13.

Their few days at Aerith's cottage, despite the grueling training and the cold weather, were happy. Demyx seemed to be coming along at a rapid clip. Within days, he had better control of his own power than Ienzo had in years.

"To be fair," Demyx said, "you are a lot stronger than I am."

"...Your own strength is not to be underestimated." They hadn't gotten soaked this time, but he was still able to move those waves with a disconcerting ease.

Demyx looked at his palms. "At least I can finally do something." The tone of his voice said, at least I have something that's mine.

Aeleus was on patrol often, landing only a few hours every time he came back. It almost felt as though Ienzo and Demyx had their own place, the intimacy only deepened by the meals they had together. "Even said not to touch you," Demyx said. "Oh well."

Ienzo rolled his eyes. "Even believes himself a champion of my virginity."

"I thought you didn't believe in that crap."

" I don't. He does. Besides. It's my choice, what you get to do to me."

And they did spend those evenings together, despite the exhaustion… Ienzo learned about his body, what he liked, how they worked together. He found himself infinitely glad for the pills, despite the fact that he had magically stopped his own periods the moment he learned how.

The last night before they were to return home, they were tangled in each other. It was more comfortable than ever to be naked around him, to touch him. It was all so jarringly natural .

Demyx had lit a candle, making the light in the room soft. A full moon shone silver on the water. He always was so delicate with Ienzo, even in the hottest moments, like he might break. Like he was precious.

Ienzo realized he had stopped caring that their relationship was predetermined.

Demyx kissed him softly, working down along his collarbone, his breast, his belly. He slid his hand along Ienzo's clit. Pleasuring him seemed to be one of Demyx's kinks. He pressed his lips against the soft spot below his belly button. "Hey," Demyx said softly. "Do you think-"

The question alone just made his clit throb. "What?"

"Could I try… going down on you?"

A hot flush made him dizzy, but still he asked, "Are you sure?"

"I really want to." He swallowed; his hands were trembling. "I want to learn everything about you."

"...Yes." He barely held back the please . Demyx returned to him, kissing along his hips, down one thigh, his tongue along the inside positively electric, making Ienzo clutch at the sheets. He felt him kiss the top of it, a quiver shooting through him.

Gods.

He'd heard stories about how good blowjobs supposedly felt, but he'd never heard anything about what the other experience was like. Feeling his lips and tongue against his clit, warmer and more precise than fingers, had him gasping and moaning out loud and doubting his own stamina. "...You've done this before," he forced between his teeth, before another small sound left him.

Demyx didn't respond, not with words; his tongue flicked down along the opening, and Ienzo felt a finger slide inside of him. It was all so sweet. Demyx pulled on it a little harder, and Ienzo couldn't resist it anymore. Demyx still worked him as he came, and even once he was through he kissed the inside of his thigh.

"Fuck," Ienzo said softly.

Demyx laughed a little. "Not bad?"

"I can't believe you've been keeping that from me."

He tapped Ienzo's nose. "I can't do a lot of things right, but that I can do."

Without hesitation, Ienzo reached for his dick. "Tell me how to do this."

"No," he said softly, but then, getting sheepish, "I mean, yeah, totally, but I don't… want that right now."

"Then what do you want?"

His flush deepened. "Can you get on top of me?"

He blinked. They hadn't exactly experimented much in terms of positions; everything was still so new and so intense. "Yes."

Demyx settled down against the pillows, partially sitting up. Ienzo straddled him, stroking him slowly, loving the vulnerable look in his eye. It was a little bit awkward, to be able to ease the tip of it inside him, but he was already so wet that it slipped in with ease, overstimulation making him shudder. "It feels… different."

It did. Ienzo rested his hands against his shoulders. "Tell me what you need from me." He moved against him, partially in awe how quickly this had become normal. Demyx clutched at his hips. He wasn't touching Ienzo's clit, but he was already so sensitive that it wasn't necessary.

"Just really… really deep."

He obliged, taking it as far as he could; it was making him dizzy. Demyx's eyes rolled a little. "Like this?"

"God, yes."

He kept riding him. This wasn't even about him, but Ienzo could feel something even stronger building inside of him, something needier, almost terrifying. He thrusted a bit faster against him, hearing Demyx's not-so-soft noise. Ienzo kissed his throat, his shoulder, but for the most part they were both focused on the point where they were connected. Demyx's arms were wrapped tightly around him. Ienzo pulled Demyx's cock nearly all the way out of him, the tip teasing his opening, and sank back down on him hard.

