Highschool Never Ends || Roxas and Vanitas

[vacationisalie]

Who: vacationisalie and vanityunbcoming
Where: Highschool AU! If you're doing cliche, might as well go all the way
What: One of those high school cross university parties yo momma always warned you against.
Warnings: Alcohol, drugs- ever the constant possibility of violence or sex.

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[vacationisalie]

Ventus, Roxas' cousin (as if the identical similarities between the two didn't give that away), had a way with being sunshine, lollipops and rainbows to everyone he met. He was just naturally naive to the faults of others, the type of kid that it was hard to peg any wrongs on, because it just wasn't his way.

Which was probably why Vanitas had such a stemmed interest in him. It was definitely why Roxas had met the guy in the first place.

Not that their first meeting had gone well. A few shared words, and the resulting fight had them both on a suspension for the entire first week of the semester. Playing the avoiding game didn't help, either.

Tonight though, he didn't quite feel like ending up on youtube whilst wrestling on the ground. He pauses momentarily, not taking not of Vanitas' appearance in the doorway as he does some quick thinking as to where he can hide for the night. The house is a complicated labyrinth, the party hosted by some rich kid whose parents don't know the meaning of humble, and so the second staircase across the room offers a convenient escape into the smaller wing of the second floor.

It's whilst heading up the stairs that he takes note of Vanitas' gaze, making a face at the other before quickening his pace, ascending to the upper floor, and hopefully out of sight.

[vanityunbcoming]

Really, Roxas. That was awfully childish of you.

Instead of returning the expression, the corner of Vanitas' mouth edged upward in a half-smirk. Yeah, he can tell by the attitude that this isn't Ventus--Roxas, then. He was a much more likely candidate for this party, too, although... it was strange that he seemed to be alone. Roxas didn't have as many friends as Ventus, but he did have some, so why wasn't he shadowing one of them like usual?

Unless, he was going upstairs to meet up with someone. Upstairs, to the second floor; everyone knew what that meant, but Roxas? Really? Vanitas smelled a golden opportunity to antagonize the blond, and pounced on it like a feral dog to a fresh steak. But, he had to be careful, if he wanted this to work to his advantage. Roxas was clever enough to thwart him if he just charged in head first.

Hmm. Glancing down at the cup of melting ice and watery soda in his hand, he realized he already had the perfect cover. He was totally sober (he'd actually brought his own can of coke and poured it himself to make sure no one tampered with it), but Roxas didn't know that.

That smirk grew a little wider, as Vanitas moved to the bottom of the stairs and leaned his shoulder against the wall, holding onto the railing with his other hand in a fair imitation of someone who'd had a drink or five. And now, to make the act more convincing...

"Hey... HEY!" He raised his voice more than he normally ever would, as if struggling to be heard over the music still blaring behind them. "The party's down here; where're you goin'?"

Blah blah continued on AIM from here

[vacationisalie]

Almost there, almost gone- but no. Vanitas wasn't the type to let anyone get away, less so when it was clear there was a style of avoidance taking place. Worse, he sounded- inebriated. Off his chops and almost slurring his speech, something Roxas had seen more than once but found a little more grotesque when placing the affects to Vanitas, instead of one of his friends.

Glancing back, it was just as easy to see visually as it was to hear it in his voice. Someone had got Vanitas good, since Roxas highly doubted he'd actually drink willingly in this type of setting. He almost wished he had a camera, a mobile that could take videos. It was a golden opportunity to have something against the other, and unfortunately he was going to miss it.

The idea of getting away from Vanitas was far more appealing, anyway.

"None of your business." A short reply, in a tone that might just be too low for Vanitas to hear, if his mind was muddled and his ears ringing from the music surrounding them on all sides. That's all there is to it, as far as Roxas is concerned; he takes the rest of the stairs two at a time, turning sharply down the corridor and debating on finding a nice, quiet room- in which to crawl out the window and sneak away early.

[vacationisalie]

Try and run, Roxas. We'll see how far you go.

