Note: For the record, I hate this chapter. It's rushed and it's bleh. However, whilst I would like more time to re-write it, I am moving to England in four - three? - days and have no idea whether I will have computer/internet access when I get there...and I'm staying until September. And whilst there aren't many who actually read this story I would feel awfully, awfully guilty if I didn't update 'til September without any explanation, especially after all the positive feedback I've had!

However, I might get to England and find I can update just as regularly, in which case I can take this chapter down and spend some time on it. Yay. But for now I don't know, so you'll have to have it as it is :P

Reviews make me dizzy happy!


Roxas Strife

Part of my leg was vibrating. That was the first thing my brain processed Sunday morning; my vibrating leg. The next thing to register was a barely audible sound accompanying the vibration, a soft and familiar pulsing growing steadily louder. It took around four more seconds for me to release it was my alarm, and I plunged my hand clumsily into my pocket to shut it off before I woke up anyone else.

I groaned and tried to roll over, but found my face nestled in Riku's shoulder, Zexion's head on the back of my knees and Demyx curled against my side. After last nights copious drinking could no longer stave off the effects of sleep we had somehow stumbled as a tired mass into my room, partly because it was nearest and partly because six drunk boys couldn't work the door handle to Sora's room. Whilst I may be used to waking up with company in my bed, three other snoring boys isn't usually what I expect.

I managed to wriggle out from under the mass of sleeping limbs, replacing Zexion's head on Riku's knees instead, and avoiding treading on Cloud, who had hit the ground at four in the morning and only snored and rolled over whilst Sora and I tried to control our giggling. Then I tiptoed precariously out into the living room, closing my eyes against the sun streaming through the windows and ran a hand through my hair, having to detach it from the knots a second later.

"That's a sexy morning face." Sora said on a scoff.

I glanced over to the kitchen with a wince and saw him sat cross-legged on the kitchen table, bowl in the dip of his legs and spoon in hand, cereal box and half empty packet of marshmallows beside him. Like I said before, Sora is usually last to sleep and first one up, regardless of a hang-over. I was about to tell my twin exactly what I thought of his morning face when the toaster popped and Sora grinned at me and gestured behind him with his spoon. "Breakfast." He explained.

Chocomallow pop-tarts…I'd count it as part of a healthy balanced diet. I poked them onto a plate and climbed onto the table with Sora. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good, half on-top of Riku and partially under Demyx with my feet on Zexion. Strangely snugly."

"Yeah, who knew so many people could tessellate on a single bed?" I responded, nudging my pop-tarts around my plate whilst they cooled a little. "Usually it's a tight fit getting two in there."

"Ah, but clearly you are inviting the wrong people into your bed." Sora nodded wisely, thrusting another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Clearly you needed multiple males all along."

"…That's a vaguely disturbing thought."

"Isn't it just?"

I decided the chocolate would probably be less scalding by now, ate up my pop-tarts and showered, borrowed a pair of Sora's jeans and a t-shirt, avoiding my room and the slumbering heap, grabbed my skateboard from the hall and headed out the front door, calling goodbye to Sora over my shoulder.

The Usual Spot doesn't officially open on a Sunday, sometimes during winter afternoons Leon might open up, but since the majority of the business comes from commuters and locals there's no need to open it for tourist season, especially since coffee isn't the most appealing beverage in forty degree heat – air conditioning or no.

However, ten thirty on a Sunday morning does usually find me rolling down the sleepy residential streets towards the coffee joint; ready to collect together the weeks' receipt rolls. The computer system keeps track of everything well enough, but filing away paper evidence for Leon to go over later keeps everyone happy. Or everyone who doesn't have to go in for all of fifteen minutes on a Sunday morning just to put the receipt rolls into a file. Because forty minutes skating for fifteen minutes work is stupid in anyone's books.

And thus, imagine my surprise when I got to The Usual Spot to find the lights on, the doors unlocked and the air conditioning working away. I kicked my board up into my hands and entered cautiously, noticing the door to the backroom was open and that there was the soft hum of Leon's laptop.

