Corruption, Chapter Three

By Takika

Thanks to all who reviewed! Please enjoy this next installment. :3

And just so you know, Demyx's flashback in this chapter actually happened in my Biology class. xD

Kingdom Hearts (c) Square Enix

"Bonjour, classe," Mademoiselle Marlene said, and began discussing the plans for today.

"Psst, Demyx."

I looked to my right. Marluxia was about to fall out of his seat, trying to get my attention. "What?"

"Did you talk to him?"

I sighed. "Yes."

"What did he say?"

"That he'll think about it." Marluxia seemed satisfied with that answer and moved into a more comfortable position.

"—But before we get started, we need to finish up the skits from Friday." Mlle Marlene continued. "Demyx, Marluxia, you're up."

I stood grudgingly and walked to the front. Damn it, damn it, damn it…I'm so screwed. Marluxia looked calm and confident as he faced me with his arms casually crossed.

"Salut, Demyx, ça va?" Hi, Demyx, how are you?

"Uhhhh….. ça va…et toi?" I managed to say.

"Bien. Je veux parler avec toi."

I slowly translated what he said in my head. He wants to…play with me? I gave a mental slap to my forehead. How could I be this stupid? It wasn't 'play'. He wasn't speaking English, after all. "Uh, okay."

"Est-ce que tu aime le printemps?" Do you like the spring?

"Uhhh….oui,…mais….je prèfére l'ête…parce que j'aime nager." Yes, but I prefer the summer because I like to swim. I was surprised about how quickly I was able to form the sentence. I actually felt…sorta smart! I racked my brain for something to say. "Pourquoi?" Why?

"Je ne sais pas…parce que…j'adore las fleurs."

Of course you adore flowers…. "Um, well, à bientôt." I said and darted to my desk. Marluxia casually followed suit.

"That was good," Mlle Marlene said encouragingly.

I nodded and opened my textbook as we continued the day's lesson—conjugating verbs and such. The rest of the class passed by quickly. Before I knew it, school was out. I was thoroughly glad that it was. Nothing was more boring than school, except for maybe chores, but that was beside the point.

I grabbed my bag and flew out of the door to catch up with Marluxia. He didn't answer me when I called his name, so I ran up behind him and jumped on his back.

"AHH!" Marluxia squealed, almost falling over. "Demyx! What are you doing? Get offa me!"

I slid off and grinned. "I've got an idea."

"What's that?" He asked as we walked to the parking lot.

I paused. "I go home with you…and you introduce me to your neighbor."

Marluxia's smile faded. "I don't think that's a good idea."

I frowned. "You owe me," I reminded him. "And this is how I want you to repay me."

Marluxia looked uneasy. "I don't think Axel would like that."

"Axel doesn't have to know," I insisted.

"Axel doesn't have to know what?" Axel asked as he strolled over. "You guys aren't planning on hanging out without me, are you?" He feigned a hurt expression.

I smiled meekly. "We thought you were going to be with Roxas this afternoon."

"Iwas," Axel sighed. "But he has to babysit his stupid brother."

I shook my head. "And he'll probably end up watching Riku, too. Sora'll throw a fit until he gets his Riku."

"Sucks for him," Marluxia said. He paused, and then said thoughtfully as he leaned against his car. "Why don't you go help him, Ax? You could get some experience in…child-rearing."

Axel scuffed his shoes. "I would, I guess, if he wanted me to. But, uh, ever since Roxas came "out," I haven't been exactly welcome over there while he's babysitting. 'Rents think I'll turn little Sora gay or something." He snorted at the thought.

"How can they be sure that he isn't already? He's always whining for Riku," Marluxia said. "And I've seen first hand that it's not one-sided. It's not wonder Zexion moved out."

"Jesus, Mar!" I wailed. "Sora is only nine!"

Marluxia shrugged, fumbling with his keys. "Are we going?" He looked to Axel. "You are welcome to come, of course."

The redhead nodded. "Sweet."

Out of all of us---Mar, Ax, Roxas, Zexion, and I---Marluxia definitely had the best lawn. No matter what, Marluxia and his mom were able to keep the grass a healthy, dark green year-round and there were always flowers in bloom.

I got out of Mar's pink Bug as Axel parked his station wagon on the curb. I absently thought of how life really wasn't fair. Axel spent years hiding away money he earned to be able to afford his piece-of-junk car while Marluxia got a brand-new car for his birthday. I didn't blame Mar or anything, it wasn't his fault. It just…wasn't fair.

"You okay, Dem?" Axel asked, ruffling my hair.

I jerked away, trying to fix my hair. "Yeah, I just zoned out for a minute there."

"I can tell," Axel said as we walked into Marluxia's house and made ourselves at home. I grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry and kicked back on the couch while Marluxia put his things away and Axel did...Well, I didn't even want to know what Axel was doing.

A while later, we all sat in Mar's living room.

"You know what?" Axel said, breaking the silence as he puffed on his cigarette. "I want The Nobodies to be a famous visual kei band."

"What?" I asked. "Dude, what the hell is in your cigarette? We can't be a visual kei band."

"Why not?"

