A/N: For the record, Zexion is not emo.

Pocketship: Chapter Four
I'm Not Wearing Eyeliner Tonight
Zexion

"Roxas totally flipped on me. You know like it was my fault." Demyx mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "And then you should have seen Axel! He was laughing his stupid head off in the background and Roxas didn't say anything to him. But, no! Demyx always catches all the heat."

I retrieved a pair of gloves off of the counter and bent down to open the stove. Demyx moved away to allow me some room as I removed the brownies from off of the top shelf and set them on the stove top. "Well …Demyx, despite the fact that you were …inebriated …" I started, glancing at him as soon as I had set the brownies down.

"I wasn't …inebriated. I was just a little bit tipsy." He stated, rubbing at his chin.

I turned to look at him with a bit of a smile coming to my face. "Alright then, tipsy. You're still accountable for your actions either way." I jabbed a knife into the center of the brownies to check to make sure they were done. "You know how Roxas always thinks that you're irresponsible."

"Thinks?" Demyx asked, rolling his eyes. He cleared his throat, and began to imitate his younger brother. "Demyx, you don't shovel snow that way. You have to start at the porch and continue down the path at a forty five degree angle to explicate the maximum potential for the best results."

I shook my head, sighing. "Demyx, Roxas doesn't sound like that."

"Oh, yes he does." Demyx said, pointing quickly at me as he tried to prove his point. "You should hear him. He acts like he's like some old man instead of eighteen." He exhaled exasperatedly.

I set the knife down on the side of the stove and turned to look at Demyx. He was staring at the ceiling, his bottom lip jutting out a bit as he pouted. His sea green eyes were crinkled slightly as he concentrated on some far off thought in typical Demyx fashion. I turned away as quickly as I had turned to look at him. I cleared my throat as I walked away from him and wandered over to the refrigerator. "So, how are you and Larxene?"

"She's …as crazy as ever." Demyx replied, his voice becoming muffled by the open door of the fridge.

"You say that all the time, Dem." I replied, pulling the eggnog from the fridge. I waved the carton at him, "Do you want some?"

"Sure, pour me some." He sighed, leaning against the counter again. "Well …it's true! She's crazy if not ...crazier. Yesterday? When I went out shopping with her for last minute Christmas gifts? She nearly bit my head off in every store we went into. It's like, how is it my fault you waited so long to do your shopping and now stores have like …nothing in stock? I'll tell you, not my fault at all."

"Well this time of year makes people crazy." I said, reaching for two cups out of a cupboard above my head. "You know how stressful things can get."

"Eggh …" He swatted his hand dismissively. "Either way, it gives her no right to take it out on me like she does. Makes me wonder why I even put up with her half the time."

I shook the carton of eggnog of any droplets it held within its insides and handed his glass over to him. "Love?" I asked, curiously.

"Ha! More like …" Demyx frowned, accepting the glass from me, "…Well, maybe it is love. Very sadistic love. But whatever …enough about Larxene …"

I sipped at my own eggnog, as I crossed the kitchen over to the garbage and threw out the eggnog carton. "Are you still coming over for dinner tomorrow?" I asked, quickly changing the topic.

"You know I always do." Demyx's frown instantly vanished as he grinned at me. "Give up a chance for free food? And free food cooked by you no less? I don't think so."

"Yes, because we all know how you love your seven square meals a day." I said, turning around to look at him after I had thrown out the carton.

"Fast metabolism?" He asked, on the verge of laughing.

I shook my head at him, setting my glass down on the counter beside me. Demyx had just finished off the rest of his eggnog and was left with moustache of residue around his upper lip. I swiped at the upper portion of my own lips, "You have …um …"

He blinked, confusedly and then caught on and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know what you're going to say, 'Use a napkin next time', but whatever; this shirt is going in the wash anyway, right?"

"That's …besides the point, Demyx." I said, sighing.

He grinned, shrugging, "Well, I should get going." Demyx said, setting his glass down in the sink and running some water in it. He wiped his hands on his jeans and started picking his jacket up off the back of the bar stool. "You know, gotta get home and help Roxas light the menorah and all that jazz."