The back room on the left side is all shelving units for back-up stocks of coffee beans and takeaway cups. On the right is a desk with two chairs and a file cabinet containing shipping information and the daily sales reports going back to when the shop first opened. And today was the added addition of Leon and his laptop.

"Hey." I greeted cheerfully, dropping my skate board and rolling it under the shelves.

"You're late." He grunted apathetically. "By almost three hours."

I frowned and glanced at my watch. "I'm five minutes early."

"It's almost eleven." He grunted, closing the laptop and rubbing his eyes. I felt my eyebrows quirk up; he was looking a little ragged, even for Leon.

"It's Sunday," I told him slowly, in an attempt to spark off something resembling memory. "We don't open on Sundays."

There was a pause, a nice long, embarrassed pause.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." I'm not grinning. Seriously, it's a facial tick or something. "Have you been here since eight?"

"Uhm…seven. I had stuff to do." He muttered, pushing his hair out of his face.

"You had stuff to do that required you to get here at seven? You had stuff to do at a coffee shop that required you to be here at seven?" He glanced over at me like maybe he wanted me dead. I held my hands up in a gesture of surrender, "All I'm saying is; ordering new beans does not take an extra hour on a day we aren't even open."

"I know." He grunted.

I decided to take pity on him and wandered out into the main area of the shop, flipped a few switched, added some beans to the grinder and set about making a pot of coffee. Leon followed me out and leant against the counter, waiting patiently until I poured the steaming liquid and handed him the mug.

"You look kinda rough." I said, making conversation. Vaguely insulting conversation, but we deal the hand we're given.

"I have the power to fire you, you know." Leon grunted in response, blowing on his coffee.

I watched him, waiting patiently whilst he took a sip, making sure he'd swallowed. "I can't help but notice you are in a rather coincidentally strange mood."

"Coincidental?"

"Well I happen to know another stoic twenty-something who came home in a funk last night." I said casually. Like I wasn't trying to get out of him what my brother refused to share. Me and Sora managed to whisper about it a little last night, figured maybe they'd fallen out or something had happened when Zack was over. Because whilst we all love Leon, he and Cloud are sometimes too similar, and if they'd fallen out a third party might be needed to resolve the issue.

"Oh." Was Leon's response. "Yeah."

"Yeah," I repeated, slowly, slightly copying him. "You're both acting pretty weird, he try and molest you or something?"

I had genuinely meant it as a joke, I was still under the impression they'd had a fight. So when Leon choked on his coffee and then looked at me with the most guilty expression I've ever seen on him, my jaw kinda dropped. In my experience, it's usually the one looking guilty that's been doing the groping.

"You molested my brother?!"

"No!" He said, quickly putting down his coffee and holding his hands out defensively. "Roxas, honestly no."

And I calmed a little, because I don't think Leon is the type to stick his hand down his best-friends jeans. That's more Zack's territory.

I leant back, but left a dark expression on my face, because if he was trying to calm me down he'd be more willing to give me information. "So you best start explaining."

Leon sighed and groaned and then ran a hand through his hair and probably thought about sighing again. "Nothing."

I dropped my head to one side "So you molested-"

"Nobody molested anyone. Cloud just…overreacted." Leon snapped. Calming half a second after the words left his mouth and leaning against the counter again, crossing his arms over his chest in what looked suspiciously like sulking. "I maybe…I almost, well…I wouldn't even call it a kiss but-"

"You kissed him?" I asked, a little louder than necessary and tone too close to gleeful for my liking. I cleared my throat quickly and kept a deadpan look in place.

He said nothing, shifted a little guiltily and then I felt my shoulders drop; it's no fun torturing him when he looks like such a sad Leon. "Well, I think I'm more surprised that you didn't even manage to keep it secret for twenty-four hours."

He glanced up, clearly confused by my change of approach.

"You aren't going to attack me with your skateboard or something?" He asked dubiously.

