Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts… but I have every intention of owning the next two games, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts: Coded when they are released this winter!
Joh: And since when did you find out about their release dates?
Jessie: Since I happened to stumble across a bunch of extremely informative interviews/websites last night
Joh: …Wow, Jessie…
Jessie: Yup.
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXX
XXX
X
Is there really any easy way to go about telling your best friend of who-knows-how-many-years that you're head over heels in love with them?
Anyone? Anyone at all?
No, I didn't think so.
Honestly, I don't understand just how the hell Zexion expects me to march on up to Sora and confess my feelings to him. What am I supposed to say? "Hey there, Sora, lovely day we're having, isn't it? Oh, and by the way, I've been having rather erotic sexual fantasies about you since the beginning of junior high. I hope you're cool with that. Wanna spend study hall together?"
Yeah, that's not awkward.
And it's not as if it were intentional, you know. God only knows how utterly inconvenient it was for me to fall for Sora--Sora of all people!
I mean, hello—Roxas' number one arch-nemesis, right here.
I can't believe he's still holding that grudge from the time I broke his and Sora's stupid sandcastle. How much more immature can you get?
Hah… The Castle That Never Was… I've got to admit, Zexion always did have a gift for coming up with the wittiest names for the perfect circumstances.
But… Sora and I… we've had some pretty wild times together. Not the kind of "wild" I fantasize about (just about every night), but awesome enough. Like the time his family invited me to stay with them at Sora's cousin Rikku's house in Destiny Islands, and he brought me to the play island. Geez, some of the games we came up with back then… I don't think I'd ever smiled so much in my life before Sora.
You see, my family isn't exactly the "loving" kind. Zexion was never exactly the most amiable big brother there's ever been; I hope at least that much is obvious. Then there's Paine. There's nothing wrong with her... by my family's terms. She's always out—or, on the rare occasion she is home, she locks herself up in her bedroom and gets tied up with one of her religious three-way phone calls with Rikku and Yuna until deep into odd hours of the morning when no living soul should be up.
And trust me; you do not want to interrupt her phone calls.
There was this one time when I was twelve, and… well, it involved a hairdryer, a girdle, a bag of tiddlywinks and a hell of a lot of screaming--but yeah; I guess you probably don't want to hear about that. Believe you me, it was gruesome.
And as if my siblings aren't enough trouble (or, lack thereof) my parents are the constantly-traveling-for-work kind, so they're almost never around—never were. They put Paine in charge as soon as she turned eighteen; after that they were absent more than ever.
I've never really blamed them for being absent so much. On the rare occasion when they are home for a few days, they set aside that time to catch up with us. And when they're off on their business trips, it's not as if they never call; they make sure to check up on us on a weekly basis.
I know they love us—they just made the decision to work constantly in order to be sure that they make the money they need to guarantee that their kids will always be able to afford the best of everything; y'know, like the best education, the best clothes, the best and latest technology…
And I am damn jealous of Zexion; I can't believe they bought him a fucking Mercedes Benz for his nineteenth birthday! And just because he wanted to wait another year after they offered him one for his eighteenth birthday; hell, I would've waited until my nineteenth birthday if I knew I could've gotten a Mercedes; and now I'm stuck with my Maybach…
Eh, but I guess I shouldn't complain… at least I have my own car. The twins have to share the car they got for their birthday; the plus side there is that Sora hardly ever drives, seeing as he's prone to being teased about the rather touchy subject of his having to retake his driving exam five times before he passed if he so much as glances at the steering wheel.
And damn if it wasn't fun to tease Sora with being able to both drive and own such a nice car for the year I had on him before he got his license (fifth time's the charm).
…Sora…
Alright, so the first four years of my life as a child were admittedly lonely.
So what? I've got Sora now, and that's what matters. Funny, cheerful, wonderful, beautiful Sora Strife.
What more could I possibly want?
X
XXX
XXXXX
XXXXXXXXX
▪▫ ∫Chapter Three∫ ▫▪
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXX
XXX
X
Hot.
Everything was just so god damn hot--the very air felt as though it was scalding, and pressed down on him from all sides. And meanwhile, he felt as though he himself was burning up…
But nothing compared to the heat of Demyx's mouth pressing wet open mouthed kisses to his chest.
"D-Demyx…ngh--w-wha…?" Zexion managed to gasp before he was silenced when those lips moved up from where they were busy littering his collar bone with loving nips and kisses to meet his own.
Zexion's mind spun wildly as barely coherent thoughts flashed in his head, and his state of mind was reflected in his body as he shuddered helplessly beneath the blonde, unable to move as he was overwhelmed with sensation. Really--how could he ever have expected to wake up to such unexpected minstrations from his blonde best friend?
A soft groan escaped his lips when Demyx's mouth left his, and his eyes fluttered open—when did they close?—to gaze into Demyx's smiling ocean eyes, half lidded in a lusty haze.
"Zexion…" the musician murmured in that melodious voice of his as he reached out to sweep his roommate's bangs from his eyes—blushing adorably and looking pleased with himself when he glimpsed both of Zexion's eyes before his long hair fell back into place.
Demyx shakily placed both of his hands on either side of Zexion, pushing himself off and of the scholar's body with an alluring grace he never knew Demyx capable of before arching his back so that their hips grinded together.
Zexion hissed sharply at the nearly painful pleasure and his fingers fisted in the bed sheets—his grip only tightening when Demyx let out a delicious moan as well.
He squirmed slightly when Demyx's slender fingers began trailing his down his sides playfully; the strange contrast of the smooth sensation of Demyx's fingers as opposed to his calloused fingertips sending thrills up his spine.
One of Demyx's wandering hands suddenly snatched out to grab Zexion's wrist, and with a flush the blonde placed his friend's trembling fingers at his lips to take them into his mouth, licking at them languidly. Azure orbs were hidden from view as Demyx lowered his eyes in a vain attempt to will his blush away.
"Demyx, wha--?" Zexion tried again but once more trailed off, his eyes dilating slightly as he experienced the incredibly intense heat of Demyx's mouth once more, along with the more-than-slightly erotic show Demyx was putting on for him.
So it was no wonder than he was completely oblivious as to the whereabouts of Demyx's other hand.
That is, until he felt those same, roguish fingers wrap around his arousal.
The incoherent thoughts that had been jumbling erratically in his head stopped abruptly as pleasure crashed over him like a wave, and he threw his head back as he bit his lip, fighting back a groan as Demyx began to slide his fingers up and down. The last thing Zexion wanted to do was arouse the suspicion of their neighbors in the next dorm over, which could possibly lead to the interruption of this midnight surprise.
