~~~~~~~~Friday: Late Morning~~~~~~~~
Marluxia's frowned down at the set out tarot cards on the blanket he was sitting on. "A positive life changing encounter? An outlook of love in my future?" he asked and bit his lip. He put the cards back into the deck and stood up. He put the cards back into their box and sighed. "I suppose I should go into town." and with that he left his tent and headed for town.
Vexen had hardly gotten a wink of sleep the past few days. Constantly running errands for his master, gathering materials and now getting more research for him. He didn't even want to think about all the books he needed for his own research. "I should have brought my pack..." He mumbled as he pushed his glasses up his nose and paid the old lady the large sum the six or seven heavy tomes he had set out to retrieve.
Pocketing the change he had gotten back, Vexen slowly hefted the books into his arms and walked out of the bookstore using his back to open the door. "Definitely needed to bring the pack..." He said as he continued to walk backwards. As he glanced past the alcove of the store he noticed one of the most colorful things he'd ever seen.
Marluxia was walking down the street glancing into windows with little interest before moving onto the next shop.
Vexen's eyes were glued to the pink of the person's hair, wondering how exactly a shade could ever be created. He kept his gaze on the man staring into the shops and reluctantly turned to see where he was going. The apprentice unfortunately ran smack dab into a lamppost and books went everywhere, a few even spilling onto the street. Vexen stood in a daze at his mistake of running into the stationary object, his glasses sitting crooked upon his face.
The pink haired man glanced over when he heard a crash and saw the boy on the ground surround by books. He hurried over to the boy and grabbed his arm to help him up. "Are you alright?"
"Uh..." Vexen welcomed the hand and stood up shaking his head. "I-I'm fine...I feel so foolish.." He muttered as he adjusted his glasses back to their rightful place and looked to the man that had helped him up. It was the very one that contributed to him running into the lamppost.
Marluxia bent over collecting the fallen books. "Now how did you manage to fall down?"
Vexen bent to pick up the rest of the books and shrugged permissively, not willing to say that it was he that made him fall. "I misjudged... my distance."
Marluxia held the three books he picked up in one arm and flipped his hair over his shoulder. "Would you like some help?"
"Ah, yes, that would be awfully nice of you." Vexen pulled the rest of the books to his chest and bit back a smile at the other man. "I've...never seen that sort of color before." He said quietly.
"Hmm? What's that?" he glanced down at his hair. "Oh! My hair?"
Vexen nodded and started to head to the Apothecary. "H-how did you get it to do that?" He was noticing all sorts of things about the man, like the sweet scent he carried with him, for some odd reason he hoped he didn't smell horrible.
"Believe it or not it's natural." he said and ran his fingers through the pink hair.
Vexen was dumbfounded and glanced at him through the corner of his eye. "How is that even remotely possible?" He scoffed in disbelief.
"I think is had something to do with my father being blond and my mother being a red head." he said.
Vexen looked upwards in confusion as he thought about it. "That still doesn't make sense...Ah! I'm afraid I haven't caught your name?"
"You may call me Marluxia. And might I have the pleasure of knowing yours?" he asked with a smirk.
"Uh, Vexen... My name is Vexen." He released a hand from holding onto the books to shake Marluxia's hand.
Marluxia grabbed his hand and raised it to his lips to kiss. "A pleasure to meet you." he said putting emphasize on the word pleasure. The young apprentice's eyes widened as he stared into Marluxia's eyes, entranced by the way he was looking at him. For a moment he let him hold his hand but pulled it back quickly with a blush. The man was obviously not from around here, he surmised.
Marluxia chuckled and lowered his hand. "So what are all of these books for Vexen?"
"Science!" He said quickly in a jovial manner. "You know, discovery through the natural world. I'm learning under my master. I really want to...help people."
Marluxia smiled at the boy's excited manner. "I'm sure that you'll achieve your dream."
"Y-you think?" Vexen rose an eyebrow and looked at Marluxia. "Master Ansem, doesn't think I'll ever get anywhere in life with the way I am-think!" He self corrected.
Marluxia rose an eyebrow. "What's wrong with the way you are?" he asked ignoring the last word.
"N-nothing! I misspoke." He said quietly and looked ahead as they neared his stop. "I just meant that I don't think the same way he does."
"Oh?" he chuckled. "Is that so? And how do you think differently?"
"I..." Vexen couldn't think of anything to say. "I don't know we just disagree." He stopped outside of his pseudo-home. "Here we are."
Marluxia handed Vexen the books in his arms. "May I meet with you again?" he asked.
Vexen scrunched his eyebrows together and bit his lip. "I'm afraid I can't give you a clear answer for you. I...why? We hardly know each other."
"I had a strange tarot reading before I came into town today." he whispered. "And I think that it had something to do with you."
"...Tarot?" Vexen looked both ways down the mostly empty street. "Are you...are you a gypsy?" he whispered back curiously.
"You can call me that yes. But I specialize in fortune telling." he said with a smile.
Vexen smiled. "I had heard whispers that your caravan was coming to town." He looked down and hefted the books up so he could have a better grip on them. "I've been working nonstop so that I would have a chance at free time to visit."
"Oh well if that is the case, you'll have to stop by my tent for a free reading." he whispered and opened the door for the boy.
