Pre-Notes: I have come to the conclusion that I am most definitely pregnant. I have this unexplained dislike towards Axel/Zexion. It breaks my brain. This is apparent here.
Disclaimer: I don't even think I want to own Kingdom Hearts. I do like Altoids though.
Summary: For the record, the paint was red.
----
P41N7b¥NUMB3RS
"Number eight was always some form of red."
There was, he later concluded, no real reason for him to pick up the paint-by-numbers set in the drugstore. It was one of those generic and tacky cartoon pictures with a little string of paint pots filled with cheap, caked paint. This particular picture was of an elephant in a forest, which he thought was slightly stupid. After all, with ears shaped like that it was obviously an African elephant and those didn't live in forests. At least, they hadn't when he'd last studied about them.
And so, he was scoffing at the stupidity of the picture when the redhead walked up. This was how it all started, with a paint-by-numbers set and the colour red.
"Eight," the stranger said quite suddenly, "is the colour of fire."
He looked up from the paint-by-numbers set and into glass-green eyes. Those eyes sparkled with mischief, and he was vaguely afraid of this stranger.
"If eight is fire," he stated flatly, "then six is obviously white."
The stranger's lips curled into a smile, "Are you so sure?"
"Yes. Six is subtle, neutral and quite content to be a non-colour."
The sparkle in the stranger's eyes grew, if that was possible. He took a slight, involuntary step away from the stranger while clutching the paint-by-numbers set to his chest protectively.
"I think," the stranger drawled, "that six is more of a . . . Slate grey."
". . . Slate grey is not a paint-by-numbers colour."
"It is when you're painting elephants."
With that, the stranger plucked the paint-by-numbers set from him and walked over to the counter. Despite his best efforts, he followed the stranger to the register and watched with vague interest as the stranger paid for the stolen set, a decidedly girly magazine, a package of Altoids and a bottle of water.
He was just a tad bit surprised when the stranger picked up the paint-by-numbers set and handed it to him. Taking it, he opened his mouth to thank him but was cut off.
"Name's Axel, got it memorised?"
"Thank you then, Axel."
This "Axel" quirked an eyebrow, "I don't get a name in return?"
A slight pause, "Zexion." Another pause before a question, "Would you like some coffee or something?"
"Do we get to discuss phone numbers instead of paint-by-numbers?"
". . . Maybe."
And even he didn't know that coffee would spiral into a movie into dinner into whatever you called this uncertain relationship. He safely told himself that six and eight don't play nice except, and this was a very big except, in tacky drugstore pain-by-numbers sets. After all, African elephants in jungles painted slate grey obviously needed a sunset of red to bring out their true flavour. It was just plain common sense, everyone knew it.
The once-stranger named Axel never questioned why there was a carefully painted picture of an elephant delicately taped to Zexion's refrigerator. It, in all of it's tacky glory, symbolised what they were all about. How many people could say they met through tacky craft kits and colour discussion?
After all, it started with a paint-by-numbers kit and the colour red.
----
Postit-Notes: I hope I never, ever have to use the phrase paint-by-numbers that many times in less than one page ever again. I also hope I never, ever have to paint a tacky paint-by-numbers kit of an elephant. It would totally be a slate-grey colour and you know it.