Chapter Text
“Okay, okay, but listen to this one,”
“It better be good, it’s too hot out for one of your lame zingers… again…”
“It’s clever, you guys will like it!”
“Dazzle me,”
Demyx clears his throat, clutching the paper. “I’ve been thinkin’ about our project these past few days, and how we can’t all agree on an idea.”
“Or like how we have absolutely nothing? It’s been days, and all we have is a crumpled paper, an incomplete spreadsheet, and a pointless red paper-clip…” he growls, plucking the object off the table, just to bend it out of shape almost immediately.
Demyx sighs, fingers folded. “Yes, we have nothing. BUT! I’ve got an idea—”
“You? Thinking?” A smirk tugs at his lips, “Now that’s a zinger, top marks.”
Axel lets out an ugly cackle at Saix's remark, the sound reminiscent of a hyena that just learned how to heckle at stand-up routines, “I’m changing the group chat to ‘top marks’”
“Aw, c’mon, lemme finish,” Demyx pouts.
“Quit changing the damn group chat name, I can hardly keep up with it.”
“What else am I supposed to do, eh?”
“Maybe contribute something to the group other than one measly red paperclip?”
“So you’re saying my red paper clip isn’t helpful?”
“Axel,”
“Maybe you’re just not using your brain-”
“If you don’t shut up about it, I’m going to hit you,”
“Ouh maybe the paper-clip is a metaphor for anger, it is red,”
“Axel, drop it.”
Demyx frowned, “Guys… I wasn’t done talking-”
“Not now, Dems, I’m onto something with the paperclip,” Axel waves his hand, almost swatting Demyx in the face.
“Do you want my boot in your face that badly? Because that can be arranged.”
“Whoa, S-C-A-R-Y,” Axel grins all toothy,“What happened to being diplomatic-”
“Who said anything about me being diplomatic? I can be just as tactless as you are, any day of the week.” Saix snarls.
“Can I please finish my thoughts? Pretty please,” he whines.
Saix blinks, his ears almost twitch at the sudden change in tone, “What?” He stares into Demyx’s seafoam eyes sharply, “Yes, fine… please elaborate on your… idea, Demyx,” Saix continues to glare daggers at Axel, grooming himself protectively as he does so, making sure every blue strand of his hair is straight.
“We’ll all make something different. We’re going to show how people can come together to make something cohesive and beautiful, even if everyone did it separately and in their own unique individual ways. It could also be a commentary on how everyone has something to offer. That’s just... the base idea I came up with,” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, “It’s kind of tropey and bland, so... we don’t hafta go with it.”
“Huh?” Axel teeters back and forth. Demyx’s words are lost on him: “I don’t get it.”
“Different?” Saix hums slowly.
“Like- different art styles, y’know?” Demyx sticks his tongue out as he rummages around in one of his many art pouches, “Like, uhh here,” Demyx plops down a wad of polymer clay in front of Axel, “You could make some creature or an object out of clay, Axel,”
Demyx turns to face Saix. “And uh- and then,” He grunts, before pulling out a haphazardly put together bundle of fountain pens, “Then, like thisss…” He mumbles, sliding those pens to Saix. “I think you could maybe do some pretty calligraphy? Possibly even create some scenery or an animal with the words you decide to write?”
“Demyx, what-” Axel grunts.
“Hold on, I’m not done!” He shifts to sit criss-cross apple sauce in his seat, his hands still rummaging in the messy pouch, “HERE it is!” He finally pulls out a very well-loved set of watercolors, “I’ll do something with water color! I’ll create some still-life pieces, they’ll be nautical because it is ‘watercolor'." He grins sharply at his own joke.
He taps the protective case as he continues, “As I was saying, we all do something different!” He beams as he sets down the plastic palette. Demyx’s mind proceeds to freeze up. The blonde adapts quickly, though, as he begins to gesture with his hands, punching them together and vocalizing ‘explosion noises’. Unfortunately, they sound more like a balloon animal deflating and dying a slow, torturous death from a rabies-riddled hamster.
“I still don’t get it,” Axel said, staring at the blob of clay as if it owed him money.
