#everyone did very cute and fluffy things and i spawned. xemnas

[nortling]

it’s pocky day and i wrote a fic! all of my 2005 days come back to haunt me, i hope y’all enjoy

pairing: saix/xeros & xemnas/xeros other characters: axel, demyx rating: pg13 wordcount: 2k summary:  It’s 11/11 in The World That Never Was. Xeros learns a new game.

In the early morning, Xeros was still coming out of the drowsy stupor of their sleep. They had slipped into their coat and made their way to the small kitchen on their side of the organization's fort, and it was there that the familiar sounds of their coworkers perked their ears. Demyx, in particular, was a trusted friend of theirs, and they were always thankful to be in his company. 

"Come on, it's an old tradition." His voice was playful as ever, and Xeros peered in to see him talking with Axel. The redhead stirred up mixed feelings, but they harbored no genuine ill-will against him. Friendly as ever, he raised a hand to greet Xeros, and Demyx turned to see the joining party, smiling widely when he noticed his friend. 

"Maybe you can play with Xeros, then. Unlike some of us, I have work to do." Despite the taunt, Demyx remained smiling and simply shrugged, letting the implications roll off his back like water. 

"Maybe I will, then!" With Demyx's beckoning, Xeros crossed the floor to the table they were sat at. In Demyx's hand was a red box, and the cookies inside were different from any that Xeros had seen before. Demyx shook the box gently, and retrieved a single stick, holding it between his fingers. "Do you know about the Pocky Game?"

Xeros tilted their head, one ear falling to the side. "Never heard of it. What's Pocky?"

Demyx's expression shifted from surprise to understanding, and he tilted the box down to Xeros's level in offering. "Snacks. Give 'em a try."

Xeros shot a quick glance up to gauge Axel's thoughts - they had learned well enough not to accept anything that the Dancing Flames endorsed without something to drink immediately within arm's reach. Reading only mild bemusement, Xeros reached in and fished out a stick of their own, studying the chocolate glaze before taking a small nibble. 

It wasn't bad at all. Xeros would easily admit that they had a soft spot for treats, and these aligned with that category rather nicely. Their tailtip began to twitch, and they eagerly chomped down the rest. "These are pretty good."

Eros's verdict delivered, Demyx set the tip of his own between his teeth and continued on. "I know, right? These are just the chocolate ones, but they come in other flavors-- Oh! Right, the game." From behind him, Axel chuckled, one brow raised. Demyx bit off the tip and held it up again, clearing himself to explain.

"So, there's two ends, right? You have one person on each side, and then you both eat as much as you can until you get to the middle. The person who chickens out and pulls away first is the loser. Get it?"

Xeros nodded, a bit slower now as they tried to process it all. 

"I think so."

"C'mere, I'll show you." Demyx replaced the partially-eaten stick in his mouth, pushing a few stray strands of hair out of his face. 

Xeros glanced nervously up at Axel, who despite his claims of other work, seemed plenty pleased to sit and watch their game unfold. Demyx had to lean down to match their height, and Xeros's paw grasped at the edge of the table to steady themselves as their focus was diverted. 

"Ready?" He asked through his teeth, and Eros flicked their ears in confirmation. "Go!"

Within seconds, Demyx realized the mistake he made. Xeros's long snout provided a clear advantage in terms of speed, and his shoulders jolted when their sharp teeth snapped so closely to his face. He pulled back only to be greeted with Axel's snickering, and Eros licked their lips, savoring the taste of chocolate. 

"Aw, dammit! Really? I thought this was supposed to be your first time!"

"It was." 

Xeros joined Axel in a chorus of giggles, and the redhead reached out to snatch away the box of Pocky, straight from Demyx's hands. The other gave a small "Hey!" of protest, but his resistance was merely minor. 

"To the winner goes the spoils. You gave a nice show, I'll give you that." Axel rose from his spot across the table and circled around to the other side of Xeros, pressing the box into their chest. Careful not to crush its contents, Eros took it in their paws, and looked up to see Axel waving in the doorway. "I wasn't kidding about work, though. I'll catch you guys later."

Demyx raised his hand in return, and moved to clean up the remnants of his breakfast. "Yeah, yeah. Well, joke's on him, cause I actually do have an assignment today. I'll see you at dinner, alright?" 

Xeros gave a small smile back, and watched his back as he left. The room seemed so much quieter with him gone, and they were lost in thoughts about their own work for a long minute before they remembered the package in their hands. It wouldn't make a very good breakfast, so they set it aside on the table, but it would certainly come with them later, finding use with the new things their friend had taught them. 

--

The red box was now nestled safely in Xeros's arms, who was slightly more awake and slightly more full. Though they had a good guess of what their work today would be - mostly sitting at the computer with a textbook or two in paw - it was still in good form to ask their superior beforehand, in case any changes were made. Their claws clicked against the floor as they padded up the stairs and turned the corner into what served as Saïx's office. 

A pile of reports was strewn across his desk, haphazardly separated into disorganized piles. He only needed to look up for a second, and it was the shift of his golden eyes that told Xeros that their presence was known, rather than any change in the cool, focused expression that Saïx so frequently wore. 

"Good morning," Xeros began, though much softer and reserved in tone than they had been with Demyx before. "I assume I'll be continuing work with my programming today?" 