The moan managed to escape, however, along with a shocked, broken sounding "Demyx!" when the blonde brought the fingers he had previously been sucking on to the small of his back—slowly trailing them lower and lower, until--
"N-ngh, Z-Zexi…ahhn," Demyx breathed, his breath hitching painfully as he impaled himself on Zexion's fingers, somehow managing to continue pumping his hand at his chosen rhythm, which grew constantly faster, his expression changing to one of pain when he lifted himself before sliding back down. It only took three or four more repeats of this action before Demyx suddenly shivered, his eyes clouding in ecstasy as he hastened to repeat the action, moaning Zexion's name like a mantra
And then everything started spinning, and Zexion could only close his eyes and shudder as everything suddenly grew faster, faster, fasterfasterfaster--
X X X
Zexion woke with a name on his lips, sitting up sharply only to find himself drenched in a cold sweat, shrouded in a silence that was absolutely deafening when compared to the dream that he'd just been having.
Closing his eyes, he forced himself to take a deep breath and hold it in, waiting a good few seconds before shakily letting it out.
He managed to catch his breath quickly after that, and when he had, he let his face drop into his hands, glancing from the corner of his eye to catch a blurry glimpse of the time.
2:14
Great, so now he was already having one of those problems not even one week into the school year?
Damn it.
Zexion cast his wary, albeit tired gaze across the room; relief flooding over him like a wave when he saw Demyx's still figure sprawled across his bed—and now that his heart was no longer pounding in his ears, he could make out Demyx's soft breathing, deep and even in sleep, in the nighttime quiet.
Shakily, he pushed himself up and out of bed and onto his feet, where he was forced to pause as a shudder ran along his spine.
He bit his lip in a rare moment of hesitation as he glanced between the bathroom door and the sleeping blonde before he let out a soft sigh upon coming to a decision, praying that the sound of the shower wouldn't wake his roommate as he shuffled through his dresser drawer for a clean set of sleepwear.
He was almost certain it wouldn't, however--seeing as he had to practically shove his best friend out of bed after he was finished with the bathroom in the morning on a daily basis.
Silently, Zexion opened and closed the door, setting his new clothes aside on the bathroom counter before turning to the shower.
And again he paused as he realized that he had to come to yet another decision--this one much harder than the last.
For a full three agonizing minutes the bluenette stood there, regarding the showerhead resting on the wall above the bathtub grimly before at last bending down to turn the water all the way to cold.
It wouldn't do, he figured as he stepped beneath the stream—shivering violently at the sensation of the frigid water on his hot skin, to feel guilty every time he saw Demyx that day for having fantasized about him in the shower that very morning.
Zexion closed his eyes and abruptly lashed out at the tile wall with a fist, relishing the brief, distracting pain that shot up his arm.
"Demyx… Demyx…"
X X X
"The hell have you two been?" Roxas greeted as Sora and Riku at last completed the group at their usual table.
Fifteen minutes late.
"And what the fuck happened to you, Riku? Sorry to disappoint you, but the wet tee-shirt competition isn't until June," Axel drawled, grinning wickedly from where he balanced precariously on the back two legs of his chair.
"Shut up, Axel," Riku snapped, flushing angrily when Sora fell into a fit of hysterics beside his best friend.
"We're running late because Sora deemed it a great day to be a bitch to wake up. After trying for five minutes straight, I gave up on him for the time being and decided to jump into the shower first. So I finish getting dressed, and just as I'm about to open the door to leave, Sora comes bolting in looking for me, and pushes me into the bathtub--which, of course, is still wet. We were already running late, so I had no time to change. My wearing a white tee-shirt was completely unintentional, I assure you," Riku explained in a poisonous tone, sending a glower to Sora's twin when he realized that Roxas was nearly crying with the effort of containing his laughter by the time he was done.
"'m sorry, Riku," Sora said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he grinned nervously at his silver-haired friend in hopes of placating him.
"Sora, you've apologized fifteen times already--"
"--No, that was sixteen," Sora put in helpfully.
"…Okay, sixteen times already; and for the sixteenth time, its fine—its just water, it'll dry," Riku replied, offering the brunette one of his infamous smiles.
"Aw, thanks Riku; you're the best friend anyone could ever ask for!" Sora bubbled, throwing his arms around Riku in a dramatic embrace before plopping down beside his twin grinning.
Riku flushed.
Zexion smirked.
Roxas twitched.
Sora remained oblivious as ever, having already started a lively conversation with an amused Axel.
"Good morning, Roxas!"
Roxas glanced over his shoulder to see who it was who'd greeted him.
"Oh, hey there, Olette," he replied, returning her smile before shifting his chair so that he could more easily face her.
The remaining occupants of the table stopped whatever it was they were in the midst of to see the newcomer. They were rewarded with the view of a sweet-looking brunette girl dressed in an orange tank top printed with white flowers and beige cargo pants.
"Hey, Rox, who's this?" Sora asked, ever eager to make new friends. Roxas' eyes darted to his twin before coming to rest once more on Olette.
"This is Olette…ah,
"Gullwing," she finished pleasantly.
"Right—sorry 'bout that—Olette Gullwing. She's in some of my AP's," he explained before gesturing vaguely to Sora.
"Olette, this is Sora, my twin brother I was telling you about," he started, blinking in surprise when she leant suddenly closer, examining his features thoroughly before glancing back curiously at his brother.
"It's definitely the eyes," she confirmed, bringing smiles to both Sora's and Roxas' faces (widening, in Sora's case).
"That's what they all say," Sora laughed, crossing his arms behind his head easily.
"Anyway, that's Axel, my roommate," Roxas said, nodding towards the redhead. Axel nodded once in acknowledgement, but said nothing more as he averted his suddenly cool gaze. Zexion and Demyx exchanged mildly surprised glances; it wasn't like the pyromaniac not to make a show when meeting new people.
Roxas seemed to sense this as well, despite only having known the junior for a week, but continued on with his introductions, albeit with a look of slight bemusement.
"Ah—right, the pompous, wet jerk across from me is Riku--he's Zexion's younger brother (that's Zexion right over there). And finally, that's Demyx, my cousin, self-proclaimed master sitarist," he finished, blatantly ignoring the indignant glare Riku was busy boring into his back.
"You wouldn't happen to have an older sister named Yuna, would you?" Zexion piped up abruptly. All at once, the angered expression on Riku's features was replaced with one of recognition. The small brunette looked slightly taken aback, but nodded nonetheless.
"Uh—yes, I do actually. How do you know my sis?" Olette asked curiously, absentmindedly brushing back a stray lock of hair.
"I do believe Yuna is well acquainted with our older sister, Paine," Zexion replied with a small smile.