Excited by the notion of something free he nodded and thanked him for the door. "Definitely, I will see you soon...h-hopefully." The man intrigued him to say the least and he rushed to the closest counter he could find to set the books down, a smile settled on his face. He had always wanted to meet a gypsy.
Marluxia smiled as he watched the boy walk into the building then turned and headed back to camp, satisfied with his encounter. "My cards never fail me."
~~~~~~~~Friday: Afternoon~~~~~~~~
Saix reached up as he adjusted one of the decorations strung from a banner at the square and fiddled with it when it didn't set the exact way he wanted. "This stupid thing never does what I want it to do..." He groaned.
"Saix, love, quit messing with it. It looks fine." Xemnas said with a chuckle and wrapped his arms around his waist.
The blue-haired boy huffed and placed his hands on Xemnas' arms. "I don't know why I bother with it, it never listens to me, anyway." He muttered and turned his head to look at the man behind him. He wore a bandana on his head in an attempt to obscure the fresh scar on his face but to no avail, but that wouldn't stop him from enjoying his time with his 'family'.
"It's just a decoration, it's not going to listen to what you have to say." he said softly and leaned down to kiss his lover softly.
Saix closed his eyes, knowing he was right. Of course the decoration couldn't hear him. "Hmm. So how are you liking the life of a gypsy?"
"It's pretty good. I get you so... I wouldn't want any other life." he said. "Although I really don't have anything to contribute."
"That's the beauty of it. You don't have to contribute anything. But you must have other talents than..." He turned in his lovers arms and put his hands on his shoulders. "You know..." A small grin crept along his face.
"Other than making you scream?" he smirked and leaned down to kiss his neck.
Saix rolled his eyes and smiled. "Yes." He laughed and squeezed his lovers shoulders. "Think, what do you like to do...other than me." He chuckled.
"Hmm..." he pulled away from his lover and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I've only ever been a priest, but Xigbar." He looked over to where his friend was stringing a bow. "He has his sharp shooting skills."
"Xigbar sure is an interesting person...but as Cardinal rule, no questions are asked." He looked back to the tan man. "But that's beside the point, surely, you have something you're good at?"
"Preaching the Lord's word? Not something that's good for a gypsy festival."
The boy shook his head and planted a kiss on the taller man's cheek. "You'll find something eventually."
Xigbar had finished stringing the bow in his hands and plucked at it to test the tautness of the string. With a satisfied smile he stood up and looked around for the quiver of arrows that was nestled behind him.
Demyx walked up behind him and grabbed an arrow. "Looking for this?" he asked and handed Xigbar the arrow.
"Ah, thank you, Demy." he notched the arrow and looked around for something to shoot at that the townsfolk wouldn't be pissed at him for. "He didn't want to aim at the bland target quite a few yards away he wanted something more difficult. "Where should I shoot this thing?" He asked with a grin.
"Would you like for me to put an apple on my head?" he asked while linking his hands behind his back.
Xigbar ruffled the boy's hair and shook his head. "I haven't shot an arrow for almost three years, Demyx. There's no way I'm going to point it at you...yet. If you really want to do it." He looked for something far away to shoot.
"I'd love to help you out eventually." he said. "Maybe an apple on top of the fountain?"
Xigbar laughed. "If you really want me to destroy an apple then sure, I'll shoot it." He grinned and judged the distance he thought may be impressive.
"I just want to see if you can hit such a small target." he said and left the older man to go get an apple from a blond haired girl.
Xigbar frowned in mock hurt as Demyx headed in Namine's direction. "Oh, hey, Demyx. What's up?" She asked as she turned with a green apple in her hands.
"Can I borrow that Namine?" he asked pointing to the apple. "Well not so much borrow... you probably won't get it back, and if you do it might have an arrow through it."
Namine smiled and nodded deeply as she handed the fruit to the blond. She glanced behind him and noticed Xigbar was waiting idly for Demyx to place the apple. "Is Xigbar going to...?"
"Yes! He's going to shoot the apple! Isn't that exciting?" he giggled then turned and hurried back to the older man.
"I wanna watch!" Namine said excitedly and followed after the boy. Xigbar smiled and stared at the apple in Demyx's hands. "Oh yeah, that'll work real well. Are you gathering a crowd as well?" He said nodding to Namine.
"Mm-hm." he said and made his way into the water filled fountain. He climbed up the sort distance to the top of the fountain and placed the apple there. He climbed out now soaked to the bone, and turned to look at his handy-work
Xigbar stared at the apple for a moment and in that same moment aimed and shot for the apple. He grinned as the fruit was pierced and landed a few feet away from the fountain a small fissure coming from the bottom. Namine clapped her hands in delight and bounced up and down. "Wow, you're really good!"
Demyx smiled and went to retrieve the murdered apple. "You're amazing Xiggy!" he said as he ran back to his lover leaving a trail of water behind him.
Xigbar smiled when he saw what happened to the apple. "Oh, I wouldn't call that amazing..." He looked down at the ground in mock embarrassment and grinned before looking back up. "But that was pretty cool."
"We'll have to make you some targets. And you can put on a show and everything!" the blonde smiled and wrapped his arms around the man.
