The Anti-Zemyx Day Two
Title: Matchmaker
Genre: Humor, Romance
Rating: K+++
Summary: Stupid Cupid, stop pickin' on me!
A/N: ...Shorter than Chapter One, but maybe that's a good thing :) Swearing actually does increase your tolerance of pain. But I'm not suggesting you do.
Nine of the twelve tenants of the House had gathered at the Party Center Axel currently worked at and lounged about in their private rec room: Kairi, Naminé, Roxas, Sora, Zexion, Demyx, Marluxia, Larxene, and, of course, Axel. Demyx was dozing in a hammock with a music magazine on his face; the girls were playing video games in the corner; Marluxia and Roxas were deep in discussion about some book series; Sora and Axel were eating popcorn; and Zexion was staring out of the second-story window as if in a trance.
It was raining outside, and the sound of the rain was soothing. He watched the water slide down the window in little rivulets, and did not notice the room growing steadily quieter until a sudden roll of thunder boomed out, seeming louder than it actually was because of the tranquility in the room.
He glanced around and saw everyone lying around, as they were, but just quieter. Demyx remained sleeping, when another particularly loud clap of thunder sounded.
Crack-crac-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!
Startled awake by the sudden noise, he clamped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.
"MY EARS! SH––!" Another roll of thunder drowned out the sound of Demyx's pained swearing. He looked quite comical, and the other friends couldn't help but laugh, and laugh they did (including the slate-haired junior, but only slightly), until, with another clap of thunder, the lights blinked, flickered, and went out.
As did the TV and video games.
Larxene swore loudly.
Very loudly. Kairi took it upon herself to cover Naminé's delicate ears with her own pale hands to 'protect' her friend.
"Just when I was winning, too!" the blonde finished, and sighed, lightly touching her forehead with her hand. Marluxia gave a small grin. His girlfriend could be so overly dramatic at times. He edged closer to her (bumping into Axel and accidentally taking the redhead's hand in his) and hugged her tightly.
"I'm sure you'll live. After all, it was just a game," he said softly into her ear. The sharp-tongued woman relaxed in his arms, and began looping a pale finger through a strand of his pink hair.
"I guess..."
Roxas rolled his eyes and poked Axel (he knew that it was the Rec Supervisor: no one else had a natural body heat that high and be healthy) several times.
"Is there an emergency lighting back-up system or something? It's dark in here." Demyx laughed.
"Of course it is! It's a thunderstorm-caused-power-outage! Not to mention it's about, what, seven?"
Sora glanced at his glow-in-the-dark watch.
"Yeah, it's about seven. But it is awfully dark, Axel. Is there––?" Axel shook his head, his spikes bouncing lightly (not that anyone could clearly see them), and answered.
"No, at least, not for our room. It's only in the office, but that's for like extreme emergencies." Zexion glanced out of the window again.
"It looks as though it won't let up for quite some time," he pointed out. Naminé thought he sounded kind of glum. "It'll be very unsafe to drive home in this weather..."
"We'll need some way to spend the time, then," concluded Demyx, but leaving the thought out for anyone to contribute to.
Kairi grinned as she thought of an idea.
"I've got my music player with me! We could listen to the Gul––" Simultaneously, every single male either groaned or winced.
"NO." Kairi shrugged, and popped her earphones in and began rockin' to her music, mouthing the words as the recorded voices of teenage sensations Yuna, Rikku, and Paine sang into her ears.
Sora thought for a moment before a idea came to him.
"Hey! How 'bout we play Truth or Dare?" Axel nodded and voiced his opinion.
"That could work. We don't need to see to play, and we can stop anytime the lights return!"
"They didn't really leave in the first place, Axel," Zexion pointed out sullenly. Roxas rolled his cerulean eyes.
"Whatever. Let's play!"
