nothingbutamereillusion:

anotherdreamabouthim:

tabularasa-xiv:

nothingbutamereillusion:

anotherdreamabouthim:

tabularasa-xiv:

The moment Zexion whipped his hair away from the covered side of his face, Xion figuratively jumped into action.

“Don’t move,” she said, reaching for her pencil and flipping her napkin over to the other side.  Her eyes flicked back and forth from Zexion down to her make-shift drawing pad and back up at the college junior in front of her as she quickly sketched out the other side of Zexion’s face that had been missing from view before.

Very quickly, the image began to form on the napkin in front of her: guarded, inquisitive eyes, framed by a slightly furrowed brow, down-turned but full lips, and a strong but not overbearing nose.  Then she began to add in his hair, the curve of his neck as it met his shoulders and more.

Her food was forgotten now nearby.  When she drew, Xion was in her element, more than any other time.  She’d drawn Roxas a few times too when he’d been deep in study mode.  He was a good subject too, with traditionally handsome good looks and a friendly expression.  Zexion was unique though.  Not in-your-face handsome, he still had an alluring quality about him, especially when he hid half of his face behind colored blue hair.

“Much better, yeah…you’re just so fascinating to look at,” she agreed, with a hint of a smile.  Then, turning to Roxas, Xion’s eyes took on a mischievous glint.  ”Wouldn’t you say so too, Rox?”

He didn’t have a chance.  The minute Zexion moved his hair, showing his unobstructed face for the first time that Roxas had ever seen, he was mesmerized.  Axel was gorgeous, yes, but this man had a look all his own that had Roxas’s eyes widening a little.  Man, did the red head know how to pick ‘em or what?  Luckily, Xion provided a good distraction, her drawing pulling the blue-haired man’s attention so that Roxas could stare openly at him while she worked. 

The only problem with this came when she abruptly turned her attention back to him, putting him on the spot, and drawing those exotic looking eyes back to his face, guarded eyes gauging his reaction.  The blush he could feel crawling up his cheeks definitely defeated the purpose of his nonchalant tone, and Roxas knew it. 

“Fascinating is a good word for it, yes.”  ‘Stunning’ might be a better one, he thought, but kept his mouth shut on the matter as Zexion’s eyes held his. 

Roxas was the one who looked away first, his face burning as his eyes found the uneaten food on his plate, part of which he had already begun ripping to shreds with his fingers.  He kept his eyes on his plate as he continued though, afraid of the other guy’s reaction to his next thought, but feeling compelled to say it anyways. 

“That’s partly why I invited you here,” he said, forcing himself not to mutter, but almost doing it despite his efforts.  “I wanted to spend more time with you… to see if your personality was as attractive as your looks.”

When he finished speaking, he had to glance up to see Zexion’s reaction to his words.  This was the first step in putting himself out there.  If the other man was amenable to that, then maybe… but one thing at a time, right?  His hands trembled slightly as he waited for a reaction.  

Zexion’s mouth fell open, and then promptly closed.  He sure as hell hadn’t expected that from Roxas.  His face burned, and he wondered it matched the blush on the blond’s face.  It had to be the color of Axel’s hair right about then. 

Of course, that was the thing, wasn’t it?  Axel.  He had Axel.  He had the red head’s phone number and his ear, but… no, that did not necessarily mean that he had him.  The way this guy acted made Zexion feel like if they started dating he would actually have Roxas in a more equal way, where they chased each other and no one had more power over the other.  Not like Axel had him, but he did not have Axel.  Or… well, why did he think that?  What made him think that? 

Glancing up at Roxas, he met eyes that seemed fearful of his reaction.  This guy knew he and Axel were an item, right?  Zexion wondered what kind of courage it took to put yourself out there like that when the chances of being rejected were likely, but he could not even imagine it.  Even the idea that Roxas had done that for him though gave him some level of respect for the blond that had not been there before that moment. 

That didn’t change the fact that he was with Axel, though.  He wanted to be with the red head more than anything, and maybe if he just waited things between them would change for the better.  Maybe… but then how would he tell Roxas that? 

Roxas seemed genuinely interested in more than just what Zexion could do to him in private while still looking at him as though he would like to do things with him that were not meant for anyone else’s eyes, which was not something the blue-haired man was used to from anyone.  It made him hesitate.  And instead of just denying the blond outright with reminders of how he was taken, Zexion found himself asking a question instead. 

“Well, uh… is it?”

Xion was practically beaming at the exchange she was witnessing before her.  Once the two of them got going, it was even cuter to watch than before.  Grabbing another napkin out of the nearby till, she began scribbling fiercely yet again, this time constructing a basic sketch of two college guys that looked suspiciously similar to Roxas and Zexion.  Of course, Roxas was standing behind Zexion, pressing his lips to the older boy’s neck.  Of course.

Once done, she left it where it lay, available for everyone within the near vicinity to see.

I’m going to hell, but at least I had fun on the way…

There was a lull in the conversation, so Xion looked up, wondering if she’d gone too far.  Nope, since neither had seen her little doodle yet.  Instead, it was just Roxas floundering for an answer to Zexion’s very shyly posed question.

“Not that anyone asked me,” Xion piped up, “but Roxas seemed to have a pretty good feel for these things.”  She smiled sweetly, fiddling with a lock of her own dark hair.

When Zexion didn’t immediately respond, Xion leaned forward a bit across the table, whispering as though Roxas wouldn’t be able to hear her from just the next seat over.

“I obviously can’t say this from a position that involves physical attraction at all, obviously, but I’d say that means you have potential, yeah.”

Xion had a way of interjecting just when Roxas was beginning to feel flustered and shy, something not at all like him.  If not for her, this might turn into a date of silence and nervous glances.  He shot her a grateful look, glad she was there, but that was when he caught sight of the napkin she’d been drawing on; the one depicting him and Zexion.  His eyes shot directly to the blue-haired man across from him then to see if he had seen it, but that must have been the give away because that was when those finally uncovered blue eyes turned towards it. 

Roxas wasn’t feeling as shy anymore, he was feeling calculating.  He wanted this man every bit as much as he wanted Axel, he just didn’t love him… yet.  How did he make that happen? 

Well, Zexion’s reaction to the picture was a start, he thought.  Blushing and closing his eyes as though he’d imagined it for just a moment before closing his eyes on the daydream, the man across from him looked even more alluring than he had at any point that Roxas had seen so far.  What would he do if I kissed him, he wondered, involuntarily licking his lips at the idea.  No one kissed until after the first date though, right? 

“Definitely,” he began, remembering he had yet to answer something, but then pausing and waiting for those blue eyes to find his again.  “More attractive than I expected,” he finished, offering a smile he hoped would calm the other man down. 

Zexion obviously wasn’t used to hearing compliments, that was one thing Roxas was sure of, which was a shame, really, considering how nice looking and seemingly sweet he was.  Reaching one hand across the table, he let his fingers slide tentatively over the other man’s, continuing on.  “If that’s alright to say, of course.”  

Zexion didn’t know what to say, but he did know that he was a little annoyed with his brain for doing nothing besides sending blood to his face and neck on a fairly constant basis.  The idea of having Roxas’s mouth on his neck was beyond a pleasant one, and he was a little embarrassed to find his body a little aroused by that idea.  It felt a little like cheating to be turned on by the idea of someone else touching him though, which was also adding to the overall confusion. 

Roxas had introduced himself as someone who knew things about Axel if Zexion had needed or wanted the information, so he couldn’t have been entirely clueless when it came to what was going on between them, could he?  Then again, he might have just noticed the interest Zexion was showing and wanted an in. 

Whatever the reason, the blond was complimenting him and then asking him if it was alright to do that.  There were very few moments in his life that he’d felt so flattered, and of course he nodded his agreement that ‘yes’ it was okay to say that.  Roxas grinned at him then, nodding and continuing onwards. 

“Good, then is it also alright if I ask you to come to a party with me tomorrow night?  It’s a college thing, but the sorority house across from my dorm rooms is throwing it so I wouldn’t have to drive home.  You live on campus, right?”  Zexion nodded automatically at the question, and Roxas continued on.  “Good, then neither of us will need to drive.  So how about it?”

Zexion just looked at him for a moment, glancing to Xion for a moment before answering, unsure about what to do.  Unfortunately, his eyes found that napkin again in the process, and closed of their own volition with that vision behind his eyes again.  It was a temptation, and it wasn’t as though he’d had much experience with that sort of thing in his life.  He was almost helpless against it, actually. 

So with only a shy glance up at Roxas, his hair falling back over the side of his face like he was used to, Zexion nodded.  “Okay,” he mumbled.  “Yeah.”  

D’aww.  So cute.

“Well, it sounds like that should be a fun night,” Xion chirped as she pocketed the napkin and dove into the last remnants of the dip in front of her.  ”You two enjoy.”

