10.

Thinning of the Veil

He woke slowly.

His legs ached, and he was desperate to pee. He found himself glad he'd decided to sober himself; otherwise, he knew he'd have a hideous hangover. He was horridly dehydrated. He went to the bathroom, washed his face. He had awful bedhead. His first night with his supposed soulmate hadn't exactly been romantic.

He knew he had to deal with the fact of Saïx-and Kairi?-at some point. He crossed over to the kitchen, still littered with alcohol and mixer bottles. He drank a few glasses of water. Lea was snoring on the couch. Ienzo saw Demyx, a pale shade of green, cross over to the bathroom, and heard him retch. Ienzo sighed. At least he could do this much. He got him a glass of water and knocked at the door. "Occupied," he said wearily.

"I've got something for you. Let me in."

"You don't need to see this."

"I can help."

After a moment, Ienzo heard the toilet flush, and the door cracked open. Demyx sat on the floor, holding his head with one hand.

"I can fix your hangover," he added more quietly. "You'll just get sick again, is all."

"You're not bullshitting me?"

He shook his head. "Give me your hand."

Demyx did; his was clammy. Ienzo gently pulled the hangover from him with his magic. He vomited once more, then looked up in confusion. "Holy fuck," he said.

"Better?"

"...Much. God, Ienzo, if you sold that you'd make a fortune." He shut the toilet lid and flushed.

"Were I not a fugitive, I would." He smiled a little.

"...Thanks." Demyx stood. "Hey… that's my shirt."

"Do you mind? I felt rather sweaty."

"No. It… it's nice." He sighed. "Kinda wish the first night you stayed over was better."

"...Well. We can fix that."

He nodded once, a blush coloring his face. "Let me get cleaned up. We should go out for breakfast."

Ienzo did. He felt loath to put his dirty clothes back on, but he had to. Once they were ready, they set out into the perpetual twilight. Demyx squeezed his hand. "So I have to ask," he said in a low voice. "What do you remember from last night?"

Demyx frowned. "Well… honestly? It's all kind of… hazy."

"I'm not surprised." Ienzo sighed. "I believe… I saw an old adversary of mine."

He stopped in his tracks. "You're sure you weren't just trashed?"

"Relatively sure, yes. He's hard to miss." He described Saïx briefly.

Demyx shook his head. "What if it was just someone with blue hair? Isn't my magic… shielding yours, or whatever? Isn't that the point?"

"Doesn't stop him from tracking the old-fashioned way."

Demyx took both of his hands and squeezed them. "There's no point torturing yourself unless you know for sure."

He had a point. Ienzo still intended on telling Aeleus when he got home.

They grabbed breakfast in a small cafe near Demyx's apartment. Like Riku had, Ienzo cast a small muffling spell. "Where did you meet Sora and Kairi?"

Demyx blinked. "They're Islanders too. Were always attached to Riku at the hip. I dunno."

"Kairi claims she knows me."

"Do you think you have?"

"I have these strange… partial memories, which may just be corroboration," he said. "But if they're magic… Do you know what's special about them?"

"Not… really. Honestly, Ienzo, we don't talk all magic, all the time." A wry laugh.

Oh to have that kind of life. "I suppose that is fair."

Demyx reached over the small table to take his hand. "Why don't we just enjoy our date?"

Ienzo sighed. "Yes. You are right."

When Ienzo got home, he braced himself for the third degree; but to his shock, the house was empty. The wards were still intact, and there was no sign of a break in. Was Even simply following his advice?

There was a note on the fridge. No need to worry. Back soon. -E

Ienzo showered, shedding the final remnants of last night. He felt considerably less safe without Demyx. He finished the last remaining bits of his coursework and started his own personal study, one ear at the door, his dagger nearby. Has he always been this paranoid, and simply never noticed?

After a while, he heard the front door open, and braced for attack before he sensed Even. He headed down and saw him carrying in groceries. "So you made it back, then," he said dryly.

"I would've come home-but-well." He took a breath and explained.

Even's eyes bulged, finally giving Ienzo the reaction he was looking for. He almost dropped his bags. "You're sure?"

"Nearly positive."

He put his head in his hands. "We haven't had any confirmed sightings, but I'll be sure to tell Aeleus-in the meantime, you should probably stay here. Else…" He shuddered. "We could always call the boy if we need him."