"Oh, Paine? Right, so you're… 'kay, that would make a lot of sense," Olette agreed with a giggle.
"Geez, Olette! You said you were just gonna stop by that kid's table for a sec to say hi—not that you were gonna ditch us for them."
Olette sighed playfully as she turned to face the sporty-looking boy who had walked up behind her to make the accusation.
"Can't you be patient for five minutes, Hayner?" she asked exasperatedly, looking more amused than irritated.
"Psh—five minutes; please, it's been more like five years," he shot back, but his eyes were twinkling with good humor.
"I'm sorry, Olette--I tried to stop him, but it was no use. You know how he gets when he's not constantly included," a second, plumper boy informed her from where he stood behind the now-scowling "Hayner," grinning broadly.
"Hiya, Hayner!" Sora exclaimed brightly, having looked up upon recognizing his classmate's name.
Hayner's gaze traveled from his giggling friends to the beaming Strife, and his eyes softened.
"Heeey, Sora! What's up, man?" Hayner asked, taking in the faces that surrounded his new friend.
"Not much—we're just about to grab a bite to eat all together before classes start," Sora informed the dirty-blonde teen before his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Oh yeah! I wanna to introduce you to my brother, Roxas," Sora began; the younger twin looking up as his name was brought up into the conversation.
"Hey Rox, this guy's the biggest die-hard Struggle fan I know aside from you," Sora said, his eager grin only broadening at his brother's eyes lit up in a way they only did when his favorite sport was brought up into a conversation.
"Do you play?" Roxas demanded, leaning forward intently.
"Does he ever; it's all he ever talks about," the second friend scoffed.
"That's a lie, and you know it, Pence; I also happen to obsess over video games," Hayner corrected smugly, looking pleased with himself at the chance to stand up for himself. Pence merely shook his head at Hayner's antics, grinning.
"C'mon, Olette, let's go already—the café's gonna run out of bagels if we don't leave soon," Hayner whined suddenly upon turning on the girl, shuffling impatiently.
Olette made a face at Hayner before sending one last apologetic glance toward Roxas and his friends.
"I've gotta go for now--I'll see you around, Roxas," she smiled before hurrying off after Hayner and Pence, who had already wandered off towards their favorite café.
"What's this—is our little Roxas actually making friends on his own?" Sora teased, leaning forward to rest his chin on the palm of his hand as he regarded his twin. The slight smile that had managed to play on Roxas' lips throughout the conversation was immediately replaced with his usual scowl as he glared at his older brother.
"Shut up," he deadpanned, slumping forward to rest his head on his folded arms, yet his eyes flicked towards his unusually quiet roommate. He seemed to wage a ten second internal struggle with himself, before letting out a loud, exasperated breath and lifting his head to fully look towards Axel.
"What's with you, Axel? Just now… that wasn't like you," he mumbled, gazing at the junior with an emotion that, had it been anyone else, would undoubtedly be classified as something akin to concern.
Axel turned his head to stare at Roxas, obviously taken aback at the blonde's, albeit mild, expression of concern.
"I-it's nothing, Roxy, just forget it," Axel hastened to stammer, offering the blonde a (pleasantly) surprised grin.
"Is someone perhaps feeling a tad jealous, Axel?" Zexion murmured, lifting a hand to lazily hide his growing smile. Axel sent an icy stare towards his fellow junior for a long moment, before the corners of his lips curled into a knowing smirk of his own.
"No more than you are of MarMar whenever he's around our darling Waterboy, Zexy," Axel countered just as quietly, a smirk quirking the corners of his mouth upwards at the way Zexion's eyes widened a near imperceptible fraction.
"…And you've known this for how long, exactly?" Zexion managed at last, but only after a good few seconds had passed in which he had seemed to be at a loss for words before regaining his composure.
"Ha! Are you kidding me? Since the first time I saw you with Dem, when he was introducing us; the eyes are known as the windows of the soul, you know," Axel purred. Zexion's intense gaze hardened further with each word that left Axel's lips.
"If you tell anyone, Axel--"
"Zexion, what happened to your hand?" Demyx asked suddenly, snatching Zexion's wrist before the bluenette could even react so that he could bring it closer to his face to further examine it. Zexion's breath caught on the sharp gasp that he very narrowly managed to catch as said love interest suddenly broke into his and Axel's conversation.
"It's nothing, Demyx," Zexion hastened to reply as he pulled his wrist back from the musician's grasp, flinching when he realized he'd sounded more forceful than he would have liked and Demyx's concerned expression turned to one of slight hurt.
"But your knuckles are all bruised…" the blonde trailed off, his eyes flickering briefly between Zexion's injured hand and face. Zexion sighed silently, a small reluctant smile coming to his lips as he gazed at Demyx.
"It's really nothing, Dem. It's just the result of a mishap in the shower this morning; I… knocked my hand against the wall. It was a rather idiotic blunder on my part, and it's really nothing for you to worry about," he chastised softly, reached forward to bop the musician playfully on the nose.
"So stop worrying, okay?" he asked, his usual blasé expression taking over his features once more as he pulled back—however his eyes remained sincere as he continued to look expectantly at his best friend.
"Oh, all right Zexy--but I'm only getting off your case because I know you're so responsible," Demyx replied lightheartedly, winking at Zexion before turning his focus to coming to a mildly panicked Sora's aid and trying to pull him out of the midst of whatever argument Roxas and Riku had fallen into within the last few minutes when his attention had been elsewhere.
Zexion continued to stare absentmindedly at the sitarist for the following few minutes, tensing in surprise when he felt a poke at his waist. He glanced to his side, only to frown at an amused-looking Axel.
"What?"
"There you go again," Axel sang softly yet gleefully.
But to the redheaded junior's disappointment, he was not, in fact, rewarded with the expected flush of embarrassment or angry retort –perhaps a two-in-one package if he was lucky– but a blank stare.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Zexion asked tonelessly, already loosing interest in whatever conversation Axel had apparently hoped to engage him in and bending down to retrieve the book he was currently reading from his bag which rested neatly by his feet.
"…You do know that you get this distant look in your eye whenever you look at your little songbird, right?"
A slow, disbelieving smirk rose to Axel's lips as Zexion froze, his book halfway out of his bag.
"Well, now that I've seemed to have enlightened you as to the existence of your little habit, I do hope you'll find the time to catch a glimpse of your eyes in the mirror the next time it happens--so that you'll be able to see just how sickeningly obvious it is that you're in love with him when one's looking in the right place," Axel finished pleasantly before hoisting himself from his seat with a languid stretch that caught everyone's attention.
"So, anyone got the time?" Axel asked jokingly even as he sent the expected glance toward the eldest Nomura sitting beside him—yet Zexion remained silent, staring off into space.