"Well…you have to be Japanese. And, uh, save Roxas, we're all Gardenian."

Axel snorted. "So? That can be used to our advantage."

"And you have to dress in drag."

"I'll wear a dress." We stared at Marluxia, who had been silent all the while. He slowly added, "That is, if you want me to."

I started giggling and couldn't stop. Eventually, I was able to calm down some. "Ha-ha…but…we have to have five people. It's like a rule or something. Malice Mizer had five people, and Direngrey has five—"

Axel waved his hand for me to stop. "So we need one more person. That's no matter. Who do you want to recruit?"

I couldn't believe that he was serious. "Well, Zexion is really good at the piano—"

"Alright then," Axel said, cutting in.

"—But I doubt he'd agree to joining."

Axel grinned, almost maliciously. "Then we'll have to convince him."

Marluxia turned on the TV and popped in one of my Invader Zim DVDs that I had left over here from my last visit. By the time the opening clip started, I was entranced in the show. I loved Invader Zim. No matter how many times I watched it, I never got tired of it. Axel was the same way. He was as glued to the TV as I was.

Marluxia nudged me and looked at me pointedly. It took me a minute, but I then realized that he put the DVD in so I could slip away unnoticed. He's such a good friend. I nodded and stood. "I uh, have to take a leak" I announced.

"Don't fall in," Axel mumbled, not really paying any attention.

Marluxia grabbed my elbow as I headed out of the living room. Speaking in a low whisper so Axel couldn't hear, he said, "If you're not back in twenty minutes, I'll be over there with a bat."

I looked at him quizzically, but nodded. I walked outside and walked next door. I was pretty much positive that this had to be the house, considering no one lived across the street and the house on the other side of Mar's had been vacant for a while now.

My stomach was in a big wad of knots as I rang the doorbell, and even more so when someone actually answered. The man standing before was much taller than I was, with broad shoulders and a muscular chest—which was completely obvious as he was shirtless. My eyes followed the lines of his muscles. Even if I were a straight guy, I wouldn't have been able to not drool over his bod.

"Can I help you?" He asked with a sardonic tone. My eyes trailed up to his face. It was harsh and rugged, but in a totally attractive way. The scar and eye patch topped it off. So this was Xig.

"I, um…" I faltered, unable to form words.

Xig raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you come inside?"

"Okay," I nodded. Going against better judgment, I followed him into the house.

The man walked over to his liquor cabinet, leaving me standing in the doorway awkwardly. "What's your poison?"

I shook my head. "I shouldn't be drinking or anything." After what happened over the weekend, drinking was the last thing I needed to be doing, save being in to a strange man's home, like I was now.

"Oh, please," he replied sarcastically. "Don't give me that load of bullshit. Whiskey or I decided, giving into the 'peer pressure'. As I sipped on the rum that was given to me, I recalled wondering where I'd seen him before. And now, I remembered.

"An 'F'? You got an 'F' in Biology?" Mom was flabbergasted about the grade on my report card. "I can't believe this. Science should be like a second language to you, Demyx."

I nodded slowly. "Sorry, Mom…I guess I wasn't motivated."

"We'll fix that," he said briskly. "I'll start teaching a Biology course next week. You'll be attending."

"But Mom!" I wailed. "It's summer!"

"You should have thought about that before you decided to flunk Biology."

I pursed my lips but knew not to argue. It was pointless to do so. So, starting the next week, I began attending Mom's class.

"I expect you to be focused and on your very best behavior," Mom said before class. "From ten to eleven-thirty I am your professor, but don't forget that I'm also your mother. Act up and you'll regret it."

"Yessir," I said, taking a seat.

For the first few weeks, I actually did stay focused. I cued in to what was being discussed and I finished my assignments. There was this one day, though. I forgot to take my medicine because I was being rushed out of the house. Naturally, I was constantly fidgeting and couldn't be still. The guy sitting next to me was getting annoyed, I could tell, especially when he shot a glare at me. And man, he was scary when he glared.

Mom was discussing fish today, the most primitive of the vertebrates. "Does anyone know what a baby fish is called?"

"A fishlet?" Someone called.

"Guppy?" A few other random words were called out. By the look on Mom's expression, he was ready to smack every single one of us.

"I'll give you a hint," Mom said. "You eat it at McDonalds'."

"A nugget!" I called out immediately, not even thinking.

Mom's eyes widened. "No. A fry."

The guy next to me looked over at me and smiled cynically. "You're an idiot."

"Thank you," I said cheerfully. I leaned over towards him too far while I spoke and fell out of my seat, then proceeded to giggle like crazy.

"Are you going to stand there like an idiot or you gonna drink?" He added, "I know you can handle your alcohol."

"Yeah…uh…" I took a gulp of my rum. "Did you take a summer science course?"

"Hm?" He thought for a moment. "Yeah, Biology with vexing Dr. Vexen."

My lip twitched. "What?"

"I was kidding…"

"I can't believe you said that about my mom!"

"Isaid I was kidding." He paused for a moment, smiling. "Huh…I do see similarities now that you mention that." His smile faltered. "We haven't been properly introduced. Name's Xigbar," he said, pointing to himself.

