To everyone who reviewed, thank you so much! I apologize if there was some confusion that Chapter 8 was the last chapter. I made a note that it wasn't after I realized that, and I can understand why it seemed that way. But it wasn't, and here is Chapter 9. There will be more after this, too!

I'd like to start by saying (although the story is rated M) there's an F-bomb in this chapter. There's also a whole lot of emotions in it, too. But I really thought it was necessary for the chapter. I hope you enjoy. And please continue with the reviews. I love them!


"This is going to be a complete disaster, Demyx. I can sense it."

Demyx placed his hands on Zexion's shoulders in an effort to calm him. "Zexy, relax. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you're making it seem. Now, hold still so I can fix this thing for you."

Zexion, who, with all his books and good grades, could not tie a tie properly, stopped fidgeting. It was Christmas day and they were at Zexion's house, awaiting his parents' arrival. They'd flown into town late last night, but claimed that the jetlag was too bad for them to be there early. Of course, Zexion new this wasn't true. He knew that she was still having a tough time convincing his father to come to dinner with her, and was probably still arguing with him. This didn't bother Zexion at all. In fact, he would have been much happier if they decided to not show up at all.

Demyx, on the other hand, saw it in a completely different way. He thought of it as an opportunity, a chance for Zexion to prove to his parents that there was nothing wrong with his choice in sexuality. If he could show them how great he and Zexion got along, and just how much he really did love their son, they might change their minds. But even Demyx was a little worried, though he tried not to let it show. Zexion's mother wasn't the one worrying him. It was the father. Demyx remembered all too well how his father had reacted to the news. He only hoped Zexion's father wasn't as horrible as Zexion had made him seem.

Demyx finished with Zexion's tie and fixed his lover's collar. Knowing that Zexion's parents were business people, Demyx knew they enjoyed the finer things in life. Therefore, he insisted they both dress accordingly. Zexion had protested for days, finally giving in with the confession that he couldn't tie a tie. But Demyx had fixed that problem now, and Zexion's shoulders slumped with anxiety.

"I just know it, Dem. I can't help it. No matter what we do, they're never going to accept it." He paused them mumbled something Demyx barely heard. "...They don't have a reason to…"

Demyx glanced at him, confused. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Zexion sighed, shaking his head and looking at the floor. "It doesn't mean anything."

He was lying. Demyx could tell. But if Zexion didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't pester. He'd just find out later, like he always did.

"Cheer up, Zexy," Demyx smiled, raising Zexion's head by placing a finger on his chin. "No matter what happens, you'll still have me. Remember? I promised."

He raised his left hand to show the silver ring shining on his finger. He and Zexion had decided to simply exchange promise rings for Christmas. They'd done that last night in from of Demyx's mother (who cried her eyes out with joy), and Mrs. Tajima, Zexion's aunt. Zexion smiled lightly, raising his hand also, matching silver ring sparkling.

"I did, too."

"I know you did," Demyx smiled. "And what did we say? Even if…?"

Zexion sighed again, knowing he was expected to finish the statement. "Even if we're on opposite ends of the ocean without a boat to get me across, I'll build a bridge to get to you."

"Yay!" Demyx grinned. "Or, you know, you could just swim."

"I know, Dem. But it's not you that I'm worrying about. It's them."

"Aw, come on, Zexy! It'll be fine. Besides, once your mother sees this…" He pointed to himself. "She's gonna melt. Who can resist this?"

Zexion finally managed a laugh, sitting down on his bed. "You got me there, Dem. No getting past that."

Demyx took a seat next to him, giving him a gentle kiss. "That's better. Just keep smiling and it will all be okay."

"Right. Keep smiling. I'll try to do that."

Zexion's parents didn't arrive for another hour. Zexion and Demyx had just finished helping Mrs. Tajima with dinner when they stepped inside. As Demyx approached to meet them for the first time, he was quite impressed. Zexion's father wore an expensive business suit, his black hair combed neatly and a briefcase by his side. His wife was equally impressive, maybe more so. She, too, wore expensive business apparel. Demyx could see that she passed most of her traits to her son; they had the same small build, the slate hair, and the blue eyes. Demyx glanced back and forth between her and Zexion a few times.

Zexion gave his mother a quick hug, but his father only gave him a stern stare. He kept his cool, responding with a pleasant smile. "Mom, Dad. I would like you to meet Demyx."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Nakamura," Demyx said happily, shaking her hand. Her husband didn't offer. "Mr. Nakamura."