"Mmmh." I followed him as he walked out of the kitchen and towards the entrance hallway of my house. "We aren't going to have another menorah in the toilet incident, are we?"

"…If we do …" He turned to look at me as he zipped his jacket up. "I'll be right back at your house until Roxas is done with his own personal version of Armageddon."

I shook my head at him. "Just …"

"I know, I know." Demyx turned to grasp the handle of the front door. He let go of the handle, and in two second had swept me up into a brief, yet typical bone brushing Demyx hug. "Thanks for listening and everything, you know."

"Anytime." I brushed my shirt, more out of habit than necessity and walked over to the door with him. "Get some rest tonight and I'll see you tomorrow."

Demyx grinned at me one last time before he was out the door and walking to his car. He honked twice as he pulled out of my driveway and was off down the street. As soon as I heard the tires of his car screech as he cut the corner out of my block, I closed the door and groaned as I walked out of the entrance hallway and back into the kitchen. I picked up the phone that hung on the wall, dialed an all too familiar number and sighed.

"Axel? Are you busy? Then can you meet me at Freya's in about half an hour?" I paused, "Yeah …it's going to be one of those nights."

-x-

I go on unnoticed by a lot of people.

It's not because they don't like me or anything or I'm stuck up. It's just that …I'm really quiet. I'm not the type of person that goes out of their way to converse with people; I usually wait for them to come to me. I mean …that's how I met Demyx, after all.

Demyx was the first friend I ever made. The two of us were in the same kindergarten class together, and from the very first day that that we met, I seemed—to put it bluntly—to have been stuck with Demyx for life.

Not that I minded though, growing up with Demyx was …an adventure to say the least. Especially when Axel moved to Twilight Town in the summer before we started first grade, with the two of them …my life just turned into a bigger …spectacle than what it already was. But like I said before, it's not like I minded much. They always managed to keep things interesting despite the consequences the two of them usually faced for their actions.

I guess …you can say that I've always liked Demyx. As the years progressed, and with the two of us becoming as close as we were …you could say that I've always been fond of him. …And when I mean fond …I'm not speaking in a platonic sense by any means.

When my world seemed to fall to …shit back in my freshman year of high school, Demyx—well, along with Axel, but mainly Demyx—was just about the only person who was able to keep me stable despite it all. …And I suppose …when I finally pulled myself together by the beginning of my sophomore year, that's when I kind of started feeling something for him. It's not like I wanted to feel this way, the feelings just …they developed over time.

It didn't take long for someone to find out, and thankfully, that someone had been Axel. Axel—although he can be a bit of a big mouth at times—kept his mouth shut once he found out. He's pretty much been my consultant on …matters concerning Demyx through the years.

It's funny though. Axel can read other people like an open book, despite how well they may hide something. I don't know how he does it, he just does. Despite being able to read people so well, when it comes to himself, he's completely oblivious. I mean, anyone with eyes—actually, I think I'm the only one that sees it—can see that Demyx's little brother, Roxas, is smitten with him.

But enough about Axel and back to what I was saying about Demyx.

You must be asking me; Zexion, what the hell do you see in Demyx? Demyx, all his faults and flaws aside, has a heart of gold. He's not afraid to admit that he's human and doesn't try to make up for his short comings. Yes, I know he can be completely irresponsible, and he's got a bit of a dumb blonde complex going at times …but I've learned to accept Demyx for who he is. And to tell you the truth, I wouldn't change it for anything.

No …I really wouldn't change Demyx for anything …it's just …I wish …that what I meant to Demyx would change …

-x-

"So, tell me …" Axel began, stirring the contents of his hot chocolate. "…To what do I owe this visit to Freya's with you on this fine Christmas Eve night?"

I set my mug down before me, staring at the swirling contents of my own cappuccino. I peered up at him, and exhaled slowly. "The usual." I began, eyeing him briefly before I turned to look back down at my cappuccino.

"The usual …" Axel murmured, massaging his chin. "…Do you know how long it's been since I've heard those words?"

"Since I was last here." I replied.

