Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts

Summary: It was an unsaid rule. One comes before the other. Demyx knew that. AU

Side Note: I would like to dedicate this story to luckless-is-me. I may know nothing of you but you said . was your favorite pair so I decided to finish this piece in honor of you for reviewing my story! I hope this is as good as I thought it would be.

The Greeting:

Part I

A Zemyx Tale

There really was no reason for anything he's ever done. That was obvious. Axel knew it. Xigbar knew it. Riku, Sora, Roxas – they all knew it. Everyone in the firehouse knew it. It was just that obvious. Hell, even Yuffie (Riku's cousin who thought Sora was a girl for the longest time) who's just plain crazy knew it. Demyx had no reasons.

And he was fine with it.

A little pissed once in a while by the others blatant statements, but Demyx could live with that.

So when Zexion joined their force, with all his stoic and anti-social behavior, no one questioned why Demyx took such a strong liking to him. Because he was Demyx and Demyx didn't need a reason. All he needed was boredom.

"Oi."

"Earth to Zex!"

"Zexy Smexy?"

"…Fire!"

Zexion pushed his book forward, effectively shutting Demyx up and knocking him a few feet away. He automatically shied away as Zexion glared. "You," he pointed accusingly with his book. "You of all people should know not to shout 'fire' in a public vicinity which is obviously not on fire."

The blond laughed from where he sat, not trusting his legs to work quite well after that hit. "But it got your attention. And I knew you wouldn't react. Who'd be gullible enough to believe that as they were sitting in –" The door slid open behind them and Demyx was soon covered in what looked like to be thick, white fog.

Sora was breathing hard, his face red from running so fast. A fire-extinguisher rested heavily in his hands. The blush spread even further, across his nose as he saw what he just did. Demyx watched as Riku, Axel and Roxas fell into place behind the brunet. Riku grabbed Sora's shoulder in obvious amusement. "Told you."

Zexion went back to reading and listened as Sora scolded Demyx on the proper use and dangers when yelling fire. He couldn't help but chuckle as Sora doused Demyx with the extinguisher again. His smirk soon fell as he glanced at the blond, realizing he was going to go deaf listening to the man complain.

A blaze of red and yellow and white, Axel called himself a hero. Roxas said shut up. Sora called them protectors. Riku just shrugged. Demyx said they were firefighters.

Zexion raised an eyebrow.

A white and red blur or sirens, Axel called it the Axel-mobile. Roxas said he's annoying. Sora called it a vehicle to help people. Riku just shrugged. Demyx called it a fire truck.

Zexion glared at his lunch.

Gold and shining and there for everyone to see, Axel called it the remembrance of fallen hero's. Roxas said nothing. Sora called it memories. Riku smiled sadly at him. Demyx called it the names of the dead.

Zexion stood up from the table.

Together, going through all, Axel called them the super six. Roxas said shut up and that he's annoying. Sora called them his light. Riku just shrugged, blushing as Sora watched him. Demyx said yes, they're friends.

Zexion left, not caring that eyes were watching him.

Neither was a favor of car rides. They preferred to walk. Today, though, they wanted to drive. They were off this afternoon, and the rest of the day after. So, they decided to drive. And it was unusually peaceful. He was prepared to go along in the silence. After all…

"Do you believe that everything happens for some reason?" Zexion glanced at Demyx, who sat in the passenger's seat. He was the reason for the unruly quietness. His face was blank of its usual grin and stared at the snow covered trees.

"Are you a philosopher?" Zexion asked.

"No."

He shifted his hands on the wheel. "Then it doesn't matter."

It grew quiet again. For another thirty minutes, the dull hum of the engine and soft voices coming from the radio was the only thing filling the car. Zexion was fine watching too many cars zoom past them at unreasonable speeds for ice covered grounds. It was nice and calm. Finally, he spoke again. "But I want to know what you think of it."

Zexion answered back immediately. "I'm not a philosopher."

The blond scoffed, messing with the window, letting cold air penetrate the warmth of the car. "But you do have thoughts. So answer me."

