Ahh... we'll be there soon now, kids.
I'm suffering a bit of writer's block at the moment... This chapter brought to you by Mousewolf and her amazing skill with Marluxia. I'd be fucked if I didn't have her to make him more... edgy. The whole blood oranges thing is a bit of an inside joke, but maybe one day I'll let y'all in on it.
Lots of frigging music in this one. There's music all over the place if you know where to look.
I may or may not get the next chapter finished any time soon... I mean... I've got plot bunnies springing and dying so fast it's not funny, but I'll put up some old stuff I never got around to posting... it won't be beta'd or anything but well... it's good as is. You'll probably like it. Everyone will write an AU school-fic at some point in their life... well, maybe not, but I couldn't help myself. You'll have to tell me where you guys want to see that one go. They may or may not realize past lives and all that good shit. There may be some name changing in order and all that stuff...
Also, check out my forum and LJ, yeah? I'll keep you guys posted on my status with the latter, though I've not messed with it in a while.
Oh and if you ever have any requests, feel free to hit me up, just as long as it has nothing to do with changing Turps... It is as it must be. Demyx says: "Stop trying to break mirrors! It won't happen. Carie-sama is as upset with herself as you are... but there may be a happy ending yet, yeah? Just poke her."
Axel says: "Fuck you. I'm not saying anything."
Ahem... anyway, here it is. Read, Enjoy, Review, Repeat!!!
:: Rhythm ::
Axel learned something very important about his lover that brisk, chilly November morning: Demyx did not like planes at all. He was horrendously afraid of heights, but confessed he'd been afraid of a thousand other things that he'd gotten through just having Axel as his security blanket.
"So that's why you practically crawled into my ribcage over that spider?" Axel asked with a small smile, saying his final goodbyes to Leto and Zipporah. Both were heavily sedated, practically passed out in their crates. After a last caress, both men made their way to the boarding gate where Saïx was reading his book quietly. They had decided to bring him last minute since he was such a constant companion at this point… the third in their little comfortable and completely voluntary love-triangle.
"Part of it," Demyx admitted, allowing a wan smile in return. His eyes were still lucid with pain, the haze of the previous day's pain-killers long gone. "Sometimes… I just need an excuse to be close to you."
Axel grinned and slung a lanky arm around his lover's waist, careful to avoid bumping his still very tender cut forearms.
He tugged up his headphones and cranked the volume, leaned in close enough that Axel could hear too, and the redhead smile as he caught the tune of Weezer's Green album.
Their wait wasn't incredibly long. They settled next to Saïx for the next two hours, most of which Demyx slept in Axel's lap. The boarding process happened without any major hitches, since they'd secured their own row together. Demyx curled up against Axel and squished quite happily between the redhead and the passive, blue-haired Saïx. He, unable to decide, laced his fingers into one of both men's hands.
He noticed something sitting there. Saïx had a strong, reassuring grip no matter what he was doing, as though he would be a strong rock and companion, where Axel's was loose and giving; Axel would need just as much help as he would give.
Demyx smiled. He liked that.
After the initial moment of panic during takeoff—and several scoldings from Saïx to Axel about the drawn, horrified expression the redhead had affected for the entire process—Demyx found himself settled just being able to be free of the seatbelt and press himself to Axel's chest while his lover read.
And not one single person told him to look out the window… he did it on his own.
The world was strange from this height, clouds looked like a cotton-candy landscape and the sun was white and hot. He was mesmerized by the clearness of the sky at this height, the way the land beneath them turned into a patchwork quilt of browns and greens and city grids or roads and roofs.
By the time they were nearing destination, Weezer had played through, 311 was spent, and he was just starting his Sublime. His fingers worked over Santeria as it played in the headphones, his lips moved to the words, and so did Axel's, the redhead's foot tapping lightly.
Axel pulled down one side of the younger man's headphones, "I saw them live."
Demyx damn near went into shock. "You what?"
"I said I saw Sublime live, and you're going to have to be jealous of me for the rest of your life, kiddo," Axel laughed, "I still have the ticket-stubs. I was probably thirteen or fourteen… and that would make you… what…"
Demyx counted on his fingers, laughed nervously "Er… like seven or eight maybe. But that… that's just awesome… You saw Brad Nowell!"
The announcement came, the plane landed a little roughly, and the three were quite happy to disembark in one piece… though Demyx did have his arms jostled a little too much and did end up half in tears by the time they got to the baggage claim. Axel only soothed him with soft words, a few gentle kisses when they were least conspicuous. It brought up the blond's mood ten-fold.
The rental car, the bags, the dogs, the road.
The ride home was The First Day of My Life and Lua, and Demyx's lips writing lyrics across Axel's pale skin in the back seat. Of Angels and Angles whispered by Axel with no music to accompany; just his hoarse voice, closed eyes, soft lips, warm breaths on heated skin. Restrained movements, but they were starting to get more and more demanding, bolder.
Land Locked Blues and residential streets.
Poison Oak and orange trees.
Heartbeats and a Lover I Don't Have to Love.
The soft moaning of covert caresses and One Headlight to illuminate.
Saïx smiled until his face hurt in the front seat and hummed along with the lovers. He was as much a part as either of them, but his job needed attending to. He was content just to pretend he was oblivious.
And the tone shifted again; Saïx humming Hey Jude contentedly. Demyx picked it up and added in the lyrics with his sweet voice.
Reunion with Braig and Marluxia, but it was cut short by the pink-haired lover who insisted they rest, citing the paleness of Demyx's face, the descriptions of his voluntary injuries. And that was where the symphony returned in earnest with headphones and ipod sprawled at one end of the mattress, softly crooning a lullaby macabre. The Shankill Butchers while Axel drank deep of Demyx's violently beautiful still life on the smooth gray sheets.
