Fic: The Merits of a College Education 3/?
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Disclaimer: Belongs to Disney and Squeenix. Not mitsuruaki.
Title: The Merits of a College Education
Author: mitsuruaki
Pairing: Eventual Akuroku, Cleon, Zemyx, and Seiner, among others
Summary: When Roxas gets picked up from his college for the weekend by his older brothers, he doesn't mean to unleash them on his professors. Honestly. It just sort of...happened. Anyway, they are not pleased.
Rated: PG-13/R? Better safe than sorry later
Words: 45,000+, WIP
When Roxas woke up the next morning, he'd sincerely hoped that the events of the previous day had only been a dream, brought on by ice cream for dinner and his roommate's weird taste in music. The second he'd opened his eyes, however, had unceremoniously dispelled that idea at the sight of his own bedroom wall. Damn.
He was now sitting in the kitchen eating toast ("No, Dad, I do not want tomatoes on it!") with yogurt and orange juice, ignoring both his father and the events that had happened in that very room a mere twenty hours ago. That had lasted for the rest of the day. Roxas scowled at his juice.
Once Roxas had brought his teachers' papers down to the kitchen at Cloud's command, Demyx had arrived with his laptop ready to go and his brothers had practically attacked him for the information. His parents had been just as enthusiastic about the whole thing, wanting to know who it was that had so thoroughly captured their sons' attention, while Naminé couldn't have been more amused if she'd tried to be. Stupid family.
Demyx and Cloud spent the rest of the day searching the internet for anything and everything even remotely relevant to Roxas' professors, Demyx even going so far as to read every article or thesis ever written by one Dr. Zexion Ienzo (and asking anyone within hearing range to translate the scientific jargon…which often happened to be the whole work).
Professor Squall Leonhart, on the other hand, was quite a bit less prominent on the web, with his university website being the only source of verifiable information on that specific Leonhart. But apparently he, like the Strifes, had a large family. Or it was just coincidence that so many Leonharts existed in the world.
Either way, Cloud was not satisfied.
"Roxy," came Luxord's voice from behind his paper, voice knowing. "I can hear your teeth grinding from here."
"They're not grinding," Roxas responded automatically, chomping viciously into his toasted bread. Crumbs flew everywhere.
His father lowered the newspaper he'd been reading just enough to peer at Roxas over the top. It rose back up slowly. "Sure they're not, lad."
"They're not!"
"You have anything to do today?" Luxord asked, calmly changing the subject. "Any more good looking blokes to tell me about?"
"No," Roxas snapped, glaring daggers at the blaring headline FORMER MODEL ACCEPTS JOB AT LOCAL UNIVERSITY on the front page. "I wasn't even going to say anything about the other two."
"So secretive, Roxy!"
"Not secretive! Just not important!"
"Mmmmhmmmm…"
Roxas had half a mind to throw the rest of his orange juice at the man when Naminé's shuffling entrance declared the presence of a witness. "Morning all!"
Luxord beamed, transferring his newspaper to one hand and holding his arms out to her. "How's my beautiful little girl doing on this fine morning?"
She laughed, leaning down to give him a hug. "Fine Dad. Where's the coffee?"
Their father shuddered, the newspaper re-opening. "I don't understand how you and your mother can drink that…that…ugh…"
"Mum made some," Roxas said, rolling his eyes. "Over by the window."
"Thanks Roxas."
Roxas tore the foil cover off the top of his yogurt. "Are you doing anything today, Naminé?"
His oldest sibling paused in the act of adding sugar to her drink, looking thoughtful but wary. "Well…did you need something?"
"Kinda, yeah." He balled up the foil and launched it at the trashcan, then watched as it hit the edge and bounced onto the floor. His father's blue eyes reappeared over the newspaper. Roxas went and picked it up.
"…what, exactly?" Naminé hinted when it became clear that Roxas was looking for some sort of response before he elaborated.
"I have a study group at noon," Roxas explained, dropping back into his seat. "So I sort of need a ride. Can you drop me off in like…" he glanced at the clock, "two hours?"
Her expression dropped slightly, looking a little guilty. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I'm meeting Zack at noon for lunch. Otherwise I'd take you."
"Oh," Roxas said, feeling slightly disappointed. "Okay then, no problem. Tell Zack I said hi. And that I didn't find how he switched the covers on my textbooks as amusing as he probably did."
Luxord snorted.
Naminé fought to hide a smile. "Will do."
Roxas sighed and stared at the clock over the stove, thinking. If he had to be there at noon and it took about forty-five minutes to get to school…wait…noon? He looked at his sister, dressed in her pajamas and a bath robe with bed head only a little better than Roxas' had been.
"Ummm…Ne?"
"Yes Roxas?"
"You said you're meeting Zack at noon…?"
"Yes."
"Do…do you realize what time it is?"