"Yo… Zexion!" Axel tried again, nudging the stock-still scholar softly; narrowed jade orbs eyeing him with what appeared to the untrained eye to be mild concern.
"The time..? Oh--sorry; it's… it's five after nine just now; we'd best be getting on our way," Zexion managed with only the slightest tremor evident in his voice, bending down quickly to hastily pack his book (which was still sticking halfway out) the rest of the way into his bag before closing it and slipping his pack onto his shoulder.
As everyone at the table followed suit and began suggesting possibilities for lunch that day, Zexion turned away from the table, closing his eyes and breathing deeply as he willed his composure to return to him.
However, he was brought out of his desperate reverie when a familiar hand—the strange contrast of the smooth sensation of Demyx's fingers as opposed to his calloused fingertips sent tingles up his sides—caught his wrist and gently turned him until he came face to face with concerned azure eyes—half lidded in a lusty haze—which regarded him anxiously.
"Are you sure you're alright, Zexion? And don't lie--I'm serious," Demyx added to his question as an afterthought, having been caught off guard with Zexion's behavior this morning. There had been before with his irate snapping (which, if it ever occurred, was usually reserved for Riku) and Zexion was stunning the blonde for a second time with the surprisingly genuine disturbed expression he wore now. That was twice in one day already, and it was only nine 'o six in the morning.
Really, Zexion couldn't possibly get any more out of character.
"What did I tell you already, Demyx? Look-- I'll be alright, I promise; I'm just having an off day, is all," Zexion replied, his features automatically schooling themselves into a mildly exasperated expression at the reiterated question.
Demyx continued to look at Zexion anxiously but gave a reluctant nod despite himself to show that he accepted Zexion's word before tearing his eyes away as he moved to sidle past Sora to retrieve his bag from where he'd stowed it under his chair.
Once ready to go, Demyx hurried back over to where Zexion stood, motioning impatiently for his friend to follow.
"C'mon, Zexy—we've got English together now," Demyx said excitedly, tugging briefly on the Nomura's long sleeve before starting off in the direction of said class.
Zexion caught up to the mulleted blonde and easily fell into stride with him, nodding absently every so often as the musician chattered away about some new favorite song of his he was working on or another.
They came upon their destination (room 555) more quickly than they expected; to the point where Zexion had to physically pull his friend to a stop when he continued to keep walking, rambling on incessantly. Demyx let out an undignified squawk of surprise as he nearly fell.
"Geez, Zexy, why'd you sto—"
"Demyx. We're here," Zexion interrupted smoothly before turning to open the door.
A rare smile quirked the corners of the slate-haired student's mouth upwards as his eyes met a familiar, kind gaze.
"Good morning, Lexeaus," Zexion greeted softly, approaching the professor.
"Hello, Zexion. It's good to see you again after all this time," the man replied quietly yet affectionately; his soft voice contrasting dramatically with his extremely large stature.
Demyx's greeting, on the other hand, was much more dramatic; for upon sighting just who it was that would be teaching his favorite academic class for the year, the easily-excited teenager launched himself at the gentle giant with an ecstatic cry of "Lexy!"
Lexeaus' small smile grew slightly as he caught the blonde with ease, offering him a soft, affectionate squeeze.
"It's good to see you too, Demyx," he chuckled, smiling fondly at the slender teen who, as soon as he was released, bounded back into the classroom to take a seat, motioning eagerly for Zexion to follow suit.
Zexion lifted a hand slightly in response, alerting the blonde that he would be over momentarily.
"Do correct me if I'm wrong, but is what I heard about a mishap concerning Hayner's English schedule true?" Zexion asked, a hint of amusement lacing his words. Lexeaus' initial response was a mere groan and a hand coming to cover his eyes wearily.
"Zexion, I'm not quite sure just what it was I did to deserve this," he replied jadedly, earning a soft chuckle from the student.
"Zexy!"
Both Lexeaus and Zexion looked up at the impatient cry; only to see Demyx waving madly at Zexion to come sit down beside him.
Lexeaus permitted a small smirk to spread across his lips as he watched Zexion shake his head exasperatedly at his best friend's childish behavior before moving to take a step forward.
Zexion blinked and paused, however, when a large hand clasped his shoulder.
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that no—you have not, in fact, confessed to Demyx yet, have you?" Lexeaus murmured into his ear conspiratorially. At these blunt words Zexion's lips parted in shock, and he whirled on the smirking brunette, staring at him disbelievingly as a deep flush rose to his cheeks.
"I thought that that specific subject was one which we promised not to speak of on school campus, Lexeaus," Zexion ground out between gritted teeth.
Lexeaus merely smiled knowingly.
"That was nearly three years ago, Zexion--and before I realized that you did not intend to take control of your own love life," he replied slowly, his eyebrows drawing together into a faint frown.
"Lexeaus," Zexion hissed, his tone not unlike venom.
Satisfied he had successfully pushed Zexion to the extent of his patience, Lexeaus' almost playful demeanor changed almost instantaneously to one that reflected his natural peacefulness.
"Now get to your seat, Mr. Nomura—class is about to start, and I don't think that Mr. Mizu can bear the absence of your presence any longer," the teacher said smoothly, tactfully changing the subject as he gently patting Zexion the shoulder before shoeing him away so that he could start the class.
Fuming, Zexion stalked to his seat from the front of the room; dropping his books onto the surface of the desk beside Demyx a little more loudly than he would have on any other given day before taking a seat.
"Sooo? How was reminiscing with Lexy?" Demyx pressed, curious as to what his two friends had been talking about for so long.
"It was marvelous," Zexion replied flatly, angling his head slightly so that his face was obscured from the blonde's point of view as he vented by the means of sending the tabletop a withering glare.
Boy, if looks could kill…
"Good morning, students," Lexeaus began; and although he was only just heard over the casual chatter in the room, he managed to gather everyone's attention at once.
"I'd like to start by welcoming you all to AP English. Since today is our first class, I thought it would be best if we were to spend the class time we have today discussing this year's curriculum and introduce the selected book for the first quarter of this year's study," Lexeaus he continued, a small smile playing on his lips as he glanced about easily.
As the brunette teacher went on, Zexion found himself stealing subtle, sidelong glances at the blonde beside him, sitting upright and eagerly in his seat now that he was to be in his best academic subject for the next fifty minutes.
Confess to Demyx… just like that? Please. Didn't Lexeaus –Lexeaus of all people– know just how much the musician meant to him? Didn't he realize, in the heartbreaking event that Demyx did not take the news lightly, what he would lose?
