Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine let out a very soft gasp when she saw a bolt of lightning, which was followed by thunder less than a second later. This storm--no, this time of hardship--would it end any time soon? And how would that come to be? When? Where? And what would it be like when it happened? The blond girl didn't have any of the answers, and because of some fearfulness stirring in her heart, she wasn't sure she wanted them at all.

 

Roxas made his way through the house, seeing the glow of the fire hitting the walls of the living room as he approached it. He saw Namine sitting quietly on the couch, the firelight flickering across her facial features. The other half of her face was in darkness, but he could read the expression on her face--still upset. He walked over to the couch, mugs in hand. "Here," he said softly, holding her previously claimed mug out to her.

 

Namine turned her head, faintly jumping at the voice that pulled her out of her thoughts. She brought a hand up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to try and hide her surprise. Roxas was standing nearby, and seeing him in the firelight, Namine could see that he was holding two items--hot chocolate. "Thank you," she said softly, extending a hand to take the beverage.

 

Roxas nodded in silence, accepting her thanks. He wanted to cheer her up in some way, but he was going to take it in stages, if it had to be that way. Hot chocolate was stage one, but he wasn't sure on what stage two was.

 

Namine held the cup lightly with both hands before she brought it up to her lips, taking a sip before lowering it down above her lap again. She looked down at it blankly, trying to think of something to say. But nothing came to mind.

 

Roxas took a sip from his mug, still standing. He turned his head at a strike of lightning, his eyes falling on the window on one side of the room. As the thunder rumbled, he approached the window pane, looking outside.

 

Namine looked up at the fire across the room, the light from the fire reflecting in her eyes. She didn't know why, but she had mixed feelings about a fire like that. It made her feel sad and at peace at the same time. It was confusing, but Namine realized that these feelings were probably related to something from her past.

 

Roxas leaned his shoulder against the corner of the window frame, staring out into the rain. He sighed softly, not really thinking about anything. Taking another sip of his hot chocolate, he couldn't help but decide that this storm wasn't going to let up for a while. The clouds were dark as far as he could see, polar opposites from the sky before, which had been sunny and cloud-free.

 

Namine took another sip of her hot chocolate, the warmth comforting her. In a way, she wished that Roxas was beside her. She didn't know why she felt that way; she hardly knew him. But he was being a good friend to her today, and she had been bold enough to give him a hug earlier. That hug...it was constantly coming up in her thoughts. She didn't understand how that sympathetic gesture could still mean so much to her when she had so many other things to think about.

 

Roxas closed his eyes at the sound of the rain. He'd always loved rainy weather, mainly because it was very calming and soothing to him. He guessed that was what he and Namine didn't have in common. She hated storms, but he loved them since he had first seen them. He guessed storms reminded him that not everything was always peaceful and full of laughter, much like his life. It was a solace, he assumed--a time when he didn't really have to worry about anything; he could just listen to the rain and feel it on his skin, and know that not everything is perfect, and that everyone had flaws, just like him.

 

Namine brought the mug to her lips again, finishing the hot chocolate. She turned her head slightly and saw an end-table right next to her, so she silently set her cup there before turning back to the fire. There was nothing to say. Or everything. She didn't know where to start, or if she should. She only knew that keeping everything bottled up was driving her insane. Not insane in the crazy sense, but insane as in depressingly so.

 

Roxas opened his eyes at a soft rumble of thunder, bringing the mug to his lips again. The hot chocolate wasn't steaming anymore, just the right temperature now. His throat warmed as the liquid was swallowed, making him feel more comfortable. The light and warmth of the fire and beverage were enough, but the rain helped even more. He felt very sleepy, even though he knew there were still problems at hand.

 

In the end, though, Namine decided now wasn't the right time to say anything. Roxas seemed perfectly content watching the storm, and she wouldn't ruin that for him. Besides, she felt a bit more comfortable watching the fire flickering, every once in a seeing it release sparks. The girl quietly lifted herself from the couch, taking a few steps over toward the fireplace.

 

Roxas leaned his head against the window frame, his eyelids getting heavy. He gave in to the pressure, closing his eyes as the thunder rumbled softly outside. But there was a part of him that didn't understand what was happening. How could he sleep at a time like this? Namine was going through a tough time, and she was petrified of storms. Why was he giving in to the sleep that willed him over?

 

Namine knelt down in front of the fire, about a foot away. Her eyes stayed on the fire despite the fact that they were getting dry. Paying attention to that was much better than paying attention to the terrible storm that raged outside the house and inside her heart. Somehow, all her feelings of sadness pertaining the fire were gone. She felt calm now. She didn't know why or how, but she was glad things felt alright for that moment.

 

The boy opened his eyes slightly, looking down at the nearly empty mug in his hands. He remembered the last time this had happened--when he and Namine had to resort to using the fire for light and warmth during a thunderstorm. That had been an ugly day, one he had forgotten until now. The setting was the same, but the situation was not. The only similarity was that Namine was the victim. However, unlike last time, he wasn't hurt physically--this time it was only emotionally.

 

Namine exhaled a silent breath, fully sitting now, legs slightly to her side. She blinked a few times when the smoke came into her eyes, but she didn't back away. A rumble of thunder came from outside, making her jump a little bit. She bit down on her lip and shut her eyes, trying to compose herself before she really lost control of her emotions.

 

At the thought of her, Roxas turned his head slightly to look over toward the fireplace. He'd caught Namine's movement out of the corner of his eye before, but just never showed any reaction due to the deepness of his thoughts. He watched her silently, his bright blue eyes focusing on her as she sat in front of the fireplace. Roxas wished there was something he could say to cheer her up a little. He couldn't say that the storm was going to pass soon, because he would be lying; it was going to stay for a while. Wait, he suddenly thought, eyes opening fully. Maybe there is something I can do.

 

Namine opened her eyes slowly, the fire crackling in front of her. Seeing the fire didn't completely absorb her nervousness, but it helped make her feel more at peace again. She folded her hands in her lap, holding them together in an attempt to calm herself down. There's no reason to be afraid, she told herself. It's only a storm...you've been through them before. She didn't tell herself this because of a memory; she just figured that she must have seen a thunder storm before. It was purely logic.

 

Roxas quietly set his mug down on the endtable closest to him, next to the recliner by the window he was standing at. He then silently left the room, traveling to the bathroom with the guidance of the flashlight. He needed to get a towel to help him with this, or it was going to be messy.