Return
A story by Besieged Infection
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IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter has been up on my Livejournal for about a month. A link can be found on my profile; it's friends only so you'll have to add me.
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...
Chapter Ten: September of 2010
…
The Exception Laws X
Hybrids are not to apply for higher learning.
…
The morning of September sixth brought some surprises into Demyx's life. First of all, the library computers wouldn't work- again- and crashed in what appeared to be unison, though the entire student populace knew it was just because the things sucked, even for being top of the line. Second, upon meeting with the others in Gym Demyx was faced with the fact that Sora was an entire inch taller than him, having had a major growth spurt over Summer break. Sporting a blush and a rather cocky attitude, he then announced that he was too tall to partner with Zexion for stretches. Quickly following the exclamation he "kindly" offered to switch the Hybrid for Riku. This was said with a hint of shyness and a blush. Never-the-less, it had been proclaimed like a command, and the entire situation reeked of Kairi's handiwork.
Not that Demyx minded, of course.
Stretching proved rather difficult, however, as Zexion voiced a concern; fact number two. "Careful with my back," he advised, shifting uncomfortably under the blond's curious gaze. He settled into their first position, lying against the floor and opening his legs for Demyx to press into a stretch. As he back hit the ground he winced. "I have a sunburn." The blond raised an eyebrow at this.
"How'd you get a sunburn?" he incredulously inquired. "If I remember correctly we spent the last bit of vacation in your room." Despite how he attempted to make the words sound fearless and casual his voice squeaked and a blush stained his cheeks. "How'd you manage to get burned?"
"Well, I…" Zexion trailed off, gaping. "We were in the line of the window, and I burn easy, and-" He paused. "What are you doing?"
The blond had the courtesy to blush as his fingers stilled. He'd been tracing circles with his thumbs almost subconsciously on the boy's knee. "Nothing," he replied, shrugging. "It's just…"
Zexion waited for a continuation. When he received no such thing he prompted," Just…?" They switched places, then, as the whistle blew.
Allowing the Hybrid to press down on his leg until they were flush together, Demyx observed his boyfriend, taking in everything. His hair was unusually unkempt, that day, and a bit frizzy. It looked terrible by anyone's standards.
Demyx grinned, reaching a hand up to lazily stroke the Hybrid's left cheek with the backs of his fingers. "You're beautiful," he whispered. The words were so soft, sweet, that Zexion didn't have it in him to argue. Normally an off-hand comment about how his arms were red and peeling couldn't be attractive would be made, but this was Demyx, and he wouldn't do that, so he kept silent. Instead, he leaned into the affectionate hand before they were called into another position.
The rest of Gym went very similar to that, with lingering touches and stolen glances.
"That was a pretty nice atmosphere you guys had going on; what happened?" Kairi teased later on that day, coming up behind Zexion. The Nekojin ignored the girl, instead walking just that much faster towards the music room. "What? It never used to bother you before. What happened?" she asked again.
Heaving an exasperated sigh, the boy simply replied, "I..." He paused, almost contemplative. "I don't know." He wouldn't be eating lunch with everyone that day; something told him the stares would be worse today than ever before, and didn't want to face that.
…
The answering machine flashed an ominous number one when he arrived home, sitting innocently on the side-table like it had every right to be there.
In Zexion's mind it didn't.
He resisted the urge to toss the machine across the room, and instead made his way into the kitchen. Fixing himself a sandwich, he maneuvered about the room carefully; slowly. He lingered at the cutting board. The refrigerator. The kitchen table. Before long he had put everything away and finished eating. There was no avoiding the flashing number, and he attempted to stall, even when he stood before the table with grim determination. There was no homework to do, the house was clean, and he wasn't hungry. He had no excuses to not press the button that would start the tape and play back whatever message was left.
Steeling himself, he pressed play.
"It's time we brought Demyx into the fold, don't you think?" the voice drawled over the poor connection, the deep bass of it carrying well across the room. "Friday; five O'clock. Bring him over."
The beeps that followed, short and fast and all-together too high-pitched to be anything scary, only seemed to solidify the air in Zexion's lungs.
Orders.
They hadn't come in a while; at least, not for Zexion.
It was odd, having a set list of things to do. Things he had to do. It would take a while to adjust, he guessed, but by the time he'd gotten used to it again he'd probably be sent back at square one.
