damned_institute | Day 30: Staff, Morning

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Day 30: Staff, Morning

Burly orderlies and agile Calm Effect nurses flooded the cafeteria from the Courtyard while regular hall nurses filed in from the Sun Room and ushered out those not involved in the rebellion. It indeed seemed as if Landel was sending out all the cavalry, and an effective cavalry they were: The riot didn't continue for much longer after the alarm sounded, though it seemed strange just how quickly all of the mutinous patients fell, even the ones who hadn't been injected with anything.

The hall nurses were quick to escort their well-behaved charges back to their rooms, praising those who hadn't joined in and chiding those who muttered under their breath in response. There were some exceptions, of course: One nice young man had even defended one of the nurses from the violent patients! Now, wasn't that exemplary behavior? Dr. Landel would be so proud to hear about it...

Within half an hour, all of the so-called "loyal" patients had been safely deposited in their rooms, and it was then that the alarm finally stopped and the true difficulty of the situation was tackled. There certainly weren't enough rooms in solitary to accommodate such rampant disobedience, and yet measures would have to be taken to ensure proper consequences for each and every patient involved. After all, something like this couldn't be allowed to happen again!

Different options were considered. Perhaps they should make an example out of the girl who had sparked the riot, but then again, perhaps not. This certainly wasn't the first case of patients attacking nurses or their peers in a crowded area, but what had been different this time was the sheer support that the other patients had shown for her. Should the staff then make examples of all those who had tried to "protect" her from the well-meaning nurses? No, there were too many for that...

In the end, it was decided that the best immediate solution would be to treat the rebellious patients in the Medical Wing while they were unconscious and then move them back to their rooms to await punishment. To ensure the safety of both their roommates and the patients themselves, however, the staff decided to securely fasten their limbs to their beds and keep them heavily drugged. Such a sad sight they were to see, but... it was necessary.

Finally, when each and every patient had been escorted back to their respective rooms, the staff hurried off to an emergency meeting upstairs. Strangely, Head Nurse Lydia was the one taking care of the proceedings in the Head Doctor's stead. She calmly told them that he was preoccupied with more urgent matters, and as she began to speak to the crowd, the staff could only wonder what could possibly be more important than an unprecedented patient riot...

[ Comment to this post with separate threads for each patient room, and please put your character's room number in the subject line. Thank you! ]

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"If he's worth his rank, he cares about you, but he probably cares more about the group as a whole." Haku shifted on the bed and looked over at his own with a thoughtful expression.

"Business I can understand, but this is an arrangement that's doing neither of you any good. You aren't able to use the skills that would be most benificial and, in turn, your lack of experiance is slowing down those who need all their skills to keep themselves alive. The arrangement will not end well." Haku turned back to Artemis.

"You're a business man. Speak to him about this. If he demands a body to throw to the fires each night, I'm sure I could find someone willing and much more able than you are in that respect."

Artemis blanched and swallowed when Haku stated that the current arrangement he had with Hitsugaya was going to go south. The only way he could think of something going poorly was his untimely death. Or the whole group's.

"I should speak to him about it. If I'm a hindrance to a combat group, I should be placed elsewhere," Artemis agreed. "I should feel safe, and not terrified in a group, right...?"

He wasn't sure if anywhere else would be any safer, honestly.

"You shouldn't feel terrified at all Artemis." Haku hadn't missed how pale the other boy had gotten (quite the feat when he was already quite fair).

"Once you get a better agreement, one that will suit you both, I'm sure you'll find that you'll feel a lot better."

He offered a warm, small smile. "Besides, anytime you feel overwhelmed or scared, I'm around. I may not be too much help, but... I'm willing to try."

"Haku, you have no idea how much I appreciate you," Artemis said, trying to shift closer to Haku. His restraints made it very difficult to move anywhere, so he just ended up moving about a centimeter closer. "If you call what you did last night 'not too much help', I'm hesitant to show you what condition I would have been in if you didn't comfort me."

He looked back up at the ceiling in thought. "Yesterday was the culmination of everything awful that had built up. If you hadn't been there... I probably would have needed to see an actual doctor afterwards I was so traumatized. I'm scared now, and I probably will be for a long time, but I'll never be overwhelmed." He smiled at Haku, "Not when I know you're waiting for me to come back here at the end of the day."

