"Hey, can you take us to Fourth Street? Thanks."
The loud couple that entered the cab were drunk, as usual. Demyx just sighed, putting his book down and drove towards Fourth Street. He heard a girl giggling in the back seat and looked in his rear-view mirror to glance at the pair. A man with black and silver streaked hair, the one who'd spoken, was kissing along her neck while his hands roamed over her body. "Xigbar...stop it…" the woman spoke softly and her tone suggested playful words, not ones that actually meant what she'd said. Demyx just rolled his eyes and concentrated on getting to Fourth street as fast as the law would allow.
Everything was going fine until he glanced in the mirror again to check behind him and couldn't find the couple.
"Hey! If I hear zippers being undone and clothes start flying everywhere I'm puttin' ya out on the street naked!" Demyx shouted into the backseat. He heard a grunt and then the man came up to rest his arms and chin against the back of the seat to look at Demyx. "Hey kid, we wouldn't complain if you just stop and joined us." The smirk he flashed was devilish on his scarred face. Demyx felt his face turn a million different shades of red as he stopped at a stop sign and turned to look face to face with his customer. "One I'm not doing that because I'm on the clock and two…that's just wrong! I mean seriously!"
"I can pay ya good." When Xigbar grinned, Demyx could see sharp canine's. Shaking his head, he said forcefully, "And I'm not a whore! So just sit back and I'll have you home where you can do your…business elsewhere." He turned back to the front of the car as he heard angry honking behind him. "Damnitt…" he grumbled quietly, "Why did I have to have the bisexual drunks tonight? Seriously…"
Upon arriving on Fourth Street, Demyx glanced in his mirror again. "What's the address?" he asked the now silent Xigbar who stared out the window as the blonde girl riding beside him kissed his neck and whispered sweet nothings into his ear. Sighing, the man said, "468. And when you drop me off, take her to 1164 Nottingham Drive. I think I've sobered up enough to realize that I don't want her company anymore." When Demyx stopped the black and yellow car, Xigbar opened his door and stepped out. Slamming the door behind him, he walked around to the drivers' side and looked in through the open window. "Here. This should be sufficient for both of our travel. Thanks." He threw a 100 dollar bill onto Demyx's lap before he crossed the street and quickly entered house numbered 468. "But-"It was too late to tell the man that the whole trip would only cost $30.25. Looking behind him, he sighed as he began his trip to Nottingham Drive.
Around 5:13 in the morning, Demyx walked into his tiny apartment. Not even undressing, he crashed on his couch to get a nap before he had to go back to work. His stomach was screaming at him to get some food but he was too tired to obey it.
The alarm clock blared Bloody Mary at him at 4:05. Hitting the snooze, Demyx stretched like a cat before getting up and taking a shower. He had to be at work by 5:30 to start his shift but his body needed food to get through a Saturday. By 4:52 he was running out his door, a piece of toast dangling from his mouth and keys jiggling in his baggy jeans pocket. Demyx arrived at the office just as the clock turned to 5:01. No one was in the office so Demyx walked quickly to clock himself in, and just as he reached the door to leave, the phone rang. One of the rules was that 'If you're the only one in the office, answer the phone for it may be a potential customer.' Sighing, Demyx stepped behind the counter and picked up the cordless phone.
"Destination Nation Taxi Cab Company, Demyx speaking." Demyx recited the 'catchy phrase' as his boss liked to say. The young blonde was surprised to hear a familiar voice on the line. "Uhm…I'd like a cab at 468 Fourth Street ASAP. Thanks." The line went dead as the man on the other line hung up. He looked at the phone and sighed before clicking the END button and placing it back in it's cradle.
This is gonna be fun. He thought as he all but ran out of the building before someone entered and started a conversation. Getting in his cab, he headed back towards Fourth Street for the second time in twelve hours.
The brakes let a small squeal of protest as Demyx pulled the cab up in front of 468 Fourth Street. Xigbar sat on the porch steps looking glum and all but raced to the cab when Demyx arrived. Getting in, he slammed the door shut and stopped when he saw who was driving. "Hey, you're the driver from last night. Do you ever sleep?" A lazy smile slithered its way across his otherwise tired and angry face. Demyx turned his own tired eyes to look upon Xigbar's single yellow one. "Not really. Gotta make a living ya know. So where to?" Demyx turned to the front of the cab as he waited for a reply. He waited for several minutes before he got tired of waiting and turned to the back only to be met by Xigbar climbing over the seat. "How about we just go for a drive? I'll pay for the whole thing if you just take a drive with me."
