"So, what do you think of Demyx?" I asked Marluxia casually. We lived in the same neighbourhood, so we had been walking home from school together for as long as I could remember. That would all change soon, I realized with a jolt. Marluxia, Axel and Larxene were all a year ahead of me. Roxas and Xion were a year behind. We'd known each other for year and years…well, except for Xion. She had moved here a little over a year ago, to live with her cousin Roxas.
"Demyx? The guy spent the lunch hour trying to convince me I was female." Marluxia rolled his eyes. "I guess his stupidity could be kinda charming. He's annoying, but he has good intentions."
I scowled, picking a dead leaf off of my blue striped sweater. "Why does everybody like him so much? He's a loud, obnoxious idiot."
"You judge people far too harshly, Zexion. Do you really think that? I saw the way you were looking at him," Marluxia said with a knowing smile.
"The way I-I what?" I sputtered indignantly. How had I been looking at him? There was nothing wrong with observing him, noticing how his t-shirt stretched over his broad shoulders, or the deep dimples in his cheeks when he smiled.
Marluxia laughed, the wind blowing his wavy pink hair into his face. "I swear, I've never seen you with such a tender expression on your face. You're infatuated."
I stopped dead, turning on my heels so fast that I nearly knocked Marluxia over. I gripped the front of his vest, glaring up at him. He had a good six inches on me and could have easily shoved me out of the way, but he stood still, looking slightly surprised.
"Infatuated? I'm not a fucking fag like Axel or Roxas. I'm not a manwhore like you, wanting to fuck anybody with a pulse! You may have known me a long time, but you think you can tell me how I'm feeling? YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW I FEEL, MARLUXIA! DON'T YOU DARE GO AROUND TELLING PEOPLE I'VE GOT THE HOTS FOR THAT…THAT RETARD, BECAUSE HE'S THE LAST PERSON ON EARTH I WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH!"
Breathing heavily, I let go, glaring at my friend. I had no idea why I was so angry, or why I was taking it out on him. All I knew was that the last thing I wanted was people thinking I was in love with Demyx.
"Hey, sorry, man," Marluxia said quietly. "I was just teasing you. Are you alright?"
"Yeah," I replied shortly. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Sorry."
Marluxia gave me a look that suggested he didn't believe a word of that, but didn't say anything else. I scowled and began walking again, shoulders tensed. I knew it was a lie, and he knew it was a lie, but I didn't want to talk about it and he had known me long enough to know not to push me. We walked in silence the rest of the way, Marluxia giving me a pat on the back when we reached my house. I nodded at him as I unlocked the elegant metal gate and walked up the driveway. We both lived on the "rich" side of town, and while my Victorian-style house wasn't big enough to be considered a mansion, it still boasted six bedrooms, four bathrooms and an extension containing a science lab.
My father is a big-name scientist, in addition to being the mayor. He's never home much, but I prefer it that way. We don't get along very well. He isn't my real father – my parents died when I was very young, and he adopted me.
I punched in the access code when I got to the back door, slipped inside and kicked off my shoes, still brooding. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, I headed upstairs and opened the door to my room. It wasn't anything special – it was fairly large, with a bay window framed by long black curtains and an en-suite bathroom, but otherwise it was pretty ordinary. Bookcases lined one wall, filled with both fiction and nonfiction works. My desk was beside the window, my laptop and a lamp sitting on top of it. I dumped my backpack on the floor, then flopped onto my bed, burying my face in the black and white comforter.
Demyx. His face swam around in my mind – his wide, sparkling green eyes with long eyelashes, the carefully styled dirty blonde hair that suited him so well, his bright, dimpled smile. Now Marluxia's words rang in my head again, and anger rose so fast that I screamed and sat up. My face contorted with frustration, I punched the mattress as hard as I could. "I'M. NOT. GAY!" I yelled at the ceiling, punctuating each word with a slam of my fist.
Just because my closest male friends were gay or bisexual didn't mean I was. Just because I was more observant than your average person didn't mean I was attracted to Demyx. Just because Marluxia made one stupid comment didn't mean I needed to freak out like this.
I grabbed a random book off my shelf and sat back down, trying to calm myself. I had only known the idiot for one day, and I couldn't stand him. There was no way I could possibly have feelings for him.
Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter is so boring! I wrote it while I was sick, but don't worry, things really start to heat up in the next chapter. Expect way more Demyx.
