x-CD Store Romance
2: Fun Times

How do anyone's eyes get so green? Was his first thought. Understandably enough, the second was something along the lines of you sound retarded, asking yourself something like that. Real deep, Roxas. He flushed and wished he could duck behind the nearest shelves. He would have, if it hadn't seemed so rude, and if the man hadn't kept looking at him with that look in those eyes…

Axel laughed a little under his breath, as though he'd heard his thoughts; the new boy blushed red again.

"So you're Roxas?" A hand stuck itself under his nose – quickly looking up in shock he realised it was offered by the flame-haired man, and grabbed quickly to shake it before it was withdrawn.

"Yeah. Mr. Iglesias offered-"

"It's Demyx. Never call me 'Mister Iglesias' – God, I need a name change." The chocolate-haired man interrupted dramatically, scowling.

"Drama queen." Axel scowled right back and gave a brief, encouraging glance to Roxas.

Roxas took the hint, and continued gratefully. "He offered me a job, well, I had to apply first of course, but he asked if I really wanted the job and I said yes and we walked out of the office and he said something that I didn't quite catch about 'x's or something-"

"All-righty, that's enough," the X Music owner announced, straightening his black coat self-importantly. "Can't be around talking all day, ol' chaps."

The last comment earned a glare from Larxene, who'd snuck around behind the new kid and now threw her arms around his neck gleefully. "'Chaps'? You mean as in 'all male'? And who, pray tell me, were you referring to, Demyx my effeminate chum? Axel and this new boyo here…?" She let it trail off as Demyx started stuttering, somewhat red.

Axel sighed, gazing off into the distance, as he made a mental note to stay reasonably polite whenever this sandy-haired youth was about. He was clearly at the impressionable age and all that…

Ping!

"Argh! Damn little bitch of a monkey whore, Yuffie! Get the hell back here so I can skin you, boil your appendages and feed your still-living flesh to the minions of Hell, damn you!"

Blue eyes narrowed as they followed the tall, imposing red-haired figure on his chase after the almost-resident ninja, then glanced back at the shuriken lying useless and almost innocent beside the drink vendor. "He's like this… all the time?" Roxas murmured, almost to himself.

"Ignore Axel's outbursts," Larxene said softly into Roxas's ear. "You get to know him after a while." She patted him on the shoulder and strolled away, whistling.

-x-x-x-

"Tough day, yeah," Axel said later to Marluxia over the phone, twirling the black cord about his fingers. "New kid, Yuffie nearly screwed up the coke machine, my tram was late, Aerith gave almost a hundred bucks to some homeless old woman who showed up at the restaurant-" he wrinkled his nose at the guffaw on the other end and continued "- let's see, Luxord tried to con Aerith into putting in a gambling strip on the Café level yet again,Selphie mixed up the drink orders for a bunch of teenagers and nearly gave them Bundy and Coke instead of Fantas, and Zexion had his pissy face on for the rest of the day after he and Saix fought over who was going to serve… uh, what's his name, Cloud, and Saix was so furious he stormed out and Zexion got it but Aerith told him off and he… yeah. Put his pissy face on. But enough of my day. You?"

A crackly laugh came through the phone. "Xenmas was really happy. Got so many customers today… I think the entire top level of the complex was full. Pity we can't move the Wonderland Club closer to us – we'd never be out of business then, not that we are anyway."

Axel sighed, then wondered if a wince was more appropriate. "Change of topic, please?" He asked, nicely enough.

Marluxia continued, obviously following a different train of thought. "It's really amazing – you guys are just about twenty metres from us, and I still never see any of you until after work."

"That's 'cause it's busy. The rigours of being the best complex in town."

He could just about hear the gay man's nod of excited agreement. "Totally everybody wanted to live out their fantasies yesterday! Our nurse outfits, we had them on special, and they went like wildfire! I tell you, Xenmas is actually in a good mood… which is good for me, because I was getting sick of being on the bottom-"

"Enough."

"Okay, okay, sorry, I know you don't want details…"

"Not now, not ever," Axel cut in again. "Now, Larx was coming over to my place tonight. She said she's got a movie or two, and food. Lots of it. You coming?"

"Sure!" Said the ecstatic voice on the other end. "Nothing better than crashing a party with Xen-"

"Hell, do you have to invite your sex slave?"

"He's not my sex slave, Axel, I'm his," Marluxia explained gleefully to Axel, who just groaned. "Ah, but yes. No details. You want anything else? Who else will be there?"