“Mediums?” Saix inquires.
“Yeah! like mixed media,”
Saix tilts his head, “You might actually be onto something, Demyx…”
“Ohhh,” Axel stretches, “That gives us a starting point, I guess. It's better than no ideas.”
Saix sighs, “Using different mediums is clever, but we still have to have a common thread; if we don’t, then it’s not really a group project…”
“How about… how about we make our topic- or uh- subject? Creation…”
“Creation?” Axel’s face scrunches up, “That’s so broad…”
“That could be a good thing,” Saix drums his fingers against the table,
“I think creation is a good starting point! We can fine-tune the more specific themes later. We’ll at least have something to present to Xemnas at the check-in,”
Saix rolls his eyes, “Right… the spreadsheet,” He grumbles, pulling his bulky laptop out of his backpack, “I’ll take care of the written part, but we still need visuals to demonstrate our subject- to show that we’re actually getting somewhere artistically,”
“Mannn, what a pain in the ass,”
“I can do some sketches!” Demyx hums happily, “Axel… do you think you could-”
“Who said I was gonna contribute? You guys already have my red paperclip.”
“Axel-” Saix scoffs in anger as his fingers dance in a frenzy over his keyboard.
“This project seems like straight ass, no matter which way you slice it, I think I’m just gonna take the damn zero,”
“Axel… c’mon, dude, we can’t do it without you-”
“Count me out,” He stands up from their usual meeting spot. He takes in a deep breath and fans his face with his hand, sweat dripping down his cheeks.
“You cannot be serious,” Saix shoots him a curious glance, a flicker of worry gleaming in his eyes, “Sit your ass back down, this thing is worth like sixty percent of our final grades…”
“I don’t wanna do this,”
“I’ll make it super easy for you… all you gotta do is color in my sketches, and maybe write image descriptions for what ya see next to ‘em! Like analyze 'em, give 'em meaning-”
“Color? What am I, five?”
“I mean I can color, and you sketch,”
“How about you color and sketch, and I think about writing a sentence or two,” Axel puts his hands on his hips. “Why’re you taking this so seriously?”
“I… I’m good at art!”
Axel lets out a roar of laughter, “GOOD? ‘To who?’”
“‘To whom’” Saix chides, “Stop being an asshole, it doesn’t look good on you, Axel,”
“Well, I think I’m good at art! And I really want to do well on this project- Mister Xemnas even said he thinks my creations have real potential! I wanna create art that's fun!"
“Aw ~ Daddy Xemnas praised you so now you think you're soooo- special,” Axel made a crude motion, pretending to gag himself, “Don’t make me barf, Dems, just because you pluck your sitar and scribble doesn’t make you an artist! You’re never going to make an impact on somebody- hell, not even a nobody,” He spits at the ground, almost in a daze.
“AXEL,” he growls bitterly, “That’s enough!” Saix slams the lid of his laptop shut, “I don’t know what crawled up your ass and died, but you need to get your shit together-” He glares, “Just because you're insecure or in a shitty mood doesn’t give you the right to verbally abuse him-”
“Oh, so it’s verbal abuse just when I do it-”
“You crossed the line, shithead,”
“What are you, huh? Sorry, are YOU his daddy?” He splays his hand on his chest in mock sympathy, “Can the dumbass not even stand up for himself-”
“Axel, this is low, low even for you, cut it out,”
“Last I recalled, you don’t control me- and tell me what to do!”
Saix stands up in a fit of anger, “Could you just be civil for once?! Where is this even coming from? Are you jealous or something? What’s your damage?!”
“Don’t act as if you know me!!”
Demyx noisily clears his throat, biting down on his quivering lip, trying his best to plaster on a dopey smile, “L-look, it’s alright! It doesn’t matter… I just want to do well on this… I just want to get a passing grade,” He swallows hard, “Even if I can’t make an impact… I know Mister Xemnas and the others really enjoy my… my artwork, I’ve seen him smile at it. If I can just help him feel something other than dread or sadness or hatred, then maybe-”
“Maybe, what? Maybe he’ll love you? Maybe he’ll change?” Axel mocks, gritting his teeth, his eyes fixated on the sidewalk. “Just give up already,”
“No.. I just think... maybe he will really be happy. He'll feel happiness… maybe it'll make him feel whole. Normal… like a somebody does, y’know?”