…
Friday arrived without much ceremony, aside from the freezing wind that started up the moment the second period bell rang, rattling the windows and seeping into the school through the many windows. Everyone was caught off guard, considering Summer Vacation had just given out. There was not much else to note for Demyx and his boyfriend aside from the occasional kickball to the nose- because those things were discomfort magnets- their Gym teacher trying a new cream that made the face-herpes worse, Zexion's sunburn fading, and the fact that after the last bell rang the blond sought out and dragged the smaller boy into the parking lot behind him. Towing him with one hand around the boy's wrist, Demyx ignored the multitude of glares they were receiving from other students. However, they came anyways; a multitude of dirty looks settling decidedly on the two of them as they made their way to the blond's car. The looks trailed them through the lot, almost as if they were accusing them of the weather as the wind pushed their clothes around, seeping right through it, and bit into their exposed skin. It took Zexion a while to speak up, the fingers around his wrist considerably distracting, especially when he recalled just where they had been not a month sooner.
"It would have been better if you had picked me up at a set location," the Hybrid stated as the weight of six simultaneous stares fell on his back as they passed a group of students.
Pausing in his quick steps, Demyx's face lit with a grin. Sliding his hand from the smaller boy's wrist to intertwine their fingers, his eyes seemed to melt at the way Zexion relaxed into the touch, but tensed when he looked away. "You're my boyfriend," he stated simply, a bit of disappointment seeping into his tone, "not some popularity tool. I'm not going to jump through hoops in our relationship to make others feel comfortable with us." Giving the boy's hand an extra squeeze he resumed his course to the truck.
"So you're saying you'd jump through hoops for anyone but me?" There was no reply, but it wasn't required. He knew where they stood, as did the blond. Before long they both laughed. The stares on Zexion's back didn't relinquish- in fact, their laughter had drawn the other students' attention- but they were that much more tolerable.
Once the vehicle came into their sights, the Hybrid nearly found himself heaving a sigh of relief. But when Demyx's hand left his that relief left him. He watched, uncomfortably curious, as the boy circled the car to the passenger's side. When the boy turned around his smile dropped before his gaze alighted upon Zexion.
"Get over here," he laughed, eyes squeezing together with humor as the Hybrid blinked his confusion away and decided to just go with it. Approaching the boy, he stopped just before him, only to be met with an open door and a gentle smile, courtesy of his boyfriend. It was then that it occurred to him just what was going on. Heat flushed his face and Zexion looked to the car, willing his blush to recede. It was a futile attempt, he found, when a hand slid over his, helping him balance in an attempt to reach the high step up to the seat. As soon as he was in the door closed, and Demyx was running around to the other side of the car.
"So," the blond mused happily as he stuck the keys in the ignition, "where exactly are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Silence followed, and no one moved.
Willing away the heat on his cheeks, Zexion cast a quick glance around the car. The leather interior was started to wear, as was the standard gray carpeting, and the windows were getting a little dusty. Despite this, the mirrors were clean of any grime, as was the tape-deck in the dashboard. Demyx's backpack was thrown in the back seat- or what served as a back-seat in this truck, which was a small cubby behind the front row with pull-out square seats and seat-belts- and Zexion soon followed the sentiment, though he was a bit easier on his messenger bag than his boyfriend had treated his. Before long he found his eyes drawn to a small stuffed animal hanging from the rear-view mirror. It was small, green, and had little pieces of black felt sticking out along its being, as if placed strategically in those lines, just as a pair of little black eyes stared at them. Finally, he turned his gaze to Demyx.
An eyebrow raised in humor, the boy spared him a crooked grin that showed off some teeth. "How exactly am I supposed to drive us somewhere without an address?"
"I can give directions," the Hybrid replied calmly, finally pushing the heat from his face to the recesses of his cheeks.
The blond laughed, and started the car. "Do I get one for the road?"
Once again, confusion. "What?"
Demyx had the decency to look embarrassed as he requested, "May I kiss you?" The flush of his cheeks from the wind left his skin a bit blotchy, and the Hybrid had to think about the words twice as he tore himself away from his observational state.
Zexion had a small moment of, 'Oh' before he glanced about the parking lot through the windshield. At this point the other students had gone back to their routines, climbing into their cars and racing through the biting wind. Everywhere he looked there was no gaze to meet, and it was almost eerie how alone they were. Satisfied that no one was watching, he turned to the older boy and nodded.
A freezing hand on his chin reminded him that Demyx was human. Resting his own fingers on his boyfriend's, the Hybrid nuzzled the digits, grinning as they warmed beneath his attentions. When he considered it suitable, he turned his eyes back to the blond, who wore a blush about his cheeks. It was slowly spreading across his face, making up for the flush from the wind, as he leaned in, swiping his tongue over chapped lips, thoroughly distracting Zexion from what they were doing as his brain went to the nights a month prior. Before long their mouths met, and a small line of fire, even more potent than from when they held hands, shot through the smaller boy at the contact. The kiss was simple, shallow, and altogether too short for Zexion's taste- no more than a lingering press of lips- but it still had him keening almost inaudibly. At this Demyx grinned. "We have to get going," he stated simply with a grin.
