Night 62: M61-70 Hallway

[notachick]

[M63]

Dinner had been quiet, with Okita staying as silent as possible while Guy slept. It was concerning, actually, how long the man had slept this past day. Even as he finished his meal and the lights turned out along with that ominous message, Guy didn't stir. Okita had heard such things happened sometimes - people slept for longer and longer and then... The swordsman shook his head as if he meant to shake the very thought from his mind. Guy was stronger than that, stronger than a lot of them. He wouldn't go out like that. Not at least without a reason, a goodbye, some measure of warning.

The lights grew dim and winked out. The head doctor gave his little speech and Okita watched the speaker box on the wall with gradually waning interest and growing fear. People were going to grow sick, change, become horrific creatures, and those unaffected had a very clear choice at hand: kill their former friends or find a way to help them. Knowing Martin Landel, however, finding a cure would mean risking certain death for at least one person. Dropping his gaze from the wall, he knew he would volunteer if such a mission came.

His eyes fell onto Guy's sleeping form again and Okita finally got up, turning his head away as he coughed a few times. The sound seemed to echo in the room and he frowned, looking down at his hand. The napkin from his dinner tray served him well enough in cleaning up the red dots he saw and he quickly disposed of the offending thing in his desk drawer, locking it. Then, he made his way across to where Guy was, sitting down on the floor next to him. Maybe he shouldn't disturb the man's sleep in case something terrible had happened, but...

Okita reached out and gently shook Guy's shoulder. "...Guy-san? Guy-san, are you alright?"

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[notachick]

The flat truth of the matter came out and Souji sighed mentally even as he tried to keep the happy mask from slipping. Hijikata was still focused on getting home while Souji, having been here a month and having seen what had happened - what could happen in such a short time, was more willing to cooperate with the others here. Group survival for personal gains was probably a better way to define his particular sense of solidarity with the patients at Landel's Institute, but such was the way of things. Hijikata had always been gruff, ready to toss aside anyone who was detrimental to those he deemed as his inner circle. Souji, on the other hand, would pick up just about anyone and use them to his advantage so he could protect his own circle. He wasn't sure which was worse, but he was fairly certain that Hijikata's method was far more honest.

After all, to Souji, anyone with a sword in hand and with a debt to the History Club was just another pawn used in the final game.

He huffed at the refusal to read him poetry and flopped over onto the bed again, face down into the linens. "But I'm boooored and you're not moving," he whined. Although, with his voice muffled by cotton it sounded more like a slightly high pitched buzzing of frustration. For a moment, he went still and then he raised his head, chin resting on the bedding. "You know if it hurts that much, I could give you a massage. Or get you something for it. A compress or salve."

[terriblehaiku]

It seemed like the previous topic had been abandoned entirely as Souji proceeded to flop around in his bed some more. Just as well. It was clear they had differing views on the matter, and he just did not feel like debating it. It was exhausting enough to do when he didn't care about the feelings of the person he was debating with. It would be even more so if he had to keep Souji's happiness in mind.

"It's not my job to entertain you," he grumbled. He dug out another cigarette and stuck it in his mouth, but didn't light it. Not with Souji so close. The last thing he needed, Hijikata was sure, was a lungful of his second-hand smoke. He scowled at the offer--he knew Souji was really trying to help, but there was no way he was going to let down the facade of strength he was clinging to. "You don't need to do that."

He wasn't fine, but he knew he'd recover with time. It wasn't worth fussing over.