Naminé spun to look at the clock, the coffee sloshing dangerously in her hands. "Why? What is it?"
"…it's a little after ten, Ne."
She gasped. "Oh my god! I overslept! I had no idea it was so late! Thank you Roxas!" Naminé flew out of the kitchen, abandoning her drink on the counter.
Luxord shook his head. "Women…"
"What women?" Demyx asked, strolling into the kitchen and rubbing at his messy hair. Which, quite frankly, didn't look too much different from his everyday hairstyle. "Naminé's only one woman, Dad."
Roxas and Luxord rolled their eyes simultaneously.
Demyx grinned. "So Roxas, any more-"
"No," Roxas cut him off irritably, yanking his spoon out of his mouth. "Dad already asked."
His brother pouted. "Dad!"
"Sorry mate," Luxord said, turning a page in his paper. "Early bird gets the worm, you know."
"There was no worm!" Roxas snapped.
"Roxy, that's not the point," Luxord said patiently. "The point is-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a lazy bum," Demyx said, rooting around in the fridge. "You staying the whole weekend, Rox? Or are you heading back to school early?"
Luxord huffed at being interrupted, but brought his eyes to watch his youngest son.
"No, I'm staying. But I have a study group today I need to get back to campus for."
"Neat," his older brother said brightly, pulling out a container of apple juice and reaching for a cup. "You need a ride?"
"Yeah."
"And what class's it for?"
"Calculus," Roxas said, swirling his yogurt around in its cup. "He holds extra sessions on weekends for those of us who are-" he glanced at his dad. "Who, uh, need it."
Demyx's eyes snapped onto Roxas, suddenly intense. "Who does?"
"Professor Leonha-" He stopped, staring wide-eyed at his sibling.
Demyx's grin re-surfaced, and Roxas could read the intent residing in his eyes. His brother strode over to the doorway, his expression filled with the ultimate evil.
Roxas threw himself out of his chair, scrambling around the table and his father to reach the other teen. "No, Demyx, don't-"
"CLOUD!" Demyx shouted, his lungs, Roxas thought furiously, producing a volume that no human should be capable of. "CLOUD!"
Roxas sunk his nails into Demyx's t-shirt and wrenched it backwards, attempting to strangle the other using his own collar. "Shut up, Demyx, shut up!"
There was an unintelligible response from upstairs as Demyx dug his fingers under his shirt, trying to loosen the fabric cutting into his throat while pulling on Roxas' hair with his other hand. They stumbled heavily into the doorframe, Demyx clawing to free his voice and Roxas just clawing at him.
"Don't tell Cloud, or I swear I'll-"
Demyx lashed out with his foot as his face started turning pink, the strangulation starting to become effective over time. He connected solidly with Roxas' thigh just above the knee, sending a fiery ribbon of pain shooting through the younger teen's muscles. Roxas gasped at the sensation, staggering as his leg half-buckled and gave Demyx the chance to pry his fingers from his shirt.
"ROXAS NEEDS A RIDE TO HIS PROFESSOR'S CALCULUS STUDY GROUP! WANNA TAKE HIM?"
With a long-suffering sigh, Roxas draped himself over the kitchen counter, suddenly lacking the energy to even stand upright. Today was going to suck. Like yesterday.
In the kitchen's newfound quiet they heard the sound of a door slamming and someone thundering down the stairs, the unsteady sound making it clear they were either taking more than one step at a time, banging into the wall repeatedly as they came down, or both. Cloud's hand appeared on the doorframe before his body swung around sharply after it, his socked feet skidding on the carpeted floor, eyes locking with Demyx's.
"What? A ride? Calculus? Professor?" Sharp blue eyes darted instead to Roxas' form slumped next to Naminé's now cold coffee, their owner now fully alert. "You need a ride, Roxas?"
"Well…yes…" he muttered. "I can catch a bus though, it's okay…"
"Roxy, don't be childish," Luxord said, rousing himself from his decision to ignore the roughhousing that had been taking place moments ago. "Cloud can take you. You're not busy, right Cloud?"
"Not anymore," Cloud declared. "Come on, get ready Roxas. We'll leave in ten minutes."
Roxas frowned, pushing himself onto his elbows. "But it's not until noon…"
"I want to have a talk with your professor, I told you yesterday." Cloud raised an eyebrow at his youngest sibling. "Did you think I was kidding?"
"I was hoping…"
His brother ignored him. "Leaving in nine minutes, forty-six seconds," he said seriously, picking up the juice Demyx had left on the counter.
Roxas dragged his hands over his face, wishing he could just go back to bed and not wake up. Ugh. He shuffled to the door and hesitated in the doorway, watching the pleased smirk on Demyx's face. Hmmmm…
Making a split second decision, Roxas kicked Demyx in the same place he'd been hit, raced out of the kitchen, and sprinted for the stairs, knowing he only had a few precious seconds before his brother came after him. And Roxas' legs were nowhere near as long as Demyx's…
He heard Demyx hiss in pain behind him, and after a few all-consuming heartbeats, the footsteps started after him.
