Heyo so I am back once more with a new thing. This time a birthday one shot for my friend Holden Skyler. It started off with just a small concept and it became this long idea so here we go! and Happy Birthday Holden!
People could always do as they pleased. They were free to make their own choices in the world. But there was one thing that fate had already written for them from the start. Everybody had one soulmate that they would be destined to one day meet. Sometimes it was a childhood friend, sometimes it was a perfect stranger, but until they reached a certain age and the names appeared, they would never know.
The way it happened was simple enough. A person would encounter their fated significant other between 21 and 25 years old. When they would cross paths during that fated day, they would feel a slight burn on their wrist where the name appeared — the opposite wrist to their fated other. Even though they knew it would always be this way and had taken steps over the course of their whole lives to prepare, no one was ever truly ready when that moment came and their soulmate was revealed to them.
Fate worked in mysterious ways, always surprising people with the unexpected. But everyone trusted that their day would come, and they would at last meet the one person they were meant to be with for the rest of their lives. If they could wait patiently for it.
Zexion was not one known for patience, at least internally. On the outside he seemed content and would happily spend his days working on his little science projects or other research papers. But on the inside he was in a constant battle to keep himself from losing his calm outer shell.
He wanted answers and facts. He wanted problems he could solve and solid evidence he could verify. He wanted a reality he could predict. As a man of science, the very concept of fate —something which he could not control — was terrifying to say the least.
Frantically he was searching through papers, trying to pull together all the information that he had gathered. While he tried to get everything back in order, he could hear light snickering coming from nearby.
His head shot up and he stared at the redheaded culprit. "This is not a laughing manner, Axel! Misplacing papers is far from amusing."
"Well it isn't my fault you apparently decided to stay up late doing your crazy research stuff," Axel replied.
Zexion huffed. "I will do as I please! But I just need to find everything and reorganize."
"What you need is to relax," a different voice interjected softly.
Now Zexion looked over to the other man in the room. Saïx, the blue haired man who sat next to Axel, kept a serious and stern gaze while he waited for Zexion to reply.
"I don't need to relax! I just want my answers!"
"And those answers will come in time. You only recently turned 21, you shouldn't worry so much about it," Saïx replied.
"But I have no idea what could happen! No idea who it could be!"
"But that's the great mystery of it," Axel said. "You gotta let fate take its course and lead you to your soulmate, but you need to give it time."
"I agree with Axel. Whether it is this year or the next, you will have your moment and meet your soulmate."
Zexion sighed. Somehow these two always were able to talk him down from going completely frantic. After a couple of deep breaths he took his seat across from them. He buried his head into his hands as he let the rest of his thoughts slowly pour out.
"But what if… what if… they're some horrible person? What if I hate whomever they are?"
Saïx shook his head. "That wouldn't happen. Fate brings you together with who you are meant to be with, not someone you'd despise."
Zexion sneered. "You never know if fate decides to be cruel and change its mind."
"It's still never been heard of before," Saïx said, his expression and tone still dry and serious.
Suddenly Zexion's expression shifted. No longer did he look frustrated or annoyed. Instead he started to look more worried and saddened. It was a very rare sight for Axel and Saïx to see, knowing full well that the young man rarely let his guard down like that.
"But what if I'm not destined for anyone? What if I'm one of those rare few that don't have a fated soulmate?"
"That percentage of people is far below 1%, practically impossible," Saïx answered. "Typically for that small percentage, there is a reason why they don't have a soulmate. Usually if they are deemed unworthy by fate itself because of their actions."
Axel nodded along. "Yeah, but you aren't a cruel or evil person, Zexion. You're just a regular guy… well not all regular. You know super all sciencey and stuff with all those weird exper-"
Saïx elbowed him in the side. "Ow! Okay sorry. But either way, you're a good person. And you will find your soulmate to be a good person as well."
Sighing Zexion ran a hand through his hair. "But… I'm still afraid."
"There's no reason to be. When you find yourself your special someone…" Axel turned to smile at Saïx. He reached forward and lanced his fingers with the other man.
There was a pause. Just a moment where the two men stared into one another's eyes, letting the world slip away from them. They would have continued to drift away from reality if Zexion had not been sitting across from them, but it came close.
"It's just special. It's hard to explain it, but when it happens… it's just magical."
"But I'm not lucky like you guys. You two have been friends since childhood and ended up being each other's soulmate. I highly doubt any of the few friends I had growing up would be mine."
"Zexion, you just need to relax and wait for it," Axel said, sounding more serious than before. "We can't tell you how to deal with this stuff other than it will just come one day."
Zexion slumped back into his chair. This conversation had ended up getting him nowhere. No further than he already was before. He had always been told the same thing over and over and he was honestly tired of it. Tired of being told to wait, to just let it come and it would happen. He didn't want to just wait and have it happen. If only he could discover it, to get his answers sooner. If only he could do that then his restless mind would be at ease.