X X X
"Can you actually believe this, Zexy? Out of all the books in the whole wide world, out of all the plays William Shakespeare ever wrote, Lexy--"
"--Professor Leonheart, Demyx, Professor Leonheart--"
"--Chose my absolute favorite, A Midsummer Night's Dream?" Demyx rambled right on excitedly, as if he hadn't been interrupted.
"Maybe he did it for me!" Demyx suggested with a giggle. Zexion resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and chose to send the musician an amused glance.
"…Maybe," he settled on at last, in response to those hopeful ocean eyes staring his way. Demyx offered him one of the brightest grins he could muster before launching into song (some strange rendition of The Nightmare Before Christmas' "What's This?") as they walked, thereby ending that train of conversation.
Zexion let out a slow sigh, sending an icy stare to anyone whose eyes lingered on the odd couple (his eyes softened the slightest bit at the wistful thought of people considering them a couple) walking down the hallway; the silent, serious student walking in step with the happy-go-lucky blonde musician.
They came to a stop at Zexion's classroom door and bid each other goodbye, Demyx wishing him luck in his elective—some AP physics class or another with Professor Cid Highwind, infamous for his longwinded speeches filled chock full of expletives and all round gruff manner.
In a rare moment of expression, Zexion let out a despairing groan before disappearing through the door.
"Good morning, Demyx," a soft voice spoke up pleasantly as Demyx lingered by the door his best friend had gone through, and he turned his head to see Naminé smiling at him, her ever-present sketchbook clutched to her chest protectively.
"Hey there, Nam, what's up?" he grinned, fingers unconsciously fiddling with the dangling wire of his headphones.
"Nothing much…I was just heading to the art studio for my elective," she replied softly.
"That's cool. I've got…uh…" here the blonde musician paused abruptly, offering an apologetic smile as he hastened to retrieve his folded schedule from his pants pocket.
"Wait for it…" he laughed sheepishly (earning a light giggle from Naminé) as he nimbly unfolded the already-battered itinerary and scanned it before his features brightened in recognition.
"Well, it looks like we're headed to the same place," he informed the petite blonde as he folded his schedule once more, slipping it back into his pocket before they slipped into a comfortable pace.
"I really hope that we have a nice teacher this year," Naminé said anxiously, turning her innocent blue gaze to the older artist.
"A nice teach… oh, trust me on this one; you won't worry about that. I actually signed up for this specific art period for the teacher—Miss Gainsborough is really nice. I've had her for the past two years, and she's my absolute favorite teacher of all. You won't find anyone nicer than her," Demyx reassured the girl earnestly. Naminé looked somewhat taken aback at Demyx's ardent ramble (but to be fair, Demyx's rambles had that affect on anyone, seeing as the sitarist had the uncanny ability to chatter on for a ridiculously long time without stopping to breathe—much like Sora), but her kind smile quickly returned.
"Thank you, Demyx…you always know just what to say," Naminé murmured, reaching out to gently touch Demyx's wrist. Demyx laughed at that and returned the gesture with a one-armed hug. He was about to reply when, out of the blue, he was abruptly shoved backwards--very nearly tumbling to the ground. But he was back upright in a flash; held up by the collar by an angry, scowling Seifer.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing cuddling with Naminé, asshole?" Seifer growled, accompanied with Rai's customary "Yeah, ya know?" and Fuu's icy gaze.
"Seifer, no! Leave Demyx alone, we were just walking to class together! We have the same art class this period!" Naminé protested, sketchbook falling to the floor as she pushed Seifer away with surprising strength for a girl of her slight physique.
Sending one last, irritated glare towards a pale Demyx, he reluctantly relinquished his grasp on the mulleted blonde—but not without one, last bruising shove to his chest which sent him stumbling to the side.
"You keep your filthy hands offa my little sister, you hear?" he grumbled, striding off in the opposite direction that the pair had been heading.
"Demyx, I'm so, so sorry—are you okay?" Naminé asked in a panicked voice, rushing over to where the dazed musician leaned against the wall for support, small hands batting away his hands that covered his throat and inspecting him for any possible damage.
"'m fine," Demyx managed to get out between coughs and, to Naminé's bewilderment, the abused teen began laughing feebly as he bent over to retrieve Naminé's fallen sketchbook to hand back to her.
"And you don't have to apologize--I suppose it just never occurred to me that even I, the cowardly artist who is renowned to run away at the mere mention of a fight, could possibly be considered a threat to you, thereby setting your protective older brother on my case," he continued good-naturedly, patting Naminé gently on the shoulder before tilting his head towards the direction that he had been heading.
"Come on, or we'll be late for class," he grinned, still absentmindedly fingering his bruised throat.
Naminé remained frozen for a good few seconds after Demyx had turned and continued on down the hall, blue eyes wide with bewilderment as she let out a soft, incredulous laugh and followed after him, feet pattering quietly behind him.
They hurried to the classroom, well aware that they were now at least five minutes late due to their run-in with Seifer, but chatted amiably all the while, the incident already in the back of their minds.
When they pushed through the doors to the studio at last, a gentle-looking brunette woman stopped addressing the students already seated in the room.
"Good morning Demyx, Naminé," Aerith greeted pleasantly, gesturing for the two to take the two empty seats at the far end of the long table the students sat at. Upon their doing so, she marked off their attendance on a clipboard before continuing the discussion of the criteria necessary for the students to pass the course this year--"although I have absolutely no doubts about that," she added, her words laced with laughter.
When she was finished speaking, she handed each student a large folder to keep smaller assignments in which they could use the remainder of the period to decorate in any way they wished. As friendly chatter started up in the room –the kind teacher always allowed her students to chat and walk around as they worked (so long as they weren't too noisy) believing that such contact could only help their creative flows– Aerith approached where Demyx and Naminé sat side by side.
The next thing they knew however, Aerith had gone from smiling genially at the both of them, opening her mouth to say something to placing her hands gingerly on Demyx's neck, looking positively horrified.
"Demyx, what on earth happened?" Aerith gasped, utterly aghast as she leant over and tugged Demyx's collar slightly further down as her naturally maternal instincts took over.
"Oh, that. That would be the reason for our being late," Demyx replied sheepishly, but he made no move to stop Aerith. Anyone who knew the compassionate woman had learned long ago that it was not wise to stand in the way of Aerith's mother-henish impulses.
"Please don't tell me that this is the result of your brother's brutish temper lashing out at Demy again," Aerith sighed as she glanced towards Naminé; a cute pout overtaking her visage at Naminé's responding flush of embarrassment.
"I really wish he wasn't quite so…so…" Naminé struggled to find the right word.
"Over aggressive when it comes to you?" Demyx offered helpfully, nonchalantly fixing his shirt when Aerith released her attentive grip on him at last. Naminé's blush only deepened at his cheerful accuracy, but she nodded.