"So this is Demyx," Mrs. Nakamura spoke. It was hard to tell if her voice was kind or demeaning. "We've heard a lot about you."

"I've heard a lot about you, too."

Though I won't say what.

Apparently, Mrs. Tajima noticed the tension. "Well, how nice everyone has met. Let's eat!"

And so dinner began, the thickness in the air still looming. They took their seats at the rectangular table. Mr. and Mrs. Tajima sat apart from each other, taking either end of the table, while Zexion's parents sat together on the right. Demyx and Zexion took the left side beside each other, and Saix took the corner between his father and Zexion. Everyone was silent as they ate, and Demyx couldn't help noticing that Zexion had barely eaten a thing. Mr. Nakamura wouldn't even look at his son, but Mrs. Nakamura stole fleeting glances. Demyx was beginning to understand why Zexion was dreading this visit. It was difficult for even him to keep from making a snide comment.

It was Mr. Nakamura that spoke first. "So, Zexion, whatever happened to your little girlfriend?"

"We broke up," Zexion replied bluntly. "I heard she's dating someone else now."

"I see….So what made you…?"

Zexion sighed with impatience. "Why is it so hard for you to say, Dad?"

He didn't answer, and everyone went silent again. A few minutes passed before he spoke again.

"So, you and…"

"Demyx, Dad. His name is Demyx."

"You and Demyx are…serious, then?"

Zexion held up the ring hugging his finger. "Yes."

Zexion's mother gasped in shock. "You're engaged?"

"No. They're promise rings. We…decided we're too young to be engaged."

Demyx was struggling not to comment. Mr. Nakamura was just deliberately being rude, and his wife was almost as rude when she spoke.

"Well, that's a relief," she continued. "You…are too young for that."

Mr. Nakamura frowned. "Have you talked to your girlfriend since-?"

"She's not my girlfriend, Dad," Zexion growled. "Why can't you just accept that I don't like girls?"

Mrs. Nakamura spoke, her voice softer than before. "Zexion, you know we're only worried because of what happened to your brother."

Demyx nearly recoiled in shock. Zexion had a brother?! Why hadn't he mentioned that?!

But Zexion exploded, standing up so fast that his chair tipped to the floor. "But I'm not him, Mother! I'm nothing like him, and I never will be! I'm sorry that I'm not living the perfect life you two dreamed of me living. But you know what? I'm happy! I'm fucking happy! Doesn't it kill you to know that? I'm happy going to a small public school, I'm happy being in a band, and I'm happy that I'm gay! Do I have to spell that for you? I'm G-A-Y, gay! And I'll bet it just drives you insane trying to guess whether or not I'm actually sleeping with him, doesn't it? And, guess what. I did. I had sex with Demyx! And guess what else? I liked it. No, wait. I loved it! So how's that for you?" He shook his head. "You two shouldn't even have come here. I told you it would just be a waste of time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit in my room and regroup what's left of my sanity. Mom, Dad, I hope you have a Merry Christmas since you've completely ruined mine. Everyone else, I'm sorry."

After sitting his chair upright, Zexion walked away. Demyx could only watch in awe. Everyone was silent, Mrs. Nakamura looking like she was about to burst into tears. No one was eating anymore, the sudden outburst from Zexion shocking everyone out of an appetite.

Mr. Nakamura stood up, shaking his hand in the direction Zexion had gone. "You get back here, young man! I'm your father! You can't talk to me like that!"

Demyx scoffed, standing up. "Oh, cram it, old man! You don't deserve to call yourself his father!" He glanced at each of them, his tone lightening somewhat as he shook his head. "I don't understand you. He's your son! Just because he does something you don't completely understand does not give you an excuse to treat him this way. My father didn't understand when I told him either. But you know what, he came around, and I'm glad that he did. He died just three months after I told him. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if he'd gone to his grave still feeling bitter toward me over something so…inconsequential." He made a mental note to thank Zexion for that word later. "You guys are only thinking about yourselves. It's not easy for him, either. He's been beating himself up because of you two for years. So, if you can't accept him for who he is, maybe you should just stop talking to him and pretending you care. I don't want to see him hurting like this anymore." He glanced to Saix and his parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Tajima, I really appreciate you inviting me here for dinner. Saix, you're a great friend. I apologize if I've ruined your holiday."

