This was it. He was finally going to do it. No more procrastinating or making excuses. Today, he was going to reveal himself and put an end to all this stalking nonsense. But Zexion's feet remained rooted to the floor. Nerves made his palms sweat and he hastily wiped them on his pants. He felt uncomfortably warm and self-conscious in a way he never had before.

Get a grip. You made a commitment, and if you chicken out now, Axel will never let you hear the end of it. Just go over there and introduce yourself. How hard can it be?

Apparently, it was really hard. He could see the blond junior sitting in the same place as always as he stood by the chair he'd claimed in order to keep an eye on Demyx for all those weeks. The blond appeared to be working on homework, as usual.

Just get it over with. Introduce yourself, ask him, and either walk away or hang out with him. Easy. You handle dangerous chemicals every day—talking to a kid should be easy.

Taking a deep breath, Zexion tightened his grip on his school bag and slowly approached the junior, his heart pounding. It felt like an eternity just to cross the library. Was everyone staring at him? Did he look as nervous as he felt? This was a bad idea. Demyx didn't need to know who Zexion was—he was probably better off with someone who had more in common with him. Zexion should turn around and leave before he made a fool of himself.

No, no. He was doing this, damn it!

Only a few more steps and there would be no turning back. He could do this. He'd been practicing what he would say for days.

Three steps. Two. One.

"H-hey…Demyx?" Zexion said so quietly that the junior might not be able to hear him even though he was standing just behind him.

"Yes?" The blond turned then froze when his eyes landed on Zexion's face, immediately recognizing the blue hair and matching eyes. "It…it's you. Isn't it?" he asked softly, unsure of how e should act. Memories of the kiss they'd shared at the Masquerade flooded him at the sight of those eyes, and he felt his neck grow warm under his shirt collar.

Zexion nodded, looking down in an uncharacteristic bout of shyness. "Yeah, it's me."

What?! What kind of answer was that?! What happened to the speech he'd been practicing, all those things he'd meant to say? He couldn't remember any of it. His mind had gone absolutely blank the moment Demyx turned and looked up at him.

Speechless, Demyx rose from his chair and faced the older boy. They were about the same height, though Zexion was slightly taller and of a slimmer build. He reached out and hesitantly touched the blue-haired boy's arm.

"You're not gonna disappear on me again, are you?" His smile was sad yet hopeful.

The senior shook his head. "No, I…I thought you deserved to know who I am, especially after…" he trailed off, not sure if he should say it out loud or not.

"After you kissed me," Demyx supplied helpfully, and Zexion nodded, eyes lowered again. He felt a touch on his hand and looked up in surprise to see Demyx smiling at him, more happily this time. Gently, the blond guided the older boy into the chair next to his own and moved his books out of the way as if he didn't want them to distract him from his new companion. "So, what's your name?"

"Zexion."

"Hm. Zexion." The blond seemed to be trying the name out, testing how it felt on his tongue and almost tasting it. "It's nice to finally meet you, Zexion."

Clueless about what exactly he should do next, Zexion simply nodded and focused his attention on the wood grain of the table, noting how worn it was from years of use. Silence made him glance up, and he realized that Demyx was waiting for him to say something, so he took another deep breath.

"Listen, Demyx, I understand if you don't want anything to do with me. I yelled at you when you didn't deserve it, and at the Masquerade…I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have kissed you like that, and I'm sorry. If you want me to leave you alone, I will, but I didn't think it was fair to you not to introduce myself."

"I'm glad you did it." Demyx smiled shyly as a light blush colored his cheeks. "Both things, I mean. I…no one ever kissed me like that before, and I'd really been hoping to see you again. Thank you for coming to talk to me." He sounded sincere, and Zexion let himself smile.

"Really? And, uh, no problem." He'd really liked kissing him? "Could we go somewhere a little more private to talk?" Zexion's eyes nervously glanced around the library to check if anyone had noticed them. He felt extremely exposed and almost as if he was on display, a notion he wasn't particularly fond of since he was being open about his feelings for another person for the first time in his life.