"R-right..." Zexion blubbered.
…
Larxene was the one to greet them, much to Demyx's both chagrin and disappointment. "You brought me to see my sister?" he inquired, watching as his boyfriend's mouth set itself in a thin, straight line. Turning away from the boy, the blond bent down to give his sister a tight hug, taking extra care not to jostle the lump of her stomach. "Getting bigger every time I see you," he announced happily, placing one hand on the bulge of her tee-shirt.
"I should hope so," she laughed, shaking her head.
Placing a kiss against her forehead, the older boy slung one arm across her shoulders, leading the girl into the house. The walkway was littered with Winter starts for flower beds, dirt, and tools for digging. "When are you due, again?"
"November fifteenth," she replied happily, placing one hand on her stomach fondly as they sidestepped a bag of fertilizer. Somewhere behind Demyx, Zexion stiffened. "Ignore the mess, by the way. Marluxia just wants a proper garden to distract him from diaper duty," she mused. Finally making it to the front door, with Zexion mere steps behind them, they entered the house.
"Have you thought of a name?" Demyx maneuvered through the small foyer, leading the girl to the rather uncomfortable-looking beige couch that took up a majority of the living room. Taking her jacket, he hung it near the door before slipping his hands into Zexion's when the boy came in.
"Yes," the girl replied as they settled themselves near her. "We've settled on 'Amarant' for a boy, and 'Eiko' for a girl, but…" There was a silence that fell after she paused. After a bit she finally spoke up. "You're not here to see me, are you?"
Demyx started, looking to his boyfriend in question.
"Marluxia wants Demyx in." The words meant nothing to Demyx; nothing more than a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that ate at his insides as his sister looked from him to his boyfriend, then back to him. Lather, rinse, and repeat. This went on for a bit longer before the distinct clicking of a latch announced the arrival of yet another person. "Speak of the Devil," the blond could just barely hear his boyfriend utter as a fall breeze rustled the room. The exclamation, however small, was too late for any real impact on the conversation, but it did get Demyx wondering.
"My, my," a deep voice announced from the foyer behind them, drawing attention the form of Marluxia. The pink-haired man stood confidently in the doorway, making quite an impact despite the bright pink smock that decorated his front. Slipping the fabric off, Marluxia grinned in a way that was supposed to be disarming. Instead, it only served to leave a bitter taste to the situation. Glancing to the Nekojin, a small bit of discomfort seeped into the expression. "I didn't expect you to be so early, Zexion."
No one missed how he hissed the boy's name.
The shorter boy stiffened. "You said to come over after school."
An appraising look traced the boy's figure. "That I did, but normally teenagers dawdle a bit longer." A sharp look passed between the two, and the siblings could only look on in apprehension should the attention turn to them.
"Either way, we're here," the Nekojin replied, a miniscule smirk making its way to his lips when Marluxia winced at his next words. "Don't you have a job to do?" Turning to the side seconds later, the taller man stiffly motioned for the two to follow as he stepped from the foyer and into the hallway. Zexion followed immediately, but Demyx allowed himself to hesitate, turning to Larxene.
"Do you know what's going on?"
She sneered, allowing bit of the old Larxene to shine through. "Of course." Demyx shivered.
The hallway Marluxia led them through was a dull yellow, and the paint faded as if it had been waiting years for another coat. It was odd; almost every house he visited that was owned by a Hybrid had vibrantly painted walls. A sweet tinge to the air was evident, now that they were in a room where the cold winter chill hadn't swept through. It was as if the house was well-lived in, despite how the young couple had only been there for a handful of weeks. Commercial carpeting had recently been installed, it looked, and they clashed with the rest of the home. Clutching at their socks seemed to be its agenda, and static soon clung to their upper thighs despite how short the walk was. Within seconds they were being ushered into a back-room. Demyx braced himself for the worst: dead bodies, doomsday weapons- whatever the man could throw at him.
But his efforts were wasted, considering it was empty. There was absolutely nothing in the room aside from the scratchy carpets and a sad-looking sliding-door closet off to the side. Even the walls were exceptionally blank; cracked lath-and-plaster that had seen far too many coats of over-white paint.
Marluxia, no doubt trying too hard to be a perfect picture of confidence and failing miserably (he looked angry,) stalked right over to the pathetic excuse for a closet and pressed a finger into the handle. When he moved to open the door, however, the handle gave way to its impression and the brass indent broke clean off, falling into the hollow interior of the door with a dull thunk. The man had the gall to shrug, grab the splintering wood left behind, and slide the door open to reveal what Demyx would have phrased "quite possibly the ugliest piece of technology he'd ever laid eyes on." It was a computer, all pink, green yellow and orange.