"Dammit, Roxas!"
Roxas grinned and shoved past his sister at the top of the stairs-"Sorry Nam, 'scuse me!"-and bolted to his room, slamming open the door, shutting it, and throwing himself against the wood as he snapped the lock into place. Demyx's fist smashed against it seconds later, his words vaguely muffled on the other side.
"That was dirty, Roxas!"
"You did it to me first!"
"You were strangling me!"
"You were going to tell Cloud! You told Cloud!"
"He would have found out anyway from Dad!"
"He's following me to my study group! It's your fault!"
"Well he's not staying the whole time, right? He said he was just dropping you off and talking to your professor, right?"
"…"
"Come on, Cloud's not the type to make stupid excuses just to stick around, Rox, you know that."
Roxas wandered over to his discarded backpack, thinking over Demyx's words. He had a point. Cloud was straightforward and to the point, and in public, a man a few words. He didn't do long conversations very well. So maybe…
"Okay," Roxas acquiesced. "Maybe it won't be too bad."
"See, Rox, it'll be fine! And Cloud says you have seven minutes and fifteen seconds."
Roxas scowled, deciding not to bring his skateboard for once and unlocking the door. He opened it to Demyx's bright face-until his brother pulled him into a headlock and noogied him within an inch of his life.
"Demyx, no! Not the hair!"
His brother just cackled in response and shot down the hallway to his own room, shutting the door with a bang. Roxas ran his fingers through his hair disgruntledly, trying to restyle it into its usual look and giving Demyx's door a black look as he headed back downstairs.
"You ready to go Roxas?" Cloud asked from the front foyer, foot tapping impatiently on the tile floor.
Roxas scowled. "Don't I have six minutes and twenty-five seconds left, or something?" he asked snidely, stomping into his sneakers. Actually tying shoelaces was overrated.
Cloud frowned at him, eyes narrowing. "Get in the car."
Roxas scurried past his older brother as Cloud called into the house that they were leaving, shutting the door and taking a moment to lock it up. He slid into the passenger seat, his backpack thumping into place between his shoes. Cloud came around the car and climbed into the driver's seat, slamming the door after him.
"So….what are you learning in calculus, Roxas?" Cloud asked, glancing in the rearview mirror as he pulled out onto the street.
The younger of the two raised an eyebrow. "…the volume of a solid rotated perpendicular or parallel to an axis of revolution."
Cloud blinked. Several times. "Yeah, that doesn't ring a bell."
"Didn't think it would." Roxas turned back to the window as Cloud turned onto the entrance ramp of the freeway and immediately floored it.
The majority of the drive was spent in silence with Cloud's window rolled down, effectively rendering all the time Roxas had spent on his hair that morning completely wasted. Roxas kept himself occupied by counting the number of near death experiences they narrowly missed as the car's speedometer flirted with ninety miles an hour.
"Roxas," Cloud started again, having to slow down as the traffic increased the closer they got to the city. "Where on campus to you guys meet for this tutoring thing?"
"We don't meet in his office," Roxas said flatly, staring boredly out the window. Despite the slight blurred effect due to Cloud's undeniable instinct to defy the speed limit, it was the same scenery he saw nearly every weekend.
"Well do you know where-"
"No."
Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Let me finish."
Roxas's eyes darted over to look at the dark countenance of his brother. Okay, yeah. He could do that. "Sorry."
"Do you know where his office is? He's got to have open hours, or something."
Slouching in his seat, Roxas glared at Cloud's hands on the steering wheel. "I guess," he muttered.
The older blond looked up at the rearview mirror, eyes darting back and forth, and promptly cut across three lanes of traffic, tires squealing, to reach the exit ramp. Roxas tried not to have a heart attack at the sudden feeling of moving sideways rather than forwards.
"CLOUD! You can't just do things like that! This isn't Fenrir!"
Cloud smirked at the mention of his beloved motorcycle before shrugging. "Old habits die hard."
"Your habits don't die at all and are going to kill me," Roxas scowled, hugging his seatbelt closer to himself. He doubted it would actually help, but it made him feel better.
"So what exactly does 'I guess' mean? Is that 'I guess I know where his office is' or 'I guess-'"
"I may have been to his office once a few weeks ago."
Roxas glanced at the other blond, noticing the twitch developing with his right eye. Oops.
"Let me finish," Cloud growled, glaring at his brother.
"Umm…'kay."
"So you know where his office is?"
"I think so…"
"Yes or no?"
"….yes?"
"And does he have open hours?"
"Uhhh…I don't know-"
"It's a yes or no question, Roxas."
"…yes?"
