Chapter: 4/10

Words: 2591

AN: Chapter four already! Wow, I've only been writing this since the 27th of January. XD Man, I'm so hooked on this story. I've had the same some in my head for DAYS, now. ;; So, here we go. :3

Warnings: Ienzo POV, DISNEY MAGIC, fluff if you squint

Day 92: Barely Even Friends

Today I manage to wake up early; I didn't want to be stuck with Braig again so soon after waking up. I spent a good deal of time watching out the window. No, as much as Braig would like to see it, I wasn't looking at Aeleus as he did whatever it was he was doing down there; I focus more on the odd, purple-pink flower that had worked its way up to my window. I felt it was odd, how it randomly appeared there after not even having a tendril up here yesterday. Opening up the large window, I reach out to grab it and found that it, indeed, has landed up here somehow and had not grown up the side of the castle. It was an awfully long way up, though, to be put there by someone who didn't have a good reason, and that kind of worries me.

Braig's words reverberate in my head again and I close my eyes, attempting to bang my head into the window before I realize that the window is still open. I feel my body plummeting to the ground and I feel it's all going far too fast. I'm flailing as I cry out, eyes clenched shut. Behind them, I'm seeing my young life flashing behind me, I can feel my boxers flowing around my thighs and I know the end is near. That is, until I feel something oddly warm and comforting around my body; it's slick, too. And hard, but not painfully so. I hear a grunt and blink, opening up my eyes one at a time, incredibly slowly.

Up above my head, the first thing I see are brilliant blue eyes, followed by tan skin, a worried expression, and orange hair hanging slightly over his face and nearly touching mine. It's at this point that I realize that he's probably too close to my face, but it's how he caught me. He's holding me close with those strong arms of his, pressed up against that muscular chest...and I find my blood vessels expanding again; my face feels hot. The only thing I can get out is soft and shaken-sounding.

"A-aeleus..."

"Ienzo...you need to be more careful. I don't know what we would do if we lost you." Maybe he meant the work load? A six-person load put upon five people could be very tedious and not the best way to spend the day. They wouldn't get as much free time without me around. Or as much food. I'm useful. That's all he could mean, right?

"I...I'm s-sorry..."

"We should take you to see Even, to make sure you are not hurt." And with that, he took me off and back into the castle. I'd never been in the garden, before, and, while this was a very...strange way of visiting it, I find myself kind of happy. There's some odd part of me that thinks this was meant to happen and is actually glad it did. Well, for the most part. I definitely could have done without the seemingly harmlessl plummet into Aeleus' arms. It wasn't quite that he caught me that had me bothered; it was that he had had to catch me in the first place. That stupid-- and then I realize I've forgotten something.

"A-aeleus...the flower..." I whimper, and he remains silent, carrying me inside and directly into the lab. He didn't even stop for it; it was sort of weird. When we got to the lab, he lay me down on an exam table and I hardly move. My arms glue themselves to my stomach and hips and I find myself too scared to budge even one centimeter. He brought Even over to me, and the man slid his glasses off his face slowly, carefully folding them and placing them safely in his pocket.

"You fell from your bedroom window?" The silver-haired male questions, a delicate brow rising. He sounded incredulous.

"Y-yes..." I sigh, looking away; just my luck, Aeleus is in my sight. It's at this point that I realize I'm naked save for my kitty cat boxers. I self-consciously start to try to cover myself, but I know it's of no use; Aeleus and Even have both seen everything except for what my underwear hides. After a few moments of watching me squirm, Even begins the body check, looking me over. There were several dozen bruises all over my body and I have a slight fracture on my right index finger, from where I had landed in Aeleus' arms. Other than that, I'm fairly okay and able to walk to my room.

However, I've been given an escort. Guess who? Yes, I'm being tailed by Aeleus. He walks behind me for a moment, and I feel his eyes washing over my body. That's when I slow down a little and let my legs wobble.

"Ienzo, are you alright?" I feel his hands on my shoulders and I give a simple, weak reply.

"Mnn..." I act like I'm dizzy and slump a little. Little do I realize that this would be the behavior to have myself lifted again. He carries me bridal style up to my room and helps me under the covers of my bed, giving me the barest hint of a smile and a caress of my hair before he turns and leaves. I don't remember much else, but I'm pretty sure I fell asleep sometime between his touch and his vacation of my room.

When I blink myself awake, I have a killer headache and my finger hurts. I look at it; it's in a split. I glance over at my clock and find the glaring red numbers telling me it just became 7:09. A long look at my window, now closed, has me realizing that it has to be in the evening. I shakily sit up and slowly place my legs, one at a time, over the edge of the bed. A yawn and stretch later and I'm looking intently at my desk. There, in a beaker, sit six of those flowers from this morning, calmly soaking up my attention as if nothing about them is wrong.

Forcing myself out of bed despite the many aches and complaints of my body, I head to my closet. As much as I know Aeleus saw me mostly naked already, I don't really like the thought of showing off more of my body to him. I decide to forsake a shower and just tug on new clothes, my boxers joining the rest of the dirty laundry in the hamper. I tug on a plain black shirt and a pair of blue jeans with a few rips around the knees and yank on a pair of battered and beaten shoes. I then head out and to the library, despite being unable to find the keys. I have a feeling Aeleus took them and let himself into my library.

I make it down to the gargantuan room to find a field of books ready to be put up; a good deal of them from Even and Xehanort. I went about easily packing most of them away; they were smaller books and things easier for me to move. I have to load up the cart with the heavier books and push them to their shelves, but at some point, I note that the books have to go up to the right height to rest. Sadly, I'm not even as strong as usual, and this doesn't seem like it would work out all that well. I hobble up the ladder as best I can, heavy book in hand as I try to make it up. By some miracle, I make it to the right shelf, but getting the book up and into it is a whole different animal. I struggle and strain to get it to work, but no matter what I do, nothing does.

