◆7◆ Easy to talk to
"I would've never guessed you knew how to cook." Leon stared at the chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven. To him they were the best smelling cookies he ever smelt.
"…"
"Ah, how lovely Mr. Strife and Mr. Leonhart. I especially like your use of heart!" For indeed, the cookies were heart-shaped. Xemnas (or Mansex as some of the students had graciously dubbed him) was going around to all the tables.
Cloud cocked his head. "Is he obsessed?"
"You could say that. If you put anything to do with a heart in a project, you immediately get an A." Leon looked over to where Xemnas was scolding a pair of students about not burning scones because they were almighty or something like that.
"Leon, am I quiet?" Cloud asked from nowhere.
"How could I answer that? I've only known you a day."
"Well have I been quiet? I mean, that's why nobody ever talked to me in my old school. They said I was 'unsociable'." Cloud looked up at Leon who was about a head taller than him.
"Well, around me you've been quiet but Aerith said that you talked a lot to her and I saw how much you and your brothers talk…"
"Okay." Cloud rummaged through his bag until he found a sharpie and wrote on his hand in big, bold black letters.
"Talk?"
"A goal. Roxas taught me how to be organized. Actually, he taught me how to make these cookies too…" Cloud looked at the cookies briefly then back at Leon and smiled. "But really, I'm quiet around you?"
"I already answered this but, yes. You're relatively quiet around me." Leon blinked. What was he getting at?
"I wonder why…" Cloud spoke quietly, almost a whisper.
"Hmm?"
"It's just, you're so easy to talk to…"
Leon looked at Cloud who was looking out the window and he could've sworn that he saw a light pink creep onto his friend's face.
0o0o0o
"Are you sure he's in our grade?" Riku whined. He had been following Demyx around the deserted halls all day looking at the schedules posted outside the classrooms to find 'Sora Strife'.
"According to Axel, yes. You know this would go much faster if you actually helped." Demyx sighed as they passed yet another paper without the elusive name written on it.
"…" Riku walked a little further down the hall to another poster. "Found 'im." Demyx pranced over to him.
"Yay Bitch did something for once in his poor, pitiful, loveless life!" Demyx threw his arms around Riku's neck and kissed his cheek.
"Ah! Dem! Not in the hall!" Riku pushed him off. "And I am not 'loveless'. Remember? I now have a target."
"That brown spiky straight guy who you saw earlier?"
"Yes!" Riku slid down the wall and Demyx plopped down next to him. "So we're waiting for him? How the hell will we know who he is?"
"Good question…" Demyx scratched his head. "O! I know! We could stop every person who comes out and ask if they're Sora!"
"Why would they tell us if they're Sora?" Riku raised an eyebrow.
"Because I'm cute and you look like you could pummel them to dust. But mostly cause I'm cute!" He grabbed onto Riku's arm.
"Dem, ya gotta stop flirting with every male in the school if you want to settle on that Zexion guy."
"…" For once, Demyx had nothing to say and released Riku's arm as the bell rang. They both sprung up and stood on either sides of the door. The students started to spill out of the math class.
Riku grabbed a black haired kid's arm. "Sora?"
"No! Get offa me!" He pulled his arm away and scampered off looking quite frightened.
"Sora?" Demyx pulled a blonde girl out of the crowd.
"Demyx! I'm Rikku!" Demyx looked at her funny. "R-I-K-K-U, not that boy." She pointed at Riku. "O my god Demyx! You don't remember me?" Demyx gave her another look. "Ugg, boys." She threw her arms in the air and stormed off.
"Dem?" Riku raised an eyebrow.
"I have no idea so don't even start." Demyx looked into the classroom. Only two boys were left. One was Tidus; the infamous guy responsible for spray-painting the bleachers in the gym pink in elementary school and only getting caught because some nerd ragged on him. Then the other boy he was talking to was-
"Bitch!" Demyx ran over to Riku and whispered in his ear. "Tidus and the brown spiky kid you fell in love with are the only two in there! Maybe he's Roxas' brother!" Demyx was jumping up and down.
"…" Riku gulped. He was never good at introductions, especially when it was with your newest crush. "T-then should we go i-in?"
"Ohmygawd! Bitch stuttered! It's like…a freakin' miracle!" Demyx hugged him briefly. "And yes, we should go in. But, let me do the talking, Bitch. Later on, you'll thank me." At that, he dragged said Bitch into the classroom and over to Tidus and the brunette.
"Demyx! Long time no see. What's up man?" Tidus recognized Demyx immediately.
"Hey Ty, nothing much." He scratched the back of his head and turned to the brown one. "Who's this?"
"Hi, I'm Sora!" The brunette rocked back and forth on his heels.
"Sora? Sora! I'm Demyx and this here's Riku." He pulled Riku over to Sora. He smiled widely and Sora grinned back. "And we got a call from our best bud Axel and said he and Roxas were skipping and to tell you that."