"Because you kissed my brother? Of course not."

He stared blankly at me. I sighed.

"Leon, I love my brother very, very much, but that does not change the fact that Cloud can be very, very dense. On the other hand, Sora and I are very aware of what goes on in Cloud's life." And here I gave him a pointed look.

Leon shifted again, uncomfortable now, and I decided if he still didn't understand what I was telling him I'd have to bang his head against the counter, height difference be damned.

"You and Sora…know?"

Alas, the boy can learn!

"Yes, Leon, we know." I smiled. Because anyone who doesn't know how Leon feels about Cloud just from the way he looks at him has to be pretty stupid. Cloud is a prime example of this stupidity. "Don't worry though," I said smoothly mirroring his position against the counter. "Me and Sora can help."

"Why does that prospect terrify me?"


Zexion Smith


It wasn't by choice that I woke up at ten past eleven that morning. Having only stumbled into Roxas' room at four fifty-seven, I'd have happily slept right through the day, but there was a soft, repetitive but inconsistent noise that was nudging at the edge of my consciousness and then suddenly half the bed seemed to lurch into life.

"Give me the phone! NOW!"

My eyes shot open as the bed sprang back from the weight of Demyx launching himself across the room and then the door slammed closed to the sound of Sora yelling love songs in the kitchen with the occasional shriek. I sat up a little too quickly, grabbed my head groaning and then rubbed my eyes and muttered under my breath about the noise.

"Yeah, he's like that on a morning." Yawned the bed in response and I knew the alcohol was still in my system when it took me a few moments to figure out that the bed shouldn't have said anything, and sure enough when I looked over my shoulder Riku was in the process of sitting up. "You can tell they're used to it." He commented with a grin, jerking a thumb towards the floor where Cloud still seemed to be out cold.

I 'hm'ed in agreement to this comment. I was used to going to sleep in a quiet apartment and waking up in a quiet apartment. With the exception of the times Axel might start banging on my door at six am to have breakfast together.

"What's this about?" I asked nodding to the door, on the other side the love songs had finished but there was some muffled yelling.

Riku smirked a little. "Camera phone; Sora thinks his cousin curled up on two other men is funny, Demyx respectfully disagrees."

My lips quirked a little, because I could imagine the vibrant pink blush Demyx would be currently sporting. I glanced back at Riku, unsure what terms we were on. I didn't really remember talking to him individually last night, "But he doesn't mind his boyfriend doing it?"

Riku's expression froze a little and then he smiled and his eyes crinkled with amusement, "Sora's not my boyfriend."

"Oh." I said, a little awkwardly; how does one respond in this situation? "I'm sorry, I hadn't realised."

Riku continued to smile, "No problem, it's a common misconception." He replied easily, swinging his legs off the opposite side of the bed to where Cloud was currently snoring. "We should check on them though, Demyx might have killed him."

I glanced back to the door and the silence that had descended on the other side of it, but a smile tilted one corner of my mouth upwards at the thought of Demyx attempting to kill anything. "Demyx isn't great with physical confrontation."

"I don't think that applies to other Strife's." He grabbed a hoodie off the back of Roxas' desk chair and pulled it on before opening the door. "Mind you, even a passive person could be moved to hit one of the twins at times."

I tilted my head at this and let my lips quirk a little wider; I wouldn't have agreed with the comment, but I did recall Cloud being outside naked for some time last night due to Sora and Roxas. I stood, more slowly than I'd sat up, and followed the silver haired boy to the bedroom door, which he opened after shooting me an expression of feigned fear.

Surprisingly Sora was face down on the sofa with Demyx sitting on his back, both reaching for the phone Sora was currently trying to shove underneath the couch cushions. He glanced to one side and spotted Riku, chucking the mobile to him before Demyx could snatch it. Riku caught it deftly, as though he'd half expected it.

"Now, now children. Let's behave." Riku said dryly.

Demyx's head snapped round to the pair of us, Sora's phone dangling between Riku's fingers and my quirked eyebrow. He had enough self-preservation to go a little pink in the cheeks.