"Thanksgiving. That was the last time we did our 'usual' thing. It wasn't that long ago, Zex." Axel said, "So, tell me what happened."

"Nothing really." I started, "Demyx came over because he wanted to get out of the house for a little while. You know, what with Roxas being home, you know how the two of them bicker."

"You heard about the menorah and the toilet story?" Axel asked, smirking widely.

"Yes." I sighed, shaking my head. "We talked for a while …you know, the usual hanging out thing. And then …he …left to go back home."

"You're hiding something." Axel murmured mirthfully, tapping on the side of his mug.

"Nothing of substantial worth happened, if that's what you're curious about." I said, sighing. "Listen, I called you out tonight because I wanted to talk to you about Demyx and Larxene. Demyx talked about Larxene for a little bit while he was over but …he didn't seem to want to talk about it for too long."

Axel shrugged, "I don't know any more than you do, really."

"Yes, well, you've been around Demyx more so than I have in the past months. I've had to rely on phone calls and the internet as my primary source of communication. And since Demyx is forever losing his phone or forgetting to check his e-mail or message me back online, I haven't really been informed of much." I picked my mug up again, "There has to be something that's happened since I've been gone."

"Why don't you just ask him?" Axel asked, propping his elbow up on the table and leaning down into his chin.

"I'd rather not pry."

"Then what are you doing now?"

"…This is merely …the two of us conversing about matters that have transpired since I've been away from Twilight Town." I shook my head, "It's not prying in the least."

"Keep telling yourself that." Axel rolled his eyes at me, and laughed again. "When it really boils down to it, you, as I already know." He stopped halfway into his sentence and then looked at me, shaking his head and snorting, "Actually, as everyone already knows, Larxene and Demyx are about as compatible as a …a sea slug and a …dinosaur or something. Horrible analogy, I know. Shut up and let me finish."

"I wasn't going to say anything." I murmured, resting my hands on the table.

"Sure you weren't." Axel continued, "The only thing that's really happened since you've been gone …is that their arguing has gotten worse. They nitpick each other for generally everything. The thing of it is …or rather, the way I see it …is neither of them really needs the other and I think …the two of them don't even know why they're in this relationship anymore in the first place."

"…That tends to happen to people." I mumbled to myself, shaking my head.

Axel went on, ignoring my side comment. "I mean, Larxene's an okay person when she's not biting your head off and Demyx has some redeeming qualities himself…" He turned to look at my slyly and I sighed, shaking my head at him.

"Must you always start with me?"

"Nothing wrong with a little teasing every now and then, eh, Zex?" He asked, drawing his mug of hot chocolate up to his lips again.

"Antagonizing a friend and teasing a friend are two completely different things."

"Really? I didn't get the memo."

"You don't get a lot of memos." I muttered under my breath, as I sighed. Honestly, sometimes I don't know why I bothered talking to Axel about anything.

He laughed again, "Well …like I was saying. I'm pretty sure if they looked hard enough, they could find someone they'd be happy with, because…as they are right now, they're not going to find that happiness with each other." Axel shrugged, a small grin coming to his face. "Maybe you should start preparing to make a move, Zex."

I sighed, feeling an impending headache coming on at full force. "I didn't come here to talk about my love life or lack thereof, Axel. All I wanted to know is if Demyx and Larxene were …"

"Going to break up anytime soon?" He asked, eyebrows raising curiously. Axel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into his chair. "Honestly, Zexion, how long are you going to keep running circles around, Demyx? If things keep progressing at the rate in which their heading, he'll be back on the market pretty soon."

"…Back …on the market? Honestly, where do you come up with these things, Axel?" I shook my head, sipping at my cappuccino again.

Axel cleared his throat, trying to imitate my voice. "Why, I do apologize kind, sir. Normal persons with twenty one years of aged-ness in America don't talk like they hail from Great Britian's noblest of noble …nobles houses of nobling …nobles …"

"I don't talk like that, and I'm not even British." I set my cup down, "And nobling isn't even a word."

