This chapter is NSFW.

Rendezvous

"Thanks for helping me. It's a pain to get the cart up all those stairs. Easier to just deal with it ourselves."

Demyx hefted the books in his arms. "All I'm good for," he remarked. "Why don't you just start a library on our floor?"

He sighed heavily. "That would be ideal, but I don't think the others would appreciate it. The card catalog is digital now. They'd know. "

The droll tone of his voice made Demyx laugh. "They'd get you?"

"Precisely. I'd rather not deal with Even's whining if I don't have to." He shifted what he was carrying. "Let's hurry. I'm technically supposed to be elbow-deep in that debugging right now."

"...Or Ansem will get you?"

He smiled. "You're catching on."

"Took me long enough. You guys are crazy. Aren't these time limits kind of arbitrary?"

He shrugged. "If we don't set ourselves deadlines, nothing ever gets done. I should know. If I didn't pull myself away, I'd fret over the small details indefinitely. At some point you have to let things go."

"That's deep. "

Ienzo rolled his eyes. "Speaking of work. Don't you have things to do today as well?"

"Not until after lunch." There had been a lull in terms of everyone's various injuries and maladies. He'd actually had fifteen seconds to breathe, to pick up Arpeggio for something more meaningful than a warm up.

"You should take some time today to yourself," Ienzo said softly. "You look exhausted."

He laughed a little. "I'm sure the bags under my eyes are a good look."

He smiled. "To think there'd be a day when I'd advise you not to work so hard."

"Well, you're one to talk."

"...Quite." He blushed. "If I'm being honest… I actually find this new work ethic of yours rather attractive."

"Yeah?" He felt his face heat. "Well. That's why I do it."

"I doubt that."

" Part of it."

They arrived at the section Ienzo had been pillaging. He glanced at the call number on the spines and began to place them. He reached to take the remainders from Demyx's arms; when their hands brushed, he felt something like a chill. Ienzo seemed to feel it too; he looked a little startled. "That was… all of them," he said. "I'm sure you'd like to go relax. Thanks for your help."

Demyx bit his lip. "No problem. Anything for you, right?" He clutched his elbow. "So, um. Guess I'll see you at dinner later."

"I will be there."

Demyx leaned in and kissed him once; for the space of a few heartbeats he tried to steel himself to pull away. Ienzo didn't have time for these shenanigans, he reminded himself.

But Ienzo pulled him closer, kissing him with a little more insistence. Too soon, he pulled away. "I'm… sorry," he said. "That probably wasn't helpful."

He cleared his throat. "It's fine."

"So."

"So."

Demyx wasn't sure which of them moved first, but they caught in the middle, messy but potent. He grasped at Ienzo's waist and felt him pressing him back against the joint where the bookshelf met the wall. The material of the lab coat was a little scratchy against his hands as he let them wander over the planes of his back. Ienzo pulled away from the kiss and pressed his mouth against Demyx's throat, the soft unweathered skin. "What the fuck are we doing," he mumbled.

Ienzo looked up. "Do you mind?"

"No. God, no. This is just… not like you." He gasped when he felt Ienzo pick up where he left off.

"Maybe that's worth changing." One of Ienzo's hands slid up into his hair, the other lingering at his hip. As gently as he could, Demyx reached down to loosen Ienzo's ascot, to run his tongue along the scar. This was quickly going too far; as much as he tried to control himself, he could feel his body reacting, and the way they were pressed he could tell the same was happening to Ienzo. This either had to stop now or become something before they got too hot and bothered. Before he could find the reason to ask him what, exactly, he intended on happening here, he felt Ienzo's hand slip from his hip to between his legs. He gasped a little.

"Look, I am… into doing this here with you," Demyx asked, with difficulty-the muffled sensation of touch was almost too much, making him a bit dizzy. "Just… are you sure?"

He took a breath, almost like he was coming out of a trance. "Would that be… so strange?"

