Here's the next chapter. It's short, and I don't really have time to type out an author's not, but I'm going to try. Okay, so as I'm sure you figured out, this is supposed to be Zexion's struggles with fatherhood, but no one left any reviews. I really wanted to do this because the idea was floating in my head for a while. So, there.

I don't own nothing. And blah blah blah. Enjoy.

The next semester started without a problem. Demyx had so kindly switched to night classes so the baby could be watched while I was a school during the day. I don't know why he did that. I didn't ask him to. He just took it upon himself to change his entire life even though I was supposed to be the one doing that. But, I think we both knew that that wasn't going to happen. Someone was going to have to sacrifice.

And, again, it wasn't going to be me.

So, for months, that's how it was. I went to school during the day while Demyx watched the baby, and then he went to his night classes while I ignored the baby. Unfortunately, I had regretfully underestimated the baby's growth patterns, for whenever I would walk away from the car seat, that child would cry until he could see me again. I was astounded that this being was so clingy. And I wasn't able to get my work done as well as I usually did.

So, I did the next logical thing. I pooled as much money as I could spare. Feeding, clothing, and diapering the baby was sucking my bank account dry. There was no end in sight either, with made me dispirited. And that made me depressed. But, nevertheless, I bought a voice recognition writing software so I could write my papers while holding the little bundle that was quickly becoming a squirming bundle.

And, my grades improved. However, Demyx was beginning to get more involved with his studies, just like me, and had to leave the dorm for longer periods of time. I didn't protest. I just knew that, if I had to, that baby would cry in his car seat while I rested. I needed to be fully charged when I started taking my actual surgical practice classes. I was going to be working on the brain, so there was no room for failure. No room for mistakes.

I was sitting at my desk, drawing a chart of the brain when a soft knock alerted me to Demyx's return. That's the system we set up. Or rather, I set it up because I didn't want the baby to see me. We knock on the door softly, and the person in the room either opens the door for them if the baby is asleep, or leaves them, and the person comes in. After thirty seconds, Demyx came in, sweating and carrying a bunch of cases.

He set them down and turned back out the door. He came in with more equipment. Microphones, stands, and guitars. I watched him for a while. The baby was up, and looking straight at me, trying to gain my attention. I didn't return the unconditionally loving stare, but I glanced at it, and it seemed satisfied with that.

"What are you doing?" I asked Demyx when he finally finished and closed the door.

"I'm preparing for a gig," he answered. He seemed slightly put out, but it was probably because I hadn't even lifted a finger to help him. But, I hadn't intended to anyway, so I was fine.

But, I couldn't help my eyes falling into that holier-than-thou half lidded glare that I often got when I was annoyed. In all fairness, I was annoyed most of the time, and that had increased exponentially when that little slut showed up with the baby. I wanted to get rid of it, but I didn't have the time or the money to find it a home. And I wasn't about to just leave it somewhere, then everyone would know that it was mine, and they would shun me even more.

I couldn't help that I was better than them. I just was, and I had to maintain this illusion of perfection, or I would be cast out of my field before I even got the chance to start. I was only a few years away from my degree, and then I had seven years residency, and then I would begin to establish myself.

The only thing I needed now was to start looking for a job at a hospital. Even if it was just filing patient charts, and cleaning rooms that were empty. I was going to do that at the end of this semester, but the baby was going to take that away from me. I tried to get rid of him in every way possible. I even called my parents, and asked them, but they gave me that silence that they would when they were teaching me a lesson.

"You need to take care of your own responsibilities now, son," my dad said. I wanted to punch him in the face.

"We love you, honey," my mom sang. "We just want you to do well in life."

That, I knew was complete and utter bullshit. They didn't want to help me because they had freedom, and they were just like me, selfish beyond reason. They weren't about to give that freedom up. They didn't even want to see him. But, then again, neither did I.

I just wanted everything to disappear. I soon realized that I wasn't going to be able to go to school for much longer if I couldn't figure out a way to keep the baby alive while I was not with it. It was always crying for me now. Months flew by and it felt like I had received this barely breathing bundle of regret on my doorstep only yesterday.

It was now babbling, and drooling a lot, and I couldn't keep up with its demands. I would try to get my work done, but as soon as I got my flow started, it would cry for me. Even when Demyx was watching him so I could study for finals, all I heard was that pitiful thing's attempts at speech.

"He wants you," Demyx said, smiling as the baby giggled and kicked in his arms. "He knows you're his dad."

I spun around. "Don't you ever associate me with that thing!" I spat. "I am not its father!"

Demyx arched an eyebrow, and the baby didn't cry like I had expected, but reached out for me. Its eyes were just like mine, gray and bright. But, I could see happiness. Or at least, that's what I identified it as. It reached up for me, and I turned away. I didn't need this right now. I was busy with my work, and my lab practice final was tomorrow afternoon.

