Well, here it is. Chapter 12! Hope you guys like it!


Demyx didn't go to school the next day. He had been up most of the night, waiting for Zexion to come over, or at least call him. But neither had happened. He hadn't told his mother about the incident, but simply told her in the morning that he wasn't feeling well. She didn't question him, just told him to feel better. Even after she had left for work, Demyx kept himself holed up in his room, thoughts rushing through his head. He wondered if Zexion had gone to school, or if maybe he was feeling this way, too.

Demyx still couldn't understand what he had done to make Zexion so upset. He'd been racking his brain all day, trying to figure out what to apologize for. He figured he could just apologize for everything…but that might not be specific enough. To make matters worse, their gig at Xaldin's pub was tomorrow. What if Zexion decided to bail at the last minute? They would never find a replacement bassist in time.

He sighed, glancing at the poem framed on his nightstand.

"The sound of your voice is the Sweetest Song I've ever heard."

The memory of hearing Zexion's voice speak that line brought tears to his eyes. Why were things turning out this way?

At around three-thirty, the doorbell sounded. Demyx jumped off of his bed quickly, wiping any remaining tears from his face. If it was Zexion, he didn't want to be caught this way. He rushed downstairs, then took a deep breath before opening the door.

But it wasn't Zexion.

Vexen glanced at him, emerald eyes giving him a curious sweep. Demyx blinked a few times, confused, then motioned for the blonde to come inside. It was only Tuesday. Why would Vexen be here to tutor him today? Even after he'd skipped school?

"Hey, Vexen," Demyx said. "Um…what's up?"

Vexen sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not here to teach you, Demyx."

"…What is it, then?"

"Neither you nor Zexion came to school today. Saix said that, and I quote 'Zexion was acting all mopey last night.' Therefore, I came to the conclusion that something…may have gone wrong between the two of you. As your…well, therapist, I thought it would be best to see what I can do."

"Oh, Vexen, it's terrible!" Demyx blurted, not realizing how badly he needed to vent. "I didn't even do anything! At least, I don't think I did. We just went to his house after school, and he got a letter from Radiant Gardens University. He got accepted, Vexen! And I was happy for him, really I was. But I'm so scared that he's going to go there, and just completely forget about me. I didn't say that, though. I just told him that it was a good thing to have been accepted, and he could go there and get a good education, and- Oh, Vexen, I don't know what I did wrong! I don't know what I'm supposed to do or think!"

Vexen paused, bombarded by information, then looked back at Demyx. "Well, that certainly explains it. You don't have to be so upset, Demyx. He will come around eventually. I don't want to elaborate too much, but Zexion has had a lot on his mind in regards to his college of choice. He just needs time to… figure things out. That's all."

Demyx stood in place as Vexen turned to leave. "Wait. You walked all the way over here from school just to tell me that?"

Vexen shrugged then nodded. "Yes."

"But…you live across town."

The long-haired blonde smiled. "Well, I'm just that nice of a friend. Cheer up, Demyx."

And with that, Vexen left. Though Demyx was grateful for the visit, he couldn't help thinking what a strange character that genius could be. He glanced down at his hands, still not moving from his place. The silver ring Zexion had given him for Christmas was still shining there. He wondered to himself if Zexion was still wearing his, or if maybe he'd given up and taken his off. Then, trying to think of something else, he walked into the kitchen, deciding to find something to eat for the first time since yesterday.

It was only about another half-hour before the doorbell rang again. Now sitting on his bed watching TV, Demyx sighed, wondering if it would even be worth the effort to get up. Just as it sounded for the second time, his cell phone buzzed with a text message on his nightstand.

Dem, are you home?

It was Zexion. Tripping over his blankets and his own feet, Demyx jumped off of his bed and bounded down the stairs, yanking the door open so fast it nearly flew from the hinges.

Zexion stood there, his thin jacket unzipped, revealing another turtle-necked sweater. Today, it was dark blue. His blue-silver hair ruffled lightly with the breeze, his visible eye looking more tired than Demyx had ever seen. He stuffed his phone into his coat pocket, offering a small smile.

"Hey, Dem," he said, his voice quiet.

Demyx wasn't quite sure what to say. "Hey."

"I…I came to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was…being a jerk."

"Why don't you come inside?"

Zexion did so, remaining in the foyer as Demyx closed the door. He looked at the floor, ashamed with himself as Demyx turned to look back at him. At the moment, the blonde didn't even care if Zexion had been a jerk to him. He was just glad to see his slate-haired love again.

"You don't have to apologize," Demyx said in a soothing tone.

