56.
Saturday
"Riku, my backpack is still in my room. Could you?"
"Yeah."
"Cloud, d'you have all my health...paper...stuffs?"
"It's all here," his father replied before grabbing his keys off the half-wall and walking out the open front door.
"I made you breakfast." Roxas turned around to see Sora... in a white and pink apron, holding out a plastic bag with Tupperware and plastic utensils inside. "I know you haven't had much of an appetite," he whispered as if Cloud could hear them from the driveway.
Roxas took the bag, smiling wryly. "Well, it's no secret I don't eat like you." Roxas had the ability to eat big but usually ended up eating snack-like foods consistently to keep him sated. Sora exercised eating big with every meal he sat down for and ate snacks in between. Being full was just a wonderful feeling, Sora believed.
"You still have to eat it all! I'll ask Cloud later to make sure." Sora pinned him with a mock-glare, to which Roxas just laughed at.
"Haa.. erm, Sora?" He briefly thought over what he was going to say, the thoughts having been built up inside him since before he fell asleep last night. How could he begin to explain it? Roxas' eyes shifted nervously. It took all of two seconds for Roxas to remember that it was to Sora he was talking. That meant he could tell the boy that he was having a sex change and the most Sora would probably do would call Kairi to go bra-shopping. If there was anyone he could say stupid stuff to, it was him. "I'm scared."
Sora blinked and raised his arm to grip his brother's shoulder.
"I don't like learning about science; I don't want to actively be part of it," Roxas continued, rolling his own eyes at the oxymoronic-but-just-mostly-moronic statement. But... this was more than a doctor's office, clinic, or emergency room. This was a lab. Deep down, Roxas probably knew they were all pretty similar, but 'lab' just seemed a little more terrifying since it wasn't exactly for the general public. The people admitted there, were told to go there, were deemed to have problems that couldn't be fixed with over-the-counter remedies or doctor-advised home remedies. It didn't really hit Roxas until then that he was one of those people now.
Fear of the unknown. Perhaps Roxas should have been scared of himself from the beginning?
Over time, Roxas learned that it wasn't part of a doctor's job to coddle the patient, but to help fix them. Niceties or consideration for a patient's feelings were a bonus and, for the most part, only found those who did interact with the general public. So knowing that, Roxas found it hard to so willingly hand over his body, to be at the mercy of some stranger he assumed knew what he was doing.
Even Axel, he'd somewhat known before letting himself—
"Roxas," Sora's grip tightened before it disappeared from his shoulder. His brother was smiling. "You're smart. You've known how to take care of yourself since we were ten. Remember when Cloud and Leon were downtown and you and I were snowed in and home all by ourselves?"
"Well, yeah." Roxas shrugged. "But wasn't that just cuz we were pretending to be the men of the house?"
"Exactly! You went and shovelled the driveway and I cooked and stuff. And even then, you were the one who found all the crap I needed. Still turned out meh, but my point is: you know what's good for you and what to do when something unexpected happens. I think it's called street-smarts."
Sora found his arms full with Roxas. "Thanks, man," was murmured into his shoulder. Sora barely returned the embrace before they heard a honk from outside.
Riku, who'd been sitting on the stairs and scrolling through his phone, perked up at the sound and approached the two, handing Roxas his bag. Roxas took it gratefully and smirked at the two standing side by side.
"Wow, guys. Like eight hours all by yourselves. Better keep it down or the neighbours will call animal control." He laughed while putting on his backpack and, at the same time, dodging a swipe from a very purple-faced Sora. "Have fun!" Roxas dashed across the foyer and through the open door.
"Roxas!"
"Stay out of my room!"
"We will!"
"Riku!"
The silveret closed and locked the door after Roxas and then turned to look at the brown-haired boy who looked too good in that pink apron. Sora cocked his head and pursed his lips wryly and made a mad sprint up the staircase, a wildly evil Riku at his heels. 'This is gonna be good.' He tugged on the apron strings at his waist.
"No no, leave the apron on."
Roxas looked out of the window to a field slowly reappearing behind a blanket of mist. It must have rained a little last night, if his slight twinges in his bones were anything to go by. Sometimes they ached after some rainfall, and he sort of felt a little like an old man for noticing why.
