It was raining heavily: so heavily the sound of it hitting the roof of the car was absolutely relentless. Through the windscreen, all that could be seen through the occasional break in the windscreen wipers was a road illuminated only by the headlights. Visibility was so poor, Axel was forced to slow the car right down and after a while, he stopped completely, pulling into the roadside gently, making sure not to disturb his two sleeping passengers in the backseat.
The engine fell dead, and the only sound now was that of the rain. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes and stretched sleepily: he'd been driving for seven hours straight, and his back was starting to ache terribly from sitting in the driving seat. Straining to keep his eyes open, he glanced up to the signal mirror.
In it's reflection, Roxas lay cuddled up against Demyx with his head in his lap, both blissfully sleeping quietly, chests moving slowly in steady slumber. Roxas had not been feeling very well since an hour into the drive, so had lain like that to help give his churning stomach a little more room to get comfortable. However, the arm cradling him must have been placed there in Demyx's sleep. Now the two of them were tightly snuggled into the corner of the backseat.
Smiling fondly as he made a mental note of 'damn those two are adorable like that', Axel closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off to sleep too. He'd originally planned on waking Demyx up and demanding it was his turn to drive, but couldn't find it in himself to disturb either of them.
Above them, the rain eased off a little, hushing itself into a more comforting pitter-patter that soothed his weary mind and finally pushed his over-worked senses into a mass shutdown.
____________________________________
When he awoke four hours later, he was surprised to find he'd been moved from the driver's seat into the front passenger seat, and Demyx had seemingly woken up and started the drive again.
"Mmmm? Oh, good morning sleepy," he noticed Axel stir, though kept his eyes on the road.
"Morning? Already?"
Axel rubbed his eyes blearily and tried to focus them out of his window. Sure enough, a faint glow was appearing on the horizon, very dim pink and orange. Satisfied that it was, indeed, morning, he groaned then looked over his shoulder. Roxas was still curled up on the backseat, a blanket draped over him.
Seeing his gaze falling in the boy's general direction out of the corner of his eye, Demyx bit his lip them murmured, "He's really not doing so great…"
"He does look really pale…"
"He was sick while you were asleep," Demyx remarked quietly, changing gear. "When I woke up and tried to move, I disturbed him and he started coughing really violently. I dragged him out the car and sat with him on the roadside while he hurled his dinner onto the floor… I managed to get him to drink some water, but he coughed it back up seconds later… he was delirious and had a real bad fever…"
"Poor kid," Axel looked genuinely sympathetic as Roxas pulled the blanket further over himself and mumbled something faintly in his sleep. "Hang on, pull over a sec… I'll get in the back with him."
Obediently, Demyx carefully pulled the car up onto the slope by the road and waited while Axel clambered out and opened the back door closest to Roxas, then sat himself down next to him.
"You belted?"
"Yep… carry on…"
"Right, just keep an eye on him, okay?" Demyx revved the engine again as they pulled back onto the road. The journey carried on in silence for another forty minutes, in which time the sun finally broke the horizon and bathed the road in pale morning light.
Axel was starting to feel himself drifting off again when he felt the car slow and Demyx mumbled darkly under his breath until the car had come to a complete stop.
"Wassa matter?" the redhead asked dopily.
"Someone's broken down up ahead, and this road is only one lane wide… hold on, I'll handle this…"
And without further explanation, he undid his seatbelt, opened his door then clambered out, walking off to inspect the problem closer. Leaning forward and peering around the front seat, Axel watched quietly as he saw Demyx stride over to the stationary car in front of them, making straight for the driver's window. He knocked on the window and it opened slowly. A young black-haired woman poked her head out, seeming to be very flustered and embarrassed. She and Demyx exchanged a brief conversation with some nervous laughter, then she got out of the car and they approached the boot of the car, both giving the back tyre a disapproving gaze on their way. Flat tyre it seemed. The spare must be in the trunk…
Apparently not.
They both exchanged another conversation, the woman looking like she was trying to think of some plausible explanation and Demyx looking increasingly exasperated. He said something finally and the woman looked very taken aback. He said something else and she broke into a smile grasping his hands and seeming to be thanking him repeatedly.
