Disclaimer: I own none of the characters contained in the story below..
Some Things Are Meant To Be: There's Always Hope
Looking down at Kairi, holding both her and the tiny wisp of a thing that was his new daughter, cradled in her arms, Sora could not have been happier. This, he thought, was what they had all fought for, this perfect, unimaginable, unconditional love. Tears of utter joy were pouring down his face, and mingling with the ones Kairi was shedding. Their happiness was absolutely complete, for now, although in time maybe they'd present their perfect little bundle with a brother or sister.
After a few moments, the clamour from the waiting room managed to seep through to them. Kairi looked up at the new dad, lovingly and said, "You'd better go and give them the news about little Hope here. Give me a few minutes to wash up, look a bit more human and then they can come for a peak." To Sora, Kairi had never looked more beautiful, but if she wanted a wash, he wasn't going to argue. As he kissed them both a temporary goodbye, Kairi whispered mischievously, "And don't forget you've got night feeds and nappy changes this month!" Sora just smiled, it was one of those times when nothing could faze him.
"Well?" "Spill!" "Don't keep us waiting!" Sora held his hands up for quiet. "In a few moments you may go in briefly, one at a time and introduce yourselves to Hope Felicity Garnet, my exquisite brown-haired blue-eyed daughter, named after our hope for the future, Kairi's mother and mine." announced the incredibly proud father.
Everyone thought that they had never seen Sora look as happy as he did right at that moment, and happy was Sora's usual state of being.
"OK, ladies first," he said ushering Namine through, suspecting that Kairi would want to see her first anyway.
"OK," Roxas said, "Olette next, and then who?"
"Aunty Demyx, of course!" quipped Axel, lightly punching his ex-lover on the arm.
To everyone's amazement, Demyx just grinned, and Sora who had been about to say godparents next, said "Why not? And then of course, the remaining godparents," he said with a nod to Riku and Roxas, "and then the rest of you reprobates. Whatever happens, you want to be out of here before my mother flies in and tries to take over! Hell, I want to be out of here before my mother flies in!" he joked. Riku, knowing Sora's mother quite well, wasn't sure it was totally a joke.
When Roxas had returned to the waiting room from his visit, Namine pulled him to one side, a huge grin on her face. "Well, what did you think? Isn't she just the sweetest little thing?!" Roxas had to admit that Sora's kid was pretty damn cute, though he was secretly sure he'd probably think his was cuter. "How would you feel about having one for ourselves, Rox?" she whispered. "It would be amazing," he answered, honestly. "Shall we go back to Sora's and give it a try?" he whispered back, grinning broadly. "Actually," Namine whispered, taking Roxas hand and putting it on her stomach, "there's a little someone growing in there right now!"
Roxas looked at her, right in the eye, as she slowly nodded. "WoooooHoooo!" yelled Roxas at the top of his voice, startling everyone in the waiting area, with an Oscar-winning performance of surprise, including some new arrivals, there to visit a different patient.
"Listen up, you all! We're next! And you can't beat us to it, because it's already on the way!" Namine just smiled her usual soft smile as everyone congratulated them, and after a quick glance at, and nod from Olette, Riku spoke up. "Actually, Rox, that may not necessarily be true."
"S'right Rox, we're also expecting a new arrival in the next few months!"
"What the hell have all you kids been doing?" asked Luxord, and immediately regretted it, as he realised exactly what he had said, by the redness of their faces!
Axel had missed the news by virtue of being in seeing Kairi and Hope, only Demyx noticed his confusion when he came out and filled him in with the details. "Two more on the way, Ax, and Luxord apparently needs a lesson in the facts of life!!"
Axel creased up, when Demyx explained, which, to Luxord's rare embarrassment, set everyone else off again. After a few more minutes of merriment, Demyx's phone rang, this time with the Spice Girls 'Wannabe', which held its own amusement under the circumstances.
"OK. Yes, Sorry, we've been a bit tied up at the hospital. Kairi and Sora have had a little girl called Hope," he informed Daisy Duck. "Be there in 5 minutes, if I can get a lift off one of these bozos and pick up my instruments! Of course I'll pass the message on!"
Luxord, who needed to go and check on the seating arrangements anyway, volunteered to take Demyx to his very overdue rehearsal, with a slightly irate but now happier Duck, who had presumed Demyx was absent due to his legendarily losing himself in a bottle on rehearsal day.