"Don't stop." It was almost a whimper; Ienzo felt a thrill of power, only adding to the storm growing along his skin. He did this a few more times, feeling everything start to slip away from him; Demyx grasped at his hips and bucked back with equal force, making him breathless, and yet he was also tighter from the overstimulation. "God, you're so-"

Ienzo could feel him getting closer, his dick tensing towards the base. He tried to grind against him, anything to force him over the edge; it actually slipped out of him once, making Demyx laugh a little.

"Loving the enthusiasm," Demyx said, helping guide it back inside of him. Ienzo just picked up where he left off, feeling weak, his joints turning more to jelly. He thought he might faint; the noises Demyx was making weren't helping. "Zo? I-" A louder moan, partially muffled along his skin, and feeling the twitch of it inside of him as he came made Ienzo shatter.

This one was different; it was almost violent , making him spasm with a sensation he didn't think it was possible to feel. He felt something sticky that was different than his normal wetness. "I'm sorry…"

Demyx didn't seem disgusted by this, though. "It's just cum."

"I didn't know I could do that," he said dazedly. "I've never…" He knew it was fairly rare.

Demyx laughed at him. "Well, was it good at least?"

"Almost too good." Shakily, he eased off of Demyx down onto the bed.

He reached over and got a tissue to wipe it away. "And we thought we would be bad at this," he said. He lay back down. The moon shone brightly on the foot of the bed now; they twined together.

Ienzo hummed a little. He was positively exhausted now. Before he could reach down to pull the covers up over them, he heard,

"Zo?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

He said it so simply. So cleanly. Ienzo looked up. He could see it in Demyx's eyes. He hoped Demyx could see it in his own when he said. "I love you ."

A slow, content smile. "Let's get some sleep."

Over the next few weeks after they returned home, Ienzo tried to find a balance. Classwork didn't bother him; it was jarring to go from university to the rest of this strange life. Finding the time and place to train Demyx, much less work on his own abilities, was difficult, considering the more time went on the closer they crept to finals, and coursework did not come as naturally to him as it did to Ienzo. Whenever they could, they made love, and while Ienzo was still on the pills he did feel more relieved when condoms were involved again.

Ienzo did not see Ansem as much as he would've liked. It was dangerous, he knew, but with the mansion thought compromised there weren't many safe locations they could meet; Ansem had to duck in and out of hiding. Every now and again they were able to take walks together in the park, but as the weather got colder and windier it was not pleasant.

"Are you enjoying your studies?" They both looked over a small pond, not at each other, and Ansem spoke nearly out of the corner of his mouth.

"I wish they were more challenging."

He chuckled. "Well, unfortunately you must finish your Bachelor's before moving on-I do think postgrad would be where you'd thrive."

"If I get that far."

Ansem touched his arm; the touch was nearly startling. "Have hope, Ienzo," he said. "Perhaps your work with Cid will be fruitful."

"...I certainly hope so."

Cid lived in a duplex on the other side of town, a trip that required three separate car transfers. By the time Ienzo got there, he was more exhausted than excited. He was smoking a cigarette on the front stoop when Ienzo arrived.

"Well, come on in, kid, come on." He stubbed out the butt in an ashtray. "I hope you don't expect any of that "your highness" crap."

Ienzo smiled. "On the contrary."

The inside of the place was cluttered and smelled vaguely like static; power cords had been taped down with gaff but snaked all over the floor. "I know, it's a fire hazard," Cid said with a shrug. "Just watch your step. Coffee?"

Ienzo shook his head. Miscellaneous papers were stacked here and there, not so neatly. "What is all this?"

"Research, and some old things we've been able to collect from here and there," Cid said. He took a key out of his pocket and unlocked a door towards the back of the living room. "For the record? I don't trust electric locks worth shit ."

Ienzo felt the electricity before he saw it; it did strange things to his magic, making it prickle. A few servers lined the walls of this small study, the ventilation humming happily, and despite the late November cold an AC unit was running.

"Gotta keep these babies happy," Cid said, patting one. " Years of data and recon."

"I do hope you've backed them up somewhere."

He scowled. "I ain't an idiot."

"My apologies-I didn't mean to imply you were."

"I know. Well." He picked up a camp cot and unfolded it. "There you are, princeling."

Ienzo sat. Cid connected a few cords to his servers, then to a sleek, powerful-looking computer tower. "Is that an SA10?"

He beamed with pride. "It sure is. Cost me almost two months' salary, but it was worth it."

Ienzo bit his lip. "I just hope no harm comes to it. This is a kind of experiment, you know." Still, he could not help admiring it. He'd never had the resources to study computer science the way he would've liked.