"So do you wish to continue asking us questions, or would you prefer to be left alone?" Saïx asked.
"I… I don't know anymore. Maybe I would prefer some alone time."
"Then we will leave you be," Saïx said before standing.
"Yeah, but give us a call or text if you need anything okay?" Axel added before he followed Saïx in suit.
"Thanks," Zexion whispered softly before he heard Axel and Saïx leave the house.
Now alone, Zexion could finally relax. He did always enjoy the company of his friends but for the most part he preferred his space. His solace came from the comforts of being in the quietness of his house. He could actually think with no one else to bother him. It was just him and his thoughts and nothing more.
Eventually time had passed and the air had begun to feel heavy. He could barely breathe and he knew that truthfully there was nothing wrong with the air or his lungs. It was just his brain rudely playing tricks on him. There would come a time when it would be too much, and soon he would need to step outside. Zexion knew himself well enough that he would need to do that if he wanted to feel better.
All he needed was to distract himself and he couldn't very well do it in what he enjoyed most. If it wasn't for his worry over the subject of soulmates, he would indulge himself in his studies and experiments. But all of that would just end up leading back to his thoughts on soulmates and how soon his name would appear. He needed something else, something… much different. Something that others would classify as normal.
He had to go to a restaurant or a bar or something. Whatever it was that people would do when they needed to clear their head.
That was clearly the only reasonable option for him to do.
With a deep breath, Zexion headed upstairs to freshen himself up before heading out. He sighed heavily as he started to walk down the street, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. He didn't even want to look at his arms anymore in fear the name would just appear out of the blue… or not even appear at all.
He just needed time to distract himself. A place to just let his thoughts go and find solace in the distractions. As long as there was nothing related to soulmates that could sour the mood, he would be fine.
Finally when he had made it to the downtown area, he began to look around for a place to go. Since it was a Saturday night, many of the restaurants were packed and all full. That made his choices seemingly dwindle. He was not a people person, too much social interaction would wear him down far sooner than others.
But he still decided he had to choose some place. It would just have to be the least crowded of them all while still having good enough food for him to enjoy. So he strolled down the block, looking carefully at each place he passed, checking the current capacity.
Eventually he came to the crossroads between streets and looked carefully. Across the walkway was a bar named Lunar Tavern and once Zexion walked up to it, he could see that it would have to be the one. It was a small bar and restaurant and while it seemed slightly crowded the capacity was much smaller compared to the other buildings.
The small bar was an odd one to enter, rather than going through the front door on the main street, one would have to head to the backstreet to enter through the backdoor that would lead down to the restaurant. He walked back there, quickly opened the door, and right away he was met with the loud muttering of people over the oldies rock music playing from the speakers. Aside from the noise level being louder than expected, he decided to proceed inside to where he would wait to be seated. Thankfully it did not take too long and he was led to a seat that was halfway from the front of the room and the bathrooms. Sitting down at his table, he was told his server would be with him shortly and he was handed a menu.
Left alone, he began to read over the menu, trying to find something that he would enjoy. He was not much for drinking, with the occasional exceptions here and there at parties. Maybe tonight would be one of those exceptions, otherwise maybe just something light from the appetizers.
"Do you need more time, sir?" a waitress asked as she filled a glass with water.
"I may," Zexion replied as he looked at the menu again. His eyes caught something that he didn't catch the first time. He narrowed his eyes slightly at what he saw. "Though if I may ask, is there a typo in your menu?"
"What do you mean?" the waitress asked.
"Right here," Zexion said as he pointed to what he had seen. "This says it's a Twisted Drakness Cocktail. Shouldn't it be 'Darkness'?"
"No that is correct. I think if I remember… it's like some old running joke between the owners. Are you interested in one?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure yet. I probably need some more time."
"Okay, I'll come back in a bit then, take your time," the waitress said before she left the table.
Now alone again Zexion started to read over the menu once more, trying to figure out what appealed to him. As he was reading, the music from the speakers died down and he could hear the sound of a stereo system turning on. Lifting his head he looked up to see that there was a small stage up in the front right section of the small room. The stage was in fact small, only able to fit two or three people, and now there was someone setting up the microphone.
"I must have come during a music night. Hopefully won't be so bad…"
Zexion didn't hate music, far from it, but it really all depended on genre. He preferred classical music over others. It was all just what was soothing to his ears. When he had entered this place he already knew he would have to deal with the music in the background, but that he could easily tune out of his mind and focus on something else. But with live music, now that was something else entirely. It would become more of a focus since it was live and much louder within the small space of the building.
"Attention," the man said as he cleared his throat. "Everything will be set up shortly. So everyone get ready for a great show tonight by a new and upcoming musician. I'll let him do the introduction though when he is ready."
Zexion started once more to put his focus on reading the menu, but for some reason his left wrist started to itch. Without giving it much attention he subconsciously went to scratch it, but it only started to itch more, starting to almost feel like it was burning.