The next thing Axel knew, Demyx was walking back to their vehicle and had opened the backdoor.
"Um… do you mind if I give her our spare?" he asked nervously.
"You're joking right?" Axel stared at him as if in disbelief, yet kept his voice low so Roxas would not wake from his precarious sleep.
"Look, I know it's stupid, but until she gets another tyre, she won't be moving, and if she isn't moving, neither are we. She can't get a signal to call a recovery pick-up either. So, we either give her ours, or we have to abandon either the car or the mission."
"Oh that's fair and all, but what about us!? What happens if one of our tyres blow, we'll be screwed!"
"Look, I'm not going to force you, but we can do a lot more good if we just hand over the tyre and get her on her way. Even if we do have a breakdown, we'll still be able to get closer to a town or something. I won't argue if you really don't want to, you're the guy in charge of this mission… I'm just saying it can't do any harm to give her the tyre."
Axel continued to glare at him, then finally broke it when Roxas coughed weakly beside him and shivered so violently the blanket fell off him and he groaned.
If they had to leave the car, Roxas would get worse. Hell, the boy could barely stay awake longer than a few minutes at a time.
If they just left this world, that would be another failed mission on their records, and Zexion would not be bribed a fourth time, he'd said so himself. Xemnas had said if they failed this mission, the three of them would never be sent on missions together ever again.
He looked back at Demyx, still glaring, but he sighed and mumbled, "Fine. But I hope you know what you're doing, Dem."
"Thanks, Ax. I promise, I will take any and all responsibility to tyre-related incidents we may encounter, okay?"
"Nah, don't bother. Just get her going."
Nodding in thanks, Demyx jogged around the back, opened the boot, withdrew the tyre then rolled it over to the woman who was waiting by her car shivering in the cold morning air.
Fifteen minutes later, he returned to the car and slid back into the driver's seat, shaking from the chilly air outside. Ahead, the woman was starting her car and with a low hum, it rolled forward slowly until it was happily churning down the road and into the distance.
"We good to go?" Axel asked.
"Yeah-h…"
"Hmmm? What's wrong?" Axel peered further around the seat, then found his eyebrows raising in amused confusion. "Are you blushing?"
"N-no! Of course not. Why would I be?"
"You are… you're blushing…"
"Shut up! I'm not!" Demyx tried to look away but squeaked when Axel pinched one of his cheeks and cooed, "Awww, you so are, little bro! You're a terrible liar! Did she give you a kiss of thanks or something?"
"No…" came a timid reply. Axel grinned wider and smirked, "You have lipstick on your face, Dem. You're not fooling anyone."
"I do!?" he squeaked, frantically glancing up at the signal mirror and rubbing the spot vigorously. Axel was now laughing heartily and tugged the cheek he was holding in a similar fashion to what elderly women do to young children, before cackling, "You little prince charming you…"
Unable to conceal the fact any longer, Demyx managed a sheepish smile and mumbled, "She gave me her number too…"
Axel finally let go of his cheek and chuckled, "d'aaawwwww, finally got yourself a girlfriend? Bless. How romantic – you meet the girl of your dreams over a flat tyre."
Demyx was about to retort moodily when suddenly a long moan from Roxas made them both turn and look at him. The boy's eyes were now open and yet he still looked so incredibly drained.
"How you holding up?" Axel asked quietly, leaning over him. Roxas simply coughed then his eyes slid shut again, shaking violently. Gently, Axel lifted his head so it was on his lap and carefully rubbed a hand through his hair to comfort him. The boy was back to sleep in seconds.
"Let's go find the hideout before he freezes to death," Demyx mumbled with some air of concern, starting the car and not stopping until five hours later when they reached their destination.
The dull afternoon glow had considerable trouble breaking through the thick pine trees that surrounded the tiny lodge on the west face of the mountain road, but added with the car's headlights, the three of them safely parked the car and clambered out, Roxas having a lot of help from Axel.
"Wooooow… this is actually a nice joint," Demyx whistled as he stood, hands on hips, admiring the small but cosy wooden building that Xemnas had rented out for them to use as their temporary base.
"Less talking, more walking," Axel grunted as he carefully helped Roxas shuffle sickly towards the door.