"Sora," Demyx began, clearing his throat and sitting up straight, "is violating my human rights."

"You're sitting on me." Sora responded from beneath his cousin with a look of slight disbelief.

"I should be able to sleep in peace without having my darling cousin photograph me for his amusement." Demyx reprimanded, adding a little bounce that made Sora 'unf'. The thought of intervening briefly crossed my mind, but I decided against it.

"You are still sitting on me."

Demyx ignored Sora and continued, "Thus, I petition the right to use him as my personal sofa."

Sora's lips quirked down into a frown. "Ri-kuuu, make him get off me."

Riku 'hmm'ed and opened the phone's menu and image files, flicked through, found the most recent ones, He turned the phone slightly so that we could both see the screen and I felt a laugh catch in my throat. Demyx had his head pressed against the small of Riku's back, partially over his rear, his legs tangled with mine and a dopey, sleepy smile plastered across his face

Anyone who knew Demyx would just think he was dreaming about water-proof guitars, but I could see why he'd be embarrassed about it. Riku grinned, "Motion carried."

Demyx cheered, Sora pretended to sob. Cloud choked on a particularly loud snore from within Roxas bedroom and the front door opened quietly to admit Namine, who took one look around the room – her brother and cousin on the couch, their two spectators, the bottles and DVD cases and game controllers all around, the skittles scattered rainbow-style across the floor and the empty pizza boxes – and sighed.

"A successful evening, I take it?" She asked, smiling warmly.

Sora tried to say something but found his mouth was full of couch cushion. Demyx beamed, "Quite a marvellous night thanks, dear darling sister. How's the mystery man?"

I flicked my gaze back to Namine, watching her reaction with what might have verged on intrigue. In all the time I'd known Namine I couldn't think of a single relationship she'd been in. Marluxia jokes that I'm asexual; at one point I'd had a similar opinion about Namine.

The only female Strife smiled indulgingly and responded; "Unless you think I'm sleeping with a new friend's father, there is no mystery man,"

"I frown upon this age gap, but I choose not to judge." Demyx said with what he probably thinks was a wise nod.

"Good to know." Namine smiled pleasantly and turned her gaze to me. I've noticed before that she is the a peace keeper, she has a different smile for everyone and I don't think I know a single person she doesn't get along with. Her smile for me is usually warm, an extra sparkle in her eyes like she knows something I don't. It doesn't bother me. "Zexion, you survived the night."

"Barely," I replied, but quirked a brief smile in her direction. She beamed back at me.

We all jumped when Sora's phone blasted into life.

"I need to get that!" He said. Or at least I think he did, some of it was deformed by the material pressed firmly into his face.

"Really? Urgent call is it?" Demyx asked, completely unsympathetic. "A sofa with a hectic social life?"

"It's Roxas' ringtone." Riku explained with a smile as he moved and sat in the armchair.

"Rox knows where you are if he needs you," Demyx told Sora, poking him in the side for emphasis.

"It's Roxas' important ringtone." Sora whined, managing to lift his head enough to say it clearly.

"The phone does not have a different ringtone for when the call is important."

"Yes it does."

"A phone can't tell the difference between an important call and a regular call."

"Maybe your phone can't."

"So if someone called to say I was dead your phone would play the funeral march?"

"No, it'd cheer,"

I've always been an only child, and I've never formed a definitive decision on whether this is good or bad. For instance I've never had to split my parents' affection, I've never had to fight for the best toys or the best clothes or the best education. On the other hand I come to the Strife household and wonder if I'd have been different had I had siblings. If I'd be more friendly, if I'd smile more, if I'd understand people better, if I'd be nicer all round. My conclusion usually gets lost when I'm dragged into conversation.

Content as I would have been to watch this exchange continue, the door behind me was wrenched open a second later and a rather frightening Cloud appeared at the threshold.

"I will kill the person that stops that phone being answered."

