Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Ty whimpered softly, turning around in a circle before he laid himself down right in front of Namine. He curled up right by her stomach, the dog licking her arm a few times as he started to shed tears.

 

After a few minutes, Roxas found himself on Namine's street. He could see her house from where he was, which only motivated him to push himself harder. Something was wrong. He didn't know what, but it was enough to make him come running.

 

Namine took in a breath, feeling heat on her face. She furrowed her brows and turned her head away, not realizing that it was Ty's breathing that was bothering her. She moved her arm and set it on the dog in front of her, but then, in her state of unconsciousness, she realized things weren't right. What am I touching...?

 

Roxas cut across Namine's yard and leapt up the porch steps. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the extra house key she had given him. He was grateful she even locked her door, but also even more thankful she had given him a key. He unlocked the door and opened it, taking a few steps into the home as the screen door shut behidn him. "Namine!" he called.

 

Namine grunted softly, both at the voice and what Ty was doing now. The dog had gotten up at the voice and started licking her face. "Ty," she groaned softly, gently pushing the dog away from her. She forced her eyes open partway but then closed them, confused. How did I end up on the floor?

 

Roxas left the entrance hall and took a turn into the living room. He froze in the doorway. "Namine!" he cried, rushing forward to be by the girl's side. How did she end up on the floor?

 

Namine opened her eyes at the voice, shocked. Roxas? How in the world did he get there? And when? She pushed herself up slightly, Ty still licking her face. "Ty," she protested, though she couldn't push him away because she was using both her hands to bring herself up.

 

Roxas knelt down beside Namine, simultaneously putting a hand on Ty's back. "It's alright, boy," he said. His eyes, however, stayed on Namine, full of concern and fear. "Namine, what happened? Are you alright?" he asked, his hand dropping from Ty's back while the other came up to push her hair away from her face.

 

Namine sat with her back to the couch, her eyes flickering up to Roxas. "I'm alright," she informed him quietly. "I think...I may have fainted," she said, trying to recall what had happened before. Right, I was going to give Ty a treat, she thought, soft blue eyes wandering to the dog who sat a foot away before she looked back to Roxas.

 

Roxas brought his hand back, one elbows resting on his propped up knee. His other hand rested on his leg as he stayed knelt down on the floor. "Fainted?" he repeated, eyes concerned. "Do you know why?" Whatever it was, he was going to do what it took to help Namine out. Seeing her like this worried him.

 

Namine nodded slightly. "I haven't been getting much sleep lately," she said softly. Three hours a night and a few cap-naps through-out the day were all that she had been running on for the past week. Apparently her body couldn't handle the strain and, well, she fainted because of it.

 

Roxas frowned sadly. That news upset him, but what was even more disturbing was that he thought he knew the answer. "The nightmares?" he guessed softly, looking Namine in the eyes. If that was the case, he could understand why she couldn't sleep. Those must have been horrifying for her.

 

Namine nodded again. "Yeah," she said quietly. "...Every night this week, I've woken up screaming," she confessed. "And then I'm always too scared to go back to sleep, so..." So I just stayed awake and watched whatever programs are on TV at one in the morning.

 

Roxas bit his lip at that news, lowering his eyes for a moment. He never wanted to hear her scream, and the thought of it made him uneasy. "You could have called, Namine," he said, looking back up at her. "You know I would have stayed with you."

 

Namine bit her lip lightly, eyes wandering to Ty for a moment. "I know," she said softly. She looked up at Roxas again, who was still gazing at her. "But every time it was the middle of the night, and I didn't want to bother you...or have you see me like I was," she confessed. She had been...terrified, each time she woke up. And since she was so close to Roxas, she knew that he'd feel pain because of that too, and she didn't want that. She had told herself the nightmares would stop, but they hadn't.

 

Roxas gazed at the girl. He would have rather been there with her when she was scared than find her passed out on her living room floor, but he didn't say that, not wanting to make the situation worse. "Well, I'm here now," he said with a small, comforting smile. "And I'm staying with you whether you like it or not, so you're stuck with me for tonight."

 

Namine felt a smile naturally appear on her lips when she heard Roxas' last sentence. "Is this my punishment for not calling?" she asked, amusement coming through in her voice. She could tell Roxas still wished he could have been there for her before, and now he was staying without asking if she cared. Of course, she did care. She cared because she did want him to stay...more than she wanted anything else at that moment.

 

Roxas shrugged. "That depends. Do you want it to be?" he asked with an arch of his eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his expression, a smirk appearing on his lips. Of course he was going to stay with her, and he didn't want to think of it as punishment. But he knew Namine was joking, so he went along with it.

 

Namine smiled softly, shaking her head. "No," she said. Besides, being with Roxas would never be a punishment for her--she loved his company. And she loved the relationship they had, even now. "Besides, being with you could never be a bad thing," she said sweetly.

 

Roxas's smile widened. "Glad to hear that," he replied softly. He gazed into Namine's eyes, seeing a sense of peace in them, but also some fear and tiredness. Talking to her may have helped, if it did at all. But there were still some problems to take care of.