"I'm Demyx," I said quietly. I wasn't sure of what to say now. I realized that I hadn't properly formulated my plan. Shit. I hadn't even thought of what to do after I got into his house.

"So, what brings you here?" Xigbar asked, setting his cup on the mahogany desk to his right. I fumbled trying to form words. "You come back for more?"

"What?" I looked up in alarm. "No!'

He walked towards me. A part of me marveled over how someone so gruff-looking could walk so gracefully.

I felt his breath on my neck. Hot and moist, it sent a tingly chill down my spine. I shuddered as his lips grazed my neck. I looked at him in alarm. "W-what are you doing?"

"Shut up," he growled and pushed me against the wall. His hips pressed against mine as he held my wrists against the wall. He pressed his lips against mine, which parted in surprise. His tongue found its way into my mouth, flicking over my tongue tauntingly.

This was wrong, I thought. I had to stop this. But my body overtook reason. I responded.

My eyes closed and I kissed him back, savoring his taste. What was a simple kiss escalated into something much more. It was frantic, hungry. Xigbar's hands dropped to my waist and pulled me to him, as if we weren't already pressed against each other.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. I ran my fingers through his black and grey locks. Xigbar's hair tie broke, causing his long hair to fall freely.

He dropped his head to my neck, kissing it again. I jerked my head to the opposite direction. He alternated between sucking and biting. When he started to bite harder, I laced my fingers in his hair and pulled, a small groan escaping from my lips.

I felt him smile against my skin. His hands started to drift downwards….then we started to vibrate. Xigbar lifted his head up and raised an eyebrow. I pulled out my cellphone from my front pocket. Incoming Call: Marluxia. I looked up at Xigbar. "That's Marluxia…I better go."

Xigbar grinned, almost smugly, staring at me as if there was something completely hilarious about me. "Of course."

I narrowed my eyes for a moment then left Xigbar's and walked next door. I slipped back into Mar's house. I walked past the living room to the bathroom, then walked to living room, to make it look like I had been there the whole time.

"Hey," I said, sitting on the couch.

Axel was lying on the floor, about a foot from the TV. The end-credits of Invader Zim were on. He turned around and grinned at me. "Were you constipated or something? We were getting worried about you."

I smiled wanly, but said nothing.

While his attention was temporarily not on the TV, Axel studied me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

Axel narrowed his eyes and crawled over. "What's that on your neck?"

"Huh?" I touched the side of my neck.

"No, the other side," Axel said. "…Is that a hickey?"

"A what?" My eyes widened. That's what that jerk was so smug about!

"Mar, he has a hickey," Axel said, with a tinge of increasing anger.

"I can see that," Marluxia said quietly, not really seeing at all. He was looking at the carpet.

"How the hell can you get a fuckinghickey if you're in the bathroom?" Axel's green eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure it's a hickey?" I laughed nervously. "I mean, it could be a mosquito bite…"

"I don't know where the hell you're from, Demyx, but mosquito bites do not look like that," Axel said pointedly.

I bit my lip. "Maybe I should go home."

"That's a good idea." Axel said, standing up. "I'll take you. Don't want Mar's bathroom to come on to you again," he added sarcastically.

I sat in the passenger seat in Axel's car. There was an awkward silence between us. His angry aura filled the car, nearly choking me. I guess I could understand that he was pissed, but that understanding didn't ease the stiffness in the station wagon now.

"Look, Demyx," Axel said abruptly. "I know what you did. I don't fucking understand why you did that."

"What?" I felt a cold sweat forming.

"You should be considering Xigbar as the fucking plague and staying the hell away from him. I don't understand you." He said fiercely, taking a sharp turn.

I was silent for a moment. "I don't remember what happened that night. I just wanted…to found out."

"And by the looks of it, you found and enjoyed it," he said harshly.

I narrowed my eyes. "You know, Axel, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were jealous."

Axel slammed on his breaks, stopped right at my driveway. He turned towards me, glaring. "Have fun telling your parents about your 'mosquito bite'."

I returned the glare and slammed the car door, and stalked in the house. As soon as I walked into the foyer, Mom popped his head out from the kitchen. "Dem-Dems, you're home!"

"Yeah," I replied. It was the only thing I could manage to say at the moment.

"I'm so glad. Dinner's almost---Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied.

Mom walked over and hugged me, trying to comfort me. He cocked his head to his side. "Demyx, do you have a hickey?"

Think fast, Demyx, I told myself. "It's not what you think. I went to Roxas's this afternoon to help him babysit. I ended up falling asleep on the couch, and uh, Sora took it upon himself by waking me up by playing 'vampire'."

"Sorabit you?"

"Crazy little kid, isn't he?" I smiled slowly. I was getting good at lying and I didn't exactly like that fact.

"I can't believe that!" Mom said. "What are they teaching that boy?" He shook his head. "Go upstairs and wash up for dinner."

I nodded and walked to the bathroom. I was clammy and my stomach felt like there was a ton a bricks in my stomach. I splashed water on my face, but it didn't keep me from feeling like shit. I never had to lie to my mom until now.