Demyx was dumbfounded. "B-but I have to-" just as he began to protest, Xigbar took a wad of bills out of his pocket. "Hush and let the money talk. Now how do you turn that blasted sign off?" Xigbar said the last part to himself as he searched the console of controls for the light button. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed and pressed a button.
Nothing happened.
"I'm surprised you actually found it on the first try." Demyx stated. It had taken him at least an hour to figure it out. Sighing, the blonde looked at the black and silver haired man that sat beside him looking through his book.
"Hey! Give that back! That's not yours!" Demyx cried as he leaned over Xigbar trying in vain to grab at the novel. He was tall and lanky but Xigbar was even more so.
"What is this?" Xigbar asked in wonder. "Leaps of Faith by Rachel Kranz? Let's see what this little tab says…" He opened to the front where a pink pull-tab was stuck to the top of the preface page. "Great opening…love beginning quote." Xigbar closed the book that he was now holding out the window in an attempt to prolong his game of keep away with Demyx who was now leaning all the way on Xigbar trying to snatch the novel out of his grasp. "What is this? Do you wanna be a writer one day or somthin'?" Xigbar asked in his spicy surfer accent. When Demyx turned the color of a ripened tomato, Xigbar finally gave the book back.
"Nothing…just…if you want a ride, leave my stuff alone." Demyx stated, shoving the beat up hardcover in the dash. "Now where do you want to go?" Demyx turned his exhausted aquamarine eyes to look at Xigbar once more, who stared right back at him thinking of where to go. "Wanna go get a burger?" Demyx looked at him confused. "So your paying my to go to a burger joint? Is that all?" Xigbar leaned back in the seat, throwing his right arm out the window into the afternoon breeze. "For now yes. After we get food, I'll decide where to go afterwards." Demyx sighed once again, muttered an 'okay, fine' and pulled the taxi cab out into the street.
Fifteen minutes later and the duo were taking up seats at the local Diner. They hadn't had much conversation in the car, just listened to the radio with Xigbar looking behind them every chance he thought Demyx wasn't watching. "Can I take your order?" A brunette with green eyes asked the two once they'd sat there for about a minute.
"Yes, I'll have a water with a slice of lemon. That's all. Thanks." Demyx said in a quiet tone.
"Aw, come on. Get whatever you want, I'm buying." Xigbar said, reclining back into the red cushions. "I know you're hungry, you couldn't have gotten much sleep last night and all you had this morning was probably a piece of toast as you ran out the door. Am I right?" How the hell does he know what I do in the morning? Demyx thought irritably. "Nah, I'm goo-" The blonde's words were cut off by the protesting coming from his belly.
Xigbar just chuckled in amusement. "No, seriously, get whatever you like. Hell, I'll even buy ya desert if you want it afterwards." He turned his attention back to the waitress only when Demyx ordered a burger and some fries. "I'll have a black coffee with a chicken sandwich. Thanks doll."
Demyx stared out the window at the sun that was slowly sinking into the horizon. The red glow made his tanned skin a golden brown color. Xigbar just sat back and watched his beautiful driver in content. "You know you don't have to buy me food or anything. I shouldn't even be in here. I should be out driving people around, making money…" Demyx spoke without looking away from the window and the world outside.
"Hey, It's alright Demy, I don't mind at-"
"What'd you call me?" Demyx now looked into Xigbars' smiling face. "Demy…short for Demyx…that's your name right? Isn't that what you told me when I called earlier?" Demyx stared at the older man with a look of amazement on his face. After a moment of silence, Xigbar broke it by saying, "What…Did I say something wrong? Is there something on my face?" Xigbar continued to joke even after Demyx shook his head and continued his staring out the window. "No…It's just that no one ever calls me by my name. And no one's ever given me a nickname…" Xigbar looked a bit confused at this tidbit of information. Leaning a little on the table, Xigbar took Demyxs' hand in his. "Hey…whatd'ya mean? Surely you're just talking about your customers…right?"
