"You HAVE to come over tonight." Yuffie said, taking as much time as possible to gather together her books after Chemistry class. Demyx was sitting next to her, looking a little bit distracted. Snapping out of it, he glanced at her.
"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah." Demyx nodded.
Yuffie raised an eyebrow, "Did you hear a word I said?"
"Of course I did." Demyx said.
Zexion raised an eyebrow at their conversation. Still gathering his teaching materials, he couldn't help but overhear what the two students were saying as they were the only ones who hadn't left yet. Making a quick decision, Zexion cleared his throat.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but may I have a word with you, Demyx? And you should get to your next class, Yuffie." The substitute said sternly, resisting a smirk at the look on Yuffie's face.
"Go ahead, Yuff." Demyx said, "I'll see you in Math."
"You sure?" Yuffie asked, giving Zexion an apprehensive look.
"Yeah." Demyx nodded.
Yuffie picked up her bag and left the classroom, but not without another glance back to make sure Demyx was sure. Once she was gone, Demyx walked up to Zexion's desk.
"I'll get straight to the point: is everything all right? You seem very distracted today and I don't think I saw you smile once, which is unheard of for you." Zexion said bluntly, studying the blonde's face closely, wishing he knew the reason why those blue eyes were so sad.
Demyx hesitated. Yuffie had always said he was a horrible liar, but it didn't hurt to give it a shot. "Everything's fine."
Zexion raised an eyebrow. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a terrible liar? What's the matter, Demyx?"
"There's just some stuff going on at home." Demyx said, dancing around the point.
Zexion sighed. "I'm only trying to help." He said softly.
"I know. And thank you." Demyx said, "But... I need to get to class."
Zexion hesitated briefly before coming to a decision and ripping out a blank piece of paper from his notebook as well as grabbing his stack of late passes. Quickly filling out the pass, he scribbled his cell phone number on the scrap of paper and handed both to the expectant blonde.
"Here's a pass so you don't get in trouble. And take this - it's my cell number. If anything happens and you need help, call me. I won't force you to tell me what's wrong, but I really do want to be able to help. You can even call just to talk. I won't push the matter after today. Just... just talk to someone, okay? I... well, I know what's it's like to feel alone and quite frankly it sucks." Zexion said with a wry smile.
Demyx could imagine that a college graduate that was only a year older than he was (and he wasn't even a high school graduate yet) would have some ideas about feeling alone. Smiling a genuine smile, he spoke, "Thank you."
Zexion nodded and smiled back, happy to see the smile he had been missing. "You're welcome. You'd better get to your next class before Yuffie convinces the teacher I've kidnapped you."
Demyx laughed, but then realized that Yuffie actually would do that, and hurried to the door, "Thanks again, Zexion." he smiled, before dashing out into the hallway.
XXXX
Roxas sighed as he made his way through the crowded halls of the math building. Finally managing to push his way outside, he stepped to the side of the entrance and just took a deep breath, reveling in the knowledge that he now had over an hour's break for lunch. He started walking leisurely along the path, heading toward the campus cafeteria, when he heard someone calling his name.
Axel had been waiting outside of the cafeteria for him, leaning against the wall, hoping that Riku's (stolen) information on Roxas's class schedule for the day wasn't totally off. Feeling suddenly lucky that Riku was such a creep and was able to correctly get him Roxas's class schedule, he walked towards the approaching blond.
"Axel!" Roxas exclaimed, surprised to see the tall redhead on campus. He grinned up at him as he stopped in front of him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Today's my day off." Axel smiled, "And I'm here to take you to lunch to make up for making you cook dinner all those times."
Roxas was floored. "Really?"
"Yep." Axel smiled, before hesitating, "I mean, if you want to! I'm not gonna kidnap you and take you to lunch or anything."
Roxas shook his head and laughed. "I wouldn't mind being kidnapped by you for lunch." He said with a wink. "So where are we going?"
Axel grinned, "I dunno. What do you feel like having?"
"As the kidnapper, shouldn't you have it all planned?" Roxas asked, shaking his head at the redhead.
"Hey, I wasn't even sure if I was here at the right time." Axel laughed, "How's pizza? There's a good place around the corner."
