Chapter Music: Pure Morning by Placebo.
Rust on the Lock.
Chapter 3.
A Friend Who Bleeds is Better.
It is the seventh morning, and Lexaeus is still spending his spare time looking out of the window, trying to spot Zexion. It just seems pointless now. The glass has not been uncovered since it the cardboard has been put up, and yet he finds himself looking out again: maybe to be nosy, or for Zexion's sake, or possibly for Maxi's safety.
What Lex had said last night stirred something within the man. Lexaeus doesn't completely believe that Zexion beats his son up, but it is a possibility. If Zexion hurts Maxi, it may have started from someone else harming Zexion as a child. It's not a nice thought, but back in the force, most child abuse and domestic violence cases started like that. It's more of a chain then anything else. However, Zexion would never abuse someone, would he? He seemed like such a small, fragile thing himself. When Lexaeus held that small hand in his own large paws, it was like holding a child's hand in a way. A small, cold child…
Lexaeus shakes his head, snapping out of it. He hardly knows Zexion, and the boy is bound to know how to look after himself and his son. Maybe everything can be sorted out. Maybe it was all a big misunderstanding-
"You are going to go and talk to him, right?"
Lexaeus turns around and sees Lex standing the doorway, all dressed and ready for school. The man can't help smiling when he sees Lex looking semi-smart in black and yellow. He walks over to the child and reaches down to straighten out his tie for him.
"I will go around before I go to work," he promises.
"Pinky-swear." Lex holds a fisted hand, the little finger standing out from the rest. Lexaeus chuckles and curls his own little finger around the lad's, and they shake on it. Lex smiles, "Thanks, Dads."
"It's alright." The man ruffles his hair playfully, a smile on his face. "It's good of you to look out for a younger child. You're such a lovely boy, Lex."
"Dad, don't say things like that!" Lex looks downward, blushing. "It's embarrassing."
"I'm not embarrassing" the man smiles, shaking his head. A car horn toots outside, so he goes over to the window, looking down towards the courtyard. He can see a black, shiny family-size car below, the engine still roaring to keep the heater going. "That looks like Xaldin and Xenia. Got everything?"
"Yep!" Lex throws on his winter coats, puts his school bag over his shoulder and turns around to leave. "See you later, Dad." The boy disappears down the hallway, and out of the front door.
Lexaeus sighs and looks out of the window, waiting for a while until Lex reappears at the bottom in the courtyard. He is greeted by Xenia, who is standing up through the roof window of the car, and he hops in. It drives away down the road, leaving Lexaeus alone in an empty flat. He always feels alone when Lex leaves in the morning, ever since his darling wife passed on. He can't help it. His own parents died of old age some years ago and he has no siblings, so Lex is his last direct member of his family; his little lad, his legacy the fruit of his loins. But now he has to do something about another little lad.
After pottering about the kitchen for a little while, buying some time to think about what he is going to say to his new neighbour, he puts on his jacket and bolts the front door behind him.
As he descends down in the lift to the basment, he still thinks about what to say to Zexion. This is a very sensitive subject, so he can't just come out and say it. It would be so much easier if he was still in the force, or if he was still in SOLDIER. He had a lot more confidence in those days. He can still go out after daylight hours without worries, enter this damp-looking basement without thinking something is going to attack him, but now he is a civilian, he feels more mortal. He has less power than he used to have, and he sometimes misses that.
He reaches the other end of the dank basement, finds the door to be unlocked, and takes the stairs up all the way to the top floor. The second building is a little more rundown then his, with the walls flaking and the light bulbs dim and humming with lingering energy. One of the teenagers in the building has written an obscene joke on the wall: I wish my girlfriend was as dirty as this.
Lexaeus finds the flat adjacent to his, number 5665, and stands in front of the door like an idiot, like a teenaged boy waiting to knock on the front door of his crush's house. He clears his throat, shifts his heavy weight from one foot to another awkwardly, and sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Alright… Let's see if anyone's home…"
After a few false starts, he reaches up and knocks politely at the door.
OOO
On the other side, Zexion is standing by the door, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a cape. He silently presses his ear against the wood, listening to the steady knocking of someone's fist. He doesn't answer but he waits. After some time and a couple more knocks, he hears someone sigh (a deep, gravely sigh. Is that Lexaeus?) – and hears them walk away, heavy-footed (That was defiantly Lexaeus.)
Zexion pulls away from the door, placing his hand against the doorframe. If it was Lexaeus, why was the man outside? Maybe the boy worried him a little last night, with the way he acted. Great, now he feels bad.
He turns away from the door, not looking around the window-covered, empty living room as he returns to the comfort of the equally-as-empty bedroom. Their suitcases are all open and their contents are strut around them. He can't be bothered to put them back in. He just crawls into bed, trying his best not to disturb Maxi. After giving the dosing kid a smile and a kiss on the forehead, he curls up on his side, facing the window. He had drawn the curtains over the cardboard, just in case. It seemed to do the trick.
The small body on the other side of the bed rolls over and presses up against his back, arms snaking around his waist to embrace him. That familiar, soft mouth near his ear breaths those haunting words in an airy, sleepy voice.
"I'm hungry."
As Maxi spoke, Zexion swear he felt the kid's sharp front teeth nip at his earlobe. That meant Maxi was "stomach hungry". Not "head hungry" or "love hungry", as he would put it. He was hungry in the normal sense of someone being hungry. With a sigh, Zexion meshes his fingers with that of the child's, never turning around to face his son.
"I am too," he mumbles. "I'll go out tonight. I promise. Just go back to sleep."
He waits for a while, until he is sure that Maxi is sleeping again, making little snores and mumbles in his sleeps. A monster's growl rumbles in the pit of Zexion's own gut and it hurts. He stifles a groan, clutching and pressing his stomach to suppress the pain. It only helps a little. He furrows his brow because he hates this. He hates doing this. The cycle he has to live through. It was annoying, tedious and just plain… horrible… but it's the only way. He can't keep Maxi and himself hungry.
He closes his eyes, trying to get himself back to sleep. Sleeping is what he needs at the moment. He has a long night ahead of him.
OOO
Irvine pulled the car into the parking lot after they went through the drive-through. They have two hours before they had to show up at Balamb Academy so he and Zack have enough time to stuff their faces with an early morning burger deal each.
"I haven't been at Balamb in ages." He chuckles, taking a slip of his milkshake as he places his feet on the wheel. "I have lot of good memories in that place. I was the best damn shooter there."
"I bet you were" Zack mumbles with a smile, a little too occupied with the last of his fries. "But since SeeD has been demolished, it's full of second-generation mako kids, right?"
Another chuckle from Irvine, "I wouldn't say it's full. There are a hundred of them at last. Eleven years with one class each. Can you believe that? They get a whole school for eleven classes. When it was a SeeD school, there were ten-thousands of us. A school made for thousands now holding a group of less than hundred seems stupid but the kids have nowhere else to go, you know. They are too different and are a bit too freaky to be around normal chi-"
He pauses mid-sentence and nervously, cautiously glances over to Zack in the passenger seat, who is looking back at him with wide, mako-blue eyes glowing like beckons, the rim of his coffee cup resting on his bottom lip, staying there.
"…Not that I think makos are freaks or anything" Irvine says very, very quickly, trying to dig himself out of the hole he was trapping himself in. "I know quite a few makos- I mean people infused with mako. I was just voicing the opinion of the swallow-minded. Not my own-"
Zack laughs, shaking his head. "Gods alive, Kinneas. Relax." He reaches over and ruffles the young man's hair in a brotherly manner. "I know you didn't mean anything by it, and you're acting like I'm going to rip your head off. Jeez."
"…Sorry, Zack."
"Forget about, mate. I already have." The ex-SOLDIER runs his fingers through his own spiky hair, sighing. "Now, if I was Tifa, I would understand why you're shitting bricks right now."
"But she's not a mako."
"Nah. But Cloud and their kid is, right?"