Cloud nodded in satisfaction and showed his approval by running a red light, ignoring the honking that ensued from people who actually had the signal to go.
"Cloud…" Roxas moaned pitifully, dragging his hands over his face and likening him to a ghoul a few weeks too early for Halloween.
His brother frowned as he took a sharp turn onto the main street, almost hitting a bus just coming through the intersection. "What?"
"You were supposed to yield there," Roxas pointed out, silently apologizing to the wide-eyed people riding the public transportation.
Cloud looked briefly confused. "'Yield'?"
Roxas stared at him in disbelief.
His deranged driver kept his eyes on the road. "Right. I'll remember that next time."
They continued down the road for a ways in silence, Roxas wondering why the Department of Motor Vehicles allowed people like his brother to drive on public roads. He was a menace to the world, not just society.
"Is this the right parking lot?" Cloud asked finally, hands wavering on the steering wheel as he debated whether or not to turn.
"Yes, but there's a stop sign there," Roxas said loudly before his brother could step on the gas, pointing at the red, octagonal object.
Both blonds flew towards the windshield as Cloud stomped on the brakes, eyes widening. "Where?"
Roxas could feel himself developing an eye twitch of his own. "Right there, Cloud."
The car remained stationary as the older male stared disbelievingly at the sign with the letters S-T-O-P emblazoned across the front of it. "That was not there yesterday," Cloud declared firmly, brow furrowing.
"Yes, Cloud, it was. It's been there all year."
"You've only been here for a little over a month."
"…that's not the point."
"Well Demyx didn't say anything about it when I came to pick you up."
Roxas threw his hands in the air, ruffling his own hair in agitation. "That's because he drives like you do! He's an adrenaline junkie, he gets high off of driving with you!"
Cloud snorted as he drove across the street and pulled into the closest parking spot. "You make it sound unhealthy."
His youngest brother graced him with a withering glare. "I like my internal organs right where they are, I'll have you know."
A roll of the eyes. "Okay Roxas. Because my driving always leads to disembowelment."
Roxas huffed unhappily as he opened his car door, ridiculously pleased to be out of the vehicle. His backpack followed moments later and he slammed his door shut moments after Cloud did the same.
Cloud lifted a hand tentatively to the back of his head in what Roxas recognized as a gesture of nervousness, the traitorous limb dropping back into place at his side when Roxas raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"
The college freshman smiled innocently, walking around the car to his brother. "Are you neeeeeeeeervous, Cloud?" he asked sweetly, hefting his bag over his shoulder.
Cloud glared at him, spitting rays of death from his irises. "No. Why would I be nervous?"
"Because it's Professor Leonhart, and you liiiiiiike him, and he's sooooooo good-looking-" Roxas began in a high-pitched sing-song voice. It wasn't very often he got to poke fun at Cloud.
His brother swiped at him. "Can it, shrimp. Let's go. Where's the math department?"
Roxas couldn't quite wipe the satisfaction from his face. Yes, it felt nice to be the persecutor for a change. "Right there, the first building. That way students have an easy escape route when their math class is over."
Cloud gave him a weird look.
He shrugged. "Just a guess."
Roxas lead the way along the sidewalk towards the math classrooms, paying no to attention to the scattered groups of students talking and giggling and watching them. Well, Cloud really. He scowled. Just because Cloud was taller than he was, and muscled, and wore those stupid sleeveless shirts even though the weather was starting to turn cold-
"What floor are the offices on?" Cloud interrupted his thoughts, peering around with interest as they entered the multilevel building. "These all look like classrooms."
Re-adjusting his backpack on his shoulder, Roxas nodded towards the staircase. "They're on the second floor. Professor Leonhart's is the first one, I'm pretty sure."
Cloud nodded and they headed towards the stairs. Roxas frowned at a sudden thought, glancing up at his brother.
"Hey, Cloud…you're just going to talk to him, right? That's all?"
The older blond turned to look at him as they climbed, eyes scouring his expression. "Yeah. It's not like I was planning on holding a tea party or anything, Roxas."
"A tea party?"
"It was just an example."
"A questionable example."
"Whatever. Are you worried?"
Roxas hesitated, his hands tightening on his backpack straps. "Well…it's just that…this isn't high school anymore, Cloud. I…parents and siblings shouldn't be coming in to complain about grades and that sort of thing. It's just not done."
Cloud looked away, thinking. "You're right, Roxas. But I'm not here to raise a fuss about your grades. You need to find a way to bring those up yourself."
"Okay…so then…"
Cloud shrugged when they reached the top of the stairs and paused in front of a door marked Professor Squall Leonhart. Then he smirked. "I just want an excuse to talk to him."
Roxas sighed, looking up at the ceiling for salvation. To his extreme but not unexpected disappointment, nothing happened.
"Right," Cloud said, evaluating the door before him as though it could tell him about the man behind it. "Let's get started then."