"You just sound so pleased."

"I know that's his purpose, but at the same time…" He looked back towards Ienzo.

"Something you don't have control over." Ienzo chuckled a little. "Right. Though there is one more thing I had questions about."

Even began to unload the groceries. "And that is?"

"Do you know of any Islander named Kairi?"

Even turned. "...You've no memory?"

"I truly don't."

"I'm not surprised… it was shortly after the death of your dear parents, so your memory may be compromised, as it were." He put a hand to his brow. "She was their princess. Are you truly forgetting all of the history I taught you? Why even bother?"

Ienzo rolled his eyes.

"We'd gone there to introduce Ansem as the new king. You were fast friends, if I recall correctly."

"...Were we…" He muttered. "Are her parents still alive?"

"They fled shortly before the fall. Critical resistance contacts. They hoped to… rebuild, and repatriate." A sigh. "Didn't we all."

Ienzo made a note to himself to look into their line. "Seems magic is much less rare than I was led to believe. We flock together like birds, don't we?"

"Yes, yes," Even said absently.

"Might be worth getting to know her then… again." Ienzo picked up one of the apples that had just been bought.

"Did you enjoy your time gallivanting about?"

"Before I saw him… I did," Ienzo admitted. "Strange dichotomy, between this "normal" life and everything else. I… you don't think he knows about me?"

"I… cannot be sure," Even said. "But we must be vigilant."

"Are we ever not?" Ienzo looked at his reflection in the wax of the apple. "Were you able to find the goat? I have a lovely recipe."

Ienzo could not stop thinking about Saїx. As he moved through the days… past midterms, past dates with Demyx… he still kept looking out for that shaggy head of blue hair. But Ienzo did not see or sense him again, even past the full moon. How could he possibly relax?

Demyx helped. It was lighthearted, even effortless , to be with him, and knowing his magic was at least partially blocked gave him a modicum of comfort he'd never quite had. They did spend quite a lot of time in his room whenever they could be alone, simply cuddling or kissing or something more.

Ienzo started taking birth control pills, acquired with ease through the student health center. His transition had been magical, not medical, and fertility spells for or against children were frightfully complicated. He knew that final step would probably come soon, and he figured best to be cautious.

How odd.

Ienzo knew he did love him, involuntarily, but still deeply. The more they were together, the more he seemed to notice about him, especially if they spent time with Demyx's friends; he was unconsciously charming, but on the other hand the real appeal was there. He was sharp, observant, though he often feigned the opposite. They would talk for hours about every little passing thought in their minds; Demyx humored his ramblings about this or that book he'd read, or the theories he had about his own magic. Similarly, hearing Demyx talk so technically about his own music served as a turn-on.

"It's been easier, since we met," Demyx admitted, strumming his sitar lightly. "To… make things. I feel like I've been missing something, and that hole is just… gone." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And I know it's just because… I'm supposed to want to be around you. But at the same time… it's such a relief."

"I agree," Ienzo said quietly. "I feel I can't let my guard down around anyone else."

Demyx set his sitar aside and lay back. The string lights around the room made everything rosier. "So this resistance… what happens?"

"The next meeting is apparently soon," Ienzo admitted, "Around Samhain… the thinning of the veils between worlds." He looked at his palms; he could feel the magic gradually increasing the closer they got. "The boost in power makes the vulnerability we get by joining worth it. ...So I've heard. The longer I live a "normal" life, the less I feel I know." He sighed. "But at least something can be done. I think. I hope." He exhaled. The air was getting cooler, the more it edged into fall. He lay back with Demyx and felt him draw his arms around him. "Sometimes I feel like there's no real future for us. All the while darkness encroaches and we… wait."

Demyx pressed a kiss against his brow. "I know. Believe me. But… I believe in us. In you."

"How I wish I could've just met you on the street."

"Well. The alternative other than this is… never meeting at all, and I can't handle that, either." He chuckled a little. "I'm just… glad it was you."

"...I'm glad too." He leaned in to kiss him. Demyx pulled a hand through his hair and brought him closer; Ienzo rolled his hips so he was lying partially on him. Demyx's hand slid down his back, over the curve of his ass, bringing with it goosebumps and making him shudder. Ienzo had gotten used to this all too quickly. He let his own hand trace the planes of Demyx's chest, and heard him gasp softly. Ienzo worked off his shirt and kept touching him, loving the way it made him feel grounded. Warmth rushed to his face.

