damned_institute | Day 25: Intercom, Evening

The intercom clicked on with its usual jingle, the Head Doctor's voice carrying with a bit more authoritative ease than it had earlier.

"Good evening, patients, and I'm pleased to announce that we've finally finished organizing when our new batch of patients will be introduced, and unfortunately, it'll have to be tonight while you're all in bed. Truly sad, that, as I'm sure all of you are eager to see our new faces as soon as possible!

"In any case, the dinner that will be brought to you tonight will be herb-marinated pork roast with buttery corn-on-the-cob and fluffy mashed potatoes. Of course, we have our usual vegetarian salad available to those who request it, along with our regular assortment of drinks."

He paused and sighed. After all, it had been a long day.

"Oh, of course--Some of you may be unhappy to hear that Dr. Crane and Dr. Jiyani will no longer be serving us here at Landel's Institute. For those of you who were scheduled to have sessions with them, we'll be providing a substitute group therapy session in upcoming days. More details on that tomorrow.

"I believe that's all for now. Enjoy your dinner!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ As always, post to this entry with separate threads for each set of roommates. Thanks! ]

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Another night stuck in his room. Takaya was thrilled. He jerked away from the nurse and ignored his food. He wasn't hungry. Just the idea that he'd be spending yet another night trapped here made him so angry he could fucking scream.

He lay on his bed and crossed his arms behind his head, wondering if he'd get into trouble for tearing off the bandages on his face.

Quietly, Lee entered the room, not really listening to the nurse ramble about how he needed to take care not to tear the stitches and other such things. He really wasn't paying too much attention.

The food did not look terrible, but for some reason, Lee chose not to eat quite yet. His roommate did not look happy either.

"Takaya-san," he said quietly so that he would not startle the other man. "If the people you thought were friends seemed to not make any effort to see how you were doing...does that mean they do not care?"

Takaya had been dozing for a while and frowned when Lee entered, though he was not unhappy at his arrival. His mind was kind of fuzzy, and he could feel him a lot closer to the surface, but it was safe as long as nothing ... fucked up happened.

He sat up and considered the question seriously. He felt it was the least he could do for a guy like Lee.

"No. I..." He moved so that his feet were again on the floor. "In a place like this, sometimes it's hard to hook up with the people you want to." He tilted his head towards Lee's voice. "Lee... You hurt?"

Lee winced as he realized that the question could have implied his roommate as well, though he had not meant for that. In fact, he had not meant to accuse anyone...

"You need not worry! The wounds will heal. And forgive me, Takaya-san," he said with a cheerful voice. "I believe that I should mention that I was simply thinking, and was not implying that you were at fault of such things. I simply wondered. Sometimes, here, it feels as if one is very alone even if the people you care for are so very close."

He paused for a second so that his throat would not tighten with sorrow. It seemed as if it had been a while to allow this type of pain to be shown to anyone. He felt very weak for it. However, with all the missions at home, it seemed like he had not really been able to talk with his friends as...simply friends. Comrades, yes, but not simply to talk. And here, his teammates were not really here. True, he worked with the others at times, but no matter his feelings to the others, they were not Tenten, Neji and Master Guy. Here, he was a leaf, alone, floating in the wind...

"I must admit," he started at last, "that it disgusts me how self-centered my thoughts have been. A part of me sees them together and thinks, 'please, just notice me! See that I am here, and not simply a fool.' And then I realize how awful such thoughts are! A person is not meant to be the center of attention all the time, but to be caring and helpful. The truth is, I truly do want to protect those I care for, but sometimes it feels as if...they do not see this at all."

Lee frowned, shifting so he was fully facing Takaya. "It is awful of me, is it not? And now I burden you with all of these terrible thoughts when I should be asking you how you have been and what has happened this day. Are your eyes feeling better?"

Takaya shook his head slightly, frown turning into an almost angry expression. "Fuck that," he snapped. "Fuck you feeling selfish. You're still a person, right?" He hated it when people that were otherwise good belittled themselves for nothing.

"It doesn't mean you're a bad person. It means you've fucking got feelings." He gestured towards the door. "And I know, that anyone that claims friendship for is worried, even if they can't always show it, ya know?"

He hissed out a sigh and shook his head again. "You want to protect people and make sure they're okay. Yeah, that's noble and all, but you can still be selfish and want attention too. So fuck feeling bad for being fucking human."

Takaya sounded angry, but it was obvious that his anger wasn't directed towards Lee or anyone really.

"And fuck my eyes. I don't want to talk about it." He frowned towards Lee now. "You're my friend, right? So that means that I don't give a shit if you think you're fucking burdening me or whatever. You're not. Now," he tilted his head. "You okay?"

Lee stared at Takaya for several seconds, digesting all that was said. He was not entirely certain, but that may have been the first time that he had heard so many curse words stringing the sentences together. Yet despite the misuse of the word 'fuck,' Lee was rather touched that Takaya considered him a friend. Takaya also had a point. Sometimes he forgot that it was human to show negative emotions as well.

"Thank you, Takaya-san. It is...painful, but not life-threatening. I believe I may attempt to return to the Files room tonight, but I have not decided yet."

Takaya realized then that he may have been a bit too aggressive. Yuzuru was always telling him to calm down and think before he spoke, but when something pissed him off, it was hard to remember that bit of advice.

"I should say that if you're hurt, you should stay put." He grinned slightly. "But I know that ain't your style anymore than it's mine." He shrugged. "So I'll say that it's probably not a good idea, but you should listen to your body and see what it thinks you should be doing."

Lee thought about what Takaya said. It was true that Lee hated to be stuck with nothing to do. On the other hand, his body was weakened. Going out tonight, especially after what happened, might not be the best idea.

But the idea of all of his friends out there, fighting by themselves...

No, he realized that Takaya was indeed correct and that staying here would probably be the best choice. In fact, that would probably help his friends more than running around injured.

"I suppose that I shall stay here tonight, then. Shall you be staying here as well?"

Were it not for the bandages looped around his head and over his eyes, Takaya would have leveled an incredulous stare at Lee.

As it was, he snorted and turned his head to the side.

"You kidding? That bastard Naoe would go ballistic if I tried to leave." He scowled towards the floor. "If I want to keep my skin intact, I've got to stay put."

Day 25: Intercom, Evening

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