Nodding, Demyx tucked his things into his bag and stood, once again taking hold of the older boy's hand—Zexion felt his face heat in embarrassment. The younger student led the way to the back of the library where small study rooms were available and pulled Zexion into one, shutting and locking the door behind them. There was a table with a chair and a two-person couch, and only one small window to let them peek out into the library. It was definitely an improvement and Zexion finally managed to relax. He decided to occupy the chair but Demyx pulled him down onto the couch before he had a chance to take his hand away. Both boys dropped their bags to the floor and Demyx tucked one leg under himself, looking at the senior expectantly.

This was not going at all the way Zexion had planned. In his head, he'd been confident and smooth and composed like he always was, but those evergreen eyes destroyed him. They made him forget everything he wanted to say, made him feel nervous and warm and beckoned him to do exactly what he'd done at the Masquerade only without pulling away and running off this time. And he wanted to. He wanted to pin the younger boy to the couch and kiss him until his lips were tired and he was out of breath. Just imagining it made him dig his nails into his palm just to control himself.

What the hell is wrong with me?! I go my whole life without so much as feeling butterflies and all of a sudden I'm completely infatuated with this kid! This is madness!

He found himself looking everywhere, anywhere but at the boy sitting beside him. If his nails bit any deeper into his palm they would draw blood; he forced himself to unclench his fist and relaxed each muscle one by one.

Just ask him. It's not a big deal. The worst he can do is say no.

Finally, he managed to look at the other boy, just in time for Demyx to lean close and kiss him. Dark blue eyes widened but he didn't pull away, partially because the blond had grabbed onto the front of his uniform shirt. Thoughts and emotions mixed together in a whirlwind in his head. Should he pull away? Should he do nothing and wait for Demyx to stop? Should he kiss back? It was a gentle, tender kiss, completely different than the one Zexion had forced on the blond at the Masquerade, but he still liked it. Demyx had extremely soft lips and Zexion found that he rather enjoyed the way they felt against his own, but before he could decide what to do, Demyx pulled away and looked at him worriedly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, almost afraid that he'd done something wrong.

What was he supposed to say? Nothing was wrong, but he must have made a face because Demyx let go of his shirt and retreated to his own half of the couch. The blond fiddled with his tie and hid his eyes, pulling his other leg up onto the couch and drawing his knee to his chest in a protective fashion.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sounding guilty, "it's just, I've wanted to do that ever since the Masquerade, and I thought maybe you wanted me to. Guess I was wrong, though."

Wrong? No, that wasn't true.

"What makes you think that?" Zexion questioned, speaking softly.

"You didn't kiss me back, and you got really tense."

Because I was trying not to throw you back on the couch and ravish you.

Zexion tried to be delicate—ravishing the blond was probably a little extreme for their third encounter. "I wouldn't say I didn't want you to, I was just surprised. It was the last thing I expected you to do."

Green eyes lifted to meet his. "Why? I kissed you back at the Masquerade."

"Yes, but I thought you'd be more hesitant about things like this after how Mister Marluxia treated you."

There was no sign that Demyx even heard the name of the teacher who had been harassing him. "Why would I be hesitant with you? You saved me, and…I really like you, Zexion…"

He did? Gathering his courage, Zexion steeled himself. This was the whole point of coming to talk to him.

"Will you go out with me?" the senior blurted, then blushed but didn't turn away, looking at the younger boy intently.

Startled dark green eyes widened and blinked as a blush even darker than Zexion's covered Demyx's face. The blond nodded and smiled shyly, his arms wrapped around his knee. "I'd love to."

"Really? I mean, great. Yeah." Even though he was making a fool of himself, Zexion smiled and scooted closer to the blond, one thing and one thing only on his mind now that he'd gotten that nerve-racking question out of the way. "I have one more question."

Demyx felt himself shrink a little to have the older boy so close all of a sudden even though he didn't actually mind. "Y-yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

The question, or request, rather, was a breath, barely even a whisper, and Demyx found himself nodding without even the slightest hesitation. Zexion's smile widened slightly and he leaned closer, one hand cupping the younger boy's face, and he pressed his lips to the blond's. He looked into Demyx's green eyes for a moment before letting his own fall closed and continued to kiss the boy, gently and patiently.

Arms wound around his neck to pull him closer and he chuckled internally, pleased by the response. After a few moments of this shy kissing, he tilted his head and slipped his tongue out, tracing Demyx's lips and feeling the blond tremble slightly in what Zexion hoped was anticipation. When he'd finished memorizing the shape of them, he licked the soft bottom lip beseechingly, asking this time rather than taking like he had at the Masquerade. Demyx obediently parted his lips and moaned softly when Zexion's tongue invaded his mouth, exploring and memorizing, rubbing against Demyx's tongue to coax him to participate more.