As he exited the room in Lux's wake, he turned to Axel, and went, "Truce..." and pulled his hand in a line across his throat, and with an immense grin on his face ducked the magazine Axel attempted to lob at his head and fled through the door. It had not gone unnoticed by him, that Axel was also grinning from ear to ear, a fact that had not been lost on their friends in the waiting room either.
Riku got down to the business of organising the transport. Most everyone, exhausted from the lack of sleep, and adrenaline rush of the last few hours, was now more than ready to hit the sack. Sora had already collapsed next to Kairi, in the new room she had been moved to, with their tiny new daughter so he was going nowhere. Hayner and Axel agreed to wait and let the now 'officially' pregnant ladies go first.
"So, Ax, you and Dem on terms again, or what?" Hayner asked as they sprawled out across several seats each, to wait.
"You are joking! Promised Sora not to wreck his day is all! I still expect an apology out of that queen of camp, before I'll speak to him again!"
"Looks like you and Axel are back on good terms, hey Dem?" observed Luxord, in the now much dryer vehicle. "Hardly, Lux. One day for Sora, Kairi and baby Hope, is all I promised. I don't know how you can stick the uncouth lout for a whole weekend," he added, conveniently forgetting that only an hour before he had been high-fiving, and laughing with Axel like anyone else.
Luckily, they had arrived at the beach venue, saving Luxord from having to pass any kind of comment. Daisy was flapping around as only a Duck could, with all her tiny offspring flapping around her, eager to see their favourite human.
Being a female she insisted on all the low down on Kairi and Hope, as she dragged Dem to the stage and Lux to the dining pavilion. When Lux left, satisfied that everything was in order, to go and check similar arrangements at the casino, he promised to call back and give Dem a ride to Riku's when he'd finished.
In the event, it was Olette who came, several hours later, in Riku's now slightly banged up vehicle, to find Demyx fast asleep on the beach, with seven small ducklings sitting guard around him, making sure no one tried to disturb their sleeping hero.
When they eventually got back, he showered, musing on the fact that the acoustics had been better than he had thought possible in such an open and breezy location, and the band had learnt his composition so well that they had thankfully, only needed one run through. As he stood in his towel, he couldn't resist the temptation to check through his shutters, to see if a certain red-head was there.
He found himself having to admit that the part of the day, when he and Axel had agreed the truce, had been the best time he had had in years, and not just because of the happy event. He could still feel the imprint of Axel's hand on his arm when he'd called him Aunty Demyx. Could still feel his palm from when they'd high-fived, and just thinking of the contact sent shivers up and down his spine, and made his toes curl up, and as he peaked round the corner of his shutter door, he found himself questioning the reason for their break up, for the first time ever.
Axel had eventually roused himself at dusk. Cursing because he knew the next day would be long, and for at least part of it, he'd have to be prancing around in uniform, in the heat, and having risen so late, there was no chance he'd get any sleep before the ceremony. At least he thought to himself chuckling, he could sleep through Demyx performance – the perfect way to tick him off and get some much needed shuteye. He wondered if Demyx had got any sleep, with rehearsals all afternoon, and thought he'd just take a quick look and see if his light was on or off.
Yet again, their timing was impeccable, Demyx with his turquoise towel wrapped round his waist, and Axel in a pair of emerald green silk boxers. Their eyes connected through the dim twilight, before the street lights were fully lit, and it was like an electric shock. There was no getting away from it for either of them, this time, both had to acknowledge, even if, just to themselves, that the other was the most gorgeous human being they had set eyes on, and both felt the urgent need to get back into their room before their desire became obvious to each other, and the rest of the square!
Axel flung himself back onto his bed, his breathing hoarse and irregular. His heart was pounding, and he found himself remembering all the little things that Demyx used to do which drove him crazy. He shut his eyes, trying to shut out the images, but it was as if he could feel Dem's cool, gentle lips playing over his skin, and his hands raking through his hair. He turned on his face, biting his lip and nearly sobbing with frustration. He didn't just want Dem, or love Dem, he needed him, the same way he needed air to breathe, but he couldn't back down now. Dem had to acknowledge he'd been wrong, and then Axel would give him the world!
Demyx had just slumped down to the floor behind the shutters. He could feel the heat of Axel's body, as if it were next to him, holding him and caressing him, his lips running butterfly kisses down his spine. Demyx was shaking, he wanted it back so much, and intuitively, he knew that Axel was on this same rollercoaster.
