It is the fourth day since the prank on Xigbar. A few of the members of the organization had thought it would be funny to put salt in the man's eye patch while he was sleeping, and it was funny. It was funny to see him yelp, dump excess salt down his cloak, and breathe it up his nose. It was funny to see him dance around, sneezing and trying to find the culprit despite being even more blind than usual. It was all funny... that is until the pranksters woke the next morning to find the entire bathroom flipped upside down; toilets, showers, sinks, and baths up on the ceiling and out of reach.
Nobody knows quite how he did it, nor why the Superior has yet to set it straight. All anyone knows is that it's inaccessible, and that's all that really matters. Larxene had attempted to threaten Xigbar into fixing the situation, but he only threatened back to add time to their punishment. Finding a toilet has been out of the question, so people have had to become creative about 'relieving themselves', and after four days of not showering, a number of members were beginning to stink. This number included number nine, Demyx, who had neither been a part of the prank, nor been awake to witness any of this 'funny'. Not being fond of bad smells, Demyx decides to take the initiative in trying to talk some reason into his one-eyed comrade.
He begins by slinking up next to Xigbar on the couch. The man doesn't even bother to look at Demyx, but continues to scowl at the air in front of him, arms sprawled out over the back of the sofa.
"Xigbar...?" Demyx starts a tad nervous, and Xigbar continues to pretend he's not there, "I'm sorry about the prank, but some of us didn't really-"
"I know you didn't do it," Xigbar interrupts, finally lending the blonde some attention.
"Oh! Well..." Demyx looks for words, and then suddenly, "Xigbar, do you stink too?" His question is met by a frown, but it barely affects Xigbar's already scowling face.
"Yeah... I forgot about the little fact that water has gravity." He admits in a sour tone, "I haven't been able to shower so well myself."
"Then why don't you fix it?" An innocent inquiry.
"'cause I like getting revenge." He grins for the first time in the conversation, "It's totally worth it."
"But I don't like stinking..." Demyx pouts and sinks back into his seat.
"Tough it out, kid... wait... are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Demyx only stares and Xigbar realizes the futility of that question, "You can control water, and I can control gravity. We can make this thing work, and I never have to admit defeat to the others!"
"Oh." Demyx considers this plan. It isn't really his intent to keep the others from bathing, but the idea of shampoo and clean skin is just too much to pass up, "Ok, let's do it!"
"Alright, c'mon!" Xigbar stand up and makes a motion to follow, "I'll grab the soap I stashed away."
A few minutes later, Demyx is handed the soap and shampoo, and he steps into the upside down room. Dropping his cloak, he's startled to hear a voice behind him.
"Tell me when you're ready to go." Xigbar says, disrobing as well. Demyx lets out a yelp and covers himself, and after a moment of staring at each other, Xigbar finally speaks again, "What? You expected to somehow bathe by yourself up there? We gotta do this together, boyo."
"O-oh..." Demyx thinks about this, "Is that all right?"
"Sure it is," Xigbar laughs, "Just don't tell anyone else I let you get clean. Going up?" The gravity slowly shifts and Demyx finds himself floating up to the ceiling. He lands in a lump next to the bathtub as Xigbar's feet touch the ground. Looking up from where he is, Demyx see's that he's now standing in the bathroom as he recognizes it. Well, all except for the door being up by the ceiling... or floor. It's disorienting, but not nearly as bad as it would be if someone else were to come in right now.
"Woah," Is his final response.
"I'm turning on the water," Xigbar begins to turn the faucet on the tub, "Do your stuff." Demyx scarcely has the time to realize that Xigbar has even moved over to the bathtub, but thankfully reacts fast enough to keep the water from falling. The bathtub fills just as though everything were right side up, and that makes Demyx feel a little bit better about his surroundings. Xigbar puts his feet into the water, now fully undressed, and sets himself down inside, "Coming in?"
"At the same time!?" Demyx stammers.
"You gonna do this or not?" Xigbar says, obviously growing impatient.
"Yeah..." Demyx drops his last article of clothing. This is the first time anyone has seen him naked, he thinks, at least since he became a Nobody. He attempts to hide the blush as he steps into the water.