"Kid?" Irvine blinks, looking dumbfounded. "They have a kid?"
"Well, it's not theirs really. Not biologically" Zack explains. He wipes his mouth on the back of his hand, licking away the tangy taste of the ketchup. "Denzel's was adopted. He's staying with a friend and his own adopted kid while we're here."
"Ah." Irvine nods his head. "That explains things… Wow, everyone seems to be getting children. Hell, even Squall got his girl knocked up."
"Thinking of having some brats of your own, Irv?" Zack asks with a silly grin on his face. "Imagine it; little Irvine-juniors running around with pop-guns."
Irvine laughs with him. "Ha, ha, I don't think so. I'm happy being a bachelor at the moment…"
They fall into silence for a moment, the only noises disturbing the quiet now being the crackling of the police radio and the car heater vibrating. A few people walk across the almost empty car park: a group of teenagers with quick bites to eat, a fat woman with enough chicken nuggets to feed ten, truck drivers pulling over for breakfast.
Zack sighs wryly, making the seat recline a little. "I can't believe we are going to a school to talk about a fucking murderer. This is just sick, man. We are properly going to scare them shitless."
"I don't know" Irvine shrugs. "Kids are pretty clued up nowadays. When I went for one of those drug talks with Selph, they knew almost everything. The street names, what they looked like, if you could smoke it, snort it, inject it or put it in tea. Now that's scary…" He puts on a smile. "On the plus side, this is letting us get away from Squall and Seifer for a few hours."
"Mm. Yeah. That's a bonus." Zack looks over to the gunner, arching a brow. "What the hell is it with Almasy and Leonhart anyway? You could cut the tension between them with a spoon."
"Teenage rivalry is all. How sad is that? Ever since we were in SeeD together, all the way through the course, they were at each other like dogs. You know their…" Irvine draws an invisible line diagonally across his face with his finger.
Zack nods his head. "Yeah. You can't miss that really. They are just there all the time."
"Well, they did it to each other. They got into a scrap."
"What? They got into a knife fight?"
"No. Gunblades. It's a miracle that they didn't blow each other's heads off."
"Oh Gods," Zack chuckles, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"
"Be grateful then you didn't have to share a room with them in SeeD." Smiling at boyhood memories, Irvine turns the key and the police car comes to life, roaring and spluttering from slumber. "We better get going. Don't spill at dip on the dashboard."
OOO
Tutorial lessons are normally used for PSHE. That's all the classes about everyday life and the things that the pre-teen students needed to know about, like personal health and safety, and sex education, the birds and the bees, how bad drugs are and sometimes they had to watch silly old videos about safe sex with a pompous-sounding woman narrating the most non-graphic, scientific smut scene ever playing out on the screen. Basically, it's everyone's favourite subject because there are no exams, it's all about them and it's just comically bad.
The Year Eight class are considered the lucky bunch this year around because they got Lulu as their tutorial teacher. She is, without a doubt, one of the best teachers at Balamb Academy. She used to be a combat instructor, but after having her son, she became a normal teacher. "Normal" in terms of subject; she doesn't look nor act like a normal teacher at all, with her twisted hair and purplish make-up. It's never a surprise that she never gets told off for it or that the students never make fun of her behind her back. She is just that respected.
"Instead of our normal class today" Lulu tells the group of fifteen scruffy kids before her, fresh from the playground after morning break, "we are going to go to the assembly hall with the other years for an important talk." The woman walks around the front desk and perches herself on the edge elegantly. "Two members of the police force are coming into talk about the so-called "ritual murder" to you all."
This sparks interest in all the children and they start to talk amongst themselves, a low hum of voices vibrating through the air. All, that is, except for Lex, sitting quietly in the back of the class, head propped up on his arm and in a world completely different from this one. He is still thinking about Maxi: is he alright? Is he safe? Did he have a good breakfast this morning, if any at all? Did he have another bath so he felt clean again? …Is his father treating him right?
Lex doesn't know what it's like to be hit by a parent. Lexaeus never raised a hand to him; never even threaten to hit him if he misbehaved. His dad always feels bad if he accidentally stands on the child's foot, never mind accidentally smacking him. He can't be sure if Maxi is being abuse, but in the pit of his stomach he can't help feeling worried.
Lulu claps her hands a few times, signalling that the children need to settle down again. They hush each other up and the lady continuous. "I want you all to be on your best behaviour in the assembly," she tells them. She lowers her gaze a little. "It is true that we live in dangerous times, children, but there is no reason to panic. If you have any questions, you are free to ask the police officers in full confidence, or you can always ask me or one of the other teachers… Please listen to what the officers have to say today."
"Yes, Lulu" the class say together, perfectly in time like a choir, all but one voice joining in. Noticing that someone is missing, Lulu casts a careful eye over the class and spots Lex staring off into space, lost to the world.
"…Lex?" No answer. Lulu raises her voice, "Lex Stone." The whole class turn in their seats to look towards the back of the class. The boy still doesn't look around, and the woman's brow creases. "Mister Stone." Lex doesn't even blink, so Xenia gives him a helpful, heavy whack on the back of the head with a textbook.
"Ow!"
The other kids giggle as he clutches his crown and glares deadly over at Xenia. Xosé and Dexter laugh under their breaths. Lulu rolls her eyes a little.
"I guess that is one way to get someone's attention" she muses to herself, walking on over to the back of the room. She puffs out her chest a little and crosses her arms on the boy. "Lex Stone, what have I just been talking about?"
Lex blinks. "Mm. Oh? You said policemen were coming to talk to us about the murderer, Lulu. Miss, Ms Lulu, Ma'am."
The teacher quirks her brow at the young lad, "Good, you were listening, despite being so wrapped up in your own little world. Care to share your thoughts?" Lex looks around the room shyly, everyone's glowing eyes on him and only him. He hunches his broad shoulders, as if trying to make himself appear bigger to scare off predators.
"It's personal, miss."
He is saved by the bell, ringing earlier than usual.
"That means everyone has to go to the assembly hall now" Lulu explains. "You children go on ahead and I will lock up the room." Chattering amongst themselves, the students pick up their rucksacks and shuffle unorganized out of the door, fixing their ties and hair a little bit to keep the school's image up, so not to be told off by the headmaster. Lex stays in his seat; he doesn't even put away his pencil case.
"Come on, mate." Dexter pulls his jumper over his head. "We are going to miss the good seats."
"And Xaviera can't keep a line of five safe forever" Xosé points out.
"You guys go ahead" Lex says quietly. "There is something I need to do first. Just safe me a seat or something, okay?"
"You are alright, right, junior?" Xenia asks, sounding a little worried about her friend. "You're blanking out a lot today."
"I'm fine" Lex smiles, not sure if he is actually lying. "I'm just having one of those days."
Reluctantly, his friends leave the room and Lex breaths heavily, his chest tight and hurting. He doesn't understand why he feels like this. He doesn't even know Maxi or his father but he is so worried and he even panics over this at times.
"Lex. You're shuddering." The boy looks up, seeing Lulu looking down. She looks concerned, her mouth tense. She rests her hand on his crown. "You're all red and hot as well. What is troubling you, child?"
"…Lulu." Lex gently removes the woman's palm from his hair, looking away. "I'm really worried about someone. I don't really know them but… I think this kid on my complex is getting abused."
Lulu blinks, calming sitting down on the desk. "Is it a child at this school?"
"No" Lex sighs, shaking his head. "He's only just moved into town."
"If it's a child outside the school, I'm afraid I can't get involved" Lulu says to a regretting tone.
"But that's the thing. I not even sure if he is get abused or not. He was acting weird and he has a bruise on his face but… I told my dad and he said he would get it sorted out, but what if he doesn't?"
"I know your father and he is a very clever man." Lulu raises, a slight smile on her full lips. "If something is happening to that child, I'm sure he will find a way to help him. Now, we must go to the assembly hall with the others."
"Yes, Lulu."
