This drabble takes place just under a mouth after Lexaeus and Zexion met.

Make Strong Bonds.

Sometimes, Lex's daddy would invite his friends from work to come over for a small meal, maybe to watch the football or blitzball game on the telly. A bit like play dates with school chums - very casual. Lex liked those nights because he got to stay up a little later then normal and fall asleep on Daddy's lap when it got too late and the grown-ups started dipping into their funny smelling drink and complained about what is wrong with the hospital and that annoying thing called "taxes." Lex also liked those nights because he liked his daddy's friends - Xaldin, Vexen and Xigbar. They could be really funny sometimes.

However, one night, Lex's daddy invited a new friend to come and visit, and they were going to have a proper dinner together at the table. That had never happened before, and Lex didn't understand. What was so special about this Zexion guy? The boy had never seen him before. He knew Daddy had met up with him a few times, and liked talking on the phone with him, but they had only known each other for a little, tiny while.

"Why does Zexion get a special dinner and none of the others do?" Lex asked in a very quiet mumble, as he watching Lexaeus set the table for three people. Lexaeus looked at the little face from the other side of the table, blinking up at him then looked away again.

"Zexion is going through a lot at the moment," he said calmly. "I thought it might be nice if he had a relaxing evening without the need to worry about anything."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing is wrong with him… He just has a lot to handle in his life. He's learning at the university and looking after a baby all by himself."

"…Why doesn't the baby's mummy look after him then?" Lex asked. It just seemed like a obvious thing to do when you have a child: one parent works and the other looks after the babe. Again, his father sighed. He straightened a napkin.

"Maxi's mummy doesn't live with them anymore."

"Why?"

"…Her family doesn't want anything to do with them."

Lex's eyes widened. He had never heard of that happening before. Never. There were some children at his school whose parents had spilt up and don't live with each other anymore, but they all still see the child no matter what.

"Why, Daddy? Why don't they want to see them anymore?"

Lexaeus looked away for a moment, then sat down in one of the chair, gesturing with his hand for his son to come to him. Lex toddled around the table and crawling onto his father's lap. Lexaeus ran his finger through the brown mop of curly hair. He looked a little sad.

"You know that me and your mummy really wanted a child," he said "and hoped and prayed and then we were blessed with you."

"Yeah" Lex smiled. He liked being told that. It made him feel special.

"Well…" Lexaeus continued, "sometimes it's not that easy or simple." Lex didn't understand. What did his dad mean? "Me and Mummy were ready to have you," Lexaeus explained. "We thought we were at the right age and we had the munny for giving a child everything it wanted, and we both really wanted to start having children. We planned everything out. That's what normally happens… but sometimes babies are not planned like that. Sometimes they just… happen, and Zexion and his girlfriend were pretty young to be having children."

"That is why she left?" Lex was shocked, very shocked. That was terrible. "But, but, but Zexion is too young too. Why does he look after the baby?"

"Because he loves him. Like I love you." Lexaeus kissed the boy's hair, nuzzling him. "Please do me a really big favour and behave tonight, and don't ask Zexion any big questions. Alright?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"That's my boy."

"…Will Zexion bring the baby with him?" Lex asked.

"Of course," Lexaeus smiled. "He will have too, won't he?"

Lex looked at the floor. "I don't like babies. They are loud and cranky."

"Oh, don't be silly," Lexaeus let him slip off his lap and he patted his head. "It wasn't so long ago when you were a little baby." At that moment, the door bell chimed out and Lexaeus got up to answer it. "That must be them now. Come and say hello, Lex."

Lex lingered behind for a moment and stayed into the dinning room doorway, peaking out towards the front door. He watched his daddy open the front door and then he saw Zexion for the first time. He was decently not the same age as Lex's daddy. In fact, he looked very young and little compared to the man.

"Good evening, Zexion."

"Hey. Um, can you help me with this thing?"

"Sure."

Lexaeus stepped outside with Zexion for a moment, then they both came back inside carrying a pramette over the door step and placed it carefully on the hallway carpet. So that was the baby? What a large pram to be carrying a tiny baby around in.

"Did you manage to find the house alright?" Lexaeus asked, taking Zexion's coat to put on the hook. The younger man looked around the hallway, amazed.

"Sure I did. Wow. You have a great house."

"It's home" Lexaeus shrugged. He bent over the pramette and smiled warmly, reaching out to touch the baby that Lex couldn't see. "Now how is little Maxi today?"

"He fell asleep on the way here" Zexion said. He shifted a bag he was carrying on his shoulder, obviously full of baby things. "He will be down for a good four hours."

"We have a spare bedroom. He can sleep peacefully in there."