The golden iridescence soon did begin to peek out from behind layers of clouds and Roxas forgot about the dull pain, watching the dew in the grass twinkle back at him. The sight of nature didn't exactly thrill him, but it was enough to suppress the more pointed spikes of anxiety. Roxas pressed his temple to the window and his blue eyes glazed over at the power of the rising sun.
The low hum of the engine ruled his senses until the car exited the highway and Roxas was pulled out of his trance. Ashy city buses and earth-toned buildings were the sight to see, as well as the water tower in the distance. They'd reached Sudbury.
Sometime after they crossed the city and drove past stretches of fields in the outskirts, the silence was abruptly slapped in the face. "You better behave there."
Roxas flinched at the sound of Cloud's voice breaking the silence. It wasn't his furious-voice or anything, but it was definitely meant to be stern and that all but assaulted Roxas' semi-aware state of being.
They must have been getting close. –Far enough for Cloud to make sure he got his point across but close enough for Roxas to not have time to assemble a well-worded refute, if he felt compelled to at all. Fucking parents.
"There are other people there," Cloud continued. "I don't want any calls asking to pick you up because you got into a fight over your morning Cheerios."
Roxas narrowed his eyes at the man purposely keeping his eyes on the road ahead. That was one time! He crossed his arms and slumped further into his seat.
"They were Special K," he grumbled. "Cheerios are Sora's." Blue eyes were scathingly fixed on the glove compartment. I know it's trivial, but really? Can't even remember the differences between your own twins? It was a small enough of a piss off to not warrant anything further, but damn did that just really piss him the fuck off.
Fortunately, it didn't last for too long, Cloud pulling into a gravelly path that led uphill to a bronze-tinged gate. They checked in with the man in the box controlling the proceedings, and then parked in the arc shaped driveway, closest to the doors. The mansion-like complex was not quite what he'd expected. Cloud was unbuckling his seatbelt and exiting the car to fetch Roxas' things, but the boy just sat and stared at the building. He imagined it more industrial-like. Like a cross between a factory and a school. Instead, the laboratory looked more like a semi-modern villa. It was on top of what looked to be the widest hill among numerous rolling grassy hills. In the distance, he could see the city of Sudbury. Still, something about the angular shapes of the lab, the earthy-tone finish of the paint, and the too-perfectly trimmed moogle topiaries surrounding the front of the building, rubbed Roxas the wrong way.
His anxiety washed right back in. The whole vibe of this place seemed to exude DANGER. Obviously, it wasn't his life that was in jeopardy; just his comfort and his pride. Who needed those anyway...
A cold feeling in the pit of his stomach swelled at the thought of needles. He cringed every time the subject came up in health class. The absolute worst were the EpiPens. The click of the practice pens they had to use in class echoed forever in his mind, making him feel weak to the point where he couldn't make a fist past his pinky. It was an odd phenomenon he'd tested over the years. When four out of five of his fingers shook when he tried to scrunch them together, he knew he'd reached a level of physical panic.
A tap on his window jarred him out of his thoughts. Stepping out, Cloud handed him his backpack but kept the small duffle bag slung across his shoulder. The two blonds looked up at the front of the building a split-second longer before trekking up the half-moon, limestone steps.
Roxas glanced at Cloud out of the corner of his eye, searching for some sort of agreement that this place was fucking creepy. The amount of stairs indicated that the first floor was clearly not on ground level. And since the grandness of the residence spoke for its width and not its height, this meant one thing: sub-levels.
A shiver travelled to the tips of his toes as they reached the top of the stairs. Two moogle-shaped topiaries bookended the wooden double-door entrance. Roxas followed Cloud's lead inside. Damn, that door was heavy.
Dark red carpet atop the black laminate floor led them to the front office. Cloud went ahead to check him in with the rotund, middle-aged woman with ginger curls, thick-rimmed purple glasses, candy-red lipstick and green and white polka dot hoop earrings. Roxas opted to take notice of the rest of the interior design.
Every wall was white. There were columns they passed, all white. The ceiling was low, grid-lined with shallow recessed spotlights, and, you guessed it, white.