Haku smiled, glad to see Artemis looking a bit better. He moved closer to him when the other boy wasn't able to move at all and he placed his hand on his unbandaged shoulder.

"Of course I'll be here," he said with an honest smile. "Me and my blanket."

"I appreciate you more than the blanket, honestly," He said with a small laugh. Artemis tilted his head to rest his cheek on Haku's hand. It was awkward, but it was the only way he could return the sign of affection, currently.

"Blankets are horrible conversationalists."

Haku laughed softly. "I think I'm glad for that," he said. "Just think of all the secrets a blanket would know. It might go and tell everyone what it knew."

He watched Artemis for a moment. "I'm glad you're my friend," he said finally. "And I am thankful for your friendship too."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Artemis said with a smile. "Because if you weren't, you'd have a hard time getting a moment's peace from me!" He laughed. "But I hope I haven't upset or bored you with any of this. I tend to have my little moments of panic, but they usually aren't as frequent."

He gave Haku a kind of wistful, sad smile, "I'd hate to lose you to something as petty as my inability to refrain from panicking. I'd hate to lose you at all, honestly."

Haku shook his head. "Not at all. We all have our certain issues and traits, and it's kind of nice to be able to get to know you better too."

He smiled, laughed softly and shook his head. "It's hard to get rid of me," he said. "So, don't worry. You won't lose me at all."

"I'm glad... because I'm certain that if I actually slept, I would have nightmares about losing your friendship. Or you..." Artemis thought for a moment, then started laughing.

"Good lord, I don't even want to consider your original thoughts on me. I was so coarse!"

Haku laughed again. "No, you were nosey. That's why I threw the scalpel at you." He winked teasingly. "Just to get you to think about something else."

"I was, I was," Artemis conceded, "But you could have at least told me you were my actual roommate!

"And for the record," the boy said confidingly. "You succeeded. I was absolutely scared witless. I almost didn't leave my room that night. I thought that..." His expression clouded. "That since you had been injured and were a great fighter, I would be nothing more than a moving target."

"A great fighter? Me?" Haku laughed softly. "Hardly. Since we're friends and all, would you like to know what happened to me right before I woke up here?" Haku lifted an eyebrow, considering Artemis.

Artemis considered this for a moment. Did he actually want to know? Or was Haku just teasing him again?

"Do you want to tell me?" Artemis asked tentatively. "Because if it is something you would rather keep to yourself, I would understand completely. Humans always have things that they would prefer to keep hidden from the cloying eyes of friends."

Haku shrugged slightly, so that he didn't dislodge his hand from Artemis' shoulder.

"It isn't a secret from anyone that I know, so I don't see why it should be a secret from you." Haku smiled and then looked over at his bed, as if he found it interesting.

"I was fighting, I lost the fight, and so... I died." There, he told himself. That wasn't difficult.

Artemis looked as though Haku had slapped him across the face. The thought wasn't registering in his mind properly. Haku couldn't be dead, because he was sitting there--alive. Artemis was alive as well... wasn't he?

Unless he'd died too... It was a possibility. He had been standing on a volcano ready to erupt and rip the time space around him to shreds moments previous, but he could have sworn he had been traveling through the time tunnel.

While he fought with his thoughts concerning whether or not he was dead as well, and this was some twisted form of hell, he stared at Haku blankly. Almost as though he didn't want to understand what Haku had just said.

"No... you can't be dead," Artemis' eyes were welling up with silent tears. "You're sitting right there... you're not dead. Unless... we're both dead...?" The panic was coming back. He wanted to hold Haku again--remind himself that they were both living, breathing entities. He pulled against his restraints--he'd forgotten they were there. "You can't be dead Haku... you're right here with me...!"

Artemis had never taken death very well.

"Shhhh. I'm not dead. Not now. I'm very alive, and so are you." He bent down and lay against Artmis' chest, his hands reaching up to still his struggling, and his cheek pressed against the other's chest.

"It's okay. Neither of us is dead. I'm right here."