Sorority girls were not Xion’s thing.  A bunch of bitchy females, too concerned about their make-up and hair to really care about anything else?  Yeah, no thanks.  She hadn’t even considered rushing any of the houses at the beginning of the year.

Now, as she dug out a few five dollar bills, Xion stood, regarding them both under eyelids unadorned with any sort of what she called ‘female consumer communism.’

“Very nice to meet you, Zexion,” she said, placing the bills down on the table in front of her.  That should cover her food and her portion of the tip.  Her departure would also give them more time to talk alone, assuming they needed it.

“Roxas, give me a call sometime, hmm?”  She smiled a bit dreamily at him as she shouldered her schoolbag, thoughts already elsewhere, on napkin doodles and a million potential poses for her two newest muses.

(via )

nothingbutamereillusion:

anotherdreamabouthim:

tabularasa-xiv:

The moment Zexion whipped his hair away from the covered side of his face, Xion figuratively jumped into action.

“Don’t move,” she said, reaching for her pencil and flipping her napkin over to the other side.  Her eyes flicked back and forth from Zexion down to her make-shift drawing pad and back up at the college junior in front of her as she quickly sketched out the other side of Zexion’s face that had been missing from view before.

Very quickly, the image began to form on the napkin in front of her: guarded, inquisitive eyes, framed by a slightly furrowed brow, down-turned but full lips, and a strong but not overbearing nose.  Then she began to add in his hair, the curve of his neck as it met his shoulders and more.

Her food was forgotten now nearby.  When she drew, Xion was in her element, more than any other time.  She’d drawn Roxas a few times too when he’d been deep in study mode.  He was a good subject too, with traditionally handsome good looks and a friendly expression.  Zexion was unique though.  Not in-your-face handsome, he still had an alluring quality about him, especially when he hid half of his face behind colored blue hair.

“Much better, yeah…you’re just so fascinating to look at,” she agreed, with a hint of a smile.  Then, turning to Roxas, Xion’s eyes took on a mischievous glint.  ”Wouldn’t you say so too, Rox?”

He didn’t have a chance.  The minute Zexion moved his hair, showing his unobstructed face for the first time that Roxas had ever seen, he was mesmerized.  Axel was gorgeous, yes, but this man had a look all his own that had Roxas’s eyes widening a little.  Man, did the red head know how to pick ‘em or what?  Luckily, Xion provided a good distraction, her drawing pulling the blue-haired man’s attention so that Roxas could stare openly at him while she worked. 

The only problem with this came when she abruptly turned her attention back to him, putting him on the spot, and drawing those exotic looking eyes back to his face, guarded eyes gauging his reaction.  The blush he could feel crawling up his cheeks definitely defeated the purpose of his nonchalant tone, and Roxas knew it. 

“Fascinating is a good word for it, yes.”  ‘Stunning’ might be a better one, he thought, but kept his mouth shut on the matter as Zexion’s eyes held his. 

Roxas was the one who looked away first, his face burning as his eyes found the uneaten food on his plate, part of which he had already begun ripping to shreds with his fingers.  He kept his eyes on his plate as he continued though, afraid of the other guy’s reaction to his next thought, but feeling compelled to say it anyways. 

“That’s partly why I invited you here,” he said, forcing himself not to mutter, but almost doing it despite his efforts.  “I wanted to spend more time with you… to see if your personality was as attractive as your looks.”

When he finished speaking, he had to glance up to see Zexion’s reaction to his words.  This was the first step in putting himself out there.  If the other man was amenable to that, then maybe… but one thing at a time, right?  His hands trembled slightly as he waited for a reaction.  

Zexion’s mouth fell open, and then promptly closed.  He sure as hell hadn’t expected that from Roxas.  His face burned, and he wondered it matched the blush on the blond’s face.  It had to be the color of Axel’s hair right about then. 

Of course, that was the thing, wasn’t it?  Axel.  He had Axel.  He had the red head’s phone number and his ear, but… no, that did not necessarily mean that he had him.  The way this guy acted made Zexion feel like if they started dating he would actually have Roxas in a more equal way, where they chased each other and no one had more power over the other.  Not like Axel had him, but he did not have Axel.  Or… well, why did he think that?  What made him think that? 

Glancing up at Roxas, he met eyes that seemed fearful of his reaction.  This guy knew he and Axel were an item, right?  Zexion wondered what kind of courage it took to put yourself out there like that when the chances of being rejected were likely, but he could not even imagine it.  Even the idea that Roxas had done that for him though gave him some level of respect for the blond that had not been there before that moment. 

That didn’t change the fact that he was with Axel, though.  He wanted to be with the red head more than anything, and maybe if he just waited things between them would change for the better.  Maybe… but then how would he tell Roxas that? 

Roxas seemed genuinely interested in more than just what Zexion could do to him in private while still looking at him as though he would like to do things with him that were not meant for anyone else’s eyes, which was not something the blue-haired man was used to from anyone.  It made him hesitate.  And instead of just denying the blond outright with reminders of how he was taken, Zexion found himself asking a question instead. 

“Well, uh… is it?”

Xion was practically beaming at the exchange she was witnessing before her.  Once the two of them got going, it was even cuter to watch than before.  Grabbing another napkin out of the nearby till, she began scribbling fiercely yet again, this time constructing a basic sketch of two college guys that looked suspiciously similar to Roxas and Zexion.  Of course, Roxas was standing behind Zexion, pressing his lips to the older boy’s neck.  Of course.

Once done, she left it where it lay, available for everyone within the near vicinity to see.

I’m going to hell, but at least I had fun on the way…

There was a lull in the conversation, so Xion looked up, wondering if she’d gone too far.  Nope, since neither had seen her little doodle yet.  Instead, it was just Roxas floundering for an answer to Zexion’s very shyly posed question.

“Not that anyone asked me,” Xion piped up, “but Roxas seemed to have a pretty good feel for these things.”  She smiled sweetly, fiddling with a lock of her own dark hair.

When Zexion didn’t immediately respond, Xion leaned forward a bit across the table, whispering as though Roxas wouldn’t be able to hear her from just the next seat over.

“I obviously can’t say this from a position that involves physical attraction at all, obviously, but I’d say that means you have potential, yeah.”

(via )

nothingbutamereillusion:

tabularasa-xiv:

anotherdreamabouthim:

tabularasa-xiv:

nothingbutamereillusion:

tabularasa-xiv:

anotherdreamabouthim:

Roxas and Xion sat at the table inside a little sandwich shop near campus waiting for the hot, blue-haired bartender to show up.  Xion was probably right when she suggested that Zexion would be more comfortable meeting Roxas in a friendlier situation with more than just the two of them present, but it did make the conversation he wanted to have with the blue-haired bartender a little more complicated then.  …didn’t it? 

He fidgeted, looking at his phone, then the clock on the wall before checking the door again.  Dude, chill, he tried to tell himself.  You’re early.  But it was very difficult to relax when he was about to put so much of himself on the line here.  Roxas didn’t even know how he would say some of the things he needed to say… or how Zexion would take them.

Oh boy.  He half hoped that the other man wouldn’t show up, but the echoes of disappointment when he imagined that were more painful than he had expected them to be, as well.  Taking another sip of his soda, he glanced at Xion before turning his attention back to the door.  Maybe if he stopped looking at it the other guy would show, or had he decided not to come after all?  Ah!

Why was Roxas so nervous?  Oh yeah, because he was proposing something today that made him feel like a bit of a crazy person, or a pervert depending on this guy’s point of view.  This would have been so much easier if he knew what Zexion thought of him, but it was a little too late for that now.  Checking the time again, he sighed, and turned his eyes down to his untouched sandwich.  

Matchmaker Xion: It had a nice ring to it, maybe?

Probably not, on second thought.

Still, the raven-haired freshman thought it was kind of cute how lovesick her blond classmate happened to be.  She couldn’t honestly say she’d experienced much of anything remotely relating to real attraction, so Xion didn’t necessarily understand it on a personal level herself.  But still, she could think it was cute when she saw it in others.

“Simmer down, sly,” she said, noting Roxas’ fidgeting movements.  ”If you described his personality accurately, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t show up.”

Part of her was curious to meet this mystery man number one as well, after all she’d heard about him.  Zexion.  Zexion, Roxas, and some third guy whose name she didn’t yet know.  She’d never heard of a polyamorous relationship with three guys being successful, but it was an interesting idea to ponder.  Guys — gay guys in particular, she figured — could be really possessive.  And jealous.  They’d just have to see, she supposed.  It was sort of like a science experiment.