With a soft hum of agreement, Aerith pulled away, absentmindedly toying with a stray lock of hair, still studying Demyx intently.
"Well, I'd send you to the nurse if I wasn't so sure that you were going to be okay myself, Demyx. So I advise you to use the rest of class time to finish up our current assignment--you too, Naminé," Aerith finished, offering them a soft smile before bidding them goodbye before wandering off to speak with another group of students.
"So do you have any ideas of what theme you're going to do for your year-long project?" Naminé asked curiously, reaching into her small canvas bag to retrieve a brand new pack of colored pencils.
"Mmm… nah, not yet," Demyx mumbled distractedly; already fully focused on blending the hues of blue and green pastels he'd added to the picture of the ocean he'd sketched out in light pencil on his folder. Naminé smiled to herself at the unusual display of quiet coming from the older blonde before quickly turning her attention to her own sketch.
Demyx gave a sudden start (which startled Naminé as well) when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He offered her an apologetic glance as he placed aside his pastel, wiping his azure-tinted fingers on his pants before slipping his hand into his pocket to retrieve his battered cell phone. He deftly flipped it open to find that he had one new text message. Naminé looked back up from her drawing –which was definitely beginning to resemble a group of people– just in time to catch the wry grin that crossed Demyx's face.
"Who is it?" Naminé questioned, leaning forward to prop her chin on her elbow.
"Axel. He's whining about how boring Greek history with Professor Hades is," Demyx chuckled just as his phone vibrated a second time. He opened the latest message before he burst out laughing.
"Never mind, he's changed his mind. Apparently, it's hilarious to see how much he picks on the guy sitting next to him—remember Herc? He's an absolute god when it comes to Greek mythology, and it's a known fact that Professor Hades can't stand it when his students do well—or Hercules, for that matter," Demyx explained happily as he nimbly plugged in a response and set his mobile to the side in favor of continuing his picture.
The rest of the period passed very quickly after that (Demyx replying back to Axel's sporadic text messages every so often), and so it took the better part of five minutes for Demyx to register that everyone save an amused Aerith and Naminé had left the studio to go to lunch.
"Well you coulda told me," Demyx laughed as he slung his bag over his shoulder and hastened toward where Naminé waited patiently by the door, but not before bidding Aerith goodbye. Almost immediately, however, they were bombarded by two familiar freshman girls, who each immediately latched onto Naminé's shoulders respectively.
"Naminé, we've been looking all over for you!" Olette smiled, shaking the bewildered girl slightly for emphasis.
"Yeah, where've you be--" Selphie began loudly, but upon noticing Demyx her focus quickly changed and she squealed as she threw her arms around the sitarist instead.
"Demy-bear!" she gushed, gaining several bemused looks from passing students. The looks were admittedly far and few between, however, as for the most part her eccentricities were ignored. After all, the popular brunette was infamous for her happy-go-lucky attitude and consistent, (frighteningly) high energy level.
"Hey, Selph," Demyx replied cheerily, squeezing the girl gently before prying out of her grip somewhat (so that she merely held custody of his arm).
"Naminé, you said that you would meet up with us for lunch—and here you are planning to ditch us for the school's most popular musician!" Olette admonished playfully.
"That's right! Didja forget already, or were you just trying to worm your way out of our little deal?" Selphie teased, grinning madly at the slender blonde.
"Whatcha guys need Naminé for?" Demyx asked curiously, glancing towards Naminé for some sort of explanation. His curiosity was only piqued further when, upon catching said artist's eye questioningly, she flushed a becoming shade of pink and clutched her drawings closer to her chest. It seemed that Demyx wasn't the only one to have noticed her reaction, for immediately Selphie and Olette quickly turned their undivided attention to Naminé once more.
"Ooh, ooh, ohh—didja start the new doujin yet?"
"Can you show us?"
"No? That's okay too, so long as you can show us some samples!"
"G-guys, not here, okay?!" Naminé squeaked embarrassedly, their excited clamoring only causing her to flush even deeper, if possible.
Demyx watched in amused bafflement as a protesting Naminé was swiftly dragged off with cheery goodbyes from Olette and Selphie, while their blonde hostage only just managed to get out a hasty apology and farewell to Demyx between pleads to be released before they disappeared.
"Well, well, well—what do we have here?"
"Why, it looks like Demyx, all by himself, MarMar."
Demyx only had time to glance about in recognition of the voice before two arms snaked about his waist, pulling him backwards against a lean chest.
"Our DemDem? All alone in the hallway? This is a first, Larxy," Marluxia gasped dramatically, winking flirtatiously at the now-laughing musician; giving him one last squeeze before relinquishing him from his grasp.
"Hey Marly, Larxene," Demyx greeted, swaying slightly on the balls of his feet without anything else to do (he didn't mind that his friends all teased his inability to stay still--he couldn't help that he was restless).
"Aw, did lil' Demy-wemy get lowst?" Larxene smirked, one hand on her waist as she leered at the mulleted teen.
"Hey--that only happened once, okay?"
"Only once, hmm? Then why do I seem to recall it happening three times, Demy darling?" Larxene drawled, her smirk turning smug as Demyx seemingly made the split-second decision to ignore the heat that now rushed to his cheeks.
"…In any case, I was just on my way to meet up with the rest of the guys… and I haven't been alone a long time—I was just walking with Naminé. But then Olette and Selphie stole her not twenty seconds ago, and that was when you two showed up," Demyx explained easily, his blush gradually ebbing away as he entered into more casual conversation with the roommates.
"You tend to spend an awful lot of time around my baby sister whenever she's around, Waterboy," Larxene pointed out--and although her tone was casual, the predatory gleam in her eye said otherwise.
"Yeah—she's really sweet," Demyx grinned, shrugging easily. Satisfied that the blonde teen still did not harbor any indecent thoughts towards her sister, Larxene quickly lost interest in their current topic of discussion. She was about to begin a new rant entirely when Marluxia abruptly glanced up from where he was meticulously braiding a stray strand of his cotton candy hair.
"Wait…did you say that Selphie and Olette stole her away from you?" he began slowly. Demyx blinked and frowned slightly.
"Yeah—they mentioned something about a new doujin that she was supposed to have started--why are you laughing maniacally at me?" Demyx asked quickly when Larxene let out a harsh shriek of laughter at the explanation that quickly grew into a fit of hysterical laughter that had the two juniors stumbling over to the nearest wall for support.
"N-nothing t-t-to worry your pretty little head over, De-DemDem; it doesn't involve y-you," Marluxia managed to gasp, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye (ever careful not to smudge his eyeliner) and biting a fist to stifle his laughter.