Chapter Four
Disclaimer: Belongs to Disney and Squeenix. Not mitsuruaki.
Title: The Merits of a College Education
Author: mitsuruaki
Pairing: Eventual Akuroku, Cleon, Zemyx, and Seiner, among others
Summary: When Roxas gets picked up from his college for the weekend by his older brothers, he doesn't mean to unleash them on his professors. Honestly. It just sort of...happened. Anyway, they are not pleased.
Rated: PG-13/R? Better safe than sorry later
Words: 45,000+, WIP
When Roxas woke up the next morning, he'd sincerely hoped that the events of the previous day had only been a dream, brought on by ice cream for dinner and his roommate's weird taste in music. The second he'd opened his eyes, however, had unceremoniously dispelled that idea at the sight of his own bedroom wall. Damn.
He was now sitting in the kitchen eating toast ("No, Dad, I do not want tomatoes on it!") with yogurt and orange juice, ignoring both his father and the events that had happened in that very room a mere twenty hours ago. That had lasted for the rest of the day. Roxas scowled at his juice.
Once Roxas had brought his teachers' papers down to the kitchen at Cloud's command, Demyx had arrived with his laptop ready to go and his brothers had practically attacked him for the information. His parents had been just as enthusiastic about the whole thing, wanting to know who it was that had so thoroughly captured their sons' attention, while Naminé couldn't have been more amused if she'd tried to be. Stupid family.
Demyx and Cloud spent the rest of the day searching the internet for anything and everything even remotely relevant to Roxas' professors, Demyx even going so far as to read every article or thesis ever written by one Dr. Zexion Ienzo (and asking anyone within hearing range to translate the scientific jargon…which often happened to be the whole work).
Professor Squall Leonhart, on the other hand, was quite a bit less prominent on the web, with his university website being the only source of verifiable information on that specific Leonhart. But apparently he, like the Strifes, had a large family. Or it was just coincidence that so many Leonharts existed in the world.
Either way, Cloud was not satisfied.
"Roxy," came Luxord's voice from behind his paper, voice knowing. "I can hear your teeth grinding from here."
"They're not grinding," Roxas responded automatically, chomping viciously into his toasted bread. Crumbs flew everywhere.
His father lowered the newspaper he'd been reading just enough to peer at Roxas over the top. It rose back up slowly. "Sure they're not, lad."
"They're not!"
"You have anything to do today?" Luxord asked, calmly changing the subject. "Any more good looking blokes to tell me about?"
"No," Roxas snapped, glaring daggers at the blaring headline FORMER MODEL ACCEPTS JOB AT LOCAL UNIVERSITY on the front page. "I wasn't even going to say anything about the other two."
"So secretive, Roxy!"
"Not secretive! Just not important!"
"Mmmmhmmmm…"
Roxas had half a mind to throw the rest of his orange juice at the man when Naminé's shuffling entrance declared the presence of a witness. "Morning all!"
Luxord beamed, transferring his newspaper to one hand and holding his arms out to her. "How's my beautiful little girl doing on this fine morning?"
She laughed, leaning down to give him a hug. "Fine Dad. Where's the coffee?"
Their father shuddered, the newspaper re-opening. "I don't understand how you and your mother can drink that…that…ugh…"
"Mum made some," Roxas said, rolling his eyes. "Over by the window."
"Thanks Roxas."
Roxas tore the foil cover off the top of his yogurt. "Are you doing anything today, Naminé?"
His oldest sibling paused in the act of adding sugar to her drink, looking thoughtful but wary. "Well…did you need something?"
"Kinda, yeah." He balled up the foil and launched it at the trashcan, then watched as it hit the edge and bounced onto the floor. His father's blue eyes reappeared over the newspaper. Roxas went and picked it up.
"…what, exactly?" Naminé hinted when it became clear that Roxas was looking for some sort of response before he elaborated.
"I have a study group at noon," Roxas explained, dropping back into his seat. "So I sort of need a ride. Can you drop me off in like…" he glanced at the clock, "two hours?"
Her expression dropped slightly, looking a little guilty. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I'm meeting Zack at noon for lunch. Otherwise I'd take you."
"Oh," Roxas said, feeling slightly disappointed. "Okay then, no problem. Tell Zack I said hi. And that I didn't find how he switched the covers on my textbooks as amusing as he probably did."
Luxord snorted.
Naminé fought to hide a smile. "Will do."
Roxas sighed and stared at the clock over the stove, thinking. If he had to be there at noon and it took about forty-five minutes to get to school…wait…noon? He looked at his sister, dressed in her pajamas and a bath robe with bed head only a little better than Roxas' had been.
"Ummm…Ne?"
"Yes Roxas?"
"You said you're meeting Zack at noon…?"
"Yes."
"Do…do you realize what time it is?"