"A sh-show?" Xigbar suddenly felt nervous and bit his lip. He didn't mind just a few people watching but having the attention directly on him from most people in the square intimidated him.
"Yeah! Think about how much money we could get!" Namine sounded excited by the notion.
Demyx turned to Namine still hanging onto his lover. "Namine, do you think you could get some paint and something to make targets with?"
Namine nodded and turned in search of the objects. "Ah, Demy, I..." He bit his lip knowing that now he wouldn't be able to refuse. He had done it in the past just to earn a few coins but his display of marksmanship had cost him an eye by an angry, young, arrogant townie.
Demyx turned to look up at Xigbar, then frowned. "Xiggy?"
Xigbar placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I...feel a little uncomfortable about it but...I'll do it." He kissed the boy on the forehead and smiled.
"You don't want to do it? But why? Xiggy your so good..." he bit his lip.
"I know...I said I'd do it, what's wrong?" Xigbar messed with his eye patch and frowned.
"I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to." he whispered.
The scarred man shrugged. "It's fine, I just have to think about my target and forget about all the people watching me." He looked down at his lover and patted his back. "I haven't done it in a while for a reason, but I enjoy it all the same."
"I'm sorry..." he whispered again and pressed his wet body closer to Xigbar, burying his face in Xigbar's chest.
"It's also been a very long time since then, I can get over it." He hugged him gently and laughed. "Do you plan on staying like that for the rest of the day?"
"Hmm?" he looked down at himself then pulled away from Xigbar. "Oh no! I got you all wet!"
"Eh, it'll dry, but you...are completely soaked." He held the boy at arms length. "You need to change or you'll catch something." He said simply.
Demyx looked up at then man through his eyelashes. "Why don't you come and help me out of these wet clothes?"
Xigbar's eye widened and he gasped. "Ah, it looks like you've already caught something!" He leaned the bow on the edge of the stone wall he had been sitting on earlier and picked up Demyx.
Demyx giggled as he was lifted off the ground. "Oh? What is it that I've caught?"
Xigbar grinned and kissed his neck nipping gently at it. "I think it's a love bug." He whispered and started walking quickly back to their camp.
Demyx giggled and pulled Xigbar's head closer. "Well I certainly hope you can cure me of it." he laughed as they disappeared from the town square.
Namine came back to where the two men were standing before she left holding onto an assortment of objects and digging through the box. "I found some paint but I couldn't find any.." When she looked up all she saw was the bow and a small puddle where Demyx had stood before and rolled her eyes while smiling.
~~~~~~~~Friday: Early Evening~~~~~~~~
A blond haired man walked into a room to check on his apprentice, to make sure that he was studying. "How are your readings coming along Vexen?"
Vexen finished the paragraph he was reading and looked up at the old man tiredly. "I'm almost finished with this chapter...do you think I could have some time for myself?" He asked quietly.
"Time for yourself. Science waits for no one Vexen, whatever would you need time to yourself for?"
"But...Master I've been working so hard these past few days, can't I just have an hour?" He turned from his desk and stared at the old man.
"Why are you so desperate to get this free time?" he asked and stepped in front of the desk.
"I...I heard that gypsies were coming into town soon and...I wanted to visit the festival, they're holding at the square?" He asked slowly.
"Gypsies? No good will come of you going to that festival Vexen. People like that are going to do nothing for your future."
"But, sir...! I just want time to rest my thoughts from technical matters of science and have fun for once..." He frowned. "Only for an hour...I promise.."
"Being seen with those outcasts will mar your reputation Vexen." He slammed his hands on the desk top. "You are forbidden from going near the square until those people are gone, do you understand me?"
Vexen bowed his head in submission. "Yes, Master Ansem..." He mumbled out and stared at the book in front of him with a sad look. He knew if he said anything more Ansem would threaten to not teach him anything more and kick him out.
Ansem sighed and stood up. "Now return to your studies. And I don't want to hear anymore of this... gypsy nonsense." he said as he left the room.
Vexen took a deep breath and promptly laid his head in his book trying to find the will to continue his studies.
~~~~~~~~Friday: Late Evening~~~~~~~~
Marluxia sighed as he walked out of his fortune telling tent and realized that the festival was done for the day, and also that his little blond friend hadn't shown up at all like he had promised. "I wonder what kept him."
Remembering the shop that the boy had gone into the day previous, Marluxia had the idea to go and visit the boy himself. After making sure that Xigbar and Lexaeus would take care of his tent, made his way through the streets on the town and to Vexen's shop.
Vexen drug his hands through his hair and bit his lip as he read something he had no idea about. He stood up and stretched attempting to get away from the mind-numbing text and closed the book. He didn't care what Ansem said to him.
Marluxia pushed open the unlocked door and walked inside. "Hello?"
Vexen leaned out from behind the back room and noticed that pink-haired man from before and rose his eyebrows, not expecting him to be here. "Oh! M-Marluxia! Ah...I-I'm sorry I wasn't able to come today..." He bit his lip as he walked to the front of the shop.
Marluxia turned to see the blond boy and smiled. "Now why is that?"
Vexen leaned on the counter and put his chin in his hands. "Master Ansem wouldn't let me go...says that there would be no point...but I really wanted to come..."