"Yes, I do," Zexion answered adamantly. "I was a real jerk yesterday, and I think I owe you an explanation. You didn't do anything to deserve that treatment. You were just being nice and supportive, and I just blew the whole thing way out of proportion."

Demyx watched Zexion closely. "Well, I am proud of you, Zexy. You've been looking into that school for a few years now, and you've worked really hard to get in. I…know it's far away, but it's my job to support you if you decide to go."

"I know. And I know that's all you were trying to say yesterday. I just…took it the wrong way. The truth is, Dem, I…I don't want to go."

Demyx was surprised. "What? What do you mean?"

"I don't want to go to RGU. I never did. The whole reason I applied there was because of its location. I knew that it was so far away. That's why I started looking into it back in sophomore year, when I first had a crush on you. I thought that maybe if I hinted at moving far, far away, you might let me know if you liked me back. Maybe if you knew I was leaving, you'd say something to try to convince me to stay. That's the whole reason I applied, the whole reason I even brought up college applications at band practice that day all those months ago. I knew that you knew I'd applied there. I'll admit, when you didn't say anything, I was…disappointed. All this time, I've really just wanted to go to Twilight University. RGU was just a ruse to get your attention."

"Wow. Really?" Demyx was astounded that Zexion had actually done something like that just for his attention.

"And now, I've got myself in deeper than I planned. You see, I didn't actually think I would get accepted. You were, right, Dem. There really is no reason for me to be mad about that, but…now everyone is going to expect me to go there. My parents are already making a big deal about it, and if I didn't know any better, I would think my aunt and uncle are already planning on renting out my room. And yesterday, when you were just being supportive, I…felt like everyone wanted to get rid of me. The same way I felt before my parents shipped me here. I know it was wrong of me to think that, but I couldn't help it. Then, after I blew up on you, I felt even worse. I thought…maybe I just burned my bridge. I didn't sleep at all last night because all I could think about was how I hurt you….And even if I did want to go…I couldn't leave you. So…if you'll let me…I want to rebuild that bridge."

Demyx smiled, slowly stepping to his boyfriend and giving him a tight squeeze. "I'd like that. But you don't have to rebuild any bridges. You didn't burn it, you just…blocked it off for a little while."

Zexion finally smiled. "I love you, Dem."

"I love you, too." He grabbed Zexion's hand and tugged him up the stairs. "Come on! Now that you're here, I think I'll keep you for the night."


The next morning, Demyx realized just why people so enjoy make-up sex. Though it wasn't his original intention to bed his boyfriend, he was quite successful when he changed his mind. They did their best to keep quiet since Demyx's mother was home, but even she was somewhat suspicious after hearing all of the laughter between occasional thuds. Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind.

They woke early the next morning to go through the routine of pre-gig practice. Zexion went home to shower and get fresh clothes before everyone else arrived, promising to come back as soon as he was finished. Once he had left, Demyx took a shower and dressed for the day. While he was still waiting for Zexion to return, he turned on the radio and cleaned his room a bit. To his surprise, they actually played a lot of songs he liked, particularly a song by one of his favorite bands, The Nobodies. After the song had finished, the radio DJ gave a speech about how the band was in an argument with their record label and may soon be involved in a lot of legal disputes. Demyx frowned, shaking his head as the doorbell rang.

"Zexy, why don't you just walk in?" he asked as he pulled the door open.

Zexion shrugged. "I don't live here. It would be impolite."

Demyx laughed. "My mom isn't even home. And if she was, she would tell you the same thing." He glanced at his boyfriend's clothes beneath his unzipped coat and the strap of his bass bag. A pair of black pants, and yet another turtle-necked sweater. "Zexy, I know that it's a little cold outside, but on stage, you're going to sweat to death. Why didn't you wear something cooler?"

He pulled the neck of his sweater down a bit, revealing his still-fading marks. "Um…remember this? I still can't believe my aunt hasn't noticed."

Demyx laughed, pulling Zexion into the house. "Well, we can fix that. Come on!"

They returned to Demyx's room, where he rummaged through his closet. He pulled out an assortment of t-shirts and even a few vests, instructing Zexion to try a few on and pick one he liked. After a few changes, Zexion decided on one of the many black band shirts, immediately vetoing all of the vests. Demyx snickered, seeing the few blotches on his lover's neck.

"This will never work," Zexion sighed, hands falling hopelessly to his sides. "You've marked me for life. These things are never going to go away."

He reached for his sweater and started to pull off the band shirt, but Demyx stopped him.

"No, Zexy! I'm not done yet!"

Zexion frowned. "How are we going to cover these with this shirt?"

"We aren't. We're going to cover them with this." He held up and old black scarf and a pair of scissors. "We're just going to make a few adjustments."

