pslplz | Forget-Me-Nots

[ It started with a simple question.

The new kid was shy; everyone could see that. To some people, that was a signal he didn't want company (after all, if you wanted to be friends, didn't it make sense to be friendly?). Omi thought that seemed awfully lonely. Did anyone truly want no friends at all?

He approached Nagi one day while he was occupied with his Game Boy, his own console in hand. "Mind if I join you?" He asked with a smile, and sat beside him, passing several minutes mostly in silence, playing his game.

Playing in silence together built to light conversation, to introductions, to an invitation to hang out sometime. Over time, he got to know Nagi as someone intelligent, analytical, quietly nerdy, and more sensitive than he outwardly seemed. Over time, they became close-- closer than Omi ever would have guessed when he decided all those months ago to give the guy a chance.

The day of the accident, Omi didn't think much of the absence at first-- Nagi must have gotten sick or something. It wasn't until the afternoon, when the principal visited the classroom with the announcement, that his stomach turned over. Most of the class wasn't as affected, though they did at least have the decency to be subdued.

Part of him wanted to visit Nagi right away-- a big part of him-- but with Nagi being in such a critical condition, visits from anyone outside immediate family were a no-go for the first few days. He heard there wasn't that much being missed since Nagi was pretty much nonstop unconscious, but that was beside the point. The point was to be there.

Finally, the nurse on duty allowed him in. Omi braced himself at the door to Nagi's hospital room, knocked quietly, then cracked the door open and slipped inside.

He probably should have braced himself harder.

Of course it's unsurprising to see Nagi bedridden, bruised and battered and bandaged and hooked up to all manner of machinery. He almost died. He's lucky to still be alive at all. But the sight of him there, just starting to recover from such a close brush with death; the pungent scent of antiseptic in the air and the puffs and beeps of the equipment tracking vitals and supporting recovery. It's a lot to take in and then pretend not to.

Nagi looks awake, sort of. Omi gives him the best smile he can muster, but it's pained and awkward. ]

Hey... Gave us a scare there. I'd ask how you're feeling but... that seems like kind of a stupid question right now. Can I get you anything?

[With as disoriented as Nagi still is, the nurse that had been keeping an eye on him makes sure to inform him that he has a visitor long before Omi arrives. Nagi's expression doesn't really change a whole lot knowing this though, not particularly surprised by having visitors (he's been in intensive care, after all), but also having no clue who to expect when they arrive.

Then it turns out to be...a boy. Someone who looks to be around his age who is immediately addressing him as if they're friends. Which leaves Nagi feeling strange and uncomfortable right from the get-go, considering the fact that he can't even recognize his face.

Nagi's always been a master of the poker-face though, so any discomfort he feels doesn't quite reach his face. Instead he just looks quietly tired, very much still out of it.]

Ah...no. I'm fine.

["Fine" being relative, here.]

I was not expecting anyone.

[ Not expecting anyone? At first, Omi can't quite believe his ears, and looks at him in confusion. Then he smiles and brushes it off. He's got to be misunderstanding Nagi. ]

I guess I did come by without notice. Sorry; I'll text next time.

[ He pulls one of the chairs over close to Nagi's bedside and sits down. ]

Have you had any of the food here yet? Or do they have you on liquids?

[...Okay, definitely this guy knows him in some capacity. And could Nagi remember more while still lacking knowledge of who Omi was, he might be inclined to just bluntly inform him that he has no idea who he is. Right now though, he’s not yet processed how he should approach that...or how he should approach not recalling anything, really.

It’s scary, plain and simple. Even the doctors hadn’t really talked to him yet about his acute memory loss other than instructing him that the most important thing for him to do right now is rest.]

I have these, right now.

[He comments blandly, flexing his right hand where an IV is taped against his wrist.]

But I think...they said I could start eating when I felt like it.

[ The IV isn't a surprise; they had to keep him hydrated and on some kind of sustenance while he was unconscious (and god but it's hard to think about Nagi in those terms, so close to just being Gone). ]

That's good. At least you don't have to wait. Although it would be understandable if you don't feel like food for a while. I've heard it's common to not have much of an appetite here, especially for the first few days.

Mm...

[Nagi just gives a soft sound of acknowledgement at that, because in all honesty he really isn't in the mood to eat right now. He's more interested in trying to wrack his brain for any clue as to this boy's identity, the weight on his chest growing as he realizes he just...can't remember. Not him, not what happened...nothing.]

They said there was an accident.

[He continues matter-of-factly, unceremoniously shifting topics.]

I don't remember it.

[ It isn't a pleasant subject Nagi shifts to, but it is an important one. Omi isn't sure how common it is for someone to not remember such a thing, but it seems reasonable here. If Nagi is bothered over the lack of memory for such a critical life-changing event, Omi wants to reassure him.]

...It happened really fast, and you probably didn't see the vehicle before it hit you. There may not be anything about it for you to remember, if it sent you immediately unconscious.

[That makes sense enough, right? So he gets hit crossing the street, probably hard enough to knock him out immediately. Then he just sort of didn't wake up due to the shock until a few days had passed...]

I suppose that doesn't really matter now anyway.