Dropping the menu, Zexion stared wide eyed at his wrist. "It couldn't be… could it?"
Nearly jumping out of his seat, he bolted towards the bathrooms. Right away once he was inside the bathroom he locked himself in one of the stalls and tried to calm his breathing. He couldn't believe it though if it were true. His soulmate… the one he had been waiting for… of all places it was at a bar that he would meet them. Just some small bar with nothing real grand to offer besides live music on the occasional night.
But it was still his soulmate. As much as Zexion feared who they could be and what they would be like, he tried to remember what he had talked about with Axel and Saïx. He wasn't going to just be paired with some horrid person because the universe wanted to laugh at him, he was paired with who the universe thought would be the perfect match for him. Someone that would truly love him and mean something to him.
Now all that was left was to look at the name that was embedded into his wrist. The name of the person he was tied to… and who was out there somewhere in the bar. Somewhere out there probably looking at their own wrist wondering the same thing.
Pulling back the sleeve of his jacket, Zexion nearly held his breath. "Pull yourself together, Zexion! You've been waiting for this moment, don't let it go to waste!"
Finally he found his strength and he rolled back the jacket sleeve and stared at the name that he saw printed there. It was just the first name as he expected, since the soulmate was somewhere in that room there wasn't a need for a last name. All that mattered was that first name that now was showing on his wrist.
Demyx
"Demyx… what kind of name is that? Just who is he? Who could he be? A waiter? Just another one of the customers? Surely not the boss or owner of the restaurant. No no… that wouldn't make any sense…"
All of Zexion's thoughts were swirling in his head, making him feel slightly dizzy. Piling all of his thoughts on top of each other was not helping his innate worrying over the subject matter. But he knew if he was going to do this and meet his soulmate he was going to have to face them head on. He would have to pull himself together and find them out there in that crowd.
With a new resolve, that was far from being solid and stable, he marched back out of the bathrooms. As soon as he stepped out he could hear someone tapping the mic from the stage, probably the musician.
"Hey hey guys! How're we all doing tonight?" a cheerful male voice asked. "Cause oooh man this night is going to be a great one! I just know it!"
Out of curiosity Zexion stopped in his tracks to stare the musician. They were young from what Zexion could see, the distance from where he stood made it hard to see the facial features though. But he could tell at least whomever this guy was had blond hair that looked to be on the longer sides.
"So yeah, like lemme get my thoughts straight here, cause oh boy I don't know how on earth I am going to think straight tonight," the man chuckled nervously. "But oh! Let me start with my name. Yeah that would be a smart choice, don't you think? My name is Demyx, and I am going to be the musician of the night."
Zexion's mouth dropped open, feeling something uneasy sinking into his gut. He couldn't even begin to process what he had just heard. Had he even heard it right? Was it true that his soulmate was right up there about to play live music for the night?
This was happening. It was all real. It had to be. There was no way that it was just some joke. Soulmate stuff was not a thing that could be messed with and while Zexion knew he should have been excited, he couldn't help but feel a prickle of panic in his chest.
This was how he was to meet his soulmate. In a bar as his soulmate performed live music all because Zexion was lamenting over meeting his soulmate so he went out to get a drink for the night. All of it felt too soon and too out there for Zexion to wrap his head around despite being the man of science and analysis that he was.
Without even realizing it he turned around and headed to the exit door, thankful that this restaurant exited out the back and not the front. If he would have had to walk out the front and pass by the stage, he was sure he would have died by that point. This was just too much for him to handle. He wasn't ready for this, not so soon at least.
So without looking back he pushed the door open and ran out, not sticking around to hear if his soulmate really was that good of a musician. All of his thoughts were crashing and he just needed to get away from here. He needed proper fresh air and he managed to run all the way to the small park in the center of town before he lost his breath.
Bending over he placed his hands on his knees and took in deep breaths. Now he was starting to feel more sick than he was before, but thankfully he managed to control the sickening feeling inside of him before it became too drastic.
"How could I be so cowardly? Why did I have to run?" Zexion ran his hand through his hair, frantically trying to find a way to calm himself down. "I am such an utter idiot. I need to go back… I need… I can't. There is no possible way I can show my face after running away like that."
With no energy left within his heart, he turned towards the direction of his house and started to trudge home. There was nothing left in him that could make him turn around and head back to the bar. He could not find any confidence within him to say that he deserved to go back there and meet his soulmate. He couldn't even imagine if they would still be there and all.
Overall it was just one entire crappy night that was going to haunt him for the rest of his days. Though he kept thinking he should go back, he could not fight himself enough to actually do it. His own shame and humiliation surged much higher than the rest and he couldn't bring himself to go and face his soulmate.
But as he approached his house he started down at his wrist. Pulling back the sleeve again he stared at the name that was written there. Demyx. If he didn't go to meet his soulmate right as the name appeared, was he ever going to see them again? He hadn't looked into it before so he had no idea if there were such circumstances. Was it just a one time meeting or would he inevitably keep running into them cause they were destined to be together? How did those variables work?