For an hour and thirty-five minutes, eight-and-a-half friends sat in a circle and played the infamous game, with the half being Zexion, who only participated when he saw fit. The proceedings grew increasingly amusing (and ridiculous) as Axel dared Larxene to speak like Donald Duck for a full turn (she threatened to cut his tongue out if she heard him laugh, but spoke in a quacking voice until it was her turn again), Marluxia asked Sora if he had ever shoplifted anything (he embarrassedly admitted to pocketing a bar of chocolate once), and Larxene dared (in her normal voice) Demyx to pretend he was Zexion and tell his life-story. Zexion smirked at the embellishments the mullethawked young man tacked on, including mentioning building a hot air balloon out of miles and miles of thread, cooking a French soufflé the size of a car, and accidentally blowing up the middle-school's science lab while trying to find a cure for mouth cancer using bubble-gum, toothpaste, and glue (he had, in fact, accidentally blown up the school's science lab, but the reason was because a certain redheaded classmate had struck a match and was prancing around the room with it, when he accidentally knocked Zexion (who had, at the time, been holding a formaldehyde-soaked frog with gloved hands) into the fume-vent, lighting the frog on fire with the match which had flown out of his hand upon impact, and caused the lab to explode (singing Zexion's hair on fire as well). So technically, Axel was responsible for the accident, he was mostly blamed for the incident because, as Axel so tactfully put it: "You were holding the frog, not me").
Everyone laughed at the story as Demyx finished up; he then pointed to Sora and asked, "Truth or Dare." The brunet picked Dare, with a smile evident in his voice. Demyx sighed.
"Good. I dare you to pick another game for us to play: I'm sick of this one."
Finally, thought Zexion, as he allowed Naminé to snuggle up close to him. There was a slight pause.
"How about Matchmaker?" suggested Kairi, as she finished listening to Teenyboppin' Trio and put away her music player.
Larxene made a face.
"How do you play that? Dress up like Cupid and shoot people?" Marluxia chuckled at her question, then answered it for her before Kairi did.
"Matchmaker is a game where we all sit in a circle, just like now, and someone gets to be Cupid. He or she sits in the middle, then points to someone else, and says 'Matchmaker or Victim?'. If the person picks Matchmaker, then Cupid pairs them with someone and the couple have to either kiss or do something romantic until it's their turn again. Cupid decides. If they pick Victim––"
"Then Cupid asks that person a romantic and embarrassing question!" answered Kairi with a devious glint in her eye. It was clear (or would have been, if the rest of them could see her) that she had some good questions up her sleeve, and would not hesitate to ask them for laughs. Larxene smiled and arched her back to meet her lips with Marluxia's.
"Oh, I see," she drawled. "But does Cupid stay Cupid, or what?"
"Cupid chooses his or her successor after one full circle is played." Naminé smiled.
"Cool! Then let's play!"
"I'll be Cupid!" called out Kairi immediately, and seated herself in the middle-ish area of the circle. Demyx, Naminé, and Axel laughed at her enthusiasm. She stuck out her tongue at them, and decided, as revenge, to pick Axel first.
"Axel! Matchmaker or Victim?" she asked. Axel crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back on a bean-bag chair.
"Victim," he drawled easily. Kairi grinned.
"Would you kiss Marluxia for ten dollars?" A red eyebrow quirked upwards.
"Only ten dollars? He'd probably hit me for kissing him; I need more compensation than that!"
"Damn right I'd hit you," muttered the pink-haired man into Larxene's slicked back blonde hair. She smelled of roses from being around him so long. She giggled and squeezed his hand, and listened with amusement as Kairi enunciated a long "Buuuuuuuuuut?". Axel grinned.
"But, yes, I would. But only for the money though. And maybe to tick off Larxene, if I was having a bad day." The blonde twitched in Marluxia's arms, prompting forth a suppressed chuckle.
Kairi seemed satisfied with his answer and moved to the next person.
"Sora! Matchmaker or Victim?" Quite unwisely, 'Matchmaker' slipped out of Roxas's younger brother's mouth without him even considering it. His eyes went wide as he clamped his mouth shut.
"No, wait! I meant––"
"Too late! I pair you with..." She purposely dragged out the suspense to generate a bigger shock value from her friends; "Naminé! Go... kiss her cheek!"