Cid trailed the cords over to him; each had an electrode on the end. "Lie down."

He did so; the old cot creaked under his weight. Cid stuck the electrodes to his wrists, his temples. He shut his eyes.

"Alright. I'll boot it up, and you just… do your thing, I guess. Feel it out."

A moment later, Ienzo could feel the computer coming on. He brought his magic out onto his skin, trying to guide the energy into the wires.

Everything disappeared.

It was the strangest sensation, to suddenly not be embodied, the magic clashing and combining with the binary code. Ienzo followed the code as far as he could and found himself standing in a bizarre recreation of a library, texts flowing in a straight line as far as the eye could see. "How odd," he said aloud. "I guess my mind is rationalizing this process as a sort of dream."

In the far distance, he saw something run, darting between the shelves. He followed it. His whole being felt curiously light, and he didn't tire running.

"Wait…" He didn't know how he knew he was supposed to follow it, but he did, the tug of the magic growing stronger. "Please-"

It opened a door and disappeared through. Ienzo lurched forward to follow before the door could slam.

The world was suddenly rendered in an old-fashioned computer grid, everything bluish. "I'm not going to hurt you," Ienzo said. "I just-"

"Oh, I know that," a voice said cheerfully. "But how else could I get you back here?"

Ienzo tensed. The being in front of him definitely looked like a human man, though bits of his clothing were glowing; the lining of his suit jacket, his tie. "Who are-"

He offered his hand. "My name is Tron," he said. "Though you might better know me as the administrative program of this server."

Ienzo shook; the touch was disconcertingly normal. "Cid's servers?" he asked. "I'm sure he'd lose his mind if he realized they were sentient."

"Oh, no. I've been trying to get in touch with him for some time. Though I admit-you're the most advanced program I've ever seen."

Ienzo frowned. His curiosity was killing him. "I'm not a program."

Tron's eyes widened. "You're a user? How did you get in here?"

"My magic allowed my consciousness to pass through."

Tron walked around him slowly in a circle. "Unbelievable," he murmured. "I've never heard of someone having such power-"

"I'm a prince," he said, his lip curling over the word. "Kind of comes with the territory."

"Oh," Tron said. Then, " Oh ."

"Is something the matter?"

"No-not at all." He grinned widely. "This is-you're perfect to take this knowledge back to him, then."

"What knowledge?"

"Follow me."

Ienzo did so, through this strange endless space. It lacked temperature, scent.

"King Ansem engaged certain protocols to always leave a backdoor open on his OS. Xehanort has… been wreaking havoc on my fellow programs in an attempt to get to the vital systems there. To control the town's defense system… and whatever else. But if you're who I think you are… you can take the passkey back to Cid and allow him access."

Ienzo gasped a little. "But that would mean-we could potentially mine data from Xehanort, about his plans, his weaknesses-Tron, you have no idea how valuable this would be."

He nodded. "Exactly. But… be warned, Ienzo, there are protections in place. Firewalls, viruses… it won't be that straightforward."

"I'm sure Cid can manage."

They eddied out into a large, bright area. They could see out into that lab, in his home. But the empty warehouse space beyond the computer had changed-he squinted. Were those… pods?

A face entered frame; Ienzo tensed. "They can't see us," Tron told him.

Ienzo did not recognize this person. He did look like Xehanort, but he was tanner, and his longer hair was slicked back. He tapped at the keys, nodded once to himself, and left.

"Xehanort's eldest son," Tron said. "He had another name once, but now he calls himself… Ansem. The heir apparent… apparently." He smiled darkly.

Ienzo scowled.

"My working hypothesis is that he's the one performing the experiments."

"Experiments? Is this related to the mutant Heartless?"

"Possibly-if that's what's going on out in your world. I'll send a .zip file back with you with what I know." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, old key. "Here's the passkey. You should be able to translate it once you're back in your body."

"Tron-thank you."

He shook his head. "I should thank you. This darkness… this virus… needs to be stopped. Now go before the viruses find us." He pushed Ienzo's shoulder.

Ienzo flew backward… far, fast-the next thing he knew he was waking up in his body, horrifically dizzy and nauseous. "Pen," he spat to Cid. "Pen and paper. Now."

Cid obeyed. Ienzo began scribbling the code; it was in a language he'd never seen before. His hand flew across the paper, the knowledge of it draining from his mind as he did so-humans were not meant to house code, after all-and handed the results to Cid.

"The hell is this?" He asked.

"The passkey to a backdoor." He was breathing hard; he felt he may be sick. "The backdoor… to the castle servers in Radiant Garden."