He did not answer and Demyx took to watching snow flurries melt on the dashboard. This time, silence did not stay. "I always like the winter skies. They have emotions. One day, it could be so gray, filled with clouds and everything is just dark. But I don't consider it a bad omen. It's very soothing and it makes me want to lay by a fireplace and keep warm.

"It's very comforting." He kept talking. "But then, the next day, you wake up and find this beautiful blue sky staring down at you. You see weird animals cross over white grounds and everybody has red noses and cheeks. But even though the sun's out," he paused for a second, debating on his words. "It doesn't touch you. No matter how much warmth it tries to give, you're just always cold." Zexion wondered why this was his choice of conversation. Today was cloudy but was also very bright.

"Yes, I do think things happen for some reason."

Demyx turned to him. "So everything is set in stone." He hummed, crossing his arms.

"No," Zexion said, much quieter.

The blond groaned. "Then how do you believe that?"

"Things can be changed." There was a slight twinge of anger in his voice. It was confusing at the same time as annoying, which could piss even Zexion off.

"Then everything's not meant to be."

"But it is."

"How?" Demyx yelled.

Zexion didn't feel like answering, so instead turned the radio up. He was sure Demyx wanted an answer and he was sure that he might not give one. So they sat and drove and watched and listened to music neither liked. And they realized why they didn't like driving once again.

Coming to their destination, Demyx finally smiled. Back in his hometown, he stared at the old park that he had played at many a year ago. Exiting their car, Demyx laughed. He grabbed Zexion's hand. "Thank you."

The blue-haired man smiled and walked over as Demyx sat on one of the most likely wet and cold swings. He stood, just watching him as he played around with the almost frozen bark beneath his feet. He looked up.

"What?"

"Because everything may happen for a reason, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way." Demyx smiled, grabbing his hand. He didn't notice Zexion's lacking grip or dead weight of his arm.

"You're hopeless." Zexion looked at him, then their hands.

He supposed he was.

It wasn't always clear what anyone was like at the firehouse. Xigbar just seemed to stay away from anyone except Luxord and all they did was play cards. Luxord usually won and it ended up in a cursing match to see who had the worst mouth and the most creative way to say things.

Sora, Riku, Roxas and Axel tended to be the entertainment section of their group. Axel was so full of himself that only Roxas seemed to be able to deflate his ego. And Zexion was fine with not knowing what he whispered in his ears to shut him up. Sora was the little angle, the Good Samaritan, the nicest person who was always with the sarcastic and untroubled Riku. There was never an uninteresting moment with them.

Marluxia and Larxene were just the nymphomaniacs. That's all that needed to be said.

And Demyx…

Demyx was his puzzle. His heart-wrenching, not-so-wanted puzzle. And he liked every minute of it, wanting it to last just a little longer.

They stayed at a hotel that night. One room, two beds and a lot of empty space; it was loud. Demyx had turned on the TV, some music channel that once again neither liked and made sure the volume was all the way up. Many people might have complained but the two in the room never got any disturbance.

It had been a long day and Zexion was cold. His shoes were muddy, his socks were drenched and his pants were probably frozen. He hadn't changed out of his clothes, knowing the risks of getting sick but not having the energy.

He was just tired. "Turn it down." His voice was muffled by the music. He sighed, sitting down on his bed. His sheets were already soaked. Glancing over, the clock read twelve. The next day was just going to be longer.

"Turn it down." Nothing happened. He was sure he said that loud enough, but instead finally started to tear of his clothing piece by piece. The each landed with a wet thump on the ground. He was going to have to wash them. When making it to his boxers, he glanced over.

Demyx had fallen asleep, the TV full blast. Zexion sighed again digging threw his bag and grabbing some pants and slipping them on. He turned off the TV and stripped Demyx of his wet clothes. He tucked him in and stood above him.

The blond had a small smile on his face, and Zexion swept his hair back from his forehead. He leaned down and paused.

"Zexion…"

The blue-haired man pulled back and got in his own bed and went to sleep.