"Meet the Graceful Dahlia," the pink-haired man almost slurred, waving a hand and the machine with something akin to reverence. He flipped a switch, and the monitor came to life.
A blond eyebrow rose. "That is a really ugly computer."
Marluxia frowned. "It wasn't built to please you, Demyx," he snapped, swiping a gentle hand across the keyboard, almost as one would do to calm a pet or small child. "Now be serious; how much do you know about computers?" The boy shrugged.
"Not much," he admitted. "I know about as much as the average Joe, I guess; not much more."
The man grinned. "You know of the difference between kilobytes and such, yes?" Nodding along, Demyx watched the man's expression twist. "Tell me; what are the specifications of the modern-day computer?"
It was an odd question, and it had Demyx glancing from Marluxia, Zexion, and back again before he finally answered. "Two-hundred megs of memory and eighty megs of RAM- why?"
Looking every bit the smug Hybrid, Marluxia didn't answer right off. "Why don't you try logging in?" he suggested as a Welcome screen slid onto the monitor. "I activated a guest account just for the occasion." His hand slid further into the closet, dragging out a fold-up chair and placing it before the computer. "Sit."
Against his will, unconsciously, Demyx sat and selected the lower of two accounts- Eleven and Guest- with the mouse. To the boy's surprise, sound burst from a set of speakers he had not taken notice of before. "Welcome," a voice greeted, distinctly female. A few seconds later he was greeted by something else; a desktop, entirely blank, much to Demyx's surprise, and there was no start menu- though he could have sworn there had been one when it first began to load.
"Take a look at her properties," Marluxia advised suddenly. The blond jumped at this, turned to the man, then pointed to the monitor with a shaking finger. "Move the mouse to the bottom of the screen. See that little bar?" The man motioned to the bottom of the screen, where a single sliver of white was visible along the edge of the black background- which wasn't very creative. "Hover over it- you'll see why."
Demyx glanced back to Zexion, only to find his boyfriend staring impassively at the wall. A minute passed, and still the Nekojin did not look at him. Finally, turning back to the screen, the blond did as he was told, only to jump when a menu-bar burst into being. He spared Marluxia a look before maneuvering to the computer's stored specifications. At first the numbers on the screen swirled around the screen. They refused to make any sense, and something told the boy he didn't want them to.
"It's has a terabyte of RAM." The statement was simple, but heavy. "Dahlia is more than one-thousand times faster than the average computer." Turning to his boyfriend, Demyx allowed his eyes to betray his shock as the bluenette continued. "A Hybrid invention."
"So cooperative, Zexion," the other Hybrid mused, his crooked smile placing an incisor on display. The blond's eyes shot to him, then, almost unbelieving as to what exactly what was going on. "I should have incorporated Demyx sooner, I see. He makes you so compliant." Marluxia turned to the human, then, taking in everything from his confusion to his mild awe. "So, now that you see just a little bit of what we're capable of are you willing to join our cause?"
It was a one-eighty Demyx had not been expected. "Excuse me? Your 'cause?'"
Marluxia laughed, leaned forward to shut the computer down. Within seconds the screen went black and the whirring of the ventilation fan cut short. Then he was straight-backed in all seriousness. "We intend to hit the community back, and for that to happen we need to take a specific individual from his seat in office."
The blond's expression darkened. "You mean treason?"
"No," the Hybrid replied calmly, observing his nails. "The second amendment, which is allowed to everyone except Hybrids like myself and Zexion here." He laughed, then. "Our second amendment, in case you hadn't noticed, doesn't allow us to share lodgings or changing facilities with a human unless a marriage license or adoption papers are involved."
A silence followed before Zexion stepped in, placing a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Think about it," he advised, his tail flicking nervously from side to side behind him as he addressed the older boy. "With the liberties that are allowed to modern-day humans the Hybrid race could revolutionize technology. The quality of life would take an immense jump forward, and..." Pausing, the bluenette allowed his hand to fall to Demyx's, lacing their fingers together. "They would stop staring."
Demyx flushed. "I don't have a problem with them- why should you?"
The Hybrid's eyes flashed. "Because they can hurt me, Demyx." The blond flinched. "They can hurt me, and they won't have consequences. They can kill us, and all they'll get is a warning because we are less than they are. And why should they care?