There was a general pause in the room before Sora said easily – and with a slightly smug air – "I can't answer my phone Cloudo, Dem is sitting on me."

At the same time Riku pressed the 'answer' button, Cloud took two threatening strides into the room and Demyx rolled himself sideways over the back of the sofa.

I didn't know Demyx could move so fast.


Squall Leonhart

Roxas had changed tactics in such a swift movement I was left a step behind, staring at him in what could probably be most accurately described as dubious confusion. Apparently the 'incident' with Cloud was not at all a bad thing, in Roxas' own opinion, and he was now set on 'helping' me and Cloud 'understand our emotions'.

I will state, for my own record, that I was not, am not, and will never be in any way enthusiastic about a Strife saying 'I can help you with that'. And though Roxas level of competence and trustworthiness is a close third behind Cloud and Namine, I was not at all thrilled to have him shoot me his attempt at a pacifying smile as he pulled out his phone and dialled The Mad House.

Roxas had put the mobile on the counter, edited it to speakerphone and watched it intently as it rang. All I knew was that he was calling 'an expert'. I hadn't had the presence of mind to ask 'an expert in what', hadn't really thought about who he was calling at all until the other end of the line picked up on the ninth ring and Riku's voice answered smoothly into the receiver over background sounds of what might have been whimpering.

"Hey, Sexy, I need Sora." Roxas muttered absently, checking his fingernails for imaginary dirt.

"Sora's a little busy right now; can I ask what this is in regard to?" Riku responded, and yes, that was definitely the sounds of panic in the background.

Roxas deliberated for a moment, "I'm afraid it's private and confidential, Sweetheart."

"I can promise discretion on my part?" Riku returned pleasantly.

Whilst Roxas sometimes uses blatant lies under the guise of 'sarcasm', I am still pretty sure Sora isn't an expert in anything; unless marshmallows now require an educational process. So I shot Roxas a loosely quizzical glare and rubbed my temples to try and sooth the throbbing headache.

"You're discretion won't cut it. It's not my private and confidential matter." Roxas replied evenly, and after a pause added; "Love Muffin."

Riku sighed. "I'll see what I can do…and stop calling me pet-names; you know it freaks me out."

Roxas smirked to himself whilst we heard a brief scuffing sound and the noise went dead; the receiver was covered.

"An expert?" I asked blankly, giving him an equally emotionally void stare.

"Yeah," Roxas said with a shrug, like it was obvious. "A Cloud expert."

"A Cloud expert?" I deadpanned.

"Yeah." He said, tapping his phone against the counter impatiently. "A Cloud expert." He repeated.

I shook my head at him slightly, not sure whether I was amused or horrified.

The was a little more scuffling from the other end of Roxas mobile and then Sora's voice chirped up; "Yellow?"

"Is Demyx ok?" Roxas asked abruptly.

"Sure, but we feel he is to blame for Cloud's conscious state."

I felt my stomach drop a little and then felt vaguely pathetic that just the knowledge that Cloud was awake, and in the room with the kid on the phone twenty minutes away, could make me feel guilty. I jolted forwards minutely to shake it off.

"Obviously." Roxas responded, shooting me a sideways look that said he could be every bit as perceptive as his big brother. "Anyway, your assistance is required."

"With what?" Sora asked, sounding dubious. And rightly so, I'm fairly sure the last time Roxas came up with a scheme one of the other strife boys ended up dyed green and tied to a tree. I chose not to ask about that particular…event.

"'With what'?" Roxas mirrored, "Your brother – your brother in arms no less! – wants your help and you ask 'with what'?"

"Yeah, it all depends on whose arms you're in." Sora responded evenly, barely finishing the sentence before he laughed at his own joke. I sighed and rolled my eyes heavenward.

"No one thinks you're funny." Roxas sighed.

"I disagree, I think I'm hilarious." There was the soft sound of a door shutting and the background noise disappeared, and I wondered if Sora knew more about what Roxas wanted than he was letting on.