"Oh? Now why would he say that there's no point? He doesn't like "our kind" does he?" he chuckled and walked around the counter to stand next to Vexen.
The apprentice pulled away from the counter and stared at the gypsy through his glasses. "Well...he didn't really say that...he just doesn't think I can learn anything from ...y-your people."
Marluxia laughed and took Vexen's hand. "Oh but there are plenty of things to learn. Plenty of new experiences to be had." he said and pulled Vexen to the front door.
The blond felt himself being pulled away to join the fortune teller. "E-experiences like what?" He asked curiously.
"Life changing experiences." he whispered with a smirk as he pulled the boy out of the shop and onto the street.
Vexen couldn't pull his eyes away from Marluxia's nor did he want to. He'd rather stare at his blue eyes for days rather than read another sentence from one of his books. He blushed as the thought came to mind.
Marluxia's' smirk widened and he pulled the boy into a darkened corner. He put his arms around Vexen's waist pulling him closer.
"Ah, wh-what are you doing?" Vexen asked quietly his blush growing redder with such contact. He placed his hands on the gypsies arms warily.
"Something that you've been curious about for a while now." he whispered as he leaned in close and pressed his lips to Vexen's.
The blonds' eyes widened in shock and he tried to push Marluxia away although his attempt was lame; he was curious after all. But, if someone caught him in the act... they would get him kicked out of the town. Then his dream would be crushed forever.
Marluxia pulled away from the boy's lips and looked into his eyes. "Why are you so scared?"
"I...I can't, I-I'm not...I'm not like that..." He stumbled over his words quickly, closing his eyes, trying to block out the entrancing gaze.
Marluxia let go of the boy's waist to take Vexen's face in his hands. "That's what they make you say... That's not really how you feel." he caressed the boy's cheeks with his thumbs. "Open your eyes Vexen..."
He opened one of his eyes by a crack. "Ansem will kick me out… I, I won't be able to achieve my dream..." He whispered.
Marluxia frowned obviously contemplating something. "Your dream..." he sighed and kissed Vexen's forehead before letting him go. "Go on home Vexen."
The young apprentice was relieved when he was let go. "I...I'm sorry...I must not have been the one in your cards." He whispered as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
Marluxia chuckled lightly. "Just go home Vexen. I won't bother you again." he whispered then after a short bow, he turned on his heel and started to walk away.
Vexen bit his lip when he heard, 'Go home' and stared at his hand. "F-free reading." He blurted out.
Marluxia stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'm sorry?"
Vexen pushed off from the wall and held his hand out. "You told me that you would read my hand...for free." He knew it was a horrid attempt at keeping Marluxia near but he had to think of something.
Marluxia chuckled and turned around to walk back to the blond. He took his hand. "I did, didn't I?"
Vexen nodded. At least hand-readings were more innocent than kissing and he'd be able to keep him nearby for longer.
"I'd like for you to come back to my tent." he whispered. "I'd like to give you a tarot reading as well."
All Vexen could hear was the invitation of prolonged time. 'That's all it is, just a few readings.' He thought to himself and nodded.
Marluxia smirked and started to walk down the street pulling Vexen with him. He didn't need cards or dice to read what the boy really wanted.
Vexen followed after the man and asked, "How far away is your camp? I-I can't be gone for too long."
"It's not too far." He chuckled as he looked at the boy. "So worried... Relax Vexen, you'll be back reading your books by midnight."
"M-midnight?" He couldn't help but exclaim. "Ah, I-it's fine I just... Ansem will know I was gone but I'll just have to come up with an excuse."
"Just tell him that you were kidnapped." he laughed and squeezed Vexen's hand, which he was still holding on to.
"That would only make him think worse of your people, Marluxia." Vexen pushed back some hair behind his ear,
"Tell him you went home early, that you weren't feeling well." he said and pulled Vexen into the thick trees on the edge of town.
That's right, he did have a home to go to. He had been stuck in the shop for so long he had forgotten that he could just go home. "Yes, that's a great idea..." He murmured
"You work too hard Vexen." Marluxia said. "You should have some fun every once and a while." he pulled the boy into the clearing where all of the gypsies were dancing or playing instruments or singing around the large bonfire in the middle of camp.
Vexen watched a few of them and noticed quite a bit of love throughout the camp. "You all seem so carefree..."
Sadly Vexen only knew the book term of carefree. Ansem called it time wasting.
"Life's a waste if you work it away." he whispered and pulled the boy over to the campfire and into a dance.
Vexen bit his lip and looked around. "I...don't..." He frowned. "What I do is important." He pouted.
"No one's saying it isn't but don't you want to have some fun?" he placed his hands on the boy's hips and lifted him off the ground to spin him in a circle.
Vexen grabbed onto Marluxia's shoulders in surprise and blushed. "Please put me down." He suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He knew he wasn't in town anymore but he still felt like he was being watched.
Marluxia lowered him to the ground and sighed. "That man has ruined your innocence..."
The ash blond closed his arms around his chest and looked to the ground. "Depends on what you call innocence." He blushed and pursed his lips not entirely sure if that was a good thing to say.
"Well I don't know, what kind of innocence did you have before you became that man's apprentice?"
Vexen shrugged. "A child's innocence, I suppose." He looked up and held out a hand. "So where is your tent?"
