LOCKED TO alchemicals

[deaftly]

[He doesn't remember anything. All he knows is that there's a bright light in his face and he just wants to sleep. After a couple of minutes of tossing and turning he finally opens his eyes and sits up. The room he's in is perfectly white, without any sort of interesting features. There's a desk and a chair, but nothing on either of them. They're as white as the walls and floor, and on closer inspection, the bed he's in is just as white and spotless as the rest of the room. The sheets are a bit on the stiff side even though he's been sleeping under them, and the bed is kind of hard for his liking, so he finally squirms out from under the covers and stands.

The clothes he's wearing strike him as being wrong, though he can't recall what the "right" clothes would be. They're white - like everything else - and they're very simple. He doesn't have anything to compare them to, but the material is soft and kind of thin and feels a little odd. He shrugs off his confusion about the clothes and starts for the door. Even the doorknob is white, which strikes him as strange for about half a second before he yanks the door open.

The room that he enters is spacious. Like the room he woke up in, everything is white. There's a sofa, a small table in front of the sofa, and a couple of plush chairs. There's a couple of doors leading elsewhere, and his first order of business is to see where they lead. One leads to a perfectly white kitchen which isn't interesting right now (though some part of him wonders if the food will be just as white) and the other door he comes to is locked. There should be a front door around here somewhere though, right? He doesn't want to be here. He can't remember why he's here (or anything, really) but being here doesn't seem right.]

Comments

[deaftly]

I--!

[Naki's shoulders start shaking but as much as he wants to deny Kimbley's words, he knows he can't. If it ultimately comes down to it, can he sacrifice his life for Kimbley's? He's not sure he can. He shakes his head slowly, still trying to figure out what to even say to that.]

I... I don't...

[At least this seems to have stunned him to the point where he can't even cry.]

[alchemicals]

[He looks away again, setting the cup down on the table next to the bed and promptly bunching up the fabric of the covers in his hands.]

...That was low. I...sorry, that was really fucking low, I'm just...

[He hesitates; he shakes his head after a moment. Wherever that was going, he's not too inclined to finish it.]

[deaftly]

[Naki's not upset. That's probably the first sign that something is very wrong, but he's not upset by Kimbley's words. He's troubled by them, yes, but he's not mad or on the verge of crying, so that's... something. He's not sure exactly what it is, but boy is it a thing.

Eventually he moves to sit on the edge of the bed, but he doesn't get any closer than that.]

I'm not... Look, I'm not mad at you. I mean it's... probably better to get this shit out in the open immediately, right? So we have some idea of what the fuck's gonna happen.

[Naki picks at a stray thread on the covers. It gives him something to do while he thinks.]

...But... you can't keep going like this. If you do, they're gonna have to step in and... I dunno if that'll be good or bad. I mean you might be able to get out if they do have to take you out for medical treatment or whatever but...

[Who knows, they could just decide to wipe Kimbley's memory or something.]

[alchemicals]

...No.

[Kimbley's been quiet through all of that, and while he hasn't moved to close any of the distance between them, he's not moving away from him, either. It's the last part that gets the reaction, and he suspects he's reacting to the wrong part of it entirely, but...]

Either we both get out or neither of us do. I'm not leaving you here, even if I get an opportunity like that, you hear me?

[deaftly]

You could always come back for me. I mean, if you've got a perfectly good chance of escaping, you should take it. It's better than both of us being stuck in here. Especially with the whole... that. I mean, if this is what they're really trying to do and you escape, they'll throw someone else in here with me, right?

[That makes sense to him. Of course it'll suck if Kimbley gets out and he doesn't, but he trusts Kimbley.]

[alchemicals]

Maybe. We don't even know if that's what they're doing, that's the fucking problem.

[He can hear himself getting frustrated; he can't really bring himself to care, his grip on the covers tightening sharply.]

[deaftly]

Yeah. I know. There's no way to check... unless... maybe we could leave them a note and maybe they'll respond?

[He kind of doubts it, but it might work.]

[alchemicals]

With our fucking luck, they don't speak the same language as either of us.

[He lets himself flop back against the bed at that, dropping one of his arms across his eyes as he does so.]

Shit...

[deaftly]

...I dunno, if they didn't speak whatever we're speaking then they couldn't keep tabs on what we're planning. I think that'd be a pretty fucking stupid thing to overlook, don't you?

[It just seems to dumb. There's no way they're that stupid, right? If Naki's calling it dumb, then surely they've already got that covered.]

It can't hurt to try, right? I mean we could both write the message down and maybe they can read at least one of 'em.

[alchemicals]

...I don't know, Naki. Just do whatever you want.

[It's quieter than it usually is, but it's still audible as Naki usually goes; Kimbley's worked out where that particular threshold is, at least. Either way, though, he's...kind of having a moment, give him a sec.]

