Xigbar looked up from the book he was reading to glance at the other readers in the castle's enormous library. Xaldin seemed immersed in his novel but Demyx didn't seem to be concentrating particularly.

"You know," Xigbar began, pointing to his book, "This is a really good book,"

"What's it about?" Demyx asked, apparently eager for a distraction. The intended response.

"Well, the main characters hate each other but the others think they'd be perfect together so they hatch a plan to get them together,"

"Much Ado About Nothing, is that?" Xaldin asked, looking up from his book to join in with the conversation. Xigbar nodded.

"Well, a book adaptation,"

The Freeshooter continued reading for a few moments. "Dude, Beatrice and Benedick are a lot like a certain couple we know,"

Demyx thought for a few moments.

"Axel and Roxas?" He asked, obviously not knowing the story particularly well. Xigbar shook his head. Demyx pouted and returned to thought.

"Whilst I'd hardly call them a couple, Marluxia and Vexen," Xaldin helpfully supplied.

"Bingo,"

"What? And we're the ones who're going to get them together? That's impossible!"

"No, it'll be dead easy. Have you ever really talked to either of them, Demyx? They'll always find a way to complain about each other. It means they're already secretly in love,"

"And you're saying this because a book written by some crazy Elizabethan guy says so?"

"Duh," Xigbar cracked an evil grin, setting the book aside. "And do I have the perfect plan for these two,"

"That's it! I never want to see you and your stupid flowers again!" Vexen yelled at the pink haired man in front of him and stormed off into a corridor of darkness in the opposite direction. Marluxia, presumably the offender, sighed and prepared to portal away.

And was hit by a miniature tidal wave coming from IX behind him, drenching the flower elemental.

"Fifty munny says you can't get him to come,"

Vexen sighed at his two-rank superior. Xigbar had recently convinced Xemnas to give them four days' leave, which they were going to spend in the Land of the Dragons. The Freeshooter wanted Marluxia to join him, Demyx, Vexen and Xaldin. Vexen, quite understandably, didn't. Now Xigbar was waging money that Vexen couldn't convince XI to come.

"Fifty isn't worth having to spend four days with that bastard,"

"He's coming anyway, it's just whether you're gonna lose fifty munny or not, dude,"

"You're a bastard too," Vexen grumbled, before portaling off to Marluxia's quarters.

Xigbar smirked, walking over to the intercom monitors; he motioned for Xaldin to follow.

"Let's see how he handles this,"

"Vexen's right, you know." Xaldin commented, seating himself in front of the monitor nonetheless. "You realise that Marluxia's still getting changed from being drenched by Demyx?"

Xigbar just grinned wider.

"Marluxia?"

Vexen stepped uncertainly into the Graceful Assassin's lounge. The nobody had been in the Organisation for almost two years, yet it still scared him just how pink the man managed to be. There was a muffled thump from the adjacent room and Marluxia hurried out, closing the door behind him before turning around to face Vexen, who had just gone bright red. Xaldin was, of course, completely right. Marluxia now stood in front of Vexen with nothing but his black boxers on, pink hair still dripping from Demyx's attack.

"Uh..." the flowery man began to turn pink as well. "One moment," He dashed back inside his room, returning a few moments later in a fluffy purple dressing-gown. Decently covered, he motioned for Vexen to sit down on the couch and asked him the reason of his visit.

"Demyx, Xaldin, Xigbar and I are going to the Land of Dragons for four days. I was wondering if you might want to come," Vexen explained, careful not to mention the bet. Knowing Marluxia, the man would refuse to come just to make the academic lose fifty munny.

"The reason for the trip?"

"Uh... to relax, just get away from it all for a few days?" Vexen wasn't quite sure why Marluxia had asked.

"It's the middle of winter there right now," Marluxia prompted. "Now I know you just love freezing people's butts off, but wouldn't the others choose somewhere... warmer?"

"I'd like to see you skiing without snow," Vexen drawled.

"Oh, a skiing trip. No thanks, I'll pass." Marluxia stood up and began tending to a few of the numerous plants that seemed to have escaped from his gardens.

"Why? I thought you'd jump at the chance to get out of this stuffy castle," Vexen pressed, following XI as he wandered through the door to his gardens.

"You seem awfully determined to make me come, Vexen." Marluxia observed.

"You seem awfully determined not to come,"

There was an awkward silence as Marluxia continued to potter about, apparently unconcerned that he was still only wearing boxers and a dressing gown.

"I bet it's because you don't want to get your butt kicked out on the slopes," Vexen suddenly commented, folding his arms with a contented smirk. Marluxia did a double take.

"By you?" He exclaimed, trying to imagine the scientist even being able to stand up with skis.

"Oh come on, Marluxia," Vexen said, as if he were talking to someone with a similar intellect to that of a five-year-old. "Think about it. My element is ice, remember?"

Marluxia felt his cheeks heat up in a mixture of embarrassment and fury, despite it not being physically possible.

"I bet I could still beat you," He muttered, glaring at his flowers because it was easier than glaring at Vexen. The taller man laughed.

"A challenge? You'd better come, then."

He portaled away, leaving Marluxia alone with his plants and the impending doom of attempting to beat the scientist at his own element.

"You are a complete and utter bastard," Vexen immediately began to complain as soon as he was back in Xigbar's company. "You knew he was getting changed!"

Xigbar tried to feign a look of innocence. "What are you talking about?" Vexen shook his head, disgusted. "Anyway, you got him to come?"

The scientist's expression turned to one of smugness. "Oh, he'll be coming alright." Xaldin looked slightly worried.

"Meaning...?"

"I got him to challenge me at skiing, there's no way he'll back down," Vexen said. "That'll be interesting." Most of the neophytes didn't realise, but in the Organisation Vexen was the unchallenged champion of the slopes, particularly with the more extreme sports like snowboarding.

"Yeah, I don't think flower boy's ever been skiing before," Xigbar mused, and Vexen laughed out loud.

---

AN:

This is a really old fic too, written in May 2008. Not much else to say. Can also be found, in its entirety, on DeviantArt.