The Greeting:

Part II

Earlier that day, a call had gone off. Everybody had sprung into action, noises and screams of 'hurry up!' filled the place. Roaring engines, sirens and screeching tires had come to life. But now silence was all that was left. Through the many halls, beds had been disturbed. Many blankets covered the floor and pillows were in odd places. No fire suits hung on their appointed hangers and no shoes were placed underneath them.

It eerie feeling would make someone want to cover their ears. No wind, it was still. It was scary still. None of the usual laughter was here. No cursing, no screaming at stupid jokes. None of it was here. Not even a breath came.

It was silent. The call had been made.

He hadn't noticed the intense stare that was directed at him. He supposed he should've. But he didn't. They had gone to the park outside his complex and just watched the kids play, not complain that it was way below freezing weather. Rubbing his hands together, some kids yelled and waved at him. He smiled a little. Just a little.

He soon found his hands in an embrace. Much tanner ones held onto his tightly. He didn't look up at Demyx and just continued to watch the kids. A younger one, maybe his neighbors cocked his head to the side, tongue out as he stared at the two men. Zexion saw his hands twitch slightly. But everything for the boy was forgotten as another kid came up and dragged him to play, both laughing. Next to him, Demyx leaned his head up against his shoulder.

He should have pushed him away.

Panting heavily, Zexion ran carefully through the burning building. Smoke was everywhere, clouding his already blurred vision. Axel had gone the other way with Riku, probably finding that room full of people. Roxas and Sora were on the first and second floor, clearing the kids that had been there out. He could hear the thundering of water hitting the walls outside as Xibar, Luxord and Marluxia handled the hoses. Demyx and Larxene most likely handled the other one.

He rounded a corner, quickly climbing unstable stairs. He yelled, wanting to hear the voice. Through the crackling of flames, a soft whimper came. He sprinted down there, his light foot steps barely making a thudding noise. Though his heart beat may have been too loud to be able to hear them.

The door was easy to knock down; it was the person who was hard. He called out again, keeping his voice calm. A thump was heard and a closet door was opened. Many papers flew out and the woman just sat there, coughing and weak. When asked her name, she said Kairi. He said he was going to help her.

He picked her up, making sure he had a good grip ran out of the room, half of it collapsing in on itself. Luckily, she wasn't a screamer. He hoped it wasn't because she had stopped breathing.

He rounded that same corner but paused as he saw there were no stairs. At least fifteen feet, he was stuck on the fifth floor.

Up in his apartment, the awkward air that surrounded them outside grew tense.

"Zexion."

He was fine with watching his old grandfather clock swing back and forth. He didn't want to talk, but didn't want it to be so quiet. He was being selfish. "I like you." He shook his head. He was being stubborn. "Please, look at me." Zexion didn't.

"Look at me!"

He winced at the volume. "No."

"Why not?"

No answer came immediately. Zexion stood and stayed in the same position. "I'm not going to be another thing you do out of boredom." Demyx froze from grabbing the man.

Making a split decision as violet eyes peered up at him, confused, he took a few steps back and sprinted. Zexion liked to jump. It was slow and he had always felt like he could just sit there and float. But in a burning building, it was much different. His legs were sluggish and made him feel much heavier. The smoke entered his lungs so much easier now that his mask was covering the girls face. It might have been smarter to close his mouth.

The fall was worse. Not sure where exactly to put his feet, he bent his leg and held his breath. Letting out a grunt, he staggered. Glancing at Kairi once more, he bit back the pain of his twisted ankle and ran. Gasping much more, letting more polluted air in, he sprinted down more flights of stairs. Passing, he didn't see any of his friends, knowing they all made it out. He ran faster.

The doors were wide open and he could see many people on the other side. Only a few more steps, he felt something break. Stumbling, he let out a pained hiss. Kairi latched on to him tighter. Slamming against the door frame he looked around in panic. His eyes met a lot of red. Looking back, he noticed something none had. A gas tank. Surprised it hadn't blown up yet, he glanced down at the girl.

