And literally 7 years later I have an update

Axel's home was quaint, to say so in the most polite way possible. His family situation has always been very vague to me, even though I know that he's very much on good terms with both his parents despite their divorce. I toe off my borrowed shoes at the door as Sora closes and locks it behind us, noticing all the little things that Axel's father probably left behind.

"Auntie?" Sora calls as he walks past me. "Are you home?" Of course Sora is on good terms with Axel's family. The boy was an absolute ray of sunshine, and so amicable. Sometimes I still wonder how in Kingdom Hearts he wheedled his way into my own heart, but I am quite thankful that he did. When Sora notices that I'm just standing at the hallway looking like a deer in headlights, my hair a mess and the bags under my eyes probably darker than they usually are, he takes my wrist gently and pulls me along. "I don't think she's in right now."

"The fact that there was no car in their drive way should have clued you in," I tell him with a small frown. I am not as close to Axel as compared to Sora or Roxas. I don't exactly feel comfortable staying here. "I'm grateful for the quick escape," I start, pulling my hand back. Sora releases it without question. "But I think that this is probably a place Demyx will think to look for me." After all, I don't have many friends that I can confide in, and all my friends are people Demyx is friends with too.

Except, perhaps, for one. "I know where to go for now, Sora," I tell him and he has that look on his face that tells me that he isn't exactly on board with my idea. "It's fine, do not look at me like that please."

"Are you sure?" He sighs, but I already know he's not going to put up much of a fight— That is part of why I cherish him so. He respects the decisions I make, even if it turns out to be a stupid decision. And in a situation where I do end up being wrong (very rare, it has only happened once) he will be there to help me fix whatever collateral damage my decisions might incur. "Text me then, when you figure things out."

"I will," I tell him and though we had just arrived, I make my way back to the front door to retrieve my shoes. Sora leads me to the back door, and before we part ways I hold his gaze. "Stay here, and be a distraction."

"Distract how?"

"Act as if I am still here, hidden somewhere within the house," I tell him. "I think that will buy me enough time to… Hide... I suppose." It doesn't sit well with me that I'm hiding from my own best friend but I'm still frazzled from last night's events. I cannot think properly, or come up with a solution. I know eventually I'm going to have to face Demyx if I want to salvage our friendship but as of the moment I am completely unready for that.

"Ah reverse psychology junk huh," Sora says like he's disappointed in me but the mischievous gleam in his eyes tell me otherwise. "Okay, I gotcha covered." And he pushes me out the door as if he wasn't hesitant about letting me go in the first place. "Go on, shoo! Scat!"

I roll my eyes at him and carefully map my way to—

"And Zexion?"

The call of my name, not my nickname, has me paused. I turn around. "Yes?"

"I know this must be really hard for you," he starts, leans his hip against the door frame like a mother talking to her child. It's unnerving yet at the same time comforting. "But I know things will work out."

I nod in agreement. "They will work out, because I will make this work."

He shoots me a peace sign. "That's the spirit."

Though I am not too familiar with the location of Axel's home, I manage to find familiar roads and eventually figure out where I am; though I have to stay out of sight, in the off chance that Demyx decides to search the whole town first instead of searching in one of the most obvious places. However, as air headed and dense Demyx can be, our time together as friends has taught him how to be more careful and clever.

This is going to be a tricky chess game of hide and seek, and I'm not yet ready to be found.

It takes a bit of time, but I eventually find myself in a home that I am familiar with, and a home that I am certain Demyx doesn't know of. He's not exactly on the best of terms with this house's residents and therefore does not know where they live. Loath that I am to ask them of help, I don't have many options to juggle. So it is with a heavy sigh that I knock on the front door, expensively decorated with heavy wood and intricate designs. As I wait for someone to answer, I gaze up at the house and wonder how a family could be so pretentious and have such tacky tastes.

When the door finally opens, the smell of flowers hits my nose almost violently. Standing too many inches taller than me is Marluxia, pink hair flowing almost as if there was some sort of special effects fan behind him. He is, in all honesty, a beautiful man but his personality leaves much to be desired.

"What a surprise to see you on this fine day," it is technically not a very nice day. There are dark clouds hanging in the sky, blocking out the sun's warmth. There is a rather rustic looking bouquet cradled carefully in his arms: daffodils and roses, a single sunflower, and a bunch of bright red amaryllis. Marluxia has the greenest thumb, and perhaps the soon to be rainy weather is good for his plants. "It's not often that I find myself in the presence of someone who openly hates me," he says with no malice, only amusement. He is a difficult one to read. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I stab you in the chest instead of the back, certainly you should be grateful for that," I tell him mildly, folding my arms over my chest as I wait to be invited in. I was never one to hide my feelings anyway, especially if there was nothing to be gained from it. With Marluxia, it was already too late to play nice and quite frankly I would rather bite my own tongue and bleed to death than pretend pleasantries with him.

"You still can't be mad at me after all these years," he coos at me in that deep quiet voice of his, plucking one of the red roses from his arms to gently tuck behind my ear. The thorns have been carefully picked out.

Many years ago, perhaps we were friends. Many years ago, he might have pushed me into heavy traffic on a dare. Perhaps many years ago, our perceived friendship was actually thinly veiled harassment, and the spite and resent that had only grown in my heart continues to remind me that he is not a good person, and though he has changed over the years I am in no way obligated to forgive him for the terrible things that he's done to me. "I am still very mad, thank you for asking."