There was a little area off to the side of the booth-like office that was decorated like a waiting room. Minimalist-style couches, chairs, and a glass top table with some magazines neatly arranged on top. Roxas briefly wondered how much this weekend was costing Cloud and Sephiroth. Everything looked up-scale. The sound of a door opening and closing and the click clack of heels made him turn back towards the office.
"Roxas Strife," the woman called, holding a file folder. From it, she procured one sheet of paper and held it out for him, then addressed Cloud. "He'll be discharged Monday morning at 7AM. You may pick him up then or any time after that if it's convenient for you. Just let whoever is at the desk know that you're here and we'll call him down from his room."
The woman turned back to her office, placing a sign on the desk that said, 'I have left my office but will return shortly. If you have an emergency, please use the phone and dial 0 for assistance. I apologize for the inconvenience.'
Cloud looked down at him, handing over his other bag. "Seven is a little early," Roxas said. It was a four hour drive meaning the old man would have to wake up before the crack of dawn to get here. "Noon is fine with me." Cloud hesitated.
"You will behave yourself."
"Yes," he pressed, scowling at the floor.
"Okay. You take care." And Cloud left.
The woman, stood beside the office, waiting for him. He readjusted his backpack, slung the duffle onto his shoulder and walked up beside her. They made their way to the elevator and as soon as they got it and Roxas saw all the buttons, he knew his guess about the building having sub-levels was spot on. There were two floors above ground and another twenty marked 'SL' before the number. The button marked '13' lit up as the woman pushed it and down they went.
"Resident bedrooms are all on the thirteenth and fourteenth level. Cafeteria is on the ground floor. It's open from 5AM to 7PM every day. Here is your schedule." The elevators opened, so Roxas just took the paper and followed after her as they made their way down a hallway. It was much like the rest of the building: modern, a monochrome pallet of grey and silver. The floor was a glossy cement finish, illuminated by spotlights similar to the ones up in the lobby. "Today you'll have your preliminary check-up on fifth whenever you're ready. Just show them that paper."
They must have passed at least ten silver doors, all solid and cold-looking. They turned the corner. The floor was a giant square with the elevators in the centre and the rooms all around. Finally, they stopped at a door, its handle marked 1313. She pulled on a keycard clipped to the bottom of her suit jacket and swiped it at a little box beside the door. A little red light turned green and she opened the door. "This is your room. You'll be sharing it with one other resident," she said, holding the door open for him then standing in front of it to keep it open. Roxas dropped his bags, stood in the middle of the suite and looked around. It was simple. Not as lavish or styled the same as the foyer, but definitely better kept than his own room. And sure enough, there were two beds, one already clearly used with foreign belongings littered about.
"Each room has its own washroom. And there's the telephone for any emergencies, numbers are printed out beside it." She gestured to the phone beside the door. "You may go anywhere in the building unless marked 'Restricted'. These are the laboratories and private offices you'll need permission for."
From the file, she unclipped another card. "This is your key. Guard it with your life. The door automatically locks on your way out. Yes, these rooms are soundproof so music is fine." Roxas mentally cheered.
The woman pulled back her sleeve. "It's almost 2:30. Would you like me to show you to your exam room or would you prefer to get settled first?"
Roxas looked around at the space waiting to be explored and poked at. Then he looked at his bags waiting to unleash his pieces of home and self. Lastly, he looked at the bed waiting to be sat on. "I think I'll stay here for a bit."
"If you have any more questions, just come up to the office and ask. Or ask anyone around you. Most people here know the layout of the place."
Roxas gave his thanks and then was left alone in the room. After a quick dumping of his back pack on to the bed, Roxas fished out his cigarettes and pocketed them. He'd be craving a butt ever since he'd gotten out of the car and would surely have one now, but he figured he'd wait until after he went to fifth and save whatever doctor awaiting the smell of tobacco on his clothes.
Making his way out of his room, he checked that his keycard worked before walking in the direction of the elevators. Alright. Here we go.
Different place. Different people. No one knew him here. Everything that he was a part of back home was far far away, back home. And he was just... there. What was the worst that could possibly happen?
YHS
xDelfin