"You're only further proving my point." Axel muttered under his breath, looking past my shoulder. He turned back to look at me, green eyes focused slightly. "…But anyway, before we get sidetracked again—"

"Your fault entirely." I muttered under my own breath and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Anyway, like I was saying." He cleared his throat, "Look, point blank, Demyx and Larxene are going to break up soon. I don't know how soon, but I definitely know it's going to be within the next couple of months. Maybe even weeks. Who knows it might even tomorrow." He pointed at me, nearly toppling the table over. "What you have to do is get your freaking game face on, and your A game up and hop on your blonde lover boy before he skips his merry way into …into …no sunshine without my gay and happy rainbow boyfriend land."

I was really starting to get a headache now. "You seriously didn't just say that right now, did you?" I looked at him and sighed, "Not all gay people are flamboyant and love rainbows, Axel."

"You don't like rainbows?" Axel asked, grinning widely.

"Moving along." I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back into my chair. "…I suppose the only thing I can really do now is …just wait."

"Wait and prepare your game face…" Axel looked at me expectantly, wanting me to finish the sentence.

"And my…" I used air quotes to emphasize what he had said previously, "A …game?"

"You're learning, Zex."

I gazed down at his mug and saw that it was just about as empty as mine was. I stalled for a brief moment and then turned to look at Axel. "I think we're done here." I said, making a move to remove my coat from the back of my chair.

"Wanna go see the tree before we bring it back home?" Axel asked, pushing his own chair back as he reached for his coat.

"Sure." I shrugged in agreement and stood up just as he did.

The two of us left Freya's side by side, walking down the sidewalk to Twilight Town Square where the huge Christmas tree was lit up and glowing for all to see. Axel and I stayed there for a little while, just watching the tree with the many other people who lingered around us. Children held firmly onto their parent's hands, being scolded when they tried to run away and play with other children that they recognized from school or their neighborhood.

Friends stood side by side with each other, talking and laughing ever so often. Lovers, young and old stood together whilst holding hands and smiling up at the tree and ever so often at each other. In the midst of it all, a caroling group stood off on the side near the tree singing soft Christmas songs.

We didn't stay at the tree for too long and nearly left as soon as we had come. But the time we had spent there was nice. It was just …seeing everyone gathered as they were, together, was …I don't know how to describe it. I guess you can say that it was peaceful in a way. It was kind of something I needed at the moment with the way I had been feeling and all.

Axel and I got into my car and within about twenty minutes or so, were back in our neighborhood. I dropped him off at the walkway to his house, and rolled down my window so that I could talk to him once he got onto the sidewalk. "Are you coming over tomorrow?" I asked, as soon as Axel got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side.

"Yeah, I'll be over a bit late, but you know I'll be there. You know how crazy my family can get …what with Reno home and all." He grinned at me. "Don't worry, Zex. What I want you to get some sleep tonight. Don't stay up too late cooking or baking or whatever the hell it is you do."

"…I won't." I held up a hand, and frowned at him.

He leaned closer, motioning for me to lean toward him. "And you know …if you can't sleep." He looked around us again and then grinned, "Think of Demyx."

I stared at him for a long time while he stared back at me, the same grin on his face. I finally turned away from him, shaking my head and turning the key in the ignition again to start the car. "…I'm leaving."

Axel laughed lightly as I hit the gas pedal and sped away down the street. "See you tomorrow, Zex!"

Despite Axel's incorrigibility, I was glad I talked to him tonight. Primarily when it came to Demyx, I just needed someone to talk to every now and again about matters concerning him. And that's usually what Axel did, besides his incessant jibes and inappropriateness. I didn't think too much of it, I had learned to deal with it over the years. But despite it all, Axel was right in the long run. If I really wanted something to happen between Demyx and I, I would have to act no matter how hard it would be for me.

...This was going to be hard.

When I came home, I found my father in his study. I bade him goodnight, before heading upstairs to retire to my room. I quickly threw off my clothes and changed into a pair of pajamas and got into bed. I checked my phone briefly to see if I had any texts or missed calls, before setting it down on my nightstand and turned off the light by my bed. I sighed, massaging the bridge of my nose and sinking deep into the sheets, and dreamed of what tomorrow would bring.