[087, isolation] Unwanted Attention
Drabble Name and Number: #087, Isolation
Drabble Title: Unwanted Attention
Word Count: 511
Warnings: None
Author's Note: Set during canon, just after Raphael returns to civilization from the island. Also, blanked on a proper title.
Summary: He may as well have stayed on the island.
He's loathe to admit it, but Raphael misses the island. Compared to the chaotic bustle of civilization, the sudden scrutiny forced upon him, and the blatant hypocrisy he deals with on an almost daily basis, the seclusion and quiet atmosphere of the island has never been more appealing.
He's tired of the interviews and the probing inquiries from everyone around him, of the empty smiles and the false sympathy in their words when all they really want is to satisfy their morbid curiosity. Every day there's at least one interview, with far too personal questions:
"What was it like?"
"Were you ever afraid?"
"How does it feel to know that you're the only survivor?"
"Did you…did you ever see any bodies wash ashore while you were there? What did you think about that?"
"We understand how you feel."
No they don't.
The reporters don't care. They aren't concerned with how he feels about their invasive questions; they're exploiting the deaths of his family and countless other innocent lives just to meet deadlines. He's so sick of the publicity, of them, and yet his uncle drags him back into the spotlight every time he tries to disappear from it.
"It's only one interview," the older man claims, his tone pitying and condescending. "I've taken you in and you've no other place to go. After all I've done, you can at least do this one thing for me."
But it's never just one thing, it's every day that Raphael hears this. All his uncle wants is to bask in his fifteen minutes of fame, to be the charitable relative that took in the poor orphaned castaway. Raphael has not missed the headlines and how they're portraying him as this naïve lost child, and he absolutely hates it.
The worst part of this whole situation is the hypocrisy. His relatives tell him that it's all right for him to do as he pleases, but Raphael elects to wear sleeveless shirts and jeans and he's told that he has to wear different clothing to "look presentable". He's told that he can say what he wants, but they silence him if he tries to end an interview early.
One day he's told he has to start blending back into society to become a proper citizen, and when Raphael hears this statement he actually laughs out loud.
Don't they understand? He's trying to find some semblance of normality after everything he's been through. He's been trying for months now to adjust. All he wants is to be left alone so he can pick up where he left off and yet the world around him keeps pulling him onto center stage, just to satisfy their own selfishness. He's the center of attention, but he's never felt so alone in all his life.
Raphael may as well go back to the island. He has no place in this world-not anymore.