With his head swirling with new thoughts he stumbled through the front door and made it to the couch before he collapsed. Feeling utterly disgusted he had no further effort to undress himself or even make it to his bedroom. Completely burnt out to follow his usual organized routine, he slowly started to drift off right on the couch.
The phone was ringing and ringing and finally Zexion had enough consciousness to get up and answer it. He stumbled his way to the kitchen before he actually picked it up, but at least he had managed that far. "Hello?"
"Yo! Zexion! How you feeling?" Axel asked him from the other side of the line.
"And why do you ask?" Zexion grumbled, feeling not in the mood to be polite.
"Cause I'm your friend? Seriously, you feeling okay?"
"Just a long and tiresome night, that is all. Nothing that needs to be given any concern."
He could hear Axel sighing from the other end. "Fine fine, you be stubborn like that. But Saïx and I were wondering if you wanted to join us for a night out tonight. Maybe it'll help get your mind off of you know what."
Going out? Like what he tried to do last night? No thank you, no thank you at all. There was still a chance of running into his soulmate, though it was fairly unlikely. But there was always a chance, especially if there was something much deeper with how soulmates worked. Zexion still had yet to dig into new research methods, but he had the constant fear of having to run into his soulmate.
If his soulmate and him were fated to be together, it seemed just likely that they had to meet again if they already hadn't. But what would happen if they did meet again? Would Demyx be happy or disappointed in Zexion for ditching him? He still felt so unsure about Demyx though in the first place. He was destined for his soulmate to be some up and coming goofy musician type?
None of it was adding up in his head. None of it seemed to make any logical sense to him and it was giving him a headache by this point.
"Yo! Zexion you still there man? Don't tell me you hung up!"
"Axel… I don't think going out would be good for me right now," Zexion finally answered.
"No no I think it's just what you need. Saïx agrees that you really just need to get out of the house. We'll come and pick you up at 6:30pm, okay? No objections or excuses! Okay byeeee!"
"Axel wait! Don't you dare hang-"
He heard the line click off before he could even finish. Of course Axel would do that to him. And of course Zexion knew once Axel had a plan, there would be no way to avoid it. Even if he tried locking himself down in the basement Axel would come down to drag him out by his ankles. When Axel had a plan… he was always too determined to let it go. Worst of all Saïx would just let Axel get away with these sneaky ideas of his. Always saying that there is nothing that he could do and it was better to just let Axel have his fun in the end.
There was the thought of running out to someplace else, but no doubt Axel would still find him. The last thing Zexion needed was to be tracked down by one of his very energetic and adamant friends. If he were caught by Axel in public, it would be just as embarrassing as the event of last night.
There would be no escaping no matter the excuse. No new start of an experiment could convince Axel that Zexion would rather stay home. But maybe if he just explained his reasoning for not wanting to go out that could maybe persuade him to listen.
"Oh what am I thinking…" Zexion sighed with exasperation as he flopped down into the nearby chair. "This is Axel we are talking about. There's no point to even resist…"
Now all he had left to do was to plan for the inevitable. But at least in the meantime he could freshen himself up, considering he did crash on the couch at night rather than doing his usual nighttime routine.
Maybe if he were just to freshen himself up he could feel a little better about himself and the whole soulmate situation. "A hot shower should do the trick… Yes, that should help clear the fog from my mind and into the bathroom."
Though the day was still early, time seemed to fly away until it was evening. Zexion had buried himself in his notes and research though, which usually led the hours to passing by much quicker. Without even realizing it he heard the doorbell ring several times.
Sighing he got up and put on his jacket, making sure the sleeves were not wrinkled or folded up to show his wrist. Though even under the jacket he had decided to wear a long sleeve shirt to further hide what was now his shame.
Opening the door he saw Axel and Saïx standing there, and though he knew that they were coming he was still tempted to close the door and stay locked up in the house all night. But before he could even try, Axel held the door and pushed it open all the way. "Okay buddy. Time to go and have a nice night out. Let's get going!"
"Wait a moment! You didn't even tell me where you would be taking me! I am not about to be kidnapped without knowing just where I am being taken," Zexion protested as he crossed his arm.
"We wanted to do something fun, so we were thinking of grabbing some grub first and then heading to the bowling alley. Maybe do some laser tag as well," Axel answered.
"Isn't it a bit hard for only three people to play laser tag?"
"Eh we could always join another party or just every man for himself. It'll be fun, now come on I'm hungry!" Axel said as he started to pull Zexion by his arm.
As Axel pulled him along, he stared at Saïx who was walking alongside them. "Aren't you going to stop him?"
Saïx shook his head. "I have no control over Axel, even if I am married to him. Best to just let him do what he wants."
Zexion groaned, there it was. Exactly what he knew Saïx would say to him. "You're really no help."
Saïx just smirked. "I only help when I deem it necessary."