Artemis squeezed his eyes shut and let out a rather unattractive, pained sob. It had been the same watching Holly, Qwan, and No. 1 being killed--like watching Butler fade into oblivion on the floor of that disgusting seafood restaurant. It almost felt like his heart had exploded in his chest while time jerked to a stop. He was hyperventilating now, trying not to think about the various and horrible ways Haku could have been killed.

His breathing slowed to small gasps every five to ten seconds, but otherwise normal when Haku lay against him. Artemis could feel Haku's heart beating against his stomach through the bandages, which comforted him. He stopped trying to frantically escape his restraints and let the only thing he thought about be Haku's heartbeat.

"I-I--" Gasp. "I'm s-sorry Haku, I j-just can't un-understand..." He felt the tears spill over down the sides of his face. "A-and, and now I'm terrified I'll l-lose you. That y-you'll g-g-go someplace I c-can't follow...!"

"It's okay. I'm not going to go anywhere." He'd made that promise already to Zabuza-san. Offering it to Artemis wasn't any different. "I swear. I will always be right here for you." Now that Artemis wasn't struggling as hard, he brought one hand down to brush some of the other boy's hair back.

"Please calm down. I'm sorry."

Artemis shook his head, "Th-there's n-n-no need to apologize. I've... just witnessed m-many of my friends die and, somehow I've brought them back to life and...! I-I ca-can't do that for you...!"

He shook slightly, but didn't say anything more. He tried to enjoy Haku's touch, but it was literal torture not being able to reciprocate when he needed to the most. But as it stood, he was forced to lie in the most unfeeling, immobile posture possible, which only made him even more frustrated and upset.

Patients were strapped to their beds to prevent them from harming their roommate, but the only purpose the restraints were currently serving was causing Artemis more heartbreak.

Artemis took several deep breaths, trying to return to some sense of normalcy. His eyes remained wide and staring the ceiling, trying not to blink. When he closed his eyes, he saw Haku's broken and lifeless body, beyond his help.

Haku kept lightly stroking Artemis's hair and temple for a moment before speaking again.

"I'm not dead, and I won't allow this place to kill me. Ever. Just like I won't allow it to take you either." He shifted, keeping himself in physical contact with the pale boy every inch of the way, and pressed another cool kiss to his lips, pulling back and tucking his head under Artemis' chin.

And just like that, he was speechless. Which didn't happen very often.

There had been something different about this kiss as compared to the one he'd received last night. This time, Artemis happily welcomed Haku's lips and did his best to reciprocate. Who knew if he was doing it right, but it seemed as though, for a moment, he was close and comfortable to his friend and could express himself even though he was chained to a bedframe. He could express his gratitude and passion and depth of feeling freely, without the use of his arms or legs.

Artemis rested his chin on Haku's head and lay there in silence while he returned his breath and thoughts to a more leisurely, rational pace.

"I won't let this place take you away either," He vowed, his voice still slightly hoarse from crying. "I won't let it separate us. I... want to always be your friend Haku. To always be able to talk with you, and laugh, and hold you when either of us is in need of help or support.

"I don't care if you died in your world," he said firmly, more for his own benefit than Haku's. "You are here with me, now, and I won't let anything change that."

Haku smiled and lightly patted Artemis' chest. "Good. We will be friends for a long time to come then." At least until he found a way home. Artemis was trying to get home, after all.

He was quiet for a while, listening to the slowing heartbeat of his friend. "Are you okay now?"

Artemis nodded, "Yes, I'm recovering," He gave a little laugh. "You must admit, Haku, learning that you died before coming here is... a bit of a shock."

Of course Artemis understood that a natural part of life was death, but the boy was still just a boy. He hadn't come to terms with the one great mystery he'd had several brushes with. Even when his father had been pronounced officially dead, Artemis had refused to accept it. When Butler had been shot in the chest and was insisting that his number was up, Artemis refused to let go. He saved Holly and his demon friends through the use of the time overlap around the volcano. He was Artemis Fowl--Conqueror of Death.

Apparently, not anymore. Martin Landel had snatched Haku from the jaws of hell, not him.

"Before I came here," Artemis began, "I nearly died myself. Would you like to hear about it?"

Talking about something closer to home might help him overcome or at least push away the looming sense of helplessness.

Haku smiled in his position against Artemis' chest. "If you're willing to tell me, sure."

He hoped there wouldn't be a repeat of the panic attack from before.

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