This was a birthday ficlet for my good friend, as she requested.
Enjoy!
Now edited and fixed as of August 14th, 2012.
No one he had come into contact with was more intricate and, not to mention, rude as the Academic. It was the same complexity and straight forwardness that had drawn the Assassin in, at first perhaps more or less of curiosity over the elder. There was just something different about Vexen compared to the other original members, maybe his outgoing persistence of getting no respect from the younger Neophytes of the Organization or perhaps his extended knowledge of Marluxia's element that made XI want to spend time with him.
The first time, Marluxia recalled, twirling a brilliantly crimson rose between his gloved fingers, which he had been in Vexen's presence was just after Xigbar brought him into the Organization. New and pretty confused, Vexen had explained most of what a Nobody was and what had happened to his heart—Marluxia still remembered the fragment of panic that ran through him when he couldn't locate his pulse.
"It is nothing to worry about," Vexen said, rolling his vibrant green eyes at the pink haired man. "As you can tell you are no longer human, but don't let that go to your head. We can still die, only it's more so fading back into Darkness…"
All of his close encounters with Vexen were still fresh in his mind, as if they had happened hours early, not over a period of months, perhaps a year. Like the first time his brain hadn't been doing his thinking…
Marluxia had only previously been in a sparring match with Larxene—of course, he allowed her to get some pretty vicious hits on him—and he sat on one of Vexen's lab tables, a nasty cut from an electric kunai across his left cheek. The pain moved through his nerve cells in waves, causing him to wince occasionally as the pain naturally numbed itself.
"You need to learn to be more careful, Number XI," Vexen told him, as he disinfected the wounded and put a suitable bandage over it, to slow the bleeding and cause it to cease. "This is your third visit to me this week; you need to stop sparring so roughly with XII."
"When I spar with her a meet a challenge," Marluxia replied, twirling an ice blue rose between his fingers, a habit stemming from his Other's existence. Vexen turned from him, to the table less than six feet away, to write his injuries in his accident report for the day. The Assassin's dark blue eyes looked him over, from his longish blonde hair right down to his girlishly curved hips.
Marluxia slid almost soundlessly off the table, the only noise the jingling of the chain and draw strings of his cloak. "You know, Vexen…" The Chilly Academic turned to him, and Marluxia was once again reminded of their height difference. Vexen cleared him by at least four or five inches.
"What, XI?" Vexen replied, shortly. His green eyes blazed down into Marluxia's dark blue ones. Marluxia was never one to be intimidated by another's height.
"You're a scientist," The Assassin said, a smirk forming on his lips, "yet… has it ever occurred to you that I might spar with Larxene just to get hurt?"
"So you're telling me that you're such a masochist that you enjoy—" Marluxia's hand rested on Vexen's back and slowly made its way down to his curved hips. "NUMBER XI! Get your hands off me this insta—!" The Assassin's other hand rounded Vexen's neck, pulling the elder down, crashing his lips to the Neophyte's.
Vexen's green eyes widened as he struggled against him, but Marluxia's grip was solid. Marluxia's hand entangled into the blonde's locks, cutting Vexen's chances to escape from his flowery inferior. Vexen's hands placed themselves on Marluxia's waist, the Academic's lips hesitantly moving against the Florist's. A cold sensation in his midsection caused Marluxia to jerk Vexen's head away from his own, causing a slightly whimper from the elder.
"How creative," Marluxia almost sneered to the scientist. "I suppose your plan was to immobilize me so you could escape? Do you really think that would have worked, my dear Vexen?" He ended almost purring, his lips meeting the sensitive skin of the elder's neck.
Surprised, Vexen let out a moan. The ice on Marluxia's waist melted in its creator's sudden pleasure. The Graceful Assassin smirked, pulling from his neck and capturing the elder's lips again. Vexen struggled more and determinedly bit into Marluxia's lip, causing him to pull away.
His smirk hadn't left. "I never knew you had it in you," Marluxia's lower lip was bleeding lightly. Nothing to worry about, really. Marluxia pushed Vexen against the lab table behind him, his sapphire eyes adding a mixture of menace and pleasure to the smirk. "But, regrettably, I believe you only succeeding in turning me on more."
"Snake," The elder spat. Yet there was something in Vexen's expression that showed he was enjoying this. Marluxia saw it and pulled the blonde into another kiss, heated, taking the opportunity to slip his tongue into the elder's mouth. Marluxia's free hand trailed over those girlish hips, into Vexen's cloak, running over a bulge in the elder's pants that wouldn't have been there unless he wanted Marluxia.
Vexen moaned into the kiss, as the Assassin's fingers brushed against his pants. He had reached the desired outcome, as Vexen's gloved hands moved up his sides, as Marluxia pulled away, releasing the blonde's hair from his grip.