When Lex makes it to the hall, everyone is already there in their seats right at the front. Since there is so few of them, the whole student body only takes up the first few rows. All the other thousands of chairs go to waste. He finds his friends along the last row at the back, taking the seat on the end. He can help noticing that Xenia is being very jumpy in her chair.
"You need to go to the toilet or something, Xeni?" he asks.
"Check out who's on the stage" the girl whispers, pointing. Lex looks, and sees two men in police uniform. The one up in front is Irvine; everyone knows Irvine.
"…What's so special about Irvine?"
"Not Irvine, you dummy!" Xenia barks. "The other guy, do you know who that is?" Lex looks again, towards the other man; black, spiky hair, a scar on his cheek, mako eyes just like them. He looks familiar, but it's hard to place the face. "It's Zack Fair, you idiot" Xenia hisses, a grin on her face. "He's one of the SOLDIERs who joined AVALANCE. He's a fucking legend!"
"He's just a guy, Xenia" Xosé sighs by her side. "Calm down. Me and Xaviera have seen him lots of times. Haven't we, frostbite?"
"Yep."
"What?" Xenia furrows her brow. "You never told me that."
"You never asked" Xaviera points out. "He's Aerith's boyfriend. You know, the priestess who goes around to all the temples. Sometimes he goes around with her to the Shiva temple just out of town. We can introduce you if you want."
"…Not now," Xenia gains some composure. "Not when everyone is buzzing around. You can take me to your temple some time."
OOO
It's four o'clock, post-sunset.
Lexaeus finds himself back outside the door of flat 5665 of the second building ready, ready to either knock or run. He has to try again. Maybe they were not awake this morning, or maybe they left very early. They should be home by now. They have to be. After one last deep breath, Lexaeus knocks on the door.
There is some noise on the other side of the door, like frantic banging of plastic tubs hitting together. Someone runs over the door quickly and undoes the bolt locks, the latches and opens the door as far as the chain will let it. Zexion peeks out, his eyes wide as he sees the man standing there, and Lexaeus can see that the boy looks terrible.
He is haggard and tired; the shadows under his eyes have deepened, his pale skin looks like a sickly shade of grey, and his hair looks almost silver in this light, the poor thing.
"…Lexaeus?" he mumbles, airily. "W-What do you want?"
"Zexion, I want to talk to you about a serious issue" Lexaeus says quickly but calmly. The boy's eyes widen even more, if that is even possible, until they are as large as dinner plates, and he shakes his head.
"This is a bad time, Lexaeus. I will speak with you some other time." He tries to close the door sharply, but Lexaeus puts his foot in the way, blocking the gap. Zexion shudders, looking up again. "Please remove your foot, Lexaeus."
"Zexion, please, just for a moment."
"…Very well. I'm listening."
Now that Lexaeus has the boy's attention, he doesn't know what to say. "…It's about your son."
"What about my son?"
"Well… It's just… my son saw him and-"
"What?"
"A-And he saw that he had a bruise on his eyes, and he fears that someone has hurt him badly. He said Maximus was acting oddly too-"
"Maxi is just shy and awkward around people" Zexion insists in a rushed tone, "and his bruising… he's a clumsy little thing. He fell over."
"And landed on his eye?" Lexaeus is starting to feel doubtful. "Zexion, is something going on? I am only looking out for the child's best interests. If someone is hurting him then…" Lexaeus falls silent, watching Zexion's eyes widen, pupils almost over taking the irises. The door slams in his face, the chain rattles off its lock and it flies open. Zexion storms out of the flat and into the hallway, looking wilder then an enraged lion. He slams the door behind him.
"You mean" he growls, "if I amhurting him! Don't you?"
Lexaeus moves away, and his back meets the wall. "That is not what I said."
"But you were thinking it." Zexion looks like he wants to rip someone to shreds, his hands tightening into bone-white fists. "Listen here. I am the last man in the world who would hurt my child. I would never think of harming him in any fashion. And who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to think that when you don't even know me? Stay away from me and my son! I have something more important to do then talk to a judging bastard like you!"
Zexion closes the door in the face of the shocked Lexaeus again and stands in his hallway, shivering with rage and fear, a cold sweat on his brow. He is on edge. He needs relief.
He hears Lexaeus sigh outside the door. "I guess this means the drinks are off then."
The man sounds so sad, as do his footsteps as he walks away. Zexion frowns and he is so tempted to open the door again and blurt out an apology, but he can't do that. He can't apologise to that man. As he remembers what Lexaeus told him about Maxi, he furrows his brow and shouts.
"Maximus!"
His voice echoes off the bare walls and it is followed by compete silence across the whole flat. Zexion again. "Maximus! Come here!"
It takes a while, but the little boy finally appears from the bedroom, an expression of fear and worry on his face. His father crosses his arms over his chest. "Come over here, Maximus." Maxi gulps and slowly makes his way over to the man, not in a rush to approach him. He keeps his eyes on the dull carpet, not daring to look at his father's burning stare.
"…I just got accused for abusing you" Zexion tells the boy, trying to control his voice. "Apparently a child on the complex saw your bruise. How did he see it?"
"…That man is a liar" Maxi mumbles softly.
"…Maximus, look at me."
The boy doesn't want to. He doesn't want to see his papa being angry at him. Zexion cups his hand under his chin and makes him raise his head. He looks annoyed. "What did you do late night, young man?"
Maxi really wants to cry now. He makes a thick sniffle sound and curls his fingers into fists.
"…I just wanted to talk to someone, Papa. I wanted to talk to another kid… but I got scared and ran away when he pointed out my bruise… I want friends again."
Zexion can't stay angry any longer. His mask of authority slips and he leans down to kiss the child's head.
"You know that if everything was different I would let you talk and play with other children" he mumbles against his ear, "but you know that we can't… Am I not any fun anymore? Is that why you are looking for children to play with?"
"No, no, Papa. I really, really like playing games with you… but I want to play with children who are my age too… You want friends your own age too, right?"
Zexion sighs. He can't really deny it. As much as he loves Maxi's company, he would like to have meaningful talks with some of his own age too. Any age! He's not fussy… but he knows that can never happen.
"…We can't do that" Zexion whispers. "If everything was different, then I would let you have all the friends you want, but we can't, kid. Please don't do that again." He kisses the boy on the forehead and picks up his bag, prepped and ready by the side of the door. "I'll see you when I come back." He leaves, locking the door and Maxi inside. The child starts to cry.
OOO
7th Heaven is the most popular bar in Kalm, if not for miles around. Its history is large, despite being so young compared to the ancient, hundred year old pubs. Now that it doesn't house AVALENCE anymore, it has become a novelty to go there for sightseers. The townsmen just see it as their own loyal local.
When he steps inside from the cold, the place is already full and half-intoxicated. The air smells of alcoholic fumes and vinegar crisps, all of which wants to make him gag and throw-up all over the floor. He stays standing by the door for a moment, breathing slowly through his mouth, slower and slower until he stops breathing all together. No one notices him. Only a few close-by turn to see who it was, and they turns away when they saw it was nobody they knew. He wanted it to stay like that.
Calmly, he walks on over to the bar, casting eyes over the holidaying youths around the tables. He passes a group of giggling young ladies, sipping on vodka and coke through bendy straws like schoolgirls with milkshakes. He gets a whiff of the one closes to him. She smells of sweat, and flowery perfume, but under that fog he can smell saltwater and sand. He licks his lips; he prefers those who smell like earth the best. It's rich on the tongue, and not too sweet, not too bitter either. She will do.
He sits down on one of the stools at the bar, picking up a drinks menu but not reading it. He only pretends to read it. He just sits there, waiting. After a while, he can hear a pair of heavy booted feet walk over to him and he looks up. The current bar owner (the last one, as he remembers, was a young woman, cute-looking and well-endowed) is a large black man who looks world-weary, with his face scarred and his hair in cornrows. His right arm seems to have been replaced with a robotic one.
"What doya want, pal?"