However, suddenly, the ladder shook a little; my tired brain doesn't think anything of it, until a large hand moves and takes the book away from me, slipping it into its spot. The owner of said hand pushes that barrel chest of his into my back, nice and tightly, making me shiver and my brain set off on a thinking tirade, as per usual.

You know, it is quite possible for him to like you. You're a likeable guy; so cute and tiny. You're like the right size to fit in his arms, he feels like he can save you. If you needed a man, you'd need a big man to protect you. And I'm sure he needs a little man to tell him what to do. You know you would win at that job, Ienzo.

Part of my brain would say one thing, the other part would say another.

Ienzo, you don't need a man and you know that. You're self-sufficient, no matter how many times Braig has told you that masturbation is not the key to happiness. You don't need sex, either. You know you're perfectly fine on your own, that we don't need him! You should stop this now, before it gets out of hand and you put yourself in a bad situation!

The left and right sides of my brain are in an angry battle of tug-o-war with my emotions, drawing me from happy to angry in two small tugs. I don't know what to do, I've never been in a situation like this before! But I do find myself questioning more than just his love for me. However, a devious small portion of my brain does drop a bit of good advice.

Hey, you should ask him to help you put the rest of the books away.

"Aeleus...would you mind doing me a favor? Usually I can handle the big books...but I hurt so badly..."

"Of course, Ienzo." He smiles a little, climbing down the ladder and picking me up off of it, carrying me by my arm pits over to his chair and snuggling me down into it. I've never been in a chair that could eat me alive before. I watch him lazily as he puts away my books with practiced ease; it's like he had been the library attendant before I had showed up. Maybe he had been; he spends plenty of time in here.

As I watch him work, I find my mind questioning why it is he likes me, of all people.

"Aeleus...has everyone had dinner, yet?" I make sure he can hear me.

"Yes, we have. It was chicken stir fry. I'm fairly sure that Braig ate all that was left...would you like me to make you something?" He's offering to cook for me?

"Mm...I'll go with you. Maybe I can help."

"No, you're hurt. I'm not a bad cook, I promise." I nod a little and sigh. Once he's finished packing everything away, he returns the cart to the front of the library before returning for me. He lifts me onto his shoulders, my crotch at his neck and my arms around his forehead. I lean against his head and he doesn't even seem to notice; he must have a strong neck, as well. I close my eyes as he walks and I'm very thankful for the high doorways and ceilings in this place.

He takes me into the kitchen and sits me down on a counter. I shiver a little; it's cold on my rear, and these pants aren't very thick. I watch him navigate the kitchen and he really doesn't do a bad job. Within thirty minutes, he had me seated in the dining room with a rather nice dinner made from leftovers. We had made a sort of chicken soup without the noodles, and covered cheese and garlic biscuits in it, a couple days ago; my own recipe. It is delicious, even as left overs.

We sit together in silence, despite the fact that he Italk to me more than anyone else. Am I starting to become proud of that fact? Thankfully, this silence is oddly comfortable.

"I never really thanked you for saving me." I say finally, blushing slightly. I'm glad the lights are dim and he can't see it.

"No need. I did it because I...owe it to everyone to keep you alive." He takes a long pause and almost looks as if he's warring with himself over something. He seems to falter a moment before he finally speaks. "You know...about the Open House ball in fourteen days, don't you?"

"Mhm...I didn't realize it would be so soon, though..." I offer in reply. I really hadn't thought much about it for a while, to be completely and totally honest. I really don't want to go; Ansem expects us all to have a date, and the whole town and their grandmothers are coming. It's not so much an open house as it is an excuse to have a huge dance, in my opinion.

"Would...you be so kind as to...attend with me?" I blink.

"Hmm?"

"...will you be my date, Ienzo?" If I had been blushing before, now my face is nearly as red as the plate I'm eating from. I choke slightly on my biscuit and swallow carefully, looking down into my dish as if it will give me all of the right answers.

"...let me think about it. Is that alright?" I don't want to just turn him down...because I'm starting to question my own feelings, as well.

"Of course...are you finished?" He changes the subject nice and fast.

"Yes, just about." I take a few more bites and push the plate back as a gesture.

"Let me put that away and I'll take you back to your room." He's so nice. I nod a little and wait. He heads off to take care of it, and when he returns, I'm hoisted back onto his shoulders and carried the long walk upstairs and to the end of the hallway. He opens the door slowly and heads for the bed, but I stop him.

"Can you sit me at my desk, please? I can make it to the bed when I'm finished. I just...want to write a little."

"Of course." He gives me a small smile once I'm seated and he pats my head. He spares a glance at my flowers and his smile widens a bit, and it's instantly obvious to me who put them there. But when I look back at him, his stoic mask is back on, stronger than before.

"Thank you, Aeleus, for everything." I smile, and soon he's gone to his own room.

Dear Diary -

I honestly don't know what happened today, but between waking up and nearly dying, falling asleep, waking up again and a little bit of work...I think I've finally started to believe Braig and Dilan when they say that Aeleus likes me. He wouldn't have gone out of his way like that if he didn't, would he?

The one thing that's really bothering me is that I can't seem to place why he would want me in the first place. Sure, I'm cute and tiny, but I wouldn't think that that is the basis for a solid man like him to crush on me for. I don't think I'll ever understand it, but...I'm honestly glad that he does. I probably wouldn't be here right now if he didn't.

Anyway, I have to get going, my finger's hurting pretty bad and I think it's time for bed. I slept most of the day, and yet I'm still drained. Goodnight, Diary.

AN: Alright, there's chapter four! I hope you guys like this...it's coming together fairly well, for me, I think. :3