12.

His days took on a peculiar rhythm. He had to do the dialysis for four hours every two days, just to not die. Even though he no longer felt like throwing up all the time, he was still exhausted. Even said he could do it overnight if he wished, so he wasn't chained to the machine, but it wasn't like he felt strong enough to work.

Scrooge was understanding. "Take as much time as you need, laddie," he said. "As I said, you can't make me money if you're not well."

So Demyx- Edym, he reminded himself-rested. And rested. He didn't sleep as deeply as he used to when he worked full time, dropping in and out every few hours. He missed gardening. Missed working. Missed fresh air. He tried to work on music, but his sitar felt too heavy to comfortably manipulate.

So he asked Ienzo to bring him some books. He read fantasy, mystery, horror. When Ienzo visited-as he did each day after he worked, and Edym insisted he work-they talked about it. He brought Demyx- Edym -books about music history. But Edym felt burnt out.

"I'm worried about him," he heard Ienzo admit to Even one night, while he was pretending to sleep. "He doesn't care about music. I asked him why he hasn't been playing sitar and he said it's too heavy. He's too weak. I think he's depressed, especially after the whole Elrena revelation."

"It's possible," Even said. "He's been vaulting from one traumatic experience to the next. Chronic illness is very hard on one's mind. It won't be much longer, Ienzo. I want to make sure it's watertight."

"...Thank you."

"Why did you have to choose that boy, of all people?"

Edym thought about Elrena. He hadn't had any other memories emerge since then. He thought about Larxene, how much they'd hated each other. Sister , he thought. Sister. Sometimes he looked at his face for a long time in the mirror, trying to gauge if they had similar features. The coloring was uncanny, he had to admit. He wasn't sure if he missed her. All he knew was that he ached.

"I've brought something for you," Ienzo said. He had a small cloth bag. "I know your sitar has been a little hard to manage lately. I wonder if this might help." He handed it to Edym with an expectant smile, a smile that said, please work.

He unwrapped the object delicately. He knew what it was straightaway, from his time in the Pride Lands; a kalimba, its small metal keys over a gourd of polished wood. It was the perfect size for Edym's hands.

He brought his thumb gently onto the A key, and heard it prick into silence. Ienzo watched him intently. He did this. He brought this for me. He struggled through a transposition of one of his compositions, the notes pouring from him almost desperately, like they'd been struggling to get out for so long, and he slogged through the next, until it all came a little bit easier, a heavy, achy relief.

The next thing he knew, Ienzo was gently prising the kalimba from his hands and drawing him into his arms. "Why-?" Edym began to ask, but then hearing his own voice, realized he'd been sobbing.

Ienzo shushed him gently. "Let it out," he said. "Just let go."

"Ienzo," he sobbed.

"I know. I know, love. I know."

"Are you mad at me?" Edym asked Even.

Even pulled the catheters from his port line. "Why would I be?"

"About me and Ienzo."

"Ienzo can make his own choices," the man said. "If he is able to find some happiness with you, however brief, I think that is earned. From what I gather you treat him well."

"...But nobody's good enough for him."

A small smile. "He's my son. I can't help but think that."

"...How did the basement happen?"

His expression slackened.

"He took me there before I seized and he was freaking out."

Even sighed and sat down. "It's a sordid story."

"I want to know."

He took a moment to gather himself. He cleared his throat. "We all wanted to study hearts," Even began. "The memories, what makes them tick, what differentiates them from, say, the neuronal emotional responses in our minds, and the beating of our physical hearts. Without getting into the technical, we studied hearts and bodies for years-the genesis of my replica program was born here.

"Young Xehanort arrived after a particularly awful storm. Master Ansem took him in, fascinated by his lack of memory. We suspected darkness brought this young man here. And once darkness entered our lives…" A sigh. "It spiraled out of control very quickly. Enabling us, making us see what we ordinarily knew to be evil as… necessary, or worth what we would learn.

