damned_institute | Day 46: Sun Room

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Day 46: Sun Room

Peter woke up suddenly, his body twisting in the bed and then forcing him to catch his breath in pain. Pain, which was coming from his middle because of the thing that had scratched him last night, and after that...

After that, Zach had jumped in front of him like some kind of martyr, like the exact opposite of everything Sylar stood for, to take the next hit for him. It got pretty fuzzy after that, so night must have ended right around then.

The man let out a pained grunt as he straightened himself up in bed. For some reason, he got the feeling that he'd slept in. There was no way for him to really tell without a window in the room, but he just knew. The fact that Sam's bed looked long since vacated was another clue.

Sam, but was he Sam again? Had the brainwashing worn off, as he and Roland had hoped, or was he going to have to go through this nightmare for even longer? He didn't know how long he could handle "Zach" and "Harrison" before he started going batty himself.

Pulling himself out of bed, Peter lifted his shirt and saw that he was tightly bandaged. The scratch most likely wasn't nearly as bad as the bite that "Zach" had received, but it still smarted. He let his shirt fall and then had to deal with a nurse chiding him for sleeping through the morning announcements. Not that Peter really cared at the moment. He was too busy thinking about last night and the fact that in a way, he now owed something to Sylar. Except it hadn't been Sylar. That was something he was sure of now.

Lost in his thoughts, Peter reached the Sun Room right as the rest of the patient populace was trickling in from breakfast. Sighing to himself, he headed over to the bulletin board and then saw a note written in familiar yet unpleasant handwriting. Holding his pen in a vice grip, Peter scribbled out a reply and then stalked over to an armchair and fell into it with a huff.

While Sylar was maddeningly frustrating, there was one good thing about the fact that he was himself again. It meant that Nathan was too.

[For Spock!]

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Homura was sleeping. Well, knowing the demi-god, not sleeping exactly but maybe dreaming half-awake. Nataku had come out of breakfast both cheerful and full of new mischief, but for once he found himself reluctant to disturb the nap for that. Homura looked peaceful. It was a rare sight.

So just this once he crawled onto the couch beside Homura very carefully, and just in case he was listening he said, "You can keep sleeping if you want." before he leaned - still carefully, with very little of his weight - against Homura's shoulder.

Nataku was right to attribute a certain amount of awareness to Homura, even in the midst of repose. Though their prison often pushed Homura to his limits, it hadn't been able to erase certain habits that had long been ingrained to the point of instinct. As someone who had spent the vast majority of a long life in battle, Homura knew exactly what consequences came with dropping one's guard too much. So he did know that someone was coming, but he didn't open his eyes just yet. The consideration given to how the person moved onto the couch indicated that they didn't wish to disturb him, something confirmed when Nataku spoke. Homura smiled in reply, and as prompted, kept his eyes closed as the boy rested against him.

"That's kind of you." Homura kept his voice low, not wishing to disturb Nataku and make the boy think he had to move. Truthfully the contact was more than welcome. The gods abhorred touching creatures they thought impure, and Homura had come to greatly enjoy contact for that reason. Part of it manifested in more sadistic ways, of course, but simpler moments like these were equally important. There were no expectations nor demands, and no veiled intentions. Simple affection, and nothing more.

"You can sleep too, if you'd like." Though having any more of Nataku's weight on him would be painful, Homura wouldn't mind it if it meant the boy could rest easy, even for a brief while.

Nataku wasn't surprised at all when Homura spoke, but he was glad he hadn't really desturbed the other Toushin Taishi. He smiled slightly, even if Homura couldn't see it. He slept most comfortably with Goku sprawled beside him, so he'd hoped that the same would be true for Homura.

"I think I slept a lot last night." Nataku replied, which was more than true. Another brief check of the bulletin had him oddly certain he'd managed to spend all of yesterday in bed. It really wasn't like him, all of this lazing around and sleeping, but there wasn't a great deal to do here during the day.

"I'll keep watch, ok?" He added, though he felt just a little bit guilty for that one. He wouldn't let any harm come to his friend of course, but... Well, Soujirou. But that was a kind of affection too, and he figured Homura could use more of that. "And I won't draw on your face."

Homura didn't need to see Nataku's smile; he could hear it in his predecessor's voice, and that was enough. Reaching a hand across his body, Homura rested a hand on the boy's head for a moment, a gesture of silent thanks for the presence. As Nataku hoped, having him there did comfort Homura, and made it easier to relax.

"Good. I was hoping you would." Though he hadn't seen Nataku during the day, Homura's intention for the night before was for his group to recover during the time. Even the most driven had to have moments of rest, a lesson Nataku no doubt had learned early on as Toushin Taishi as well. Yet how different was it for them, to rest after working for their own goals versus recovering from a battle forced upon them by the gods?

That too made Homura's repose more satisfying.

The remark about keeping watch was natural, though Homura hoped there would be less to watch for during the day. But then Nataku added a second promise, and Homura opened his left eye so he could look down at the other Taishi. "That's kind of you." A laugh resounded in the words, and Homura chuckled as he closed his eye again. Unable to shake the feeling that he was falling into a trap anyway, Homura still let his guard down. Even if it led to his embarrassment, he did trust Nataku, and it was important for the boy to know that.

