture, Ansem asked, "Is Roxas uncomfortable with this topic?"
Sora hesitated and shook his head. "It's just-- Okay, what do you want to know?" He steeled himself.
"You insist that Roxas is the one who pushed Kairi. So let me ask you again, Sora. Why does Roxas dislike Kairi? What is it that makes her a threat?"
It felt like treachery. Like Roxas was staring at him, hurt all over again. But he wasn't here -- he wasn't and Sora was sure of it -- so he said, quiet, "She ignores him."
"Ignores him," Ansem repeated. "But she can't hear him, Sora. No one can."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean they have to ignore him!"
Ansem shook his head a little, to himself. "And that's why he pushed her? Because she ignored him and he didn't like that?"
"Wouldn't you?" Sora challenged.
"I wouldn't like it," Ansem said, bemused. "But I wouldn't try to kill someone for it."
This had been a stupid idea. Sora shook his head. "He didn't mean to kill her, he told me! He just... just wanted her to pay attention to him."
"To see him as he really was?"
See me. Yes, Sora had heard that often enough.
"Does Axel pay attention to Roxas, Sora?" Ansem said, his tone almost inaudibly gentle.
Sora didn't notice the way Saix turned to look at them again. "...yes."