Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine shook her head softly, some water falling from her ponytail and hitting the ground. She needed to dry off before she worried about her memories. First, she did her ponytail, using the towel to squeeze out any liquid. And then she wrapped it around her shoulders, the towel taking away the moisture off her bare skin. She released a soft sigh, closing her eyes as she lowered her head.

 

Roxas climbed the stairs, starting down the upstairs hall once he reached the top. He passed a room or two before finding his own, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to his dresser after throwing the towel on his bed, digging through the drawers for some comfortable clothes.

 

Namine bit her lip before pulling away the towel, using it to dry off her body. The silence made her thoughts seem louder, which she hated. A thousand questions were running through her mind, and she couldn't answer a single one. It was depressing and frustrating at the same time.

 

After a minute or so, Roxas finally found some suitable clothes. He took off his heavy, soaked clothing and replaced them with fresh, dry ones. Once dressed, he used the towel to run through his damp hair, the boy gliding his fingers through his blond locks once he was finished. The boy sighed, throwing the towel back down on the bed. With another trip to his dresser, Roxas grabbed a second set of clothes before leaving his room.

 

Namine held the towel in her hand once she had run the towel over her shirt and pants. It didn't help much, but at least she wasn't dripping as much as she had been. She knelt down and wiped up the drips that had fallen before returning the towel to its place around her shoulders, standing upright again.

 

Roxas reached the stairs and descended, gripping the clothes in his hand. "Hey," he called casually, looking up from staring at his feet as he went down the stairs. His eyes landed on Namine. "I got some clothes for you. I thought you might want to change out of those wet clothes." He touched the first floor, starting toward her.

 

Namine looked to Roxas, hearing his voice and seeing him out of the corner of her eye a moment ago. And then, as if to remind her of how wet things were outside, a loud rumble of thunder roared. Namine blinked twice, trying to hide her startled feeling. "Thank you," she said, stepping forward to meet Roxas halfway. She brought up a hand and gently took the pants and shirt from his grasp.

 

"No problem." Roxas pointed behind him with his thumb, toward the hall. "The...uh...bathroom's that way. Down the hall, first door on the left." It felt weird that he had to tell her where everything was; just a day ago this place had been like home to her, and now it was foreign. Roxas felt like he was back in the very beginning of their relationship, back when they were just friends. It was odd, and brought on the feeling of deja vu.

 

Namine smiled softly, nodding. "Thanks," she said again, realizing how many times she said that to Roxas. She didn't linger any longer, though, wanting to get dry. When she slipped past him in the hall, her hand accidentally bumped his. She kept walking despite the strange feeling that she now felt in her heart.

 

Roxas's hand instantly closed into a loose fist at the contact, his fingers tingling for a moment. He stood there, arms at his sides, staring at the floor. He really needed to stop longing for something, for the person, he couldn't have. Things had to return to normal first, and he would be patient. For her. For Namine, because that was what she deserved.

 

Namine turned her head, seeing the bathroom right away. She turned into and shut the door, taking off her wet clothing in exchange for the pair Roxas had allowed her to borrow. He was really being kind to her--she needed thank him for it later. Again with the thanks, she mused, thinking of how many times in the past hour she had used that sentiment. She shook it off, changing clothes.

 

Roxas left the foyer, walking through the darkened house to the kitchen. He flipped the switch, every room dim due to the dark sky outside. He walked over to the cabinet, pulling out two mugs. A little hot chocolate never hurt anyone, he thought, getting the mix.

 

A few minutes later, Namine was changed into a new set of clothes. She had set her old jeans and tank top by the sink, laying them out slightly so they could dry. It only took one moment to fix her ponytail, and then Namine finished and opened the bathroom door, turning out the lights as she headed back down the hall in the direction she came from.

 

Roxas stirred the mix, the mugs both hot. He softly sang a song in his head, one he'd written himself, as he finished up. The warm smell of the hot chocolate reached him, making him want to taste it even more.

 

As Namine turned into the kitchen, a smell reached her nose. She recognized it immediately as hot chocolate. A small smile appeared on her face, the girl taking a few steps into the room.

 

Roxas continued to stir and sing, unaware of the other presence in the room. He tapped the spoon against the mug to get rid of excess liquid, stepping to the side to put it in the sink. His lips continued to move as he moved over to grab the mugs.

 

Namine kept a small smile on her face, walking over toward Roxas. She stopped when she was near him, a few feet away. "Hot chocolate?" she inquired with a soft smile. She didn't need an answer; she already knew what it was. The only reason she asked was to give her some time to think...to think about whatever it was Roxas was singing. It sounded so familiar to her, but she couldn't place it.

 

Roxas whirled around at the voice, his voice stopping halfway through a word. His wide eyes returned to their normal size once he saw who it was. He smiled, nodding and not even acting embarrassed that she had caught him singing. There wasn't a reason to be; Namine had heard him sing plenty of times before. She may not have remembered it, but he did. And he was completely comfortable with being himself around her, singing included.

 

Namine smiled weakly, taking another step toward Roxas, "Sorry," she started. "I didn't mean to startled you; I just didn't want to interrupt your song." Her soft smile grew a bit larger when she met his eyes and locked her gaze with his. "It was really beautiful."

 

Roxas smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his head with a quick glance to the floor. After a second his eyes returned to Namine's sky-blue. "Thanks," he said softly. "...It's an original." He smiled a little larger, but at the same time knew he couldn't really explain what it was unless she asked. How could he tell her straight up that it was written for her? Roxas couldn't imagine how that would go over...