Vexen had not expected to meet Luxord and Larxene in the kitchen. What more he had not expected Larxene to still be drinking. Had she gone to find Luxord after Marluxia left? Or had they been drinking with Luxord as well and Marluxia just left that out? No. He was positive they had been alone.
“Hello, Vexen.” Luxord greeted him.
Larxene lifted her head from the table to stare at Vexen and scuff a little. “Seriously, what does he see in /you/? Broke his heart and all his sense of taste with it.”
“Oh?” Luxord grinned “What is she referencing?”
“It’s none of your business.” Vexen replied sharply. “Larxene’s just mad she’s not getting sex.”
“Nah, sex-sex has been off the market with him since the start. Haven’t done that since we had hearts. Or something.” Larxene mumbled.
Vexen stilled in getting a cup down. “What?”
“What~?” Did he forget to tell you that~” Larxene laughed. “It was just once. Mourning and junk. This is why I don’t get drunk, Luxord. Makes memories way too clear.”
“...Mourning.” Vexen echoed. “Doesn’t matter. I’m just here for water. If he wants to talk he can talk.”
“He sobered up by the time you got there, didn’t he?” Larxene’s eyes were fierce.
“Apparently.” Vexen shrugged and brought the cup down. “Said he had been drinking with you. Didn’t give a time frame.”
“Luxord?”
“Yeah, yeah, he can take it.” Luxord conceded the bottle of gin.
“Here. He’ll totally refuse at first but he still has way more unwinding to do.” Larxene held the bottle out to Vexen.
“He already refused to drinking with me.” Vexen walked over and took the bottle anyway. “Is there something specific I’m supposed to be working with?”
“What happens when a World falls?” Larxene sighed and looked at Luxord.
“Everyone dies and becomes a Heartless.” Luxord replied casually. “We all live with that.”
“Yeah, we do,” Larxene bit her lip “Mar and I, we just idly drink for a bit, numbs enough to help, and I mighta been extra sappy tonight so he left. You... You need to get him actually drunk. Get him talking. Probably write down anything he says. Deal with the fact he’s so going to try and sleep with you and have a crisis over that.”
“Write it down?”
“Yeah. Mar’s real good with handling his alcohol but his memory is a whole ‘nother story.” Larxene waved a hand at him. “That’s the end of my help. Why am I even helping? She’d want that. Probably. Yeah. That must be it.”
“I didn’t ask for help.” Vexen replied and finally filled the cup with water.
“Yeah, yeah.” Larxene set her head back down. “Whatever.”
Vexen left with that.
“Why are you helping him?” Luxord’s voice was solid sound from the kitchen as Vexen walked off.
“Who knows. She’d want Mar happy. He might be able to do that.”
Who was Marluxia mourning?
~~~~
He did return to Marluxia asleep on his bed. The Assassin had told him to wake him...
Vexen set the glass of water and bottle of gin down beside his bed. He could look at Marluxia properly then. At the puffiness of his cheeks that had been worse earlier. At the fact his hair was rumpled. At the shallow movement of his chest.
He did not want to make Marluxia’s sadness worse. But would he not feel better after talking? Did they work like that? Could a Nobody ever escape the sadness of their Somebody? Vexen had shoved his sadness into science. Into a lack of morals. Into the fact that his ‘family’ was still beside him.
He gently traced his fingers along Marluxia’s cheek. Could he make Marluxia happy? If he could get him /happy/ maybe than they could drink together. Had he ever seen Marluxia truly happy? He smiled at him, small and reserved, but never full. Never true. Maybe his memories did not allow him that fakeness of emotional show.
Marluxia made a small noise and shifted his face. “Brain?”
Vexen flinched and tried to not let bitter dread set in. They did not have hearts to feel love with. All they could do was pull on the memories of their Somebodies. Marluxia had already admitted that his mind was elsewhere.
“Marluxia, I brought you water.” Vexen stated and bit his tongue as blue eyes blinked at him.
“Oh, thank you.” Marluxia pushed himself up.
Vexen moved away to grab the cup. “I ran into Larxene and Luxord in the kitchen.”
“Is Larxene okay?” Marluxia questioned and accepted the cup.
“She said I should get you drunk, actually drunk, and we should talk.”
Marluxia took a sip of water “That’s not necessary.”
“The drinking or the talking?” Vexen sat down on the edge of his bed.
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Vexen sighed. “She said she was mourning.”
“Yes.”
“Who?” Vexen’s hands curled into fists. He never expected to know anything about Marluxia’s past, but now that his curiosity had been peaked there was no stopping it.
“Strelitzia,” Marluxia whispered. “I really don’t-”
“What was she? Your girlfriend?” Vexen felt spite rise in him.