They were so wrapped up in their thoughts of one another that both were unaware of the fact that both houses were, in fact, devoid of people. Everyone had gathered at Sora's upon his return, to be regaled with stories of the first feed, the first nappy change (as promised, Sora had ended up doing both!), the first hiccup, etc. When as much information as possible had been extracted, they turned their attention to the following day's arrangements, their original plans having been completely scuppered by the tiny new arrival!
Kairi was due home first thing, and planned to watch the medal ceremony from their balcony, along with the other girls. Sora and Roxas were on official duty all day, but Riku's official bits were more on/off and didn't involve uniform, for which he was extremely grateful given the sultry weather. The king was due in at 8am and would be leaving at 10pm, after which Luxord had some really rather naughty surprises lined up for Demyx's 21st. Well before that they had agreed that everyone (except Kairi, who would watch on the computer, and Axel who hadn't been asked) would gather for breakfast at Riku's to give Demyx his presents.
When they thought they had everything reorganised, they got up to go to their respective houses, and Luxord thoughtfully arranged to have food sent round to them all, since no-one had really given much thought to their stomachs with so much going on! Luxord put his hand on the door, "Did you see them today?" he said quietly. "Only Roxas will remember, but it was just like having the daft pair of fools back to normal again. Is there nothing we can do - not to keep them separated, but to throw them together?"
"Well," said Riku jokingly, "that's a novel idea, but maybe now IS the time. We could get them wasted, and maroon them on the Cay."
"Great idea, if we had a week, and the king wasn't coming in straight after breakfast tomorrow!" butted in Olette.
"True," admitted Riku. "Hang on, the club's closed to the public tonight whilst it prepares for tomorrow isn't it Lux?"
"Yeees...." acknowledged Luxord not liking where this was going. Careful preparations, perfectly laid tables, immaculate decorations, a firewielder and a flooder did not go together too well in Lux's book. "but NO! I love them to bits but it's all set up for His Majesty, and I'm not having those two wreck it! However, if you can think of a way to get Demyx over to my place, I am prepared to donate my beautiful home for destruction!" offered Luxord, in a spirit of generosity.
"That's easy," chipped in Roxas, "blindfold Dem, and tell him it's a birthday surprise. You know how he's been about this whole birthday thing, he's expecting us to do something like that!"
"Good thinking, shortstop," Riku, nodded approvingly at his younger friend. "So, what are we waiting for? Lux, you and Hayner can stay at mine, if necessary!"
A few minutes later, Riku burst in on an unsuspecting Demyx, who by now, was dressed in his new favourite outfit, a sea-green double breasted silk suit with pushed up sleeves, over a plain white muscle T - very 80's, very retro, and very Demyx – while he put the finishing touches to his trademark hair.
"Come here, Dem," he said grinning and waving Olette's navy scarf at him. "It's birthday surprise time!"
Demyx, pointed to himself, mouthing "Who? Me?" his stomach doing little cartwheels of happiness at his friends' little game. This was exactly the kind of thing he loved, and he'd been hoping they'd surprise him with something, because nobody had even mentioned his birthday, or responded to the massive hints he had been dropping for the last 24 hours.
He willingly submitted to being blindfolded, and made no objection when Riku carefully inserted him into the passenger seat. Across the square, a certain red-head had been watching all this unfold from his balcony, wondering what the gang had planned for the birthday boy, and feeling just a little annoyed that he wasn't involved.
"Ax," Luxord called up to him from the lounge, "Hayner and I, are just popping out for a few minutes. He's just realised he's run out of aftershave."
"That is the weakest excuse, I have ever heard, even from you, Lux," Axel shouted back. "Your bathroom is like a perfume store, and I've just seen Riku dragging Demyx off somewhere blindfold. It's OK, I didn't expect you to miss out on Dem's 21st - and yes, I remembered!"
Luxord didn't bother trying deny it, but just called up, "See you later, then. Food's in the fridge and booze is in the bar," he added as they went out of the door.
The square was now quiet, and Axel, retreated into the room. When he heard the key in the lock, and footsteps in the hallway, he thought Lux must have forgotten something, but he didn't even really think about it when the door was double locked as he exited again, as Axel laced his boots, ready to go downstairs and raid the bar.
What made Axel freeze in position, with his hand on the bedroom door handle, was the voice that shouted, "OK Riku, I've got to a hundred. What now? Where the hell are you? Can I take this damn blindfold off now? Riku? Riiiikuuuu?" and the penny dropped that they were locked in - together.