I needed to focus.

"He loves you, you know," Demyx said after a few hours. The baby was sleeping on his chest, and he was lying on the bed singing softly. I could barely hear him, but even his voice was a source of unobtainable beauty.

I didn't answer him right away. I hated that child, and it had the nerve to love me? I couldn't stand that Demyx was right, because almost as soon as he said that, that child woke up and wailed for me. I could even tell that it wanted me. It had that high pitch of happiness and slight anxiety in it. I sighed, dropping my papers and books, and I stood up and scooped that baby into my arms. It laughed as soon as it saw my uncaring face, and yanked at my hair.

I almost dropped it. I actually was thinking about it, seriously contemplating letting my arms fall to my side, so I could accidently drop that baby. I wanted him dead. Gone. Away from me and it seemed that dropping him would be the best solution to that problem. But, Demyx was here, and he was watching me, like he knew what I was thinking. I don't know how he did it, but he could read me like an open book.

He had that way about him that made me angrier at him. More because he could decode my mannerisms faster than I could analyze them. It was like he was reading my mind, and I didn't like that. I wanted to tell him to piss off, but he was my only friend. So I bit my tongue, for maybe the first and only time in my life.

"You really should love him," Demyx said to me as he made his way into the little kitchenette we had. "He really does love you, even though you ignore him."

"It doesn't matter to me," I scoffed. The baby pulled at my hair again. "It's just a distraction, and it will be taken care of."

"Stop calling him it." Demyx spat. "He's your baby. He's in need of love and care and attention. And his name is Wes."

"Well, it doesn't matter to me," I shouted. "And there isn't a God damn thing you can do about it! Just leave it the fuck alone!"

Demyx stared at me with an open mouth. I stole his words, because he was going to yell at me back. He just glared at me, grabbed his coat and stormed off. And I was glad that he was gone. He was going to go and get drunk. That's what he did when I would get on his nerves and he didn't want to sit in silence. He would leave, drink with his friends, then come back and make amends.

That pissed me off. I squeezed the baby in my arms, and it grunted in discomfort. I relaxed a little and put the baby on my bed. I figured that I needed to get some sleep. I had been sitting next to the baby for a few minutes. He babbled softly, and stared at me for a while before sleep took it to whatever world babies dreamed of. And it wasn't long before the same thing happened to me.

I had been asleep for maybe ten minutes, when I startled myself. I don't what woke me exactly, but I could feel panic rising in my chest and I looked around myself without getting up. The baby was asleep right next to me, turned on its side, clutching my shirt.

I was going to push it away, but I didn't want to wake it up, so I just laid there. I could hear it breathing softly, and when I could see it, it smiled in its sleep. I was disgusted with being so close to it. It was forming an attachment to me, and I couldn't have that. But, still, I remained there. I was tired from studying so much, and my anxiety was starting to get the better of me. I was tired now, and I knew I would still be tired tomorrow morning when I took my lab exam.

I was going to be removing a tumor from a cadaver, but the professor would be right over me, breathing down my neck while he watched my every move. Asking me questions while I worked. It was supposed to be like a real surgery, only my 'patient' wouldn't die if I fucked up. And this child forming an attachment was the last thing I needed on my mind.

"Hey."

I opened my eyes. Demyx was leaning over me, breathing on my face. He was drunk, I could smell it.

"What?" I asked. I was angry that he had been drinking. When Demyx got drunk, he usually stayed up all night, playing half assed school projects, and morbid symphonies. It still sounded beautiful, but it was annoying.

"Did you do that on purpose?"

"What?" I hissed.

"Wes." Demyx hiccupped. "He's lying right next to you. Did you finally get some sense?"

"You're drunk," I said. I pushed his face away from me.

Demyx giggled, but left me alone. He flopped on his bed, and I could hear his snores after a few minutes. I could've sworn he had classes, but I guess he wasn't going. I sighed. I couldn't stay up all night and watch this baby. I had to rest. But, it was asleep next to me. And I was sleeping stock still. I could just close my eyes for a few minutes.

But, no sooner did I do that, did that baby start crying. I sat up. I wanted to leave him, but Demyx was passed out, and I needed to get sleep, so I stood up, made a quick bottle, and shoved it in that thing's mouth. Almost instantly, it stopped crying. It looked at me with a look of pure love, and I turned away, not wanting to form a connection. If I didn't make eye contact, it wouldn't be able to love me.

I didn't need its love. I needed to pass this test. So, I laid back down, positioned myself next to the baby and fell asleep. The last thought on my mind that night was how on earth I was going to pass this test. And, I was completely unaware that I had formed a protective cocoon around the baby.

That is, until I woke the next morning.

So, there you go. Uhhh...For those of you who read The Nobody Virus, the next chapter will come soon. Sorry about any delays.

Has a nice day. :)