Rude Awakening (1x1 with Peanut)

[Peanut 26]

Roxas approached Namine, hovering his hands over hers as he cast a spell that was easily strong enough to take away the pain. "It's okay," he said for what felt like the hundredth time. "Why don't you go wash in the bathroom? I'll clean this up." He didn't want her accidentally hurting herself on the plates. 

[Forever Love 82]

Namine felt tears escape her eyes despite the fact that the pain was gone. The physical pain disappeared, but not the emotional. "I'm sorry," she murmured weakly, stepping past Roxas and escaping to the bathroom. She was sorry for not being strong enough to handle all of this, for being a klutz. She needed to get it together.

[Peanut 26]

Roxas opened his mouth to give Namine some reassurance, but she ran before he could say anything. He felt so bad, but he didn't know what to do. He carefully cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, careful not to cut himself on the shattered plates. Once he finished with those, he'd have to clean Namine's blood. Cleaning up his and Seifer's earlier made him feel sick, but the idea of cleaning Namine's was ten times worse.

[Forever Love 82]

Wiping away her blood was easier than Namine thought; all she had to do was run her hand under the faucet. Once she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror and nearly tisked in disgust. She looked terrible, not that she was too surprised. Today had been a rough day for everyone, but she felt especially victimized. But...she couldn't be weak. She couldn't put everything on Roxas. She had to carry her own weight.

[Peanut 26]

After cleaning up the shattered plates, Roxas sat on his knees on the floor to clean up the blood. He had wet paper-towels in his hands so he could do it. But looking at her blood on the floor...He felt so sick. He shouldn't have asked her to do anything today; he should have done everything and sent her to Kairi. If he had been smart, this wouldn't have happened. Namine wouldn't be so hurt, and he wouldn't have to look at her blood.

[Forever Love 82]

Namine left the bathroom after gathering herself, wiping under her eyes one last time as she returned to the kitchen. She saw Roxas on the floor and cleaning up the mess she made, but...she could tell by his posture that he wasn't doing well. She wasn't either. She stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, bending down to be next to him. "Roxas..."

[Peanut 26]

Roxas jumped slightly at Namine's sudden reappearance. Had he been stalling that long? "Sorry," he automatically said. "I'll wrap this up." But even as he said that, he couldn't force himself to move. This blood was evidence that he put Namine in a position that hurt her. He couldn't protect her from anything at all, could he?

[Forever Love 82]

"Stop," Namine begged weakly, her eyes on Roxas's. "Please...just stop." He didn't have to do this, put himself through all of this. Namine would carry her own weight just so he could relax. Ever since they got back, he'd done nothing but stress over her situation. 

[Peanut 26]

Roxas lowered his gaze to the paper-towel in his hand. "I don't want you to have to do this," he said quietly. "I can do it." He had to toughen up; he had to be stronger for her. Why was all the blood getting to him so much? That was weakness. 

[Forever Love 82]

Namine shook her head, lifting her hand and turning Roxas's face gently towards her. She needed him to look at her and understand that she didn't want this. She didn't want him suffering for her sake. That wasn't fair, and she never wanted to be the reason Roxas was upset. He just needed to stop.

[Peanut 26]

Roxas couldn't say no to the hand that was on his face; he doubted he would ever shy away from Namine's gentle touch, even when he didn't want her seeing his eyes. But she wanted to see them, so he would show them to her. He was tired--emotionally exhausted. Today was rough on both of them.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Peanut

[Forever Love 82]

Namine knew that she could be pushing some boundaries with touching Roxas like this, but it was necessary. Or so she thought. She kept her hand on his cheek, her sad eyes on his. "Please..." she pleaded again. Stop. Roxas didn't have to do this. He never had to do anything for her.

[Peanut 26]

Roxas shut his eyes, hearing Namine's plea. She knew what she wanted, but even so... "Let me do this," he said quietly. "For you. I haven't been able to do much for you, but I can at least do this." He wasn't able to save her from Seifer, keep her from being evicted or stop them from taking away Faye. The least he could do was clean up a mess.