She was just here to act as a buffer, to ensure the other guy wasn’t scared off by the idea of this being a date when it wasn’t.  Yet.  She’d even told Roxas he had her full confidentiality on anything she overheard.  Who would she have to tell anyway?  She’d pretty much admitted to him that she had no friends, at school or elsewhere.  The only thing there for her was her artwork.  And …Roxas?  Maybe.

Unconcerned that the time was drawing closer for Zexion to appear, Xion pulled out a pencil and began doodling on her napkin.  Before long, she had a good handful of different sets of eyes before her.  She drew Roxas’, her professors’…even some of the bitchy girls in her dorm.

How ironic then that when Zexion did actually end up appearing, Xion could see only one.  For the time being, she kept her mouth shut.  But still, the devious thought lingered: just what would his reaction be if she brushed that meddlesome hair out of his eye for a better look?

Axel’s ex-boyfriend, if that’s what he was, wanted to have lunch with him.  He wasn’t sure if it seemed like a trap or something much, much stranger.  Why him?  To Zexion this all seemed a little much.  It wasn’t as though he was good looking or anything, and he had gone through most of his school years knowing full well that he was just an awkward gay guy that most people might like but who wouldn’t really have many dates or boyfriends or much of a social-life at all.  Why was it now that things were starting to head into the land of social awkwardness and encounters of the popular-blond kind. 

Not that he knew Roxas very well or anything, but the guy had the kind of looks he would expect to see from the school jock who could get girls to hang off of his arm like candy off of a department store Santa Clause.  Why were guys like Axel or Roxas even looking twice at him when they had each other?  This was some sort of horrible prank, wasn’t it?

The bell on the sandwich shop door rang as he pushed it open, denying him any chance of entering silently.  Roxas was immediately recognizable as his savior from nearly a week ago; the guy who had handed his heart back to him with a few simple words.  He would have to remember to ask the blond how he knew Axel to… verify what the red head had told him.  After all, it was just a little strange that the man who was apparently so into him that Zexion had found him pinned to the wall within seconds of entering the man’s apartment in every encounter they’d had so far was so hesitant to share details of his work life where this blond guy was not.  What was going on?

Without offering much more than a nod to each seated person, Zexion sat noisily down at the table, blushed, and looked at the menu as though he was hungry and might want something to eat.  He wasn’t and didn’t, but it was easier than looking at the people sitting at the table with him while he tried to think of something to say to them.  

Ugh, boys.

Gay boys in particular.

Xion found herself rolling her eyes as both guys around her got very awkwardly silent.  Did she have to do all of the work?  It wasn’t like she was the most social person on earth either.

“So, you’re Zexion, and you’re Roxas,” she said, her voice exaggerated to show her exasperation.  ”So that obviously makes me Xion, third wheel extraordinaire.  Hi.”

When that initially only got Zexion’s nose even further into his menu, she tried again.

“I’d recommend the Lebanese chicken sandwich,” she offered.  ”Unless you’re vegetarian.  Then I’d go with the portobello focaccia.  Both seemed to get really good reviews on Yelp.  I checked before we came over, although I’ve heard they sometimes rig their pages to give better reviews to businesses that pay them extra, so it’s hard to know for sure.”

It was possible that Roxas was shooting her an incredulous look, but seriously, screw him for the moment since he obviously wasn’t getting much done on his own.  Xion knew things.  She could improvise.

“And you’re actually a student at St. Merritt, right,” she asked Zexion, just to verify.  ”You look a bit…mature, I guess.  And I’ve never seen you in any of my classes, but I’m an art student so maybe that makes sense.”

At this point, Roxas looked positively…what was the word for it?  Xion was sure it’d come to her at some point.  Until then, she daintily folded her hands on the table in front of her and returned the blond’s look with a sweet smile of her own.

Roxas felt his eyes widen at Xion, and then a very strong urge to kick himself for not getting started as nonchalantly as she had.  He looked at Zexion’s reaction, and found himself grinning like a complete idiot at the slight color in the other man’s cheeks.  By the stars, but he was cute. 

Trying to think of an ice breaker, he opened his mouth to say something, but his new friend continued on ahead of him.  It was probably just as well, since he hadn’t thought of anything but still… he kind of wanted to kick her under the table at the moment.  That was when Zexion answered though, and Roxas forgot his frustration with Xion almost at once. 

“I’m a, uh, Junior,” he said, finally looking at her. 

Those strangely colored blue eyes looked her over, assessing and regarding at the same time, like he was sizing her up but not in a way that made him look remotely interested.  Definitely gay then, Roxas thought.  The girl was too well endowed for anyone even remotely inclined to look at women not to notice those… particular spots.  He had noticed, after all.  Then again, that didn’t necessarily mean anything, did it?  Ugh, he was reading too much into everything already.  This was doomed to fail. 

“You probably wouldn’t have any classes with me even if you weren’t an art student,” the blue-haired man continued on, his tone matter-of-fact.  “My major’s a little more… practical than art.” 

Roxas wanted to snicker, but he bit his tongue.  What was funny wasn’t what this guy said, but the innocent way in which he said it.  Almost as though he meant no offense, even though that was precisely what he’d given her.  Chuckling a little, Roxas asked him what his major was.  That was when those eyes focused on him for the first time, this time assessing him in a different way than he’d done Xion, and then … did he deflate a little? 

“I’m an electrical engineering major,” he said, glancing at his hands, “with a minor in political science.” 

Roxas glanced at Xion, unsure what he’d done wrong, before turning his full attention to Zexion.  “I’m an Astronomy major,” he offered.  “Um, with a minor in rhetoric,” Roxas finished, trying to find some common ground with this fascinating guy.  “Are you hungry,” he said, but turned to look at the raven haired girl he’d brought with him, at a loss as to how to get this guy to relax.  Roxas just… didn’t know what was wrong.  

“Yeah, well,” Xion started, a small smile on her face, “who wants to be practical?  I mean, where does that get you?  Good job, nice salary, a cute guy hanging off your arm, if that’s your thing…who needs it?”

And weren’t these two just absolutely adorable?  Xion thought so.  Who wanted to date boys ever when they were cute enough to go on the shelf above her childhood bed, chibi-style?

God, was she ever a lesbian…

“And yeah, famished actually,” she continued, pressing on when the other two wouldn’t.  ”I’m probably just going to get some chips and spinach dip.  Not that I’m vegetarian, mind, but I’ve heard eating too much meat totally screws up your digestive track.”

So that’s what she ordered when the waiter next came around.  She waited patiently for the other two to order as well, before forging onward with the conversation.

“Actually, I read about it, not heard it.  I don’t really talk to a lot of people.  Well, besides Roxas lately.”

She looked up at Zexion.  ”What about you?  Roxas said you two met in a bar, but he didn’t tell me much else.  Are you from around here?  My family lives a bit upstate, thank goodness at least.”

Their food came and within seconds she was munching appreciatively.  

“I hope you know you have interesting features,” she informed Zexion between mouthfuls.  ”But your hair sort of gets in the way a little, which…” she looked from Zexion to Roxas then back again, “…I think is a little disappointing for both of us, ironically.”

This Xion girl sure did like to talk, didn’t she?  Zexion sort of stared at her, offering answers when she turned to him automatically, but with as short a response as was possible, unsure of how to act around someone so chatty. 

“He was at the bar I work at,” was one such response.  “Yeah, my mother lives ten minutes from the student housing,” was another.  The rest were nods, shakes of the head, ‘uh huh’s, and ‘uh uh’s.  Really, he wasn’t trying to be antagonistic or difficult, he was just out of his element.

When the food he’d ordered arrived, Zexion poked at it, only actually sipping the drink for something to do.  His eyes felt strained from trying to look everywhere except at Roxas, and from accidentally meeting Xion’s once or twice and flying in the other direction.  Now that he had a plate to busy himself with though, his blue eyes began to become trained mostly downwards with occasional glances up at his tablemates from time to time. 

If Axel had dated this guy, this Roxas, why on earth was the red head even looking at someone like Zexion?  He couldn’t understand.  Of course his logical mind reminded him that the well-dressed man had left a phone number for Zexion to reach him if he needed him, but that didn’t assuage his worries.  What did it mean if this was the kind of guy he could be with whenever he liked?  And what did this blond guy want with him, if not to get back at Axel or get revenge on him for being with his ex?  Zexion was nervous.  

His female tablemate started talking again, and he looked up at her automatically, surprised that she could still have something else to say.  Didn’t she eat?  The mental complaints he was composing faded when he heard her words, however.  Zexion froze, looking at her with slight awe.  What did she mean by interesting?  Wait, what did she mean disappointing?  No, what did she mean for ‘both of us’? 

Blue eyes glanced up at Roxas, whose eyes were intent upon his, and the realization of what Xion had just said began to creep up his neck as a blush that he did not know how to suppress.  Was that why the blond invited him here?  He found Zexion’s features… interesting?  What did that mean? 

