"You like it?" Demyx asked, bouncing up and down slightly where he stood.
Axel just stared. It felt as though his heart has stopped completely; though he wanted to race into the room that very moment, some unknown force kept him firmly standing in the doorway. Whatever it was, it was beyond his power to fight.
On the plush, carpeted floor, leaning against the edge of the bed, was Roxas.
"It…" Axel's lips were having a hard time moving as well. He felt as if the scene were unfolding underwater. "It can't be…."
"I know, right?" Demyx squealed and hugged Larxene around the middle, ignoring her uncomfortable squirms as he rambled excitedly. " I found it out in the park, by the dumpsters! Can you believe someone would throw something this expensive away!"
The redhead looked at his friend, speechless, all but ready to punch his lights out. What in bloody hell was he talking about?
Sensing the confusion and anger rising, Zexion coughed and stood up.
"It's a persocom," he said calmly.
The excitement dimmed, and within the scope of seconds, Axel felt his heart sinking in his chest. This wasn't really him? But…..but it looked just like him!
"I told you he'd hate it," Larxene sighed, rubbing her temple. "Look, he didn't tell any of us this first. If you're going to kill someone, kill Waterbaby."
"Hey! That's not fair!" the other blonde whined, gripping his roommate more tightly. "You guys are the ones who sent me out to get a present!"
"You could have bought him a mug or something, Dem. How are you not getting this?"
Zexion watched silently as Axel seemed to be slowly taking all of this in. It wasn't Roxas. As he let that fact drag itself through his mind, he looked down at the little figure on the floor. It really was the spitting image of Roxas. Blonde hair the poked up in spikes over his head, soft, peachy skin; same…..
Axel's head looked quickly up and down the little persocom, and instantly his face burned an almost angry red. Computer though it may be, the persocom was naked other than a loose wrap around its waist and part of its upper torso. Part of the cover seemed to be slipping down slightly, and Axel whipped his head away, pretending he hadn't just been staring.
"Y-You found it in the park?" he asked softly, drawing the attention of his friends. A part of him wanted to be miffed that Demyx had basically brought him someone else's trash as a birthday present, but then, his mind was reeling. Somehow, that just seemed unimportant right now.
Demyx blinked, then nodded quickly, smiling. "Uh-huh! I was wondering what to get you, when all the sudden I heard this crash! I checked it out, and suddenly found this kid stumbling around in the dumpster!"
Feeling a bit of clarity come back to him, Axel gently tipped his head to the side. "Really?"
"Yeah! I could have sworn it was a kid, but then I saw the ears! That was a dead give-away!"
The redhead blinked, looking back to the figure on the floor. It was true. In place of where human ears might have gone, there were these weird phone-looking outlet….things…. Axel wasn't sure what to call them, other than ears. He then noticed the persocom's predicament, again, and looked away, embarrassed. "Could you p-put some clothes on him?"
Now it was Demyx's turn to blink. "Why? Does it bother you? You saw Roxy like this all the-"
"DEMYX!" The whole apartment snapped in unison, causing the blonde to jump and shake.
"Geeez! Fine, FINE! I'll go find him something! You guys just turn him back on!"
With that, the blonde was out the front door with a slam, leaving his bewildered and slightly agitated roommates behind, gaping at the dissipating cloud of smoke.
Larxene shook her head, for once shooting her friend a sympathetic glance. "I'm really sorry about this, Ax. He should have known better."
Axel chuckled half-heartedly, shaking his head as he looked down at his feet. It was cruel in a way, but everyone there knew that Demyx was never purposefully cruel to anyone. He probably really thought he'd cheer Axel up this way. As misguided as his attempts may have been, the guy was a good friend.
Still, telling yourself that and believing it can be two different things.
Wiping the tears gathering in his eyes, Axel sighed a heavy sigh. "Nah, it's fine I guess." He wasn't sure he could really look at the thing, though. Not without thinking about Roxas. It really did look so much like him...
Zexion pushed some of the hair back out of his face. "We totally get it if you want to just ditch the thing. I can go get a trash bag and we-"
Axel looked at him, aghast.
"It's just a persocom, Axel," the other boy sighed. "It's not like you're really...you know..."
"I know, it's just..." Axel looked down at the figure again. Despite everything, it looked so peaceful. Like a human boy, sleeping. "It's just..."
Larxene scratched her head. "You want to try turning it on...or something? I don't know. Do you want to keep it?"