Axel ticked the people off on his fingers. "As far as I know, it's me, Demyx, Larxene, you, Xenmas, ah, Saix and Zexion are still mad but I think Zex is coming…"

"Alice?" Marluxia asked. "What about her?"

"No… actually, I ditched her already-"

"You're kidding." It was the pink-loving man's turn to groan. "Already? Honestly. So that was why you bit me for mentioning Wonderland."

Axel blinked. 'Bit'?"Well, maybe Larxene'll bring along a female friend or two."

"…I can't decide whether to snort or laugh." The other man said. "Mate, you and I both know that, oh, I don't know, let's say Saix, has five times more friends in general, let alone female friends, than Larxene does. Does sadistic-psycho-superbitch ring a bell??"

He has a point there…"Oh. Well, don't want one anyway." Axel told him, strangely grouchy.

"Fine, fine. I'll be there at eight, then?"

"Okay. Plan for eight, then you should at least be here by nine-"

"Hey!"

"Bye."

The dial tone heralded the end of the conversation. It sounded frail, insignificant, in Axel's empty house. At least it won't be so lonely soon…

-x-x-x-

Axel blinked twice at Larxene's stuffed yellow rabbit, but shrugged it off and let her past him. She shoved a bottle of champagne into his lanky hands with a muttered word of thanks and pushed into the house – obviously she wasn't too happy with the sudden shower of rain. He peered outside, making sure there was no one else, and went to close the door. Xenmas and Marluxia had arrived a little earlier, both with astoundingly dirty sexual innuendos, and had made themselves at home with cans of Pepsi – they both knew his distaste for alcohol, even though Larxene loved to ignore that fact – and were now relaxing on his couch. 'His' being the key word. He hoped they weren't doing anything… disturbing… on it.

"Wait!"

Huh? "What the hell, Larx, you've got a follower – hey! It's you again!"

The trainee boy stood on his doorstep, arms full with shopping bags and bottles of Coke. He paused, confusion in the blue eyes hidden under a dripping fair fringe. "Me? What'd I do?"

"...Larxene."

"Yes, o' ferocious wonder of flamey goodness?" The waffly reply floated back to him.

You dare to bring an uninitiated one into my home, you foul woman of foul womanliness? Was what Axel would have liked to reply, had he wanted to imitate the dodgy cult flicks and Larxene in one badly worded sentence. However, the boy was still blinking at him. And two of the plastic bags looked close to spilling their contents, however well-bottled, across his foyer. So he opted for the safer option, grabbing a bag for himself and waving Roxas inside.

"What did I do…?" Roxas asked again, uncertainly.

"You… Ah, you did nothing." Axel said quickly, hoping to cover up his surprise. Larxene had already invited the boy out? To his place, of all places? Man, she really liked this one. He held the door open a little wider, cocking an eyebrow at the shorter youth. "Larxene just doesn't usually take to people so quickly. Count it an honour that she even asked you to come."

Musing, he shooed him through, then followed the black-garbed boy into the dimly lit hall.

-x-x-x-

"Shit." He scowled just a few moments later as the doorbell rang again, followed by repetitious banging on the door. "Guys, don't you dare start up again in my absence."

Larxene nodded ferociously, glaring at Xenmas, who was now sitting politely beside a prettily blushing Marluxia. "Not in front of the kid." She jabbed a thumb at Roxas, who was bright red. "He doesn't need to be traumatised this early in life." In her other hand, she held a broom, which she shook menacingly.

Axel grinned a little as he left the cramped living room; they'd just got settled in, after having to separate the two lovers. All in all, it was an amazingly comfortable atmosphere, although Roxas hadn't been introduced.

Demyx stood on the tiny verandah, singing Britney Spears at the tops of his lungs, head nearly hitting the low light globe that was surrounded by insects. Axel very nearly slammed the door in his face again, except that a heavily booted foot stuck its way in. Axel narrowed his eyes at the black polished boot and slammed the door again, smirking at the yelp of pain. "Serves you right."

Tearful green-blue eyes stared reproachfully at him. "You didn't have to be so mean, Axel," Demyx whined, trying to nurse his foot and almost falling over. Behind him stood Zexion, with his 'my-arms-are-crossed-so-come-near-me-and-I'll-bite-you-because-this-is-my-pissy-face-hear-me-rawr' attitude in place. The red-haired man looked over the two – both were dressed in black, just like everyone else who had filtered in through his doorway that night – snorted, and stood aside to let them through. "Roxas is here. And Larx and I had to break up a make-out session between Xenmas and Marluxia-"

"I think you're behind the times, m' Flaming Axie," said Demyx cheekily, slinging a gangly arm over the other's thinner shoulders. "Homosexuality is in right now, or didn't you notice?"