Demyx didn't look in Xigbars' face, instead, he looked down at their conjoined hands and squeezed slightly. "Nah…I'm talking about everyone. My customers call me nothing and the people I work with don't right care much either. Mama only called me child…Daddy wasn't there. When he was though…he called me boy." A gentle shrug passed over his shoulders before he looked back out the window. "Tell ya the truth…you're the only person that even cared enough to talk to me more than to just tell me your destination or curse at me."
Xigbar opened his mouth to say something to say to the lonely man when the waitress brought their food and drinks over. "That's one hamburger with an order of fries and a water for cutie number one. And a black coffee and chicken sandwich for cutie number two." She set the plates of food around Xigbars' outstretched arm. "Aww…you two must be one a date. I'll just leave you two alone now. Just call if you need anything." She winked at the two as Demyx slid his hands out from under Xigbars' and placed them in his lap. "Thanks again." He mumbled before sipping at his water. Picking up his sandwich, Xigbar said to the man across from him, "Why don't you go ahead and get some food in your stomach. We can talk later. But I think you need to shut your belly up first or we won't be able to hear each other." He smiled a genuine smile before biting those sharp canines down into first bread and then flesh.
Demyx watched as Xigbar leisurely ate his meal. He marveled at how at peace he seemed in the open. Upon hearing the growling coming from his stomach, he picked up the burger in front of him, taking a tentative bite. The juices swamped his mouth in a flood of mouth watering deliciousness. An involuntary moan escaped Demyxs' lips as he closed his eyes. It'd been so long since he'd had food that wasn't from a can. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Xigbars' smiling face. "Told ya you were hungry," he chuckled. Demyx immediately turned six shades of red and he gulped down his bite of food. "S-sorry. It's just-"
'Don't worry bout it, Dem." Xigbar replied with a slack grin on his face.
After all of the food was gone, the two walked out to the cab.
"So…where are we going to now?" Demyx asked cautiously as he slipped into the drivers' seat. He looked over at the man beside him. Xigbar stared right back at him with a small smile on his face. "Why don't you choose?" Demyx was shocked. Just like that, someone he'd only just met had asked him to choose what he wanted to do. He looked down at his lap for a moment and when he looked back up at Xigbar, his head was tilted to the side. "So where to?" he asked.
"Uhm…how 'bout…the park? I've always wanted to…aw…never mind. Let's just go." He started to shift the old cab into gear when Xigbar stopped him. "No. What is it you've always wanted to do? You name it and we'll do it." Demyx smiled for the first time in ages at the corny comment. Then blushed at what he was about to tell the man. "Well…have you ever seen the movie Pretty Woman, with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere? Well…I was about 9 or 10 when I first saw that movie an always wanted someone to do what she did for him. She took him to the park and they sat under a tree. She read to him while he rested his head on her lap." He noticed he was smiling with tears in his eyes and turned away. "But every time the movie went off I was brought back to reality, and I'd always remember that no one would ever do that for me." Xigbar couldn't help hear this coming from someone so young. He imagined a little blonde headed boy staring up at Julia Roberts and Richard Gere having the time of their lives when he wasn't even spared the grace of his name being used. He hated seeing the older man of today being lonesome and trying to accept that his life would go nowhere he wanted it.
"Hey…" he said, gently taking Demyx by the face with thin fingers, turning him so he could look into those azure depths. "Don't cry, Dem. We'll make it happen." He smiled again as the younger male tried to stop his tears and smile back. "No just scoot over here." Xigbar climbed over his body and took up the drivers' seat. "First stop, Lunar Park."
Once they were there, the two got out, Xigbar leaning over to snatch Leaps of Faith out of the dash. While they made their way across the parking lot to the park, Xigbar slowly put his arm around the blonde's waist. After he seized up for only a moment, Demyx relaxed and even leaned into Xigbars touch a little. They picked a spot beneath a large oak tree to settle down and get comfy. Xigbar nestled down in the grass, Demyx following him, laying his head on his chest and closing his eyes. Xigbar started to read from the place Demyx had marked with his bookmark. Soon after he'd begun, he noticed the smaller males' breathing had slowed and he was fast asleep. Putting the book down, he begun to stroke pale fingers through the sleeping males' sunshine blonde hair. After pondering it over for about half an hour, Xigbar shifted to where he could lean down and place a feather light kiss on the others' lips.
He was surprised to feel the blondes' lips lock onto his in a simple kiss. When the Xigbar pulled away, Demyx smiled up at him. "I've been waiting for that too."