Looking back at the female, he tilted his head back and jerked it slightly to the side, shaking his hair free of his face before glancing uncertainly back at Roxas waiting for the blond’s reaction.  When he spoke, however, Zexion addressed Xion, “Is… that better?”  

The moment Zexion whipped his hair away from the covered side of his face, Xion figuratively jumped into action.

“Don’t move,” she said, reaching for her pencil and flipping her napkin over to the other side.  Her eyes flicked back and forth from Zexion down to her make-shift drawing pad and back up at the college junior in front of her as she quickly sketched out the other side of Zexion’s face that had been missing from view before.

Very quickly, the image began to form on the napkin in front of her: guarded, inquisitive eyes, framed by a slightly furrowed brow, down-turned but full lips, and a strong but not overbearing nose.  Then she began to add in his hair, the curve of his neck as it met his shoulders and more.

Her food was forgotten now nearby.  When she drew, Xion was in her element, more than any other time.  She’d drawn Roxas a few times too when he’d been deep in study mode.  He was a good subject too, with traditionally handsome good looks and a friendly expression.  Zexion was unique though.  Not in-your-face handsome, he still had an alluring quality about him, especially when he hid half of his face behind colored blue hair.

“Much better, yeah…you’re just so fascinating to look at,” she agreed, with a hint of a smile.  Then, turning to Roxas, Xion’s eyes took on a mischievous glint.  ”Wouldn’t you say so too, Rox?”

(via )

anotherdreamabouthim:

tabularasa-xiv:

nothingbutamereillusion:

tabularasa-xiv:

anotherdreamabouthim:

Roxas and Xion sat at the table inside a little sandwich shop near campus waiting for the hot, blue-haired bartender to show up.  Xion was probably right when she suggested that Zexion would be more comfortable meeting Roxas in a friendlier situation with more than just the two of them present, but it did make the conversation he wanted to have with the blue-haired bartender a little more complicated then.  …didn’t it? 

He fidgeted, looking at his phone, then the clock on the wall before checking the door again.  Dude, chill, he tried to tell himself.  You’re early.  But it was very difficult to relax when he was about to put so much of himself on the line here.  Roxas didn’t even know how he would say some of the things he needed to say… or how Zexion would take them.

Oh boy.  He half hoped that the other man wouldn’t show up, but the echoes of disappointment when he imagined that were more painful than he had expected them to be, as well.  Taking another sip of his soda, he glanced at Xion before turning his attention back to the door.  Maybe if he stopped looking at it the other guy would show, or had he decided not to come after all?  Ah!

Why was Roxas so nervous?  Oh yeah, because he was proposing something today that made him feel like a bit of a crazy person, or a pervert depending on this guy’s point of view.  This would have been so much easier if he knew what Zexion thought of him, but it was a little too late for that now.  Checking the time again, he sighed, and turned his eyes down to his untouched sandwich.  

Matchmaker Xion: It had a nice ring to it, maybe?

Probably not, on second thought.

Still, the raven-haired freshman thought it was kind of cute how lovesick her blond classmate happened to be.  She couldn’t honestly say she’d experienced much of anything remotely relating to real attraction, so Xion didn’t necessarily understand it on a personal level herself.  But still, she could think it was cute when she saw it in others.

“Simmer down, sly,” she said, noting Roxas’ fidgeting movements.  ”If you described his personality accurately, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t show up.”

Part of her was curious to meet this mystery man number one as well, after all she’d heard about him.  Zexion.  Zexion, Roxas, and some third guy whose name she didn’t yet know.  She’d never heard of a polyamorous relationship with three guys being successful, but it was an interesting idea to ponder.  Guys — gay guys in particular, she figured — could be really possessive.  And jealous.  They’d just have to see, she supposed.  It was sort of like a science experiment.

She was just here to act as a buffer, to ensure the other guy wasn’t scared off by the idea of this being a date when it wasn’t.  Yet.  She’d even told Roxas he had her full confidentiality on anything she overheard.  Who would she have to tell anyway?  She’d pretty much admitted to him that she had no friends, at school or elsewhere.  The only thing there for her was her artwork.  And …Roxas?  Maybe.

Unconcerned that the time was drawing closer for Zexion to appear, Xion pulled out a pencil and began doodling on her napkin.  Before long, she had a good handful of different sets of eyes before her.  She drew Roxas’, her professors’…even some of the bitchy girls in her dorm.

How ironic then that when Zexion did actually end up appearing, Xion could see only one.  For the time being, she kept her mouth shut.  But still, the devious thought lingered: just what would his reaction be if she brushed that meddlesome hair out of his eye for a better look?

Axel’s ex-boyfriend, if that’s what he was, wanted to have lunch with him.  He wasn’t sure if it seemed like a trap or something much, much stranger.  Why him?  To Zexion this all seemed a little much.  It wasn’t as though he was good looking or anything, and he had gone through most of his school years knowing full well that he was just an awkward gay guy that most people might like but who wouldn’t really have many dates or boyfriends or much of a social-life at all.  Why was it now that things were starting to head into the land of social awkwardness and encounters of the popular-blond kind. 

Not that he knew Roxas very well or anything, but the guy had the kind of looks he would expect to see from the school jock who could get girls to hang off of his arm like candy off of a department store Santa Clause.  Why were guys like Axel or Roxas even looking twice at him when they had each other?  This was some sort of horrible prank, wasn’t it?

The bell on the sandwich shop door rang as he pushed it open, denying him any chance of entering silently.  Roxas was immediately recognizable as his savior from nearly a week ago; the guy who had handed his heart back to him with a few simple words.  He would have to remember to ask the blond how he knew Axel to… verify what the red head had told him.  After all, it was just a little strange that the man who was apparently so into him that Zexion had found him pinned to the wall within seconds of entering the man’s apartment in every encounter they’d had so far was so hesitant to share details of his work life where this blond guy was not.  What was going on?

Without offering much more than a nod to each seated person, Zexion sat noisily down at the table, blushed, and looked at the menu as though he was hungry and might want something to eat.  He wasn’t and didn’t, but it was easier than looking at the people sitting at the table with him while he tried to think of something to say to them.  

Ugh, boys.

Gay boys in particular.

Xion found herself rolling her eyes as both guys around her got very awkwardly silent.  Did she have to do all of the work?  It wasn’t like she was the most social person on earth either.

“So, you’re Zexion, and you’re Roxas,” she said, her voice exaggerated to show her exasperation.  ”So that obviously makes me Xion, third wheel extraordinaire.  Hi.”

When that initially only got Zexion’s nose even further into his menu, she tried again.

“I’d recommend the Lebanese chicken sandwich,” she offered.  ”Unless you’re vegetarian.  Then I’d go with the portobello focaccia.  Both seemed to get really good reviews on Yelp.  I checked before we came over, although I’ve heard they sometimes rig their pages to give better reviews to businesses that pay them extra, so it’s hard to know for sure.”

It was possible that Roxas was shooting her an incredulous look, but seriously, screw him for the moment since he obviously wasn’t getting much done on his own.  Xion knew things.  She could improvise.

“And you’re actually a student at St. Merritt, right,” she asked Zexion, just to verify.  ”You look a bit…mature, I guess.  And I’ve never seen you in any of my classes, but I’m an art student so maybe that makes sense.”

At this point, Roxas looked positively…what was the word for it?  Xion was sure it’d come to her at some point.  Until then, she daintily folded her hands on the table in front of her and returned the blond’s look with a sweet smile of her own.

Roxas felt his eyes widen at Xion, and then a very strong urge to kick himself for not getting started as nonchalantly as she had.  He looked at Zexion’s reaction, and found himself grinning like a complete idiot at the slight color in the other man’s cheeks.  By the stars, but he was cute. 

Trying to think of an ice breaker, he opened his mouth to say something, but his new friend continued on ahead of him.  It was probably just as well, since he hadn’t thought of anything but still… he kind of wanted to kick her under the table at the moment.  That was when Zexion answered though, and Roxas forgot his frustration with Xion almost at once. 

“I’m a, uh, Junior,” he said, finally looking at her. 

Those strangely colored blue eyes looked her over, assessing and regarding at the same time, like he was sizing her up but not in a way that made him look remotely interested.  Definitely gay then, Roxas thought.  The girl was too well endowed for anyone even remotely inclined to look at women not to notice those… particular spots.  He had noticed, after all.  Then again, that didn’t necessarily mean anything, did it?  Ugh, he was reading too much into everything already.  This was doomed to fail. 

“You probably wouldn’t have any classes with me even if you weren’t an art student,” the blue-haired man continued on, his tone matter-of-fact.  “My major’s a little more… practical than art.” 

