The reception area of his psychiatrist's office was really quite nice: pale blue walls, sandy carpet, one of those nature soundtracks playing over the speakers. The tv in the corner religiously played The Food Network, solely based on the rational people would be more willing to talk with the feeling of hunger attacking their stomachs. Honest to god; I asked. The receptionist was nice enough, if you ignored the fact that she smelled like soup.

Over the past three months, I had spent countless hours in that room, watching Iron Chef with Soup Lady while Demyx was at his appointment. That was the only way we knew he would go. Today was no different than every other time I'd been there. Same show, same cd, same soup.

A soft vibrating came from my pocket, interrupting the pseudo-beach I was in, much to my relief. "Hello?"

"Your brother called me. How is he?" A voice with a faint Irish accent spoke in my ear.

"Hey Ax. He's alright. Back on is meds, in with his psych now."

Axel sighed. "Good. Y'know, I'm surprised he's not more beat up from last night. That guy got him good."

I nearly dropped my phone. "You were there?"

"Yeah. Me, Saïx, Xig, and Xal pulled him off that guy. We tried running after him, but you know how he can be. Fucking fast."

Now it was my turn to sigh. "Thanks, Ax."

"Anytime. Have you heard anything yet?"

"Should be next month."

"Thanks man. See you tonight."

"See you." Dazed, I shoved my phone in my pocket.

"Ze-Sora?" Demyx said, suddenly right in front of me.

I shook my head, smiling. "Hey. How was it?"

He started towards the door. I followed. "She said I'd be okay, If I stayed on the drugs. She also…" He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Demyx?" I put a hand on his shoulder. Him freezing like that was generally not a good thing. "Come on, buddy, fight back." I whispered.

"She also said," he continued like nothing happened, opening the passenger door to my old SUV. "Well, recommended I stay with you."

I stayed silent. Demyx, stay with me? Rox and I could barely afford to keep the two of us alive. Another body without a job (and incapable of keeping one to boot) would drown us. But… Demyx. Without Zexion, he was an empty shell. He needed someone to look after him again. Maybe I could talk to Roxas, figure something out.

I looked over to Demyx. He looked like the old adorable Demyx for the first time in months: excitement, hope, joy painted just below the surface of his skin. I sighed, smiling. "I'll talk to Roxas about it. See what I can do."

He smiled widely, reached over the center console and hugged me. "Thanks Sora." He kissed my cheek and turned bright red. I laughed. Maybe this switch would stick around. I missed Demyx. This Demyx.

._.

Every night, Demyx would ask. He would ask if we could watch it. The tape. Every night I would give him the same answer: "maybe tomorrow." It wasn't that I didn't trust him. T was the idea of what could happen if he watched it. I couldn't deal with that again. He wouldn't live through it this time. Honestly, I shouldn't have been surprised he wanted to watch it so badly. Why wouldn't he? It was the only remaining…

"Sora. Please?" He begged, sitting on the edge of my, recently our, bed. It wasn't that we didn't give him his own room; he just rather liked sleeping with me.

"Maybe tomorrow." I flinched, falling into the same repetitive trap.

"Fuck, Sora!" His voice raised half an octave. "I'll be fine! I just… I need to watch it."

I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. The pleading in his eyes was enough to make anyone crazy. "Alright, yeah. Get comfy. I'll put it in." Breathing deeply, I stood and slid the tape into my old VCR and pressed play.

"Hey Dem. I hope you slept well." Zexion's young, pained voice spoke through my tv, as if he was in my room, still with us. I turned to look at Demyx's profile. To watch would have been almost like interrupting a very private, intimate moment between the two of them. I could feel his tears coming more that I could see them.

I'd just gotten the call from Roxas. Zexion was dead. Suicide. They hadn't seen Demyx, didn't know if he knew. I ran to his apartment; he knew, but who knew what he'd done or what he'd do. 'Demyx!' I screamed, beating on the door. No response. I frantically kicked the door down, fear clouding any sort of judgement I had. It took a minute or two before I saw him curled into a ball in the corner. 'Demyx?' I said, half expecting him not to respond. Instead, his mulleted head raised itself, his eyes locking with mine. And he cried. I wrapped my arms around him, taking in every full bodied sob he had. There were no words for what had happened. How do you act around someone whose world had just collapsed, had literally just ended? There was no way to do that. There was no way to comfort him, only hold him as he cried endlessly.

As I was now. I had prepared myself for this, but it wasn't enough. He held me, I held him, and we cried solid tears. It hadn't been the first time I'd seen him cry, but it's different when you're crying with him.

Once we were ceased crying, I turned off the tv, VCR, and the lights. We laid there in the dark, silence thick in the air, choking out any sound that attempted to escape.

"I'm sorry, Sora."

The sound of his voice nearly made me scream. "You don't need to apologize." I turned to him.

He turned towards me. "I do. For everything I've put you through since he died."

"Demyx?" He nodded. "If we're having this conversation, you can't leave, got it?" He nodded. "I knew what I was getting into."

"I miss him, Sor. I miss him so much."

I wrapped my arms around his waist. "I miss him too. You knew him better than anyone, but we all miss him." The little amount of light in the room grabbed onto his eyes, making the usually bright blue orbs a pale purple-blue. "Your eyes look beautiful."

"Sora…"

"Really. They do." I kicked myself in the ass: why would I say that to him? He'd just sat there and watched the video of his boyfriend's suicide note. Why did now seem like a good time to tell him I liked his eyes? "What?"

"I asked if… if I could k-kiss you."

I leaned up and took his lips with mine. Salty tear-stained lips brushed against mine. A soft exhale mixed with my own. Hands found their way to my face and neck, caressing them in soft flesh. Heat radiated between the two of us. Bodies were rolled. Tongues begged for entrance. Soft sighs penetrated the air.

"NO!"

I was on my back, head almost off the bed. Oh god, I thought, raising my head. Demyx was pressed against the wall, his hands covering his face.

"No! Zexion! Please, don't do it!" He shrieked repeatedly from behind his hands,

"Demyx!" I screamed over him, forcefully grabbing his wrists. He yelped, immediately starting to calm down slowly. "Deep breaths. You are fine. You are safe." I felt him grow limp in my grasp. "Don't leave me now, Demyx. Stay with me."

His eyes fluttered open, the pale purple-blue orbs bloodshot and teary. "Sora…" He started, breaking back into full bodied sobs. A frantic knock on the door snapped me out of the trance I'd put myself in. I wrapped a blanket around him, kissed his forehead, and answered.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Roxas asked, barely half-dressed and rather annoyed. I glared at him, hoping to get the essential idea across without saying. He sighed. "Bring him downstairs. Axel!" He walked down the hall towards the stairs.

I moved slowly towards the shaking man. "Demyx?" He raised his head, his eyes huge and puffy. I offered him my hand. "Come with me. You're safe." Gingerly, he took it and I led him downstairs to the couch. "Lay down, Roxas is making you that tea you like. "

He nodded, laid down and took my hand. "Promise you won't leave me." Roxas came through with a tray with two mugs on it. Demyx half-smiled in thanks.

"Sit up a minute, munchkin." He smiled and raised his head. I sat down and he dropped his head into my lap. "Now I won't go anywhere. I promise."