“Lofty goal, if you ask me,”
"No one did,” Saix bites back,
“Anyways!” Demyx shakes his head before patting his cheeks with his palms, “If I do mock-ups for the artwork, will you please write some image descriptions and analysis, Axel…” The blonde looks up at the redhead, his eyes glistening, tears threatening to bubble over at any moment.
Axel lets out an agonized sigh, the kind a hippo makes after flopping down in a cold pool of muddy slop, “FINE, fine… I’ll contribute to the stupidest group project known to man…” He grumbles and curses as he throws himself down once more and leans all the way back in his seat, mouth agape.
Saix huffs, “Your attitude is abysmal… We will be talking about this later.”
“Hell no…”
“I don’t really wanna talk about it either,” Demyx squeaks.
“Too bad,”
“Son of a bitch…”
“Can’t me n’ Axel just kiss and make-up or something-”
“No, we’re collectively talking about this.”
“... Ah man, that’s weak sauce,” Demyx sniffles, wiping a stray tear from his eyes.
“Shuddup already, Dems’” Axel kicks the blonde’s seat under the table, “Let’s just pack up our shit and get back to the dorm- It’s boiling out here,”
“Ouh! Can we get froyo on the way back?”
Saix smiles, “Have you been saving up your allowance…”
“Sai!!” Demyx’s eyes dart back and forth, “Shhushhh-” He holds a finger up to his mouth, “Buh- but yeah,” he whispers in affirmation.
“Hurry up, slowpokesss-” Axel stretches up high and then bows down low, “I’m gonna start walking off soon~” he taunts, pushing his seat in and tip-toeing off in a direction.
“ACK- wait for meee-” Demyx whines as he tosses everything even more haphazardly into his art pouches. He stumbles up from his seat and bounds after the redhead.
“Yeah, hold your horses, Axel,” Saix snorts, “You’re going to miss out on froyo if you do.” Saix easily catches up within a few short strides.
“Aw, what?! Why don’t we just get regular ice cream?”
“Mister Xemnas says it's too much sugar.”
Axel groans in response.
“C’mon, enough bickering, lets get ourselves a treat and finish hashing everything out at home,” He wraps an arm around Demyx loosely, “It’s not up for debate,” Saix said simply, holding up a hand to cut Axel off before he even starts.
“Look- he can just apologize- and we’ll call it even-”
“Nope, I’m getting to the bottom of his outburst, I’ll proceed to correct it, you’ll get an apology, and then we’ll call it even.
“I’ll just get my earplugs ready, and then it won’t matter!” Axel hums nonchalantly.
“Keep it up, and I’ll get Xigbar involved,”
“You wouldn’t…”
“Try me,”
“FINE,” Axel throws his hands up, “You win, we’ll talk about me being a shithead…” he pouts, “You’ve got a point in there somewhere. I was being a real douche earlier, everything just kinda tumbled out of me, Sorry, Demyx…” He clumsily ruffles the blonde's messy hair.
Demyx just giggles and nods along in agreement, “And I’m gonna change the group chat’s name to Axel’s a shit head!” Demyx cheers as he runs ahead, almost like a kid who just won a crummy prize from a claw machine.
“HEYYY!!! You little punk- get over here!!” Axel lets out another cackle, this one light and airy, as he chases after Demyx playfully.
“What did I say about changing the group chat’s name- HOW am I SUPPOSED TO KEEP UP WITH IT-” Saix whines in defeat as he watches his two partners stumble along the hot pavement, before falling and rolling around like puppies. “Both of you are so…” his voice falls to a hush, “wonderful…” He hums fondly, and the softest smile dances across his face at the sight. “Better get up, or I’m gonna crush you both!!” He calls out after them excitedly.
Saix’s threat earns him two happy squeals and a string of colorful curses as they all fumble over themselves to escape the most dangerous game of tag ever to be played…