Roxas wanted to snicker, but he bit his tongue.  What was funny wasn’t what this guy said, but the innocent way in which he said it.  Almost as though he meant no offense, even though that was precisely what he’d given her.  Chuckling a little, Roxas asked him what his major was.  That was when those eyes focused on him for the first time, this time assessing him in a different way than he’d done Xion, and then … did he deflate a little? 

“I’m an electrical engineering major,” he said, glancing at his hands, “with a minor in political science.” 

Roxas glanced at Xion, unsure what he’d done wrong, before turning his full attention to Zexion.  “I’m an Astronomy major,” he offered.  “Um, with a minor in rhetoric,” Roxas finished, trying to find some common ground with this fascinating guy.  “Are you hungry,” he said, but turned to look at the raven haired girl he’d brought with him, at a loss as to how to get this guy to relax.  Roxas just… didn’t know what was wrong.  

“Yeah, well,” Xion started, a small smile on her face, “who wants to be practical?  I mean, where does that get you?  Good job, nice salary, a cute guy hanging off your arm, if that’s your thing…who needs it?”

And weren’t these two just absolutely adorable?  Xion thought so.  Who wanted to date boys ever when they were cute enough to go on the shelf above her childhood bed, chibi-style?

God, was she ever a lesbian…

“And yeah, famished actually,” she continued, pressing on when the other two wouldn’t.  ”I’m probably just going to get some chips and spinach dip.  Not that I’m vegetarian, mind, but I’ve heard eating too much meat totally screws up your digestive track.”

So that’s what she ordered when the waiter next came around.  She waited patiently for the other two to order as well, before forging onward with the conversation.

“Actually, I read about it, not heard it.  I don’t really talk to a lot of people.  Well, besides Roxas lately.”

She looked up at Zexion.  ”What about you?  Roxas said you two met in a bar, but he didn’t tell me much else.  Are you from around here?  My family lives a bit upstate, thank goodness at least.”

Their food came and within seconds she was munching appreciatively.  

“I hope you know you have interesting features,” she informed Zexion between mouthfuls.  ”But your hair sort of gets in the way a little, which…” she looked from Zexion to Roxas then back again, “…I think is a little disappointing for both of us, ironically.”

(via )

nothingbutamereillusion:

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anotherdreamabouthim:

Roxas and Xion sat at the table inside a little sandwich shop near campus waiting for the hot, blue-haired bartender to show up.  Xion was probably right when she suggested that Zexion would be more comfortable meeting Roxas in a friendlier situation with more than just the two of them present, but it did make the conversation he wanted to have with the blue-haired bartender a little more complicated then.  …didn’t it? 

He fidgeted, looking at his phone, then the clock on the wall before checking the door again.  Dude, chill, he tried to tell himself.  You’re early.  But it was very difficult to relax when he was about to put so much of himself on the line here.  Roxas didn’t even know how he would say some of the things he needed to say… or how Zexion would take them.

Oh boy.  He half hoped that the other man wouldn’t show up, but the echoes of disappointment when he imagined that were more painful than he had expected them to be, as well.  Taking another sip of his soda, he glanced at Xion before turning his attention back to the door.  Maybe if he stopped looking at it the other guy would show, or had he decided not to come after all?  Ah!

Why was Roxas so nervous?  Oh yeah, because he was proposing something today that made him feel like a bit of a crazy person, or a pervert depending on this guy’s point of view.  This would have been so much easier if he knew what Zexion thought of him, but it was a little too late for that now.  Checking the time again, he sighed, and turned his eyes down to his untouched sandwich.  

Matchmaker Xion: It had a nice ring to it, maybe?

Probably not, on second thought.

Still, the raven-haired freshman thought it was kind of cute how lovesick her blond classmate happened to be.  She couldn’t honestly say she’d experienced much of anything remotely relating to real attraction, so Xion didn’t necessarily understand it on a personal level herself.  But still, she could think it was cute when she saw it in others.

“Simmer down, sly,” she said, noting Roxas’ fidgeting movements.  ”If you described his personality accurately, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t show up.”

Part of her was curious to meet this mystery man number one as well, after all she’d heard about him.  Zexion.  Zexion, Roxas, and some third guy whose name she didn’t yet know.  She’d never heard of a polyamorous relationship with three guys being successful, but it was an interesting idea to ponder.  Guys — gay guys in particular, she figured — could be really possessive.  And jealous.  They’d just have to see, she supposed.  It was sort of like a science experiment.

She was just here to act as a buffer, to ensure the other guy wasn’t scared off by the idea of this being a date when it wasn’t.  Yet.  She’d even told Roxas he had her full confidentiality on anything she overheard.  Who would she have to tell anyway?  She’d pretty much admitted to him that she had no friends, at school or elsewhere.  The only thing there for her was her artwork.  And …Roxas?  Maybe.

Unconcerned that the time was drawing closer for Zexion to appear, Xion pulled out a pencil and began doodling on her napkin.  Before long, she had a good handful of different sets of eyes before her.  She drew Roxas’, her professors’…even some of the bitchy girls in her dorm.

How ironic then that when Zexion did actually end up appearing, Xion could see only one.  For the time being, she kept her mouth shut.  But still, the devious thought lingered: just what would his reaction be if she brushed that meddlesome hair out of his eye for a better look?

Axel’s ex-boyfriend, if that’s what he was, wanted to have lunch with him.  He wasn’t sure if it seemed like a trap or something much, much stranger.  Why him?  To Zexion this all seemed a little much.  It wasn’t as though he was good looking or anything, and he had gone through most of his school years knowing full well that he was just an awkward gay guy that most people might like but who wouldn’t really have many dates or boyfriends or much of a social-life at all.  Why was it now that things were starting to head into the land of social awkwardness and encounters of the popular-blond kind. 

Not that he knew Roxas very well or anything, but the guy had the kind of looks he would expect to see from the school jock who could get girls to hang off of his arm like candy off of a department store Santa Clause.  Why were guys like Axel or Roxas even looking twice at him when they had each other?  This was some sort of horrible prank, wasn’t it?

The bell on the sandwich shop door rang as he pushed it open, denying him any chance of entering silently.  Roxas was immediately recognizable as his savior from nearly a week ago; the guy who had handed his heart back to him with a few simple words.  He would have to remember to ask the blond how he knew Axel to… verify what the red head had told him.  After all, it was just a little strange that the man who was apparently so into him that Zexion had found him pinned to the wall within seconds of entering the man’s apartment in every encounter they’d had so far was so hesitant to share details of his work life where this blond guy was not.  What was going on?

Without offering much more than a nod to each seated person, Zexion sat noisily down at the table, blushed, and looked at the menu as though he was hungry and might want something to eat.  He wasn’t and didn’t, but it was easier than looking at the people sitting at the table with him while he tried to think of something to say to them.  

Ugh, boys.

Gay boys in particular.

Xion found herself rolling her eyes as both guys around her got very awkwardly silent.  Did she have to do all of the work?  It wasn’t like she was the most social person on earth either.

“So, you’re Zexion, and you’re Roxas,” she said, her voice exaggerated to show her exasperation.  ”So that obviously makes me Xion, third wheel extraordinaire.  Hi.”

When that initially only got Zexion’s nose even further into his menu, she tried again.

“I’d recommend the Lebanese chicken sandwich,” she offered.  ”Unless you’re vegetarian.  Then I’d go with the portobello focaccia.  Both seemed to get really good reviews on Yelp.  I checked before we came over, although I’ve heard they sometimes rig their pages to give better reviews to businesses that pay them extra, so it’s hard to know for sure.”

It was possible that Roxas was shooting her an incredulous look, but seriously, screw him for the moment since he obviously wasn’t getting much done on his own.  Xion knew things.  She could improvise.

“And you’re actually a student at St. Merritt, right,” she asked Zexion, just to verify.  ”You look a bit…mature, I guess.  And I’ve never seen you in any of my classes, but I’m an art student so maybe that makes sense.”

At this point, Roxas looked positively…what was the word for it?  Xion was sure it’d come to her at some point.  Until then, she daintily folded her hands on the table in front of her and returned the blond’s look with a sweet smile of her own.

(via )

anotherdreamabouthim:

Roxas and Xion sat at the table inside a little sandwich shop near campus waiting for the hot, blue-haired bartender to show up.  Xion was probably right when she suggested that Zexion would be more comfortable meeting Roxas in a friendlier situation with more than just the two of them present, but it did make the conversation he wanted to have with the blue-haired bartender a little more complicated then.  …didn’t it? 

He fidgeted, looking at his phone, then the clock on the wall before checking the door again.  Dude, chill, he tried to tell himself.  You’re early.  But it was very difficult to relax when he was about to put so much of himself on the line here.  Roxas didn’t even know how he would say some of the things he needed to say… or how Zexion would take them.

