It wasn't until nearly three weeks later that Marluxia really got to talk with Vexen again. The odd boy was at best elusive and at worst impossible to find, so Marluxia barely even saw him after the storm. And Roxas had gone back to hanging out with his old friends Hayner, Pence and Olette once the adrenaline that had fuelled his impromptu alliance with Vexen and Marluxia had worn off.
It was early evening and the dorm rooms were nearly empty, aside from Marluxia. Everyone else had gone off to the theatre to see a film, but he had some homework to finish off so he'd decided to skip. He'd stolen Leon's iPod at least until he came back, and was listening to some strange screaming music whilst he worked.
He was just finishing off when Vexen limped in, drenched from head to toe and clutching one arm. His head was hanging and his long hair obscured his face from view.
"Vexen?" Marluxia quickly pulled his earphones out and hurried over to help the other boy out. "What happened to you?"
"A-Axel and Demyx again," Vexen coughed, slumping down on his bed. "Those bastards,"
"What did they do?"
Vexen looked up, revealing a black left eye and tear-smeared cheeks.
"They kicked me into the pond. I fell on my arm and it's starting to go numb,"
Marluxia made Vexen prise his hand away from his arm to inspect the damage. Through the pale and slightly translucent fabric of his shirt, he could see a large, nasty-looking red mark on Vexen's upper arm.
"Can I take your shirt off? It looks pretty bad," Marluxia bit his lip at how what he'd said could have been taken, but Vexen seemed oblivious. He began to unbutton the wet garment, showing more bruises speckling his torso and arms - Axel and Demyx seemed to have beaten him up pretty bad. He winced as Marluxia tried to touch the largest bruise on Vexen's shoulder. The pink haired boy quickly drew his hand away.
"I'll get the nurse. She'll know what to do,"
"No!" Vexen suddenly exclaimed. "You can't. She'll want to know what happened, and if I tell her they'll..." He trailed off, shuddering.
"You have to tell someone or they won't stop. You can't let them get away with things like this,"
"You don't get it," Vexen said, his voice laced with sadness and anger. "They can get away with it, and they always will."
"But if you did, they'd be expelled from school and then they won't trouble you again," Marluxia had fetched the first aid box from the toilets and was making an attempt to clean Vexen up a little. The poor blonde looked awful.
"I already tried that at my old school," Vexen muttered, and then squeaked when Marluxia pressed on him a little too hard.
"What happened?"
"I... They threw me out of a first floor window. I broke both my legs and spent a month in hospital,"
"That's horrible!!" Marluxia exclaimed, aghast. How could anybody be that cruel? Vexen just shrugged.
"It could have been worse. If I'd broken my neck I would be paralysed,"
"That's-" Marluxia didn't even want to think about it. It was horrible imagining Vexen lying helpless in a hospital bed, kept alive only by life-support machines. "Don't ever mention that again,"
"Hm. Don't tell anybody I told you, right?"
"My lips are sealed," But inside, Marluxia wished Vexen would tell somebody about how badly he was being bullied. It worried him, particularly since there was nothing his could do to help his new friend other than listen and understand each time he got beaten up. The next few minutes were silent as Marluxia rubbed antiseptic cream on what seemed like every part of Vexen's body (except a few certain parts that Marluxia had to carefully stamp images of him rubbing out of his mind).
"Marluxia?" Vexen finally said. His voice was quiet and a little sad.
"Yes?"
"You... You probably shouldn't hang round with me. They might decide to beat you up too,"
"Why do they hate you so much anyway?" Marluxia asked, refusing to answer Vexen's request. But then again, Vexen didn't know about the pink-haired boy's crush on him, so from his end it might not have seemed like such a bad thing.
Vexen didn't reply to Marluxia's question for a long time.
"Can we talk about something else?"
Marluxia gave him a long, slightly agitated look.
"No."
"Well... At my old school, the boy who bullied me the most was this guy called Reno... And it turns out he's Axel's brother. Of course Demyx got involved right away, he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to beat somebody senseless without worrying about being told on," Anger had taken over Vexen's tone of voice.
"That... But why can't you just tell a teacher? You could get Axel and Demyx expelled for this kind of thing,"
Vexen laughed bitterly.