"Oh sorry, here, let's help you…"
He scampered over and took Roxas' other arm. The boy was too ill to complain. Once they'd battled the door open, they spent a couple of fleeting seconds looking at the interior before they practically half-carried, half-walked him to the bedroom and gently lowered him onto the mattress of one of the larger and more comfortable looking beds. His head had barely hit the pillow and he was already completely out.
"Poor kid," Demyx sighed as they both stood at the bedside looking down at his fitful rest as his shivers began again. Wordlessly, Axel grabbed a couple of blankets from the foot of the bed and threw them over the boy to keep him warm.
His shivering seemed to cease, or at least fall much less wild.
"Let's just hope he's feeling better tomorrow…" Axel said finally, turning around and leaving the room, followed closely by Demyx who shut the door slightly do Roxas' sleep would no be disturbed.
______________________________________________________________
Axel awoke to the sound of vomiting at 3am. Groaning, he put a hand up to rub his head. Well, Roxas was up, judging by the noises coming from the bathroom down the hall… he tried to get up to check the kid was alright, only to realise something heavy was clinging to him. He turned his head to look what and almost ended up kissing a sleeping Demyx on the lips.
Screaming in surprise, he woke Demyx up, who also started screaming (though he wasn't sure why) and they both fell off the couch in a large tangled mess.
"Shoot man what are you playing at!?" Demyx wheezed, scrabbling to his feet and retreating a little, gasping for air and still shaking in shock.
"I'm so sorry! We must've fallen asleep on the couch and… well, nothing happened, so we're alright."
"Dude, I can understand that, but did you have to SCREAM?! I thought we were being ambushed or something!"
"Speak for yourself, Dem…" a feeble croak echoed from the corridor doorway. They both glanced over and saw Roxas leaning weakly on the doorframe, one hand on his stomach and the other hanging limply by his side.
"Can you two keep it down… my head really hurts," he mumbled again as they stopped their yelling and rushed over to him.
"Hey, I think you'd better go straight back to bed…"
"I will but.. um…" he suddenly looked very embarrassed and asked timidly, "Can I have a drink or something to get the taste of bile out of my mouth?"
"Of course you can, but get back into bed and I'll bring it to you, okay?" Demyx gave him a sad grin before turning him around and escorting him back to the bedroom. Axel slunk back to the couch where he and Demyx had fallen asleep watching rubbish late-night TV and turned the box off with the discarded remote.
Demyx reappeared briefly to fetch a glass from the kitchen nearby then disappeared again, trying to settle Roxas down.
Ten minutes later, he came back for good, throwing himself on the couch while Axel busied himself with the fridge.
"Anything good in there?"
"Half a pint of sour milk… and a tomato…" Axel replied with sarcastic delight. Snorting, Demyx spread out on the couch and kicked off his shoes.
"Um, you planning on sleeping there?" Axel asked quietly, noticing him getting comfortable. "You do realise there's enough beds for all of us in the actual bedroom."
"I'm not planning on sleeping yet. I just want to lie down a little…"
"And do what?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing… right, well… that's kinda boring isn't it?"
"Nope… I'll probably pop outside and play sitar for a while nearer sunrise, but until then, I'll just admire the interior design in the ceiling and listen to the wildlife outside."
"You really love the simple things in life don't you?"
"Yep."
"Well, if that's what you want to do."
"Yep."
"………..Bet you just want me to go so you can think about your girlfriend…"
"Tabby isn't my girlfriend… she's just a nice lady I happened to help."
"Oh so it's TABBY now is it?"
"She's always been Tabby. Nothing more…"
"Admit it… you seriously like her, don't you?"
"……. No."
"Uh huh… suuuure. And I'm a chocobo."
"… Shuddup."
"Hey man, it's cool you like her. I mean, it's about time someone came your way… you're in your prime, man – there's no shame in liking a girl."
"I… I don't know what you're talking about. Now go to bed."
"Aw, c'mon…….. you can tell me."
"Good night, Axel."
"You're not going to talk to me anymore are you?"
"Nope. G'night, Ax."