Marluxia took his hand. "You don't want to dance?" he asked with a chuckle.
The young scientist shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid I'm not good at it and...It just makes me uncomfortable."
"I could teach you." he offered and led Vexen away from the fire and into his tent. "Wait right here, I'll light some candles."
Vexen nodded and stood near the entrance to the tent and felt his face flush but he had no idea why. He wrung his hands in slight worry.
Marluxia lit the first candle, it's light illuminating his bed area first.
The blond man noticed the neatly kept area where he presumed was where Marluxia slept, but...why was he lighting candles over there first?
Marluxia went around the tent lighting candles then went to a sitting area in the middle on the tent and sat down cross-legged. "Come. Sit down."
Vexen sat closely across from Marluxia and rubbed his hands together. "So do I just give you my hand?"
"Yes." he said and held out his hand. "Let me see."
Vexen held out his hand and stared at the man across from him. "So, what does a hand reading give me in the long run?"
"Just good advice." he said then raised a finger to his lips. "Now shush." he said and ran his fingers across the boy's palm.
Vexen sighed and stared silently at the man trace lines on his hand, some of it tickled.
"Hmm... well it seems like you have feelings for someone. Romantic feelings. And you have a very prominent head line, you're very wise Vexen, but I could tell that just by looking into your eyes." he said and looked up into Vexen's eyes.
"F-feelings?" He blushed and looked down at his hand, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to look anywhere else if he made eye contact with the man.
"Yes." He pointed to a line on Vexens' hand. "It's your heart line. It starts out very thin but it goes deeper suggesting that these are very deep feelings, but it also has another line to it which is rare. Your heart is torn between two things that you love deeply."
"I'm going to have to drop one and pursue the other...aren't I?" He whispered quietly and held his chin in his hand, unsure of what the other interest was. He was sure one of them was science and medicine.
"It's a possibility. And see your travel line is slightly prominent in the future as well." he said pointing to another crease.
Travel? Could following the path of medicine cause him to leave his wretched hometown in search of cures, or was it this unknown factor?
Marluxia let go of the youths hand. "What are your two loves Vexen? Do you know?"
The blond sucked in his lower lip in thought and scratched his head. "Well,...one of them is medicine, I mean...I've been chasing it my whole life, but...I have no idea what the other is."
"Do you have a special girl that you like?" he asked keeping a straight face.
Vexen let out a laugh and shook his head quickly. "Absolutely not. No..."
"Oh... So there's a special boy that you like?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Vexen's eyes widened and he shook his head even more. "N-no, not even in the slightest!" He felt a blush rise to his cheeks and he cursed himself for it.
He smirked and leaned on his hand. "Oh? Then perhaps a special man? Your master maybe?"
"A-Ansem? Never! I only spend time with him because I have to.." Vexen blinked repeatedly to remove the image from his mind. "Why are you asking this?"
"I'm trying to figure you out." he said and tilted his head to the side. "I'm sure you're the one who was in my card reading the other day.
"Why are you so sure?" Vexen pushed his glasses up his nose.
"I just know..." he said and then smiled. "Besides when we kissed... it just felt right."
Vexen blushed and pulled his hand away. "I...I didn't really know what was happening at the time..."
Marluxia leaned closer to the blond. "Would you like to try again then?" he asked.
The blond felt his heart racing and he leaned only slightly away from Marluxia. "T-tarot...you said something about a tarot reading, if I'm not mistaken." He said quickly.
"Yes but this will only take a moment." he whispered and touched the boy's cheek. "Didn't you like it before?"
"I-I..." Vexen was at a loss for words, if he let his guard down then he didn't know what would happen to him. "I..."
Marluxia moved onto his knees closer to Vexen. "Close your eyes this time." he whispered and touched their lips together.
Vexen blushed a vibrant shade of red and closed his eyes when the more than handsome man kissed him. He had no real idea how to react, he was never allowed to do this sort of thing in town. The scientist simply kissed him back figuring that was the only thing he could do. The gypsy reached behind Vexen's head and pulled at the ribbon that held his hair back. After the blond hair was freed he wove his fingers into it and deepened the kiss by licking at Vexen's lips. Vexen slowly reached up to place his hands on Marluxia's shoulders and, as if the man's tongue we're keys, unlocked Vexen's mouth. Marluxia pushed his tongue into the blond's mouth and moved closer to him when Vexen pulled on his shoulders, and touched his tongue to his, letting out a slight noise of delight at the contact. Marluxia smirked into the kiss and pressed his tongue roughly against Vexen's. The blond whimpered and squeezed the man's shoulders, fighting the impulse to simply push him away. Marluxia pulled out of the kiss to let the boy breath and he smirked down at the blushing blond.
Vexen opened his eyes the moment Marluxia pulled away and he touched his lips in shock. "Uh..." He felt foolish for letting his guard down. "That was..." He whispered.
Marluxia tilted his head to the side with a smirk on his face. "What was it, Vexen?"
Vexen closed his eye and looked away. "It was...n-nice..." He whispered. "But I...I'm not supposed to like it..." He bit his lip and curled a hand into a fist in frustration.
"So I was right." he whispered and caressed the boy's cheek. "You can't like boys because it's wrong, right?"
