Awkward turtle.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[sitting at the edge of the pool, pants rolled up and his feet in the water, is swishing them around]

[first time he's been out of the attic, in the daytime, since the costume party - has been hiding from a certain Axel for a few days]

[sings quietly to himself] Loo loo loo, I've got some apples~ [glances around anxiously]

Comments

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[hey, look who's walking by with an apple. Needs energy after bothering Lightning Bug in the library, yes. Glances casually into the doorway and -

Demyx. Oh...fuck. Unfortunately, the memories of what happened that night are flooding into his mind right now. He hesitates, and then decides to go in and sit down next to the other. Facing the other way, keeping his boots comfortably dry.]

Hey.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[Ooh, hamburgers. Axel.]

[Had convinced himself he had wanted to avoid him, but is actually very happy to see him, deep down]

[Regardless of that, doesn't look at him]

Hi.

[silence.]

...How've you been?

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[stares at the apple in his hand, not eating it yet. Not even tossing it up and down.]

Good enough. You?

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

I've been... uhh... really great, actually. [face flushes red, the water around his feet starts to swirl around from his nerves, kicks at it to make it stop]

...Um! What've you been up to?

[ooc: Awkward turtleeee.]

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[by the way he's keeping his eyes on it, he's apparently really interested in how the apple skin changes color from white at the top to a deep red near the bottom.]

Not much. I haven't been doing anyon - anything.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[jumps at Axel's slip up] Y-yeah, me either...

Just hanging out upstairs, really... [apparently very interested in how the water swishes when he moves his feet, too]

[silence.]

[turns around to look at him, smiles]

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[and the silence drags on as Axel think about the situation. And then cue the "what the hell, screw it" moment:]

Look, Dem...it was...

...we were both drunk, y'know?

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[smile immediately fades]

[looks down, all the feelings of embarrassment come flooding back]

...Y-yeah, we were.

...I'm sorry.

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[he's staring at it so intently, why doesn't the apple just go up in flames right now.]

No, it's not you. I...I shouldn't have kissed you in the first place.

[silence.]

Shouldn't even be getting into stuff like this at all.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[chewing on his lower lip, looks down]

[But I wanted you to...]

[looks up at this last part] [hesitantly asks] ...Why not?

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[doesn't want to explain it. It was hard enough explaining it to Roxas in the first place - and he wasn't even the Roxas he knew. Way to go, Axel. Not thinking about the fucking consequences again.]

...

This place made me sign my own death warrant.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[looks at him, furrows brow]

...What's that mean?

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[his free hand tightens on the edge of the pool. Frustration. Not at Demyx, but at how unchangeable his fate is. It's not something he can lie and manipulate away. And though Axel has known about it for a while, it doesn't make it any easier when he encounters a situation like this.]

It means, Demyx, that because I'm here and not getting Roxas from Twilight Town like I'm supposed to, I don't have long to live.

[finally looks at Demyx, his eyes devoid of anything, everything.]

I'm a Nobody replica. Everyone from Saix down to Larxene are in my universe. Kinda like Emblem Heartless, except we die if we don't fulfill a given order in a certain time period.

[silence. Axel looks down again.]

They gave me a year to get Roxas back.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[listens intently, quite shocked to hear all of this - thinks it sounds a little fishy, like something's been left out]

[looking quite seriously at the ground] ...So you'll just... disappear?

[Maybe that'll answer things. How can they kill him if they're not here?]

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Pretty much. It's like a machine, with a fail-safe in case anything goes wrong.

[A laugh. Without amusement, full of bitter cynicism.]

Can't have their precious experiments running away now.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[raises eyebrows as he takes this in]

...Wow.

[looks down again, sighs] Wow.

[furrows brow once more, grinds teeth together a little, a little angry he didn't know this to begin with] ... [relaxes his face] [But no turning back now.]

[snaps fingers at the pool and a fountain springs up in the center of it] [smiles at Axel] S'alright with me.

[leans back and swishes a foot in the water] If you've got a year... You should make the best of it. [looks up at him]

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[and have an surprised, completely bewildered look. That's...Roxas reacted in a completely different way...how can he just...?

Still...isn't that what he had been trying to do from the time he got here?]

Should have expected something like that from you, Dem.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[grins] Nah... I just try to stay positive.

[points at him] And you can't scare me off that easily, you know. We still have a score to settle.

I let you win the other night.

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[snickers. Demyx should really specify; it makes it quite easy for Axel to say things like this:]

Sure, sure. Doesn't change the fact I was still on top though.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

W-well yeah, I know! [mutters] What's what I meant.

But now that you mention it, I let you win the drinking contest too. [crosses arms]

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

Aw, is Demmy jealous because he can't hold his liquor?

[toss Demyx the apple over his shoulder] Here, have a consolation prize.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

Oh like you coul- Woah! [fumbles the apple, manages to grab it] ...Thanks.

[bites into it, blushing a little]

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

Y'know, by accepting that, you just admitted that you L-O-S-T.

[sitarwithmytoes.livejournal.com]

[stops himself from taking another bite]

[scowl.]

[pushes Axel into the pool]

[a-ccidentalism.livejournal.com]

[ASKLASCKJDFS

[this is the one and only time you get to see Axel flail. Comes up sputtering and oh, he's glaring at Demyx. But only for a second. Who knew you could still portal when you're in the water?]