The bath is very nice and hot. A good hot, like burning off the dirt. Demyx thinks it's the kind of hot that really loosens your muscles. As he melts into the water, his leg brushes against Xigbar's. His hot water trance breaks and he quickly shifts.
"Wow... this feels nice." Xigbar lets out a sigh, "I'd forgotten what it was like to clean."
"I haven't had a bath for a while." Demyx notes, growing comfortable again.
"Tch, yeah, me neither." He snickers at the thought, then he freezes. A tingle runs up his spine as he feels an unexpected hand against his inner leg just above his knee. Demyx has his eyes closed and a smile forming along his face. Another touch. The hand begins to move up his leg slowly. Very slowly, and then his thigh. What's Demyx doing? He was so shy only a minute ago. Upper thigh. "Demyx." He barely manages to get the words out between breathes.
"This does feel nice." The blonde grins and pulls both arms out of the water to tuck behind his head. But wait, Xigbar considers, what's this on my thigh? He reaches in and pulls out a toy duck from the water.
"Demyx," he holds it up in the air, "What is this?"
"Oh!" Demyx takes it from the frazzled man, "That's my rubber duck." Small twitch from Xigbar, and a shift of positions to close his legs.
"Hey, you know what?" Xigbar starts over, "I've always wondered what it's like to have someone wash your back for you." His smile makes his intent clear.
"W-what me?" Demyx asks, just to confirm.
"Are we gonna keep going through this?" Obviously Demyx doesn't feel as though he has to answer this, as he shifts and swerves, taking a position behind Xigbar. Skin briefly rubs against skin.
"Sure..." The blonde says, taking the soap and beginning to scrub. Xigbar can't tell what feels better against his back: the clean soap, or Demyx's hands. The mixture is phenomenal. Demyx pushes the suds around until he feels something and stops in place.
"Oh." He says, as he says to most things, "You have a scar back here too."
"Yeah..." Xigbar confirms, a little disappointed that the hands stopped.
"How'd you get them?" Demyx's tone is quiet but enthralled.
"There just old battle scars."
"Hmmm." Demyx hums in response. He slowly trails his fingers down the rough skin of the scar. Finally, after electing a shiver or two from Xigbar, Demyx grabs the shampoo, "I'll do your hair too." He reaches up and starts to remove the band keeping the black and grey hair in a ponytail, "You can't keep this on all the time."
"Hmph." A 'hmph' is about all Xigbar can get out at this point. His hair falls down on his shoulders and Demyx begins to scrub in the shampoo, fingers against his scalp. Both people are silent for a number of minutes. Demyx leans in close as he massages his friend's hair, and his chest rests upon the scarred back before him, "Demyx..." Xigbar starts.
"My turn." Demyx smiles and repositions himself again. Xigbar can only laugh and except the soap as it's handed to him. Demyx's back is very smooth, he notes as his hands trace the muscles with soap. He has very nice skin and very little hair, much like a girls in fact. he laughs a little to himself. Demyx glances over his shoulder for just a moment, "Do you ever wish you could remember more about being real?" The question startles Xigbar a bit.
"About not being a Nobody? Like what?"
"Well..." Demyx hesitates, "Like having feelings. I mean... I think I feel stuff, but I don't really know whether I remember what feeling stuff is like."
"Hmmm..." Xigbar considers this, once again lost in the feeling of the smooth skin. This feeling has to be real. It can't be there this much and not exist. He's sure of that. "What do you feel... Demyx?"
"I feel... well..." Demyx exhales a bit, "I feel... dizzy." And before he knows it, Xigbar finds Demyx passed out in his arms. The water falls to the floor, and he chuckles a little.
"I guess the first hot water for days and hanging out upside down got to him." He carries his unconscious comrade out of the bath and starts to dry him off with a towel, "Oh well. It was nice anyway."
After leaving the bathroom, Xigbar dresses Demyx in a bath robe and carries him to his room. He lays the blonde down on the comforter, smiling briefly. Then a few words. Brief words whispering that maybe Nobodies can have feelings, and maybe he has feelings, and maybe the organization is a little better then he thought. A rubber duck placed on the pillow beside the blonde's head. And, as quick as a whisper, a kiss goodnight. Brief, but hopeful, and longing for another night like this one.