KH3 SPOILERS BELOW

Created as part of the 8 Days of Axel Challenge

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 8

“Ienzo,” Lea called as he went into the computer and science lab or whatever they were calling it. “Dilan! Aeleus?” Not a peep from anyone, not even a disgruntled sigh from Dilan. Figured he at least earned that from making a nuisance of himself for years and years. He took a few steps into the place and the door whisked shut behind him. Lea spared a passing glance to computer screens with charts and graphs plus lit-up floors that he was pretty sure had lights for dramatic effect instead of any real purpose. “Anybody?”

“Pretty sure you can’t go past three guesses.” That voice — Lea turned around and ended up eye-to-eye with someone he’d… Almost forgotten. Gold eyes, typical mullet-style hair, those ridiculous shoulder pads that made Demyx feel just a bit better about his smaller frame, and a warm smirk even now. Half himself, and it was still enough to cut right through to Lea’s heart.

With everything else going on at the Org, Lea got caught up in it all. His heart squeezed at all the memories he’d tossed aside and his stomach churned in guilt. Like he needed more of that. Demyx, he changed everything back at the castle. Before Roxas, Xion, betrayal, and schemes were all he had.

The two of them spent their scarce free time together. Walking some beach, hands clasped and cloaks forgotten. Sand in his shoes but Lea didn’t care when he could always boost his spirits with a surprise kiss. They didn’t have hearts, but they had each other. Should’ve been enough. Man, was he ever going to stop leaving people behind?

“Hey, easy now! What’s with the look?” Demyx put his hands up, uncertainty flickering in his gold eyes. “Don’t go all ‘Flurry of Dancing Flames’ on me.”

“Demyx, I—” Have no excuse. When Saïx poured himself into his work with the Org, you came around and became my friend. Soon, you were more than that. Couldn’t have been fast friends with Roxas and Xion if not for you. And I just left you. Lea wiped the heel of his hand across his eyes.

“Wait, wait.” Demyx carefully came towards him, hands reaching out. What was he even doing down here? Lea couldn’t totally bring himself to do more than guess. Maybe he’d just been sitting in a corner and waiting for someone bossy to catch on, just like back at the castle. “You crying?”

“No,” Lea lied, clearly. He sniffed, fighting back more tears. “Just didn’t expect you, you know?”

“So you started crying, uh huh,” Demyx teased and sauntered over, dropping a hand on Lea’s shoulder. Their eyes met again, but staring into that gold wasn’t doing him any favors. It didn’t have to come to this. If Lea’d done things differently, if he’d stopped to think, then maybe… Demyx just smiled and made a rolling gesture with his free hand. “You don’t gotta lie anymore, right? Not to anyone these days. So why bother?”

Demyx wiped away another tear as it fell, the smooth glove gliding over his cheek. Just like that, his smile turned sad and Lea closed the gap between them. Held him tight and felt the surprised gasp on his neck. Slowly, at least for him, Demyx put his arms around Lea too.

“I’m sorry, Dem,” he choked out, his voice thick. “Never meant to leave you hanging like that.”

“Coulda gone with you too,” Demyx answered, squeezing him close like this was his last chance. “But I chickened out. Look where that got me, right?” His laugh reverberated through his chest into Lea’s, pulling him back into memories of lounging side-by-side on shorelines and grassy fields of worlds no one was assigned to. That was all it took to jog his memory and still, he forgot when it wasn’t right in front of him. “We all screwed up. Just gotta figure it out together this time.”