"Completely useless…" Zexion sighed knowing this conversation was all too predictable.
With no way to break from his capture, Zexion let Axel pull him along to the car and made sure that he sat inside. Zexion stared out the window as he watched the car pull out of the driveway and on to the road. He tried his best to focus on the passing scenery, hoping to keep his to keep his mind fixed on something else other than the plaguing thoughts of his soulmate. It was still there, itching at the back of his mind, and already he found himself holding on to his wrist, trying to conceal it even though it was already covered by his jacket and shirt.
The last thing he wanted was for Axel and Saïx to find out the truth. If they found out that his soulmate had finally been revealed, they would be all over him. Most likely it would all be Axel asking the questions, but Saïx would no doubt add something to the conversation. It would be completely disastrous. A horrid and dreadful conversation no doubt with the two of them questioning his reasonings. His mistake and his stupid and unfortunate choice he had made… he was not ready to relive it and have to explain himself.
Thankfully neither seemed to notice his worried expression, either that or they chose not to question it. At least not yet as far as he could assume. Zexion could only hope it would stay that way.
Eventually they arrived at a small diner, a huge relief for Zexion that it was not the very bar that had caused all of his new stress. A small diner he could manage, a place that was just a family gathering place and had no live musicians coming in to shake everything up in his mind. It would be nothing but a peaceful dinner among his friends.
The three stepped out of the car and headed into the diner and right away were led to their booth. Zexion thought he was going to sit on his own side with Axel and Saïx on the other but right away Axel scooted in next to Zexion, closing him in the booth with no escape if there was ever the need.
The hostess handed out the menus and smiled. "Your waiter will be with you shortly."
Zexion started to look over the menu when he heard Axel clear his throat. "Yo Zexion, you going to keep your jacket on?"
"Huh? O-Oh… I suppose not…" Zexion muttered as he slowly removed his jacket, careful not to pull his sleeve up in the process. "Now… Why are you sitting on this side? Wouldn't would rather… you know… be on the same side as Saïx?"
"Yeah I like that, but we did that last time. Now I want to sit across and stare without having to twist my neck so much," Axel replied. He chuckled before reaching out to take hold of Saïx's hands, giving a warm smile to follow.
Zexion groaned, knowing he would have to deal with their public displays of affection throughout the night. It was not going to help him get away from his thought of his own soulmate, but there was nothing he could do and he was not one to chastise his friends for being themselves.
Humming softly to himself he read over the menu, trying to figure out what made him feel hungry to eat. As he searched over the menu he paid no attention to the waiter that was approaching the table. His mind was already too focused to really pay attention to who was coming closer.
Not like it mattered anyways.
"Hey! My name's Demyx, and I'll be your waiter for tonight!"
Zexion felt every nerve in his body freeze up as if he had been thrown out into a frozen wasteland. He couldn't bear to remove his eyes from the menu to look up at the man standing at the edge of the table. Though despite his effort to not look, he could see him vaguely within his peripheral vision, and that made it all the more tempting to look.
But no, he couldn't.
He couldn't bring himself to stare at the man who was destined to be his soulmate, not after what he had done. He wasn't even sure if Demyx had even seen what he looked like. If he did he sure wasn't saying anything. But that made everything feel all the more nerve wracking.
Finally, knowing common courtesy was the best choice, Zexion carefully looked up from his menu to stare at the young man who was to be the waiter of the table. Now up close he could finally get a good look at his destined soulmate.
He was in fact a blond, though it was a dirtier blond color than he originally thought. Though what he did not expect was to see the hair was long, styled like a mullet, and pulled back neatly into a ponytail. Probably some restaurant dress code or something else, but it did make him stand out a little. He was even wearing long sleeves, no doubt covering up the name on his wrist, just like he was doing.
But then Zexion stared at his eyes, soft and easy going eyes that were a wondrous light turquoise. They seemed to give a friendly air about him, something that Zexion never had the chance to discover beforehand.
"So can I start you guys off with anything to drink or maybe some appetizers? Or you guys need some time?" Demyx asked, snapping Zexion from staring at him any further.
Zexion swallowed as he tried to think. He had to figure out how to get out of the situation and fast. Excusing himself right then and there would be too suspicious. No doubt everyone would question his sudden impulse to leave, but if he left there was a high chance that his name would be mentioned by his friends and then he knew it would be over.
Zexion listened as Axel and Saïx gave what drinks they wanted and then all eyes were on him. His throat seemed to swell up, feeling as dry as a bone, which he almost thought was ironic since he was trying to order a drink.
"Um I'll just stick with water." Zexion pushed his words as fast as he could and he could only hope they didn't run together too much.
"All right," Demyx said as he wrote everything down on his paper. "One peach ice tea, a coke, and just a water. Got it. I'll be back with everything shortly!"
Demyx turned and left the table and Zexion finally sighed once he was out of the way. But now he had an impending feeling of doom sinking. Sooner or later his name would no doubt be mentioned when Demyx was near and then he would be caught.