Oh boy.  He half hoped that the other man wouldn’t show up, but the echoes of disappointment when he imagined that were more painful than he had expected them to be, as well.  Taking another sip of his soda, he glanced at Xion before turning his attention back to the door.  Maybe if he stopped looking at it the other guy would show, or had he decided not to come after all?  Ah!

Why was Roxas so nervous?  Oh yeah, because he was proposing something today that made him feel like a bit of a crazy person, or a pervert depending on this guy’s point of view.  This would have been so much easier if he knew what Zexion thought of him, but it was a little too late for that now.  Checking the time again, he sighed, and turned his eyes down to his untouched sandwich.  

Matchmaker Xion: It had a nice ring to it, maybe?

Probably not, on second thought.

Still, the raven-haired freshman thought it was kind of cute how lovesick her blond classmate happened to be.  She couldn’t honestly say she’d experienced much of anything remotely relating to real attraction, so Xion didn’t necessarily understand it on a personal level herself.  But still, she could think it was cute when she saw it in others.

“Simmer down, sly,” she said, noting Roxas’ fidgeting movements.  ”If you described his personality accurately, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t show up.”

Part of her was curious to meet this mystery man number one as well, after all she’d heard about him.  Zexion.  Zexion, Roxas, and some third guy whose name she didn’t yet know.  She’d never heard of a polyamorous relationship with three guys being successful, but it was an interesting idea to ponder.  Guys — gay guys in particular, she figured — could be really possessive.  And jealous.  They’d just have to see, she supposed.  It was sort of like a science experiment.

She was just here to act as a buffer, to ensure the other guy wasn’t scared off by the idea of this being a date when it wasn’t.  Yet.  She’d even told Roxas he had her full confidentiality on anything she overheard.  Who would she have to tell anyway?  She’d pretty much admitted to him that she had no friends, at school or elsewhere.  The only thing there for her was her artwork.  And …Roxas?  Maybe.

Unconcerned that the time was drawing closer for Zexion to appear, Xion pulled out a pencil and began doodling on her napkin.  Before long, she had a good handful of different sets of eyes before her.  She drew Roxas’, her professors’…even some of the bitchy girls in her dorm.

How ironic then that when Zexion did actually end up appearing, Xion could see only one.  For the time being, she kept her mouth shut.  But still, the devious thought lingered: just what would his reaction be if she brushed that meddlesome hair out of his eye for a better look?

anotherdreamabouthim:

tabularasa-xiv:

“Your brother, right,” Xion asked, just to make sure she was keeping up.  Holy gods, this guy’s social life was complicated, especially compared to hers.  Xion was the baby of the family, her two older brothers being just about a decade older than her each.  Baby also meant accident, because she wasn’t stupid about things like that.  And it meant she’d been kind of sheltered too.  In fact, Xion was pretty sure if she hadn’t discovered she preferred girls over boys, her life would’ve been pretty stereotypically upper middle class boring.  And that wouldn’t necessarily have been a bad thing.

“So,” she countered, speaking to the top of Roxas’ head as he appeared to be eating her comforter at the moment face-on, “just to be clear, you left your guy for a bit to take care of your sick brother but didn’t tell him, only to find out he’d moved on by the time you got back.  And you think the guy he moved on with is hot.  Sound about right?”

She noted Roxas’ slight nod before continuing.

“Not that I have any experience in stuff like this whatsoever, but first, it sounds like unnamed guy one is a dick for having moved on so quickly, and second, sounds like you have a serious crush on this Zexion guy,” she rattled off.

“So, the logical thing to do would just be to propose a polyamorous relationship and see how that goes,” Xion finished.  Honestly, she tried not to chuckle, but she’d never been really good at hiding her emotions.  Plus, she was feeling pretty proud that she even remembered that term.  It’d been one she’d come across while doing research on what at the time she’d considered her own messed up attractions to girls.  It’d been one of those things she could point to and say, ‘hey, at least I’m not that screwed up.’

But under the circumstances, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea for Roxas’ current predicament — if he even knew what it meant, that is.  Xion didn’t like to talk down to people very often though, so she left it at that, without further explanation, and returned to patting the blond’s hair consolingly.  Maybe being in a relationship wasn’t all it was cut out to be after all, hmm. 

Point one: Axel is a dick; check.  Point two: crush on Zexion; check.  Not that he had really thought about it like that when he’d talked the blue-haired bartender into taking his phone number, but then again that would really explain why he’d felt so disappointed not to receive any calls from the guy, yet.  Roxas had been so obsessed with the mess with Axel that he hadn’t even realized he had a crush on the new guy in his life.  What a mess. 

Propose?  Polyamorous?   “What,” he asked, raising his head to look up at Xion for the first time since beginning this conversation.  “You mean as in… more than one partner?  Isn’t that kinda… you know… slutty?” 

That meant more than two people in a relationship, right?  As in… Axel, Zexion, and Roxas?  And as Roxas thought about that, he thought he could imagine himself with Axel, but he’d also had wonderful daydreams about pinning that quiet bartender to a wall, too.  Could he picture the three of them-together? 

His body shuddered slightly, imagining himself with the two of them, but he also cringed trying to imagine the two of them together in front of him.  Roxas shook his head, though he wasn’t entirely sure what exactly the action meant.  He could imagine the three of them, but then again was he really ready to do something that meant sharing with another man… with two other men, when it really came down to it? 

“I don’t know if all three of us are mature enough for… that,” he mumbled to himself, but a plan was already forming in the back of his mind. 

Maybe not, but he could prepare all three of them for something like that, couldn’t he?  Not to mention he could get back at Axel a little for leaving him, all at the same time.  His thoughts were officially gone now, imagining and scheming.  The chess match in his brain was calculating steps and steps ahead as his idea took a more solid form, and he found himself sending a brief text to Zexion before Roxas even realized that he’d made a decision one way or the other.  

Slutty?  Xion giggled a little to herself.  That was what he was worried about?  It seemed somewhat silly from her end.  How could something be slutty if it was kept under wraps?  Wouldn’t others have to know about it?  And wasn’t that term completely defined by society’s ridiculous expectations of what was moral or acceptable anyway?  Oh, whatever.  Gay boys were so fussy about irrelevant details, from her perspective.

“Not if you all agree on rules and boundaries.  It can actually be a very rewarding, long-term experience,” she said, her voice taking on a lecturing, informative tone.

The look Roxas shot her was enough to get Xion to withdraw a little.  ”I mean, that’s what I’ve read anyway,” she amended.  The last thing she needed was some prissy classmate calling her out on her own lack of relationship experience.

But Roxas seemed more embarrassed by the idea than anything relating to Xion herself.

“Well, yeah, like I said…” she trailed off, eyebrows raised pointedly.  ”It’s probably not a good idea if anyone involved is the jealous type.  Or still acts like a 10 year old,” she muttered the last bit under her breath.

Xion watched as Roxas whipped out his cell phone and started typing pretty rapidly against the keys.  ”Awesome,” she said, her voice not particularly interested or gossipy like it might have gotten if she were just about any of the other girls on campus here.  ”You’ll have to let me know how it goes.”

Shifting on her bed slightly, she flipped to a relevant page in their text.

“Anyway, I don’t suppose you’d want to get started on our project now.  I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t want to spend much time on it this weekend…”

(via )

anotherdreamabouthim:

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Xion wanted to stab someone.  Potentially Roxas the way this study session was going.  

Motivate.  Persuade.  Inform.  These were all things they were supposed to be focusing on with their given classroom prompt.  These were all things they had to work on together.

Fine, except Roxas seemed to be out in left field and not actually digging through the textbook for speech ideas.  

Silently, Xion seethed.  It wasn’t like she didn’t have better things to do herself, other homework to deal with before getting on with her weekend plans tomorrow night.  It wasn’t like she wanted to be stuck with this assignment for any longer than she had to be.  

Vaguely, she remembered having heard him mention that his younger brother had been ill a month or so back, right around the time he’d been missing so much class time.  Maybe that was bugging him still a little.  

And that sucked.  Truly, it did.  But when the professor had paired the two of them together and Xion was trying to get great grades her first semester at college, she really couldn’t afford for her partner not to be as focused as she was when it came to their studies.  

If it had been a written assignment, she’d have offered to do it all herself and gotten it out of the way quickly enough.  Rhetoric was only a minor for her anyway.  It was her Art major she was supposed to be more focused on.  But this assignment required them both to do some public speaking in front of the class.  If they both didn’t design an adequate speech and both didn’t figure out a persuasive argument around their prompt, it hardly mattered if she knew her position inside and out.  They’d still only get half credit if Roxas floundered.

Frustrated, Xion shot a pointed look Roxas’ way, but when that elicited no response, she cleared her throat slightly.

