June 22nd

I got this new job today...
(Finally it's something I actually like!)
I'm now working as a gardener in Paradise Lawns...
(It's a big house, big gardens, rich family...)
I start tomorrow...
It's pretty cool; he hired me on skill alone!
(Pink hair... People tend to not hire me on that note alone... Never mind the fact I like eye liner...)
Although he seems like a pretty formal, old fashioned guy he didn't stare at me like I had ten heads when I walked in through the door, he waited to see how I work and because of that he's made a loyal worker out of me!
He must be a pretty decent guy I guess...
I met his wife today too, Elena, she's really nice very polite, very English accent...
Anyways...
I better get some sleep, early start tomorrow!

June 23rd

First day!
Man I am beat! I forgot how hard working outdoors is...
The amount of weeds and unruly rose bushes...
Craziness...
Looks like no ones been near those gardens in years!
Oh and they have a HUGE pool!
I'm so jealous of them!
Apparently their son came home today there was a big commotion around the front of the house but I didn't really catch what was going on...
Anyway, I'm off to sleep now...
I'm absolutely wrecked!

June 24th

Working hard again today!
Just about made it around the rose bushes at the edge of that pool.
(Rose bushes around a pool who the hell does that? Exposed flesh and rose bushes what the fuck?)
I met their son today...
Zexion...
Interesting guy, slight British accent, young I think...
Quiet...
Kinda mysterious...
I want to find out more about him.
(Something's gotta keep me amused in work right?)

Marluxia arrived into work the next day as normal.
They all were sitting down to breakfast when he arrived, he popped his head around the door and waved to let them know he was starting work.
"Hi Elena, Tom, Zexion... Beautiful morning we're having!"
Tom nodded stiffly.
"Indeed..."
Zexion raised a fork to his lips and put it down again.
"So he's the new gardener?"
Zexion's father nodded.
"Yes..."
The blue haired teen took a mouthful of scrambled eggs and continued to eat, somewhat uninterested...

Marluxia looked at his list of what he'd done and what preening and tidying up was left to do before he could actually just take care of the plants.
/Pool... Done. Driveway... Done. Front garden... Almost done.../
Tom's car beeped as he and his wife passed him on the way out Marluxia waved with a big smile on his face.
Zexion gazed out the window to watch his parents leaving...
Marluxia turned back to face the house and for a moment caught Zexion's gaze before the blue haired teen left the window again...
Marluxia wiped the sweat away from his forehead and forgetting about it almost instantly...
/Damned weeds.../
Slowly he pulled up weed after weed...
Trimmed the unruly bushes back to their former glory and got the grass back down to a length that you could actually walk through and still see your shoes...
And knees...
Feeling a little tired he wandered into their immense kitchen and grabbed himself a glass of water.
He turned and almost dropped it.
There stood Zexion staring at him.
"Oh man you scared me! I'm just getting some water I'll be out of here in a second..."
The blue haired teen didn't even seem to acknowledge this comment fully just nodded slightly and muttered as he sat down at the table in front of a pile of books.
"It's okay take your time..."
He looked at Marluxia once more before seemingly becoming totally engrossed in one of the many books piled up on the table.
Marluxia nodded as he left and put his headphones back in his ears as he walked out through the back door.
Zexion's eyes followed him as he walked down the garden path.
/Stop looking at him... Its wrong./

Marluxia didn't return to the house until almost half six that night, through the kitchen window he could see Zexion from a distance.
He was sitting at the kitchen table with a book open between his elbows, smiling slightly to himself, something about this scene warmed him, as he proceeded towards the back door, as he clicked it open Zexion's head snapped up and his smile went back to a straight face.
Marluxia smiled.
"Hey just letting you know I'm heading home now, I'll see you at the same time tomorrow morning! Have a nice night!"
With that the back door was closed again and Marluxia was once again being watched by eyes from the kitchen watching his figure retreat into the darkness...
Zexion watched out the back door making sure he couldn't see any more of him and put a hand to his chin in thought.
/Stop that now Zexion.../

Marluxia arrived home to his apartment tired from the long day he'd had and pulled out his journal.