He had to get out. He just needed to leave and forget this ever happened. His soulmate was here. Here of all places! Was it all just a coincidence or was it once again fate of the soulmates? Zexion had no thought to try and decipher it, not now at least. Right now he wanted to leave.
"Axel, can you please move out? I think I need to leave."
"What? But we just got here," Axel stated as he furrowed his brows at Zexion. "Whoa dude, you're looking a little pale. You need to use the bathroom or something?"
"No I just need to go. Just let me-"
Demyx came back with the tray of drinks and set them down. Right after he offered a friendly smile. "All right, now do you guys have any food you want to order yet? Appetizers or anything?"
"No!" Zexion shouted suddenly. "I mean no not yet, I think we still need some time."
Axel and Saïx glanced to Zexion and looked ready to say something, but Zexion wasn't going to take any chances. "We will be ready probably in a little bit, okay? We'll be fine for now."
Demyx tilted his head to the side, looking a little confused. "Uh if you say so. I'll be back then, just take your time."
When Demyx was out of sight again Zexion felt like he was going to explode. His heart was racing and he couldn't find a way to control it. He needed for Axel to move but he didn't want to budge.
"Zexion, are you sure that you're okay?"
"Shh!" Zexion hushed him. "Just let me leave okay? Just say that something came up. Something like… like…"
Before he could find an excuse Saïx reached over and snatached Zexion's left wrist. He glared deeply with his eyes deeply searching for the answers behind the behavior he was seeing. Then without a single word he pushed back Zexion's sleeve, revealing the name that was on his wrist.
Zexion wanted to scream but thankfully he had enough awareness to know that was the worst possible thing to do. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself more so than he already did. But now he had to resist all urges to scream to yell at Saïx for doing what he did.
"I knew it," Saïx stated simply, not seeming to care how angry Zexion looked.
Zexion gritted his teeth and yanked his wrist back, but now it was all too late. Both Axel and Saïx had seen the name on his wrist now and they were looking for the answers. They were going to expect him to tell the truth and there was no way of getting away from anything. He couldn't even begin to figure out what excuse he could make up. Sure he could say just now his wrist started to burn, but he knew that wouldn't work because Demyx had not reacted. There was no other conceivable way to try and pass it off otherwise unless he could try and make them believe there was some other Demyx out there somewhere.
"Zexion… is there something you want to tell us?" Saïx prodded.
"Uh yes… well I mean that I… this was…"
"It clearly couldn't have happened just now otherwise our waiter would have been freaking out as badly as you were. So…" Axel leaned over Zexion, making his escape all the more harder. "You wanna tell us when this happened? Cause there isn't a whole lot of time where it could have since we last saw you."
"Nothing happened," Zexion stated without even considering what it was that he said.
"How about you try that again, cause the name on your wrist says otherwise," Saïx stated.
"Fine!" Zexion huffed, not trying to be interrogated at a diner, but he did make sure to lower his voice. "Last night I went out to clear my head. I went to a small bar and all… they had a live music night and… he was there. I don't know what I was thinking… but I panicked and I ran off. I left before he could even see me properly."
"You… ran off!?" Axel shouted in a hushed voice. "You ran from your soulmate? Zexion after all your talks about soulmates and how-"
"I know! I know okay? I feel like a complete ass. I just didn't know what to do, I saw him there and I was nervous and I didn't want to face him. I don't know what came over me and I don't know if I can face him now."
"Well clearly he never saw you last night, so he had no idea who you are. So maybe you can-" Axel started to say but Zexion didn't let him finish.
"No I can't! I can't let him know… he probably already hates me cause I ran out on him. If I tell him who I am-"
"It's better than hurting him even more," Saïx interrupted. "If you avoid this confrontation you'll only sour his thoughts on soulmates further than before. He may be hurting for all we know but if you can fix it right away and explain yourself you can still get through it."
"Can I even fix it? Fix a stupid mistake I made on a horrid ill decision?"
"As I said if you explain yourself I am sure Demyx will understand. He seems fairly reasonable afterall."
"But are we just going to do it here and now? While he is on the clock? What if something bad happens?"
"When soulmates meet, they are not always perfect meetings. Sometimes they are a bit chaotic, but you have to face them if you want to make it work."
"Yeah, what Saïx said. We'll be here for you though, got it memorized?" Axel asked, pointing a finger to his forehead.
Zexion lowered his head. He really honestly wasn't too sure about any of this, but his friends were there beside him. Even if he didn't fully trust their methods on how they would go about this, they were here to support him. Even if everything went to hell, he knew he could rely on his friends to be there to help him through it.
"Fine… just don't over do anything… okay?"
"We'll do whatever we can," Axel replied as he offered a smile that Zexion knew was supposed to be reassuring, but he still felt very uneasy. "Besides he seems like he's a good type for you. Easy on the eyes and-ow!"