"Hybrids aren't allowed to go to college; we're not allowed a future. We can't publish books, or patent ideas. Can't own buildings or businesses or cars- we're not allowed anything. This is supposed to be a land of equality- a land for the people. But it's not, and we were lied to and denied that standards of living. They turned against us, and that," he ground out, holding Demyx's hand that much tighter, "is treason. You might reply with something like 'they have reasons' or something, but tell me this- why can't I join the book-club, or go to college, or go to a birthday party with more than eleven people?"
Silence.
"So what's your answer?" Marluxia nearly whispered, standing off to the side and observing the exchange with a sort of bland expression. He'd watched carefully as the human's eyes locked with that of his boyfriend's, and how his mind seemed to settle over itself. "Are you in or not?" Sea-blue eyes, conflicted but steady, locked on his at these words.
"What do I have to do?"
...
"It's been a while, huh?" Riku grunted off to the side, picking through a pile of pipes. "I've been so busy with Sora, and you with Zexion, that we haven't really hung out lately." Demyx grinned and nodded along. The shop was nearly barren of people, aside from the shopkeeper and the two boys. It seemed to overcompensate with supplies, however; pipes, blocks of wood, two-by-fours, and a large quantity of tools crowded the aisles until there was barely room to sidle along. "So, how big a rocket do you want to make?"
Demyx shrugged, passing along the wall of nails. "I don't know- it's up to you. You're the big rocket scientist."
Heaving a laugh, the silverette broke the overbearing silence. It was almost out of place. "Still can't believe it, huh?"
Demyx delivered a chuckle of his own, teeth bright in the dim shop. "Well, yeah. You're just plain Riku to me, but to colleges you're like this prodigy or something." He paused half-way down his aisle, sliding a hand along a sturdy-looking steel pipe. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
The boy shrugged. "Nothing really to tell," he stated simply. "Got maybe two more weeks- until graduation- and then they want me down there for a Summer Seminar. There's been talk about Space Camp and stuff."
There was another short silence. "How did Sora take this?"
He grinned. "Rather well, actually." Snatching six pipes from shelf about as wide as his fist, Demyx made his way to the counter. "Hey- we only need one or two!" Riku called behind him.
The blond grinned. "Nothing wrong with being careful."
…
"So you're all settled?" Pressed almost painfully against Demyx's ear, a phone sputtered back its response as the boy cuddled closer against his boyfriend's warm side.
"Yeah- called Sora the moment the plane touched down, too ," Riku replied over the connection. Off to the side, Zexion fiddled with a flashlight circuit. "Could you and Zexion pay him a visit every once in a while?"
"Sure; no problem." Demyx grinned as the Nekojin to his side tore his attention from the broken instrument and pressed a kiss against his temple. Redirecting the attention, the blond placed a smack on his boyfriend's lips.
"I see I'm calling at a bad time ," Riku laughed.
Demyx almost laughed. "What? No- this is a good time to call."
"Right- Zexion's there isn't he?"
The blond shrugged, though he knew the other boy couldn't see it. "Yeah."
"Say hi and goodbye to him for me. Talk to you later Demyx ," the older boy- man- said.
Nodding along- once again without reason- the blond grinned. "Later, Riku." Clicking the phone off, the boy turned to his companion. "Riku says 'hi and goodbye.'" Allowing his hand to wander, the television flickered on.
"-reports four pipe-bombs had been launched at Mr. Xehanort's car, resulting in the implosion ."
The boys smiled.
…
End Notes: Surprise! It's not Friday! (The site was giving me the "error 2" screen, but Vyrazhi helped me work around it. Big shout-out to them!) As it is, writing this chapter took more time than it should have, it's too short, and... yeah- sorry, guys. Here's your preview!
The conference room was dead silent as a man took to the stage just as Ansem finished his speech. "I'll give you ten seconds," he spat, nodding his head to the dignitary, "to tell me why you think this is right." Demyx's eyes widened in recognition. Marluxia stood proudly on stage, his Navi gone, eyes aglow with the burn of Mako, and a gun pointed straight at the committee chairman's head.
Quiz: Where are the names "Amarant" and "Eiko" from?
Bonus Question: What is the plushie hanging from Demyx's rear-view mirror?
Double Bonus: What is "Graceful Dahlia" from?
Chapter nine winner(s): Dystopian Hope, InjuUchiha, Luckless-Is-Me,
Believe it or not, reviews do actually help. How? They remind me that this fic exists! Props to Dystopian Hope, by the way, for editing!
Personal Life Note: I have a life, now, thank goodness. However, I find that it is entirely over-rated. Sort of. I'm helping some people new to the costume scene with their cosplays (I sew, paint, design, etc.) and educating some eager n00bs.
Love,
Besieged Infection