Saïx closed the folder he had open and set it aside, turning his attentions to his charge. "To my understanding, yes - though Lord Xemnas spoke of coming to check on your progress himself today."

Xeros's ears flicked in silent disdain. Though they responded with fair diligence to orders passed through Saïx, they wouldn't have said that their leader's company was something they enjoyed. 

"What is it that you have there?"

Saïx's question brought Xeros's ears back to their highest point, and their tailtip began to twitch excitedly, a smile pulling at the edges of their maw. Xeros shuffled it forward to their hands and held it out to Saïx, showing off the morning's reward. 

"I won it from Demyx. He taught me how to play this morning."

Saïx's brow furrowed with a sigh. "So he roped you into that idiocy as well, I take it?"

"Hey, it doesn't take long. You know, you should play a round with me." Even at Saïx's harsh tone, they grinned. It was just his way of showing concern, they had come to understand - keeping the organization on track to a single goal was no simple task, they knew. "Please?"

Others would never dream of begging Saïx like this, but Xeros had been granted a particularly special privilege by way of their selection for specialty training. They had come to work very closely with Saïx during their time so far, and despite his cold outward demeanor, they considered his company to be the most pleasant of everyone they had met since their awakening. 

The silence stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time, but finally, Saïx's shoulders slumped, and he motioned for Xeros to come behind the desk. 

"Fine. One game. It better be quick."

With a spring in their step, Xeros retrieved a single stick from the packaging and set the uncovered end between their teeth, just far enough to hold on. Even sitting down, Saïx's height was daunting, and Xeros grabbed the arms of the chair, straddling their unflappable partner. The edges of his lips curled just slightly as he took in Xeros in all of their eagerness. He steadied the opposite end and paused to speak before matching Eros side-for-side. 

"You tell me when."

"Go!"

With inhuman speed, Xeros's jaws quickly snapped up the treat, the bread crumbling to nothing as their tail wiggled fervently behind them. This time, however, their partner was less timid...or perhaps just more familiar with Xeros's particular quirks. Though it was just a brief second, Xeros's lips brushed against Saïx's. And though it was him who pulled away first, Xeros was left quieter when they fell back themselves, one paw raised to cover their mouth. 

Before Xeros could realize and celebrate their win, footsteps caused their ears to swivel. And when they looked up, they pinned flat to Xeros's hair, the sight of the man leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, nearly driving a growl from their throat. 

"I see we're getting quite a lot of work done today."

"Ah, Lord Xemnas--"

The deep gravel of his voice sent a shiver down Xeros's spine, and their gaze followed him closely as he approached with slow, steady steps. He paused to look down at Xeros and Saïx both, caught in the compromising position as they were. 

Xemnas's hand closed around the back of Xeros's coat and dragged them backward, leaving them scrambling for footing. He wasn't especially violent, but it was not a gentle suggestion, either. 

"I heard talk of it this morning. Something about a silly game; About this date being emblematic in particular."

He reached down and plucked the box from Xeros's grasp, turning it over in his free hand. Saïx shifted in his seat, saying nothing, only watching as Xemnas set their mutual subordinate down against the wall. Fishing out a single stick, he reached down to tilt Xeros's face up by the jaw, placing it in the gap between rows of sharp teeth. Their lips curled back in a silent snarl, but they dared not actually threaten him. 

"Oh, please." His tone was laced with a falsified dramatism, feigning the hurt pitch of his question. "You wouldn't be thinking of leaving me out, would you? Humor me with a round."

Xemnas outranked, outpowered and outsized Xeros with ease, and they were at a loss with his form pinning them back against the wall. Their hair raised, the fur on their neck prickling to a full, fluffy warning in particular, but it was no deterrent at all. Xemnas leaned down and took the other end between his lips, nudging them into action. 

Xeros's competitive streak kicked into full gear, and they were more aggressive now than even with Saïx, meeting closely with Xemnas's side in less than a second. 

But it was of no use. Xemnas freed a hand and ran it down Xeros's side in one smooth motion, the warmth of his rough palms proving to be an infuriating distraction. Only partway down did he slide his touch to their back, arching their spine off the wall and sending a shudder down their entire form. Xeros's focus crumbled, and Xemnas's lips met with their own in a chaste kiss. 

Xeros fell away with a quiet gasp. Xemnas had already set the box back on the desk and sat back with a self-satisfied smile by the time the feeling in Xeros's extremities returned. 

"Shit!" They snapped, their paw flying up to cover their mouth. Their pads pressed to their lips, and Xeros found it impossible to look up and meet their superior's eyes. 

Xemnas straightened up and nodded to Saïx, then, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. Even Saïx responded with a slight stutter at the beginning of his words, but recovery came faster for him than Xeros, who sat fuming as they conversed idly. 

It was a quick exchange regarding confirmation of the day's tasks, and it seemed to end as quickly as it started, Xemnas turning on the heels of his boots. But Xeros was not left forgotten. A hand again reached out for them, this time ruffling their hair, and were Xeros of a different mind, they may have batted it back or recoiled. Instead, though, they simply remained put, allowing Xemnas to weave his fingers through their hair as he pleased. 

"Good boy, Xeros, you're doing well for me so far. You should continue your work as I last left it."

With that, Xemnas did finally take his leave, leaving Xeros and Saïx both to their stunned silence.