Cid's eyebrows shot up. " Paydirt ," he nearly yelled. "Kid, you're phenomenal."

"It wasn't just me." The dizziness wasn't fading; he clutched his head. "I was able to interface with the admin program there-it was like talking to a person." He told him everything.

Cid clutched the paper like it was gold. "Far fuckin out." Then, "you okay? You look a little green in the gills."

"I think it was merely the process. It is… jarring." He smiled. "I hope this will be of use."

"Like hell it will be! If I can crack this baby open, we'll suddenly have a huge advantage over him. Great work, Ienzo."

Over the next few days, however, the dizziness didn't pass, and the nausea continued to come and go. Ienzo tried to independently research if magic and technological interfacing could have this reaction, but there was nearly no data. What was technology but a regular person's attempt at magic? He wondered if it were worth mentioning anything to Even, but the symptoms seemed manageable with ginger tea and rest.

It was now time for finals; Demyx invited him to a study party at the apartment. The day of, Ienzo woke up to aching breasts, despite the scarcity of tissue; he checked the paperwork that had come with his pills and found it could be a side effect of the first three to six months of use, as well as… dizziness and nausea. This knowledge relieved him. He gathered his school things and headed over to Demyx's.

Sora, Kairi, and Riku were sprawled over the couch, their computers casting an eerie glow; Lea and Yuffie anchored the small table. This left Demyx and Ienzo a corner of floor, made more comfortable with blankets and pillows. Ienzo helped him with his final paper; the knowledge and ideas were there, the grammar and syntax was not. He had just stood to go to the bathroom when his nausea worsened; as casually as possible, he went inside, shut the door, and was sick, muffling the sound with a spell in case anyone was listening. The nausea faded instantly.

A gentle knock at the door. "Just a moment," he said.

"You okay?" Kairi's voice.

Ienzo rinsed out his mouth and washed his face. He cracked the door. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Come see this cool thing in Riku's room," she said, taking his hand and leading him towards the closed door.

Riku's bedroom was smaller than Demyx's and oddly minimalist, aside from a few photos on the bookshelf and a painting on the wall Ienzo could not get a good look at. "What's going on?" Ienzo asked.

"I heard you getting sick-I can see through illusory spells. It's part of my power." She frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yes-it's nothing to worry about. I'm taking a new medication that has nausea as a side effect. That's all."

"A… medication," she said slowly, something unreadable in her expression that Ienzo did not like one bit. "It's not… birth control, is it?"

"I don't think that's any of your business."

She shook her head. "I thought something felt different about you-"

"Like. What."

She exhaled. "Do you think you could be pregnant?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm always careful."

She bit her lip. "Ienzo, I… sense something. I don't know what it is, but…"

"So you instantly jump to pregnancy?"

She shrugged. "It does sound crazy, now that I'm hearing it. Just that pregnancy feels similar to this."

"But not the same, no?"

"No," she conceded. "But… it is birth control you're taking, isn't it?"

His heart stuttered; though why? "...Yes?"

"Huh…" She put her hand to her chin. "Which one?"

"Kairi, this is very personal."

"Then humor me for the sake of my power."

He rolled his eyes and told her.

"But I take that one, and it never made me sick…"

"I'm sure I just react differently," he said. "Now if you don't mind keeping this between us."

"Sure," she said, her eyes still lost in thought.

The idea, once planted, took root.

Ienzo had to admit the symptoms were similar. But the pill pack distinctly said these could be side effects. And aside from those times at the cottage, they always used at least two forms of contraception. Why on earth would Kairi sense something akin to pregnancy in him? Surely he would've sensed it first?

When he woke the next morning not just with aching breasts but swollen ankles, fear invaded. In a dissociative haze, he held his morning urine, went to the pharmacy, bought a test. There was no way. He did not get periods; how could his uterus even be hospitable towards a zygote?

It had to be the hormones in the pill; that was all.

He ignored Even's wittering and went upstairs, locking himself into the bathroom he shared with Aeleus. The result would be negative; why was he procrastinating? Eventually, the desperation to urinate won over his cowardice, and he took the test, set it aside; waited the instructed three minutes, then five, because wouldn't that be more effective? But after ten minutes, he realized he would just have to look at the damn thing. After all, why was he worried? He got up and washed his hands, keeping his eyes stubbornly on the faucet. He was trembling.

There is no need to be anxious. It would be negative.

Ienzo took the stick into his hands and flipped it over. His voice sounded very disembodied when he mumbled,

"Oh, shit. "