"Told him yet?"

Xigbar, for lack of a better word, Marluxia's boss, had caught up with Marluxia just as he was coming out of the shower after they'd shot the final scene.

Marluxia pulled the towel over his head.

"No,"

"I really think you ought to, dude,"

"Yeah, I know. Everybody does," Marluxia sighed, rummaging around in a drawer for a clean set of clothes.

"So why ain'tcha done it?"

"Well, how am I supposed to?" Marluxia exclaimed in exasperation. "I can't exactly just waltz up to him and say "Oh, hi, Vexen, thought you ought to know, I'm actually a porn star,", can I?"

Xigbar shrugged nonchalantly. Somebody handed a piece of paper on a clipboard to him and he signed it without even reading it through and gave it back.

"Don't see what's wrong with that,"

"I just can't tell him. He'll hate me!"

"He'll hate you more if he finds out without you telling him," Xigbar pointed out.

"Yeah, but..." Marluxia paused. "It's just that things are going so well. I don't want to ruin everything,"

"I think you ought to tell him tonight, dude,"

"No! I can't do that!"

"I'm sure Axel will agree with me. Don't you, kid?"

Marluxia hadn't even noticed the redhead come into the room. He sighed.

"You can't make me tell him,"

"Actually, we can," Axel said, waving a slip of paper in the air in front of Marluxia's nose. The pink haired man immediately recognised the writing on it as Vexen's phone number. "Because if you don't tell him, we will. And," He added, "We'll also have to explain that you didn't even have the balls to tell him yourself. What's it to be?"

Marluxia clenched his fists.

"I'll tell him when I'm ready, you asshole,"

"Basically, never. I know what you're like,"

"It doesn't even make any fucking difference to you!"

"Language, Mar," That was Xigbar. Marluxia glared at him. Heavens knew the old man frequently used worse; Xigbar was simply saying that to wind Marluxia up. Annoyingly, it was working.

Axel sat down on one of the room's plush chairs.

"Come on! It's not like we're asking you to walk the Earth. Just tell the truth. It's not hard,"

"What you're doing is manipulating me!"

"As if you can complain to us about manipulation," Xigbar scoffed.

"Yeah, think about what you're doing to poor, innocent, naive Vexen. I bet he can't stop thinking about his precious Marluxia. And yet here you are. Think about it. Just how many people have you screwed since you last told him you loved him?" Axel said, leaning back in satisfaction as he got the exact intended response.

"Just shut the fuck up!" Marluxia screamed.

"No, I don't think I will," Axel replied. "You deserve this. Because this whole time, you've been trying to brush off how much you're going to hurt Vexen, haven't you?"

Marluxia had to bite his lip to forestall another outraged burst of profanities.

"So the upshot of all this is, that you need to tell the dude everything. Tonight. Otherwise, tomorrow morning, we will,"

Marluxia stared at them both in mortified horror, but after a moment, his shoulders sagged and he dropped his gaze, head hanging.

"It's for the best," Xigbar added, clapping Marluxia on the shoulder as he walked out.

A few minutes passed.

"Marluxia?"

"What."

Axel glared at his co-worker as he stood up.

"Well, I was gonna wish you good luck, but if you're going to give me that kind of attitude..."

He too walked out before Marluxia had a chance to reply.

---

The drizzle had returned and Vexen waited impatiently under the nearest bus shelter to their designated meeting point as Marluxia, a pink speck in the distance, neared. He was soaked through to the skin by the time he reached Vexen.

"Hey, sweetheart," He said, leaning up to kiss Vexen's cheek. "Sorry I'm late,"

"It's okay," Vexen replied curtly, shifting the weight of his bag onto the other shoulder as walked back out into the rain.

"I missed you," Marluxia ventured, jogging a little to keep up with Vexen's brisk pace.

"I missed you too," Vexen replied. He didn't meet Marluxia's eye, but slowed to an aimless amble. Eventually he stopped altogether.

"Vexen," Marluxia finally said. "There's... There's something I really need to tell you."

Confessions in the rain, He thought miserably. How cliché.

Vexen didn't reply, simply staring out across the town square as the rain poured down.

"About my job. I told you that it was romance and action, didn't I? But... That's not quite true,"

"I know," Vexen said. His voice was emotionless.

"You do?" Marluxia fought down a sudden chill in his stomach. Shit!

