Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Square-Enix owns them. I'm merely borrowing them for my own enjoyment and will put them back.
Relieving Ennui
Deep breathing and the occasional grunt fill the room, but overall it is a prevalent silence. He doesn't really mind it, preferring the quietness to Larxene's endless chatter or Vexen's earnest theories.
Lexaeus does not claim to know where he is; he knows that his world is just made up of endless hallways and doors, with no windows and no sky. How he knows of these are through the books he finds in the rooms, but unlike Vexen he sees no purpose in indulging the mind with useless information, and after learning all he needed, he has never set foot in those rooms again unless it was necessary.
He takes to task his body, remembering the weapon the Superior presented him with, a huge heavy object "capable of wielding terrible damage with grace, if you only know how to control it", and works out, day after day after day, honing the muscles that will carry out his duty.
However, there're only so many weights he could lift before boredom sets in. Besides, sweat makes his palms slippery and drips into his eyes (he often wonders why he even has eyebrows, for he finds them totally useless in every aspect), and very soon he sets the weight down slowly, relaxing the tension in his arms and his back.
A white towel is thrown over his head, but he moves his hand slowly up, careful not to aggravate over-stretched muscles. He turns, and is mildly surprised to see Zexion standing there, impassiveness written all over his face.
"How long have you been there?" he asks, breaking the silence. It unnerves him a bit to know that of all the companions he has met so far, Zexion is the only one who never betrays his presence unless he wanted to.
"Long enough."
"I see."
He manages to towel himself moderately dry by the time Zexion speaks again.
"Why are you doing this?"
He gestures to the weights, and Lexaeus shrugs. "Because I can. Because it's what I do."
Zexion's lips are interesting, he realizes, because they twist and lift and shift, perceptibly, but they show more than what his lilac eyes will ever show. But Lexaeus personally thinks that Zexion's eyes are better at seeing into his mind, simply because they're more colourful than the rest of his pale countenance.
"What are you doing here?" he asks again.
"I was...bored. Marluxia's ideas of grandeur were getting to me."
"Bored enough to watch me work out?"
The lips lift a little, just a bit at the corners. "Maybe."
"Axel would make a better companion than I would." His words are flippant, but true. Lexaeus acknowledges the redhead's intelligence in those mad-bright green eyes, and finds that perhaps Axel would have made a better fit for his lilac-eyed comrade. At the corner of his vision he sees those eyes flicker.
"I don't trust him."
The new silence stretches between them, thick and heavy. Trust. Without memories of who they have been, who they are, and to hold only a name...it was difficult to trust anyone here. In this place without an endless sky.
"I wouldn't trust any of us," he says truthfully.
Zexion's response is quicker than he expects, "I -", but as Lexaeus looks fully into Zexion's face, the other man stops speaking abruptly and turns away. The lilac eyes flicker again, almost restlessly, and this time, even those pale lips move in still-born speech.
"You were saying?"
"It's nothing." Zexion's voice is hard, and his expression twists slightly. This is the first time Lexaeus has seen any negative change register on Zexion's features (he had enjoyed the wide-eyed gaze while it lasted), and it piques his interest. Still, he doesn't want to get on Zexion's bad side.
"I apologise if I had spoken out of line."
He watches as Zexion opens his mouth to speak again, but the door suddenly opens, and Axel pokes his head in. Whatever the lilac-haired man had wanted to say vanishes.
"Superior's calling us. Let's go."
The familiar smirk spreads on Axel's thin lips as he sees the both of them, and Zexion pushes Axel firmly away as he stalks out. One thin, red eyebrow raises itself at him, at which he looks away from those brilliant green eyes.
"What happened, Lex?"
He tosses the towel to one side, and starts to put on a shirt. "It's nothing. None of your business, Axel."
"Oh?"
The redhead's sharp, knowing laughter rings in his ears, but he can only remember the look in the lilac gaze, quickly turning into gray.
-owari-
Feedback is appreciated. Thank you.