For someone who was supposedly drunk, Vanitas made it up the stairs after the blond with no issues. Though at the top, he did force himself to stumble on the last step, catching himself with one hand on the plush rug there, so that he didn't plant into it face-first. But his show was for naught, as Roxas has already made his way around the corner.

Hn. He'll have to step it up if he wants to catch him. The other boy could ferret into any one of the rooms up here before he'd know it, and then he'd have the difficult task of checking them one by one. Picking himself up, Vanitas kicked aside a few tiny, plastic cups littering the floor (probably left over from the jelloshots being passed around earlier in the evening) as he stalked after his quarry. The music from downstairs grew a little more muffled, and left him with a faint ringing in his ears.

...He could still hear a rhythmic thumping going on behind one of these walls, though. And honestly, he was surprised it was only one.

As he rounded the corner, Vanitas buffed up his act again, holding onto the wall with one hand as he slumped a little. It was almost ridiculously easy to mimic sloppy drunk, he was finding out. He just had to be sure to keep his distance, because if Roxas smelled his breath, the jig would be up. "What's wrong, Roxas? Y'scared or something?"

[vacationisalie]

Hiding was far harder then one would think in the middle of a loud party. Within the crowds it just might have been easier, which was Roxas' mistake. Surely if he'd headed outside, into the throng of teens about the pool, he would have had a much greater luck in escaping Vanitas' grasp. As it was, the hallway had more than one door which was immediately allocated as a 'no go' area, thanks to more of that rhythmic pounding that would be haunting the place for hours yet. There was always the possibility Axel was in one of these rooms... but Roxas wasn't game enough to check. He was on his own for this one.

His expression is highly irritated when Vanitas stumbles round the corner, lip curling when Vanitas speaks to him, voice still disdainful, but so pathetically out of it Roxas doesn't know why he even bothered. With the amount of swaying the black haired teen is doing, Roxas is surprised he didn't fall back down the stairs. It was a pity he hadn't.

"As if." Was the smart retort of the evening, Roxas stepping back a few paces, but not taking his eyes off the other, not for a moment. Vanitas had a habit of using any distractions as a weakness, and Roxas didn't mean to give him an excuse to strike out. "Don't you have puppies to kick- relationships to ruin, or something? Big party, Vanitas; lots of people to mess up."

Not that he was particularly comfortable with Vanitas messing anyone up, but at these sorts of parties, problems were just bound to happen. His friends weren't here, aside from Axel who could and would give Vanitas a taste of his own medicine, which meant looking after his own hide was the most preferable option when Vanitas was less than ten feet away. He had to be grateful for one thing, at least- he couldn't smell him, from here.

[vacationisalie]

"Too easy," Came Vanitas' reply, almost overlaying the last of Roxas' words. Curiously enough, the longer he pretended to be drunk, the more 'drunk' he felt, though he knew it was just a placebo effect. Unfortunately, Roxas didn't seem to be fucked up at all, which he was almost hoping for.

"None of those... idiots appreciate the trouble I go through to make trouble." Vanitas forced a small laugh, as if he found his choice of words witty, or something. "They don't get it."

Then, the teen raised his eyes to the hallway walls, glancing at a door or two. Like he'd just figured out where he was. Slowly, his head tilted back towards Roxas, eyes narrowing in another smirk, "Huh. And just what're you up to, I wonder?"

Not exactly subtle, but he might as well start fishing for info.

[vacationisalie]

Roxas had tried a few drinks, here and there- enough to get a buzz, definitely, but not enough to turn him into a drooling idiot. It helped that when the soda had started showing signs of being tampered with, he'd switched to tap water and been applauded by a few people for taking his vodka straight. With Axel busy doing god knows what and Hayner not even in the suburb of his current location, he was far less inclined to make a fool of himself than he might have been, something he was more than glad to have, now that Vanitas was in the picture.

"What's to appreciate?" The fact that everyone else had to pick up the slack for his actions, or the immediate aftershock of whatever trick he had up his sleeve? Roxas' tone was far from impressed.