"See, Ienzo came to us as an orphan. His biological parents were dear friends of Master Ansem, so it was natural for the boy to come live with us. And he was just so brilliant. His mind, though childlike, could see solutions that would take us months ordinarily. At first, he was not involved, only an observer, one to work on calculations for us. But with Xehanort… well. Quickly that creature discovered that if he was close to Ienzo, he could get what he wanted from Ansem.

"There was a desire to extend the labs anyway, especially to conduct this heart research. It wasn't all darkness and grim decay yet. It was approved, in fact, by a board of ethics. But once there were actual people involved… and darkness… it was only a matter of time before our hubris made it all so violent. See, Xehanort wanted to get rid of Ansem because of his moratorium on the experiments. And I feared that, if we did not comply, something terrible would happen to Ienzo-as by then, Xehanort had moved to experimenting on children. So I let it happen. It is, to this day, one of my greatest regrets.

"A great many people became Heartless. So many that the townsfolk started to be able to hear their torment from the outside. And then… we were convinced to let go of our hearts, to protect our bodies, and keep working. Keep experimenting. I had hoped that Xehanort would allow Ienzo to grow normally, but that was not the case. He cut the boy down in front of me." Even's eyes had become distant. "And once we were Nobodies… our bonds were mostly severed."

Edym shuddered. "Yikes."

"We devote ourselves to atonement to make up for what we've done. To use that knowledge to mend, and rebuild. If the universe desired us gone… well, it had its chances, didn't it?" A dark smile. "I feel my guilt is earned. Needed to help me grow."

"I think I understand now," Edym said.

Even patted his shoulder. "Hopefully that research will save your life. And if that means I have to be annoyed by you for a great many years… well. Anything to make it up to Ienzo."

It became clear the only way to fix him involved surgery. "Unless you'd rather be tethered to that machine every few days for the rest of your life, anyway," Even explained. There was something like an excited glint in his eye. "Using a combination of the replica technology and your own genetic code, I created an artificial organ. We simply-"

"Chop out one of the bum ones and slap on the new one?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Effectively, yes."

"Great," he said dryly. "Sign me up."

Even rolls his eyes. "You haven't got many options."

"No, I'm so doing it," he said. "Just, uh, I've never exactly had anyone cut me open?"

"You'll be under general anesthesia, so you won't feel a thing," Even said. "Maybe some soreness afterwards. But I'm confident you'll feel much better almost immediately."

Almost anything was better, Edym thought.

"I have a medical degree. I know what I'm doing," Even added.

"I know you do," he said. "I'm… I'm just…"

"Nervous?"

"A little."

A sigh. "It's only natural."

"I'll be by your side the whole time," Ienzo said to him. "Quite literally. Even needs extra hands and I'm the only one with any significant medical knowledge."

"Ew, you'll see my guts," Edym said.

Ienzo rolled his eyes. "Human anatomy does not disgust me."

"I guess I'm glad it's you."

He sighed. "Am I sure I want you around, is the question."

"Har har."

"What happens to us next?" Ienzo asked.

"We live," Edym said.

"I'd love to travel," he said, with a sigh.

"Maybe we can look for my sister."

A small smile. "Maybe we can, Edym."

A few days later, Edym found himself on the cold table in Even's lab, which was separate from the computer lab, and in general much more organized. The room, too, was freezing, and both Even and Ienzo were in green scrubs, their hair tied up and out of the way, masks covering most of their faces.

"Before you conk me out, can I see it?" Edym asked. He'd been nervous the night before, but now was weirdly cheerful-or maybe it was the anti-anxiety drug he'd been given. (Even hadn't said anything, but Demyx had seen the bottle.)

With a sort of restrained pride, Even showed it to him in its sterile container.

"Why is it gray?" he asked.

"Much like replicas are featureless until they gain a heart, this will remain colorless until it starts leaching off your blood supply."

"Whoa," Edym said, feeling woozy. (Definitely drugged, he decided.)

"And the good thing about using your genetic code is that the chance of rejection is slim to none. None of the annoying drugs required. Everything ready, Ienzo?"

"Quite."