"You know what, Marluxia? Let's just go and do that. You're so naive! Like anyone would ever believe me,"
"It's worth a-" Marluxia began, but he was interrupted.
"Think about it. Axel might be a total idiot, but he isn't usually violent. And Demyx? He's practically a model student in the eyes of the teachers. And what do I have? A bloody me-" He stopped himself. "-It doesn't matter. They'll just pat me on the head and tell me not to beat myself up over it all," He laughed again, and it was cold and angry and full of hidden resentment.
"I'm sorry," Was all that Marluxia could say. He wanted to ask what Vexen was going to have said, but he figured that it wasn't something that the other boy wanted him to know. Vexen sighed, though, shaking his head.
"It's alright. This isn't your fault; you were only trying to help. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that," The blonde seemed to deflate, slumping over to rest his elbows on his lap.
"Is there anything else you want? I might be able to weasel a cup of hot chocolate or two off the cook or-"
"Hot chocolate would be good, if it's not too much trouble,"
"Sure." Marluxia stood up to leave. "I'll be right back. You might want to get changed out of those wet clothes or something,"
Vexen nodded but just returned quietly to his brooding. Marluxia wandered out of the dorms, thinking just as hard. By the time he had returned with two mugs of steaming hot chocolate, Vexen had passed out on his bed, and was breathing slowly and deeply. Marluxia wasn't sure if he had the heart to wake him. But eventually he figured that Vexen would want his hot chocolate before it became cold chocolate, and gently shook him awake. They sat in silence again, both carefully sipping the warm beverage.
Marluxia felt so helpless. It seemed like this somehow wasn't a case where teachers could be told, and Marluxia himself would be far too weak to take on Axel and Demyx. Propaganda also would never work; the pair they were up against were popular with not only the student body but also the teachers. Sure, the pink-haired boy had been teased a bit before, but it was nothing compared to what Vexen was going through. For once he was entirely out of his depth.
"So when's your birthday?" Vexen asked, for once starting the conversation.
"What? Oh. Eleventh of April," Marluxia quickly replied. "Yours?"
"November fourth," Vexen said. "Interesting coincidence. Eleven-Four, Four-Eleven,"
"That was only a couple of weeks ago!" Marluxia exclaimed. "You should have told me,"
"I didn't think you'd be interested,"
"What day was it, anyway?" Marluxia said, mostly to himself as tried to calculate it. It couldn't have been long after he'd first met Vexen...
"It was the Saturday that you dragged me down to the lake," Vexen told him.
"Seriously? Damn, my birthday present to you sucked,"
Vexen gave him an amused look.
"It wasn't so bad. I don't mind talking to you,"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Marluxia smiled. "Still, I'll have to get you two presents next year to make up for it,"
"You don't have to get me anything," Vexen said quietly. "Anyway, I think I can hear the others coming. We'd better get to bed,"
Marluxia nodded, gathering his things and climbing over to his own bed. They were both tucked up and presumably fast asleep by the time the others piled in, just as exhausted.
---
"Whoever is staying in school for the Christmas break, will they please write their name down here, on this paper! If you are staying, please write your name," The teacher pointed angrily to an innocent form and a pen lying next to it, as if taking all his frustration out on it. Marluxia uncertainly stepped forward, studying the other names on the list before signing his own. Most of Axel and Demyx's group weren't there, which was a good thing. But then neither was Larxene's, or Vexen's. Marluxia guessed he'd be very lonely this Christmas.
Not that it was like this every year - he usually went home to his family, but this Christmas is just wasn't practical with all the badly-timed house renovations (they were supposed to be finished for Christmas but bad weather had delayed them) and his older sister was going to be in Japan anyway. So Marluxia had volunteered to stay at school this year. He didn't mind that much; Christmas was just another day in the year and he'd be able to spend plenty others with his family. He was about to walk off to class when he noticed Vexen timidly approaching.
"You staying too?" He asked conversationally.
"Yeah." Vexen picked up the pen and wrote his name in immaculate handwriting underneath Marluxia's scruffy signature.
"I'm going to miss my family," Marluxia tried to make friendly conversation, realising that Vexen wasn't in a helpful mood.