Naminé spun to look at the clock, the coffee sloshing dangerously in her hands. "Why? What is it?"
"…it's a little after ten, Ne."
She gasped. "Oh my god! I overslept! I had no idea it was so late! Thank you Roxas!" Naminé flew out of the kitchen, abandoning her drink on the counter.
Luxord shook his head. "Women…"
"What women?" Demyx asked, strolling into the kitchen and rubbing at his messy hair. Which, quite frankly, didn't look too much different from his everyday hairstyle. "Naminé's only one woman, Dad."
Roxas and Luxord rolled their eyes simultaneously.
Demyx grinned. "So Roxas, any more-"
"No," Roxas cut him off irritably, yanking his spoon out of his mouth. "Dad already asked."
His brother pouted. "Dad!"
"Sorry mate," Luxord said, turning a page in his paper. "Early bird gets the worm, you know."
"There was no worm!" Roxas snapped.
"Roxy, that's not the point," Luxord said patiently. "The point is-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a lazy bum," Demyx said, rooting around in the fridge. "You staying the whole weekend, Rox? Or are you heading back to school early?"
Luxord huffed at being interrupted, but brought his eyes to watch his youngest son.
"No, I'm staying. But I have a study group today I need to get back to campus for."
"Neat," his older brother said brightly, pulling out a container of apple juice and reaching for a cup. "You need a ride?"
"Yeah."
"And what class's it for?"
"Calculus," Roxas said, swirling his yogurt around in its cup. "He holds extra sessions on weekends for those of us who are-" he glanced at his dad. "Who, uh, need it."
Demyx's eyes snapped onto Roxas, suddenly intense. "Who does?"
"Professor Leonha-" He stopped, staring wide-eyed at his sibling.
Demyx's grin re-surfaced, and Roxas could read the intent residing in his eyes. His brother strode over to the doorway, his expression filled with the ultimate evil.
Roxas threw himself out of his chair, scrambling around the table and his father to reach the other teen. "No, Demyx, don't-"
"CLOUD!" Demyx shouted, his lungs, Roxas thought furiously, producing a volume that no human should be capable of. "CLOUD!"
Roxas sunk his nails into Demyx's t-shirt and wrenched it backwards, attempting to strangle the other using his own collar. "Shut up, Demyx, shut up!"
There was an unintelligible response from upstairs as Demyx dug his fingers under his shirt, trying to loosen the fabric cutting into his throat while pulling on Roxas' hair with his other hand. They stumbled heavily into the doorframe, Demyx clawing to free his voice and Roxas just clawing at him.
"Don't tell Cloud, or I swear I'll-"
Demyx lashed out with his foot as his face started turning pink, the strangulation starting to become effective over time. He connected solidly with Roxas' thigh just above the knee, sending a fiery ribbon of pain shooting through the younger teen's muscles. Roxas gasped at the sensation, staggering as his leg half-buckled and gave Demyx the chance to pry his fingers from his shirt.
"ROXAS NEEDS A RIDE TO HIS PROFESSOR'S CALCULUS STUDY GROUP! WANNA TAKE HIM?"
With a long-suffering sigh, Roxas draped himself over the kitchen counter, suddenly lacking the energy to even stand upright. Today was going to suck. Like yesterday.
In the kitchen's newfound quiet they heard the sound of a door slamming and someone thundering down the stairs, the unsteady sound making it clear they were either taking more than one step at a time, banging into the wall repeatedly as they came down, or both. Cloud's hand appeared on the doorframe before his body swung around sharply after it, his socked feet skidding on the carpeted floor, eyes locking with Demyx's.
"What? A ride? Calculus? Professor?" Sharp blue eyes darted instead to Roxas' form slumped next to Naminé's now cold coffee, their owner now fully alert. "You need a ride, Roxas?"
"Well…yes…" he muttered. "I can catch a bus though, it's okay…"
"Roxy, don't be childish," Luxord said, rousing himself from his decision to ignore the roughhousing that had been taking place moments ago. "Cloud can take you. You're not busy, right Cloud?"
"Not anymore," Cloud declared. "Come on, get ready Roxas. We'll leave in ten minutes."
Roxas frowned, pushing himself onto his elbows. "But it's not until noon…"
"I want to have a talk with your professor, I told you yesterday." Cloud raised an eyebrow at his youngest sibling. "Did you think I was kidding?"
"I was hoping…"
His brother ignored him. "Leaving in nine minutes, forty-six seconds," he said seriously, picking up the juice Demyx had left on the counter.
Roxas dragged his hands over his face, wishing he could just go back to bed and not wake up. Ugh. He shuffled to the door and hesitated in the doorway, watching the pleased smirk on Demyx's face. Hmmmm…
Making a split second decision, Roxas kicked Demyx in the same place he'd been hit, raced out of the kitchen, and sprinted for the stairs, knowing he only had a few precious seconds before his brother came after him. And Roxas' legs were nowhere near as long as Demyx's…
He heard Demyx hiss in pain behind him, and after a few all-consuming heartbeats, the footsteps started after him.