Rolling his eyes, Axel found himself smiling and ruffled Demyx's hair as he passed the couch on his way to the bedroom where Roxas was already in a feverish slumber.
____________________________________________________________
Dawn broke gently over the treetops, sending dazzling sunshine scattering down on the roof of the lodge. Birds twittered pleasantly as they flew about their morning routine, clicking their beaks and chirruping quite happily… until the bush they were perched on burst into flames.
"Will you sodding SHUT UP!?" Axel roared, leaning out the window, looking extremely angry and sleep-deprived. "Go squawk somewhere else! Shoo!"
The birds all took off in a flutter of feathers, screeching and cawing in panic as the bush steadily turned to ash. Satisfied they were gone, Axel slammed the window shut and rubbed his head, groaning. He hadn't gotten a very good night's sleep and waking up to loud chattering of the local wildlife was not improving his mood.
"And a good morning to you too," Roxas mumbled from under the blankets of his bed.
"Sorry 'bout that… I didn't get a good night…" Axel gave an apologetic smile and dragged his feet over to his own bed before flopping down on it. "You feeling any better?"
"Well, I don't think I'm gonna be throwing up anymore, but god does my head hurt…"
"Aw, it'll go sooner or later."
"I just hope it's sooner."
"Me too."
Adjusting himself under the covers, Roxas finally poked his tussled head out from under the dark warmth of the cover and focused his glossy eyes across the room. "Hey, where's Dem?"
The third bed in the room didn't look like it had been slept in at all. The spare blankets were still folded neatly at it's foot and there was no sign of anyone even sitting on the bed let alone lying on it.
"I have no idea… he said he was just gonna lie on the couch for a while, maybe he dozed off there. I'll go see…" Axel rolled off his bed and shuffled sleepily out of the room and into the corridor leading to the lounge.
The couch was empty, but on the table behind it was a sticky note.
"Just popping out to get breakfast ingredients and medicine for Rox. I'll be back before 10. No blowing stuff up while I'm gone, Ax."
Well, maybe it was too late for that last part, considering he'd just torched a bush not thirty seconds ago. But breakfast… now that sounded good.
"He's gone to fetch us some food," Axel called, wondering if Roxas could hear him from in here. Apparently he could as the boy called back, "Best news I've heard all day."
Chuckling, he put the note down and walked back to the bedroom, yawning and stretching his arms out behind him, sighing in content as they clicked back into place.
"Well, I'm gonna have a shower. Think you'll be okay for five minutes?"
"Honestly, it's just a cold, I'll be fine!"
"It's not 'just a cold', Rox: you were throwing up yesterday."
"Fine. But I'm much better now, and I think I'll survive five minutes without the two of you babying me, okay?"
"We're just worried about you," Axel came in to pick up some new clothes, then paused, staring at Roxas in concern. "You probably think we're just being kinda clingy, but you scared us a little. I mean, you got so ill so quickly. Last night me and Dem got talking, and… okay, so neither of us are doctors and can hardly tell a sore throat from an infection in the lung, but… we're just looking out for you, 'kay?"
Shifting sleepily, Roxas finally managed a smile and sighed, "Well, thanks… I guess."
Nodding, Axel continued on his way to the bathroom and shut the door behind him as he prepared for the morning shower.
Two minutes later, there was frenzied knocking at the door.
"Roxas do you mind? I'm still in the shower!"
"Ithinkimgonnabesick" a strange mumbling replied loudly, sounding like the owner was in a lot of pain.
Rolling his eyes, Axel pulled the shower curtain around then shouted, "Go ahead."
There was a loud bang as the door was thrown open then the lovely noise of dry heaving. Poking his head around the edge of the curtain, Axel wiped some of his hair out of his eyes as it had flattened down with water, looking sympathetically at the boy kneeling by the toilet.
"I thought you said you'd be okay without my looking over you!"
Roxas could barely mange to speak due to his stomach's insistences that there was something bad that needed ejecting forcibly from his mouth, but he managed to give Axel the finger.
"Oh charming…" Axel rolled his eyes before ducking back around the curtain and turning the shower off. "You done choking into the toilet?"
"I hope so…"
"Right. Get your sickly ass back in bed and I'll get changed. Then I'm not going to let you get out of my sight, are we clear?"