"Sorry." She cocked her head to the side. "Axel!" The red head looked up, a small smile on his face at his friend. He started to rush forward as he saw he wasn't moving. But instincts kicked in when he saw his arms and upper body twist around, throwing a girl in the air. He ran forward, catching the girl who gave a squeak of surprise. She pointed frantically at Zexion but he was thrown back slightly, turning away as the bottom of the building exploded.

He wished Demyx wouldn't do anything. But this was Demyx. So he kissed him instead. And he still didn't push him away. Even though his neck was in an awkward place, being pulled down and twisted, he continued to let the other rest his lips on his. When he pulled away he whispered in a voice he didn't recognize, "You're just making this harder."

Demyx smirked. "I would hope so."

"Don't joke."

"I'm not." There was doubt. But he was glad and couldn't help but let that feeling grow. He leaned down.

Nothing was quiet. Screams filled the place and yells were passed between the firearms. Glancing around, Demyx spotted him. He was a good twenty feet away from where he stood before. Racing, he slid on his knees next to him. He lightly brushed burnt hair out of the man's face. "Zexion?" He could've screamed when he heard that grunt.

But a coughing fit ensued and Demyx glanced at the body. Clothes torn and blood covering black snow, he called the paramedics. Gasping, breathing not easy, Zexion opened his eyes. "You better not die."

"Why… do I-I find that line s-s-so ch-chees-s-y?"

Demyx' heart skipped a beat. The voice sounded so weak. "I realized something." Zexion held his hands, hearing the paramedics coming. "We've never said hello to each other. So you can't say goodbye. Goodbye comes after hello. So you can't say goodbye." He leaned his head down to touch Zexion's forehead with his own. "I love you."

Outside, some kids were still playing and their laughter traveled. His windows were open, letting cold air touch heated skin. Somewhere, he knew everything he learned was being thrown away. Anything he knew no longer applied. It was pure bliss he knew of now. Through kisses, touches and moans, all he knew now was this euphoric feeling.

Intoxicating and poisonous, it hurt. With every move, with every cry from Demyx, it burned. As he moved – out, in, out, in – it felt so damn hurtful. He wanted to scream, to shout obscenities that even Xigbar would applaud to. But he didn't. He concentrated on the feel of Demyx' nails tearing the skin on his back. The soft whimpers of pleasure escaping an abused mouth. The silent tears of joy and pain and ecstasy traveling down his face – it was insanely, horribly wonderful.

Every thrust, every panted breath, every shaking muscle beneath him was gloriously beautiful. He wanted more. Just more, more, more. "Zexion, I… I love you so much." And that hot breath. It just pushed him over the edge.

The shaking body beneath him, he heard Zexion whisper, "Hello." Demyx screamed as the paramedics dragged him off the man.

The Greeting:

Part III – End

He supposed he was hopeless.

It would only feed Demyx' ego that he woke up when he was there. The blond stared, blinked and stared some more but eventually smiled at him. Zexion was sure he should have gotten the nurse or doctor, but he was content with just Demyx.

"Sora and Riku were here earlier. Along with that girl, Kairi. She brought so flowers." He pointed to a vase. "Axel and Roxas just went to the cafeteria. They're probably going to meet up with the other three and stop by later." Zexion just stared.

"Oh, Kairi's fine. Luckily, she didn't swallow as much smoke as you." Looking into his eyes for a few minutes running his fingers through his blue hair, Demyx whispered, "Is it bad that I wished you didn't give her that mask?"

Zexion didn't answer.

"You never said hello back." The blond stopped stroking his hair.

"Because your hello sounded more like a goodbye to me." Zexion lifted up his hand. He grabbed Demyx' feeling his slightly shorter hair but not caring.

"Well, hello."

Demy smiled and the door opened behind them as a nurse gasped and called for a doctor. It wasn't long till his friends were outside the door, a doctor pushing through. Demyx didn't let go of his hand.

"Hello."

10/20/09 – Started

10/31/09 – Finished

Side Note: Yeah, I know. I'm horrible. I just can't write sad endings and leave it there. I'm so hopeless. Sorry that it wasn't the greatest piece. Please Review

Penelope.