[deaftly]

[He goes quiet, simply because he's not sure what he's supposed to say to that. He's definitely going to leave a note tonight because he's worried about Kimbley, but he thinks he might have upset Kimbley somehow and he doesn't know what to do now. Naki doesn't leave though, because somehow he thinks that would just make things worse.]

...Is there uh... anything I can do for you?

[He's trying so hard.]

[alchemicals]

I don't know, it's just...

[He goes quiet for a moment, tensing up a bit before he continues, sounding more like he's forcing himself to keep talking than anything.]

Look, I'm scared as fuck, okay? And I'm sick of acting like I'm not. So just give me a minute.

[deaftly]

[Naki moves without thinking. He scoots closer on the bed to the point where he's nearly within arm's reach of Kimbley before suddenly he stops. It finally occurs to him that Kimbley probably doesn't want to be anywhere near the guy that's probably expected to eat him. He hesitates, then finally drops his hands to his knees.]

I-- shit, I'm sorry. I'm not making this any easier.

[Despite all this he still can't hate himself or whatever he is, and that's something he thinks is probably a little fucked up.]

I'm really sorry I wish this wasn't happening.

[He also wishes he knew what else to say.]

[alchemicals]

...You're doing fine.

[The words come after a long pause; he still isn't looking at Naki any and his voice is still tight, but he doesn't seem quite as upset, at least.]

It's not your fault, and you're doing okay. I...shit, I'm glad you're here, fucked up situation or not.

[deaftly]

But if you're in here 'cause of whatever the fuck it is that I am then... then it's my fault, even if it's not something I purposefully did.

[At least, he doesn't think he did any of this. He certainly doesn't remember being behind this.]

...I don't wanna hurt you and I don't want anything bad to happen to you and this... it fucking sucks.

[alchemicals]

[That actually gets him to move a bit, to push himself up into a sitting position and move a bit closer.]

...Hey. Hey, come on, don't start talking like that.

[He doesn't move to touch him, but he's within a decent distance to do it if either of them decide they're feeling inclined.]

I'm not going to start blaming you for this, and I don't want to hear you doing it, either. Hell, I think you care about me more than I do - either way, it's going to be okay.

[deaftly]

[He's tempted to argue that it is his fault no matter how they look at it, but Naki pauses before he speaks and in that momentary pause, he realizes that he doesn't want to fight about this. He doesn't like blaming himself, though he suspects that he should probably want to blame himself for something like this, where he actually is at fault, no matter how indirectly.

Instead he shakes his head and chooses something else to focus on.]

Yeah. It'll be okay. But uh... how can I care about you more than you care about yourself?

[alchemicals]

[He just shrugs at that; the question weirdly seems to settle him down, even if he suspects it should probably be doing the opposite of that.]

If something bad happens to me, it's not going to be the end of the world. It's going to suck, maybe, but sometimes things just do. I don't think it's anything to get all worked up over, though.

[deaftly]

...What if that something is death? I mean, I know you can't get worked up after it after you're dead, but... that's kinda something to worry about.

[So is getting locked up, but considering where they are...]

[alchemicals]

Death is probably going to suck too, yeah, or at least the whole process of it will. But like you said, if something happens to me they're probably going to put someone else in here with you, right? You won't be by yourself, and maybe whoever they give you will be better at this than me. So you'll be okay, and I'll be dead and not able to worry about it.

[deaftly]

But that's still fucked up! I mean the whole situation is fucked up but--

[Hang on, he lost his train of thought, give him a second.]

No, but you'd be dead and--! You're my friend, I don't want to lose you! I don't want anything to happen to you!!

[This is made even more distressing by the idea that his memories could easily be wiped after this. What if Kimbley's not the first person who's been thrown in here with him? What if Kimbley dies and he's forced to forget all about him?]

[alchemicals]

[Saying "he doesn't get it" is a bit of an understatement; he's headtilting really hard again.]

It's not like I'm the only friend you're ever going to have - I mean, I'm pretty wonderful, but it's not like you can't find someone else you'll like just as much.

[He's not intentionally trying to tell the guy that he can just get a new puppy after they shoot Old Yeller, but it's effectively the same thing.]

[deaftly]

Wh--

[That seems to short out Naki's brain for a good long while.]

What!? You can't just replace friends like that!! It's not "well I guess I'll be out a friend" it's "I'll lose Kimbley"; there's a big difference there!!

[KIMBLEY NO]

[alchemicals]

[.............]

...Why?

[KIMBLEY Y- ...Kimbley maybe? Shit, he doesn't know.]

[deaftly]

[KIMBLEY NO!!!!]

What do you mean "why"!? It's not the "friend" status that's important, it's the person! There's never going to be another you, so if you die I'll be losing you, not just a friend!!