Demyx undid the buttons of Ienzo's shirt, sliding it off, and pressed his lips against his throat, nipping softly. Ienzo felt a hand ease between his legs and reached to undo the buttons of his slacks. Still awkward, to undress, but Demyx helped him, kissing his chest, his stomach, and down farther, making him moan. He was eased back down onto the bed. Demyx took off his own pants and returned to him, drawing Ienzo's mouth back to his.

Demyx drew his hand against Ienzo's thigh, the soft and sensitive skin there, before so tentatively stroking at his clit. Ienzo shivered. At least it was easier to touch Demyx too now, so he did, taking his dick into his hand and working at the tip. Demyx made a small noise. Ienzo loved the way his breath changed. It should not be this easy to be so vulnerable in front of someone else.

Demyx moved a little quicker, rolling it against his fingertips, and slid one of his fingers inside of Ienzo. This used to be enough; and Ienzo knew he could get off if this continued. But he wondered… "Hey," he said softly. "Do you think-?"

Demyx cocked his head. "What?"

"I want to… try going farther."

He gasped. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Um… I… yeah, no, totally." He laughed a little. "Let me get a condom." Ienzo watched him cross over to his dresser and open a drawer.

This was so… odd. Ienzo could feel the blush in his own face.

"If I'd known, I would've… I don't know, bought wine, or something." Demyx chuckled again; Ienzo realized he was nervous.

"No need to be anxious," he said softly, reaching for his hand.

"I can't help it." Demyx bit his lip. He knelt down next to Ienzo, stroking the uneven edges of the package. "Listen… just tell me, if…"

"I know." Ienzo took Demyx's dick back into his hand, helping him get hard again. Still, his hands were shaking when he helped him put the condom on.

"I'm surprised you don't have magical birth control or something." Demyx eased back on top of him, teased his thighs open.

"It is all very complicated, and requires ingredients that aren't exactly available in a store." His heart was racing.

Demyx's flush worsened; Ienzo touched his cheek. He propped himself up with an elbow. Ienzo felt a finger slide into him, then another, an unexpected prickle of pain giving him pause for a moment, but the way Demyx kissed him helped warm it away. Ienzo wrapped a leg around his hips, to help give him a better angle, and a moment later the tip of it pressed against his opening. "You're okay?" Demyx asked.

"I think so."

Demyx eased into him a little more; Ienzo couldn't help the flinch. It wasn't agonizing , but it wasn't comfortable, either. "You sure?"

He'd just have to bear it for a moment. "Yes."

More pressure, and a bit more tense pain. "It looks like that hurts."

"It doesn't." Ienzo felt his hips against him; that must've been all of it. Still, the feel of it was not encouraging; how did people fake orgasms? He could barely keep the grimace off his face. "I'm… fine."

Demyx exhaled. "Why don't we do something that feels better for you?"

"How else do I get… used to things?" he asked.

"Lube would probably help." Demyx pulled out of him. "I can get some for next time, okay?" His expression had become somewhat unreadable; Ienzo felt betrayed by his own body, moreso than usual.

"I'm sorry."

Demyx kissed him once. "It's not your fault. Believe me, the first time someone went inside me was a real shitshow." He offered a tentative smile. He threw away the condom.

Ienzo was shaken into honesty. "I just thought it would be easier," he mumbled. "After all… it's all well and good when you touch me, but…"

"We can try again," Demyx said.

"Aren't you disappointed?"

Ienzo could see he was deciding whether or not to lie. "Well-a little," he admitted. "I mean, I thought-"

"It would be the best sex of your life?"

He lay down next to him. "I wouldn't say best , but-"

"At least you'd finish." Ienzo bit his lip; his humiliation felt complete, and while he wasn't aching , exactly, things did feel odd between his legs.

"Hey," Demyx said softly. "It's not your fault. I could've… fingered you more, or…"

"Lube. As you said." He tried to smile.

"Do you want me to… touch you, or?"

Ienzo shook his head. "Feels like the moment has passed, no?"

A sigh. "Yeah. Let's just… cuddle a while."