"Oh contraire, MarMar--but doesn't it?" Larxene shot back gleefully; her response only setting the two off once more.
"Ah, the joys of artistic ability," Marluxia concluded merrily, his and Larxene's hysterical giggles at last fading to appreciative chuckles. Abruptly Larxene slung an arm around an unsuspecting Demyx's shoulders with a pleased sigh.
"…Why do I get the feeling that there's something that involves me that I'd probably be best off not knowing although I'm not aware of it?" Demyx asked slowly, jumping slightly at Larxene's bark of laughter at his (most likely accurate) analysis of the situation.
"Oh, Demyx, I absolutely love knowing that I'll always be able to trust you to make my whole day worthwhile with just one of your incy, wincy, adorably naïve comments," Larxene leered before swaggering back over to her pink-haired roommate.
"C'mon, Marly, let's go spook some freshmen," Larxene cackled, slipping her arm into Marluxia's before they started down the hallway.
"Buh-bye, DemDem," Marluxia called cheerily over his shoulder, wriggling his fingers in a girlish manner before turning to exchange a smirk with Larxene.
Demyx continued to stare after them for another few seconds before shaking his head, deciding right then and there that it probably wasn't worth getting into, and continuing on his way to the main doors to the cafeteria, exchanging a friendly wave or smile every so often.
After his latest encounter, he barely even blinked when a familiar, lanky, bangle-covered arm slipped around his neck and pulled him into a playful headlock; he did, however, squirm out of a laughing Axel's grasp when the redhead attempted to give him a noogie.
"Geez man, where've you been? Axel complained loudly, already dragging his blonde friend around the final corner he would have had to walk around to catch sight of the large doors to the cafeteria.
"Sorry, Axel—I sorta didn't realize that class ended (I was in art). Then I kinda got held up by Selphie and Olette…then Larx 'n Marly," Demyx explained, running his fingers through his hair.
Immediately Axel let out a soft "ahh" of understanding, apparently deeming Demyx's excuse as valid.
"Yeah, that last pair together, that's a sight to behold," Axel agreed.
"So what were they terrorizing you about this time?" he continued conversationally.
"Um, well…I didn't exactly get it, and, uh…to be honest, nor do I think I want to," Demyx replied nervously, absently rubbing the nape of his neck. Axel threw back his head and laughed raucously before punching Demyx lightly in the arm.
"Meh, it was prob'ly nothin'. Just be happy that as of now, we've finished our last classes of the day—no, week! Now c'mon, I'm starving!" Axel declared, starting down the hall to lead to where their friends were waiting.
"Axel, you're always hungry--and yet, you're still a twig," Demyx snorted, shaking his head incredulously. The expected frown crossed Axel's face.
"Shut. Up." Axel groaned, tucking his arms tightly across his chest self-consciously and sending a glower (pout) towards Demyx when the mulleted teen couldn't entirely cover up a giggle with a cough.
The redhead inevitably brightened, however, upon catching sight of another familiar head of messy blonde hair.
"Roxy!"
The freshman jumped at the shrill exclamation of his new nickname, and although he visibly stifled a pained sigh, he didn't say anything.
"Hello, Axel," he replied dryly, though his standard frown lightened slightly. His angry expression returned full force however (as well a small tick in his right eye), when Axel pushed his luck and threw an arm around his shoulders amiably.
A few seconds later found the redhead clutching his shin and looking up incredulously at the irate freshman.
"Roxy, what was that for? I missed you!" Axel moaned dejectedly from his spot on the floor, offering Roxas his best kicked-puppy expression.
"Moron—you were only gone for what, two minutes?" Roxas grumbled, but nevertheless offered a reluctant hand which the pyromaniac took rather enthusiastically for someone who had just been kicked by said assistant.
"So what are we gonna do now?" Sora piped up, fidgeting excitedly where he stood next to a much calmer Riku.
"I believe that now is a good opportunity to show you around the area surrounding the campus," Zexion cut in smoothly over Axel's responding whines of "foooood!" Sora immediately latched onto the idea with vigor.
"Ooh, can we, guys? Can we?" Sora begged, looking about with wide, eager eyes. Everyone but Axel gave their assent, and the cinnamon haired ball of energy looked up imploringly at the redhead.
Axel placed his hands firmly on his waist and gazed back unwaveringly at Sora, determined to win this contest.
In the end, the pyromaniac achieved a new record of resisting Sora's infamous puppy-eyes before his resolve crumbled.
A mind-blowing fifteen seconds.
"Now that just wasn't fair," Axel complained loudly as they made their way to their respective vehicles in the campus parking lot. Sora said nothing, he merely sent a dazzling, grateful beam in his direction, which the junior couldn't help but return with a reluctant smile of his own.
"Give it up, Axel—Sora's just waaay too lovable to stay mad at," Demyx laughed, his statement backed up by numerous nods of agreement.
"Then I suppose that's it's just another trait that happens to run in the family," Axel sighed helplessly, grinning as he slipped an arm around Demyx's shoulders and pulled him close into a half-embrace.
"And don't you forget it," Demyx winked playfully, slipping an arm around Axel's waist in keeping up with their playful façade. Axel merely grinned as he shot a smug glance over his shoulder where Zexion followed behind them with Riku.
Zexion didn't meet Axel's teasing, emerald gaze; in fact, it appeared as though he hadn't even noticed it. The only clue that he hadn't was how his grip on the strap of his bag tightened dangerously—to the point where his knuckles had gone white.
"Awright, so how're we gonna split up, now?" Axel asked bluntly, releasing his hold on Demyx to glance about as he blatantly ignored the expected impromptu stare-down between Riku and Roxas. Both instinctively reached out to the brunette situated the both of them.
Sora, however, had other plans—for Riku and Roxas were left looking stunned with their outstretched hands in the air as Sora unexpectedly launched himself behind a nonchalant Zexion.
"So it's settled, then, I suppose," Zexion sighed, absently patting Sora's head from where the boy stuck it out from where he stood in the safe haven that was Zexion's personal bubble.
'Cause, y'know, no one wants to mess with the entity that is Zexion's Bubble.
"Sora and Demyx will come with me--Axel, you take Riku and Roxas."
Zexion's order was met with violent opposition from the later group, but it was Axel's furious response that spoke for the three of them.
"Heyheyhey—no way, man; it's kinda fucking obvious that Goldilocks and Silver here aren't exactly compatible, and there's absolutely no way that I'm letting them near my baby in the company of one another," Axel shot back, crossing his arms angrily.
"Besides, you have room for one more—why not take Riku and leave me with Roxy?"
