Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine started walking again, Ty right there by her side. If Namine wasn't watching carefully for him, she may have tripped over him he was that close. But she knew that those two boys were just trying to help her when she couldn't help herself. Namine frowned. She didn't like the way that thought settled in. Of course she wasn't completely useless...

 

Roxas was practically breathing in the water from the stormclouds above, the boy blinking rapidly to avoid blurring his vision. He knew one thing for sure--as much as he liked the rain, this was just ridiculous. He was going to have to change clothes once he got home.

 

Namine bit down hard on her lip to prevent her teeth from chattering. This was crazy! How did things go from being so nice one moment to so bad the next? Namine shut her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again, realizing the vagueness of her question. Was she referring to the rain or to her current situation? She didn't know...

 

Roxas turned a corner and led Namine and Ty down the last stretch of sidewalk. The wind blew the rain right in his face, so he had to squint. He picked up the pace a little more, deciding enough was enough. His grip on Namine's hand tightened even more now that he was carrying their pace in a jog, not wanting to lose her hold like last time, especially if she happened to fall.

 

Namine squinted when the rain came directly into her eyes. She would have brought up an arm to try and block the rain, but both her hands were taken. Instead of focusing on that, she kept her eyes on the ground, keeping up with Roxas's faster pace.

 

Roxas saw his home a few houses down, the boy continuing to lead Namine and her pet through the rain. He blinked a few more times as his house grew closer, his wet shoes meeting the pavement.

 

Namine looked forward again, trusting herself not to trip and fall like an idiot. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky in the distance, giving the girl chills again.

 

A loud rumble of thunder followed the strike of lightning, shaking Roxas's insides as he turned down the path to his home. He quickly took Namine along the walkway, slowing down as they went up the stairs. He came to a stop when he found coverage from the rain under the roof of the porch.

 

Namine stopped when Roxas did, the girl, her dog, and her friend finding shelter under the roof over the front porch. Namine looked down at her companion, who was as soaked as she was. Ty should probably stay outside...she thought, not wanting the dog to get Roxas's house all wet.

 

Roxas panted, lifting his arm to wipe all of the rain off his face. The constant pitter-patter of the rain hitting the roof was all he heard other than his breathing, which was a little irregular from the fast pace he had used to get here. Roxas shook his head, his soaking wet hair releasing droplets all over the porch.

 

Namine looked down when she felt a tug on her leash. Ty started to shake, sending water droplets everywhere. She dropped the least at the vibrations, instinctively taking a step back to get away from the water. It impacted her anyway. "Ty!" she scolded, taking a step back and accidentally bumping Roxas.

 

Roxas's eyes widened at the collision, the boy's hands instantly coming up and holding Namine's upper arms without thought. True, he had gotten some of the water shaken onto him from the dog as well, but he was soaking wet anyway. Plus, he had just done the same thing with his own hair, so he couldn't blame the dog for trying to get the water off. At the thought, Roxas could only picture how messy his hair was now; probably messier than usual.

 

Namine turned her head, seeing Roxas looking at her in surprise. She blushed, embarrassed that she had backed away from her dog without thinking of Roxas behind her. "Sorry," she said apologetically, blushing slightly despite how cold she was.

 

Roxas shook his head, an amused smile spreading across his lips. "It's alright," he said with a small chuckle. His grip loosened on her arms, the boy slowly letting go. His eyes were on hers, the boy catching water dripping from one of his spikes in front of his eyes.

 

Namine felt a smile appear on her face when she saw Roxas's amused expression. All the embarrassment she felt a few moments ago faded thanks to the calm look in Roxas's bright blue eyes.

 

Roxas kept his gaze on Namine until a boom of thunder made him look out to the streets. "Uh..." The boy ran a hand through his spikes, water droplets flying at the contact. "Let's go inside. We should probably get dry," he suggested, looking down at Namine. He offered her a small smile, despite his wet situation.

 

Namine smiled softly, nodding. "Good idea," she said softly. But then she looked to her dog, who was dripping wet in front of her. "Can I tie him to the porch?" she asked Roxas. "Letting him loose in the house when he's so wet would probably be a bad idea." She grimaced slightly, feeling bad for her companion.

 

Roxas glanced from Namine to the dog, then back again. "Sure," he said with a nod, small smile accompanying his words. Of course he didn't mind; he loved Ty for one, being so loyal and loving to Namine, and two, for protecting her when he couldn't. Dog's were always good companions to have, no matter the circumstances.

 

Namine nodded slightly, moving away from Roxas to kneel down in front of her dog. She looked Ty in the eyes and brought her hand to his head, stroking him. Ty wagged his tail slightly and leaned forward, licking Namine's cheek. The girl smiled weakly, patting her dog one more time. "Sorry boy," she whispered, grabbing onto the end of his leash. She saw a pole on the porch fence and tied the end around it.

 

As Namine tended to her pet, Roxas turned and stepped toward the door. He pulled the key out of his soaking wet jeans, the fabric heavy as he pulled his hand out. He gripped the key in his hand and stuck it in the lock, turning the handle and opening the door. He turned his head to look at Namine, the boy holding the door open with his arm, waiting for her.