Forbidden Access

Naturally he didn't like that. He started glaring about, attempting to be as civil about this as he could without having to trust his Hal's life to the hands of perfect strangers like these too much. After all, they should know better than to attempt to harm him.



A half an hour later the nurse came back out and took him to Hal's room.



Snake followed, immediately looking around for Hal with the eyes.



Hal was sitting in bed looking a little calmer and better than before. "H-Hey.."



"Ah, how are you?" Snake asked, not letting on how much it messed with him to see Hal like this.



Hal gave him a soft smile. "I'm fine.."



Snake just stared at him seriously from the door. He didn't want to step into something he couldn't handle like this, especially since this had made him face dead-on at Hal's mortality. Snake wondered why he was always assuming he'd die before Hal. By now he was slowly observing the painful fact that it was all hopeless expectations from him... and not was a bad time to be hit in the face by that.



Hal stared at him. "Dave...Why are you standing so far...?" he asked.



"Fear." he muttered in a raspy-dry voice.



Hal sighed and looked at him. "I'm not going to hurt you.."



At this Dave walked up to Hal and held tightly onto him. "I can't live without you. I'm too chickenshit to do it." he whispered into his ear.



Hal held him close. "I-I know.." he replied softly. "I'm not going to die.."



Dave nodded and held onto him as if Hal was going to vanish.



Hal bit his lip and held onto him. "Dave...W-We're going to have to move you're weapons to another room.." he replied knowing Dave was going to freak.



"Uh? Why is that?" He asked, wondering why this all of the sudden.



Hal pulled back and looked at him. "..We're going to need the extra room.." he said nervously hoping Dave wouldn't be angry or more scared. He stared at him and bit his lip.



"You're coming off strange." He said, trying not to think about quarantine and Hal in the same sentence here.



Hal laughed and gave him a look. "What?"



"What's all this about, Hal?"



Hal looked at him nervously. "It's not for me.. If that's what you're thinking."



"I'm not staying away from you." He insisted, leaning to kiss him to prove his point.



Hal kissed him back, taking Dave's hand and putting it on his lower abdomen. "..I-It's for this.."



Snake blinked a little, slowly pulling away... He... sort of knew... yes and no. From an instinctive level, yes but from the logical side of him, absolutely not.



Hal took that as a bad sign and looked away slightly. "So sorry.." he said holding up his hands before crossing his arms.



Snake shook his head at this. "That's not your fault." He said, wondering why they were even having this conversation: It had a surreal feel to it, like seeing a head lying on a living room among the furniture... only that Otacon seemed unable to spot that head as something strange.



Hal looked at him. "Y-You didn't have to react that way.." he replied hugging his knees to his chest.



"Just..." The fact that Hal might not like this wasn't even crossing Snake's mind as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "how did that even happen?"



"W-Who knows? Both of our nanomachines are messed up.." Hal replied resting his chin on his knees.



This only worried him more. "Is..." He thought about what he was going to say for a moment and hesitated before muttering that at all. "Mine?" He sounded as if the very thought scared him for some obscure reason.



Hal looked at him. "Why would you assume it wasn't yours...? You were the only living thing I've been with"



"Yeah, just hoped..." And he had to stop and rephrase that. Damn it even HE wasn't so dense. "What if something passes on that's... not supposed to."



Hal shrugged slightly. "I-I donno..." he said putting his arms around Dave. "I don't want to think about that.."



Dave nodded in reply. "That seems fair." He said, trying not to think about it for now as well, before the shock started passing, that is, and he had to lean his forehead on Hal's shoulder.