"Thanks for telling me,"

"Look, I swear, I was going to. I just-"

"You just wanted to make a fool out of me, didn't you?" Vexen had taken on an accusing tone, and it made Marluxia shrink back slightly.

"That's not it," He said. "I just wanted you to get to know me before I told you; a lot of people stereotype me by my job, is all."

"Right. I think I would have deserved to have known, stereotype or not," Vexen said icily.

"Yeah. I know. I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier,"

Vexen sighed, and it must have just been the rain, but it almost looked to Marluxia as though there were tear lines streaking his face.

"Now what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've had your fun with me. Are you going back to London now?"

Marluxia felt his heart sink.

"Is that what you want?"

Vexen finally turned to look at him. In the pale evening light, and drenched with rain, his thin face looked so haunted, so torn between anger and sadness. But there was another emotion that briefly flicked across his features - hope.

"I don't know," He finally said, dropping his gaze to the floor.

Marluxia gripped Vexen's hand. It was cold.

"When I said I loved you," He began, "I meant it. Every time. Whenever I think about you, I get this feeling, and I know I'm meant to be with you. I know we're just about the worst couple there ever could be, but... I'm willing to try if you want to, too,"

He was brutally aware of how tacky that sounded. He was even sure that half the wording had come from a piece of script he'd worked on a few movies back.

"And the porn thing? I'll quit. Find a proper job. I don't mind,"

He could name quite a few people who would, but he chose not to mention that.

Vexen squeezed his hand a little, as though struggling for words.

"You're not joking?" He asked, finally, voice barely above a whisper.

Marluxia shook his head, and completely illogically, Vexen laughed. It was a short, almost amused, but bitter chuckle which left a wry grin on his face.

"No," He said. "Just no. I can't. I won't. It's stupid, and I-"

He stopped and bit his knuckle.

Then he took a deep breath.

"Does... Does falling in love always feel like this?"

Marluxia felt himself smile.

"Yeah," He replied. "But it usually isn't this strong,"

Vexen shyly smiled back, drawing Marluxia close. By now, they were so saturated with rainwater that neither of them could care less about tightly hugging the other man.

After a few minutes, Vexen cleared his throat.

"We'd better be getting back home,"

Somewhere along the walk home, Marluxia jumped in a puddle and after that, they both tried to splash each other as much as possible in every puddle they walked past.

Vexen didn't think he'd ever got so wet from the rain in his life.

Finally they were at his front door and as he struggled to find his keys, the door was opened by Naminé.

"Hi," She said. "Get caught in the rain?"

Vexen glanced at Marluxia, who was so wet he was dripping.

"Just a little," He muttered back. Naminé tittered.

"I'll get you two some towels," She said. "Tifa wouldn't want you coming in and making a mess. And we can put your wet clothes in the airing cupboard,"

"You mean I can strip in Vexen's front porch?" Marluxia asked hopefully. Vexen understandably elbowed him in the ribcage.

Naminé laughed.

"I'm Naminé, by the way. Vexen's little sister,"

"So I gather. Marluxia LeVine. Pleased to meet you," Marluxia held out a soaking hand for Naminé to shake. She giggled a little, before running off upstairs to fetch a towel.

Marluxia held up his bag. It, too, was dripping.

"I don't think I'm going to have any dry clothes," He said after a moment.

"It's okay, you can borrow some of mine,"

"Thanks,"

Naminé quickly returned with a pile of towels in her arms, as well as a change of clothes for both Vexen and Marluxia.

The two men silently tried to get as dry as possible without revealing anything inappropriate.

"Oh, Vexen," Naminé suddenly said. "Dad and Tifa are out until tomorrow morning, so I was thinking..." She trailed off.

Vexen, halfway through removing his sodden shirt, grinned.

"Agreed,"

"Should I be worried?" Marluxia asked, also half naked.

"Yes."

Ten minutes later, and somewhat drier, Marluxia and Vexen were finally allowed inside by Naminé.

"I'll order the pizza," The girl said, making for the kitchen. "Vexen, you round up all the bedding."

Vexen took Marluxia's hand and dragged him upstairs and into the first room - Naminé's.

"What are we doing?" Marluxia asked as Vexen chucked her duvet and pillows at him.

