Manorexic
By: Holly Rose E.
Rating: T
Thank You's to: JyouraKoumi, seal-chan, InfynitiStar, minnermon, Katten and ShadowedHearts. Thank you, thank you! You were my motivation!
Chapter Two: Pretty
You're so pretty
Could I get the nerve?
--Kidneythieves
"Give it back, damn it!"
"I want my fucking clothes back!"
"Taichi, make him give it back!"
"Not till I get my clothes back, you butt-fuck."
"Rei, give it back."
"Not till I get my -."
"SHUT UP!"
The nurse blinked above him, as if surprised at her own outburst. She smiled largely and tipped her head to the side, and began to giggle. "Rei, give Daisuke-chan his clothes back."
There were more then fifteen boys in the common area, but most of them didn't look up at any point during the outburst. They sat, either watching the small, black and white TV that was speckled with static, or reading old, tattered books – half of which were upside-down. There was one boy who had been fist-fighting in the air, as if he would be able to control them like a puppet. He mumbled under his breath, and look quite put-out when the nurse had yelled.
"Now, Yamato," she said, "Let's go to your room, I know you're just about to burst from excitement, I can tell!"
She must have been referring to his red coloring – he was horrified at the prospect of having to remain in this... this... loony bin until some crackpot or another decided he was "healthy". Psh, as if they knew anything about healthy – the whole lot of them were fat, always pigging out on doughnuts as much as the police they pretend to either loathe or trip over their feet about. Yet, because they had a silly degree they loved to showcase, they were considered the End-All-Be-All source of endless knowledge.
"Good morning, Kyoko," a boy sidled up next to them as the nurse began to wheel him down what seemed the longer of the two diverging corridors. The boy had a shock of green hair, matted down and greasy-looking. His eyes didn't seem to quite focus when he looked at her.
"Why, hello there Akira! How did it go last night?"
Akira startled as he finally noticed Yamato, thrusting a pink tongue out to run over his thin lips a few times, "Hey, man," he grabbed Yamato's knees, "Don't let 'im stick it up your ass, man. Those needles hurt, no matter how soft they look!"
Kyoko smacked Akira's hands off of Yamato, "Akira, what have we told you?"
"It went fine, Kyoko-san." He answered her first question, looking past her at something else. "I think I'm going to go get Pooh Bear." He walked past, patting Yamato atop his head – who growled loudly – and haphazardly swayed down the hallway, knocking into a few people on his way.
Kyoko giggled as she once again began to move him, "Don't mind him. As long as he's got his Pooh, he's fine. Pooh is his red stuffed penguin. He sure does love that thing. The last occupant of his room left it there and Akira decided to adopt it. He's like a two-year-old, it's so very cute."
Yamato merely crossed his arms in response, tipping his nose up into the air in his normally seen haughty way. Of all the absurdities... Though he wouldn't admit it, he was growing more worried about the state of his roommate. Please let him be clean. Please, please, please let him have a regular bathing schedule of at least every other day.
"This will be your room, Yamato," she said, turning into a room.
"Where's - ."
"Not allowed with your roommate. Maybe if you both accumulate enough Merit Points, you can get your door back!"
His eye twitched involuntarily.
The room was in a state of utter disarray, two beds on either side. One was clean and bare, with a random yellowish stain here and there on the mattress. Clean sheets laid neatly on an old, wooden chair that faced sideways from a desk. There was a metal rack with hangers there, which was to be his make-shift closet. On the other side, the bed was rumpled with a load of random clothes strewn. A heavy Mexican-style blanket was laid onto the floor, surrounded by Leggos – it seemed a masterpiece had recently been demolished. The other rack was also bare, except for a lone pair of boxers hung over the metal bar.
"I bet you can't guess which side is yours!" Kyoko giggled behind her hand.
He did notice, though, with some relief, that there was a dividing curtain that he could pull. Ah, the first – and quite possibly the only – sign of hope he'd had so far.
Kyoko's pager beeped, "Oh, what lovely timing! Make yourself at home, dear, but make sure you're on time for your Session in about 15 or so minutes." With that, she left in a flurry of pink hair and grey sweats.
Sighing with his head in his hands, Yamato tried to convince himself that somehow, just somehow in a Ultra-Evil Psychedelic Alternate Universe, it could be worse. He didn't know how, nor did he dare imagine how, that I could be worse... but it always could be.
So says the ever-optimists who always have a breakdown, and always the worst ones.
"You know, they do give you your clothes back once you eat at least three meals straight. And enough to their liking," said a voice from behind him.
Yamato resisted the urge to scream an obscenity at him, and turned around slightly in his chair. Behind him stood a tan boy with the worst mop of chocolate-brown hair he'd ever seen. Thin arms wrapped around his waist and an innocent face with mahogany hair peeking from under the older boys arm.
"Hi!" Cinnamon-boy said. "My name's Daisuke, and this here is Tai!" He turned his head so that he could look up at the aforementioned Tai. "You're lucky - you get to move in with Taichi-sempai!" He giggled like an infatuated schoolgirl, and squeezed Tai tight before releasing him and walking around so that Yamato wouldn't have to turn his head uncomfortably.
Taichi slowly made his way around and sat on his own bed, brushing lightly at the slight amount of bed sheet visible.
"Don't mind, Tai, they're going to up his dosage today, so he'll be himself in no time."
"That defeats the purpose," Yamato said, smuggling a sardonic laugh back down his throat.
Daisuke leaned in close, hands behind his back clasped. He smiled brightly, "How so?"
"Being medicated makes you somebody you're not. So if they're actually increasing a dosage, they're making him even farther from his 'real' self." Yamato turned to look at Taichi, who was looking at him intensely. His dark eyes only got darker as they continued to look at him.
"Do you need any help unpacking?" Daisuke reverted Yamato's attention back to him again. "It wouldn't be any trouble," he smiled in an almost endearing manner, his hand extended to the blonde to help him up.
Yamato looked at the helping hand, back up to the face with the almost Chibi-like grin and back to the hand. He closed his eyes and smirked, standing by himself without any regard to Daisuke. He turned to his bed and stretched, not caring if they could see his large rump peeking through. He was here for loonies, and if they really wanted to stare at his grotesque body, then let them. Make them stay here longer.
He heard someone behind him leave the room, and someone else approach.
"You know, you're not as beautiful as you think you are."
The nerve! Yamato whirled around, prepared to chew the person out that, no, thank you, he did not think himself pretty even in the slightest, but choked on his own words as he saw Taichi's eyes and his body.
"Not nearly as pretty as you, right?" he sneered.
Taichi smiled, and put a hand behind his head, scratching nervously. "That's not what I meant, I just meant to say that..."
"Drop it," Yamato said. He glared, eyes becoming – if possible – even colder than they already were. "You've no room to talk of beauty...Taichi-sempai," he mocked.
Taichi dropped his hand, this time just cocking his head to look at Yamato closer. "I bet you're afraid."
"I'm not afraid of anything."
"I think you are," Taichi smiled. He looked up over Yamato's shoulder, and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, it's time for your one-on-one. I'm right next door, so we can see each other when we're going to lunch. I'm not allowed in the cafeteria, either!"
Yamato yanked his hand out of the other boy's grasp, but followed all the same. Kami-sama... no more here than I absolutely have to.
Closing Notes: sorry it was so boring, but it should be picking up here soon!