He nodded his head and pushed some hair behind his ear. "They'll kick me out of the village...o-or worse..."
"So you have to resort to being something that you're not and living a miserable life?" Marluxia sighed and took back his hands.
Vexen nodded again and held his arms and stared at Marluxia's knees. "It's not fair."
"Maybe you need to be somewhere where you can be yourself." he suggested, and lifted his head.
"Maybe...but then...I'd lose my studies...all of my work, just gone..."
"Maybe not." he whispered and smiled at the boy. "Who's saying that you have to leave it behind?"
Vexen shrugged. "I'd rather not talk about this anymore." He rubbed at his hand and didn't dare to look into the man's eyes.
Marluxia sighed again and stood up to go retrieve his tarot card box.
Vexen began to mumble quietly his thoughts out loud and rose his thumb to his lips. This often happened whenever he had too many things bouncing in his head for him to think clearly enough so he verbally sorted them out. Marluxia could hear many, "I cant's" and "Buts".
The pink haired man sat back down in front of the boy and set the box down carefully. "Vexen if you have a question as to what you should do..." he opened the box and pulled out a deck of cards. "Why not ask the cards?"
The blond stared at the box and pulled his hand away from his mouth. "I'm...I'm unsure if I want to know...They can provide guidance...right?"
"Of course." he said with a nod. "Be careful though. These cards sometimes reveal things that you don't want to hear."
Vexen bit the inside of his lip and nodded. "I think I can handle more bad news..." He whispered.
"Alright." Marluxia shuffled the deck briefly then laid it down on the blanket. "Cut the deck."
The young scientist only lifted a third of the deck and placed them to the side. As he was doing this Ansem had told him that all this mystical mumbo jumbo wasn't real...but it sure as anything concrete played at one's mind.
Marluxia reconnected the deck by placing the other cards on top of the ones that Vexen moved. "If you have a question you want to ask, concentrated on that question while I lay out the cards."
Vexen closed his eyes and set his hands on his knees. He thought to himself a plethora of questions but only one held any real value, 'What does my future look like if I continue my current path?'
Marluxia laid out a few cards and flipped them so that the pictures showed. "The queen of hearts inversed. It represents the loss of love, unhappiness, misery." Vexen frowned at the card and clenched his teeth although he knew that would probably show up. Marluxia moved on to the next card. "This represents success in business, or a future career." Vexen relaxed a bit. At least this one would be satisfactory. Marluxia flipped over another card. "You'll have a steady and secure life, but it won't be a happy one." he looked up at Vexen. "Does any of this answer your question?"
Vexen nodded. "Well enough I suppose...it sounds like I'll turn into Master Ansem..." He mumbled and crossed his arms.
Marluxia gathered up the cards and put them away. "Is that what you want?"
The boy shook his head. "No...I don't want to be like him...he's mean, rude, selfish..." His heart felt like it was sinking. "Can I ask them...a few other questions?"
Marluxia placed his hand over the deck and frowned. "Not tonight Vexen." he looked back up at the boy after putting cards away. "What other questions do you have? Maybe I can help you."
Vexen raked a worried hand through his hair. "I should have asked the cards this question instead...It's...much too embarrassing.."
"There's nothing to be so embarrassed about." he said and returned the box to it's place on a small table.
"Has all I have done...just a waste of time?" It felt hard to say the words, but if Marluxia could tell him it would be worth it.
"Well do you love what you do? If you love something, it's never a waste of time." he said and went back to sit down in front of Vexen.
"Well of course...I wouldn't have done it if I didn't like it but...I just..." He groaned and covered his face with his palms. "I don't want to just have books as my partner in life..."
"You don't have to." he said and pulled Vexen's hands away from his face.
"Well...the other question I had for the cards...What will my life be if...I gave up my life of studying and followed that other path?" Vexen asked quietly.
"You're so intent on only picking one." he whispered and shook his head. "I believe that you can answer that question yourself Vexen."
"But how?" He looked into Marluxia's eyes. "You said that I would lose the other if I followed one..."
"I said it was a possibility." Marluxia smirked and stood up. "Come with me, I'll show you something."
Vexen pushed himself off the ground and looked around. "What is it?" Marluxia grabbed the boy's hand and led his out of the tent and over to a good sized wagon. Vexen stared at the large wagon and shrugged. "Wh-what about it?"
"Vexen everything I own fits into this wagon but even then almost half of the is wagon empty." he said waiting for the teen to get the hint.
"I'm afraid I don't follow.." Vexen bit his lip for not understanding.
Marluxia sighed and climbed up into the wagon. "Come up here." he said and held out his hand to help the boy.
Vexen took the fortune-teller's hand and sighed. "I don't get it...what are you trying to show me?"
Marluxia placed a hand on a shelf that had a leather strap which held things on the shelves. "I don't use these shelves Vexen. Don't you think they would be perfect for books? Your books?"
Vexen's mouth went gaped. "Ah, you don't mean..." He looked at him in surprise. "I-I couldn't possibly, those books were bought with Master Ansem's money..."
"Yes but you're the one studying from them." he whispered and placed his hand on Vexen's shoulders. "You'll rot in this town Vexen..."
"Can...can I really do that?" He whispered quietly as he placed a hand on his cheek. "The more I talk with you the more I want to leave..."