Axel pouted as he stared at Saïx who gave a cold stare. "I was saying easy on the eyes for Zexion! Not me! Why would I betray your beautiful eyes?"
"Only making sure," Saïx replied perhaps a little slyly. "Can't have you hitting on Zexion's little soulmate now can we?"
"Who would have thought it though? A part time musician, part time waiter for our little science buddy?"
"Truly the most unique pairing I've seen yet."
"If you guys are going to talk about me and my soulmate while I am sitting right here can you a least include me?" Zexion huffed before he crossed his arms.
"Yeah yeah, we will totally include you once we get to the fun part of this. You know once we get past the awkward introductions and-ow! Hey! What was that one for!?"
"Don't make him stress anymore than he already is," Saïx replied.
"A little late for that…" Zexion muttered under his breath.
"Just take a breath, Zexion. You will get through this, neither you nor your soulmate are bad people. We can work it all out, we just need a little cooperation from you, all right?" Saïx asked.
"Fine… Whatever. Just don't let Axel ruin everything cause I know he'll just say something stupid."
"Hey…" Axel frowned.
"Zexion's right," Saïx agreed. "So Axel… please let me do the talking?"
"You don't trust me? What happened to the 'best to just let him do what he wants' part?"
"I said I would only help when necessary, and this is when it is necessary. You and how you choose to word things will only make it worse."
Axel groaned but he didn't complain any further. He knew when Saïx was right, even if he didn't want to agree to it. Zexion on the other hand slumped back against the booth thankful for that as he kept an eye out for where Demyx could be.
Eventually Demyx did come back, holding up his notepad as he did before. "So are we ready to order?"
"Yes, but first there is something else that I must ask," Saïx said. He gestured over to Zexion. "My friend here was a bit jittery before if you noticed. He's not much of a people person and gets easily nervous under pressures of certain situations."
"Oh um, okay? It's no big deal, we get a lot of people here that act weird or nervous or whatever," Demyx replied, looking a little confused.
"He is only nervous like this because he saw you again. The first time, he found himself unable to do anything."
"First time…?" Demyx still looked confused but he turned to Zexion and offered a friendly smile. "Well there's no reason to be afraid of me! I'm probably the friendliest guy you'll ever meet."
Zexion wanted to sink back further into the seat, but sadly he could not. He knew what Saïx was doing, and he hated being put in the spotlight of it all. It made him far more nervous than before and now he only dreaded how Saïx was going to bring up the entire soulmates thing for him knowing he could never do it himself.
"Come now, Zexion," Saïx said gently. "No need to keep being shy."
Zexion could only watch with fear as Demyx's eyes widened. "Wait a min… did you say Z-Zexion?"
"I think it would be best if he answered that for himself," Saïx replied as he looked over to Zexion, waiting for his answer.
Breathing in, Zexion tried to gather as much air as possible. He wasn't sure how well he could breathe, especially with the wide and worried eyes Demyx was giving him. How badly was Demyx hurt from the prior night? Was he more hurt than angry? Or was it possibly both? There was no real way of telling just from one expression, what he had to do was speak and find out for himself.
"Yeah…" Zexion whispered. "Th-That's me… I'm sorry that I-"
"Did you know I was working here?" Demyx asked suddenly.
"What? No, I had no idea… my friends just dragged me here to get me out of the slump I was in."
"So you just happened to choose this place of all places?" Demyx asked as he tried to chuckle lightly, but there was something already breaking in his voice. "It's like probably some hidden magic s-soulmate connection right? That you just happened to come here when I was working?"
"That's what I would assume…"
"Oh boy…" Demyx sighed wearily. "I… I'm going to need a minute. I mean I gotta tell my boss. Uh could we talk if I can? Or something?"
Zexion nodded, he tried to say something but he no longer found any words to be left in him. Demyx wasn't angry at him, not yet at least. But he seemed so uncertain and worried and it only made Zexion feel worse inside. He had no idea how much this could have affected Demyx, not like this. He had only assumed that Demyx would be annoyed or angry, not wary and hurt.
Watching Demyx walk off, presumably going to find his boss, Zexion wrapped his arms around himself. Though before he could drown himself in his worries he felt Axel place a hand on his shoulder. "Hey you got this man. You're doing great."
"But now what do I do? What do I say to him?"
"That's for you to figure out. We can't really tell you what to say to your soulmate, that is for you to figure out," Saïx answered. "We will step outside to give you two some space."
"Wait you're just going to leave me to deal with this?!"
"Zexion, you're a grown adult. You don't need us to watch over you and your soulmate talking things through," Axel said. "Would be kind of weird otherwise."
"We trust in your judgment, Zexion," Saïx said as he slowly started to stand up. "You will get through it."
Zexion didn't say anything else as he watched the two of them walk off to another part of the restaurant. Now left alone he started to fiddle with the napkins on the table, tearing them slowly into little pieces.
