Day 17: Lunch

[hopeless_havoc]

Havoc gave his nurse a smile before heading strait for the food. He was surprised to see he was the first one here. But that meant no line for food. And that was a good thing in Havoc's mind. He grabbed a tray, piling it with whatever he could, and took a seat facing the entrance so as to see the colonel or Hughes as soon as they came in

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[oblivionsky]

Sora did seem just a little unsettled, but if the brunette was going to pretend it wasn't there, Roxas wasn't going to say anything. You didn't spend so much time in someone's heart without being able to pick up on these things, after all. And to be perfectly honest, he wasn't so sure if he was completely settled, either.

"If you say so," he provided to Sora's response. He didn't want to push it; this whole thing was weird enough as it was. Or maybe he was just trying to put off asking why. It was hard to say.

"I've been worse," Roxas shrugged at the question, though mentally he couldn't quite help but add, a lot worse. Things at the institute were going fine so far, and he honestly didn't know what to make of it. "There's something I need to ask you, though."

He paused a moment, not entirely sure how to ask. But he knew that he needed to, and the longer it got put off, the harder it was going to be. So he sucked in a breath. Time to get it out.

"Why do you think it's so weird?"

There. That was clear enough, wasn't it? And to be honest, he wasn't so sure if he wanted to be more direct about it.

[scintillatingly]

What, did Roxas not believe him? Sora wasn't doing horribly, after all. He might have been if Riku wasn't around, but his friend was there--and Kairi wasn't. That was also important. There were lots of other people that he'd rather weren't present, but... Well, mentioning the Organization to Roxas might be stepping on thin ice.

He'd been worse. That, Sora could believe. It applied to him as well, though he got the feeling Roxas wasn't referring to something they'd been through--well, together.

His question, which Sora had done his best to prepare himself for, still caught him off guard. He stared at the other boy for a moment before looking away. It was weird. Their eyes were pretty much the same shade of blue. "I... don't know. It's just, we've never gotten to speak before. You were always here..." His hand lifted up to rest over his chest. "...And I wanted to talk to you sometimes, but I never could."

So, in a way, it was nice to get a chance.

[oblivionsky]

"You wanted to talk to me...?"

It was Roxas' turn to be a little startled. That.., pretty much cleared up everything. He knew now; he'd been wrong. Those few times they'd met before, Sora had always seemed so lost. Like he couldn't remember drowning in the darkness. Like he couldn't quite accept who exactly Roxas was. Had that been it the entire time? Roxas suddenly felt so.. blind. As long as he'd been with Sora, and even though they shared so many memories, there was still something he could get wrong. And somehow, more than anything, that made him relieved.

Sora's hand to to his heart... This was starting to feel less and less real. But Roxas knew that it was, and he couldn't help but smile. "I still am. We're... Connected."

Connected, but never the same. Sora had been a Heartless once. That was the whole reason Roxas could even be here. But Sora was still there, and so was he. There was nobody else who could understand better than his Other, he was sure of it. Roxas wasn't going to let himself fade. If Sora could pull it off, so could he.

[scintillatingly]

Sora nodded, glancing off into a distance that wasn't actually there. "It felt like I always just missed you, if that makes any sense." He smiled and turned to lock gazes with his Other again. "I'd feel you there and spin around, but it'd be just me." He shook his head, trying to get rid of the nostalgia that had sent him into a daze.

He nodded at Roxas' assertion that they were still bonded. "I know. Maybe that's why we're both here." But why hadn't Roxas shown up before, then? There had been a good few days that Sora had been here without his Other, so...

"You know, when we fought? I was glad I got to see you then. We barely got to talk, but..." He paused and considered, brow furrowing slightly as he searched for the right words. "Well, I'm glad we don't have to do that now." He was sure that Roxas must have still had some manner of ill will towards him, but at least he wasn't being attacked by him! That was a good thing. Then again, anyone with a head on his shoulders knew not to outwardly attack anyone during the day.

Still, Sora got the feeling that even if Roxas had the chance, he wouldn't.

[oblivionsky]

"I think I understand," Roxas nodded. "Somehow... Even before I met you, I always knew you were there." And even before he knew Sora even existed, for that matter. That feeling had always been there, and by the time he figured out what it was.. He knew. He had leave. He had to find the answer. It was strange, having it right here in front of him. Were things really so simple, or was something else going on?

"Maybe," he nodded. "But I'm glad it's there. It's... nice. Even if only half of it belongs to me."

The mention of their fight made him frown. Now that he really thought about it... It was stupid that it had taken that just to accept things. In some weird way though, he was glad he'd done it. He may have went in frustrated, but in the end, he had his answer. Sora had something he didn't. And that was fine.

"I am too," he said finally. "You're a good person, Sora. I'm glad I got to meet you."

[scintillatingly]

Sora wished he could say the same. He had known nothing of Nobodies or what affect his becoming a Heartless would have. He had figured that Kairi had helped him back and that was the end of it, completely unaware of what the result had been. "Really? Well, that's a nice thought." He grinned at him, leaving his own experiences unspoken.

He hadn't meant to make Roxas uncomfortable by mentioning their fight, but he hadn't come out of it with any bad feelings. In a way, maybe it had been necessary--for both of them to realize what the other was going through.

"Likewise!" he responded eagerly. "You're like a friend that really is always there." And that was what he wanted now, more than anything--to be Roxas' friend. Because he was Sora and Roxas was Roxas, and while they were close--very close--they weren't the same person. Simply Connected.

[oblivionsky]

"Yeah," Roxas nodded. "I spent a lot of time looking for you. Nothing made much sense back then." But now they did. Not entirely, but good enough for him. In the end, everything had worked out.