Roxas shook his head in mock disappointment. "No planned location, no timing... You kinda suck at this, Axel. But yeah, pizza is fine. Honestly, anything edible that I don't have to make myself is great. I wasn't planning on buying lunch out today, but I should have enough to cover a slice of pizza, so let's go!"
"Nuh uh. Treating you to lunch involves actually treating you, and unless you want a pile of Halloween candy to show up on your doorstep tomorrow morning, you're gonna have to let me pay." Axel grinned, "See, this part I thought out."
"...Halloween candy? New or from last year? 'Cause if it's new, I might have to think about it..." Roxas teased, walking with Axel along the paths leading off campus and towards the pizza place.
"Definitely from last year." Axel chuckled, "From last year and pulled out of the deep, dark abyss of my roommate Larxene's closet. And trust me, you do not want that over free lunch."
Roxas pretended to shudder, holding his hands up in surrender. "All right, all right. You win." More seriously, he looking up into the redhead's green eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Axel."
Axel smiled back at him, "No problem."
As they were nearing the place, Roxas asked curiously, "So what's your favorite kind of pizza?"
Axel shrugged, "I'll pretty much eat whatever when it comes to pizza. You?"
"I like the classics best. You know, cheese, pepperoni. I don't understand people who think they can just put anything on a pizza and assume it'll taste great. Hello, those food were NOT meant to be combined like that! I mean, who was the idiot who thought, 'Hmm. I have left over shrimp and a fresh pineapple. I know! Let me put it on my pizza!'" Roxas said, rolling his eyes.
Axel laughed, "Yeah, that's true. But the guy that did think of that combo is probably pretty rich for inventing it. Hey, if all I have to do to become rich is invent a weird pizza topping combination, sign me up. How does spinach and oranges sound?" he grinned.
Roxas gave Axel a look of horror. "I don't care how rich you become; you invent that, and I don't think I'll ever be able to even remotely associate with you again. That is just a crime against taste buds!"
Axel laughed, "Alright, alright. I'll stay away from the spinach and oranges while you're around."
"Thank you." Roxas sighed in relief. "I can rest easy tonight knowing that the world of pizza lovers will be spared another day from that horrid combination."
Axel just laughed.
"So, I have a question." Roxas said as they entered the pizza place. The pair was quickly seated at a booth in the back, sitting across from each other, waiting for their waiter to appear.
"Yes?" Axel asked, glancing over at him. When no question came from Roxas, he spoke up again in a teasing tone, "Come on, Roxas, you can ask me anything."
Roxas opened his mouth to speak but the waiter appeared just then and Axel order a pepperoni pie for them to split as well as two sodas. Roxas waited until the waiter had delivered the drinks and had disappeared again before speaking.
"You said before that you were taking me to lunch to make up for me cooking those dinners. But both times, you ended up helping me cook them, so you don't really owe me. So I guess my question is, are you just one of those people who feels horribly guilty when anyone does anything for them, regardless of how small it is like cooking dinner which was eaten by more people besides yourself, or is this a date?" Roxas asked in one breath, tensing slightly as he waited for an answer.
"Well," Axel started, but then paused, looking at Roxas, "That depends on whether or not you want it to be a date."
Roxas blushed slightly, but tilted his head, looking at Axel. "I'd like it to be. But I'd also like to hear you say it, oh wise kidnapper."
"In that case, this is definitely a date." Axel smirked at him.
Roxas smiled. "Good. 'Cause I... well, I like you, Axel. And until now I wasn't even sure if you were gay!"
"I'm glad to hear it." Axel said, "The day I met you somehow I managed to convince myself I had a boyfriend and then had the crushing realization the next day that I most definitely did not. So, this brings me a step closer." he smiled.
Roxas' smile grew. "Oh really? So you think you can handle being my boyfriend, do you?"
"Oh, I think so." Axel teased, "You can't be that hard to please. I'm willing to try." he smirked.
Roxas rolled his eyes and reached across the small table to smack the redhead's arm, laughing and letting his own arms rest out on the table as he leaned forward, an excited gleam in his eyes. "I'm very high maintenance, you know. Mood swings and baking fits, the works. Also, I don't tolerate cheating. At all. If you're dating me, you're only dating me. Are you okay with that?"
"Of course." Axel said, surprised he'd even ask, "The only thing you're gonna have to do is figure out how to handle my roommates. They take a little bit of work, but they're good people, deep, deep down somewhere."