Naminé flushed scarlet and shifted a bit closer to Zexion, but he moved away to tease her. She let out a soft, barely audible sound of protest, and blushed as Sora made his way through the dark to her.
He gently raised his hands and touched hers, before ghosting his hands up her arms, then shoulders, then neck, before he finally found her face. He very, very carefully placed his hands on either side of her head, and pressed his closed mouth to her cheekbone. There was quite an awkward silence, until Demyx broke it by asking, "Well? Did he do it?", causing Sora to blush as well.
"Er...yeah. I kissed her cheek..." Kairi smiled.
"Okay, so now you sit next to her until it's your turn again."
Zexion found himself sitting next to the cheerful brunet now, instead of his unofficial friend/girlfriend.
This is a waste of time...
"Naminé! Your turn!"
"Victim!" she laughed. There was another pause, punctuated this time by Roxas snoring gently on Demyx's shoulder, and Larxene yawning loudly.
"Has... Aha! Has Zexion ever kissed you on the lips?" Zexion sat, stunned at the question, at the sheer gall Kairi had to ask such a question, as Axel, Demyx, and Marluxia laughed. Naminé curled up and whispered her answer.
"...no..." Marluxia stared at her voice's origin in surprise.
"Really? Wow. But you two seem very close..." Zexion cleared his throat before anyone else could comment.
"Yes. We haven't. Larxene, it is your turn." The blonde woman pushed herself off of her boyfriend and stretched.
"Yeah, okay. Victim, unless you're going to pair me with Marls." Kairi smiled.
"Nope! Your question is, if you could switch bodies with Mar Mar over there, would you?"
"Hah! No way," came the swift answer. Demyx whistled.
"Wow. Fast."
Also fast was the rest of the game as Kairi finished the circle (skipping the sleeping Roxas) and picked Sora as Cupid, who in turn finished the circle, and picked the now-awake Roxas as Cupid, who finished his circle and picked Axel as Cupid.
Zexion, who had previously stayed out of the game, was now forced into it by decree of the new Cupid ("You need to join us, Zex! You've been no fun at all!" (to which Zexion had replied that he had no qualms with being 'boring' to the spunky redhead, but Axel wouldn't have it: he played, or there would be dire consequences, like last year's Christmas)), and gave Roxas a long, irate glare as Axel twisted the rules during Zexion's turn.
"Zex, Matchmaker or Victim?" he asked casually. Zexion picked Victim, because he knew, deep down in his gut, that Axel would not pair him with Naminé. Axel grinned wickedly. The time was approaching nine o'clock, and the storm was still raging outside; perfect for Axel's devious plan.
"Okay, then, Zexinator–– "
"What did you just call me?"
"Your new nickname. Love it. Anyway, would you rather pick Matchmaker instead, right now, and do as I say, or suffer the consequences of being a chicken and picking Victim? Because I'll warn you now, what happened last Christmas will be a foreshadowing of what might happen as a result of what you pick..." Zexion was quiet as he tried to figure out what Axel just said. The nonsense was confusing. Naminé ticked her head, bumping Sora's shoulder.
"Sorry. Er... Did that even make grammatical sense...?"
"Doesn't matter, Nami; what matters is if your boyfriend answers the question. Well? Are you gonna pick Matchmaker?" Axel asked, his smug tone seeping into his voice. What happened last Christmas was traumatizing enough without it being repeated, funny though it was at the time. The junior sighed.
"I suppose I have no choice. Matchmaker, then." Axel laughed.
"Excellent~! Okay, so. Zexion, I pair you with..." There was a tense silence. Even Marluxia and Larxene stopped kissing in the corner of the room and waited. Who did Axel want to pair Zexion with so badly, he'd manipulate him into picking Matchmaker?
"With..." Kairi snapped from the tension.
"Oh, for Cupid's sake, Axel! Pick someone or I'll pick for you!"
"With Demyx." There was a shocked atmosphere as Zexion, Naminé, Demyx, Sora, Marluxia, and Larxene registered Axel's words. Even Roxas stirred slightly in his sleep.