It was good to know that Sora accepted him. Roxas wasn't quite sure what he'd think if it were any other way. Sure, it wouldn't change anything, but it would be hard getting told you weren't supposed to exist by your other self. Even if Roxas didn't want to admit it.

Still, Sora's reaction had him a bit taken aback. "Friend..?" Somehow, the word was feeling strange on his tongue. The truth was, he'd never even considered that possibility. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to things always going so... right.

[scintillatingly]

Things were starting to fall into place, somehow. Sora knew that everything tended to work out, even when things seemed at their worst. He'd lost hope a few times during his journeying, but in the end everything had come together. It was surprising how neat it all ended up being, but he wasn't complaining.

If this hadn't worked out, he wouldn't have known what to do. Being rejected by your other half definitely wouldn't inspire a very happy feeling, but since both of them were in the same boat, he figured it made sense that both wanted the other to like them.

"Yeah," he responded eagerly, smile a bit softer than his usual toothy grins. "Friend."

[oblivionsky]

Roxas couldn't help but stare for a moment. It was odd; it was almost like he was looking at himself. Be he knew better than that. They both had enough differences to make them completely different people, and not just on the outside, either.

"...Thank you." He wasn't sure what else to say. It came out awkwardly, but.. He did mean it. It was odd to think that not too long ago he wasn't sure if Sora was going to accept who he was or not. He was glad things could fall into place like this.

[scintillatingly]

As awkward as it might have been, Sora understood and knew that it was sincere. He could tell that Roxas wasn't the type to say that sort of thing without meaning it. Though wanting to be someone's friend wasn't really something that merited being thanked, but he appreciated the gesture.

"Axel..." He started, frowning a bit out of concern and trailing off for a moment. "He'll be okay with this, right? With me and you being friends." Come to think of it, would Riku be okay with it? They were best friends, so he knew sometimes his platinum-haired pal could get almost jealous when he was off having fun with others--he tried to be sensitive to it, so he made a note to ask him about it next time he saw him.

[oblivionsky]

Roxas never even thought about that. What would Axel think about this? He'd even said he hadn't wanted to say anything about Sora noticing them while he was sedated. But then again, the redhead had seemed to accept that Roxas still wanted to talk to Sora. He'd even gone so far to ask why Roxas didn't like his counterpart, wherever he'd gotten that idea.

"I don't think he'll mind," Roxas provided finally. "As long as I don't leave again."

He knew now, a little too late, what that had done to Axel. But things had worked out, hadn't they? It was looking like there was no danger anymore. And Roxas wasn't about to repeat the whole process over again.

[scintillatingly]

"Right." Sora nodded firmly, though that comment brought up a whole other slew of questions. Was it really okay for them to talk like this? The nurses hadn't done anything so far, but maybe they just hadn't noticed. They had told him they wanted to keep him and Roxas separate. Was that because there was a chance they would become one again? Or was there some other reason to it?

Maybe it wasn't worth risking it. But... He'd just said how he wanted to be friends. They couldn't be friends if they never got to be around each other, could they?

"Hey," he started slowly, not sure how to phrase what he wanted to say. "Did the nurses say anything to you about how we aren't supposed to be around each other?"

[oblivionsky]

"Aren't supposed to be around each other...?" Roxas couldn't help but frown at that. He hadn't heard anything about that, but on the other hand, this was the first time he'd actually tried talking with the brunette. Of course, according to Axel, Sora had at least noticed him, so...

"No. Did something happen?" Somehow, he didn't find the concept all that surprising. There was always a catch, wasn't there?

"I guess if that's true, there's always nightshift," he shrugged. At least then there wouldn't be any nurses around, and if worst came to worst they could hole themselves up in one of their rooms for a talk. Not that he thought it would come to that, but having backup was always a good thing.

[scintillatingly]

That was odd. Why would it be mentioned to him but not to Roxas? Sora frowned, glancing over his shoulder to check if any orderlies were watching them. Luckily, they seemed to be in the clear for now.

"No, nothing happened. It's just... When I first saw you yesterday, a nurse told me that we were supposed to stay away from each other." They probably had some makeshift excuse for it--how they wouldn't be good for each other's health or something like that, but was there any real reason for it?

"Yeah, that's true." Nightshift. He'd rather not waste time during it, but if they had no other choice...

[oblivionsky]

There was something a little off about that. If they really weren't supposed to be around each other, why hadn't he heard anything about that? It didn't make much sense. Was there some purpose for keeping them apart? But on the other hand, it looked like it was fine, for now at least. Still, Roxas wasn't so sure if he liked the idea.

"It should be fine," He said after a moment. "We can make it work."

After all, with the other impossibilities and oddities considered, having a moment to talk now and then shouldn't have been a big deal. A lot had happened that never should have, and bending the rules a little was by no means that amazing in comparison. If they really wanted it, it would happen. He was sure of that. But it didn't mean they didn't have to be careful. If something really was going on, then who knew what could happen.

[scintillatingly]

Hearing Roxas sound so assured made Sora feel a little better, though he wasn't completely convinced that they were in the clear. True, nothing had happened yet, but that didn't mean that nothing would ever happen. For all they knew, the people in charge were controlling it; Roxas might start to merge with him again at the push of a button.

"What if something does happen?" he asked, giving his Other an unsure look. It was best they had some sort of plan set out between them just in case.

He wanted them to be separate. It wasn't that having Roxas within him bothered him at all, but he knew that the Nobody (and he was finding that term more and more bothersome) would rather be his own person. In his opinion, that was completely fair. Besides, he got the feeling that if it did happen, Axel would kill him.