"They tolerate you, don't they?" Roxas asked with a smirk. "I'm sure I'll be fine. So, a toast. To us!" Roxas picked up his glass and held it out to his new boyfriend.
Axel smiled, picking up his glass and clinking it against Roxas's, "To us."
XXXX
Seifer glanced up from his phone, which he was using to try and not-so-subtly hide the fact that he was most definitely stalking his stalker. Yes, a good portion of this idea had come from Xigbar calling him and letting him know that Cloud officially knew who signed him up for the phone sex subscription, but another good portion of himself was actually curious. The kid was tiny, anyway, he could get away if he did turn out to be a creep.
Hayner walked along campus aimlessly, a soccer ball under one arm and his backpack slung across the other. Pence and Roxas were both in class right now, and Olette was with her friends from her science class, bonding over their mutual hatred for the class. He had time to kill before practice and wasn't too sure what to do with it. Deciding to head to one of the smaller athletic fields and get in a little solo practice, Hayner abruptly turned around, walking in the direction he had just come as that was the fastest way to the field.
As nonchalantly as possible, Seifer ducked behind the gym, hoping that the blonde hadn't seen him.
'Great, Seifer. Reduced to literally stalking the kid. That's normal.' Seifer shook his head.
Still lost in his thoughts, Hayner barely noticed the other students milling about. Once he made it to the field, he placed his ball and backpack down and began stretching. He bent over while keeping his legs straight as possible, trying to reach the toes of his sneakers, which he managed to just barely graze with his fingertips. Breathing evenly, he held the stretch for a few seconds before switching to bending down with his right and left arms only, feeling the familiar pull on his muscles.
Satisfied he had stretched enough so that he wouldn't injure himself, Hayner decided to do a quick lap around the field before starting some drills. Looking around for somewhere to stash his stuff, he froze, his gaze on the blonde casually sitting on one of the bleachers around the field, fiddling with his cell phone.
'Holy crap! It's him! What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?' Hayner thought, completely panicking. Realizing he was gaping at the guy, he quickly bent down and pretended his shoelace needed retying even though it didn't, having a small internal meltdown as this section of campus was usually empty and today was no exception.
Ah, shit he'd been spotted. Seifer would have been disappointed in his stalking skills if he wasn't so amused by the look on the blonde's face. Going back and forth between getting up and casually leaving so that he wouldn't draw attention to himself and walking over and trying to make conversation with the kid, Seifer finally settled on conversation. If he went home he was likely to get killed, anyway. At least Cloud and Leon wouldn't think of looking for him here.
"Hey, kid." Seifer said, standing up and walking over.
Hayner was so absorbed in his panicking while retying his shoelace over and over he hadn't noticed his stalkers' approach until he spoke to him, and the sound of his voice startled him so badly that he toppled over onto the ground.
Seifer raised an eyebrow, "Er, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."
Hayner scrambled backwards on his elbows, resembling a cross between a crab and a fish out of water as he was gaping at his stalker with wide eyes. He tried to say something, anything, but all that came out was a panicked squeak. He looked around, of course not seeing anyone else around, before looking back up at his stalker's amused face. He blushed, immediately dropping his gaze and mentally cursing himself for letting himself get so hyped up over this guy that he couldn't form a single word, let alone a proper sentence.
"Uhhh..." Seifer blinked, "Do you need help? Are you okay?" he asked, hoping he hadn't killed the kid. Maybe he should have gone home.
Hayner blinked. 'Wait, what?' He thought. 'Help? He wants to help? Not kidnap me?'
Shaking his head, Hayner attempted and failed to get on his feet. "Um. Uh. N-no. No. I'm okay. Sorry, you just really startled me."
'Wait, why am I apologizing? And what if now that he knows I'm all right, he tries something stalkerish? Argh, stupid Hayner!' Hayner mentally berated himself.
"Oh, good. I was worried I'd killed you." Seifer said, holding out a hand to help the kid up.
"N-no." Hayner squeaked, tentatively taking the offered hand, allowing it to pull him to his feet. He stumbled, reaching out and gripping his stalker's shoulder to keep his balance, before his eyes widened and he realized what he had done, dropping his hand.
"Sorry!" He said, worrying he might have upset the guy somehow. He'd reached out blindly - he didn't want to fall! 'And now I'm worrying about upsetting him?' Hayner thought, incredulous at his own mind.
