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"Snake, I think I'm not... not really okay..."
"You say that a lot, Otacon."
"Well this time it's true!"
"And why is that?"
"Cause I'm calling you again."
"Doesn't sound like a bad thing to me yet, care to elaborate?"
"I'm talking to you, Snake. I caled you and you answered me."
"Would it be better if I hadn't?"
"You didn't, Dave, that's the problem. You're dead, you're not talking to me and no one really picked up."
"Maybe I picked up and am speaking from hell."
"You never belived in hell and you're too good for it."
"Maybe I'm speaking from heaven."
"You didn't belive in that either."
"Well then I'm talking from Jupiter."
"You're not."
"I couldbe though."
"You couldn't."
"Don't be a buzz kill, Otacon, that's my job."
"Yeah, you're the buzz kill and I'm going insane."
"May you rest in peace."
"Bold words for a dead man."
"A dead man you're talking to."
"Yeah, yeah, no need to remind me that... I just... miss you."
"Yeah, me too."
"I know it's not possible but I keep thinking you'll really answer this time."
"Sorry to disappoint, maybe next time though?"
"Yeah, maybe next time... cause I don't think I'm ready to stop calling just yet."
"Guees I'm just that good, huh."
"You're amazing."
"Keep talking like that and I won't be cutting the line any time soon either."
~
"Hello?"
"Raiden..."
"Sunny? Is that you?"
"Yeah... It's me... I need your help."
"I guessed. Go on, I'm all ears."
"Okay, so... do you remember the time I told you about dad starting to see someone new?"
"Yeah. You say like it's a bad thing now but you sounded happy then. What happened?"
"I passed by his lab last night and heard him... he was calling Snake."
"..."
"He's doing it again, Raiden."
"I thought you told me he was getting better."
"He was! He really was but..."
"Something else happened, right?"
"The last guy he was seeing... dad invited him to come and have dinner with us."
"Stilll sounds like progress to me... where's the other shoe?"
"The guy, I think his name was Derek or something, started teasing me, in the fatherly/friendly way of course! It was all good and well until dad said, word by word I quote, 'Dave, stop it!'."
"Well, shit."
"I dunno what to do anymore, Raiden, everyone said he would get better if he starts seeing new people but..."
"How long was it this time."
"He talked for 20 minutes before breaking down and crying... he tried to keep it down but dad isn't really good at that."
"Otacon and crying are a duo as strong as him and Snake were at this point."
"Yeah."
"Do you want me to talk to him?"
"He wouldn't listen to you, Raiden."
"I might not know him like Snake did but I still know him."
"Do you think he'll really listen?"
"Well, he might not really listen to me but I think an alliance between me, Meryl and Colonel would get to him."
"Y-you wanna gang up on him?"
"That's... one way to put it."
"B-but that's not a good thing to do!"
"Look, we can even get Rose in on it, she's a therapist after all! Bet she can help him."
"Yeah..."
"I just think... we should do something eventually, what he is doing isn't healthy."
"You're right but... not today, okay?"
"You do the timing, we'll be ready, I'll talk to them about it."
"Okay."
"Don't worry, Sunny, you're not alone in this... I'm with you, remember?"
"I will."
"Smart girl. Call me later?"
"Call you later, say hello to John and Rose for me!"
"Will do."
~
"Snake."
"Otacon... why are you crying again?"
"I yelled at Sunny."
"..."
"And I was just like Huey... Dave, I sound and look just like him and now I'm starting to act like him."
"Otacon..."
"All my life, I tried everything just to be less like him but it looped right back into me turning into another version of him."
"You didn't want to do it, Hal, did you?"
"I could never! I love her so much..."
"Then you're already one step ahead of anything he could ever be. You love her."
"I love her... and he didn't love me."
"You finally said it."
"Only because you told me to."
"I'm not real, Hal, I'm your own mind playing tricks on you. You, yourself, finally said it out loud."
"Yeah... you're right."