Taking that as his cue, the blond pulled the older boy closer and tentatively pushed against the invading appendage with his own. Zexion allowed him entrance to his mouth but by no means gave up his dominance, choosing that moment to grip Demyx's knee and push his leg off the couch so that there was enough room for him to move closer to the blond. Their chests pressed together as Zexion pinned the younger student on the couch and Demyx broke away, panting and blushing as he looked up at the blue-haired senior.

"Z-Zexion…"

Also out of breath, the older boy rested his forehead against Demyx's and stared into those amazing eyes, smiling. "Yes?"

"Thank you…"

"For what?"

Demyx smiled and shifted under the senior, turning so that his head was propped up on the couch armrest and he was lying down more than sitting up. Zexion found it to be an extremely appealing position and wasted no time in moving over the blond, though he didn't do anything to distract him from whatever it was that he wanted to say.

"Everything. Stopping Marluxia that day, making sure I was okay at the Masquerade even though you were mad, kissing me then and coming to talk to me today." He reached up and ghosted his lips against Zexion's, brushing the blue hair back so he could see both of the older boy's eyes. "You don't realize how much of a difference you've made in my life."

That brought Zexion up short. He'd never realized how much Mister Marluxia was affecting the junior's life. The only thing he'd ever really considered was how guilty he felt for not stopping it at the homecoming dance, how if he kept watch over the blond and helped the next time, then he'd have done his part and would be able to forget about the whole thing.

Shit, how selfish can I be? I have to tell him, even if he doesn't want to go out with me after he knows.

"Demyx, I…I have to tell you something."

The blond looked at him expectantly, still smiling, and Zexion sat up because he didn't think he could say it if he was in such a suggestive position with the younger boy. His action confused Demyx, who scooted back so he could sit up and lean against the armrest.

"Zexion, what is it?"

He hesitated for a moment, wanting to put it in a way that was honest but didn't sound as terrible as it maybe really was. "That day, when I found you and stopped Marluxia, that wasn't the first time I saw him bothering you," the senior admitted, looking away guiltily.

Demyx blinked, stunned. "When…?"

"At the homecoming dance. I was bored and wandering around, and I saw him kissing you off in the shadows. You were crying."

Naturally, Demyx knew exactly what Zexion was talking about. He remembered that night all too clearly. The pink-haired man had all but forced him to leave the lights and music behind in favor of somewhere more secluded. Apparently, it hadn't been secluded enough if Zexion had happened upon them.

"That…that was the first time he touched me…" the blond mumbled, pulling his knees up to his chest and hiding his face behind them, ashamed. It was obvious he meant that that had been the first time Mister Marluxia had done more than just kiss him, and it made Zexion feel even worse for not interfering when he had the chance.

"I'm really sorry, Demyx. I should have stopped him then, but I didn't. I don't know why. Afterwards, I felt so terrible that I started keeping an eye on you because I wanted to be there to stop him the next time he tried anything. That's the only reason I found you that day. You weren't in the library like usual, so I went to see if you were in the music room. It was pure luck that I managed to find you." His eyes were glued his shoes so he wouldn't see the hurt and anger Demyx was probably feeling at his revelation.

"You were watching me for all that time?"

"Yes."

Please don't think I'm some stalker. I only did it to protect you. I didn't want him to hurt you again.

It took a few moments, but then Zexion felt the younger boy's weight shift. He was probably getting up to leave and would never so much as look at the senior again, and he had every right to behave that way. Zexion actually expected such a reaction, so when a pair of arms snaked their way around his waist and a blond, mulletted head maneuvered under his arm to rest against his chest, he looked down at the junior in surprise.

"Demyx?"

"Thank you." The words were muffled because they were half spoken into the blue-haired boy's chest, but he could still hear them. "I understand why you didn't stop him at the homecoming dance. I'd run away, too, if I saw something like that. You aren't the only person that saw him and didn't do anything. But you are the first person who cared enough to watch over me, and you're the one that stopped him and made him leave me alone. I've never seen anyone act like that, especially towards a teacher, but I'm really, really glad you did. Even though you were mad and yelled at me. Thank you, Zexion."