He jumped slightly when he heard someone clear their throat. Of course he looked and saw it was Demyx standing there awkwardly. "Um, can I sit down? Is that okay?"
"Yeah… it's fine."
"Okay… good. That's easy at least…" Demyx said as he sat across from Zexion at the booth. "Can I see your wrist? I just gotta check you aren't messing with me or anything."
Without even saying a word Zexion pushed up his sleeve and displayed the name on the wrist. Carefully Demyx reached out and held Zexion's wrist, running his thumb gently over his own name. His touch was so light, so gentle, Zexion barely felt it at all. But at the same time he shuddered at the soft sensation.
"Zexion," Demyx whispered before he let go and pushed up his own sleeve, revealing the name that was expected to be there. "So this is real then… I mean you and me. Us. Here and whatever else."
"Yup… Demyx," Zexion let out a long sigh before he found the strength to look his soulmate in the eyes. "I'm terribly sorry I ran away last night. I had been fretting over soulmate stuff for months on end and I was stressed. I thought a night out in town could clear my head. And then…"
"Then out of all the places you go to clear your head about soulmates, you end up in the exact place you meet your soulmate, right?" Demyx finished, chuckling lightly at the end.
"Yes. Exactly that. I know it makes me seem foolish or a coward, but-"
"No buts! I totally get it, I'm just glad it wasn't that you hated me."
Zexion gasped as Demyx reached forward and laced his fingers with his own. He stared with wide eyes until he was finally able to pull himself from shock. "I never would… why would you think I'd hate you?"
"Cause I'm just some no name goofy musician who works at the diner the rest of the time. I'm no one special."
Shaking his head, Zexion placed his other hand on top of Demyx's. "That's not true. You are my soulmate and that means you are special to me. But really… you'll just forgive me after what I did as of last night?"
"Yeah why wouldn't I? We're soulmates and that means we got some understanding. I know it takes more to get to know each other, but I can already tell you're a great guy."
"Thank you Demyx…" Zexion muttered, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "I wish I had stayed to hear your music last night, I am sure you are wonderful."
There was a slight red hue that dusted Demyx's cheeks. "Thanks… I didn't play last night though. Got too caught up in wondering where you were and stuff… but hey now that you are here, I can finally sing you the song I wrote."
"You wrote me a song?" Zexion asked, a little surprised by the response.
"Of course! I gotta make wondrous songs dedicated to my one and only soulmate."
"Wait you mean to say you'll sing it right here in front of all the other people?" Zexion asked, feeling his own embarrassment burn his cheeks.
"Of course! I wanted to make a big first impression and what better way than announcing to everyone I found my soulmate and then singing a special song I wrote for them," Demyx chuckled. "Surely no one's ever done that before."
"And you mean to say you have your guitar with you at the ready?"
Demyx laughed what Zexion could only describe as an adorable laugh. "Yeah! A musician has always got to be prepared! Now you just sit here and I'll give you the things I've been thinking for years."
Demyx jumped up from his spot and ran off somewhere before Zexion could even say anything more. This time he was going to stay put though, even if he could only imagine how embarrassed he would be after. His soulmate was about to sing to him… to serenade him… and he had yet to actually hear if Demyx could sing or not. But of course Zexion knew better to give him the benefit of the doubt. Demyx had gotten the gig at the bar anyways and he was sure the bar didn't just pick up anyone without hearing them play first.
The music playing softly in the ceiling speakers cut off and there was a bit of static before Zexion could hear a voice. "Hi uh everyone. Sorry for the interruption."
"He's announcing this to the entire restaurant!?"
"So like I finally met my soulmate tonight, here in this diner, and I really want to make this moment special…" Demyx paused as various people across the diner started to cheer and clap. Zexion could even hear the loud and obnoxious cheers and whistling coming from Axel. Zexion dared not to look towards him yet. He knew that if he were to look at him or even Saïx he would be met with their smug teasing faces.
"So like I'm going to go over to him and give him this very special song," Demyx said as he finally finished.
The speaker cut off and now there was silence. Holding his breath, Zexion waited until Demyx came back over to him. He had his guitar in his arms now and was smiling brighter than ever. "Zexion… I dedicate this special song to you."
Demyx opened his mouth and right away Zexion felt enamored by the melodic voice that followed. Beautifully passionate and delicately somber all at the same time, Demyx's tone was unexpected, but nonetheless gorgeous. From the goofy and energetic way Demyx had talked before, Zexion never would have expected such an easy going singing voice. But he took it all in as he listened more carefully to the lyrics, falling in love with every word. Demyx truly was a master of the musical craft and the thought of being embarrassed in front of an entire restaurant was gone from Zexion's mind.
This was his soulmate. His one and only soulmate he was destined to be with, and he finally understood the feelings he had been trying to decipher for years. There was no need to analyze or research anything further, from here on out he would do what he normally never thought was possible for himself; he would listen to his heart. But all of the fears he had been harboring for so long were now gone, now was just curiosity and wonder of what was to come.