[Forever Love 82]

Namine shook her head faintly. "It's hurting you. I can see it," she told Roxas gently. She would take care of it. It was her mess, so she would clean it up. Besides, he already took care of other blood stains around the apartment. She could clean up her own.

[Peanut 26]

Roxas opened his eyes, seeing Namine in front of him and in close proximity. He didn't mind it, and she didn't seem to either. "I'd rather be hurt than see you hurt," he said quietly. There was no reason to hide that fact from her; anyone who saw him lately would see that truth easily. 

[Forever Love 82]

"I wouldn't," Namine admitted quietly, her thumb moving slightly against Roxas's smooth cheek. She didn't want him to be hurt instead of her. She shouldn't have kept Faye in the first place, or left her here. She should have asked Riku's parents to watch her, or Sora's. It would have been the most logical path to take. She brought this on herself.

[Peanut 26]

Roxas lifted his free hand, placing it atop Namine's on his cheek. Her words touched him, but even so... "Let me do this," he requested again, keeping his voice soft. "Let me be strong enough for you this time." He wasn't strong enough in the past, but maybe this time, he could be. 

[Forever Love 82]

Namine felt her heart flutter with flattery, and with Roxas's touch. They definitely weren't just friends anymore, were they? "Roxas," she said, smiling faintly despite herself. "You've always been strong enough for me." He didn't have to defeat Seifer to be strong enough for her. He was just by being Roxas. He was perfect just as he was.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Forever Love

[Peanut 26]

Roxas looked away, removing his hand from Namine's. "No," he disagreed. "I haven't." She was hurt before because of his weakness, but that wasn't going to happen today. He tightened his grasp on the paper towel and began to clean up the mess on the floor without giving Namine time to protest.

[Forever Love 82]

Namine took her hand away when Roxas turned his face from her, just gazing at him as he cleaned up her blood, however little there was on the floor. She didn't know what else to say, so instead of blurting the first thing that came to mind, she rose to her feet and gave Roxas the space he needed to clean up. She would go sit on the couch in the meantime.

[Peanut 26]

Three Days Later

 

Roxas glanced over his shoulder as he rolled a large and heavy suitcase behind him in front of the college entrance, his eyebrows furrowing at the photo-snapping paparazzi. "Don't you guys have anything better to do?" he nearly growled at them. Today was the last day that they were moving stuff into his college dorm room for Namine; they had been making short trips in the past few days and this was the last batch. Sora and Kairi couldn't be here to help, as they were busy with the press the past few days and telling them about the Xehanort crisis. Riku and Lightning were still locked in jail, so it was up to Roxas and Namine. He really wasn't happy that she had to be exposed to these stupid media people, but she wouldn't let him carry all her stuff in alone.

[Forever Love 82]

Namine kept her head down, following Roxas's lead as she went with him toward the dorm. She had a bag slung over her shoulder, one full of the rest of her clothes. They already moved her other belongings inside. This was their last trip, thank goodness. Namine glanced up for only a second, but she quickly looked away when the paparazzi surrounding her and Roxas snapped more pictures. What did they want?

 

"Miss Brooks! We heard you were evicted," a journalist called. "Care to share why?"

[Peanut 26]

"Care to share why you're harassing an innocent girl?" Roxas growled under his breath, though he doubted anyone heard him but maybe Namine. If both his hands weren't taken, he would have set a hand on Namine's back to encourage her forward. But she was already going since she hated the paparazzi too. How'd they find out about her eviction anyway? Weren't there privacy laws against that knowledge being released?

[Forever Love 82]

Namine only tucked some of her hair behind her ear, glancing up at Roxas when he grumbled lowly about the paparazzi. But she otherwise continued on her way. The same journalist kept asking for details as to why she was moving into a college dorm, especially a guy's dorm.

 

"Are you two together? Did you hook up while you were away from the Islands?"

 

"Roxas! Isn't a girl living in a guy's dorm against the academy rules? Are you afraid of eviction as well?"

[Peanut 26]

"We heard that Namine's apartment was covered in blood. Was there abuse involved?" 

 

Roxas stopped walking when he heard that comment amidst the many others. They thought that he hurt her? He tightened his grasp on the suitcase handles he held, glaring ahead as the paparazzi stood behind. He desperately wanted to refute that one.