Surprisingly, this one was written while sober (sad, shocking, I know). I'm probably not gonna turn this into anything bigger, but if I did it'd be an intro/excerpt for a would-be AU fic, though it can still be applicable to canon.
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Being the youngest in a pack of thirteen, Roxas was an eyesore. Xion didn't count; despite her similar age and similar screw-ups, she had the advantage where everyone but him and Axel ignored her existence. She could afford to slip under the radar. Namine, too, was her own wallflower. But the Organization kept Roxas on their leash whenever they could, loosening it only when they needed him to collect Hearts -- and it was only a loosening, and out of pragmatism, for they were too busy with their own work to micromanage him, usually. They trusted his strength enough. Not enough for a release, however, although Roxas never thought twice about it.
Heartless hunting aside, his exciting adventures comprised of eating ice cream and skateboarding around Twilight Town, neither of which required him to stray too far from the Organization's watch. Their suffocation would have bothered him more if he desired aspirations beyond what he had, or if they kept him bound to the castle when not on a mission. Work was work, for certain, but when he wasn't working he could hop to any world he chose, whether a colorful town or a magic castle or a monster-infested wasteland. They wouldn't care as long as he reported where he was going first.
Roxas was used to the scrutiny. He was their valuable keyblade wielder. It was only when they fought over what to do with him that caused him problems. In a pack of thirteen where everyone had their own agendas and quirks and vices, Roxas learned the hard way he couldn't please everyone. He knew know matter what he did, for whoever and why, he would please one member while displeasing another. From this, Roxas learned the system of how to keep who happy, and who to avoid after doing so.
He mentally organized the Organization into clusters: there was Xemnas and Saix, the leaders who only involved themselves in the group's affairs to give orders and who only cared for a job well done; there was Xigbar, Xaldin, Lexaeus, Vexen, and Zexion, the founding members who threw the weight of their seniority around and preferred discipline, or at least staying out of the way; there was Marluxia and Larxene, who intimidated Roxas in more than a few ways; there was Demyx and Luxord, who formed their own category by not forming a category -- their detached brand of fun made them easy to deal with, but whether Roxas could count on them for anything was a crapshoot.
Surprisingly, this one was written while sober (sad, shocking, I know). I'm probably not gonna turn this into anything bigger, but if I did it'd be an intro/excerpt for a would-be AU fic, though it can still be applicable to canon.
--
Being the youngest in a pack of thirteen, Roxas was an eyesore. Xion didn't count; despite her similar age and similar screw-ups, she had the advantage where everyone but him and Axel ignored her existence. She could afford to slip under the radar. Namine, too, was her own wallflower. But the Organization kept Roxas on their leash whenever they could, loosening it only when they needed him to collect Hearts -- and it was only a loosening, and out of pragmatism, for they were too busy with their own work to micromanage him, usually. They trusted his strength enough. Not enough for a release, however, although Roxas never thought twice about it.
Heartless hunting aside, his exciting adventures comprised of eating ice cream and skateboarding around Twilight Town, neither of which required him to stray too far from the Organization's watch. Their suffocation would have bothered him more if he desired aspirations beyond what he had, or if they kept him bound to the castle when not on a mission. Work was work, for certain, but when he wasn't working he could hop to any world he chose, whether a colorful town or a magic castle or a monster-infested wasteland. They wouldn't care as long as he reported where he was going first.
Roxas was used to the scrutiny. He was their valuable keyblade wielder. It was only when they fought over what to do with him that caused him problems. In a pack of thirteen where everyone had their own agendas and quirks and vices, Roxas learned the hard way he couldn't please everyone. He knew know matter what he did, for whoever and why, he would please one member while displeasing another. From this, Roxas learned the system of how to keep who happy, and who to avoid after doing so.
He mentally organized the Organization into clusters: there was Xemnas and Saix, the leaders who only involved themselves in the group's affairs to give orders and who only cared for a job well done; there was Xigbar, Xaldin, Lexaeus, Vexen, and Zexion, the founding members who threw the weight of their seniority around and preferred discipline, or at least staying out of the way; there was Marluxia and Larxene, who intimidated Roxas in more than a few ways; there was Demyx and Luxord, who formed their own category by not forming a category -- their detached brand of fun made them easy to deal with, but whether Roxas could count on them for anything was a crapshoot.
Then there was Axel, Xion, and himself.
(I got bored.)