"Movie night. We always do it when the adults are out,"

"You're an adult too, remember," Marluxia pointed out as they completely emptied an aged ottoman in Cloud and Tifa's room. He staggered under the weight of the duvets and pillows, trying to balance them in his arms and see where he was going at the same time.

Vexen fired off a grin.

"Only by age. Come on,"

They threw the bedding down the stairs and collected it all at the bottom, dragging it into the sitting room. Naminé was already pushing the chairs out of the way, and Vexen helped her to wheel the sofa into position. Once it was in the right place, they unfolded it to make a double mattress. The duvets and pillows they'd collected were soon dumped on to fashion a sort of den in front of the TV.

"We need more pillows," Naminé said, looking at their creation with a critical eye. "Go fetch yours, Vexen,"

Vexen gestured for Marluxia to follow him as he made his way downstairs to his bedroom.

"Sorry about the mess," He said. Marluxia shrugged, fiddling with an old pendulum that Vexen had made a while back when he was doing a paper on perpetual motion.

"I like it,"

"I keep meaning to sort it out, but there's always other things to do,"

"I know what you mean - my studio is a tip,"

Vexen made his way over to the bed, opened a drawer underneath it and pulled out a whole bagful of pillows. He dumped the ones on his bed into the bag, and threw it at Marluxia. The other man caught it purely on reflex.

"Let's go,"

They returned to the sitting room where Naminé had emptied out all their DVDs onto the floor and was rifling through them.

"Which ones do you want to watch?" She asked.

Marluxia picked one up.

"Transformers? I used to be obsessed with these when I was little,"

"It's a pretty good film,"

"Oh my God! You have Iron Man - we have to watch that,"

"Why?"

"Have you seen how hot the main guy is?"

"I didn't think he was that good looking..."

"Geez, Naminé, you have no taste in men. Come on! Hot, rich genius. Who could say no to that?"

"I could,"

"Shut up, Vexen."

Naminé picked up another DVD.

"Mamma Mia?"

"I'm not that gay,"

"I am,"

Vexen glared at Marluxia as he pulled another random film out.

"American Pie?"

"Seen it too many times,"

"Wanted. That's good,"

"Not heard of it. What's it about?"

"Some guy who kills the man who killed his father, or something,"

"Fun,"

"How about Marley and Me?"

"That's not funny,"

"Tales of Sylvania - why the hell do we still have this?"

"Haha. Superman Returns,"

"Pirates of the Caribbean?" Naminé suggested.

"Just because you have the hots for Will Turner,"

"I do not!"

"I always preferred Captain Jack, anyway," Marluxia said.

"No, Will Turner is way sexier,"

"Jack,"

"Will,"

"Jack!"

"Will!"

"Jack!!"

"Keanu Reeves," Vexen interjected before the argument could progress too far. Marluxia and Naminé slowly turned to look at him.

"Okay. Fine. Keanu Reeves is hot. You win,"

The doorbell rang.

"Pizza!"

Naminé dashed out of the room, leaving Vexen alone with Marluxia.

"You know who is actually hotter than Keanu Reeves?" Marluxia said suddenly. Vexen considered it for a while, then shrugged.

Marluxia leaned over to lick Vexen's ear, much to the blonde's embarrassment.

"You, silly," He whispered.

Naminé returned with the stack of pizza boxes and dumped them down on the floor in front of them.

"Okay, which film first?" She asked, gesturing to the pile.

---

Six hours, four films and three pizzas later, and Vexen, Naminé and Marluxia had migrated from sitting on the seats fashioned from pillows on the sofa to curl up in the ample bedding.

The last film had finally ended, and Naminé had fallen fast asleep amongst the cushions and duvets. Vexen gently pulled one of them over her sleeping body before rolling back over to face Marluxia.

"What's the time?" Marluxia, sprawled out on the floor with his eyes closed, whispered. Vexen checked his watch.

"Nearly two in the morning,"

"Probably not enough time for another film, then,"

"I can't be bothered to get up and put one in," Vexen said, wriggling a little to make himself comfortable. Marluxia murmured something illegible.

"C'mere," He said, reaching over to pat Vexen and pull himself closer to the blonde. Vexen wrapped his arms around Marluxia's body - so warm! - in return, pulling a duvet over them both.

For a few minutes neither of them spoke.

"Marluxia?" Vexen finally whispered in the gloom. There was no reply.