"I believe its rather early in the afternoon for such activities," Marluxia purred, stepped just out of Vexen's reach.
"Son of a—" Vexen was breathing hard.
"Perhaps we should pick up later," Marluxia suggested, flashing Vexen a smirk. "Say…around nine tonight?" he purred.
A glare was held in the Chilly Academic's emerald eyes, "Fine." He almost hissed.
Marluxia couldn't help but smirk. Those memories were pleasant times—before being sent to Castle Oblivion, before being made the Lord of the castle. The look on Vexen's face when Marluxia was named Lord instead of him burned into his memory. The first time they had a real fight and realization occured…
"How can he do this to me," Vexen growled, storming around the room, hardly a half hour after the meeting in which the Lord was proclaimed. Marluxia laid on the Academic's bed, in nothing but his black silk boxers, sapphire eyes on the almost rampaging blonde scientist. He knew Vexen would go off. "I'm going to be the oldest member there—shouldn't that automatically put me in charge?"
"Apparently not," Marluxia interrupted. "Considering that I was put in charge." The blonde whipped around, his cold eyes on the Assassin. Vexen twitched. "Geez, calm down, Vexy." Number XI smirked at the outrage on the Academic's face.
"Don't call me that!" Vexen growled.
"Loosen up," Marluxia replied, dryly. The Chilly Academic could be so unreasonable sometimes. His sapphire eyes locked with furious emerald ones. "Better yet… remove that stick from your ass. Then there will be more room for my—"
"Marluxia!" Vexen hissed. "I am trying to have a serious conversation with you and all you come up with is sexual innuendos!" Here it comes, another Vexen rant. Marluxia snuggled into the bed more, eyes on Vexen. He was pretty patient when it came to him going on about either disrespect or something else that irked the Chilly Academic on that particular day. The Assassin knew that Vexen did eventually calm down—and normally wanted to cuddle afterwards. "You are just like your element! You're nothing but a large sex organ!" Was Vexen implying that he thought Marluxia was a sex-crazed whore?
The pink-haired man sat up and pushed himself off the bed. He found the crumpled pile that was his clothes and pulled his pants. He didn't need to sit around and let Vexen call him a whore. The Assassin was surprisingly faithful, especially when it came to Number IV.
"What are you doing?" The blonde asked, his narrowed eyes on Marluxia.
"I am not a whore," he growled in reply. He stepped into his boots and threw on his shirt.
"How would I know," Vexen shot back, "that you're not also screwing Larxene? You spent more time with her than anyone!"
Marluxia paused to send a chillingly icy glare toward the elder. He said nothing as he put on his cloak, zipping up the leather around his relatively skinny frame and summoned a portal. Like hell he'd get caught walking out of Vexen's bedroom.
"Marluxia! Wait!" The Assassin was stopped by IV grabbing hold of the sleeve of his cloak. The pink-haired man stopped, only half turning toward the blonde. "That was extremely uncalled for…" Was Vexen apologizing? "Just… stay. Please."
Marluxia turned fully toward him, a puzzled expression crossing his features. "Who are you and what have you done with Vexen?" The scientist gave him a flat look. "Ah. I see. There he is." Vexen pulled Marluxia to him, his thin arms around the botanist's waist. "What the…"
"Marluxia," The way he said his name would have made the Assassin melt—if he had a heart, "as much as I dislike saying this… You're like a drug, some highly addictive substance that is going to be the death of me. I need it. I need you." The look in the blonde's eyes defied the fact they had no hearts or emotions.
Marluxia blinked up at him, his cheeks burning darkly. "Vexen—" A finger to his lips stopped him. Vexen removed his finger and his lips met the younger man's. Before the pink-haired man could respond, the blonde pulled away, his hand sliding down Marluxia's arm, taking his hand and lead him to the bed.
Marluxia appeared before Larxene and Axel in a flurry of rose petals. He was well aware of Vexen's plans. "It seems looking like a geezer isn't just his idea of a fashion statement. That was an unexpectedly cunning move."
"Don't flatter him," Larxene replied, reproachfully, "He's just an idiot."
"Well, something must be done." The Assassin frowned slightly, feigning annoyance. "Go, Axel."
"Me?" The redhead asked with mild shock. He wasn't one to do the real dirt work for others.
"We can't allow him to ruin our plan." Marluxia drawled, holding an ice blue rose to his lips. "Eliminate him… in the name of the Organization. Rid us of our traitor."
Axel smirked, summoning his chakrams, holding one nonchalantly over his head. "Done. There's no taking back that order later."
Marluxia forced a smirk to his lips. Vexen… please… Forgive me for this. he thought.
I hope you liked it! Sorry for any OOCness. Final scene thanks to the Kingdom Hearts manga, vol. 2!
Review kindly.