From the plush fuzzy rug on Xion’s dorm room floor, Roxas looked up, his eyes momentarily unfocused before they fixed on her.  Large, blue, and lost, they did Xion in just enough to soften the words that followed.

“Everything alright there, sly?”  She shot him a rueful curve of a half-smile, still tight around the edges with irritation.  ”You seem pretty distracted tonight.”

Roxas had been torn about what to do for a while now.  Sure, he’d lured Zexion away from the bar by offering him information on why Axel was ignoring him that night, and if the blue-haired man had turned him down it would have meant nothing at all.  However, when that face lit up as though Roxas was offering him a life-preserver that might save him from sinking, he knew. 

Of course, true to his word Roxas had told Zexion exactly what was going on, even flirted with the guy a little bit (what?  He couldn’t help himself; the quiet bartender was cute), and given the guy his number… ‘just in case you ever need some information, again, or if you just want to talk.’  Zexion had called him once to thank him, but not yet since then.  Of course, his devious mind had thought up a tiny little tidbit to keep the attention of the blue-haired man, and given Roxas the idea to point out that it really was a little strange that Axel hadn’t been the one to share that particularly important information with him… ‘maybe you should ask him about that…?’  Other than that, what was he really doing here?

Three parts of himself were battling it out: one part that wanted Axel back, another part that solidly did not want to ever date a guy like him again, and the part that did not want to take the guy that Zexion had so obviously fallen for away from him.  Childishly, Roxas would think that it shouldn’t matter.  He had had Axel first!  Another part remembered those gorgeous eyes lighting up when he’d shared the information with the bartender, and essentially explained that their red-head had not just been ignoring Zexion.  By the Stars, he was cute when he smiled!

But what… Xion’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he snapped his head up.  “Uh, yeah, sorry,” he answered, looking half at her and half recalling where his thoughts had left off.  “I’m just having guy problems, right now,” he said, then snapped his mouth shut.  He hadn’t meant to share the exact problem with her, shit.  

Did he just say guy problems?

On her bed, Xion sat up.

“As in, dating issues, or what,” she asked, her expression sharp, almost hawk-like.  Perhaps it was too straightforward of a question, but did that actually mean this guy she thought was halfway decent also wasn’t someone she had to worry about getting hit on by?  Because that would be…ideal, actually.

St. Merritt University was a shithole of religious conservatism, from Xion’s perspective.  Most of the kids who came here on mommy’s and daddy’s dime parroted their parents’ viewpoints more often than not as well.  It could be a lonely place for those who were seen as different, even if they had come from similar privileged backgrounds like Xion had.  Still, Xion had been particularly careful with keeping her own orientation under wraps while at this school.  The last thing she needed was some bitchy dormmate complaining to an RA that she was uncomfortable showering in the same room as someone who was attracted to other girls.

Because being a lesbian obviously made you super horny for every single girl on campus.  Naturally.

The look on Roxas’ face clued her in that maybe he’d taken her question in the wrong way, as though she was planning on judging him as opposed to simply asking due to a potentially mutual experience.  Made sense at this school.  How many times had she heard words like “the homosexual agenda” or seen same-sex marriage written out with scare quotes?  Too many to name, and she was just a freshman.

So, that in mind, Xion leaned down, stretched out one arm, and gently ruffled the blond’s already disheveled, spiky hair.

“I mean, at least you sound like you’ve got a guy.”  Her voice was accepting, possibly even hinting at teasing a little around the edges.  ”It’ll be my luck to remain a celibate lesbian my entire four years at this this fine institution, the way I’m going.”

Roxas tensed.  Not that it would matter if someone went and outted him on school grounds, right now.  He was actually pretty sure that he couldn’t possibly feel worse than he already did, but that didn’t mean he needed anyone to be disgusted with him just then either.  Particularly not when it was someone he had to work with for a grade. 

Her statement made him relax and deflate simultaneously, taking her words in and letting them touch that sad, cracking inner part of him that had realized all too recently that he’d been replaced after only a few months of separation.  Not that they’d been together long before that, but it still hurt. 

“If it makes you feel any better,” he muttered.  “I haven’t got a guy anymore.  He’s, I mean I think, he found someone else.  Pretty sure I could have him back if I wanted, but… I mean, Zexion’s such a sweet, shy guy; it just wouldn’t be fair.  Maybe… but… I don’t know.” 

Ordinarily, Roxas was not the type to talk to anyone else about his problems.  He saved these conversations for his journal and a carefully selected pen, but he must have been flustered because he damn near went on talking even still.  It still hadn’t registered in his mind that she had called herself a lesbian, actually.  He was really just trying to wrap his mind around the constant thought processes that refused to stop circling his mind, over and over again, as though thinking about the situation all the time would somehow help him come up with a solution. 

Since it refused to stop, Roxas finally felt himself just drop his head into his hands, and keel over onto the bed, groaning, “I don’t know what to do…”  

Xion cringed.  She was being a bitch again, pretty sure.  Everyone back home always mentioned how blunt she could be when she didn’t think through things before blurting them out.

“Sor—” she started after Roxas’ first sentence, but the blond continued on as though he hadn’t heard.  For once, Xion simply listened, eyes widening a little as he gave out more and more details.  She didn’t recognize the name of the other guy he’d mentioned, but it probably wasn’t surprising.  If he wasn’t one of the 30-something art students in her composition or sculpting classes this semester, Xion probably didn’t know him and that was fine by her.  Girls were petty bitches for the most part at this school, and guys were generally dicks who had dicks in her book.  The only way she was going to find someone meaningful of her own was to pluck up the courage to get her ass off-campus and find someone older, more mature.  She just couldn’t handle the infantile behavior that took place at this school most of the time.

But Roxas seemed genuinely torn up about this.  And at least he wasn’t a total shithead, willing to hurt an innocent third party just to get some guy he was crushing on back.

That was assuming the third party was innocent, of course…

Hand still in Roxas’ hair, Xion began to massage gentle circular patterns into the boy’s scalp, hoping to soothe him a little.  She might’ve been a girl who’d kick in the balls of anyone who so much as brushed up against her in what she considered an invasive way, but when it came to being physical herself, Xion hadn’t really learned boundaries yet, which she might have considered the definition of irony if she’d considered it even a little at all.  She hadn’t.

“Wait, so you’re saying your man cheated on you, then,” Xion asked, shoulders bristling a little against her bob of a haircut in the process.  ”If that’s the case, I know it’s probably hard, but I definitely wouldn’t be bothering with him at all.”

He cringed at Xion’s question, refusing to remove his hands from his face as he answered it.  “Not exactly,” Roxas called past his fingers. 

His face was red now, but he still had his hands over it so maybe she wouldn’t notice that his neck had gone pink.  He was an idiot, anyways.  This whole thing was stupid, he shouldn’t have said anything.  Except that his brain wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it so why would his mouth?  Daring to peak out from between his fingers, he glanced up at Xion. 

How could he explain without telling the whole fucking story?  It was kind of a long one. 

“I kinda left,” he finally added.  “You know, when Ventus got…sick.  I didn’t exactly tell him about it.” 

Unsure what to say exactly, Roxas felt the need to defend himself before she could tell him the whole thing was his own damn fault, and he should just drop it.  So he went on in a wail that he would have considered undignified if he had thought about it at all. 

“I was mad, okay?  I don’t know if he’d just take me back anyways.  I mean, I know he would or… I thought he would, but then he didn’t wait for me.  And Zexion’s hot so I can’t really blame him, or no I can blame him but not him.  Ah!  I don’t know.” 

He let himself face plant on the bed, burying his mouth so that even if he opened it he wouldn’t be able to say anymore.  Roxas didn’t like feeling like he had to depend on someone else, but that was exactly what he seemed to be doing… again.  Hadn’t the whole Axel thing taught him anything?  

“Your brother, right,” Xion asked, just to make sure she was keeping up.  Holy gods, this guy’s social life was complicated, especially compared to hers.  Xion was the baby of the family, her two older brothers being just about a decade older than her each.  Baby also meant accident, because she wasn’t stupid about things like that.  And it meant she’d been kind of sheltered too.  In fact, Xion was pretty sure if she hadn’t discovered she preferred girls over boys, her life would’ve been pretty stereotypically upper middle class boring.  And that wouldn’t necessarily have been a bad thing.

“So,” she countered, speaking to the top of Roxas’ head as he appeared to be eating her comforter at the moment face-on, “just to be clear, you left your guy for a bit to take care of your sick brother but didn’t tell him, only to find out he’d moved on by the time you got back.  And you think the guy he moved on with is hot.  Sound about right?”

She noted Roxas’ slight nod before continuing.

“Not that I have any experience in stuff like this whatsoever, but first, it sounds like unnamed guy one is a dick for having moved on so quickly, and second, sounds like you have a serious crush on this Zexion guy,” she rattled off.