Sora instantly froze and frowned. Demyx took a step back and Riku gaped at the quick change of emotion. "S-skipping?"
"Uh yeah…"
"..." Sora had a far away look in his eyes.
"Something wrong Sora?" Tidus looked down at his new friend.
"Yeah… The last time somebody I know skipped school, major badness came."
"Like?" Riku piped up.
Sora looked up at Riku. "No, he'd have to tell you, I couldn't."
"Who?" Riku pushed.
0o0o0o
"O my god, it's perfect." Roxas gaped up at a majestic tree as tall as the 20-story apartment building next to it. It was really, really tall.
"Perfect for what?" Axel looked up at the tree. Same as all the others in this park…
"For climbing!" Roxas looked back at Axel and smiled brightly. "Climbing trees always made me happy when I was little and I never really let go of the habit…"
Axel smiled and looked up at the big tree. He didn't understand how a tree of all things could bring happiness but then, people didn't understand how lighting matches could make you happy either.
"I would climb it but I can never get down unless someone catches me. W-would you catch me plleaaasse?" Roxas looked up at the taller redhead. Axel blinked. Roxas could be so cute.
"Sure if you want. But only once." Roxas was already running toward the tree. He quickly scaled the first few branches and was a good 6 stories high in minutes. Axel felt a pang of worry when Roxas stood at the edge of a branch. After about five minutes of standing there, he started to climb down until the first branch that was a good 20 feet off the ground.
"Are you sure you'll catch me?" He shouted down.
"Why would I let you fall?" Axel cocked his head and stretched out his arms. "C'mon."
"Ok but if you drop me, I'll never forget!" With that, Roxas slid off the branch and fell downwards, eyes closed.
Axel anxiously spread his arms out for the falling boy whom he had decided sometime during the day, he liked. After only a couple seconds Roxas collided with Axel's arms. Axel, having good reflexes immediately wrapped his arms around him and pulled him to his chest. Roxas was really light. Now he knew why Sora and Cloud had bugged him to eat!
Roxas slowly opened his eyes and turned his head up to look at Axel. He smiled broadly. "You caught me!" Axel grinned back.
"That I did." He unfortunately knew he had to let the boy go and did so slowly.
"Thank you."
"I really wouldn't have let you fall."
"I know but not just for that. For today." Axel peered down at Roxas but couldn't see his face.
"Well, you're welcome."
They walked in comfortable silence.
I really should be thanking you…
0o0o0o
"I'm coming!" Aerith hurried to her front door. She had been at the hospital, helping the patients with eating food. Her parents were away for the whole month- something about having a second honeymoon so Aerith had the whole house to herself. Another knock on the door and she swung it open to reveal Leon holding a bunch of books.
"Hey, got your homework." He smiled.
"O joy." She took the books. "Thank you and close the door behind you." He trailed her into the living room and plopped on the dark green couch.
"How was the hospital?"
"Well, I managed to get Murray to eat all of his string beans today. And, I even got Jamie to finish her chicken."
"Good."
"Anything at school?"
"Not really. Spent the day with Cloud." She perked up.
"And?"
"He can bake. Like really good. Xemnas gave us an A for his chocolate chip cookies."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Then he asked this weird question…"
"Go on." She pressed.
"It was like if I thought he was quiet. I didn't know what to say so I told him that around me he was because it's the truth. Then he gets out this permanent marker and writes 'talk' on his hand." Leon used his hands to show the quote.
"Okay…"
"But this is that part I don't get. He said 'I wonder why I'm so quiet around you because you're so easy to talk to'. I'm not sure if he meant me to hear it though…"
"…"
"But then I looked at him and I swear he was blushing…" Aerith looked up at her friend.
"And how do you feel about this?" She pressed.
"Jeez Dr. Phil."
"No but really."
"I really don't know…"
"You remember he's gay right? Well, he could be starting to like you."
Leon rubbed his forehead suddenly feeling a bit sickly. "What should I do if he does like me? I'm not gay!"
"I don't know…"
"Ok well I've got homework so I'm gonna go home."
"Bye."
"Bye." Leon walked to his car and hoped in. When he got to his house he felt sick so he went to bed instead of doing homework.
For some reason, a certain blond haunted his nightmares.
0o0o0o
eheh I reference Dr. Phil a little here and a lot in real life. For those who are unaware, he has or had a TV show and books and stuff where he talked about psychology and love troubles and things like that (I'm pretty sure)…
I'm not sure if I need this and I haven't had one yet but anyway:
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters in this story (except James) or anything referenced in this story. All I have is one of those big Axel figures, a Riku figure and a Sora figure. Unfortunately, the Sora figure is taller than the Riku one so it looks really bad if I make them do anything together…
Thanks if you review, it means a lot to me but please, no flames, leave them to Axel.