The next moment passed like a silent eternity, as the redhead mulled over his thoughts. Finally, Axel took the first hesitant step forward. Then another. Then another. Soon enough, he was crossing the room, kneeling down beside the strange, humanoid computer. He studied it curiously, his eyes pained but interest piqued. His roommates sighed together.
"This seems like a bad idea, Ax. Not gonna lie," Larxene muttered, a soft sympathy masked beneath her irritated look. Zexion nodded his agreement silently.
Axel looked back at them each in turn.
"I know, alright? I know this is a crappy idea, but I just...can't..."
'I can't throw h-it away...'
Looking back down at the persocom, Axel breathed another sigh. "How do...you know... turn it on?"
The blonde made a soft 'tch' sound. "Got me..."
Zexion sat down on the other side of the persocom, and moved it forward slightly, away from the bed.
"Support him. I think I saw Demyx messing with something on the back of his neck..."
Axel nodded, and when the persocom began to fall forward, he was almost dragged down by the sheer force.
"Holy shit, how heavy is this thing?"
Larxene leaned against the doorway now, shrugging. "It IS still a computer, right?"
"Yeah, but not ALL computers are big and bulky!" These days, even home computers were made of relatively light materials, easy to carry and move with minimal issue.
"I think there's a button back here," Zexion murmured, moving some hair away from the back and gripping the neck more firmly. Holding up the persocom much better now, Axel noticed that the skin-like material beneath his fingers actually felt like real human skin. It was soft, a bit spongey, and light to the touch. Curiosity urged him onward, and he reached up a bit, only to find that the hair felt real as well. It was amazing...
"Got it." Axel laid the 'boy' back against the side of the bed as he and Zexion moved back. Slowly, the ears on the side of the head began to twitch, and emit a soft sound. It was static mixed with a slight ring, Axel realized, remembering the day his grandfather had shown him the old dial-up system he had used growing up. Then, 'eyelids' slowly slid open, revealing deep blue eyes that only pained Axel again. But these were clearly glassy; pain-stakingly fashion, no doubt, but not much like real eyes at all.
Those blue orbs blinked just as slowly, several times, as the persocom glanced around the room. He regarded each person in turn, but said nothing. Axel shuddered when those glassy orbs fell upon him. If he squinted, he could almost believe it...
"H-Hey there," he offered, trying his best to sound cool and collect again. No one needed to state he was failing miserably. "What's you're name?"
The boy tilted his head slightly, fixing Axel with squinted eyes and the most bewildered look he had ever seen. It was almost cute, but still. "Do you have a name?"
The blonde lifted a hand and examined it with soft wonder, seeming to have forget very quickly that he had an audience. Larxene shook her head.
"You think he's broken?"
"No, he probably just needs new software," Zexion said matter-of-factly. "Judging by the shape he's in, I'd say the person who owned him before wasn't very tech-savy. Nothing major, but he could stand some cleaning up and possibly a debugging and reprogramming." He leaned in again and waved a hand in front of the boy's eyes, watching as he stopped his hand-watching and became entranced by the hand, following it hypnotically back and forth. "He's still functioning, so there's something to be salvaged there. I know a friend who might be able to take a look at him."
Axel nodded shakily. He was still trying to will himself out of a hopeful fantasy. It wasn't going to happen. This whole thing was just a big coincidence. A big, cruel, totally implausible coincidence...
The boy reached out and grabbed Zexion's hand, examining that. Eyes a little wider, he murmured something softly.
Axel perked up a bit. "Huh? What'd he say?"
Zexion snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face, gaining his focus before asking the question again. The blonde blinked uncomprehendingly, and he sighed.
"This might be a hopeless case for the time being...I-"
Suddenly, the persocom shifted forward a bit, onto his knees. Axel's face went deep red as the cover slipped a bit more, and before he knew it, the boy was moving slowly over to him. Not that he had far to go.
"W-What? W-What is it?" Axel asked, trying not to freak out much when cool, yet still distinctly human hands touched his cheeks. There was a short pause while the boy seemed to examine him, and Axel thought he'd go insane, seeing that face, feeling those hands, when-
"Ven..."
He blinked. "Huh?"
The boy smiled brightly, and all at once he looked like an angel. His little voice- 'Damn! So much like Roxas'!' chirped, excitedly like a little kid's at Christmas.
"Ven!"