Demyx and Zexion walked down the hallways of Twilight Town High School discussing a very, very serious topic.
Demyx sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You have to tell him eventually, Zexion."
"I'll tell him when he is ready."
"You mean when you're ready."
"No, I mean him, Demyx," Zexion pulled Demyx into an empty classroom. "Dem, my dad's homophobic and plus, the guy hates me, God knows why. He would disown me if he knew, and that's if I'm lucky."
Demyx sighed again. "I miss your mom, she would've accepted it..."
"Well, she's not around anymore, is she?" Zexion was quickly on the verge of tears.
"Aw, Zexy, I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't-"
"It's alright Dem, I'm fine."
Demyx pulled Zexion into a tight embrace as Zexion wiped away fresh tears.
Demyx slightly loosened his grip and looked at his best friend. "As your friend," He began, "I will take you in if you are disowned." He hopped on top of a nearby desk and smiled at Zexion. " Anyway, I'm sure my parents won't mind an extra mouth. They know my situation."
Zexion sat on a desk across from him. "You told them already?"
"Of course. They're perfectly fine with me being gay, I'm sure they'll be fine with you, too."
"Oh, well, thanks Dem."
"No problem," Demyx checked the standard (and by standard I mean super, duper, incredibly, OLD) classroom clock. "but we should be getting home. Don't wanna be locked in here, do we?" They both laughed and walked out of the school together, only to go their separate ways on the way home.
Zexion opened the door to his home and stepped inside, dropping his school bag on the floor.
"Hey, dad? I'm home."
Zexion's father sat in his recliner in front of the T.V. like he did ever day when Zexion got home. He barely even acknowledged his own son, even though there was much to notice and be proud of. Zexion was a straight A student, top of all his classes, and hand unimaginable talent with a violin. His father just... didn't care...
Zexion then had a decision to make right there in the livingroom.
To tell, or not to tell?
'Demyx is right, I have to tell him sooner or late; it might as well be sooner.'
"H-hey dad? Can I talk to you for a minute?"
A small vein popped out on Zexion's father's neck in irritation at his son's voice. "What is it?"
"I-I'm, uh..."
"Spit it out, boy." He stood from his chair and turned to face his son.
Zexion forced his eyes shut and swallowed hard.
"I'm gay."
The pent up anger and frustration in Zexion's father was partially released when his fist met Zexion square in the jaw.
Demyx was sitting on his bed plucking away at his sitar when his cell phone vibrated the sheets.
Zexion Ishida
"Hey, what's up?"
Zexion's voice was shaking. "C-can I c-come over?"
Demyx sat up on his knees and placed his sitar on the floor beside him. "Zexion? Are you okay?ཀ What happened?ཀ"
"Can I just c-come over, please?" Demyx a light static in the background. Rain, he realized. Why was he outside?
"Y-yea, of course. Do you need me to pick you up?"
"N-no... I'll be there in a-" There was a violent cough. "in a little bit."
"Alright."
Silence
Demyx ran out of his room, down the stairs, and toward the door. However, before he could even get his hand on the doorknob his mother's voice stopped him.
"And where are you going?" She placed her hands on her hips and locked her eyes on the back of her son's neck.
Demyx silently swore and turned to his mother, a fake smile plastered on his face. "Oh, nowhere, mom. Meetin' Zexy at his house and then walking back here. Is it okay is he spends the night?"
"Sure." She turned and walked into the kitchen, not missing the anxious gleam in Demyx's eyes. She knew better than to probe him with questions, so she decided against it. She walked into the kitchen and whispered to the mint green wall. "I hope Zexion is okay..."
Demyx ran through the rain and darkness toward Zexion's house, the only lights leading him there the dim light posts, slipping on the slick concrete several times on the way. He turned down Zexion's street and stopped dead in his tracks. His sea green eyes met violet ones with a slight black and blue bruise forming around one. Zexion was curled up on the ground in a jumbled heap, holding onto his knees. There were many bumps and bruises among his body, and a gash across his torso. A small pool of blood was forming near his head.