"Great." For the first time since he entered the house, Zexion looked in Lex's direction, blinked then smiled at him. Lex took a step back. He was pretty nervous. "So, you're little Lex, are you?" Zexion walked over to the lad and bowed to his height, hands on knees. "Well, you're not that little." Now Lex could see passed all of his slate hair, and could he that Zexion's eyes had dark shadows under his eyes. He looked very sleepy. "You look very much like your daddy… It's very nice to meet you." Lex didn't know what to say to him.

"Say hello, Lex" Lexaeus said with a smile.

"…H-Hello, sir" Lex said, very politely. Zexion chuckled.

"I'm too young to be called "sir", little one. You can just call me Zexion if you wish."

Lex blinked at him, then looked up at Lexaeus to make sure he can do that. The man nodded his head.

"Maybe Lex would like to see Maxi, Zexion" Lexaeus suggests. Honestly, Lex didn't want to see the baby but being the well-mannered child that he was, nodded his head anyway.

"Alright," Zexion often the boy a hand, "come on then." Lex looked at the hand before finally taking it, and Zexion lead him over to the pramette. "Now, be careful." Lex nodded his head again and got up on his tiptoes to see in. Maxi was wrapped up in a blanket with a hat on his head, and was sleeping on his back. He looked very much like Zexion: a tiny, little copy of him, just soft and squishy and wrinkly. Lex pulled a unsure face. He reached in and gave the baby a curious, little poke in the cheek. Maxi whined a little but didn't wake up.

"Lex, you shouldn't do that" Lexaeus told him. "It's not nice to poke babies."

"It's okay" Zexion smiled. "He's not hurting him." He ruffled Lex's hair nicely. "Are you?" Lex was not fond of babies but he knew he would never, ever hurt one so he nodded his head truthfully…

Dinner was better then Lex thought it would be. Maxi and his pramette were taken up to the guest bedroom out of the way, and Zexion turned out to be very nice. He answered lots of Lex's questions about university, which Lex knew was like a school for young grown-ups. Zexion was different from Lexaeus' other friends. He was much younger, acted younger and dressed differently… although he drank red wine like everyone else. Lex thought young men just liked beer.

Zexion stayed well after dessert (which was chocolate cake, and Zexion and Lex had three piece each) and the adults sat on the sofa and talked a lot. Lex got a little bored with talking, and there wasn't any cartoons on the TV, so he started to look out of the window. At first, everything was really quiet, then the rain came in. It had been cloudy all evening but then the heavens opened and the rain came down in lakes at the time. Lex liked it when it rained, because it meant lots of mud puddles in the morning.

"Daddy, look at all the rain."

The grown-ups stopped talk for the moment and Lexaeus walked over to the window, looking out into the dark.

"Gods," he said. "It's really coming down." Zexion walked over too and frowned at the weather.

"Um… Maybe we should go home now."

"You can't be serious." Lexaeus looked shocked and Lex knew he was because his bushy eyebrows raised high. "You will catch your death of flu out there, and what about Maxi? You can't take a baby into that."

Zexion blinked. "…W-What are we going to do then?"

"You can stay here for the night."

Lexaeus' idea surprised Zexion and it surprised Lex too. He had never offered any of his friends to stay the night. There was this one time when Xigbar had a little too much and slept on the sofa and couldn't get up until the morning, but his daddy didn't actually have a proper say in the matter.

"…But," Zexion tried to say something but couldn't, "…Lexaeus, are you sure?"

"You have anything for Maxi, and I can sleep in the spare bed. I'm sure we have a toothbrush for you as well."

"But--"

"Don't argue, Zexion. Please."

The young man's lips purse into a line and Lex knew that Zexion knew that Lexaeus had won anyway.

When it got close to bedtime, Lexaeus told Lex to get his pyjamas on and brush his teeth. The child did just that, and usually afterward he would wait for his father to tuck him in, sometimes read a story to him but that night, Lex wasn't ready to be tuck in. He took a detour and went to the guest room to take a peak. They was no Zexion but the pramette had been parked on the foot of the bed, like a crib. Quietly, Lex tiptoed over to the pram, missing every squeak floorboard. He looked over the side of the pram and looked at the baby for the second time. Zexion had taken the hat off Maxi's head, and taken off a few layer of clothing so he wouldn't be too hot.

Lex had never seen such a tiny creature. His father had said Lex was just as small when he was a baby, but it was hard to imagine. Lex gave Maxi another poke in the cheek, very lightly but that time around the baby mumbled and opened his eyes slightly. He couldn't see much, his eyes clouded over, but he looked in Lex's direction, up toward his face. Lex waved at him.

"Hello. I'm Lex," he said in a very clear voice. "You're staying here tonight because it's raining heavily outside… You probably don't understand what I am saying but that is what is happening." He touched the infant's knuckles and the stubby fingers turned and curled around the boy's finger. Lex smiled. "You have a very strong grip for a small, fat baby."