“So, the logical thing to do would just be to propose a polyamorous relationship and see how that goes,” Xion finished.  Honestly, she tried not to chuckle, but she’d never been really good at hiding her emotions.  Plus, she was feeling pretty proud that she even remembered that term.  It’d been one she’d come across while doing research on what at the time she’d considered her own messed up attractions to girls.  It’d been one of those things she could point to and say, ‘hey, at least I’m not that screwed up.’

But under the circumstances, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea for Roxas’ current predicament — if he even knew what it meant, that is.  Xion didn’t like to talk down to people very often though, so she left it at that, without further explanation, and returned to patting the blond’s hair consolingly.  Maybe being in a relationship wasn’t all it was cut out to be after all, hmm. 

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anotherdreamabouthim:

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anotherdreamabouthim:

tabularasa-xiv:

Xion wanted to stab someone.  Potentially Roxas the way this study session was going.  

Motivate.  Persuade.  Inform.  These were all things they were supposed to be focusing on with their given classroom prompt.  These were all things they had to work on together.

Fine, except Roxas seemed to be out in left field and not actually digging through the textbook for speech ideas.  

Silently, Xion seethed.  It wasn’t like she didn’t have better things to do herself, other homework to deal with before getting on with her weekend plans tomorrow night.  It wasn’t like she wanted to be stuck with this assignment for any longer than she had to be.  

Vaguely, she remembered having heard him mention that his younger brother had been ill a month or so back, right around the time he’d been missing so much class time.  Maybe that was bugging him still a little.  

And that sucked.  Truly, it did.  But when the professor had paired the two of them together and Xion was trying to get great grades her first semester at college, she really couldn’t afford for her partner not to be as focused as she was when it came to their studies.  

If it had been a written assignment, she’d have offered to do it all herself and gotten it out of the way quickly enough.  Rhetoric was only a minor for her anyway.  It was her Art major she was supposed to be more focused on.  But this assignment required them both to do some public speaking in front of the class.  If they both didn’t design an adequate speech and both didn’t figure out a persuasive argument around their prompt, it hardly mattered if she knew her position inside and out.  They’d still only get half credit if Roxas floundered.

Frustrated, Xion shot a pointed look Roxas’ way, but when that elicited no response, she cleared her throat slightly.

From the plush fuzzy rug on Xion’s dorm room floor, Roxas looked up, his eyes momentarily unfocused before they fixed on her.  Large, blue, and lost, they did Xion in just enough to soften the words that followed.

“Everything alright there, sly?”  She shot him a rueful curve of a half-smile, still tight around the edges with irritation.  ”You seem pretty distracted tonight.”

Roxas had been torn about what to do for a while now.  Sure, he’d lured Zexion away from the bar by offering him information on why Axel was ignoring him that night, and if the blue-haired man had turned him down it would have meant nothing at all.  However, when that face lit up as though Roxas was offering him a life-preserver that might save him from sinking, he knew. 

Of course, true to his word Roxas had told Zexion exactly what was going on, even flirted with the guy a little bit (what?  He couldn’t help himself; the quiet bartender was cute), and given the guy his number… ‘just in case you ever need some information, again, or if you just want to talk.’  Zexion had called him once to thank him, but not yet since then.  Of course, his devious mind had thought up a tiny little tidbit to keep the attention of the blue-haired man, and given Roxas the idea to point out that it really was a little strange that Axel hadn’t been the one to share that particularly important information with him… ‘maybe you should ask him about that…?’  Other than that, what was he really doing here?

Three parts of himself were battling it out: one part that wanted Axel back, another part that solidly did not want to ever date a guy like him again, and the part that did not want to take the guy that Zexion had so obviously fallen for away from him.  Childishly, Roxas would think that it shouldn’t matter.  He had had Axel first!  Another part remembered those gorgeous eyes lighting up when he’d shared the information with the bartender, and essentially explained that their red-head had not just been ignoring Zexion.  By the Stars, he was cute when he smiled!

But what… Xion’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he snapped his head up.  “Uh, yeah, sorry,” he answered, looking half at her and half recalling where his thoughts had left off.  “I’m just having guy problems, right now,” he said, then snapped his mouth shut.  He hadn’t meant to share the exact problem with her, shit.  

Did he just say guy problems?

On her bed, Xion sat up.

“As in, dating issues, or what,” she asked, her expression sharp, almost hawk-like.  Perhaps it was too straightforward of a question, but did that actually mean this guy she thought was halfway decent also wasn’t someone she had to worry about getting hit on by?  Because that would be…ideal, actually.

St. Merritt University was a shithole of religious conservatism, from Xion’s perspective.  Most of the kids who came here on mommy’s and daddy’s dime parroted their parents’ viewpoints more often than not as well.  It could be a lonely place for those who were seen as different, even if they had come from similar privileged backgrounds like Xion had.  Still, Xion had been particularly careful with keeping her own orientation under wraps while at this school.  The last thing she needed was some bitchy dormmate complaining to an RA that she was uncomfortable showering in the same room as someone who was attracted to other girls.

Because being a lesbian obviously made you super horny for every single girl on campus.  Naturally.

The look on Roxas’ face clued her in that maybe he’d taken her question in the wrong way, as though she was planning on judging him as opposed to simply asking due to a potentially mutual experience.  Made sense at this school.  How many times had she heard words like “the homosexual agenda” or seen same-sex marriage written out with scare quotes?  Too many to name, and she was just a freshman.

So, that in mind, Xion leaned down, stretched out one arm, and gently ruffled the blond’s already disheveled, spiky hair.

“I mean, at least you sound like you’ve got a guy.”  Her voice was accepting, possibly even hinting at teasing a little around the edges.  ”It’ll be my luck to remain a celibate lesbian my entire four years at this this fine institution, the way I’m going.”

Roxas tensed.  Not that it would matter if someone went and outted him on school grounds, right now.  He was actually pretty sure that he couldn’t possibly feel worse than he already did, but that didn’t mean he needed anyone to be disgusted with him just then either.  Particularly not when it was someone he had to work with for a grade. 

Her statement made him relax and deflate simultaneously, taking her words in and letting them touch that sad, cracking inner part of him that had realized all too recently that he’d been replaced after only a few months of separation.  Not that they’d been together long before that, but it still hurt. 

“If it makes you feel any better,” he muttered.  “I haven’t got a guy anymore.  He’s, I mean I think, he found someone else.  Pretty sure I could have him back if I wanted, but… I mean, Zexion’s such a sweet, shy guy; it just wouldn’t be fair.  Maybe… but… I don’t know.” 

Ordinarily, Roxas was not the type to talk to anyone else about his problems.  He saved these conversations for his journal and a carefully selected pen, but he must have been flustered because he damn near went on talking even still.  It still hadn’t registered in his mind that she had called herself a lesbian, actually.  He was really just trying to wrap his mind around the constant thought processes that refused to stop circling his mind, over and over again, as though thinking about the situation all the time would somehow help him come up with a solution. 

Since it refused to stop, Roxas finally felt himself just drop his head into his hands, and keel over onto the bed, groaning, “I don’t know what to do…”  

Xion cringed.  She was being a bitch again, pretty sure.  Everyone back home always mentioned how blunt she could be when she didn’t think through things before blurting them out.

“Sor—” she started after Roxas’ first sentence, but the blond continued on as though he hadn’t heard.  For once, Xion simply listened, eyes widening a little as he gave out more and more details.  She didn’t recognize the name of the other guy he’d mentioned, but it probably wasn’t surprising.  If he wasn’t one of the 30-something art students in her composition or sculpting classes this semester, Xion probably didn’t know him and that was fine by her.  Girls were petty bitches for the most part at this school, and guys were generally dicks who had dicks in her book.  The only way she was going to find someone meaningful of her own was to pluck up the courage to get her ass off-campus and find someone older, more mature.  She just couldn’t handle the infantile behavior that took place at this school most of the time.

But Roxas seemed genuinely torn up about this.  And at least he wasn’t a total shithead, willing to hurt an innocent third party just to get some guy he was crushing on back.

That was assuming the third party was innocent, of course…

Hand still in Roxas’ hair, Xion began to massage gentle circular patterns into the boy’s scalp, hoping to soothe him a little.  She might’ve been a girl who’d kick in the balls of anyone who so much as brushed up against her in what she considered an invasive way, but when it came to being physical herself, Xion hadn’t really learned boundaries yet, which she might have considered the definition of irony if she’d considered it even a little at all.  She hadn’t.

“Wait, so you’re saying your man cheated on you, then,” Xion asked, shoulders bristling a little against her bob of a haircut in the process.  ”If that’s the case, I know it’s probably hard, but I definitely wouldn’t be bothering with him at all.”

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