Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine jumped at the thunder tightening her grip on her mug of hot chocolate. She squinted, trying to see Roxas' face better in the darkness. "Oh," she said simply in response to his statement. There wasn't anything else she could think to say. She was stuck in a storm with a stranger--no, a friend. Things would be alright; they just had to wait out the storm.

 

Roxas needed to find a flashlight, but he didn't want to leave Namine alone in the kitchen, especially when he knew she was scared of thunderstorms. He blinked, straining his eyes to see the outline of her form. "You alright, Nam?"

 

Namine nodded, but then realized that maybe Roxas couldn't see the movement. "Yeah, I'm alright," she said bravely. the way she said it, it sounded a lot like the tone of voice she used at the mall when she willingly went with the men who kidnapped her. But she didn't know this since she had no recollection of that day.

 

"Okay." He looked behind Namine at one of the windows to the yard, watching the downpour for a couple seconds. "Would you come with me for a second?" Roxas asked, his eyes locating the faint color of Namine's blonde hair in the blackness. He was glad that his eyes were starting to grow accustomed to the lighting.

 

Namine nodded, mentally smacking herself for not saying anything verbally. She corrected the mistake right away. "Sure," she said. "Is there a place I can set down my mug?"

 

Roxas turned around to where he had set his, his sight in the darkness now easier. He turned back to Namine and brought up both of his hands, catching the faint outline of the mug in her grasp. Roxas gently set his hands over hers, knowing he could just set the mug behind him on the counter.

 

Namine bit down on her lip, feeling Roxas' hands touch hers. The feeling it created...it was totally unexplainable. So she didn't try forming a thought about it. She slid her hands out slowly, sure that Roxas had a firm grasp on the cup.

 

Even though it was too dark to tell, Roxas let his eyes lift to look at where Namine's face would have been if he could see her clearly. The touch had affected him, but he couldn't let it do anything uncontrollable. He had to be...different, less affectionate and more of a friend. Actually, not even one sign of affection could slip through, or something bad could come out of it... That was his way of seeing it, anyway. Roxas finally turned around and heard the gentle tap of the mug touching the countertop. Once he was sure it was stable, he let go.

 

Namine brought her hands back, holding them together in front of her. Her eyes wandered to Roxas, who she could barely see right in front of her. A flash of lightning outside startled her, making her jump a little bit.

 

Roxas could feel the rumble of thunder that came after the lightning. The storm had to have been right above them. "I need to get a flashlight," he said into the darkness, his eyes falling on the outline of Namine's figure. "You want to come with me? Or do you want to wait in the living room?"

 

Namine hesitated. She didn't want to get in Roxas' way when he went to get a flashlight. After all, she didn't really know the house. But she didn't want to be alone, either. "...I'll come with you," she decided.

 

Roxas nodded, but then realized the situation they were in. "Alright," he replied, verbally this time. He knew that this was going to be useless if they were walking in the darkness, and likely to bump into each other. So the boy moved his hand forward. Luckily, his hand found Namine's arm. Roxas trailed his hand down her arm until his fingers met with hers, the boy gripping them gently.

 

Namine's eyes widened at the touch. She knew nothing was meant by it, since he was leading her through a dark house, he would need to have some kind of contact with her. But still, she almost said something right then and there. She almost confessed that she felt like she liked him. But she didn't. Instead, she nodded and said "okay."

 

"Okay, follow me," Roxas instructed, passing where Namine was standing and starting out of the kitchen. He didn't rush, still cautious. He knew the house inside and out, but that never stopped him from being to careful, especially when Namine was with him.

 

Namine lightly gripped Roxas' hand, following him out of the kitchen. She didn't even think to put out her other hand in case she would run into a wall. The thought didn't even cross her mind, since her trust in Roxas came so naturally.

 

Roxas peered through the darkness, navigating them both down the hallway. "The house is for the most part clean. You shouldn't trip over anything. And I know this place by heart, so I won't let you run into a wall," he said, a chuckle leaving his lips soon afterward.

 

Namine felt a smile appear on her lips. "Alright," she said, a soft chuckle leaving her lips as well. She wasn't concerned about tripping at all, or running into anything. For some reason, she was more afraid of the storm raging outside....

 

Roxas was smiling, though it wasn't visible in the darkness. He knew the supplies closet was right up ahead, and he stuck a hand out, feeling for it. When his fingers touched the door, he stopped. Roxas slowly let his hand slip out of Namine's as he opened the door. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, flipping it open and using it as a source of light.

 

Namine allowed her hand to fall back at her side, the girl watching patiently as Roxas looked through the closet for a flashlight.

 

Roxas stepped into the closet, searching the shelves for the item he was looking for. After a moment he spotted it, smiling in triumph. He picked it off the shelf and turned it on, closing his phone and slipping it back into his pocket as he walked out of the supplies closet. He shined the flashlight on Namine's form, being sure to avoid her face so he wouldn't blind her. His eyes on her, Roxas grinned. "Found it," he said, stating the obvious.