Franklgobbergurt.

[obligato_sitaro]

Characters: Demyx [pringlesoriginal] and Riku [original]
Where: Outside of the Cruz Ansata house, probably in an alley.
When: After this!
Summary: Demyx is a drug addict and his stash is low so he's off to find Riku, the local drug lord and well-known pimp, and ask for more through sexual favours and illegally obtained cash.
Warnings: None, I would

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[versuslight]

Riku didn't suffer the wrath of wood ticks very often back home. Because of his lack of experience with them, it took every ounce of his machismo to keep from shrieking like a ninny at the sight of the flat, brown, blood-sucking insects as he poured a bucketful of them over Xigbar's bed. It was revenge for his poor torn pants and the raw palm of his hand, he had to keep reminding himself. He would save any repressed disgust and terror for later.

His back slid against the brick of the building they'd hid beside till he'd plopped down on the cement, heart racing. Riku peered into his shirt, patted down his pants; he found a single one crawling along his neck. After a brief heart attack he plucked it off and burnt it to ash with a small purple-black flame from his Dark Aura.

"Now I am," Riku said in the middle of a lengthy exhale. "We'll hide out here for a while. You can stay in my room if you need to... or something." The invitation left his lips before he had time to ponder its consequences. It was strange of him to be this nice to someone he barely knew, never mind a Nobody. But he didn't like Xigbar, and didn't really want to wish his fury on anyone.

So he never bothered taking back the invitation, no matter how much of a spur of the moment it had been.

[obligato_sitaro]

Laughing, Demyx shook his head, thinking the offer to be a joke. "No, that's okay. I'll be fine." It must have been a joke. The pair of them weren't exactly close friends, or even casual friends. They'd have stayed enemies in their world; the keybearers hunting down every last Organization member in less than a week. Not that he cared, of course. He couldn't. His shoulders sagged slightly as he feigned a sort of triumphant, cheery grin.

"That was good though, huh? I wish I'd get to see his face when he finds them all." Not to mention Xigbar's retaliation. They were more painful than Demyx's schemes, admittedly, but he didn't want to hurt the older Nobody. He had enough scars, didn't he?

[versuslight]

Riku shifted himself around on the scratchy surface of his seating, seeking a more comfortable position. Failing that, he flicked a piece of his long hair over his shoulder to look at the Nobody at his side. He was still a little shocked with himself about how hospitable he was trying to be, and even more so when he continued to prod at Demyx about the issue. "You sure you'd rather sleep in dumpsters till it all dies down?"

He chuckled softly, nodding once. "I admit, that... will be pretty nasty for Xigbar." He resisted the urge to tap his fingers together and laugh maniacally, instead adding, "Excellent." The nasty part of him knew, too, that Xigbar would be more likely to go after Demyx than himself for revenge. Riku's automatic excuse was he has no heart; who cares? yet he still felt a lingering sense of guilt crawling through his abdomen, and shook such a thought away.

[obligato_sitaro]

Incredulously, Demyx eyed the other boy; so it had been a genuine proposal. He sat with his knees tucked in to his chest, a position concealing his awkward fidgeting as he thought how to respond to the situation. Demyx wasn't accustomed to this kindness, or any of the sort, for that matter. He especially didn't think Riku had any kindness to show for a Nobody. "Dumpsters would be safe, though - Xigbar wouldn't look there."

Demyx's grin widened, his head reclining till it hit the wall behind softly. He'd return to the townhouse in a week, maybe; enough time for the ticks to meet their doom and for Xigbar to change his mind about strangling him - or worse. His fingertips tingled at the memory of the door and suddenly he cranked his head toward Riku, donning a look of concern. "How are your palms? Have they healed?"

[versuslight]

The ghost of a smirk tugged at the edges of Riku's lips as Demyx finished his excuses. With an air of nonchalance he switched his gaze to a brown puddle a few feet away, tapping long fingers against his knee. "Oh, really. You'd think Xigbar'd be even less likely to find you in your old enemy's room but whatever." He shrugged. One might think Riku was trying good ol' reverse psychology on him, but in his own special way he was attempting to neutralize any previous kindness with spite. "Sleep in a dumpster then. Nobodies can't smell rotting garbage, I take it? Go ahead in that case."

He felt a little bad after the spurt of cruelty finished pouring out of him like molten lava, but... he was used to feeling remorse, seeing as the darkness was a part of him now. With the dark came even darker emotions.

Riku glanced down at the healing scabs on his palm, smiling in his own sad, secretive way. "And my hands are fine. It was just the one that got glued."

[obligato_sitaro]

Caught off-guard by the short verbal attack, the Nobody's smile faltered, looking away from the other to stare at his knees. "I just might sleep there after all," he replied, adding quietly, "It's where we belong, I guess." And with that, he rested his head on his knees, face turned away from Riku to glare down the alley; dark, solitary and filthy. The perfect home for one lacking a heart. Demyx scowled.

[versuslight]

Well. That plan backfired quite beautifully. Having never fought Demyx himself, Riku was expecting more fury, more mockery and mind games, not this... complete submission. What kind of Organization member was he? Although, he supposed it made sense for someone who apparently ruled water to be flimsy like this; slipping through one's fingers like the liquid he manipulated.

Riku was unsure how to make up for his harsh words, however. He fumbled internally for at least a minute before stammering out what he thought suited an apology. "I-- I didn't mean..." Damn it, this was hard. "That's not what I meant. It's your choice to make. Sleep where you want to sleep, but the option's... still open." Riku needed to take some lessons in being more like Sora. Compassion was one of the lessons he had yet to practice to its full extent.

[obligato_sitaro]

Not unlike Riku, Demyx had expected mockery and laughter at his lack of fight, responses he was more than used to getting from the rest of the Organization. In all honesty, he had thought Riku would act similarly; the water bearer was nothing but a joke to many and he knew that, awaiting criticism to merely brush it all aside.

But this, Riku's apparent apology, came new to Demyx. Heart or no heart, he was surprised, frowning as he considered both choices - the dumpster or his past enemy's place. The latter was substantially more desirable, clearly, but was it worth the risk of living with Riku? He may still carry a secret grudge against all Nobodies and try to throttle him in his sleep. The matter became easy, then: an assured death by Xigbar against a only risk of death by Riku.

He turned back to the other, half smiling. "I hope your floor is big enough for me."

[versuslight]

Was that relief he felt, cooling down the vehement heat within his chest, in his heart? Riku had trouble seeing himself as kind-hearted, so it didn't seem logical for him to want to protect this Nobody from the harm of another Nobody. But he did. That was the strange part. He'd thought any of their kind excepting Naminé and perhaps Roxas was an enemy.

There was the lingering factor that those with stronger hearts who lost themselves to the darkness managed to keep their human forms as Nobodies. Demyx, regardless of how he acted, had been one of those people. It made Riku wonder if he'd still look human if he lost his heart, or if he'd turn into one of those white, ghostlike creatures the Organization controlled. Was his heart strong enough?

Thankfully, Riku doubted he would lose it any time soon. Like Naminé, he was going to hide this Nobody from danger like the good Samaritan he wanted to be. "It will be," he assured him with half a smile, picking himself up off the pavement and dusting himself off.