"Alright. When I place the mask onto your face, Demyx, ah, Edym, nice deep breaths. Count back from a hundred." The plastic, when it touched his skin, was cold.

"See you on the other side," he replied woozily.

The next thing he was aware of, things had begun to wash back in. "Everything went smoothly," Even was telling him in a calm, soothing voice. (He had to be high, if Even could sound that nice.)

"I'm sleepy."

"Get some rest. You'll need it."

"...What do you think will happen to us?"

Elrena stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms behind her. They were on the roof and the sun was setting. "I try not to think about it too much," she said. "Anyway, trying to think about it at all won't help, dummy."

"...I know," Edym said.

"I really wish you'd have joined my union."

"I know," he said. "But you don't want a coward like me."

"Yeah, I bet whenever there's a nasty Heartless you'd run and hide."

He grinned. "Yup."

"We can collect so much more lux if I don't have to keep an eye on you." She thumped his shoulder. "But you know whatever happens…"

"What?"

"We'll find each other. Strelitzia always said that crap."

"Do you believe it?"

She sighed. "Maybe the stupid is catching, but I do."

Edym woke slowly. The air smelled fresh and clean.

"Morning," he heard Ienzo say.

"Morning." He furrowed his brows. He felt weird, and then realized he felt weird because he didn't feel like shit despite just having surgery. "How are my guts?"

"Took to you better than Even thought. Your labs are looking good-and it's only been a few hours."

He tried to sit up. There was an ache of stitches, but no substantial pain. "Huh," he said.

"What?"

"I just… I dunno. I guess I expected it not to go well."

Ienzo kissed his forehead. "All you have to do now is recover."

"And finally leave this fucking room."

"Quite."

Edym continued to recover quickly. He was shocked at how much better he felt. Gone was the exhaustion, the ever-present nausea. If he kept doing well over the next few months, Even would replace the other kidney.

"Thank you," Edym said after one of the myriad check-ins. "Really. You saved my bacon."

"I should be thanking you ," Even said. "You were something of a guinea pig."

" What. "

Even rolled his eyes. "I knew in theory that the replica technology could have medical applications-it's mostly why that project began. But creating one specific organ for one specific person, without requiring a donor, was something of an experiment. Now I know this can help others. The proof is in the pudding-so to speak."

"Yeah, in my guts." He sighed. "At least this is something I've done with my life."

Even chuckled a little. "Well, because of it you have a life." His expression grew serious, but did not lose its warmth, which Edym found to be an incredibly strange experience. "Don't squander it."

"Dude, are you like, my friend now?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be jumping to conclusions."

Edym knew better. "Can I… hug you?"

" Must you?"

"Please?"

A sigh. "Be quick about it."

Edym squeezed him once around the waist; Even awkwardly patted his head. "So, in the beginning," he began. "When I first hugged you, it seemed to really upset you. Why is that?"

He sighed. "We all have our wounds from the old days," he said. "And that is as far as I'll go with that."

Edym would take the victory. "Fair enough."

His recovery meant the return of energy, the return to work. Edym couldn't do a lot of the strenuous planting anymore just yet, but he could water the plants, clip browning leaves. He was feeling stronger day by day, better.

Other things returned too.

When he'd been sick, he hadn't exactly felt up to trying to have sex, and Ienzo hadn't pushed it. About a month after the surgery, though, they decided to try.

"We have to be gentle. Careful," Ienzo said. "It's probably better if you let me do all the work."

"Aw, I'm sure that's just killing you," Edym said.

He rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you don't feel any pain? Even a little?"

"I haven't in like three weeks."

He nodded. Ienzo had tried for something like romance, leaving a lit candle on the dresser. He kissed him, letting his forehead rest against Edym's for a moment. "I've missed doing this with you."

"Me too."

Ienzo kissed him again, harder this time, easing him back gently. The color was high in his cheeks, and he was a bit breathless as he worked at Edym's clothing. "I mean it. You better relax."

"If I die fucking you, it's a life well spent, I think. Hey. " Ienzo had bitten his throat.