Then, he followed the path Zexion had taken, and rushed to his boyfriend's room. Zexion was sitting on his bed, his back toward the door and his arms crossed. Demyx frowned, closing the door and slowly walking over to him. He could see Zexion shuddering every few seconds, and he knew that the boy had finally broken. Demyx felt a small surge of rage in his chest. How dare they make his Zexion cry! How dare they break that peaceful exterior that his Zexion held! How dare them….Not his Zexion.

He placed his hand on the crying teen's shoulder and pulled him into a gentle hug. "I'm sorry, Zexy," Demyx whispered. "I'm so sorry….Please, don't cry."

"I'm sorry, Demyx," Zexion choked out between sobs. "I've ruined your holiday. I probably made you hate me…"

"No! I could never hate you….Why would I hate you?"

"Because I blurted out about…what we did. And…I never told you I had a brother."

"No….I'm not mad. I don't care about what they think. I'm only worried about you. Please, don't cry…"

Zexion sniffled a few times, stopping the flow of tears. He looked Demyx in the eyes, trying to smile as Demyx wiped the tears away with his thumb. After a few moments of regaining himself, Zexion stood, walking to his dresser and rummaging through the top drawer. He pulled out a small, glossy paper, then tossed it to Demyx. It was a picture of a smiling young man, long silver hair and bright blue eyes. Demyx understood who this was.

"That's my older brother, Riku," Zexion explained, his tone telling Demyx how hard it was to talk about him. "He was only four years older than me, so he would be twenty-one. When he was sixteen, he got kicked out of our church school…for the same reason I was kicked out of boarding school. When he told my parents, they yelled at him, and grounded him. There was a lot of fighting for the next year. Riku started going to a public school, and he started dabbling in a lot of the wrong things. Then, to top it off, he told my parents he was gay and that he was in love with a man. My parents freaked, forbidding him from seeing the man again. So one night, just a few weeks before his eighteenth birthday, Riku ran away to be with the man." Zexion sighed, shaking his head. "It turns out that the man wasn't really in love with Riku, but was in fact in an anti-gay group. They…killed my brother…"

Demyx looked at Zexion, shocked and appalled by what he heard. "Zexy, I'm so sorry…"

"My parents were never the same after that. They sent me away to boarding school, and got so caught up in their careers they eventually forgot they even had another son. It wasn't until I got kicked out of the boarding school that they started to pay attention to me. When they found out why, they sent me here. A small town, not many bad things happening. I guess…they wanted me to be safe. But I've been living in Riku's shadow since…what happened to him. And a part of me understands why they are the way they are…but really, I just want them to accept me. Their…close-mindedness is what drove Riku away." Zexion glanced at Demyx. "I say that I'm nothing like Riku, but every time I think about him, I notice more and more similarities. I mean, I've never done drugs. But I even said a few weeks ago that I would run away if my parents try to take me with them….I've followed in Riku's steps so far…If I did that…I would be just like him."

"Zexy, I…"

A timid knock sounded at the door, and Mrs. Nakamura stepped in slowly. Zexion turned away from her, but she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She immediately started to cry, holding her son in her arms.

"I'm so sorry…." She said, sobbing. "I am so sorry for everything I've done to you. Zexion, you're my son. I don't want you to ever think that I don't love you. No matter what you do, there is nothing that you can do that will make me not love you. Nothing!" She held him out and looked him in the eyes. "I will admit, I have not done the right thing as your mother. I am sorry for that. I only hope you can forgive me." She glanced to Demyx. "You, too, Demyx. I apologize for my behavior." She looked back at Zexion. "And if Demyx is the one you love, then I want you to be with him."

Zexion looked back at his mother, then gave a quick nod. She hugged him again, and he hugged her back. Demyx couldn't help but smile.

But then, Mr. Nakamura walked into the room.

Zexion turned to look at his father, who stood simply in the doorway. The silence was thick, and it was clear that Zexion was not going to be the one to break it. So Mr. Nakamura stepped forward, looking down at his son.

"I won't say that I completely understand your choice," he spoke, his tone serious. "And, no matter what I do or say, I can't change your mind." He looked at Demyx. "But what Demyx said downstairs made me realize that I am the one in the wrong. Zexion, you're my son. And whatever you choose to do with your life…I will support you."

Zexion knew that was his father's version of an apology. He nodded to his father, who stepped closer and embraced both his son and his wife in his arms. Demyx smiled. So the day may have started badly, but it sure was ending well. He looked at Zexion as his family hugged him, catching the words on the slate-haired teen's lips without the sound.

"Thank you. I love you."


Eh? I hope you didn't hate it too much. If you did, please try to be nice about it! Thanks for reading, and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!