Red spikes shook as he hit Demyx across the back for the name and grunted sourly.

"Don't you see, Axel?" Demyx said brightly, sweetness oozing from his words. He hung off his taller friend's shoulders as purple-haired Zexion brought up the rear. "This is our big chance! The one where we get together again! We can be a couple! Go out! Make out! Have sex! Dirty hot sweaty buttsex!"

"What?"

"Shut up, Dem. You're lucky I still talk to you." Axel growled. "And look, you've gone and freaked out the new kid. Sorry, Roxas, he's just a dickhead. Literally. Ignore him." Roxas was looking scared, very much so, and actually appeared bothered enough that he was edging closer to Larxene, of all people. It was not the happy night he had envisioned thus far.

"Touché, my love," Demyx said lazily, unperturbed as he drifted across the room to seat himself on the end of the couch occupied by Marluxia with Xenmas on the other side.

"I think I already told you to shut up," Axel said through gritted teeth. "Larx. What'd you bring to eat?"

"Nothing." She told him nonchalantly with a piercing look of ice, lounging between Zexion and Roxas. "Dem's supplying dinner tonight." It was funny – even though the swell of her more womanly attributes were showing through the black jumper she now wore, Axel could not even picture wanting to jump her. It would probably frizzle his manly parts, or something. It was not hard to turn his thoughts from it, whenever they popped up.

"What is it then?" Axel turned, arms crossed, and asked the musician testily.

"Fried rice. And garlic bread. The rest of you brought drinks, right?"

Larxene brandished her bottle of sparkly triumphantly. "Cheers to being the only alcohol-drinker in the room right now!" Zexion edged closer to her, eyes on the bottle, and she smirked at him. "And so far, it's mine." She told him smugly. He lunged for it.

While those two were battling it out, their host looked across the room at Marluxia, who was actually behaving himself. "You were the first ones here tonight," he pointed out, subtly surprised. "Does that mean you were early or the others were late?"

A wolfish grin flashed at him. "The others were late. It was ten past nine when we got here."

"Oh." Should I feel hurt by that? Pulling his eyes away from his friend, he looked around, and his gaze was snagged again. By a pair of blue ones. It was an effort to wrench himself back to the present. "Dinner on Demyx, anyone?"

A chorus of yells followed his query.

-x-x-x-

"So kid. What's your name?" Stern-looking silver-haired Xenmas asked pleasantly enough, between mouthfuls of rice.

Roxas glanced up, startled, and blinked uncertainly. "Me? Roxas. I just started work today at Mister Demyx's CD shop."

"Aaahh. Another X for the collection. Congrats, mate, you are now a member of the exclusive 'hey-I-have-an-'x'-in-my-name' club. Well done." Marluxia smirked, wiping his mouth as he watched with amusement Demyx's expression of distaste at the "Mister".

"Eh?"

"Never mind," Larxene cut in quickly, effectively rescuing the boy from more confusion. "The one who just asked you that, he's Xenmas. Zexion works upstairs in the X Café with Axel, and Marluxia there-" she jabbed a derisive thumb in the vague direction of the suddenly wounded-looking man "-is Xenmas' second-in-command."

"I'm second?" Marluxia grimaced, sulking. He was ignored by the rest of the party.

Roxas hung on to the blonde woman's every word, nodding quickly. "Uh… anything else I should know?" he asked, hoping he wasn't being rude.

Icy blue eyes glimmered as they looked him over. "Just, uh, be fun. Everyone likes you if you're fun. Well, that's true of the later workers at the restaurant, and the CD shop, and Xen and Luxia's, uh, play house, but us earlier people have our own unique personalities, so we're still cool."

"What she means," quipped Demyx, "is that she's a bitch, which means she gets away with everything. Marluxia has only lasted because he has one hell of a sense of humour, and all the 'x' people usually get on well in the place. Apart from that, though, we're more into people with the appropriate skills, like Aerith with her people skills, even though she's way too soft-hearted, and yeah. That's about it."

"I doubt that." Zexion snorted suddenly. "You can't tell me you hired Selphie because she's good at something…"

Axel laughed at that. "Nah, she's there because Xigbar saw her and gave her the job on the spot – he thought she was the 'most beautiful creature' he'd ever seen, apparently."

Amidst all the laughter, the new boy managed only to look lost. "Ah… what's so funny, exactly?"

Zexion took it upon himself to explain. "Xigbar wears an eye patch, so he's basically got only one eye. We always thought it only affected perspective, but whatever. And Selphie's not exactly coordinated – she's probably the clumsiest person I've ever met."

