Chapter 3
Meanwhile...
"Roxy. Baby. You know you want me"
Before Axel had managed to finish his sentence, Roxas was at the end of the corridor and out of sight.
"He's in denial" he muttered to himself.
Funny that the blonde could make him do that. Talk to himself like a lunatic.
"Believe that if you like"
Axel whirled round on the balls of his feet and stopped dead in front of a cloaked figure with the hood up covering their face.
"Have you been standing there for long?"
The figure shrugged
"Have you or not?" Axel spat, in no mood to play games unless they involved Roxas and a bowl of chocolate pudding. That was something he was looking forward to and didn't like being interrupted in his quest for it.
He scowled at the figure then seconds later rolled his eyes.
"What do you want?"
"My sweet little Axey, how was the snow?"
The figure took down his hood and shook out his pink hair like he was on a shampoo advert.
"Can't you stalk someone else?"
"But you're so much fun" He purred
Axel took a deep breath full of exasperation and started to walk away.
"Watch out for my Larx, she's on a rampage today."
The redhead was so glad he was moving away at that point. Fully aware that he would have tried to impale flower boy on a chackrams or would have attempted to break his nose, if he'd hung around any longer.
The sing song voice faded as he walked around the corner in the direction Roxas had gone, determined to find the boy and drag in into the kitchen for ice-cream. He could have used one of Demyx's schemes if he wasn't in angst mode. Not that he could blame him in the slightest. He'd never liked Saix much anyway, always spoilt his fun.
He started running towards the bedroom with 13 burnt into the front. The door numbers were his idea, to save him from getting lost on a daily basis in the castle with no map and corridors that all looked the same.
As he ran, his mind faded into a memory
"Cool yer jets there flame boy"
Axel felt something snag his hood and skidded to a halt, shoes squeaking on the shiny wooden floor. He rolled his eyes and turned on the balls of his feet, coming face to face with Xigbar of all people.
"You'll never get him like that."
"Like what?" he said feeling insulted, but minorly intrigued at what advice Xigbar could possibly offer him.
"You have to be more subtle. The more you chase, the more he'll run."
"He's only been here a week, he'll cave by next month, guaranteed."
Xigbar extended his left hand and slapped him around the back of the head. Axel stepped forward with the force.
"I don't think so. Try something different."
"Less chasing?"
Xigbar reached out again, Axel stepped backwards out of range.
"Make an effort."
The man with the eye patch conjured a portal behind him, stepped backward into it then vanished. Axel stood in the middle of the corridor with his mouth open. He shut it slowly and wandered away, mumbling.
After wandering aimlessly around the halls that looked the same, hoping to run into Roxas without much effort, he passed the castle science laboratories.
A faint clinking grabbed his attention; he peered around the wooden doorway, careful to ensure he wasn't seen by the inhabitants of the room.
A short slate haired man and a slightly taller one with long blonde hair were passing test tubes, gliding around each other in an intricate and oddly intimate dance. The room was silent save for a quiet wind of Mozart or some other classical guy. Each knowing what the other wanted to the smallest detail. The watched as they shared the contents of a mug that was kept warm over a Bunsen burner.
This snapshot of the two scientists served only to piss him off and make him even more determined to find Roxas and declare his undying love.
It also made him realise he didn't have the person he wanted most in all the worlds. He sloped off, the dejected feeling eating him up inside.
He swore that he took a wrong turn, when he came across a small wooden door tucked into an alcove.
Being a curious nobody, he leant forward and suspiciously touched the brass door handle. The door swung open.
The stairs in front of him curled and melted away into the darkness. Biting back feelings of trepidation, he followed the stone steps into the darkness, eventually emerging into a room that was not what he had expected.
After a cursory 360 degree glance he realised that the room was a library. A room of floor to ceiling dark wood bookcases, it was musty and lit by warm glow of lamplight. He walked aimlessly through the stacks, caressing each book spine gently, finally coming to a stop in front of a comfy looking, but beaten up leather arm chair and a small wooden three legged table.
He suddenly felt uncomfortable, which was not he was an emotion he felt often or at all. A thick leather bound book sat on the table, its golden edged pages glowing in the lamplight. He picked it up and opened it in the middle.
It was full of poetry, the dark stuff that Zexion liked to quote at him when he did something stupid which was regular occurrence.
Axel wasn't the sort to read anything accept the memos' that were slid under the door after meetings: and that was only the bold print at the top that summarised the document.
Letting the poetry sink into his brain, he could only think of Roxas.
This one incident was the beginning of his secret, every Valentines Day, a piece of poetry would find it's way under the door marked 13.
They watched as the darkness chased away the sun. Water brushing gently around their ankles as they sat on the rock's edge.
Zexion sat in silence, listening to Demyx's reminiscing and feeling that he would rather die than listen to any more.
It had taken the blonde at least two hours to convince him to consent to rolling up his trouser legs and join him in kicking the water.
"I used to do this with Saix"
Zexion immediately started to glaze over. He'd tried to talk to Demyx about other things. A book he read, an attempt at gossip, he'd even stooped so low as to talk about the weather. The blond just rolled his eyes.
Everything he mentioned would be countered with I did that with Saix or when we went to so and so.
Dem (where did that come from?) would be off again, regaling him with stories that he didn't want to know or even cared about. By this time the blonde was on about his 70th story and Zexion was not one prone to exaggeration. It didn't help that in his mind Zexion felt himself a poor comparison. He was more logical and structured. The exact words that were on the psyche evaluation that Xemnas insisted they take every year.
Why would Demyx want to be with someone like him, he would only disappoint him.
"Zexy?"
The words brought him crashing back to reality. He always went to a distant place when Demyx spoke as in any other state, the type of stories he told would cause irreparable psychological damage.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
If anyone else said that sentence it would sound negative, but not from the lips of the blonde. Good god he was sounding desperate and not exactly objective.
The psychologist in him suggested that is would be a good idea to let Demyx get over his ex. He didn't want to be part of a rebound disaster, if there was a chance he could be a rebound. Sometimes, he thought he would just take that option.
"Everyone used to ask me why I was with him in the first place" Demyx carried on, oblivious of any feelings of the man sitting next to him. "He acted differently around me."
The buzz of annoyance that circled around Zexion suddenly disappeared. His brain addled from his proximity to the blonde suddenly woke up. His idea was brilliant; he would only have to give up a few things. If Saix could be different, then he could too.
"Let's make a sandcastle" he heard his voice say.
He pulled Demyx to his feet. The blonde looked slightly confused.
The sensible part of his mind logically explained to the addled part that this would have consequences and that it was going on holiday until he had come to his senses. The spontaneous part, which had never had full reign before as it was small and less developed waved goodbye.
"You ok?" Demyx reached out and felt his forehead
"Never better" Zexion smiled, feeling stronger by the second.