"Dammit, Roxas!"
Roxas grinned and shoved past his sister at the top of the stairs-"Sorry Nam, 'scuse me!"-and bolted to his room, slamming open the door, shutting it, and throwing himself against the wood as he snapped the lock into place. Demyx's fist smashed against it seconds later, his words vaguely muffled on the other side.
"That was dirty, Roxas!"
"You did it to me first!"
"You were strangling me!"
"You were going to tell Cloud! You told Cloud!"
"He would have found out anyway from Dad!"
"He's following me to my study group! It's your fault!"
"Well he's not staying the whole time, right? He said he was just dropping you off and talking to your professor, right?"
"…"
"Come on, Cloud's not the type to make stupid excuses just to stick around, Rox, you know that."
Roxas wandered over to his discarded backpack, thinking over Demyx's words. He had a point. Cloud was straightforward and to the point, and in public, a man a few words. He didn't do long conversations very well. So maybe…
"Okay," Roxas acquiesced. "Maybe it won't be too bad."
"See, Rox, it'll be fine! And Cloud says you have seven minutes and fifteen seconds."
Roxas scowled, deciding not to bring his skateboard for once and unlocking the door. He opened it to Demyx's bright face-until his brother pulled him into a headlock and noogied him within an inch of his life.
"Demyx, no! Not the hair!"
His brother just cackled in response and shot down the hallway to his own room, shutting the door with a bang. Roxas ran his fingers through his hair disgruntledly, trying to restyle it into its usual look and giving Demyx's door a black look as he headed back downstairs.
"You ready to go Roxas?" Cloud asked from the front foyer, foot tapping impatiently on the tile floor.
Roxas scowled. "Don't I have six minutes and twenty-five seconds left, or something?" he asked snidely, stomping into his sneakers. Actually tying shoelaces was overrated.
Cloud frowned at him, eyes narrowing. "Get in the car."
Roxas scurried past his older brother as Cloud called into the house that they were leaving, shutting the door and taking a moment to lock it up. He slid into the passenger seat, his backpack thumping into place between his shoes. Cloud came around the car and climbed into the driver's seat, slamming the door after him.
"So….what are you learning in calculus, Roxas?" Cloud asked, glancing in the rearview mirror as he pulled out onto the street.
The younger of the two raised an eyebrow. "…the volume of a solid rotated perpendicular or parallel to an axis of revolution."
Cloud blinked. Several times. "Yeah, that doesn't ring a bell."
"Didn't think it would." Roxas turned back to the window as Cloud turned onto the entrance ramp of the freeway and immediately floored it.
The majority of the drive was spent in silence with Cloud's window rolled down, effectively rendering all the time Roxas had spent on his hair that morning completely wasted. Roxas kept himself occupied by counting the number of near death experiences they narrowly missed as the car's speedometer flirted with ninety miles an hour.
"Roxas," Cloud started again, having to slow down as the traffic increased the closer they got to the city. "Where on campus to you guys meet for this tutoring thing?"
"We don't meet in his office," Roxas said flatly, staring boredly out the window. Despite the slight blurred effect due to Cloud's undeniable instinct to defy the speed limit, it was the same scenery he saw nearly every weekend.
"Well do you know where-"
"No."
Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Let me finish."
Roxas's eyes darted over to look at the dark countenance of his brother. Okay, yeah. He could do that. "Sorry."
"Do you know where his office is? He's got to have open hours, or something."
Slouching in his seat, Roxas glared at Cloud's hands on the steering wheel. "I guess," he muttered.
The older blond looked up at the rearview mirror, eyes darting back and forth, and promptly cut across three lanes of traffic, tires squealing, to reach the exit ramp. Roxas tried not to have a heart attack at the sudden feeling of moving sideways rather than forwards.
"CLOUD! You can't just do things like that! This isn't Fenrir!"
Cloud smirked at the mention of his beloved motorcycle before shrugging. "Old habits die hard."
"Your habits don't die at all and are going to kill me," Roxas scowled, hugging his seatbelt closer to himself. He doubted it would actually help, but it made him feel better.
"So what exactly does 'I guess' mean? Is that 'I guess I know where his office is' or 'I guess-'"
"I may have been to his office once a few weeks ago."
Roxas glanced at the other blond, noticing the twitch developing with his right eye. Oops.
"Let me finish," Cloud growled, glaring at his brother.
"Umm…'kay."
"So you know where his office is?"
"I think so…"
"Yes or no?"
"….yes?"
"And does he have open hours?"
"Uhhh…I don't know-"
"It's a yes or no question, Roxas."
"…yes?"
Cloud nodded in satisfaction and showed his approval by running a red light, ignoring the honking that ensued from people who actually had the signal to go.