There was another retching noise as Roxas' stomach finally managed to find something to remove from his innards.
"I'll take that as a yes."
____________________________________________________________________
He was just pulling on a pair of jeans when there was the distinctive hum of a car driving up the road and the crunch of gravel as it pulled to a stop. Twenty seconds later, the door to the lodge was opened and a familiar voice called, "I'm back! You two okay?"
Securing a belt around the waist of his jeans, Axel poked his head out of the door and called, "I'm fine, but Rox just got worse."
"Oh damn, that's not good at all."
"You're telling me…"
Dragging the shopping bags into the lodge and hauling them onto the table, Demyx wiped his brow and put his hands on his hips, "Phew, yeah. I got plenty of provisions… oh, and while I'm here…" He paused and rummaged in one of the smaller bags, before withdrawing a tiny pure white plastic container and tossing it to Axel. "Give them to Roxas. It's some aspirin. Probably won't help his stomach but at least his head will stop hurting… that's if they stay down."
"Nice one…"
While Axel ducked back into the bathroom and pulled a shirt on before making his way into the bedroom, Demyx pulled out the ingredients he'd gathered, emptied the fridge of it's original out-dated products then put all but a few away.
By the time Axel returned Demyx was cracking some eggs into a measuring jug. Upon noticing Axel's hair, he giggled.
"What?" the tall man snapped irritably.
"Wow, that kind of suits you…" Demyx pointed to his head: it was still soaking wet from the shower, so had fallen at a surprisingly long length down his back with one or two rebellious spikes still sticking up. Grumbling darkly, Axel looked away then picked up a newspaper Demyx had bought and hid himself behind it casually.
"I didn't know you cooked," he changed the topic quickly.
"Eh, I don't often, but my Dad was often too busy to cook for us, so I experimented with some old recipes… now, banana pancakes anyone?"
"Oh that sounds so good right now," Axel grinned, sitting down on the couch.
"Well, can you get the fireplace going? I can't cook properly if I freeze to death. And tell Roxas that breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes, and he's having some if he likes it or not."
"Um, do you think it's wise to give the kid something big while he's still poorly?"
"Hey, bananas are one of the few fruit you can eat when you're sick without coughing it back up, and even if he's sick afterwards, a big breakfast will give him at least some nutrition… he hasn't eaten since yesterday afternoon and I'm worried sick about what that's doing for his health. Oh, and I'd better make sure he drinks lots of fluids too: that will help him recover I'm sure of it, and heaven knows he's probably drying up from sickness, poor kid…"
Axel chuckled quietly, "What are you? His mother?"
Demyx looked like he was about to retort angrily, but a small smirk fell on his face and instead he said loudly in a convincingly feminine high-pitched voice, "Just go tell Junior it'll be ready soon, Honey."
Axel wasn't sure whether to laugh or pretend to throw up in disgust. He settled for a much more preferable, "I guess I walked into that one, didn't I?"
"Yep. Now go on…"
Rolling his eyes, Axel pointed to the empty hearth across the room. It was instantly crackling in warmth, sending smoke up the chimney. Mixing the batter thickly, Demyx sighed in content and mumbled a grateful thanks, then seemed to remember something and let a smug smile hit his face.
"Oh, you remember Tabby?"
"Your little crush?" Axel sighed moodily as he got up onto his feet to go tell Roxas he would be force-fed pancakes very shortly. Demyx twitched but didn't turn to glare at him or even deny it: Axel would have loved to have pointed that out but found it too cute that even Demyx realised there was something there and even he thought maybe constant teasing might be a little cruel considering the guy had just gone and brought food and medication for them.
"She happened to be the local doctor in the town at the chemist where I bought the aspirin," Demyx announced with a hint of cocky triumph. Axel froze. Taking his stunned silence as a prompt to continue, Demyx finished, "She even let me have it for free. Said if we hadn't given her the spare, she'd never have been able to deliver the medicine to her shop, and therefore, I wouldn't have been able to get poor Rox some relief."
Neither of them spoke for a while, then clearing his throat, Axel mumbled, "Good call, Dem."