June 25th

Work is going well; almost have everything back to rights!
It's looking so good even I can't believe it's the same place as the one that was there a few days ago!
Really pleased with it!
Looking so forward to the weekend...
2 days off to do whatever I want!
I'm so beat!
It'll be nice to hang out with the guys and just chill, maybe a few beers or something.
I'm falling asleep as I'm writing this...
So I'll wrap it up here.

The next morning Marluxia arrived as per usual, waved into the kitchen and got straight to work.
He was eager to get the place back to rights before the end of the day, if it was all done by then, he would have a lot less work on his hands on Monday.
/Small gardens surrounding the pool area, they need to be done... The hedge maze is being taken care of by someone else... Thank God!/
He started straight away he preened and replaced dead plants with blooming flowers and shrubs, his I pod played away in his ears, he could still hear the beep of Tom and Elena's car pass by and waved as the car drove down the considerably sized drive way.
/That's great! Only two more of these small arrangements to go, and it's not even noon!/

Zexion watched his parents leave through the window and walked away from it once he saw they were out of sight...

Humming softly to himself Marluxia continued preening and replacing greenery around the area.

Zexion looked at himself in the mirror in the house.
/You know this is wrong... Shut up!/
He fixed his fringe to the side, straightened out his white shirt and opened the first two buttons...
Then wiped his hands over the thighs of his grey trousers before walking, down the stairs and into the kitchen.
He looked out the window checking where he was...
/Perfect.../

Marluxia was singing along with his I pod now; delighted with the amount of work he was getting done...
"In your eyes I lost my place, could stay a while... And I'm melting! In your eyes like my first time that I caught fire! Just stay with me lay with me now..."
During the course of his singing, he thought he'd heard disturbance in the water, thinking it was just in his head he pulled his headphones out of his ears anyway and went to check the pool.
There lying face down in the water was Zexion with a book floating near by...
Panicked Marluxia dropped his I pod on the grass and dived straight into the water, he swam straight for Zexion and on reaching him kept his head above water and pulled him out of the pool as quickly as he could.
Marluxia held his ear over Zexion's mouth.
/No breath.../
He quickly pressed his lips down upon Zexion's and breathed life into his lungs.
/So this is what it feels like to have another persons lips against my own...? It's... Nice.../
Zexion let him continue for a few more breaths and pulses before coughing and being 'resuscitated'.
Marluxia was panicked still.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
Zexion coughed more before answering.
"I... I'm not sure... I must have slipped... Oh, I am sorry..."
Marluxia shook his head.
"Don't be... I don't mind, the main thing is you're okay."
Zexion nodded his hair was dripping with water from the pool.
/The main thing is that I'm okay...? I don't think anyone's ever taken me so wholly into consideration before.../

Marluxia fetched him a towel and brought him back inside.
"You should be careful near that pool... It's slippery you know... I almost went in once or twice when I was working on the rose bushes."
The blue haired teen nodded as Marluxia laughed a little and started up a fire for him to sit in front of.
Zexion's white shirt was practically transparent now that it was wet; Marluxia found himself trying to ignore this fact...
"So... You're in college right?"
Zexion nodded slowly.
"Yes..."
"What do you do in college?"
"English."
Marluxia nodded.
"No wonder you read so much."
Zexion's gaze caught Marluxia's for a moment.
/How come he notices these things about me...?/
"No that's not it at all, I just really like reading..."
Marluxia smiled.
"I guess it helps though huh?"
Zexion was staring into space now.
"I guess it does..."
Marluxia smiled at him sweetly.
"I'm dry now, I guess I should get back to work..."
With that he turned around and made his way back out into the garden, Zexion's eyes followed him mystified.

Marluxia started replacing the plants again, still a little shaken up.
Oblivious to the fact that Zexion was never in any real danger...
Oblivious to the fact that he was a lot smarter than he looked...
And oblivious to his innocence...