Seifer just blinked again, "Why are you apologizing?" he laughed. He was starting to wonder if he should run in the other direction. No. He was Seifer. He didn't run.
"I-I... I don't know! You've got me all flustered!" Hayner said, crossing his arms and glaring at his stalker, blushing again.
"Well, just... just calm down." Seifer said, "I don't need you passing out on me." Maybe he'd just walk fast. That wasn't running.
That was all it took for Hayner's panic to change to anger. "I will not pass out!" He growled. "Look, I know you've been stalking me! It's creepy! How would you react if the guy who was stalking you suddenly came up to you while you were completely alone?"
Seifer raised an eyebrow, "Stalking you? The only reason I was following you today was because you were stalking me, and I was only trying to figure out why."
"Bullshit!" Hayner yelled. "Don't lie to me! You've been following me all semester! And I only followed you once to try to find out why you were stalking me!"
"I have not been following you." Seifer snapped, starting to lose his cool. 'Great, Seifer. Lose your cool over a kid.'
"Would you stop lying? You've been caught in the act - just give up. I want to know right now why the hell you are stalking me! I don't even know you!" Hayner said, seriously getting pissed. Not only did he have a stalker, but the guy was a lying idiot? Of course he was, because Hayner couldn't get the nice stalker in the form of a cute girl too shy to tell him she liked him - no, he had to attract the nutjobs!
Seifer sighed, "You know what? I don't need to explain your hallucinations to you. I am not stalking you." With that, he turned to leave, shaking his head and muttering something about crazy people.
"Will you wait just a damned minute?" Hayner said, grabbing onto the guy's arm to stop him from running away. "You can't just run away in the middle of a conversation! We have to sort this out now because I would like my life to not have a stalker in it and only have another fifteen minutes to remedy that before practice starts! Damn, are you always this annoying?"
"Your life does not have a stalker in it, because for the last time, I am not stalking you. Also, I don't run." Seifer gave Hayner a look that seemed like a cross between being annoyed and insulted.
Hayner squinted at him, taking in his appearance. "Are you sure you're not stalking me? Because I see you everywhere. And I mean everywhere! Swear it! Swear you're not stalking me and tell me your class schedule because if you have no reason to be in the same buildings as me every single day, then I'll have proof that you're stalking me!"
"I'm not telling some random kid my schedule." Seifer snapped, "But how's this? Next time you see me, you are more than welcome to check to make sure I have a reason to be in the same building as you." He rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I'm not a kid! You can't be more than a few years older than me!" Hayner growled, fuming. "And fine! I will!"
"Then run along to your soccer practice, kid." Seifer said, turning and trying to walk away again.
Hayner once again grabbed him and stopped him. "Aha! Proof! I never said what practice I had to get to!" He said triumphantly.
"As if I couldn't tell by the soccer ball next to you." Seifer said, "Can I leave now?"
Hayner opened and closed his mouth before muttering curses. "Fine. But we'll just see what happens this week! And no changing your schedule to try to falsely prove your innocence - if I don't see you at all, then I'll know you were stalking me before and have stopped only because you were caught!"
Seifer just rolled his eyes and tried to walk off.
"Wait!" Hayner grabbed his stuff and raced after the guy, rolling his eyes at the growl he received. "What's your name? So that I don't have to proclaim loudly to the entire campus your status as my stalker tomorrow when I see you?" Hayner asked smugly.
Seifer grumbled and considered just leaving and not telling the kid his name, but decided his friends wouldn't let him live it down if he was caught tomorrow with some blonde shouting "STALKER" at him across campus. "It's Seifer. I'm leaving now."
Hayner shrugged, letting him finally leave and heading off to the larger field for practice. He couldn't wait to tell his friends and his sister all about his stalker, Seifer.
XXXX
And that, kids, is why you shouldn't stalk people unless you know they're remotely interested in you.
Also, OH MY GOD, I CAN'T UN-READ (OR WRITE, FOR THAT MATTER) THE CORNY. BUT THE CORNY IS CORNY AND ADORABLE.
Oh Axel. Corny.
It's Cami, in case you couldn't tell. I'm sleep deprived. Review and let us know what you thought!
Next chapter there will be… Uhhh… Jasmine, what will there be?