"I haven't decided yet" he lies. "…However, I would like it if you send a bottle of your best right on over to the blonde on that table over there." He pulls out his wallet and puts some notes on the table, smiling. "I have my eye on her, if you understand my meaning."
The barman chuckles, a sound like thunder. "Sure thing, buddy. Lettme get someone to help ya out." He turns towards the backdoor behind him. "Rikku! Paine! …Someone get their butt down here!"
Someone comes bouncing down the stairs, and a young, skinny lass comes through to the bar, trying to tie her tiny apron up. Her hair is long, twisted into many tight braids with decorative beads.
"Jeez, Barret. No need to yell like that."
"Where's Paine at?"
"Trying to get Marlene and Denzel to take baths. I think she needs back-up."
"Fucking hell." Barret the Barman heads towards the backdoor to go upstairs. "Man the bar, and giva bottle of the good stuff to that gal over there," he points out the target with his cyber-arm, "for this man here." He points to the young man.
As soon as the man is gone up shouting, Rikku the Bargirl bounces over to him, all smiles and loose winter clothing. He could tell she was Al Bhed as soon as he catch the stare of those pretty green eyes.
"You have to excuse Barret" she sighs. "He's a bit of a grump, and he has to look after his own kid and a friend's during this holiday time. Trying times, ya know?"
"I understand" he smiles.
Remembering her task, Rikku fishes out a bottle from one of the fridges under the bar and skips on over to the table. He watches as his predicted plan plays out: Rikku puts the bottle on the table. The gaggle of girls stares at it, confused. The target tells Rikku she didn't order it. Rikku tells her something and points him out. The girl takes the bottle to hand and walks out over to him. It's show time!
"What do you think you are trying to pull, mister?"
He looks up to meet her face. She is a beach babe, pure and simple; both tanned and bleached from the sun. She is a cute young thing. Not drop-dead gorgeous, not goddess-like but beautiful as her own kind can get. She isn't drunk yet either; her sea-blue eyes are clear and liquidized.
He smiles charmingly. "Can't a guy buy a girl a drink?"
"A drink?" She holds up the bottle. "This is enough for ten drinks."
"So I'm generous" he shrugs.
"Hmm." She doesn't understand his game, his edge, what he was trying to do. She believes that he is trying to get her attention because he likes her. That is what he wants her to believe.
After a while, she sits down with him and they get chatting. Because he doesn't want a drink and she can't polish off the bottle herself, there is some left-over when they decide to go for a quick walk. Her friends don't really think it's a good idea for her to go wandering off with someone they don't know but she just giggles and tells them not worry; he's slim and her height, not a big, burly tough bloke, and besides, he's really cute, despite looking so tired.
The two of them brave the cold night air together and have a nice stroll, side-by-side. With his sweet, boy-next-door smile, he tells her his name is Zo (the liar) and suggests that they should visit the woods. She happily agrees.
OOO
Ever since his father told he want happened between him and Zexion, Lex has been awfully quiet all night. He didn't talk during dinner and chewed softly, and then he went to his room while Lexaeus finished the washing-up and checks out of the window.
Lexaeus can't see any lights on at Zexion's flat. Maybe he's in a room on the other side of the flat. That is very likely the case. The man sighs as he places soup bowls on the draining board. He was only looking out for a young child's welfare and then a moment later, he gets shouted at by the parent, which is understandable if Lexaeus was mistaken and his words had truly offended Zexion… or, on the other hand, Zexion could have been putting on an act. If he was, he is bloody good actor.
Lexaeus raises a wet hand to his forehead, rubbing an aching temple. He was only trying to help. He didn't mean to upset Zexion. Now the boy would probably hate him forever and ever, just because he was trying to play the nice guy.
"Dad, I'm sorry."
Lexaeus turns around and sees Lex standing in the doorway, looking towards the ground, and he seems very upset and downhearted. Lexaeus dries his hands and temple with a dish towel.
"What are you sorry for?"
"For causing a rift between you and the new guy" the boy mumbles. The man sighs and opens his arms up in a welcoming manner. Lex shuffles over and joins him in a hug.
"It's not your fault" Lexaeus mumbles against his curly hair. "You only wanted what you thought was right. No one can blame you for doing that… and if I get a glimpse of Zexion again, I'll try to apologise to him. It will be alright."
"…Okay. You're normally right, Dad so I will trust you on this." Lexaeus lets himself smile. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Lex asks out of helpfulness.
"Well, I've already finished the dishes and everything… Actually, there is something." Lexaeus walks on over to the waste bins in the far corner of the kitchen and takes off the swing-lid of the one for recyclable junk. He takes the bag of trash out and ties it shut. "If you don't mind, can you run down to the dumpsters and throw this in the green one?"
"Sure, Dad." Lex takes the bag easily enough and slips on his coat and a pair of shoes before heading out of the door.
He knows that he's not meant to use the lift to take the garbage out, but he just wants to get it over and done with. When he is down on the ground floor, the boy opens up the bolted door, turns the corner around the outside of the building and finds the dumpsters, the green one against the wall of his building and the black against the other building's wall. With a few grunts of effort, Lex pushes the lid up and throws the bag in. He quickly closes the top again, coughing with the stench. It's not as bad as the general waste dumpster, which is full of rotten food normally, but it's still pretty stinky.
As he brushing his hands against his trouser legs, Lex suddenly gains the feeling that he is being watched. Wary, he looks up and down the little alleyway but sees nothing. Nothing but darkness… and then he think about looking behind.
Slowly, reluctantly, he turns all the way around and screams in shock as he meets a pair of icy-blue, hatred-filled eyes. He jumps back in his started state, his back crashing against the green dumpster. It takes him a while, but Lex starts to recognise that the angry-looking, gargoyle-crouched creature perched on the flat top of the black dumpster was only Maxi, and he was a very pissed-off Maxi tonight.
He looks so annoyed at Lex, his brow and nose wrinkled with his scowl. Lex almost gulps at the sight. For some reason, somehow, Maxi looks worse than he did the night before. The shadows under his eyes are deeper, making his face look like a skull with black sockets, his eyes just hovering there. His skin is so pale and ill, it looks almost grey in the dim lighting, and - this might be Lex's sight going funny but - there are a number of silver strands in his hair, glistening in the shine of the moon. He looks dreadful, but at least the boy is dressed properly tonight: shoes and everything.
Lex feels a little confused to how Maxi managed to get up there so quickly, without making a single sound but he tries to ignoring that thought for now. He has a child who looks like he wants to murder him to worry about.
"…Hi, Maxi" Lex says quietly, trying to smile but he can't make himself do so. "…It's nice to see you again-"
"Papa does not beat me."
"…What?"
"My father doesn't hurt me!" Maxi squawks crossly. "You told your father that Papa beats me up, but he doesn't and I got into big trouble with him! Why did you say something like that? How could you?"
Lex blinks at him. What happened to that shy, timid pyjama-boy from before, and why has he be replaced by his bitter, red-faced screamer? …then Lex realises what the kid is talking about. He starts to shake his head over and over again, turning a little pale himself.
"No. No! It's not like that." Lex takes his rest his hand against Maxi's knee but the boy shuffles back sharply, rejecting him. Lex tries his best to not look too upset. "It was your bruise and the way you were acting… You were acting very strange. I thought that something bad had happened to you."
"Why do you care?" Maxi barks. "You're not my keeper."
"I just got worried about you" Lex admits. "You looked so small and scared… I just wanted to help…"
After the quiet words, Maxi starts to relax his face from a picture of hate into a confused, childishly-curious expression, his irises softening, his eyes melting from an ice-cold stare to pools of blue warmth.
"…You were… worried about me?"
"…Yeah, a little" Lex says with a nod of his head.
"Oh…" Maxi shifts, looking a little uncomfortable. He stands up on the rusty dumpster, looking to the side rather that Lex's face. "…I guess I was acting weird before… I was just… I'm sorry for shouting."
"It's alright." Lex finally manages to smile weakly. "…Do you want to talk about it?"
Maxi glances down at him, staring through a curtain of hair. "You want to talk?"