“She was my sister!” Marluxia’s voice rose steadily. “You’re not the only one who failed to protect who matters most.”
Vexen slowly looked over his shoulder at him. “Your sister?” his anger died instantly.
“Yes.”
Vexen turned slowly, pulling his legs onto the bed. “You were drinking to forget your sister?”
“Well, sex doesn’t work, so it seemed a viable option.” Marluxia let out another one of those broken laughs. “Maybe we should drink. Would you be a gentleman and care for me when I’m crying?”
“Of course.”
“Mm, what did you get from Luxord?”
“I, uh,” Vexen looked over at the bottle “Gin, apparently.”
“Apparently, he says.” Marluxia laughed “Did they just shove it off on you?”
“Larxene asked if I could have it...”
“Okay. I guess if that’s what the queen wants I might as well. I’m way too sober now.”
“How long had you been waiting for me?”
“No idea. Was asleep at some point. I think I was hoping you’d wake me up with your cock.” Marluxia shrugged.
“Right, because that’s the kind of person I am.” Vexen rolled his eyes. “So, to getting drunk and talking about the past?”
“That seems to be the plan. Tell me about your parents?”
“Pass.” Vexen scooted down his bed to get the bottle. “But I’ll tell you about Lord Ansem if you tell me who ‘Brain’ is.”
Marluxia moved to sit back against the headrest. He heaved a sigh “That sounds fair.”
“That bad?” Vexen asked and sat down beside him. “I should have grabbed glasses...”
“Ever been in love?” Marluxia took the bottle from him. “You really think I care about glasses right now?”
“...Yes...” Vexen whispered and stared at him. “I suppose I can’t complain about us sharing germs...”
“No, no you cannot.”
Marluxia learned a few things very quickly about Vexen. The main was the fact that he could not hold his alcohol. The second was that it made the blond very warm and he was finally removing his pants and joining him on the bed in only his underwear. The third.
The third was the one that Marluxia needed to put an end to.
“I’ve said please four times.” Vexen mumbled into his shoulder as his fingers traced over Marluxia’s legs. “You came here saying you wanted sex.”
“I also-” his breath hitched and he grabbed Vexen’s hand before it could go any higher on his leg. “Said I was not in the shape to.”
“Mm, would you if I was Brain?”
“There’s a solid 25 years between you two.” Marluxia laughed and shoved Vexen’s hand away before he took another sip from the bottle that they kept between the two of them. “Aren’t you,” he paused, tried to not focus on how Warm Vexen was, “Supposed to be taking care of me?”
“Won’t let me.” Vexen replied.
Marluxia had pictured Vexen as an angry drunk, but then again Vexen was always a bit horny around him so this should have come as no surprise. “A gentleman.”
“You be a gentleman.” Vexen retorted.
Marluxia laughed a little. “I am. So talk. Ansem.” He shoved the bottle into Vexen’s hand. An unspoken drinking game.
“You asked about parents. He was like a dad to me.”
“Mm, like a dad or a daddy?” Marluxia leaned his head against Vexen’s shoulder.
Vexen sighed and rubbed between his brows. “You have been talking about your teenage years. I outgrew him.”
“That all?” Marluxia hummed.
“That’s all.”
“How boring.” Marluxia pouted. “I want to hear all about your sex life.”
Vexen’s face went red. “Wh-what?!”
“Mmhm. Since you like to focus on our age difference.”
“Well, yes, it is basically Zexion’s age.” Vexen coughed softly and played with the bottle and took a long sip. “I experimented a lot in my twenties. Got it out of my system and devoted my life to science.”
“Mm, am I science?” Marluxia teased.
“Only if I write it down.” Vexen teased back easily. He did write almost everything down.
“Yeah? So what’s your hypothesis, doctor? How broken am I?”
Vexen’s stomach sank. “You’re not broken.” They were all broken in someway. If he was honest. But it hurt to hear.
“Mm, feel broken.” Marluxia held his hand out in front of him, petals danced around it for a moment before he dashed away the urge. Wrong.
Vexen frowned and curled his left arm around Marluxia. Forever thankful that he was ambidexious. “You’re hurt. It’s not the same.”
“Mmm, maybe.” Marluxia whispered and leaned a little heavier against Vexen. “I think I used my tears up on Larxene.”
“Are you trying to cry?” Vexen placed his cheek against pink hair. “Mm. So, Brain?”
“I might have a thing for intelligence.” Marluxia sighed. “I have no idea what befell him. What befell anyone else.”
“But you know your sister is dead.”
“My sister was murdered.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Shit indeed.” Marluxia gave a small nod. “And now I’m here. Like this. Everything is so /wrong/.”
“Xemnas will fix it.”
Marluxia’s response was a laughter that disrupted Vexen. He’d never seen or heard Marluxia laugh with his whole person.