"You behave badly, you get punished," Ienzo said in a low voice.

"I knew it! I knew you were into that shit-" The next bite was much gentler, and made him go from mildly turned on to hard in an instant. "Maybe I am too."

Ienzo laughed a little. "I don't think we should do anything of that ilk today." He lessened the bites to kisses, which still made Edym squirm. He slid off his own shirt, and Edym helped him out of his pants and underwear. "I want you inside me," he said softly.

"Yes." He nodded. "Yes, I… I'm into that." He traced his hand along Ienzo's chest, across his belly, down between his legs, feeling the start of wetness. His clit was hard, so he rolled it between his fingers.

Ienzo kept kissing at his throat, his chest. His breath hitched a little as Edym touched him. "I thought I was supposed to do all the work."

"I can't let you have all the fun."

He tried not to laugh; Edym saw it. "Alright." He was grinding just slightly against his cock, the tease unbearable after so much waiting. He pressed one of his fingers up into Ienzo, even that much pressure so tempting. "I got too used to you," Ienzo said, with difficulty.

"What? Getting you off regularly?"

"Quite-" A small moan left him; Edym put another finger inside of him. "It's not nearly so much fun on my own."

"Have you ever tried the strap?"

"In a moment of extreme weakness."

"What was that like?"

" Bizarre, " he admitted, jutting against Edym's hand. "Perhaps if you behave I'll make you one of your own."

He swallowed the noise he wanted to make. "And if I don't?"

"...Then maybe I'll use it to make life a little bit unbearable." Ienzo grasped Edym's cock and stroked it.

"Just-gentler, gentler," he moaned. "Do you want me to come now ?"

A smirk. "It has been a long time."

"Yes. That is a threat."

Ienzo kissed him. He guided Edym's cock up against his opening, teasing the tip of it.

" Ienzo. "

" Fine ," he conceded, finally pressing down against it. "Though I do love seeing you helpless."

"I'll show you helpless," he muttered, but he couldn't help but buck up into him. The friction was so needed, a beautiful pressure, and already he felt a tightness in the pit of his stomach. "God." He'd been too afraid to even really try jerking off, managing it only once about a week ago in the shower. It had taken thirty whole seconds.

It seemed like Ienzo was pretty pent up too. His eyes were shut, and he bucked down hard against Edym, taking him deep. Edym felt the little tremor, the spasm, and to make himself feel less pathetic he reached up to stroke at Ienzo's clit. He moaned a little. "Fuck," he said.

"I know."

Ienzo thrusted against him faster, his head bowed down now, holding onto Edym's shoulders for dear life. Edym was struggling to hold on, but Ienzo felt so fucking good against him, especially the little twitches as he grew closer. Edym grasped his hips. "I won't… I won't blame you if you finish first," Ienzo said breathlessly. "It's been a long time for you, I'm sure."

"Ha. You wish. " Ienzo tightened around him deliberately, making him cry out.

He smirked, but his expression shifted almost immediately. He kept riding him, the rhythm erratic at best, and Edym knew it wasn't long for either of them. "Here. Pull it-" He propped up his hips a little, a better angle. Ienzo moaned.

"No," he said.

"Not good?"

"Not fair ," he said breathily, and he folded.

He thought he was used to the intensity of Ienzo's orgasms, but this one rocked through him differently, sweet and hot, making him tingle all over. He let go almost violently, a heady, thick relief only adding to his pleasure, Ienzo thrusting against him weakly once or twice more before they finally just came together.

It seemed to last a long time, trembling little waves. Ienzo was shaking, struggling to hold himself up, his thighs tensing against Edym's.

They were still breathlessly pressed together. "Alright?" Ienzo asked.

"God, I'm…" He nodded. "So fucking good."

"Yes, quite…" He eased off of him and sagged against Edym's stomach. "God, I've missed you."

"You missed my cock more than me."

"You know what I mean."

Edym kissed him. "Yeah. I do."

"But, you know, in fifteen minutes or so we are absolutely doing that again. I want to savor you."

He nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way."