After Work

By Snare-chan

Pairings: None intended, but go wild if you want to?
Ratings: K+
Category(ies): General
Warning(s): Spoilers for 358/2 Days
Status: One-shot, complete
Summary: In another place, with any other set of individuals, this might have been a slight heart to heart. For Axel and Demyx, it's just a meeting of two people.

Notes: Alternate title is "Happy Hour", because my beta reader, Cassandra Cassidy, has an ironic sense of humor about certain things, and I love that about her. This story…is just because, I guess. The arrival of the newest installment in the Kingdom Hearts franchise got me to thinking, and I didn't stop until this was done. I like both of the characters and it felt great to work with them, especially in the same piece!

Disclaimer: I dun own Kingdom Hearts; wish I did like everyone else. They should put KH in stock, then I'd buy it all!

Axel was bone tired.

Tuckered out.

Bushed.

One would figure that after following through for Saïx, he'd cut him some slack, but the guy didn't play favorites and worked him as hard as the rest, especially with Organization XIII short so many members. Then again, maybe he was. Axel wouldn't consider working twice as hard as being done any favors, though. That sort of favoritism he would gladly do without – if he had a voice in the matter, anyway. Sometimes, picking the fellows you made your bed with wasn't up to the chooser.

Appearing at the Castle That Never Was after a double shift was nearly a relief; it wouldn't really be until Roxas was finished with his rounds (that poor sap was pulling triple missions, and Axel couldn't envy him even if he had a heart to feel it with). And Xion, too, he amended, tacking it on as an afterthought. Axel didn't do it intentionally, at least he didn't think so, but when it came down to it, he was too exhausted to analyze the thought properly and make sense of it.

He checked in with the slave-driver himself, who was in the same spot he always was, and managed to string together a sentence of words that thankfully came out in the correct order.

"The Superior will be pleased to hear that," Saïx said, faux positive reinforcement not doing anything for the man he was talking to, but he was like a secretary going through the motions. Or a parrot. Bottom line was it didn't matter what he said.

"You look…drained," he continued, odd for him, since he wasn't the type for chit-chat. Saïx also said that last part as if 'whipped' or 'beaten' should have taken the place of 'drained' at the end of his speech, but that was all right. The statement concerning the words coming out of the other's mouth still stood, as far as Axel was concerned. "Something isn't the matter, is it?"

"Nah." Just the unpaid overtime. It's no big deal. I'm used to it. Oh, and you being a total jerk half the time. Used to that, too. "You know me, pushing my limits to ensure the best outcome possible."

Except that they both knew who the real overachiever was, and he was currently indisposed. Pretty much forever. Saïx promptly let the discussion drop after that, dismissing Axel with a sharp inclination of his chin, and refused to acknowledge him. Score one for Number VIII.

There was time to kill until he had to visit the clock tower in Twilight Town, and with the lounge conveniently where he was standing, he moseyed over to one of the couches. Demyx was hogging the one closest, sitar taking up the bit his body wasn't, but Axel wasn't in the mood for it. He snapped his fingers and motioned for the other to scoot out of the way.

Obediently, Demyx looked up, a couple of used strings dangling from his mouth as he changed in the new ones, and snapped his legs up. Once Axel had flopped onto the seat and leisurely slouched back, Demyx brought his feet back down smack dab in his lap. He grunted at the gesture and glowered at his boots, but decided that melting the rubber soles on the other's feet would be more effort than it was worth. For now, his toes got to live.

"Weren't you supposed to do recon today?" Axel inquired.

"Mm mmph neuum."

"Sorry, my second language isn't Mumblese."

Half a minute later, Demyx blew out a breath and the strings he'd been holding onto with his lips evaporated into mist, his work apparently done.

"I finished early," he reiterated, clearer this time.

"Really?"

"Really."

"…"

"Really! It was simple today; I had to visit a jungle with a bunch of monkeys in it. Lots of nice scenery, but little substance. I doubt we'll be going back to that place."

"That's it?" he asked, convinced there was more. Every remaining member was feeling the pinch, and no one was exempt from the increased demand. Saïx had them pulling their weight and then some these days.

"For today," Demyx clarified. "There's a couple low-end assignments, buuuut I'll do them later."

"…You're going to bribe Roxas again, aren't you."

The musician grinned.

"You're awful," Axel declared, but he chuckled when he said it. He let his arms hang on the back of the sofa after that.

"I like to think I'm gearing him up for the big leagues. Everybody works him the hardest, and the practice is good for him. Man, he should be thanking me for doing him a service and providing potions."

He couldn't argue that too much. Both Keyblade wielders were getting handed jobs like the concept was going out of style, Roxas in particular. Not that he was shocked at the development, but it was obvious the higher-ups were taking advantage of the combination of the blond's firm work ethic and ability. Welcome to the Organization, he supposed.

Still…

"And I bet the fact that you get to sit back and relax while the job gets completed doesn't hurt anything, either."

"I'm not-"

"Cut out for combat," Axel finished, idly tapping the side of his head. "I've got your little spiel memorized by this point."

"At least someone has," he grumbled. Demyx's fingers were fiddling with the kunti – tuning pegs – of his instrument and strumming the strings to adjust its sound.

Axel watched him for a minute, observing the slight condensation forming as he progressed with his task, but thankfully there wasn't any more water than that.

"Alright, I'll bite. What tasks would you willingly do, then? Holding a concert doesn't count."

The other Nobody struck a sour note as he looked up at Number VIII, unsure about such a question. He'd never been asked before about what he thought or would prefer to do; upper management certainly didn't care.

"What would I want to do…?" Demyx mused, resuming his previous task and managing to think and use his hands without needing to look. "I guess I wouldn't mind continuing with recon. I'm good at the avoidance thing. Or do what Saïx does – passing on the assignments and…I dunno, whatever other secretarial-like gig he's into. What about you?"

Anything but trash duty.

Even if he was good at taking out the garbage.

"Uh, team-ups, I guess. Work goes twice as fast that way."

"That's true! I don't understand why we can't have more of those. Maybe we'd all get along if we got to hang out more. Forced or not forced, heh."

Assuming the Superior wants us to get along, Axel thought to himself. Not like they had the ability to appreciate team-building exercises that promoted faith and good tidings.

"Maybe," he said aloud instead, not really believing it.

Demyx moved on from tuning to absently strumming out a song, a repetitive but soothing melody that Axel could almost place. He let his head fall back and the ceiling take the brunt of his concentrating stare, eyebrows knit close together. He could swear that song was familiar. It hovered, like he could reach out and snatch the notes from thin air and gather his answer.

"What'cha playing?"

"Beats me. Whatever my hands want to."

He snorted. The sensation continued to haunt him; much more so, since the answer eluded him still. Allowing his eyelids to drift closed, he let the sound carry away his recent stress instead of dwelling on its meaning, shoulders slumping and muscles easing. Funny; it reminded him of the waves from the ocean or something…

Axel was nearly late for the after-work ice cream extravaganza thanks to that music.

-Fin-