“Your laughter is-”
“Sorry, sorry.” Marluxia shook his head. “Your tone was so-” he paused, tried to find the right word “Trusting.”
“You do not trust Xemnas?” Vexen whispered. A part of him said he should write this down. That these were the kinds of comments that Marluxia would not remember in the morning.
“Can I trust you?” Marluxia questioned, tone overly sober, before he started to laugh softly again. “Xemnas will fix it, he says. How long until he does?”
Vexen wanted to say yes. He willed his mouth to say yes. “I don’t know.” His mouth settled on. “I don’t know, Marluxia.”
“Exactly.” Marluxia closed his eyes and placed a hand on Vexen’s thigh. “Our lives have both been laced with betrayal. So forgive me for finding difficulty in blind trust.”
“That’s fair.” Vexen frowned and slowly put a hand over Marluxia’s. “So, no sex?”
“Are you even horny? Do you just sniff me and get horny?”
“Maybe.”
“Terrible. No.” Marluxia huffed. “Do I need to take your hands away?”
“I’m into restraint.”
“What /aren’t/ you into?” Marluxia scuffed but turned to bury his face in Vexen’s shoulder and breath in his scent. “I like your smell more.”
“Listening to Larxene.”
Marluxia laughed. “You two would so get along in bed.”
“Shut up.”
“Nah, I mean it.” Marluxia purred. “Let Larxene peg you some time.”
“Did you just suddenly get way more drunk?” Vexen scuffed.
“High, maybe.” Marluxia mumbled. “The chemical smell of the lab followed you. But underneath that is you.”
Vexen sighed and curled his other arm around Marluxia, tangling it in his hair. “Your smell is way more intoxicating.”
“I know.” Marluxia hummed. “We should- should lay down.”
“Mm, I do have to be a gentleman and tuck you in.” Vexen mumbled. “Need more water...”
“Ice cubes. You could make them.”
“You... want me to use my magic right now...?”
“Yeah.”
Vexen wasn’t sure he could. But Marluxia’s smile was so clear against his shoulder bone. He could at least try. He detangled himself from Marluxia to reach for the cup.
Marluxia scooted away to watch him with big blue eyes.
Vexen swallowed and willed his magic to be small and controlled. Two things that alcohol and Marluxia’s gaze did not help with. He just needed a few chunks of ice. His magic could surely function for such a small period of time. He breathed deeply and settled his hand over the cup, willing his magic to work for only a few seconds. It was enough to make ice at least appear in the cup, more shards than cubes, but he could work on that later. Just like he had worked on coating Marluxia’s roses with a small frost.
Marluxia started to clap when Vexen held the cup out to him. “You really are amazing.”
Vexen smiled over the praise. “I’ll work on it.”
“I know you will. You’re always up to the challenge.” Marluxia grinned and took a bit of ice from the cup. It was not the safest shape but he still dragged his tongue over it just for show before sucking on it.
Vexen quickly diverted his eyes. “You’re- staying, right?”
“That is part of the morning sex agreement, yes.” Marluxia smirked at him around the ice. “Might wake you with it. As a warning.”
Vexen swallowed. “R-right.”
“Mmhmm. You should have water too.”
Vexen’s mouth was quickly going dry. He moved the bottle to the side table and turned back to Marluxia.
Marluxia held a bit of ice in front of him, expression expectant.
Vexen opened his mouth and accepted it.
“Good boy.” Marluxia smiled and slowly laid down. “My gentleman.”
“You’re never letting that go, are you.” Vexen sighed and took the cup from Marluxia.
“No, because I’m usually the gentleman.” Marluxia hummed and rolled off the bed to stand.
Vexen couldn’t deny that as he stood and set the cup on his side table next to the mostly empty bottle of gin. “Marluxia?”
“Mm?”
“Do you- do you feel any better?” Vexen questioned as he faced him. “We could talk more...?”
Marluxia responded by moving the blanket out of the way and sitting back down on the bed. “I’m fine.”
Vexen swallowed and waited for Marluxia to lay down. “Okay.” He didn’t necessarily believe in.
Marluxia slowly laid down and patted the bed next to him. “Let me hold you.”
Vexen gave a singular nod and laid down, scooting close to Marluxia until his arms curled around him. “I-” he tried to will his mouth but the words would not come.
“Mm?”
“I wanted to say it first. For once.”
“Ahh.” Marluxia tangled a hand in Vexen’s hair and breathed in his smell as the man used his pec as a pillow. “Take your time.”
Vexen opened and closed his mouth a few times. He felt the words. Honestly and true. But- would Marluxia even remember this in the morning? He needed to write things down. He needed- “Marluxia.”
“Sorry.” Marluxia laughed a little and stopped stroking his side with his thumb.
He needed to relax. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”