"...What?" the two young men cried out in unison. Axel smirked and sat back.
"You heard me. Now, Zexion, you cuddle with Demyx, and Demyx, you put your arm around Zexion's shoulders. There. Now, Demyx, you give a small kiss to Zexion's face. Anywhere's fine. And stay like that for... until the lights come back on." (Actually, he couldn't see what was going on at all, but could tell from the sounds of movement what was happening.)
Zexion gave Axel the most immature, nastiest, frustrated and spiteful glare he could muster, and jumped when Demyx's hand trailed up his arm.
"It's just a game," Demyx whispered into the slate-haired youth's ear. "Surely it couldn't hurt?"
"Precisely. It's just a game," Zexion hissed back. "And that's exactly why I refuse to do it."
Demyx thought for a moment. He really was... well, cute, and chances like these came rarely.
"It's dark. No one will see us," he offered. Zexion did not answer.
"I'll use earphones for an entire week...?"
"Really?"
"Yes." Demyx grinned as Zexion shuffled closer to the taller blond and snuggled against him, even going so far as to slightly nuzzle his nose against Demyx's chest, surprising them both (but if he wouldn't have to listen to Wave Gigs for an entire week, by golly, he'd give it his best to earn that right!). The taller blond then wrapped a lanky arm around Zexion's slender shoulders and hugged him close, before lightly brushing his chapped lips against Zexion's cheekbone, exactly where Sora had kissed Naminé earlier.
Right at that moment, at nine-fifteen, the lights came back on. Both males froze as everyone blinked from the sudden light and stared at the couple.
It was Kairi who came to her senses first.
"Oh, you guys look so cute together!" she squealed. "Axel, you're a genius!" The redhead smirked and ran a hand through his hair.
"I try."
At this, both Zexion and Demyx moved away from each other. Naminé, who sat clear across the room next to the sleeping Roxas, giggled behind her hand. Marluxia looked impressed.
"Wow. You two really did it." The shorter male blushed indignantly.
"You say it as though you trusted us not to."
"Well, yeah." Demyx rolled his eyes and smiled at the intellectual, but the smile fell slightly as he realized that where Zexion once was was now an empty space.
"?" He opened his mouth to say his name, when he saw Zexion striding towards Naminé. She looked up at him curiously.
"What are you doing?"
"I need to reaffirm my heterosexuality," he replied.
Then, he knelt by her, took her hand, and kissed it, before drawing her in and giving her a firm one on the lips. Suddenly, several things happened at once.
Axel's mouth opened in shock.
Sora's eyes went wide.
Larxene gave the couple a knowing smirk.
Marluxia stood there awkwardly.
Roxas began waking up.
And Demyx, blushing slightly, and determined to not be outdone, walked over to Kairi, gave her a wink, and kissed her full on the mouth as well.
Just like that, Zexion's need to prove his orientation turned into a kissing contest, much to the amusement and delight of the girls.
Roxas walked up to Sora and tapped his shoulder sleepily.
"Wuzgoinon?" Sora merely grinned.
"You just woke up at the wrong time."
Axel left the room to check up on the office and his coworkers, and Larxene heaved a resigned sigh, muttering about how she'd probably have to be the one to drive the shared van back to the House.
Meanwhile, the two men finally let go of their respective partners as they ran out of breath at the same time. Zexion left the room with Naminé in tow, leaving Demyx to watch his retreating back with a grin and feeling of regret. He shrugged, and began gathering his things for the trip home, figuring that there would inevitably be a next time; maybe he'd be luckier.
Stupid Cupid, stop pickin' on me.
A/N: Cupid could have picked people at random, but going in a circle was easier for the purposes of this story :)
The two lines I used from the song Stupid Cupid do not belong to me.
Props! to my amazing boyfriend, who came up with the sound for thunder. I copied and pasted, so those are his words directly *heart*
Anyways, how was it? A bit of Zemyx, yes, but most of it wasn't, aye? So... it's okay? ^^;
Review please. I love it when you do. And a sentence wouldn't cost you more than a minute. Thank you!