[sneaking in with permission]

As promised, Okita had asked his nurse if he could go to the Arts and Crafts room just for a moment. He said he wanted to make a card for one of his friends and all he needed was a colored pen and a piece of paper. He could do the rest in the Sun Room where his nurse said he was supposed to go for this shift, and after some hemming and hawing, she finally relented.

It only took a moment to palm the bottle of rainbow glitter as he made a show of trying to find the right colored pen for his 'card' and only a second more to slip it into the shallow pocket in his pants. Thankfully, the way his shirt hung loose on him meant that as long as he was standing, the nurse wouldn't see the bottle, covered as it was by the hem.

"Julian, are you finished?"

Okita smiled at her and held up a pink pen and a piece of white paper. "Yes, thank you."

Once released into the Sun Room, Okita waited until he saw Nataku make his move and then casually started across the room. He could see Heiji across the way and focused on him rather than Homura so as keep under the demi-god's radar. And as he walked, he reached into his pocket, clipped the pen to his waistband, and removed the cap from the glitter bottle. He slipped the bottle out and just as he passed near Homura's seat, winked at Nataku and tipped the entire thing over Homura's head. There wasn't a great deal inside, but there was enough that it definitely got him a good one.

With a wave to Nataku, the swordsman continued on his way with a bit more speed in his step, dropped the bottle on an empty table and disappeared into the crowd.

[And he's out to hide with Heiji♥ here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/771971.html?thread=63123843)]

Edited 2009-12-18 04:28 (UTC)

Nataku didn't comment on the hand suddenly resting on his head, but after the briefest moment of tension he relaxed a little bit against Homura with a quiet hum of content. His fellow Taishi wasn't the only one of them who was grateful for the companionship.

"I guess. I don't like sleeping much." Nataku replied, sounding every bit a moody child complaining about an early bedtime. It wasn't sleep he didn't like much, really. It was dreaming. And waking up tired.

He didn't comment on the other thing, but he found himself laughing quietly and snuggling a little closer to Homura, who trusted him in some complex way he didn't think he understood just yet. He didn't smile very often, but he was warm and bright. Nataku thought he might be starting to understand what Goku meant when he talked about 'the sun'.

He didn't keep a lookout for his partner in crime, but he still knew when they were being approached. He sat up a little, but other than that there was no new tension at the approach.

He flashed Okita a grin as he passed, and suddenly Homura's head was a lot more dazzling...as well as some of Nataku's shoulder. He noticed that in the .5 seconds he managed to hold off before he burst into uncontrollable of laughter.

"It's understandable. But sometimes you do still need it." Homura only commented because Nataku sounded as if he were pouting when he said the words. Though he could only guess at the reasons, whether they were something as innocent as wanting more time to play or far darker, the unavoidable truth was that sleep was simply a necessity.

Homura felt when Nataku sat up, and he too could sense someone's approach. Nataku had said he would keep a look out, however, so Homura kept his eyes closed. What he hadn't realized was that Nataku had apparently meant he was looking out for his pranking partner; the feeling of something odd falling on his head made Homura touch a hand to his hair. When he looked at his now-sparkling palm, it wasn't hard to guess what had just happened.

"I see you and Okita finally met." Homura sat up fully, grinning wryly at the back of the retreating man. He'd have to find a way to thank Okita later. But since Nataku was so delighted to see Homura sparkling so, he wouldn't pass the opportunity to share the glitter. Now when Homura brought his hand to Nataku's head, it was with every intent of making the younger Taishi a victim of the mess as well.

"Soujirou? Uh huh, we met last shift. I like him." Nataku, having just barely recovered, leaned out of the way of the oncoming glittery revenge. Of course, that was only going to last so long with Nataku unwilling to scoot to the other end of the couch. "Thaaaat's ok, it looks better on you anyway."

He was glad Homura didn't seem angry about it. In fact, he didn't even seem surprised. But that was a given, considering. Nataku, for his part, could hardly remember the last time he'd laughed so hard. He sat cross-legged again, grinning and utterly unrepentant. "I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you though." His face fell a little, but he didn't want to ask outright. Is it ok? Will you still trust me like that?

"I thought you might." Nataku was quick, as was to be expected of either Taishi. But between his unwillingness to move away and Homura's equal unwillingness to be the only one who sparkled in the Sun Room, it was only a matter of time before Homura managed to ruffle Nataku's hair--with the hand coated in glitter, of course.

"But I wouldn't want to deny you the privilege," Homura replied easily to Nataku's attempted refusal, still grinning as he settled back into place. Then Nataku offered reassurance that was more for himself than Homura, and he chuckled softly. Reaching over, he tugged on Nataku's sleeve until the boy leaned against him again, just like before. "I know that." Because pranks and games were something entirely different than putting each other in true danger. Homura knew that Nataku would fight with every ounce of strength for what he wished to protect--and he was glad that the boy had chosen him to be one of those people.

"Thanks," Nataku replied dryly. It had started out as a 'thanks for introducing us' but Homura's hand landed in his hair just then and, once caught, Nataku had no choice but to submit to the retaliation. He sort of deserved it anyway. Just a little.

He got comfortable against Homura's shoulder, relaxing again at the reassurance. Except for Shien, who was obliged in a way, he had never really had anything in the way of a long-term friend. He was still figuring it out.

He glanced up at Homura again after a moment, and flicked a little bit of glitter away from the other Taishi's collar.

"I'm doomed, aren't I?" He didn't seem the least bit unnerved by this prospect.

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Day 46: Sun Room

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