"You don't have to decide tonight Vexen. We aren't leaving for another four days." he said and patted the boy's shoulder. "You can decide later."
Vexen nodded and bit his lip, turning to step out of the wagon. "I ...I guess I should, get back to town then..."
"Alright. I'll walk you home." he said with a sigh and stepped behind Vexen.
Vexen misjudged how close he was to the edge of the wagon and slipped out, knowing well enough to twist on his side instead of putting his hands out to brace his fall. He blushed and quickly tried to get up without looking like the idiot he felt like.
Marluxia climbed out of the wagon quickly and helped the boy up. "Are you alright?" he asked then laughed. "This is the second time I've had to help you off the ground."
"It's weird, I'm not usually this...clumsy..." He shook his head and dusted himself off. "I must seem like I'm totally inept at walking..."
"No of course not but... I do find it cute how flustered you get." he said and kept his hands on the boy.
Vexen glanced at Marluxia's grip and bit his lip. "Do you...do you always follow what your fortune tells you?" He suddenly blurted
"Funny. I was asked this question earlier." he chuckled and nodded once. "Most of the time yes. But there are times when one doesn't want to face the truth, when one wants to do what they want instead of what they need to do."
Vexen nodded and took a deep breath. "I...I don't want to..." He stepped closer to Marluxia and pulled him into an embrace. "I don't want to be like what the cards said..." He whispered.
Marluxia looked down at the boy and put his arms around his waist. "You don't have to be... You can always change the future." he whispered and kissed the top of his head.
Vexen wiped his face and shook his head. "My ribbon...You...took it when you... kissed me."
Marluxia pulled away from the boy and took his hand to pull him into the tent. He reached down to pick up the ribbon then turned to the boy and pulled his hair back for him. "There."
"Thank you." Vexen whispered and tied the ribbon tightly around his hair. "I will come back, tomorrow."
"Let me walk you home Vexen." he whispered and caressed his cheek softly.
The young scientist nodded and began to walk back towards the town. "I feel...hollow...Like I don't know what's happening." He murmured and put his thumb to his lips again.
"Would you rather stay the night here?" he asked taking Vexen's hand away from his mouth.
Vexen shook his head. "No, I've not slept for a while...I think I just need to let my brain rest...I think I should take time to just sleep..."
"Don't you think that being away from the stresses of the town would help you sleep better?" he asked. "I have some tea that might help you to fall asleep easily."
Vexen turned to Marluxia. "Where would I sleep though?" He rose an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Do you not feel comfortable sleeping with me?" he asked with a smirk.
"I've...never shared a bed with anyone." Vexen closed his eyes feeling even more like a prude. "I wouldn't know how to feel."
Marluxia smiled and pulled Vexen back in the direction of his tent. "I told you that there were plenty of experiences to be had didn't I?"
"Y-yes you did..." He stopped outside of the mans tent and put a hand to his head with a strange smile, something that he hadn't done for a while. "I-I...I just… we hardly know each other..."
Marluxia lifted the flap to his tent and smiled at the boy. "We can talk over tea."
"R-right." Vexen nodded and entered Marluxia's tent and sat down in the spot he had been occupying before.
The pink haired man grabbed a kettle and stepped to the entrance of the tent. "I'll be right back." he said and left the tent.
Vexen looked around the tent and leaned to see where Marluxia slept. He felt his lips remembering the kiss and smiled slightly. 'It did feel nice to do that, and Marluxia just seems so nice...but does he actually feel anything towards me?'
Marluxia returned a few moments later with the kettle filled with steaming water.
Vexen stared at Marluxia, his hand still at his lips but with a more appraising look. It was a look of study. He did it without even realizing.
"Now what are you trying to analyze Vexen?" he asked with a laugh.
"Hmm?" Vexen blinked and put his hand back in his lap. "Oh, nothing." He lied. "I was just...uhm..."
"Talk to me Vexen. What's making you so nervous?"
"I know we've only recently just met but...what do you think about me?" He asked quickly. "Anyone could have caught your attention the other day, why me?"
Marluxia stared at the boy then sighed and walked over to where he kept his teacups. He set the kettle down on a small woven mat. He turned to look at Vexen. "Well for one I could tell that I caught your attention, and then when I helped you up... Let's just say it was your clumsiness and beauty that caught my attention."
"You... you really think I'm beautiful?" The comment made him smile. "I told you I'm not usually this clumsy..." He blushed a little.
"You're only clumsy when you're around me right?" he chuckled and stepped over to Vexen. "And yes." he tilted the boy's head up and leaned over. "I think you're gorgeous."
Vexen raised a hand up to Marluxia's face and took the man's closeness as a signal to kiss him. Marluxia smirked and closed the distance between their lips quickly and the blond wrapped his arms around his neck, opening his mouth wanting more of that touch from before. Marluxia moved down to his knees and pushed his tongue into the welcoming mouth. Vexen pushed back on the tongue and pulled him closer. The more time he spent with the fortune-teller the more he felt his decision was being set into stone. Marluxia pushed Vexen backwards onto the ground and straddled his hips gently.
"Mmm." Vexen nipped at the tongue and ran a hand down Marluxia's back slowly. Marluxia moved a hand to Vexen's chest and popped open the first button to his shirt.