"Cloud…" Roxas moaned pitifully, dragging his hands over his face and likening him to a ghoul a few weeks too early for Halloween.
His brother frowned as he took a sharp turn onto the main street, almost hitting a bus just coming through the intersection. "What?"
"You were supposed to yield there," Roxas pointed out, silently apologizing to the wide-eyed people riding the public transportation.
Cloud looked briefly confused. "'Yield'?"
Roxas stared at him in disbelief.
His deranged driver kept his eyes on the road. "Right. I'll remember that next time."
They continued down the road for a ways in silence, Roxas wondering why the Department of Motor Vehicles allowed people like his brother to drive on public roads. He was a menace to the world, not just society.
"Is this the right parking lot?" Cloud asked finally, hands wavering on the steering wheel as he debated whether or not to turn.
"Yes, but there's a stop sign there," Roxas said loudly before his brother could step on the gas, pointing at the red, octagonal object.
Both blonds flew towards the windshield as Cloud stomped on the brakes, eyes widening. "Where?"
Roxas could feel himself developing an eye twitch of his own. "Right there, Cloud."
The car remained stationary as the older male stared disbelievingly at the sign with the letters S-T-O-P emblazoned across the front of it. "That was not there yesterday," Cloud declared firmly, brow furrowing.
"Yes, Cloud, it was. It's been there all year."
"You've only been here for a little over a month."
"…that's not the point."
"Well Demyx didn't say anything about it when I came to pick you up."
Roxas threw his hands in the air, ruffling his own hair in agitation. "That's because he drives like you do! He's an adrenaline junkie, he gets high off of driving with you!"
Cloud snorted as he drove across the street and pulled into the closest parking spot. "You make it sound unhealthy."
His youngest brother graced him with a withering glare. "I like my internal organs right where they are, I'll have you know."
A roll of the eyes. "Okay Roxas. Because my driving always leads to disembowelment."
Roxas huffed unhappily as he opened his car door, ridiculously pleased to be out of the vehicle. His backpack followed moments later and he slammed his door shut moments after Cloud did the same.
Cloud lifted a hand tentatively to the back of his head in what Roxas recognized as a gesture of nervousness, the traitorous limb dropping back into place at his side when Roxas raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"
The college freshman smiled innocently, walking around the car to his brother. "Are you neeeeeeeeervous, Cloud?" he asked sweetly, hefting his bag over his shoulder.
Cloud glared at him, spitting rays of death from his irises. "No. Why would I be nervous?"
"Because it's Professor Leonhart, and you liiiiiiike him, and he's sooooooo good-looking-" Roxas began in a high-pitched sing-song voice. It wasn't very often he got to poke fun at Cloud.
His brother swiped at him. "Can it, shrimp. Let's go. Where's the math department?"
Roxas couldn't quite wipe the satisfaction from his face. Yes, it felt nice to be the persecutor for a change. "Right there, the first building. That way students have an easy escape route when their math class is over."
Cloud gave him a weird look.
He shrugged. "Just a guess."
Roxas lead the way along the sidewalk towards the math classrooms, paying no to attention to the scattered groups of students talking and giggling and watching them. Well, Cloud really. He scowled. Just because Cloud was taller than he was, and muscled, and wore those stupid sleeveless shirts even though the weather was starting to turn cold-
"What floor are the offices on?" Cloud interrupted his thoughts, peering around with interest as they entered the multilevel building. "These all look like classrooms."
Re-adjusting his backpack on his shoulder, Roxas nodded towards the staircase. "They're on the second floor. Professor Leonhart's is the first one, I'm pretty sure."
Cloud nodded and they headed towards the stairs. Roxas frowned at a sudden thought, glancing up at his brother.
"Hey, Cloud…you're just going to talk to him, right? That's all?"
The older blond turned to look at him as they climbed, eyes scouring his expression. "Yeah. It's not like I was planning on holding a tea party or anything, Roxas."
"A tea party?"
"It was just an example."
"A questionable example."
"Whatever. Are you worried?"
Roxas hesitated, his hands tightening on his backpack straps. "Well…it's just that…this isn't high school anymore, Cloud. I…parents and siblings shouldn't be coming in to complain about grades and that sort of thing. It's just not done."
Cloud looked away, thinking. "You're right, Roxas. But I'm not here to raise a fuss about your grades. You need to find a way to bring those up yourself."
"Okay…so then…"
Cloud shrugged when they reached the top of the stairs and paused in front of a door marked Professor Squall Leonhart. Then he smirked. "I just want an excuse to talk to him."
Roxas sighed, looking up at the ceiling for salvation. To his extreme but not unexpected disappointment, nothing happened.
"Right," Cloud said, evaluating the door before him as though it could tell him about the man behind it. "Let's get started then."
Chapter Four