And then Vanitas actually appears to take note of where they are, smile turning sly, the question causing Roxas to bluster for a moment, pale skin flushing lightly. It was more than obvious what he meant, more than obvious what this looked like; his reaction wasn't helping things, either.

There was something odd about this conversation, even if he couldn't place his finger on it.

"I doubt you have even the slightest bit of interest in my sex life, even if that was what I was up here for. Parties' downstairs, remember?" Maybe if he was lucky, the concept would hit Vanitas' brain like a ton of bricks, and he'd turn back, shuffle off in his drunken stupor. Doubtful, but a pleasant day dream. It was with reluctance that he let his eyes drop from Vanitas for a few moments, checking behind him with the resolution of pegging the closest door which might prove to be safe.

[vacationisalie]

Roxas' daydream remained just wishful thinking. Vanitas wasn't going anywhere for the moment, and remained firmly planted in place. And of course, if Roxas wanted to go back downstairs, he'd have to make his way past Vanitas to get there, unless he found an alternative exit.

His response, too, seemed suspicious. Vanitas couldn't tell if he was lying or just embarrassed, but there was still a possibility of the former.

And unlike Roxas, he hadn't left his cellphone behind.

"No," He admitted, after a second's pause. "But someone else might. Your cousin, maybe... he's into that whole 'students for purity' thing, isn't he?"

[vacationisalie]

There were some things that just went too far. It had always been a sore spot for Roxas, whenever someone tried to bring up Ventus in a bad light; or tried to blackmail him through the kid. Sure, Ventus had his own way of doing things- but you'd never meet a more accepting person in your life. Ventus wouldn't care if Roxas had become the town bicycle- so long as Roxas was okay, using protection, and safe. It was an ideal of family that Vanitas wouldn't understand, and just one of the many reasons Roxas chose to get in his way at times, to dislike him so plainly. He'd gladly end up on youtube if he was protecting Ventus' name.

Vanitas always did pick the wrong points to use, though this was a little more blatant than usual.

If anything, Roxas response was colder than previous, face wiped of his earlier discomfort and replaced with a level, dismissive stare. He could sink down to Vanitas' level any time- it wasn't like he made it hard to do.

"Careful- emo's don't smile, remember? Someone's going to catch you out." It was time to make for the nearest door, either way. Roxas didn't run, no, but he was fast enough in pace that he was through and closing the wooden door behind him, instead of waiting for a reaction.

[vacationisalie]

Immediately, the smug look vanished off of Vanitas' face, and was replaced with something darker. He hated that fucking word--why, he didn't really know. He shouldn't care what other people called him; he didn't for the most part. It was only when Roxas said it, that it became personal. Maybe it was because they'd fought so much, and never had a satisfactory winner/loser outcome that made him rise to the bait every time. Every clash had been intervened on by other students or school authority before it could intensify beyond a few swings. Vanitas had walked away with a bloody nose the first time, a busted lip another. But Roxas had never gotten free without his own injuries, either.

And maybe it really was as simple as that. Somewhere deep down, Vanitas just wanted to know which one of them was stronger.

Either way, his cover was very close to being blown. Hissing something unintelligible in response, Vanitas was right behind Roxas as he made his break. But he wasn't quite fast enough.

He slammed his shoulder and arm against the door, while he could still see Roxas through the quickly shrinking gap between it and it's frame. Thinking fast, he only had a second before he'd be locked out.

Miraculously, he'd held onto his cup through everything, and now used it to his advantage. In a last ditch effort, he flung it's open lip towards the gap, shooting it's half-full contents of (now completely melted) water and coke right at Roxas' face and chest.

[vacationisalie]

Homefree was never homefree with Vanitas. He never told himself that enough, and that was what levelled the ground, tilted their fights to Vanitas' favor so many times. They'd never had a chance to really start anything- Roxas had never wanted to really start anything. He wasn't suicidal, after all; he liked his back knife free and his windpipe the way it was. But Vanitas was a teen like any other teen, there were various buttons to push, and Roxas liked to think he had a handle on one or two of them.