"Then I envy you," The taller boy said, and stalked off. Marluxia watched him leave, quietly.
He'd known Vexen for just over a month now, and it seemed like nothing had changed. If anything he was becoming more secluded from the rest of the student body, even more difficult to find. And Marluxia still didn't feel like he really knew Vexen at all.
"What's getting you this time?" He heard a high, feminine voice behind him and turned to find Larxene, pretty much his best friend. He shook his head, smiling again.
"Nothing, I'm fine. Just missing my family a little," He hadn't told her about Vexen's problems; as much as he wanted to, he'd promised the other boy not to tell anyone.
"I don't understand why you didn't just go home. Nobody wants to stay in school for Christmas,"
"I don't want to get in the way," Marluxia explained. "Besides, it's not the whole family at home anyway. Dad might not be home in time and my big sister's in Japan, so..."
"You're way too selfless, you know that? I'd just say "screw that" and go home anyway. Well, best wishes. Who else is staying over?" She glanced at the list. "Ooh, Saïx. That bites - literally,"
"Vexen, as well. He's not so bad,"
"Got a bloody two-foot pole up his arse,"
"He's just a bit of a nerd. You get used to him after a while. Anyway, better get to class," He scurried away.
---
As the end of term drew tantalisingly closer, a trip was organised to give the pupils a Christmas shopping opportunity. It was planned for a Friday - a rare event since trips were usually during the weekends - and everybody seemed to be excitedly anticipating it. Marluxia was carefully making a list of things to get for his friends and family when Vexen stomped in with a sizable pile of books. He stormed past Marluxia and launched the books onto his bed, followed by himself, all the while mumbling angrily and incoherently to himself.
"You alright?" Marluxia felt inclined to ask after being given the privilege of seeing such a spectacular show of annoyance.
"Fine. Just fine. Bloody-! Argh!" Vexen threw himself back into his pillow, seemingly unable to form a word.
"Um."
"Don't. Whatever you were going to say. I'm in a very bad mood,"
"Might I just ask why?"
"Go ahead,"
"Why are you in a very bad mood?"
Vexen threw him one of the books. Curious, Marluxia opened it up. To find it absolutely covered with ridiculously explicit photographs of near naked women in all kinds of improbable poses, all glued over the previous content of the book.
"Every single one! Filled! And now I'll have get an entire new set of text books! And what if someone finds them?! They'll think I'm some kind of... sick pervert!" Vexen's voice rose to a shrill shriek as he gestured madly to the pile of books. There must have been at least fifteen.
"Just... peel them off. Sneak them into Axel's drawer or something." Marluxia attempted to remove a lady sprawled out over her bed, but she was firmly glued down.
"I already tried that. It doesn't work," Vexen glared down as if it was somehow his pillow's fault that all this had happened.
"Well, at least nobody will ever question your sexuality ever again," Marluxia reminded him, trying to find at least something positive about the situation. Vexen looked a little uncomfortable.
"Y-yeah. I guess. Um. Marluxia?"
"What?" He was still battling with the woman on the bed, and she was stubbornly refusing to yield. He tried a different angle, but to no avail.
"If I tell you something, can you promise not to tell anybody else? Ever?"
"Sure. You should know by now that I can keep secrets," He hadn't uttered anything to another living soul about Vexen's bullying problem, as much as he wanted to; not even his pillow whom he was sure had a life of its own.
"Yeah. But this one's different,"
"You can tell me anything," Marluxia assured him. Vexen took a deep breath.
"Well- I... Actually, never mind. It's too embarrassing,"
"I'm sure is isn't. Not half as embarrassing as that time Larxene swapped my deodorant with cheese a few years back,"
"She didn't!"
"We laugh about it now,"
"Okay.. Well, the thing is... I've never told anybody this, but..." Vexen's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. "I think... Marluxia, I think I'm homosexual,"
About three million thoughts popped into Marluxia's mind at that precise moment. He took far to long to collect himself and Vexen was staring at him with an expression of diluted morbid fear on his face.
"Welcome to the club," He finally gave up with the bed lady and held his hand out for Vexen to shake. "Being gay isn't so bad, is it?"
"I... I guess not," Vexen said. "My dad doesn't like them. He says they should burn in hell,"
"Oh."
