Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Roxas made his way around a corner of the house, marching through the snow and to the porch. He climbed the steps in the dark and silence of the night, hearing only his feet making contact with the porch when he got to the door. He looked down at his feet and stomped off the snow a little bit, that way he wouldn't drag too much into Namine's home.

 

Namine passed by Ty in the living room, the dog fast asleep and unaffected by what was happening. She left him to his rest and came into the entrance hall, only taking a second or two to reach the front door. She undid the deadbolt lock and then turned the knob, stepping back slightly as she pulled it open so that Roxas could enter her home.

 

Roxas looked up when the door opened, squinting slightly because of the light. He stepped in anyway, guitar on his back as he walked in enough to allow Namine to shut the door. He didn't immediately slip off his shoes, not sure how long he was staying.

 

Namine shut the door behind Roxas, keeping out the cold air. She didn't know how long Roxas would be in her home, but she locked the deadbolt anyway, since it was a habit she preferred not to break. Once that was done, she turned to look at Roxas, her eyes somehow soft as she gazed at him. She was so tired of the stress between her and Roxas, and all she wanted was peace. The other day, she felt like she had acted like she was looking for a fight, but she didn't want that at all.

 

Even when he was inside Namine's warm house, Roxas's nose and ears still felt numb. He sniffled slightly, just then feeling like somebody's eyes were on him. He turned around a little and his blue eyes immediately met Namine's, the boy put into a small silence by the look in her eyes. He was sure that, by this point, she wasn't the only one whose emotions were written all over their face.

 

Namine felt herself holding her breath, temporarily memorized by the plain emotion on Roxas' facial expression. After a few more seconds, though, she blinked, snapping herself out of her daze. "You must be freezing," she said softly, referring to him standing out in the frigid air for a while.

 

Roxas shrugged slightly, looking away briefly as he brought up a hand to rub the back of his head. "It's no big deal," he said softly. She was right, though--he was pretty cold. It felt like it was below freezing outside, but it didn't matter. He had to do what he had to do, and the weather wouldn't stop him easily. Roxas's eyes darted back up to Namine's, the boy letting his hand come back down to his side.

 

Namine tilted her head to the side slightly, looking over Roxas. Despite what he said, she knew that he was cold. "Want some hot chocolate?" Whether he said yes or no to that, she would still get him a blanket. It was unhealthy to be out in the cold weather for so long, and she didn't want him to get sick.

 

"Sure," Roxas said softly, nodding. He sniffled again and rubbed under his nose with his finger, giving others a glimpse of Sora from the motion. He was thankful he was inside, because he could feel his ears begin to warm. At least they wouldn't be frozen anymore.

 

Namine nodded wordlessly, tearing her eyes away from Roxas as she turned and moved forward a little, making a left and going into the kitchen. She made it a point to have a lot of hot chocolate mix during the winter for occasions where anybody had to come in from the chilly weather. Though she never imagined these specific circumstances, she was glad she could help Roxas get warmer. After all, she had been the reason he was standing out in the snow in the first place.

 

Roxas watched Namine go, and that was when he registered that he would be staying for a little while. He silently brought his guitar over his head and set it quietly and carefully against the wall, then taking off his jacket and his shoes. Even if he was only here long enough to finish his hot chocolate, he was at least thankful Namine gave him the time of day to be around that long.

 

Namine pulled out two mugs, deciding that she would make herself hot chocolate as well. She was a little cool from standing at the window in only black sweatpants and a short sleeved gray shirt, so a warm beverage would do well to fix that. In a few short minutes, she finished making the hot chocolates, having two steaming mugs in front of her.

 

Roxas decided to leave his guitar in the entrance hall and against the wall, the boy now sitting in the living room on the couch. He wasn't going to need the instrument anymore, not tonight. He was sure his last song had pretty much proved his point.

 

Namine lifted the mugs and headed out of the kitchen, taking a few steps through the entrance hall to reach the living room. When she entered the room, she noticed Roxas already sitting on the couch, with the lights of the room on. Her eyes moved to the long but short table in front of him, seeing the pictures she had been sorting through on the surface. They were all of her and her grandfather, though he was alone in some of them. Along with the photos were quotes and song lyrics, some borrowed from other people while others were written from her heart. She looked back over at Roxas as she approached the couch, trying not to draw attention to any of that.

 

Roxas glanced away from his knee when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, seeing Namine coming toward him with two mugs of hot chocolate. When he walked in, he had noticed the stuff scattered on the coffee table, but he knew a lot of it was personal by just a glimpse, so he forced himself to look away. That was when he focused on his jeans instead, and Namine entered the room.

 

Namine held a mug to Roxas when she reached him, all while setting her own mug on the end-table next to the sofa. She wanted to at least straighten up the coffee table in front of her; it was a horrid mess. She normally wasn't that messy, but she had sprawled it out just because she wasn't expecting anybody else to come and see it.

 

"Thanks," Roxas said softly, reaching up and taking the mug from Namine with both hands. His fingers brushed hers as he pulled back, the boy pressing his lips together and looking at the beverage before bringing it to his lips. The warm liquid ran down the back of his throat and instantly warmed him, the steam rising to his face.

 

"Mmhmm," Namine hummed, nodding slightly. She tried to ignore the feelings rising in her heart when she felt Roxas' fingers brush against hers, the girl turning her attention to the messy coffee table. She wordlessly gathered the photos and papers, making them into a few piles. Of course, she wasn't going to make a big deal and move them somewhere else, since it wasn't that big of a deal. If Roxas didn't figure out she was grieving over her grandfather, then he was more clueless about her thoughts then she could have predicted. She exhaled a breath and sat down beside him on the couch, reaching over and grabbing her mug of hot chocolate.

 

Roxas saw Namine sit down beside him out of the corner of his eye, but he kept his focus on the warm beverage in his hands. He was...surprised. Namine had made it seem like she didn't want to see him ever again a few days ago. Roxas didn't think she would sit so close to him so freely, not after all that had happened.

 

Though Namine was sitting beside Roxas on the couch, she didn't sit as close as she normally did. Normally their legs were touching or close to that, but there was enough space between them to ensure that didn't happen. Though Roxas seemed different then the day in the cemetery, she wasn't dropping her guard. Not yet.