"Yeah."
"To me?"
"Of course."
"Mm." The little boy shifts his slight weight from one foot to another. He nibbles his chewed lip thoughtfully. "…I-I guess we can talk for a little while."
"Cool." Lex points over to the playground in the courtyard. "How about we talk under the play-castle? We won't be disturbed under there."
"…Alright." Maxi jumps off the dumpster and lands perfectly on the balls of his little feet, as stealthy as a cat. Lex looks at him, dumbfounded… Maybe Maxi is just perfectly balanced, or maybe he used to do gymnastics. He would have to ask him about that. "Shall we go and talk then?" the boys asks, staring up at Lex with a questioning look.
"Um. Yeah. Let's go."
The complex's playground is like any other playground out there in the world. It has a seesaw, a swing set, a merry-go-round, a jungle gym, a sandbox which is currently covered up for the winter weather, and a big slide. It all used to be bright and colourful once upon a time, but as far as Lex can remember they have always had chipped paint and the yellow has faded so much that the black metal underneath is showing through.
In the middle of the playground, there is a structure in the shape of a castle, with a smaller slide, different ways of climbing up it and some chin-up bars. Under the castle there is a sheltered spot with a two-seater bench to sit on. Some teenagers have carved things into the wooden walls and seat; insults and ruddy pictures but there are some initials inside oddly-shaped hearts. Why they did it, Lex doesn't know.
The boys sit down on the bench and stay there in complete silence, staring down at the tarmac. Lex runs his fingers through his long hair and sighs, breathe fogging up in the chilly air.
"…May I ask you something, Maxi?"
"What is it?" the little boy asks, lifting his head a little.
"…How did you get that bruise on your eye?" Lex asks softly. He watches as Maxi draws his hand to his face and cups his eyes under his palm. After a moment, the boy drops his hand and smiles up at Lex sweetly.
"…Someone very mean didn't want me to forget about them" he asks simply.
Lex's mouth tenses. "You mean a bully?"
"I guess you can call him that," Maxi shrugs. Lex nods his head like he understands when he doesn't really. Maxi seems like someone a bully would target: small, frail, and weak-looking. Lex has never been bullied in his whole life. He is too big and too tough to be made into a target. He is the type of child who stood up for the targets against the mean tyrants of the school. That's why he doesn't truly understand.
"…Does it hurt?" he asks.
Maxi shakes his head. "Not anymore."
"That's good… So is it just you and your dad here?"
"Always has been."
"Where's your mum?" Lex knows that he shouldn't really ask such personal questions but Maxi doesn't seem to mind either way. He pushes some silky, slate hair out of his pretty eyes.
"Mama died giving birth to me" Maxi explains. "Apparently, she wasn't very strong and my birth was difficult, so she died in the end."
"Oh…" Lex frowns. "I am so sorry."
"Don't be. It's alright," Maxi smiles up at him. "I don't mind that much anymore… Do you still have your mother, Lex?"
"No. She died when I was little… She got cancer."
"Oh." Maxi frowns. "That's very sad."
"How is it sadder than your mum's passing?" Lex asks.
"Because you knew your mother and it's always harder to say goodbye to people you lived with and grew to love."
Maxi has a point. Lex didn't know the boy would say something so mature. He pulls his coat around his frame, blocking out the chill.
"So… have you enrolled into a school yet, Maxi?"
"Nope."
"I go to Balamb" Lex says, trying to strike-up a conversation. "It used to be a SeeD military school but it's more like an average school nowadays… It's mostly for second-generation mako children now..."
"…Are you a mako?"
"Yeah. Dad was in SOLDIER, but he quit after a couple of years… but he had the operation."
"Ah. I see." Maxi smiles. "That's why your eyes are so pretty."
Lex blushes and stares at Maxi, started. "What?"
"Mako makes your eyes glow, right?" Maxi asks. "Your eyes are very shiny and pretty."
Lex can't help but smile a little. People have said his irises were very bright for his eye shade but… no one has ever called them pretty before. He was starting to feel embarrassed.
Not really paying attention, he doesn't notice that Maxi almost doubles over in agony, clutching onto his stomach. He's beyond hungry, beyond starving. He has to stop himself from groaning and whining, lest Lex may notice. Then the child blanks out completely. He's looking towards Lex, gazing at the crook of his strong neck. He can smell him.
The smell coming off the bigger boy is amazing. He smells of sweat and dirt and the air, and it's wonderful. It's natural but special too. There was something a little different. Or maybe it's just the sense of starvation that's talking.
Either way, Maxi is salivating. A whispering, wordless whimper escapes his throat, and his eyes narrowing, irises grow dark and dilated. The aroma is a toxin. He's more or less high. He parts his pale lips and widens his soft jaw. If someone was here to watch, they would have been able to see that his white teeth are very sharp. If they had the eyes of an eagle, they would also see his pointing canines suddenly grow a little bit, become longer. The child leans up silently and closes the gap between his mouth and the bare flesh…
"Ah-choo!"
Lex sneezes and Maxi jumps back imminently, eyebrows arched in surprise. "What was that?"
"Sorry. I only sneezed."
"Oh. Bless you, then. Do you have a cold?"
"No, it's you." Lex smiles. "You smell funny."
"I… smell funny?" Maxi echoes.
"I don't mean bad. I mean… odd. I think." Not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings, Lex trying to think of something nice. "But sweet. You smell like sweet musk, if that's the right word."
Maxi pulls an unsure expression at first, which makes Lex feel a little bad about what he said, than the boy smiles and giggles a little in a light-hearted way. "You're weird, Lex."
The boys share a little chuckle between them. Lex reaches out and he finally touches Maxi on the shoulder. The boy feels a little cold, maybe because he isn't wearing a coat.
"Do you want to play for a while?" he asks.
Maxi's eyes widen. "Together?"
"Of course together, silly," Lex takes hold of his hand, and Maxi gasps a little. The older boy feels very warm against his skin. It feels nice. "What do you want to do first, Maxi?" Lex asks nicely.
"…Swing set" Maxi smiles. "I want to play on the swings."
"Alright then," Lex gently pulls Maxi out of the hidey-hole, guiding him over towards the swing set. "I'll give you a push."
"Thanks." Maxi sits down on one of the black rubber seats, clutching onto the chains with his small, pale fingers. "Hmm, can you push me gently, please? I don't feel so good."
"Are you sick?" Lex asks, sounding concerned.
"It's just my tummy," Maxi smiles. "I'll be fine."
"Alright, if you're sure;" Slowly, Lex takes holds of the cold, thick chains and pulls the swing and Maxi's meek weight back. Maxi weights practically nothing, like a life-size dolly, all for Lex to play with and no one else. Lex smiles at the thought and pushes. Maxi goes swinging forward, sticking his feet out straight before him, then pulls them back in as he falls. Lex gets his palms on the small of the child's back and pushes him lightly again, just enough to give momentum. "Is this the right speed?" he asks.
"This is perfect," Maxi smiles over his shoulder. "Don't stop, Lex."
"I won't." Lex finds himself grinning like an idiot but he doesn't care. He's enjoying himself, and Maxi is enjoying himself. That's all that matters.
The boys haven't noticed this but, up in the kitchen window of Lex's flat, his father is watching them. Lexaeus was thinking of calling Lex in now, but he doesn't have the heart to. Those kids are having fun, and they look happy. With a smile, he walks away from the window, leaving them alone for now.
OOO
"It's a bit chilly out here, isn't it?"
"Is it?"
"Well… I think it is. You have your coat wide open so I guess you don't feel the cold like I do."
As they walk down the woodland path, he pulls his jacket a little more tight around his body but doesn't button it up. "I used to live somewhere where it snowed most of the time, so I guess I got used to the cold."
"Really?" His new female companion arches her perfectly-plucked brows. "Where do you come from? Icicle? …You don't really look like you are from Icicle."
"No, no." He shakes his head. "I'm from out of the country all together."
