Chapter 1: January 13th
Marluxia had finished with his last mission for the night and collapsed on a sofa in the Grey Area, after removing his cloak and shoes. He was somewhat out of uniform, wearing a black and pink corset over his uniform slacks, a habit he'd had for years before he'd joined Organization XIII. The tight garment gave him a feeling of security. It was like being held very close, and even without a heart, it had always been a comfort to him. He was certain he'd be reprimanded if Saïx or any other member with high seniority found him, but was too exhausted to care. His cloak was folded neatly over his shoes at one end of the couch, and he was sleeping too deeply to hear anyone else enter.
Saïx was on his way to his room, making another trip around the castle where there he noticed Marluxia on the sofa of the Grey Area. His face quickly scowled a bit as he looked at the pink-haired man. "So, apparently you don't find your room fit for you to sleep in…" His rather blank voice sorta growled as he placed one hand on his hip.
Marluxia stirred as the sound of Saïx's voice penetrated his dreams. He sat up and gazed at the other through a haze, not sure if he was dreaming or not. "There are more people here," he mumbled. "No one is in my room."
Saïx facepalmed at the other male slowly sliding his hand down his face. "This isn't your room, you're in the Grey Area… Now wake up and go to your proper resting area please." The bluenet groaned slightly.
Marluxia curled up tighter, fading back into dizzy dreams, a deep, deep sleep from which he subconsciously wondered if he'd ever wake. He knew where he was.
Saïx sighed before grabbing the male by his arm and pulling him off the couch. "Marluxia, wake up!"
Marluxia fell into Saïx, then stirred and opened his eyes murkily. "Warm... smells nice," he murmured, nestling into the other man.
A bit confused overall, Saïx stood there for a moment holding the pink-haired male. Honestly he didn't know any more to do since it seemed the other wouldn't wake up anytime soon. Yet Marluxia did wake up in a moment, still nuzzled into Saïx.
"Good morning, Saïx," he said innocently.
"Uuh.. Yes Good morning XI…" He stammered in speech slightly, having Marluxia wrapped in his arms still. "I see you didn't go to sleep in your room… any troubles?..."
Marluxia nodded, nuzzling Saïx's willowy shoulder. "Yes... It was all lonely. I didn't want to sleep alone again."
"Oh. My apologies for yelling at you then, I didn't know." Saïx spoke softly, looking down at him. "I usually make me some tea in the mornings, do you want to accompany me?" the blue-haired male asked curiously.
"Of course, yes," said Marluxia, straightening up a little but not pulling away from the other. Saïx smiled slightly as he walked to the kitchen with Marluxia, his arm still wrapped around the other. Marluxia snuggled closer into Saïx, resting his head on the other's shoulder and keeping an arm wrapped around him. "You're being unusually nice," he noted appreciatively.
"I haven't been pissed off yet~ but this morning has only just begun." His voice was rather softer than usual, as they arrived to the kitchen Saïx removed his hand from around the pink haired male walking over to the counter. "Anything in particular you would like?" he asked, retrieving two cup from the cabinet.
"I should be fine with a tall glass of whatever liquor happens to be in the cabinet, and maybe some eggs," said Marluxia, a tone of bitterness in his voice. He personally thought Saïx was rather appealing when he was pissed off, but that wasn't something he felt like sharing this early in the morning.
"As you say," Saïx replied nonchalantly, finding a bottle of Luxord's rum and filled up one of the cups, he placed the bottle on the counter just in case.
"You sound displeased... what happened, if I may ask of you?" Placing the cup in front of Marluxia he seemed to have a slightly worried look on his face.
Marluxia laughed hollowly. "Displeased doesn't nearly cover it. I just returned from my aborted honeymoon, during which Braig decided he wanted a divorce. Of course, this doesn't just affect me. Xehanort was also with us. The three of us made a pact." He grabbed the cup of rum and drank from it like it was water, then proceeded to describe the pact the three of them had made, how they'd each sliced their palms and clasped hands, their promise to never abandon each other, to be a family.
"I was going to defect from the Organization," he confessed. "I was going to move to Radiant Garden, timeline be blasted, and we were going to... live the romantic dream. White picket fence, barbecue in the backyard. Hell, we might have even gotten a dog." He finished off the cup of rum. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be emotional over this, but the fact is, just before we got married, my associate Irina and I went on a shopping spree at a non-affiliated world called GeneCo. We were drunk. Anyway, I have a heart until the Repo Men come to take it away. We paid with Luxord's credit card and I assume he's rescinded the payment. It's such a waste." It wasn't just a waste of munny. It was a waste of time with a perfectly serviceable heart.
No. It wasn't perfectly serviceable anymore. It was broken, tainted, an obstruction. It was preventing him from doing his work within the Organization, and yet, once he had it, he couldn't bear to let it go. And unlike his mockery of an ex-husband, he wouldn't.
It occurred to him only after he'd spoken that Saïx was probably the second-to-last person in the Organization to whom he should mention that he had a temporary heart. He gasped quietly as the realisation of what might happen finally reached his groggy brain.
"A-anyway," he stammered, "It affects me, to be sure, but it also affects Xehanort. The two of us became quite close. I used to travel to his room whenever I was lonely and Braig wasn't around. Luxord set up a warp point between my closet and his—" Once again, Marluxia was saying too much to the wrong person, but he decided that it no longer mattered. Nothing mattered anymore or ever again.
"So it was an easy way to travel," he finished, forcing himself to calm down a little. Saïx could probably smell his nervousness. "He comforted me and we became good friends. It seems only natural that I be concerned about him. After all, he's an amnesiac. The first thing he remembers—literally, the first episodic memory that he has—is Braig. That's all he knows and the bastard doesn't even care, and unlike the Organization" —Marluxia's voice became hard and the hand holding the mug shook with anger— "he doesn't have the excuse of not having a heart. A human did this to us, Saïx. A complete human with nothing missing. What does that say about us, that right now every Nobody that comes to mind, including the Superior, whom I hate, is a better person than my ex-husband?!"
He was breaking down now, shaking, fighting back tears and saying all the wrong things. Saïx would probably have him executed for it, but that didn't matter now. Part of him didn't want to abandon Xehanort, but part of him clung to the idea that it would be a relief to be eliminated.