"Because. Demyx's and Sora's hereditary energy levels are a well-known factor. Combined, they are more like the equivalent of four passengers. And I dare you to say otherwise," Zexion replied coolly, already turning towards his silver Mercedes Benz, followed by Demyx (barely surprising his hysterical giggles) and Sora (occasionally sending pitying glances back towards the huffy pyromaniac).
Axel opened his mouth and closed it, glowering when he realized that indeed, it was a lost cause to fight Zexion's logic.
Fuckity biscuits.
X X X
The door to Sora and Riku's dorm slammed open, signaling the group's return to the campus for the rest of the night.
"Ohmigawd you guys, that was so much fun—we should, like, do that every Friday night for the rest of, of forever!" Sora gushed excitedly, his bright blue eyes shining as though he thought it to be one of his most brilliant ideas (much like the time during which he was planning the details of the Moogle Incident –capital M, capital I– but we do not speak of that).
The remainder of the group, however, let out a collective groan as they settled themselves.
"How about never again?" Roxas groaned as he made a beeline to his brother's bed, flopping down dramatically and sprawling out into a comfortable position.
"This is all Riku's fault," Roxas declared bluntly. Riku lifted his head from where he had collapsed onto his own bed.
"I honestly can't figure out how even you came to that conclusion, Roxas. It was all Axel this time," he replied wearily.
"It kinda was…" Demyx agreed, brushing his dampened, haphazard looking hair out of his eyes (it had finally lost the will to stay up after the gel had been washed out when Sora had accidentally knocked the both of them into the stone Moogle fountain on their way back from the parking lot).
"I'm certain that I have absolutely no idea of what you're talking about," Axel replied with a cheeky grin that immediately gave him away.
"Bullshit," Riku deadpanned, his expression becoming one of weary acceptance when Sora threw himself on top of his best friend with a delighted giggle.
"I'd have to agree with my brother; I can't even begin to remember just how many times we told you that Sora and sugar do not mix well together--especially without consequence," Zexion affirmed, crossing his arms in a slightly sullen manner.
"And it didn't even end there—then you just had to go and buy him that second cup of Starbucks after the three consecutive sea salt ice cream bars," Roxas groaned, draping an arm over his eyes as though doing so could block out the memory of the past few hours spent with his sugar/caffeine-high twin brother.
"Seriously Axel, you've gotta be careful! If you keep spending your own money on him like you did tonight, you're gonna be broke before you know it. Believe me, I know. This one weekend, my aunt and uncle had me stay over at their house for two days to watch Sora while they took Cloud and Roxas somewhere, and they left us, like one hundred dollars for food, and one hundred more dollars in case of an emergency. I think that's when he discovered the true extent of his begging abilities, because when his parents came back, it was all gone. That's when I was banned from babysitting Sora for an extended period of time if Roxas wasn't there, too," Demyx recounted sagely.
"But you saw his puppy-dog eyes for yourself. For fuck's sake, the cuteness actually burns," Axel insisted.
"You just need to learn to get past them and say 'no' Axel," Zexion reprimanded.
"Psh—like you guys have never fallen victim to the Puppy-Dog Eyes of Doom," Axel retorted sarcastically.
And here, everyone (save a knowing-looking Demyx and a happily oblivious Sora) either coughed, mumbled something unintelligible yet refused to meet Axel's accusing emerald gaze, or didn't say anything at all.
"You're gonna spoil him rotten, Axel; even more so than he already is," Roxas concluded, trying to sound reproachful even while he fought to keep a reluctant smile at bay as Sora suddenly launched himself across the room in an attempt to tackle an unsuspecting redhead to the ground.
Unfortunately for Sora, the pyromaniac was in fact much better built than one would first suspect. Axel easily caught the giggling ball of energy that hurtled toward him and effectively caught both of the freshman's wrists in one hand before using the other to tickle his ribs mercilessly.
It took another five (rather entertaining) minutes filled with Sora's hysterical peals of laughter and pleas for mercy before Axel and the rest of the room's occupants were satisfied that Sora wouldn't abuse the use of his not-so-secret weapon for a good long time. By that point, however, the small brunette had burned the remainder of his sugar-induced energy rush so thoroughly that the poor boy collapsed into an exhausted heap the moment he reached his bed (and onto a disgruntled, yet simultaneously amused Roxas).
The still-conscious students had a good laugh (or, in Zexion's case, a reluctant grin) at that before bidding each other good night and departing for their respectful dorms.
But of course, not before assigning Axel the responsibility of the wreck they knew Sora would be tomorrow after such a crash.
XXXXXXXXX
Jessie: Oh, the joys of being responsible for sugar high buddies…
Joh: But you know all about that, don't you, Jessie?
Jessie: Shudders
Joh: That's what she gets for the being the older and thereby more mature sister…
Jessie: Sighs Indeed…you're lucky I love you and all our (sugar loving) friends so much…
Joh: Yes. Yes we are.
Jessie: Mhmm… So, I hope you enjoyed the update! Don't hesitate to suggest what further madness you might like to see! Right—now I'm off to continue working on my other (much-neglected) KH multi-chapter fic.
xGothicxSerenityx: Thank you for the review (attempt)! I hate when that happens…
Mitsuru Aki: This is one of your favorite stories? Fer serious? Man, do I feel loved! And as for awkward moments in the dorm room? Yeeeah…they've, ah, somewhat started at this point. If you couldn't tell. And don't you worry, Cloud and Leon will appear soon. That I can assure you. After all, I've already started working on the chapter where they come into play. I'm so glad you enjoy my characterizations—I do strive to do my absolute best in making them work as best they can in this scenario—and I hope you continue to enjoy my story!
Kiki Lelsissia: Sweetie, if I had everyone's favorite Berserker as a teacher…I'm not quite sure what I'd do with myself. Probably attempt to suck-up to him as subtly as possible, seeing as he doesn't permit them in his class. Prof. Lexy would be AMAZING. I'd go to him for extra help…like…all the time. The same goes for Luxord (and yes, his betting-pool win). And the "Ducky" nickname is a play on a true story. Someone I know had a British professor who always called him "Ducky." It was the hair that convinced me that Lexy and Hayner had to be related, y'know. And yes…we do know those most questionable circumstances Zexion happens to feel like pretending don't exist. When, really, they most definitely do. Thanks for your lovely review!
Demon's sinner: That's such a lovely comment—you really don't know how wonderful your review made me feel! And I hope the wait wasn't all too long for you; it takes a while to complete these long chapters.
Kaoru Gal: Yes, you always find ways to make me laugh. And I'm so thrilled that you love my writing skills! I LOVE YOU!
Sleeping Rain: I'm so glad you're enjoying this story thus far, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you seemed to like the first. Thanks for your review!
Please Review