He placed the scarf around Zexion's neck, taking a quick measurement, then removed it and started cutting. Then, he replaced the much smaller piece of fabric around his lover, seeing that he'd cut it about an inch too short, leaving a tiny bit of Zexion's throat showing. Regardless, Demyx smiled, grabbing two large safety pins and pinning the two sides of the fabric together, creating a very thick choker he preferred to call a "neck cuff." He smiled proudly, letting Zexion view himself in the mirror.

"Safety pins make nice accessories nowadays," Demyx said, one elbow on Zexion's shoulder. "You look good! I'm so proud!"

"That is good," Zexion replied, glancing at his new accessory. "It's a lot more comfortable than that thing, too." He smiled. "Thanks, Dem."

Demyx leaned over and gave him a quick kiss just as the doorbell rang again, signifying that the others had arrived. They joined Saix, Marluxia, Axel, Roxas, and Larxene in the garage, where they made their short set list again, being that they hadn't practiced all week, and ran through the songs until Lexaeus arrived. They went through the packing, driving, and unpacking like they always did, with Axel usually dropping someone's equipment, today being Marluxia's keyboard stand.

Once they had set up, they all sat around with Xaldin, drinking their free sodas. He seemed abnormally antsy today, and Demyx found himself wondering what exactly was going on. It was clear that both Lexaeus and Larxene were in on it, and even Roxas seemed to be finding his way into the loop. Despite Marluxia's begging, Larxene refused to surrender whatever information she had.

Vexen and Luxord showed up just minutes before the band went onstage, taking their seats near the small stage. The same nervous, bubbly feeling overtook Demyx again, just like it always did. Zexion quickly rubbed the blonde's shoulders, then pat him on the back. The slate-haired teen didn't have to say anything. Demyx knew that he was encouraging, letting Demyx know that everything would turn out fine, as it had before.

As they walked onstage, Demyx noticed that the crowd was much bigger than before. He never recognized many of the faces, but all of these people crammed into the little bar just to see them play? They all knew who he was, and his band mates. He gulped, feeling every bit of heat from the stage lighting as the others started to play. When it came time to sing, he nearly choked, remembering the lyrics just in time.

"I'm fighting to keep my heart as the darkness pulls me apart,

Finding my way, fading away…"

And then he was okay. Once he got started, it was all natural. Time seemed to go by so fast, and by the time they'd finished playing, Demyx couldn't have sworn the hours were minutes. To his surprise, the crowds were still fairly large. When they walked over to the bar afterwards, many people stopped them, praising and telling them how talented they were. Axel tried to con a beer from Xaldin, but the barkeep was insistent on abiding the law (though they shouldn't have been in the bar in the first place).

At around one o'clock, they decided it was time to start packing up to go home. The customers were still there, but the band would be using the back door, so they wouldn't have any trouble. As the others started to pack, Demyx dismissed himself to use the bathroom. He made his way through the crowds, several people clapping his shoulder.

But halfway there, he was actually stopped by someone.

"Hey, kid!" the man called.

Demyx looked the man over. He was tall, with long black, silver-streaked hair tied in a ponytail near the base of his neck. He wore and eyepatch, along with a plain grey business suit, that wasn't buttoned. Though it was clear this man was a professional at whatever he did, his appearance was somewhat uncommon. He had quite a few visible scars, and the way he spoke seemed…uncanny. He grinned, and Demyx wasn't quite sure what to expect.

"Hey, kid," the man repeated. "You're the frontman of that band that was just playing, right?"

Demyx nodded. "I wouldn't say 'frontman,' but I'm in the band."

The man laughed. "Modest, huh? Name's Xigbar. I'm a good friend of Xaldin's. He's been telling me to come see you guys play for months now, but I've got quite a busy schedule. I gotta admit, I didn't think you would be as good as you are. You seem to be the sensible one─"

"─Actually, that's Zexy─"

"─So I figured I would talk to you. I─" His cell phone began to ring and he glanced at the ID, then frowned. "Gotta take this, kid. Client troubles are a bitch. You can count on me being here next time you play. I'll…talk to you a little more then."

Xigbar flicked his phone open as he walked away, talking fast to his caller. Demyx watched, extremely confused, as the man disappeared into the crowd.

What a strange man…

By the time he'd reached the restrooms, Demyx had already forgotten about his strange visitor.


Now you know what I'm going to say. Please, please review! I love your reviews.

This story will probably only be a few more chapters. There's a few more things I have planned. But I have an idea for yet another Zemyx fic, so I might start one when this one is finished. It won't be a sequel, though. Let me know what you guys think!