[It's the aftermath he's going to have to deal with. The longer he studies Omi, and really takes in his expression- noting his sincere worry- the more Nagi realizes he's not going to just be able to keep pretending he's got his head on straight here, even if the idea that something's that wrong with him isn't one he's eagetr to confront.]

...is anyone else supposed to be coming? Other than you.

[Like family, he guesses. It's probably a weird question for Nagi of all people to ask. There's no one else in the world for him to expect.]

Right now?

[ Omi shakes his head. ]

I stopped by on my own, but I'm sure your family will visit as soon as they can.

[ Foster family, technically, but Omi doesn't see a need for using that qualifier all the time as though they somehow didn't count. They'd taken Nagi in, provided for his needs, and given him a place to belong and figures to look to as he navigated adolescence. ]

[Okay, so he has a family. Or a "family", as he will eventually discover. That mystery solved.

So then...]

Okay.

[He has to tell him. Maybe if they can get to talking, or he says something that he can remember, his memory will be jogged and things will be fine.]

Look, I appreciate you coming to visit me. But...I don't believe we've met.

[It's said to him as straight as anything. Really the only thing familiar in Nagi's tone is his usual cadence of speech; everything else about him is distant and with zero recognition.]

[ Omi laughs. How can he not laugh? It's such a patently ridiculous untruth, and Nagi says it with such a classic deadpan, that tone he's mastered and that should only be reserved for grave realities. ]

I'm glad you're feeling well enough to troll! Is there anything you can't say with a straight face? You would have me going if I didn't know better.

[For the first time, his expression shifts and he shows the barest hint of surprise. Not the reaction he was expecting...and all the more sad, really, if this is any indication of the type of relationship they had.

Silence stretches between them for much longer than it ought to for it to be a joke. It’s stifling.

When Nagi does finally continue, he looks directly at Omi without letting his gaze waver, as if that will convince him of the severity.]

I have been awake for several days, and the only thing I can remember is my name.

[ The silence that follows is quite possibly the most uncomfortable Omi has ever felt in his life. If Nagi is trying to push his luck with this stunt it's not funny anymore.

If only it could have been a joke carried quite too far. ]

You have to be kidding me.

[ That kind of thing doesn't really happen, does it? It's the stuff of TV shows. ]

[Wouldn't it be too easy if he was just joking?]

Was I the type of person to make jokes a lot? Because right now I don't have the energy to fake something like that.

[ Nagi isn't the type to joke a lot. But Omi doesn't know how else he can think about this. The first round it was the only reasonable explanation. The second insistence, well. It was still the only reasonable explanation, only now with enough seeds of doubt to make his stomach turn. But honestly, how is he supposed to believe this is real? ]

It's not that I think you're the type of person who would lie about something this serious. But surely you can appreciate how far-fetched this sounds? This isn't the kind of revelation you can expect someone to accept without any hesitation...!

I know.

[Trust him, he's been confused enough since he woke that he's been thinking about it for some time.]

Speak to the doctor's if you don't believe me. They can give you more insight to my condition than I ever could.

[ Omi looks away. It isn't going to do any good to speak to doctors because the problem isn't that he thinks Nagi is lying to him. It's saddening that Nagi doesn't seem to be making that distinction, but Omi doesn't want to argue about it. Nagi's been through a lot; better to let it go.

That aside, coupled with some of the other things Nagi's said, Omi has to wonder if this is more of an indirect showing to the door. Maybe, with all he has to sort through, trying to socialize with a stranger is just not that appealing of a prospect.]

Sorry, if I came at a bad time. You must have a lot to think about.

[ That's Nagi's out, if he wants to take it. He's confined to the room, so it's on him to create the opening for him to politely exit. ]

[It's difficult to say, though the assumption that Nagi is uncomfortable is probably true. Knowing that he and Omi have some prior history that he can't remember means that he's supposed to be reacting to him in a way that he's absolutely not doing...and that's not something Nagi knows how to field right now. Especially when he's sure that Omi's probably upset by the news.

Nagi stares at Omi for a long time before nodding once, looking up at the ceiling before letting his eyes close.]

Yeah. I should probably get some rest if my family is coming soon.

[Then, he pauses before adding.]

...I'm going to be here still for the weekend either way, I've been told.

[Meaning that Omi can return later, if he wishes.]

[ Omi looks back at Nagi and nods with a sad but understanding smile. ]

I'll come see how you're doing after school on Friday.

[ He stands back up. ]

...Do you have your Gameboy?

[It's very difficult for him to not seem blank about the question, considering the fact he didn't know he even had one...]

I don't think so. I apparently had a bag on me that was collected after the accident. It could have been in there.

[ Omi unzips the front pocket of his school bag and pulls out a small zippered case. He sets it on the tabletop by Nagi's bed where it will be in easy reach. ]

You can borrow mine. I bet it gets pretty boring lying here with nothing to do but sit with your own thoughts.

[ He pauses, wrestling with himself for a moment. ]

The name's Omi. Rest well.

[Oh.

Nagi's brows raise a little when Omi leaves the device for him, which pretty much solidifies the fact that they must have at least been friends in some capacity for him to do that. Nagi has a hard time believing he would have done that for just anyone he knew.]

Omi...

[He repeats the name, though there continues to be no real recognition in his tone.]

I'll try. ...thanks.

Forget-Me-Nots

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