Demyx stared in horror at Zexion's depleted body, pale from the cold rain and loss of blood. He scooped him into his arms and held him close as he ran through the rain once again and into his home, not stopping to explain to his mother what had happened to his best friend, for he didn't know himself. He carefully placed Zexion on his bed and locked the door. He grabbed a wet cloth from the adjoined bathroom and pressed it against Zexion's various wounds, not worrying about the condition his bed would be in afterwards.
"Zexion? Zexion, can you hear me?ཀ" Demyx called to him frantically, surrounding his flushed, limp body with countless blankets to retain any remaining body heat.
"D.. Dem..?" Zexion's voice was hoarse and barely even audible.
Demyx fell to his knees beside the bed and rubbed Zexion's frozen hand between his own. "Yes, yes it's me. Zexion, what happened to you?ཀ?"
"Nothi-"
"You know damn well that's a shit answer. Tell. Me. What. Happened." Demyx's grip on Zexion's hand tightened slightly.
Zexion coughed harshly on the back of his free hand, tinting it a deep red.
"Okay, fine Demyx, you win. I... I knew he wouldn't accept me. I knew I shouldn't have told him." Zexion coughed once more, a violent tremor rocking him from the inside.
Demyx released his grip on Zexion's hand and moved his face slowly toward his and whispered. "Wait, Zexion. Are you telling me your father did this to you?"
All Zexion could do was nod.
That's when Demyx broke down into a typhoon of emotions. Anger, hatred, sadness, disgust, all of it. Warm tears found there way down his face as he slid to the floor. "How? How could he do that to you? How?ཀ I'll kill that sonofabitch if it's the last thing I doཀ"
Zexion slowly reached down and stroked Demyx's hair. "Demyx, don't think too deeply into this." Demyx opened his mouth to protest, but Zexion silenced him. "Demyx, can you do me a favor? Play a song for me." He pointed to the sitar Demyx discarded earlier. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep."
"What kind of song?" Demyx asked.
"Something...pleasurable to the ear... if you please."
Demyx stood and lightly kissed Zexion's forehead. "Anything for you, babe."Zexion felt I small smile curve his lips at the new title he was given.
Demyx walked to the other side of the bed and grabbed his sitar. He sat beside Zexion and helped him sit up against the pillow cushioned headboard. Demyx strummed the first chord and began.
We'll write a song,
that turns out the lights
When both boy and girl
start suddenly,
shaking inside
Don't waste your time,
speed up you're breathing
Just close your eyes
We'll hope it's not for nothing at all
Soft kiss and wine
What a pretty friend of mine,
we're finally intertwined
Nervous and shy
for the moment we will come alive
tonight
Secret Valentine
We'll write a song,
that turns out the lights
When both boy and girl
start suddenly,
shaking inside
Don't waste your time,
speed up you're breathing
Just close your eyes
We'll hope it's not for nothing at all
Lay down, be still
don't worry talk they will
I'll be loving you until
Mornings first light
brings tomorrow, I'll take care of you
tonight
Secret Valentine
We'll write a song,
that turns out the lights
When both boy and girl
start suddenly,
shaking inside
Don't waste your time,
speed up you're breathing
Just close your eyes
We'll hope it's not for nothing at all
When guilt fills your head
Brush off, rise up from the dead
This is the moment that we well come alive
Brace yourself for love, sweet love, secret love
We'll write a song,
that turns out the lights
When both boy and girl
start suddenly,
shaking inside
Don't waste your time,
speed up you're breathing
Just close your eyes
We'll hope it's not for nothing at all
Nothing at all
Demyx plucked the last note and looked over at his best-friend-turned-boyfriend who slept beside him, breathing in and out to an unheard rhythm. He placed his sitar on the floor where it was last and lay next to Zexion, wrapping his arms around his thin waist.
To Demyx's dismay, he didn't see the subconscious smile that crossed Zexion's lips until the next morning.