"You just need to talk to her, apologize and make sure you won't do that again, like the good dad you are."
"You're right again..."
"I always am."
"Even when fake?"
"Even when fake."
~
"Hello?"
"R-Raiden..."
"Sunny... what happened, why are you crying?"
"M-me and dad... had a fight... and he... suddenly started yelling."
"... Otacon... yelled at you?"
"Yeah. He- he's talking to Snake now."
"Doesn't matter, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I... I started crying and he immediately stopped and cried with me."
"Where are you now?"
"My lab."
"Do you want me to come and get you? We can say it's a sleepover with John."
"No, not yet, I-I want to listen."
"You... are listening in on his conversation with Snake?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want me to stay on the line?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I will."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Raiden..."
"Yeah?"
"I think dad's dad wasn't a good one."
"Why makes you say that?"
"D-dad is talking about how sad it makes him that he looks like his dad and that his dad always yelled too."
"He never talks about his parents, does he?"
"No but... he just said his dad never loved him."
"Well, that's kinda sad."
"Why would d-dad's dad be bad to him?"
"I think, sometimes, some people who are not the right fit for being a parent get to be one. Otacon's... father, he was a bad guy, he wasn't fit to become a dad, it wasn't something your dad did."
"That's not fair."
"I know, Sunny."
"I want to go talk to dad."
"Do you think it's a good time?"
"I think... I need to tell him that he is not a bad dad, he's just a sad one."
"Okay, do what you think is best but never forget..."
"What?"
"You are a good girl who deserves good things, nothing less, okay?"
"Nothing less, okay."
"Call me later?"
"Call you later."
~
"Dave... hi."
"Hal, what is it?"
"I think... it's time for me to stop trying to move on."
"Last time I checked, you thought you should stop calling me."
"I still do."
"So what do you mean?"
"I mean, I loved you in a way I'll never love anyone else. I think it's time to stop trying."
"..."
"I was going the wrong way with this, trying to replace you."
"Replacing the replacement of a replacement, funny."
"You know you were always the only Snake to me, right?"
"Yeah, I do, I'm in your head."
"Will you let me finish myself now?"
"Sure, go on."
"You're impossible sometimes."
"Well, I am the man who made impossible possible so..."
"You-"
"I'm just teasing!"
"This was supposed to be an emotional goodbye, you oaf!"
"Tell me what you wanted to tell me then."
"I... I'm going to start doing other things instead, try to...find the other kinds of love in the world."
"Like?"
"My love for Sunny."
"The light of our lives."
"My love for my work, making things and helping people."
"Doing what you're good at, right? Everyone loves that."
"Yeah... and my love for our friends."
"I would say you're finally on the right track here."
"I wanna be a better dad, maybe call back to one of those teaching position offers, get more in touch with Raiden and Meyrl... I think Johnny is an otaku too."
"That sounds neat for you."
"I don't think I really have to fall in love with someone else or forget you to start living again."
"Took you long enough to realize that."
"Yeah, not very genius-like of me."
"You're just a little slow sometimes."
"I'll miss your teasings, you know?"
"I'll miss teasing you too."
"I-I just wanted to say... I love you, Dave, I'll never stop loving you... I want you to know that even if it's not really you.."
"Do you wanna cry your way to letting me go too now?"
"Yeah, yeah... I think Imma do exactly that."
"Classic Hal... see you on Jupiter?"
"See you... on Jupiter."
~
"Hello. Sears house, Rose speaking."
"H-hi, Rose!"
"Sunny! How are you, dear? How is life, Hal, are you two doing alright?"
"We're doing g-good, how are you and John doing? Raiden?"
"Me and John are doing great, Raiden is out now though, you wanted to talk to him?"
"Yea- no! I just wanted to tell him... tell him that our plan isn't needed anymore."
"Uh...okay, I will."
"Thanks!"
"No chance you'd tell me what that plan was, right?"
"I-it's private."
"Okay, I get it. Tell Hal I said hello."
"I w-will!"
"Bye."
"Bye."