Butterflies and Hurricanes as Demyx bit back on his cries of excruciating pleasure. Killing in the Name to Axel's shudders and gasps. Cash's cover of Personal Jesus to slowing heartbeats and soft panting. The Man Comes Around to the careful checking of painful wounds. Drifting to sleep to the soft hum of the Road to Mandalay.
It was a good day.
--- ---
There were sliced blood oranges at the breakfast table.
Demyx shuddered. There would be none of that for him, so he settled in the living room, watching the deep green trees sway lightly in the breeze. Zipporah lay with her head in his lap, letting him stroke her gently as she dozed in the warm sunlight leaking through the patio door.
Axel and Saïx had gone out with Xigbar and Marluxia was nowhere to be found, so the house was still and silent.
"Weren't up to the oranges? They're divine, I assure you," Marluxia said softly, appearing from behind with a towel on his hips and another on his head. In the next room, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds began to play on the radio.
"Oh, not really hungry," Demyx lied.
"You're a disgrace to liars everywhere, IX. Drop it before you hurt yourself." The ex-flora wielder purred, "Come to think of it, you were never really a good liar. Always acting, playing the fool but I could tell how smart you really were. Why did you hide it, since I never got a chance to ask you back then?"
Demyx's eyes widened a fraction, but then his face fell into a smirk.
"Can't hide anything from a snake. They're illusionists by nature," he replied evenly, "No wonder Zexion's little mind games never worked on you. So you remember, then?"
"Never forgot," the other replied just as calmly, "I can't tell you how hard it's been not to slice Axel in half."
He smiled, bright eyes laughing. "And I never thought I'd see Saïx eating from anyone's hand but the superior's. You've got a bit of a collection going. Have you found anyone else?"
Demyx nodded.
"None of them remember?" Marluxia pressed.
"Not that I know of… Vexen had his hands all over me when I got shot and there was not even a hint of recognition there," Demyx replied softly, "Same with Zexion. He's the landlady's pet but he never even noticed… Axel was banging Larxene—"
"Well, that's a given. Can't have one without the other." Marluxia grinned. "Continue."
Demyx grinned back and shook his head, "Now she's banging Luxord. Mr. Gambling-Addict-in-Denial is Axel's art dealer. And then Lexaeus and Xaldin are working as EMT's. They patched me up… oh, and we left Roxas and Naminé at home. They're the only two that remember anything so far."
"Luxord was never in denial, you know. He knew all along… though I don't know about now," Marluxia mused, "So the Key-brat's better half remembers and so does the not-so-Wicked Witch. Interesting…"
"She's not a witch…" Demyx said sternly, glaring at the pink haired man.
"Ah! Hey now! Just falling back on old memories, no harm no foul… though there is some payback that needs to be dealt," he laughed.
"Like what?"
"Axel did me wrong… I can tell he and Saïx are well aware of their pasts," he remarked, "Axel seems to get a little more neurotic around me. What's up with him? He never used to be so… twitchy."
"He…" Demyx sighed, "You're never going to believe me."
"Try me, sweetheart," Marluxia said, leaning down and scratching Zipporah behind the ears and ignoring the dog's soft warning growl. He put a slight inflection on heart. "I could believe anything at this point."
"Axel sees the future," Demyx said flatly, "And Saïx can look into the past… he could change it, but he doesn't try. He said that's risky."
Marluxia mrrrmmed softly, chewing at a well-manicured nail thoughtfully. "You know, I just might believe that. Fire's main job is to illuminate, isn't it?"
Demyx nodded.
"Do you see?" the blond asked quietly.
"No," Marluxia replied, "I can remember nearly everything there is to know about plants, but I can't hear them anymore. Flowers were just meant to look pretty and have hidden talents, that's all. Nature is old and wise, though. There's a lot she's yet to tell them here."
"What about the moon?"
"You should know already that the moon is the eye of the mystic!" Marluxia chided, "But Demyx… you are aware that all of these things need a mirror aren't you?"
Demyx went blank. "…Mirror?"
"Yes," the pink-haired male stated gravely, "Their power is greatly limited without a mirror to peer through… it's a window to their real strength. They don't make much difference unless they have something that amplifies their strengths. What is a mirror made of, Demyx?"
"Metal?" Demyx said softly, "Glass and metal?"
The ex-Assassin leant forward, still smiling. "No. What was the first mirror men had, Demyx? Think."
Demyx bowed his head in thought and a long moment of silence passed before the blond sighed and matched eyes with the older pink-haired man. "Water."
"Good boy." Marluxia said warmly, clasping his hands together as though in delight. "Our elements never really leave us. I wonder if in the next life we'll be able to manifest them as strongly as we did in the last… as this worlds go, this one's almost completely void of true magic."
There was another long pause.
"Does Braig remember anything?" Demyx asked finally.
"Nope. Not a bit. He's still a mean shot, though, but you know that."
"Are you going to remind him?"
He smiled. The Graceful Assassin had never stopped smiling to the best of Demyx's knowledge, but there was an honesty to it now that was startling on those familiar features. "Never. It's best he doesn't remember. Let him live as he dictates."
Demyx nodded. He knew what the older man meant.
"Well, I have things to do. Do as you please," Marluxia announced, rising and walking into his room. He called back over his shoulder, "And don't let yourself get too down. I don't have so many pills to spare. Help yourself to the herb if need be, though, yeah? It was a strong breed, and maybe we'll smoke ourselves back to oblivion tonight, huh?"
Demyx nodded, "Sure."
He couldn't help but feel a little anxious, though. When he really thought about it, he could feel that ancient power sleeping deep in his soul, and he couldn't even begin to understand how he could ever tame something so vast.
He went to the stash and packed a pipe. He didn't want to think and this would help him forget if only just for a little while.