"'Cept Yuffie," Demyx countered, grinning as he polished off his garlic bread and pouted reproachfully at Larxene when she yanked her glass of champagne out of reach.

"Yuffie isn't clumsy," Axel jumped to the black-haired girl's defence. "You know that. She just never thinks, or looks before she leaps. That's all."

"Yuffie." Roxas interrupted, and flushed when Axel glanced curiously at him. "That girl who tried to steal the CDs today?"

"She tried again?" Marluxia snickered. He reached over to nibble a piece of Roxas' bread, the boy hardly noticing. "She never gives up, does she?"

"Nope. You saw that, did you?" The redhead asked the boy, who nodded. "Well, get used to it. It's kinda part of the daily routine at the store now."

"You spend way too much time in the store, y'know that Axel?" Demyx said. "Hell, the only thing you don't know about the place is the music itself – I guess that makes you useless, even if you know everything else."

Axel flicked a piece of rice at his friend, frowning. "Don't care." He looked around. Everyone appeared to be finished. "Should we go watch that movie now?"

"Hell yeah!" Larxene cackled, as everyone glanced at her in surprise. "We're watching Pirates of the Carribean. I love that Johnny Depp."

Marluxia brightened suddenly. "Depp? That guy is hot in this movie."

"And gay." Demyx added.

"It's settled, then." Larxene grinned at the groaning Xenmas and the stiff Zexion, and nudged the smiling boy beside her in the ribs. "Not that there was any doubt. Pirates, here we come…"

-x-x-x-

All was quiet. Lonely again, he reflected. He hated that. He hated it so much, he just wished sometimes he would burn the house down, or shoot himself in the head, or overdose.

He hated being lonely.

Wandering through the lounge room, with the TV still going, he stared blankly at a Twistie lying on the ground, then picked it up and chucked it in the bin, dusting the cheesy stuff off his hands and onto his pants. As he usually slept in boxers only, he was shirtless. The light of the muted television flickered across his bare chest, and he blinked down at it, not thinking.

Tiny figures moved across the screen in clean black and white animation. "Mickey Mouse, eh," he chuckled humourlessly, morbidly. "I've missed you." Glancing over his shoulder at the couch, he grinned at his memory; the image of Larxene, staring intently at the screen, yellow rabbit plushie wrapped in her arms and also facing the screen. Demyx had sat for most of the night in the far corner, having been tied up in a phone call shortly after the movie had started; Larxene and Marluxia had both adamantly refused to have it paused for the joking musician's sake.

The loneliness was always worst after being with people.

Then the doorbell rang. Glad as he was to have company, even after the lengthy evening with his friends that had only ended at three in the morning, he couldn't help twisting his lip into a bitter sneer. Who'd be knocking on my door at this time? He yanked the flimsy-seeming wooden panel almost off its hinges.

Roxas blinked up at him. "Uh… hi." The boy said uncertainly. "I… I just left my jacket here."

Axel glanced around behind him, shaking red spikes out of his eyes. "Do you know where it is?" He asked, suddenly, inexplicably exhausted. He was never tired, or so he had thought…

The boy smiled, then quickly covered up a yawn, looking even younger as he smothered his mouth with a hand and ducked his head. "I think it's on top of the TV. Demyx kinda just threw it." He said apologetically, sliding in past Axel.

Green eyes followed the kid as he trotted up the hall and disappeared into a doorway at the end; the light from the TV set could still be seen from the hallway. "Got it," a muffled voice called moments later. He came wandering back up the hall to where Axel still stood in the same place.

The man blinked down at him. He hadn't noticed that Roxas was wearing black and white, instead of just the customary black that most of the others had worn. Larxene, he could've sworn, had had a pastel yellow tank top on under her black leather jacket, but he had no proof… "Mmph."

"Huh?" The sandy-haired kid cocked an eyebrow at him, still nursing the jacket. "You right?"

He shook his head. "Fine. Just kinda tired."

Roxas smiled brilliantly, and almost immediately had to cover up another yawn, burying his head in his jacket until it passed. "Same here. Well, g'night. And thanks for tonight! Larxene, she said, said it was you who invited me…" he trailed off again. "Are you okay?"

A muscle in the tall redhead's cheek twitched. "…Nothing. Glad you enjoyed it."

"Bye!"

His last physical reminder of a social night disappeared quickly down that dark garden path surrounded by dying colourless grass.

Another chapter edited. Yayness. I don't know. I need to expand more on the theme of loneliness and so on, to me… eh.

RAWR!Tallyyyy