"Heh, thanks. Now, go keep an eye on Rox. I'll call you if you want to flip the first pancake."
___________________________________________________________________________
Breakfast had gone down a big success and it seemed the combination of some aspirin and a well-made breakfast had finally made Roxas' health become a lot more stable. The three of them were now bundled on the couch, very full and contently warm thanks to the fireplace crackling with life to their left. The TV was still on, but none of them were actually watching it, and after a while of just enjoying being in each other's company, Roxas mumbled, "So, when do we start the mission?"
"Dunno. Xemnas said he'd send Xig or someone with further instructions, didn't he Dem?"
He looked to his left, only to find Demyx was fast asleep.
"Oh gee, I guess he didn't get any sleep last night at all…"
"Well, he was up all night playing sitar then driving to the local town to get us some decent food… poor guy. We kinda owe him, I guess."
"Does that mean we're doing the washing up?" Roxas glanced over his shoulder to the empty plates and measuring jugs that had been used to make and consume breakfast.
"Yes it does. C'mon.… let him rest. He deserves it."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Xigbar eventually turned up at about 1 in the afternoon, around two hours after breakfast. Demyx was still curled up asleep on the sofa, but Roxas was outside examining Axel's work on the still-smouldering remains of the bush.
"See you made it alright then?" the Freeshooter commented, making Roxas jump and whirl around to face him.
"Holy cow, Xig! Stop doing that!"
"Sorry. You know where Axel is? As he's technically the highest ranking of you guys, I meant to pass the instructions on to him only."
"Haven't the foggiest. He's probably in the house… but be quiet when you get in: Dem didn't get any sleep last night and he's only just catching up."
Xigbar nodded, then proceeded to sneak through the front door quietly past Demyx's quietly snoring figure and into the main hallway. He eventually found Axel laying on his bed, arms behind his head and his iPod plugged in, foot moving rhythmically and his eyes closed. His hair had now dried and was tied up in a ponytail, though it spiked up at the back, determined not to stay down. He gave a tiny yell of fright as Xigbar pulled out the earpieces, but once he realised who had disturbed him, he turned off the iPod and scrambled onto his feet.
"Well? Got our orders, Xig?"
"I sure do."
"Well, spill."
Meanwhile Roxas had let his curiosity get the better of him and went back into the house in the hopes of overhearing the mission details. About halfway through his sneaking though, a loud boom of thunder made him jump, and without further ado, the heavens opened. It appeared this area was prone to flash storms. Recovering from the unexpected bang, the boy shook himself and glanced over to the sofa where Demyx moaned a little then opened his eyes.
"What was that?" he mumbled sleepily.
"Thunder… sleep well?"
Demyx didn't answer straight away but ran a hand through his tussled hair and rubbed his eye. It was only when he yawned for a full five seconds that he looked at Roxas and mumbled, "Wha?"
"Never mind…"
"Ah, they're both here, great," a voice down the hall became louder as Axel and Xigbar approached them. "Better get your wet gear on, boys. You'll be headin' out soon."
Axel looked very uncomfortable with the idea of going out in the rain, but Demyx gave a sleepy grin and managed a lazy, "Yaaay."
_________________________________________________________________
It had been decided that before they began the tedious drive up the target mountain and started to find the heartless nest they were under orders to destroy, it would be wise to visit the local town and get emergency supplies in case they got lost. Which seemed very likely as they had no map either.
It was a very small town and Axel and Roxas (who hadn't even seen it yet) were very surprised to find it was practically just one road with no more than twelve buildings scattered either side. Despite it's size though, there were plenty of people walking up and down the road: window-shopping, sitting outside the solitary café, queuing outside the tiny shops or chatting in doorways. Despite the number of busy people though, they still turned almost every head as they strolled down the road after parking the Rover a few yards away.
"Don't be fooled, they're friendly really," Demyx smiled, noticing the other two looking very uncomfortable with the stares they were getting. Just to prove his point, he waved to a pair of elderly women stood under the shade of the sloping roof of a nearby building. They're faces broke into toothless grins in return. "It's just they're not used to visitors."
Unconvinced, Axel cleared his throat then said quietly, "You two stay out here. I'm just gonna see what they have in here…" before vanishing through the door of a small shop at the very end of the street.