"Oh." The girl smiles a little. "You do have that type of air about you. Do you remember your home country?"
"Sadly, I can't." He pushes his hair out of his face. "I was only a babe when we moved and I haven't had the chance to go back for a visit."
"That's a shame." The girl tugs at the hem of her shirt, making sure it was reaching her knees like it was supposed to. "But I guessed you were not from Icicle because people from Icicle are normally big-framed and large is size." She smiles in his direction. "You look too regal and high-class to be from there."
He chuckles, letting his himself smiles with amusement. "And I guess from your accent, tanned and freakily completion, and your curly, sun-bleached hair that you are from the West… Costa del Sol, maybe?"
"Fourteenth generation" the girl says with a sense of pride. "I'm only here for the Christmas holidays with my friends. As much as I love it, everyone needs a break from college. Am I right?"
"Too right."
"So where do you study?"
He blinks. The girl is convinced that he is a college student like she is. Well, even if he is twenty-three, he must admit that he is a bit young-faced for his age. He could pass as a sixteen year old in the right light. It's not her fault that she is mistaken.
He scratches the base of his neck. "I go to Dollet" he lies. "I'm taking a literature major."
"I'm majoring in literature too" the girl says cheerfully. "We are going to start studying LOVELESS when classes start again, as part of the "Importance of Friendships Expressed in Modern Literature" course." She says the last part in an old tutor's voice, dry and stuffy. He chuckles with her again. "Have you studied LOVELESS yet?"
"We are going to study it soon." More lies.
"I've already read it" the girl admits. "I know it's only just came out but it is a great little story. Critics have already dubbed it the holiday's must-buy."
He smiles at this news; he is glad.
"It's getting a little late" he states, glancing at his watch, telling him it's almost half-past eleven. "Don't you want to be getting back to… where are you staying?"
"A hotel in the centre of town" the girl shrugs. "It's just some of my friends back there, and there is no rush, is there?" She trails off the path a little and leans up against a black-bark tree. The moonlight glowing through the bare branches casts twisted shadows over her, "unless you want to go home?"
"I don't." He walks over to her and places his hands on either side of her body. He's smirking and she is smirking back, her hand reaching up to play with his silky hair. "Who said I want to leave?" And he leans forward a little, brushing his lips against her. She reacts instantly, her hand moving to rest in the back of his skull to tug him closer. She even rests her other hand shyly on his butt and he laughs softly against her teeth.
He takes it slowly, so not to startle her or cause offence. He rests his slim hands over her hips and rubs circles through her skirt. Then he pulls her closer until their pelvises meet, rubbing a little together.
She smells of perfume and hairdresser-approved shampoo on the outside but as he coaxes her mouth open, he can taste the vodka mix of her previous drinks. It's not enough to make him gag but he has to stop himself from scowling. If he did, she might notice and pull away too early and would be bad.
His cold hands travel over her hips and sides, over her arms, and rub her shoulders. Nearly there. She is too busy kissing back to notice his hands rests on the base of her flushed neck now, and too busy to even feel them rest around her throat. Something starts to not feel right, feeling his grasp tightening, tightening hard and strong-
Snap.
He catches the freshly dead body in his arms, baring the weight like a heavy sack. The poor thing, didn't know what was going on, but she died kissing, maybe happy. Her head lolls freely, her neck broken, broken by him.
He takes the body deeper into the woods, away from the path and he finds a sturdy-looking oak with large lower boughs. He jumps up and hangs from one, to test the strength. It doesn't even groan. Perfect.
He jumps back down, and takes the bag off his back. He finds his long length of rope and starts to tight it around his victim's ankles. He doesn't even bother taking off her shoes for her Time is too slim for that.
He throws the other end of the rope over the branch and pulls hard. She flies into the air easily, arms dangling by her head, her tight shirt slipping down her thighs a little bit. Not the most decent way of treating her but it's the only way about it.
Now comes the easy bit. After tying the rope around the truck, keeping it tight, he pulls out a few more things from his bag: a container for some form of car fluid, a funnel and a hunter's knife. He places the funnel in the opening of the container, places the container under the body, then lightly pulls at her hair, forcing her to bare her slim, tanned neck to him and he makes a clean, deep cut. Blood runs.
It is the life force of humans. Without it, they are fucked and die. The gravity makes the red liquid flow fast into the funnel and down into the container. He licks his lips, like a dog before meat. The smell is wonderful, mouth-watering but he keeps most of the humanity he has left in check, in order to stop himself from feasting.
After a long time, the flow dries up and he lets go of her hair. Her whole body has gone pale from blood loss but he knows there is still some in there, somewhere. He strews up the cap of the container again, puts the dirtied equipment away in plastic bags and stands. Fully up right, his mouth reaches her thighs. The aroma in his senses, strong enough to taste, is making him go mad with hunger. Just a quick bite, just a small suck…
He rips the material of her tights on the inside of her left leg and sinks his teeth into her flesh. He hits an artery with some blood left within it and it bursts into his mouth. He moans, intoxicated as he feeds, red mixing with his saliva. He only drinks for half a minute until he makes himself pull away completely, gasping for air. It's not enough but it will be for now. He cleans his lips with a handkerchief, then thinks of a way to get rid of the body. He remembers seeing a lake along the path before as they were walking down. That would do.
He carefully sets her back down onto the ground gently, packs his rope away, throws his bag back over his shoulders then picks her up in his arms, cradling her bridal-style. He walks with her back up the way they came, not along the path, until he sees a body of water. Luckily, the cold hasn't frozen it over yet so he places her into the lake. Her lungs are still full of air, so he picks up a large stick and pokes her down and farther away, coaxing the body to sink. Soon, she is gone, lost in the darkness, hopefully forever.
Like nothing ever happened, he walks back to Kalm and catches a tram-train to Radiant Gardens.
On the walk back home, he purposely passes one of the shadier parts of town and finds a phone booth with lots of cards pinned up above the phone. He steps inside and looks at all of these pink and white offers. Some of them are very disgusting and perverted, boosting the ones who pinned them up a little too much. He kept his little blue card simple and to the point: Small, slim, 24 year old male; can pass for a teen. Nice features & quite experienced. 1000 munny per hour for any services, but no S&M or bondage. Night appointments only. Clients pay for rooms and extras. Interested? Call-
You get the picture.
OOO
He knows it's nearly midnight but Lex isn't ready to go back inside. He's having too much fun playing with Maxi. It's like being back in nursery school, when a child meets another for the first time in the morning, and when the parents come to pick them up, they are the best of friends. That's what has happened with him and Maxi.
Maxi wanted to have a go on the seesaw in the playground so Lex agreed, even if he weighs a few more pounds then the little boy and he has to do most of the legwork.
"It's been a while since I played with another kid," Maxi admits as he rises skyward, his hair bouncing around his smiling face. "I don't really make friends that easily, since we move around so much… It's hard to find people who want to play with me."
"You must have had some friends," Lex mumbles. He can't believe that Maxi was a complete bully-magnet. He must have found some friends who liked playing with him.
"Well…" Maxi nibbles his bottom lip in thought. "For a long time, I was really good friends with some children I knew… but we had to move."
"Oh. Alright then."
"…Am I friends with you now?" Maxi asks.
Lex smiles. "Of course we are. We're playing together, right?"
"That's good," Maxi says happily, but he quickly loses his smiles, groaning and holding his head between his head. Lex stops the seesaw, his feet on the ground and Maxi high in the air.
"Are you alright, Maxi? Is this making you nauseous?"
"I have a headache" the boy mumbles, his face scrunching up in pain, "and my tummy really hurts."
"Let's get you down." Carefully and slowly, Lex climbs off; keeping his hand pressed down on the seat so it doesn't rise suddenly and drops Maxi. He controls the raise of his seat and in turn, Maxi is lowered to the ground safely. Grumbling under his breath, the younger boy tries his best to clamber off his seat… but he stumbles and crashed ungracefully to the ground with a yelp. Lex runs over, worried. "Maxi, are you alright?"