Even if this one made absolutely no sense, it was about as effective as waving a bright red flag at a rampaging bull.

The door shuddered as Vanitas collided with it, Roxas skidding back a few inches before working his way into getting it fully closed. There was a lock on the door, that much he could see. Three seconds leeway and he'd be safe and sound. Vanitas was having none of that. Luke-warm drink hit him square in the eyes, stinging due to the texture of the coke, and luckily not burning out from whatever alcohol had been consumed that night.

The first thing he noted was that it tasted like coke and water- Vanitas hadn't been drinking when he'd...'stumbled' after him.

The second was that his involuntary reaction to draw back his hands and wipe at his eyes was a much worse idea once conscious thought went into it.

[vacationisalie]

His cover was now officially blown, but Vanitas was too in the moment to care. As soon as Roxas let go of his side of the door, he grabbed it's handle and twisted it as far away from the 'locked' position as he could, and gave a hard shove forward. With little resistance in the way, it swung in far enough for him to quickly step his way through, and safely inside the room.

Well, perhaps 'safely' wasn't the right word. There was still a fight brewing, and Vanitas wasn't going to give Roxas much opportunity to recover from having soda thrown in his face. No more than another second or two, before he clenched his hands into fists and sent a hook straight for the blond's jaw.

[vacationisalie]

The door clicked against its frame behind Vanitas, but Roxas was hardly liable to care. Blond hair plastered to his face, it was only a matter of time till the blow struck and snapped his head to the side, sending him stumbling for a few moments before he jerked forward to lash out with his own fists. Typically, he could expect it to be like any fight before- both of them taking constant hits, belting each other like teenagers out for blood, except this time no one was there to pull them apart.

"Feeling buzzed, Vanitas?" He snarled, jaw popping at the motion and causing a slight wince. He'd have a battlescar for the next few weeks, that was for sure. "Scared of a few party drinks? That's just sad."

It would take a few broken ribs or a snapped neck to stop them, he figured.

[vacationisalie]

The punch caught him in the side of the mouth, forcing his own face to the side as Roxas' knuckle actually scraped his teeth. His lip would start to swell almost immediately, accompanied by a small split that welled up with a few drops of blood. But he barely let that stop him.

Taking a step back to stabilize his balance, he gave a short, unsettling laugh in response, "Like you can talk, hypocrite." With that, he retaliated with another, full-body swing. "Your baby sitter make you their designated driver? Poor Roxas, left all alone while the adults go off to have their fun. And the little baby doesn't have the balls to break the rules."

[vacationisalie]

On the plus side, he'd drawn first blood. On the downside? His knuckle was scratched up, bleeding itself from the harsh scrape against ivory teeth. He had to dance backwards to avoid Vanitas' next hit, grimacing at how it still glanced his shoulder, at the words that were used. He was impossibly infuriating, proving the idea that they'd be here all night, until the cops showed up, at least.

He wondered if Ventus would still be as accepting if he gave into temptation and smothered Vanitas with a pillow.

"At least I've had a couple. Too high and mighty to drink with us mere mortals, or did you just chicken out?" Rather than take the few moments needed to take another swing, Roxas' fists are held in front of his face defensively, shifting back, around the bed. There's too much in this room to trip up on- he'd rather have his back near a wall than leave room for serious error. "You always do worm your way out of everything."

[vacationisalie]

"I'm not afraid." But the emphasis he put behind it, it was more like he was trying to convince himself, rather than Roxas. Oh, he'd had alcohol before. He'd tried it's affects, waited for it to wear off and had never tried it again.

He didn't like it. People took it to dull their senses, to get buzzed and not have to feel. But it also broke down their control, and made them do things they wouldn't normally do. That was the part Vanitas had a problem with: giving up control, even to a substance rather than a person. He didn't want to dull anything, he wanted to experience life in all it's inglorious pain and hideousness.

Keeping his own fists up and ready, Vanitas watched as Roxas backed himself towards safer ground. His eyes were too focused on the blond, to notice the row of small, plastic cups sitting on the table next to him, filled with melted, neon green liquid.