I cleared my throat quietly; because if Roxas wasn't going to come to some sort of point I could quite easily go home. In fact I kept my voice quiet and told him as much.

"Is that Leon?" Sora asked before I'd gotten past the word 'point'.

"Yes." I responded without particular enthusiasm.

"He sounds pissed off, Rox."

Roxas glanced at me and clucked his tongue, "He's got a face like a smacked arse too." He turned to fully address me "I can say that to you without fear of consequence, you know…because you molested my brother."

"He did what?" The phone erupted.

"I didn't do anything." I strained.

"I see why you called." Sora said sounding as wise as Sora ever does. "You need a Cloud expert."

I sighed, heavily. "Can we use another terminology please? I don't think anyone other than Cloud can really be an 'expert' on him."

"Au contraire my friend, Cloud does not know himself, he wanders lost in the forest whilst the path disappears and me and Roxas watch from the sidelines; understanding everything whilst we drink our tea and live it up with the caterpillar."

I stared at the mobile for a moment, blinking slowly, trying to decided whether I really wanted to understand that. In the end I asked, "What?"

"Alice in Wonderland, man," the phone threw Sora's voice out with a tone of disgust. "Why do you hate Disney, Leon? Why?"

I shifted my gaze to Roxas, who shrugged in response. Then I dropped my head into my hands and rubbed my temples.

"Is he doing the headache thing?" Sora's voice chirped. And now that I noticed it, Sora had an annoyingly chirpy voice. "The situation might be more dire than I first thought, Rox."

"Indeed it might be. In fact," Roxas lowered his voice a little and shuffled so his shoulder was between me and the mobile phone. "I believe it's time for Operation Noctilucent."

There was a pause on the end of the phone and for a moment the sound of Sora breathing filled the empty coffee shop.

"…I thought that was the one where we find Cloud under the influence of heavy narcotics and try to decide what humility to bestow upon him?" Sora asked and I thought I heard Riku chuckling in the background.

Roxas sighed, hopping onto the counter to sit beside the phone. "Excuse me if we don't have a plan for when Cloud's best friend sexually harasses him."

I grit my teeth and started to defend myself but before I could Sora laughed and said "Operation Cumulus."

"Cumulus?" I ventured warily.

"It's a, uh…vertically ascending cloud." Riku said from the background, not hiding the grin in his voice, I flicked my eyes to Roxas who was staring intently at a coffee machine and trying to control his facial expression.

"Good God." I muttered, rubbing my temples and wishing I'd just stayed in my apartment that morning. "I assure you both, this is completely unnecessary, we had a misunderstanding it wasn't some sort of…crime scene."

There was a disbelieving silence that hung in the air for a few minutes. Until now, I hadn't known mobile phone static could be condescending.

Then Roxas leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and asked; "So we'll see you and Riku at Leon's place in half an hour?"

--

Thirty seven minutes later I had a throbbing headache and felt that hindsight was mocking me. Roxas sat at the kitchen table, one foot rolling his skateboard backwards and forwards on the linoleum floor and eyes wandering the ceiling. The phone for the main door rang and I buzzed them in without even checking who it was. Three minutes later Sora burst in without knocking and Riku tagged quietly behind.

I felt a sigh of exasperation escape before I could contain it. Once Upon A Time Cloud had hated me and I hadn't had to deal with his insane siblings and my unintentional…flirting?

"Ah…the Brain Trust has congregated." Sora said, in what might have been an impression of a movie star, but sounding a little like Eyeore.

"Yeah," Roxas said with a nod, "Now we can get to work trying to help-…Riku are you wearing my hoodie?"

Riku glanced down at himself briefly. "I didn't think you'd mind…Love Muffin."

I thought about crying. I hadn't slept, I felt guilty and there were three idiots stood in my apartment smiling nonchalantly at me and thinking they would help. If I didn't have any self-respect, maybe I'd just crawl back into bed.

"Sooo," Sora started. "You want to screw my brother. Awkward, right?"

I stood up and headed down the hall.