Daddy Issues.

Prologue.

        Maybe there was something better for them up ahead, and maybe he could stand outside of his window with a boombox and fix things again, but he thought, in actuality that they had become much like stars.

The stars you see above you, shining their light down on you and making you feel just a little less lonely are dead already, but you wouldn't know it; and maybe, just maybe the electricity they had was a star. Something that had died out long ago, but they never did know it until now.

There were too many different outcomes and futures that came with their scenario, but he didn't like any of them, because he didn't like the path that they had chosen to make it where they were.

He longed to pretend it was two months back when they were laying on Zexion's couch, fingers intertwined and neither of them were there enough to make relevant conversation, but they didn't care about that.

He wanted it to be five months ago when Demyx held his first concert and the first person there was Zexion, looking up at him with those blue eyes that he'd drowned in too many times, or seven months ago when he went to a poetry slam just for Zexion and nearly got kicked out for being too hyped for his performance.

He prayed that it could just be a time when they would have thought that this was something worth fighting for, and not fighting over, but that time was gone, and he knew it was. It was dead, along with Vega and along with Alcor.

All he could do in the end was sit on the bed they'd shared only so many times, watching him pack the last of his things and shake, in both fear and anger. Maybe they were already packed, but the books he bought him, the notes he wrote him and the tapes he recorded from the radio weren't anywhere to be seen, and it made him feel heavy.

( x ) ( x ) ( x )

Axel was flicking at his lighter in the middle of the cafeteria, teachers and students alike not really caring that with a slight movement he could set one of those sitting with him on fire, because at this point in time, he wasn't doing that, so it wasn't really their problem. Axel fancied that idea, setting one of the students on fire, that is. Because of this, he was a self claimed pyromaniac that would have to mention that fact every so often.

It was silly, though, Demyx thought. He liked to imagine an alternate universe where he'd announce he was a musician every five, Roxas an author every ten, Marluxia a mediocre makeup artist every twelve and Larxene a bitch every two, and in that universe Axel would be quiet and regret having made his way into the social group.

It wasn't to be harsh, though, they all loved Axel and would hate it if he fucked off permanently, they could just do without his constant self validation with a flame no bigger than a common spider.

Larxene twirled a lock of her hair and popped the bubble she'd been blowing. Roxas flinched with every crack of the bubblegum as she busted the air pockets with her teeth. There was something about that sound that he couldn't stand. "Zexion is throwing a house party tomorrow night." Her words were slow and she stretched out every vowel with a bitchy tone in her voice. It wasn't on purpose, just a habit, they all assumed. "I know I'm going to see Ax and Marly there,"

"Zexion? Party? He may have advertised it like that, but Larxene, book clubs are not-"

"Shut the fuck up, Axel." Larxene's voice was sharp and she emphasized her words more than she usually did. Marluxia almost laughed at the outburst between the two of them, and a few people from other tables had taken their time to glance over at them in morbid curiosity. "Zex is cool, and I know you wouldn't miss a single chance to get fucked out of your mind. Especially when you're not paying for the "party supplies."

No one had the nerve to talk, since they knew that she wasn't done with the party topic, but Axel nodded in agreement. He attended every party that was thrown in the city, if he knew the host or not, he was there. Everyone just kind of accepted that fact, at this point.

Roxas flipped pages through his book and Marluxa was braiding Larxene's hair without having realized what he was doing. "Rox, Dem," Larxene addressed them, leaving the other two to dick around as they pleased. She didn't have business with them, she didn't care what they did. "You're going, right?" They both looked at each other and back to her, Roxas still with book in hand.

Setting his novel down and waving her suggestion off, Roxas lazily shrugged. "Doubt it." The party scene wasn't his kind of thing, but as soon as he said no Axel turned to him and nearly hissed in disagreement.

"You're going." Axel demanded, Roxas looking at him with a is-that-so kind of look that threw him off.

Roxas didn't reply to him and turned back to Larxene, with her bright blue eyes just waiting that 'yes I'll go' that she knew was coming sooner or later, in some form. He sighed and his tone started with a hint of irritation that would fade away almost instantly. "Maybe I'll go. I'll... consider it."

That's when eight eyes set themselves on Demyx, making him almost feel like jumping out of his skin. There was something uneasy about them all staring at him the way they did. He smiled and chewed his words around for a bit, since he wasn't much of a poet himself. "Zexion hates me. Hates."

Larxene snickered at the excuse and punched him in the shoulder. "He wouldn't kick you out if I said you were my plus one. Anyways, it's not like he'll be sober enough to know you're there. Dude gets fucked up." Axel draped his arm across his shoulders and flickered the lighter once more.

"It's alright, Dem. You can stay at my house tonight, and I'll take you to the party. Though, once we're there I'll be babysitting our little-"

Roxas lunged his fist into Axel's rib cage before picking his novel back up again and acting like nothing that had happened in the last ten minutes had happened. It was his style of doing things, and it was almost admirable. "You've got to come, Dem. You have to." Larxene said it in a demanding bitchy, yet endearing way. He shrugged it off and agreed to go. It can't be that horrible, right?

Demyx had never actually met Zexion, you know. Not officially, but they'd met each other only many times through rumors and school events that Demyx would more or less cause a scene at.

Zexion was your generic teacher's pet that couldn't remove himself from a book even if he wanted, and Demyx was your basic stoner that just fucked around, disrupted classes regularly and was averaging 40s in all of his subjects. There's an obvious reason Zexion wouldn't like him, but Demyx was puzzled as to why he'd be throwing a house party all of a sudden, or why Larxene insisted that he was cool. He shrugged it off and trusted Larxene's judgement. She was usually right, and who was Demyx to turn down a party