"No." Demyx could feel his heartbeat in his ears. "No, just-" He kissed him, the rush of it breaking over him in a wave. He tasted vaguely minty, sort of sweet. Demyx fumbled with the catch on the lab coat, opening it, running his fingers over the smooth skin of his hip before sliding down below his waistband to his dick. He could just barely feel Ienzo pawing at his own jeans, unbuttoning them and slipping him out into the space between them, a space only blocked from view by the panel of his open coat. He did the same for Ienzo, struggling with buttons and a different kind of underwear.

He could feel Ienzo's tongue against his, every muscle in his body tense and alive. He ran his thumb along the underside of Ienzo's dick, a faint shudder rolling through him. Demyx felt him begin to touch him too, not so hesitant or so gentle. He tightened his other arm around Ienzo, pulling him still closer.

But fuck this was really happening. Something about the haphazard nature of it only turned him on more, and he quickened his grip on Ienzo. Ienzo gasped a little, drawing him back into a kiss, and Demyx knew they were really only a moment or two away from finishing. The tension inside of him was taut, almost too tempting, and Ienzo was touching him in just the right way-

A click interrupted them, a distant faraway sound. Ienzo tensed, looking over his shoulder quickly, his expression reddening more. "...Stupid," he hissed to himself. "How could I have forgotten-Aeleus or Dilan on their rounds. They come through here this time of day."

Demyx couldn't help it-he laughed, and felt Ienzo clap a hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet," he said. "If someone comes this way I want you to pull me closer. The jacket should cover anything up. Better to be caught kissing than-"

"Something more compromising?"

For a long moment they remained there, listening to the footsteps overhead, a little too close for comfort.

"Why don't we just get dressed?" Demyx whispered.

"For me it would still be obvious," he admitted.

"Yeah. Same."

After what felt like an eternity but was probably only about two minutes, they heard the same door slam shut. "Oh thank goodness," Ienzo breathed. "I swear I've never been more nervous in my life."

A few beats of silence. If anything, the brush with danger had only turned him on again. He kissed Ienzo's cheek and heard him exhale heavily.

"This is almost painful," he said. "I dragged you into this-"

"Then let's take care of that."

It took a moment or two to find the same rhythm, kissing each other with an unexpected heat. Demyx could hear Ienzo gasping, and the pit in his stomach was only tightening. "I'm almost-" His hand dropped from the nape of Demyx's neck to his pocket, fumbling for something, and he only barely saw the flash of white cloth before he felt it brush against the fingers he was using to touch him. Ienzo shuddered. Demyx knew without asking what had happened.

The tension inside of him went from nearly painful to actually painful; feeling his face warm further, he went to touch himself.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ienzo said, pushing his hand away and replacing it with his own. "I'm not going to drag you into this and not get you out." He pulled him a little closer, tightening his grip, and Demyx couldn't resist it anymore. He muffled the sound against Ienzo's shoulder, the orgasm rocking through him, a feeling of cloth against his dick. Once it was through with, he felt a bit dizzy.

For a moment they dressed and neatened themselves in an embarrassed silence. Ienzo stuffed the handkerchief back into his jacket pocket, fixing the buttons. He cleared his throat. "I know you have a spell to clean one's hands," he said. "Do you think you could-"

"Oh. Sure." He did it to both of them. "Never happened."

He crossed his arms for a moment. "I… have no idea what came over me," he admitted. "I… I felt like I had to do something-"

Demyx smiled. "You don't need to justify yourself." He bit his lip. "I always kind of figured… you'd want to try something again here in the library."

"I am… incredibly predictable."

Demyx laughed. "You call that predictable?"

He shrugged, unable to make eye contact.

He chucked him under the chin. "I… had fun," he said slowly.

"I… I did too." His hand trembled a little as he gestured. "I am still so… unaccustomed to such impulses."

"It takes some getting used to."

"Yes. Exactly."

Demyx touched his face. Ienzo met his eyes, something like shame coloring them. "Don't be ashamed," he said.

"You know I'm not fond of losing control."

"You felt pretty in control to me."

"You know what I mean."

Demyx put his hands on Ienzo's shoulders. "Nobody got hurt. Nobody saw anything questionable. And we had a good time. I'd say it could be worse."

He sighed. "You're right. It's clear I… still have some things to work on."

"Hey. If you ever need some help? I'm here." He winked.