Left alone, the younger two put their hands in their pockets and leant against the wooden wall of the only two-story building. Two minutes of boredom later, then Demyx sighed and pulled away restlessly, preferring to pace.
He'd just reached his fourth repetition when a pair of olive hands came over his eyes and a little giggle of 'guess who!' came from behind him.
Despite Roxas' assumptions, Demyx did not freak out in surprise, but rather smiled and obliged the human blindfold and mused, "Let me see… soft hands, a cute little giggle, lavender perfume… that could only be Dr Faydal…"
Another giggle then the hands came away as he looked over his shoulder. The girl he'd helped yesterday was grinning at him slyly, her dark hair hanging in spiralling ringlets just below her ears, her delicate glasses sat on her nose, glistening in the sunlight pouring between the clouds. "You just can't keep away from me can you?"
"Heh, guess I can't… I'm not staying long, I'm just waiting for my bro to finish shopping before we go."
"Oh? And who's this adorable little fuzz ball?" she put her hands on her hips and regarded Roxas with her head to one side. The boy blushed a little but didn't answer.
"This is Roxas… he's the guy I was buying the aspirin for this morning."
"Ah I see!" the black-haired woman nodded before saying to Roxas, "How are you feeling? Better?"
"Uh… yeah… thank you."
"Oh don't thank me, thank your brother here for being so considerate! A very thoughtful and caring young man, if I may be so bold to say…" she smiled widely, poking Demyx playfully in the shoulder and making him chuckle a quiet, "Taaaabby… stop it!"
"Aw… you're blushing, Demu."
"Demu?" Roxas fought not to laugh.
"I told you not to call me that," Demyx blushed harder and looked away rubbing the back of his neck. Then, so Roxas wouldn't hear, he mumbled, "Not when others are around anyway."
"Sorry, it just sounds so cute. I couldn't resist."
"Well… please do… Tabbsey."
"Oh you did not just call me that!" she put on a face of perfect mock shock, unable to hide her smile in the process.
"I think I diiiid…"
"Oh, you're goin' dooown boy!"
"Bring it sister!" he stuck out his tongue. She simply reached into her bag, and bought out a syringe. The effect was instant.
"Okay! Okay! You win! You win!" Demyx squirmed and squealed at just the sight of it. She rolled her eyes put it away then said, "It didn't even have anything in it!"
Still, he sniffed and whined in fear. She sighed then held up her hands. "Look, it's gone. It's in the bag. I am not going to inject you with anything unless it's necessary for your survival, okay?"
"Promise?"
"I promise, Demu."
"….. uh, I give up."
She burst out laughing then patted his head in a gesture of comfort. "Tell you what, I've got to get to my clinic now, but maybe we can continue this conversation some time tonight? Tomorrow? When are you free?"
He turned vividly red, completely unprepared for this kind of offer, but thankfully his mouth was managing a good job without his addled brain interfering. "I'm not sure. I should definitely be free tomorrow though."
"Then how about we do lunch? That café just there… one o'clock?"
"Uh… uh… s-sure."
"Swell!" she gave a perky smile, then adjusted her shoulder bag and began to walk down the road, calling after her, "It's a date!"
Roxas watched her walking away until she reached the penultimate building on the left side of the street, pause in the doorway, throw them both a kind smile then disappear through the door. Once she'd vanished in the building, he pulled away from the wall and with purposely-slow strides, he sauntered to stand next to Demyx, who had frozen in place.
"Well," he said with an air of lofty interest, grinning from ear to ear. "Looks like someone just got his first date… what do you think…… 'Demu'?" He barely held back a snigger.
Demyx just stood staring, bright red, yet looking strangely pale at the same time. His eyes were wide and his mouth was set into a thin line of shock. Then, very slowly, the corners raised into a tiny disbelieving smile.
"Roxas… did I just 'score'?" he asked strangely.
The boy next to him just rolled his eyes and decided not to answer.
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A/N - Those who have read 'What If' may recall a mention of 'Tabby'. This is the sad story of their relationship and it's terrible downwards crash.
Chapter title = 'Banana Pancakes' by Jack Johnson.