"I'm okay." Maxi rolls over from laying on his front, to lie on his back. He smiles and presses his hand against his forehead. "It's just a little bump."
"Let's have a look." Lex kneels down on the floor by the child's side and checks his skin. No lump has formed, nor any bruising. Maxi must be one of those boys who can take a pounding. That makes Lex wonder how much that hit to his eye hurt if it managed to mark him. "It doesn't look too bad…"
He trails off. Those eyes are making him lost for words again. There is no moonlight shining through the clouds, but Maxi's eyes still glow intently. His whole face is quite attractive. Lex gulps. "You're really pretty," he says shyly with a smile. Maxi lolls his head to look at him, his expression that of genuine surprise and happiness, a little open-mouth smile on his lips and a glint of something like glee in his eyes.
"Really? …You think I'm pretty?"
"Yeah. I mean… I know you're a boy but you are quite pretty." Lex reaches down and brushes the reminding strands of hair out of the child's eyes. "You should be a model."
"A model?" Maxi sits up, running a small hand through his silvery hair. "Like in those glossy magazines, that wears fancy clothes?"
"Yeah, exactly," Lex's smile grows even more. "You could easily be on the front cover."
"Hmm." Maxi makes a thoughtful sound and holds his legs, resting his soft chin against his knees. He thinks about Lex's flattering comments for a long time, before coming to a conclusion. He stands up and turns around, smiling sweetly at the bigger boy with a kindly look to his eyes. "I'll only be on the front cover, if you are on it too by my side," he demands in a pleasing tone. "I will need your handsomeness nearby to balance out my prettiness."
Lex chuckles. "You think I'm handsome?"
"Very!" Maxi walks over to him and knells before the boy, touching his arm. "I think you are very attractive, Lex."
"…Thanks." A soft flush covers Lex's cheeks; grown-up have always told him that he was a good-looking kid but it feels different when a child closer to your age tell you that, because children are honest, even when they don't mean to sound mean.
"Lex!"
A voice calls from above and the children look upward towards the window of Lex's living room. Lexaeus is leaning out of the window, already wearing his nightclothes. "Lex, what are you doing? Come inside and get ready for bed."
"Alright, Dad" Lex hollers back. "Give me a second." When the man closes the window again, the son turns back around to face Maxi and sighs. "I have to go inside now. It's getting a bit late."
"I understand…" Maxi glances up towards the window and can just make out a large, shadowed figure. "Is that your daddy?"
"Yeah, that was Daddy- I mean Dad. He wants me to get ready for bed now… Where's your dad?"
Maxi sucks his bottom lip. "He went to the shop. We hardly any food in the kitchen since we just moved and we had to settle in first before we got a lot of stuff in."
"Right, right," Lex stands up, brushing down his clothes. "You better go back inside, Maxi. It's not safe for you to be out here on your own."
"Yes Lex," Maxi smiles with a nod of his head. He bites his lips, wondering about something. "Mm… Do you think… you can play with me tomorrow evening?" Lex blinks at him and Maxi blushes, looking towards the floor. "It's just that I haven't made any friends yet, and you're really nice to me and I really like playing with you so… can we?"
"Sure" Lex smiles. "I'll play with you again."
Maxi grins brightly. "Great! Same time tomorrow, then?"
"Deal." Without even thinking about it, Lex wraps his arms around Maxi's frame and gives his a hug. The little boy feels extremely shocked at first, not expecting a hug, but slowly, relaxing, he smiles and embraces Lex back. The bigger boy feels very warm against him. It feels so lovely that he seems a little sad when they have to pull away. "Goodnight, Maxi" Lex smiles.
"Night-night" Maxi smiles back and the boys make they separate ways to their buildings giving each other waves of farewell as the doors close behind them.
Lex runs up the stairs, almost flying, with a big grin on his face. He feels great. He has made a new friend, which isn't a bad way to have a good time. In fact, it was an awesome way to spend the night. He almost skips into the flat, and his father is standing there in the hallway, an amused smile on his face. Lex pauses, still smiling, taking his hat off his head and playing with in between his gloved hands.
"…Sorry for staying out so late, Dad."
Lexaeus chuckles, shaking his head. "It's fine. Just go and get ready for bed." The child nods his head and put his outside clothing on the hooks by the door, before going to his room. Lexaeus leans against the doorframe, watching the boy strip out of his school shirt and trousers change into his pjs. "…Did you boys have fun playing together?"
"Yep." Lex nods his head again. "Maxi got the bruise from a bully, not his dad. I feel bad for blaming him now. Should I apologize?"
"I don't know" the man shrugs. "We are not in Mister Read's good books at the moment… but you are a good lad for playing with Maxi tonight. That kid looks like he needs a few good friends."
"I said that I am going to play with him tomorrow too," Lex tells his father, slipping on his beaten slippers. "Can I?"
"Of course." Lexaeus raises his gaze, and looks out of the bedroom window. The bathroom light of the flat across the way is glowing through frosted glass. "Just don't stay out too late tomorrow…"
OOO
It was nice to be back in the flat again, even if it is the least homey dwelling in the building.
Zexion closes the door behind him and only relaxes when every lock and bolt has clunked and shut. He sighs happily, as he draws the chain across. Tonight hasn't been so bad; he didn't run into anyone on the way back and the weather has been fair. The night has been pretty easy on him.
After kicking his shoes off by the door, the man makes his way towards the bedroom. He finds his little son sprawled out on the bed, wearing pyjamas and reading a ratty, dog-eared book. Judging from the cover, it's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's one of the few books they still lug about them everywhere. Zexion chuckles; no matter what, Maxi will still have a place for literature.
The boy looks up from the pages and smiles. "Papa, you're back." He slips off the bed, messing up the covers. "It's very late, you know. It's almost one." He pauses and stares at the man, looking hopeful. "Did you get some?"
"Yes." Zexion nods his head and lifts up the rucksack in his hand, giving it a shake; something wet and thick sloshes around inside. "Come into the kitchen and I'll pour you some."
As they go to the kitchen, Maxi bounces at his toes of his bare feet, the pupils of his blue eyes becoming more and more dilated with every second. Zexion tries not to notice it. He pulls two mugs (the only mugs they have) out of a cabinet, and atop of the kitchen table he pulls the container out of the bag. The man winces as he hears his child scrap his fingernails against the varnished table top, like an animal ready to pounce.
"Control yourself," Zexion tells him in a stern fatherly manner.
"I'm hungry," Maxi says, echoing his words from this morning and there is defiantly a growl to his voice. An animalistic, feral one. Zexion shudders. Steadying his breathing, he unscrews the cap of the container and tries to pour the contents into the cups. Maxi can't hold on any longer, and with a snarl, he makes a grab for his blue cup.
"Maximus!"
Zexion makes a grab for it too and the cup slips from their grasps. Blood splashes onto the table top and their hands.
The man sighs an uneven breath, drawing his redden fingers to his face. Droplets drip off his fingernails and he has to close his eyes to push back bad memories. "Are you happy now, young man?"
"A little." Maxi is slurping at his fingers like an infant comforting itself. He makes soft rumbling noises as he licking the skin clean. "It tastes a little… alcoholic?"
"The girl had a few drinks before I took her out of the bar," Zexion admits, "but it's not a lot. It shouldn't make you sick." He puts his own fingers in to his mouth. He didn't notice the vodka taste before, but that was when he needed the blood and didn't care about the flavour. "Alright, let's try this again." He stands the cups back up, and with shaking hands he pours all the blood into the cups. He sits down on one of the chairs, pulling his son onto his knee. Maxi is still lapping at his hands, trying to get at the red hiding under his fingernails. "You're going to cut your tongue," Zexion mumbles softly in his ear. He picks up the blue cup up from the table and holds it before the child's lips. "Have a proper drink."