Vexen pulled out of the kiss and blushed. "W-wait..." He looked up at the entrance to the tent. "Sh-shouldn't we go to your bed or something?"
Marluxia chuckled and sat up. "You aren't asking me to stop?" he smiled down at the boy.
"Well..." The blond bit his lip. "No, I'm...not..." He whispered and looked away. "I-I think you're handsome..."
The man leaned down again to whisper into Vexen's ear. "I love you."
The young scientist blushed and closed his eyes. He had no idea if he could say the sentiment back.
Marluxia pulled back to smiled down at the blond. "I'll make our tea." he said and started to stand up.
Vexen blinked and sat up by his elbows. "I..." He stopped and looked to the side in thought. "You sure you want me to fall asleep after I finish my tea?" He couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.
Marluxia smirked and glanced at Vexen over his shoulder then went back to his tea making. "What are you insinuating Vexen?"
Vexen laughed quietly. "To be honest I don't even know...What am I saying?"
Marluxia laughed and poured hot water into two cups. "That we have sex."
Vexen twirled a finger around one of his grown out bangs. "I guess that is what I'm saying..." He blushed and sat up completely.
Marluxia stopped his work and turned to look at Vexen. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
The blond shrugged. "It's obviously what you want..." He looked down at his shirt. "I like you..."
"What I want Vexen, is you as a lover." he said softly. "It matters not to me when we make love."
"Right..." He interlaced his fingers and bit his lip, embarrassed. "I suppose having the tea would be the best decision then..." He murmured and looked up at Marluxia. "I'm really not thinking things through..."
"Sometimes one can think things through too much." he smiled and handed Vexen a cup of hot tea. "It's hot be careful."
The young scientist held the cup with both hands and sniffed the liquid inside. "So...what's in the tea?"
"It's a mix of chamomile, lavender, jasmine, and peppermint. The chamomile will calm you, and the lavender reduces stress and helps ease head pains. And the jasmine helps to relax your body, the peppermint helps you breathe better during the night." he said and took a sip of his own tea.
"Is that all?" He joked and took a small sip of the tea. Marluxia wasn't kidding about the heat. "So...how long have you been with the gypsies? Were you just born into it?"
"No, I've only been with them for a month or so. But they're all very welcoming. They're my family."
"Oh... So what made you leave your town?" Vexen took another drink of the tea.
"I was run out. People were frightened of my powers and threatened me until I left." he said and took another sip.
Vexen nodded and put his cup down. "Why were they frightened of your...powers? Are they dangerous?"
"No but my fortunes almost always come true, and they assumed that I was making these events happen, and let's say that not all of these events were good ones. "
"Almost?" Vexen asked almost interrupting Marluxia. "What do you mean by 'almost'?"
"Sometimes my readings can be hazy, but it's mostly because the person's heart is doubtful, or their questions aren't formed properly." he set his cup down and chuckled. "Don't worry about your readings, they were crystal clear."
Vexen blinked and picked up his cup to take another drink. "They seemed bleak too." He mumbled after the drink.
"You may think that but your future can always change. It just depends on the choices that you make." he whispered and ran a finger over the rim of his cup.
Vexen sighed and rubbed his face with the back of his shirt sleeve, feeling the effects of the tea beginning to set in. "I know..." He took one last sip of the tea and set the cup down. Although he wanted sleep his body seemed to be fighting off the urge.
"You must be tired." Marluxia whispered and grabbed Vexen's cup. "Why don't you get comfortable." he said and nodded at the pile of blankets while he stood up.
Vexen nodded and crawled over to Marluxia's blankets and pulled off his shoes. "I'm worried that I...won't be able to make the changes needed..." He whispered after landing on his back.
Marluxia walked back over to his bed and kneeled down next to Vexen. "Why are you worried about that Vexen?" he asked softly and pulled a blanket over the boy's body.
"Because..." He closed his eyes. "I..I don't want that for my life...I don't want to become some old crotchety man who lives a life of..." Vexen sighed and shook his head.
Marluxia brushed some hair out of Vexen's face and smiled down at him. "That doesn't have to be your life." he breathed and leaned down to kiss his temple.
"It might as well be..." He mumbled and put a hand to his head in dismay. "I'm too stubborn to make choices on my own."
Marluxia frowned and petted the boy's hair. "What do you want your life to be like?" he whispered.
"I...don't know...happy?" Vexen sighed. "Anything but what you told me..."
"You want to have a happy life." he said and continued to pet the blond hair. "What do you think will make your life happy?"
Vexen shrugged. "I don't know..." He looked up at Marluxia. "I thought I knew but obviously I don't."
"I'm sorry. My coming into your life must have confused you greatly." he whispered and ran his fingers down to the back of the boy's neck slowly.
Vexen closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "Confused is an understatement.." His body allowed him a yawn.
"I'm sorry." he apologized again. "Tomorrow I'll walk you to town, then you won't have to concern yourself with me again. Would you like that?"
"Mmn..." Vexen made a face. "...No..." He finally said and shook his head. "That's...not..."
"Not what Vexen? That's not what you want?" he asked, kicking off his shoes and crawling into the pile of furs with the blond.
"No...It's not..." He whispered and closed his eyes as he fell asleep.