The door handle turned so Lex retrieved his finger just as Zexion walked in. He was carrying a warm feeding bottle and a clean nightshirt in the other. It was one of Lexaeus' and would be far too big for him.

"Oh. Hello Lex." The man smiled and placed everything on the bed. "I thought you would be sleeping by now."

"…I came to check on the baby" Lex said. "I thought he was crying."

"I'm sure he was just whining. He does that a lot." Zexion bent over the pram and picked up the baby and blanket into his arm. Lex brought his thumb to his mouth.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I going to give Maxi his late night feed."

"…Can I help?"

Zexion blinked at the boy for a moment, then smiled. "Sure you can. Sit down." Lex did just that, and Zexion taught him how to hold Maxi properly. "Just put your arm around him like this… Support his head properly… There we go."

The man let go and Lex was holding Maxi all by himself. The baby was heavier then he looked and that surprised Lex. He thought something small would be very light. Maxi was warm too, and quiet, and seemed very relaxed being in the child's arms, always blinking up at him. Zexion then told he how to feed him the formula. "Make sure he doesn't swallow too much air. That's it."

Maxi was more then happy to suck up the milk, and he made gurgled noises as he did. Lex smiled at him. He was doing a pretty good job at this.

"…He must have been very hungry" he mumbled.

"He is always hungry" Zexion sighed. He sat down next to the child and touch the baby's head, stroking his hair and checking his temperature. "This little piglet is going to eat me out of house and home in formula."

"…I'm sorry, Zexion" Lex whispered.

"For what, little one?"

"About what happened to you and Maxi's mummy" the boy said quietly. Zexion frowned.

"Oh. Your daddy told you about that, did he?"

"Yeah, but it's alright. I don't have a mummy either, so I understand… Have you ever tried to find her?"

"Yes, but… I gave up. I don't need them anyway."

"…I think you're great, Zexion" Lex smiled. "You must be a very good daddy to look after Maxi by yourself."

Zexion stared at the boy. He was absolutely floored. He never thought that he would get such kind words someone. Apart from Lexaeus. He smiled and ruffled the kid's hair.

"Well, I don't know about good, but I am trying."

By then Maxi was full and had enough of his bottle, but Zexion let Lex hold him for a little while longer. The child counted all of his little fingers and toes, and coaxed little whimpers and moans from Maxi. He smelt like talcum powder and baby lotion. Later, Lexaeus had finally found him.

"And what are you doing in here?" he smirked.

"I've been helping Zexion feed Maxi" Lex chirped.

"You have?"

"He's been a really big help" Zexion said happily. "I think Maxi really likes him. He hasn't complained or anything."

Lexaeus smiled. He knew it wouldn't take long for Lex to change his mind about Zexion and Maxi. He was too nice not to.

"Lex, it's time to go to bed."

The boy pouted moodily at that. His hold on the baby tightened just a touch.

"I am not tired."

"So you are cranky for no reason?" The man chuckled, taking Maxi from the child's arms and giving the bundle to Zexion. "I think we all should be going to bed now, don't you agree?"

"I guess," the younger man smirked. He rocked the baby slightly. "I am pretty tired after that heavy meal."

Lex gave up at that point. Although he could denied it until he was blue in the face, he was feeling sleepy too. He let his daddy pick him up and on the way out, he waved at Zexion and Maxi.

"G'night."

Zexion smiled and waved back. "Night-night, Lex."

Lexaeus carried the boy down the hallway and into his slightly messy bedroom, tucking him in for the night. He made sure he had a drink on his bedside table, that his nightlight on and he had used the toilet.

"You seem to like Zexion now" the man smiled, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Lex nodded his head.

"Yeah. He's nice. You make all the right friends, Daddy."

"Thanks" Lexaeus laughed. "Zexion likes you too. He's been telling me what a lovely, well-mannered child you are."

"…Daddy."

"Yeah?"

"…I kinda like babies now" the boy yawned. "They are not as bad as I thought."

"That's good. Maybe you and Maxi will be very good friends when you are older." Lexaeus leaned down and kissed the boy goodnight softly. "Sweet dreams, Lex."

"Good night, Daddy." Lex watched his father leave quietly, closing the door to ajar behind him, and he listened to him check on Zexion two door down. He thought about what Lexaeus had said. He couldn't think of tiny Maxi being older. Maybe he would look like more and more like Zexion as he got older. Lex smiled slightly. If they become friends later on, he may have to teach Maxi things that other children do, and if they ever go to the same school, he would stop other kids in the playground from bullying him… Yeah, he could do that. He thought he would be very good at it as a manner of fact.

With that happily humming away in his mind, Lex snuggled deeper into his covers and closed his eyes, very warm and content.