"Whoa the shrimp's here," a blond head of hair pops up behind Marluxia's shoulder, and Larxene pushes him away gently to take a gander at me. Those two are only ever gentle with each other, and if I didn't already know they were the two most terrible people to have walk the face of the planet I might have mistaken them for actual redeemable human beings. She takes the flower tucked behind my ear and places it back into Marluxia's arms, as if the idea of me having anything of theirs was a crime. "D'ya need something, shortie?"

I ponder my next words and sigh deeply. I don't want to have to confide in them but it's the easiest way. The more entertained they are by my misery the more likely they'll let me stay hidden longer. "I need a place to hide."

"Oh?" Marluxia's elegant eyebrow rises in curious question, and finally he steps aside to invite me in. Even though we haven't spoken civilly in years, it's still very easy to predict what he may do. "If I recall, you were the best at playing hide and seek," he says as he leads me down the weird hallway of their home.

Larxene lingers at the door for a moment, probably perplexed by the fact that I was so accepted into their household. She snaps herself out of her momentary stupor, closes the door behind her, and follows us and picks up on the conversation quite easily. "He was so small, he could fit in the tiniest places."

"So who exactly are you hiding from?" Marluxia asks. We're at a little tea garden now and it is honestly very beautiful. The flowers and the garden are well maintained. It's such a shame that Marluxia can grow such wonderful, beautiful things, but his personality stays as putrid as mulch and manure.

I sigh deeply. Today is just not my day and well, so many people have advised that I open up more. And perhaps opening up to someone I hate may bring some new insights to the matter. As vaguely as possible, and with the air of someone trying their best to keep a secret, I sit myself down and wave a hand rather carelessly. "Love."

That draws their attention easily and instantly. Hello, my name is Zexion Kitsune and love of the romantic type has always been a far away idea to me despite all the romance novels I've read and all the romance films I've consumed. I cannot fathom romance, despite the many years I've tried to study it both from a critical standpoint and an emotional one. It is a topic that I have carefully shelved away for another day (never).

I retell the story for what feels like the third time in one day. I've left out certain details to spare my dignity (or what's left of it at least) and my two person audience is thoroughly enthused. Larxene practically spills her body over me, her back resting against my lap as she reaches up to pinch at my cheeks. "My personal space has been invaded, and you are very aware of the boundaries I have."

"Wittle Zexy Wexy's got love problems!"

Ugh.

"This was bound to happen eventually," Marluxia nods thoughtfully. At some point during my retelling of the story, he had done flower arrangements. Again, it's beautiful and its still a mystery to me how he can make beauty. "For all your intelligence, Zexion, you're quite the idiot when it comes to these sorts of things. Demyx has been looking at you like you hold the universe in your eyes for as long as I can remember," he hums. "I always assumed you were ignoring his feelings."

"Running away from love," Larxene chirps in. "One fear."

"You're not wrong," I agree. It feels funny agreeing with people I hate. "I do feel like an idiot for not seeing this sooner."

"Perhaps it's all that hair," Marluxia comments offhandedly.

"What should I do?"

They both pause at that and I kind of already regret opening my mouth. Today is just one mistake after another.

"Are you really asking us for advice?" Larxene asks, the surprise evident and genuine in her tone of voice and body language. That quickly disappears and is replaced with an odd looking smirk. "You must be really desperate then."

"I… I sure am," because that is the truth.

"You can borrow my knives," Larxene says a tad bit too enthusiastic.

I already know what her advice is going to be, so I roll my eyes and play along anyway. "Whatever for."

"Just stab him, twelve times in the heart," and she pokes at my chest, demonstrating all the possible places I could stick a knife in. She's always been good at human anatomy, and the fact that there are books on Marquis de Sade and Jack the Ripper scattered all across their home, it is a little unnerving having her hands on me. "Marly can help you hide the body. For a price."

"No, I'm not stabbing him," I say flatly. "Marluxia?"

He is twirling a flower between his fingers. I am trying to recall a time I've seen Marluxia without a flower on him and I'm coming up blank. "Tell him off."

"What?"

"The fact that he's rendered you to consult with us, people you hate, must mean it really affected you," the florist elaborates. "He forced himself on you, that's not really what a friend should be doing. Tell him off."

I blink. I'm trying to comprehend.

"I think the problem here is he is so enamored with you, whereas you can't bring yourself to say no to him. He is your kryptonite and you his drug. How sad." He leaves his flower arrangements to join the two of us. Though most people think of Marluxia as effeminate, he actually isn't. As he sits down across from us, legs crossed in front of him, his posture screams masculinity loud and strong without even trying. "You've got to be firm. It's how you're supposed to be with your pets."

"He's not a pet," I grumble.

"He sure acts like one, following you around like a puppy and all that," Larxene agrees. She rolls off my lap to lay next to Marluxia instead, arms folded behind her head as a makeshift pillow. "Men and their feelings. Always a problem. You guys can never really find the middle ground huh? Either you're too emotional like Demyx, or too emotionally absent like Zexion. There is no in between."

"And you lie in the emotionally absent category," Marluxia chuckles.

"Just how many times am I going to be called an idiot in one day," I mutter to myself, frowning as Marluxia and Larxene laugh at my expense.