With a feeble gasp, Maxi takes the mug into his hands and brings the delicious fluid to his lips. His tongue darts out and, in an almost kittenish manner, he laps the blood up like pure water. A little trickle runs from the corner of his mouth, down to the point of his soft chin. Pleased that Maxi is finally starting to calm down, Zexion picks up his own cup and drink in the same cattish manner, lithe tongue getting every last drop.
Once the purple mug is drained, Zexion puts his mug down and places both of his arms around Maxi as the child finishes off. With his own drink polished off, Maxi hiccups and closes his eyes; the satisfaction of being full and the small shot of alcohol in his system making him feel drowsy.
"Time for sleep" Zexion mumbles kindly, taking the mug from those hands before the kid dropped it. "Sweet dreams, Maxi."
It doesn't take long for Maxi to drop off, his head falling back as his eyes fluttered shut. Zexion pushes all the hair out of his youthful face. He reminds himself that all of this - the town hopping, the draining, the street-walking - was all for this little child in his arms. If he still didn't have Maxi by his side, Zexion would have cast himself into the burning sunlight years and years ago.
His eyes notice the trail of red on the boy's chin, and he bows his head. He hasn't quenched his thirst quite yet, so he can't stop himself from licking the blood of his son's pale skin. Still not quenched, Zexion picks up his head up again and stares at the spillage on the table. He makes a curious purr noise, and then shifts the boy in his arms so he can bend over and run his tongue over the table. It isn't a very clean way of doing things but Zexion doesn't give a damn. He was finally starting to feel better. The hunger was going away, and he finally felt relaxed and full.
When every drop, every inch is cleaned up, Zexion raises his head and licks his mouth, resting his cheek against Maxi's crown. He can't stop himself from purring and smiling. Years ago he would have been disgusted with himself for feeling happy about this, but he got over it.
There is no blood left, safe for some coated on the insides of the mugs and container. Those will need to be washed out, but not at the moment. He is far too tired and far too slated to focus on even such a trivial task. Slowly, he stands up, baring Maxi's weight in his arms as he puts the kid over his shoulder and takes the two of them to bed. Zexion is still smiling greedily, and he still has the aftertaste.
OOO
The house was completely abundant and slightly- no, very ruin-down when they found it. It belonged to no one, so they decided to make it their new, temporary living space; squatter's rights and all that. There was enough room for the fourteen of them; two bedrooms but they made do, as soon as they covered all the windows, tarring them up with black, fumy paint they found in the cupboard under the stairs.
There is also a smaller room, maybe once a tiny study because the last inhabitancies (before them, of course) had left behind a bog-standard desk and chair pushes up against the far wall. They didn't bother painting the windows in this room in the end.
In utter silent, safe for the creek from the old chair, Xemnas King sits down, facing the window. He holds his hands, lacing his long fingers together and places them on his lap. It's the dead of night, and the others are still fast asleep from travelling all the time, so he was on his own with just his restless mind.
It's been a decade, ten whole bloody, goddamn years since this wild goose-chase started. All of this packing everything up, relocating, being-so-close-yet-so-far nonsense was stressful and annoying, but Xemnas had made a promise, years ago, and Xemnas is never one to go back on a promise. He is nothing but a man of his word. That one thing keeps him going nowadays, all of these promises. He wasn't going to break one now. Not after spending so long at keeping it alive.
"Father?"
A soft but clear voice politely interrupts the quiet, and Xemnas turns around in his chair towards the study door. Standing there is a young boy; palely tanned like him, thin and long with a heart-shaped face but with off-white, nape-long hair which was brighter compared to the man's long, silver locks, and his shining eyes are a hazel shade, not amber. Like a ghost, he just hangs there in the doorframe, akin to a street urchin in his baggy jumper and summer shorts.
Xemnas waves his hand with a 'come hither, chid' air and the boy pads over in his bare feet. He walks around his parent until he is standing before him, then sits down on the floorboards, legs crossed and hands on bony knees, like what a child would do in infant school before a teacher. He just stares up at Xemnas, as if he is the most interesting thing to ever fall from the sky.
Xemnas arches a brow at the kid. "What do you want, Xoán?"
"What makes you think I want something?" Xoán asks, still staring.
"Because" the man leans down and cups the boy's chin with his fingers, tilting his head back a touch, "when you want something from me you never ask, but stare at me until I get the hint. It's like you're scared to ask."
"I'm not scared of you" Xoán smiles, his grin small but cheeky. Xemnas gives one of the child's tresses a short, sharp tug as punishment but nothing more.
"What do you want?" he asks his son again.
"Nothing." The boy shuffles out of the man's reach, trying to protect his hair. "I just woke up and you were not there. The others are still asleep, just so you know."
"And so they should" Xemnas agrees. "We have been moving around too much and have not rest at all." He stands, walking around Xoán to get to the window. He can just make out his reflection in the pane of glass: haggard, tired but still handsome for a man like him. "You should be asleep too, child. You look exhausted. Those dark shadows under your eyes age you too much…"
They fall into silence again. Deep silence. Xemnas doesn't turn away from the window, doesn't look at his son. He stays wrapped up in his thoughts and becomes completely unreadable. Xoán stands up from the dusty floor and brushes himself down clean.
"…You're thinking about them again, right?"
"They are fools to think that they can outrun us." The man turns around suddenly, quite passionate about it all. "I know it's been hard to keep a tail on them but we will find them."
"I know, I know." Xoán nods his head slowly. He walks over to the man and gives his forearm a friendly pat. "I think, right now though, you need to get some sleep, Father. You're tired too."
"After I think about a few things" Xemnas sighs, gently pushing the small hand away. "I need to get my head cleared or I will never get to sleep."
"Fine. Just don't stay up too late." Xoán turns around and heads towards the door, but then starts to slow down, stopping completely in front of the way out. He looks back over his shoulder, a pitiful beggar's expression on his face. Too tired to stop himself, Xemnas lets his stoic mask slip and a weak smile dresses his mouth.
"I knew you wanted something."
"…It's just…" Xoán turns around, embracing himself. A slight tremor passes through his skinny body. "We haven't feed in so long… and being a child, it's harder to… I-I am really hungry and all… I need… something. Something… Anything…" Xemnas understands the stuttering and nods his head. He perches himself on the windowsill.
"Close the door and keep quiet." He pulls the cuff of his shirt up on his left hand, revealing his wrist, baring it to the lad. Xoán's eyes grow with hunger, licking his thin lips. He keeps enough control to shut the door properly, and takes his time to cross the study, breathing hollow. He takes hold of Xemnas' arm and pulls it up closer to his face, his slavering mouth and parts his said, his sharp teeth on show.
He bites down onto the brownish flesh with a growl and Xemnas manages to swallow a noise of pain before it escapes his throat.
It would have to do for now. A vampire's dead blood tastes wonderful and all, but human blood is what the child truly craves. They are all craving it. The travelling made it hard for them to feed properly. Small animals were the only things they could grab to bite but it isn't the same. They could drink horses, cows, choboco from farmyards and it will only push back the hunger for a day or two. Three tops.
Xoán groans and snarls, the blood drawing into his mouth, quenching his need for now. After a while, he withdraws his fangs and his lithe tongue cleans the wound he left behind for the last few drops. Xemnas pulls his arm away from him, looking at the bite. It was nothing too bad. It would heal in a couple of hours. He looks up at the boy, who was still licking his chops for blood.
"Now it is time for you to go to bed" the man says calmly. "And I don't want any backtalk."
Xoán nods. "A-Alright." He looks a little better than before, a little healthier-looking. He rubs his saliva-coated mouth on the back of his hand. "Goodnight, Father."
"Goodnight, Xoán."
The boy left without another word, trying his best to get all of the traces of blood off his person as he closes the door. Xemnas pulls his shirt sleeve back down and covers his hand over the area the wound is. He decided that the coven will stay here for a while, to get their rest and feed, before they return to the search.
Jaw clenched, Xemnas turns back to the window, remembering. Those runaway idiots don't know what they have gotten themselves into. Because they will get Zexion and Maximus, even if they have to drag them back, kicking and screaming.