Slowly, the senior put his arm around the junior's shoulders and hugged him back, resting his cheek on the top of Demyx's head. The blond hair was soft, surprising because he'd thought there must be some sort of gel or spray in it to get it to spike up the way it did. But it was soft against his cheek, and he ran his fingers through it in a soothing way.

"I'm glad I did it, too."

The two stayed that way for a while, quiet but not in an uncomfortable or awkward way. Zexion could feel Demyx's hand moving on his chest, but it took him a few moments to realize that the blond wasn't simply playing with the buttons on his uniform shirt—he was undoing them.

"Demyx? What are you doing?" the senior asked, pulling away slightly and looking down to find that his shirt was almost completely open.

Undeterred, Demyx continued what he was doing until all the buttons were undone and then pushed the fabric away to reveal Zexion's narrow torso. Before Zexion could open his mouth to repeat his question, the blond began kissing his chest, choosing just the right places to send a shiver down the senior's spine. Slowly, he moved lower, kissing over the faint outline of Zexion's abs as his hands busied themselves with the older boy's belt. Zexion was so distracted by the lips and breath on his skin that he didn't notice the hands until his belt was open and his pants were about to be, too.

"Demyx, stop."

"Why?"

A tongue darted out, licking his navel, and Zexion shuddered.

"Because! Don't you think this is going a little fast?" He'd only just introduced himself, for heaven's sake, and all of a sudden Demyx was trying to take his clothes off!

"No. I've been thinking about you constantly since that day, Zexion, and I want to do this for you."

This was not the shy Demyx that Zexion had been dealing with before and was accustomed to. This Demyx was focused and knew exactly what he wanted, and even though Zexion wasn't sure this was a good idea and didn't think it was at all appropriate, his mouth refused to obey him as the hands finally succeeded in opening the button of his uniform slacks.

Sitting up with a determined look on his face, Demyx gently but firmly pushed and pulled Zexion until the senior's back was against the armrest and his legs were stretched out on the couch despite the blue-haired boy's half-hearted protests and weak resistance.

"Really, Demyx, I'm okay. You don't have to do this."

"I want to."

"But it's only—" The rest of what he'd meant to say abandoned him as Demyx kissed him. Hands tangled in his hair as a tongue swiftly invaded his mouth and he groaned, grabbing at the junior's shirt to draw him closer.

All too soon, Demyx broke away from the kiss and smiled at Zexion sweetly, his expression much too innocent considering what both males knew he was about to do. Slowly, he kissed the senior's jaw then down his neck, across his collarbone and down the center of his torso all the way to the waistband of the boxers Zexion still wore securely around his hips. The senior's breath hitched as fingers curled around the fabric and swiftly tugged it down, revealing him to all the world, and his face turned a dark shade of red in embarrassment.

"Demyx…"

"Relax. I know what I'm doing."

"That's the problem!" Zexion suddenly burst out, sitting up and startling the younger boy. Confused, Demyx stopped playing with the other male's clothes and looked at him with a slight frown. Still blushing, Zexion yanked his boxers back up to their proper position and buttoned his pants but didn't bother to fix his zipper or belt.

"What? You didn't think I'd know how to do this?"

"No, I—I don't want you doing things to me that you only know because Mister Marluxia showed you!"

That, at least, seemed to get through to the junior, and he looked away with an ashamed expression. "But he's the only experience I have," Demyx mumbled, wishing it wasn't true and hating that it was. "I've never…been with anyone else…"

Relaxing now that he was sure Demyx would stop trying to undress him, Zexion pulled the younger boy into a protective hug. "It's okay, Demyx. I'm not going to judge you for that. But I'm not like Marluxia. I want to take this slowly because that's what you deserve, and if we do decide to do something like that, I want it to be because we're both ready, not because you feel like you owe it to me for helping you. I'm not going to pressure you into anything. You remember what I said, don't you? That day in the hall when Marluxia said he loved you?"

Demyx sniffed and nodded, embarrassed and secretly relieved that Zexion had stopped him. "You said that if he loved me, he would stop when I wanted him to and wait until I was ready."

"Right." Zexion smiled. "I told him that love is patient and understanding, so let's be patient, okay?"

"Okay." A weak smile appeared on the junior's face despite his embarrassment. "Thanks, Zexion."

"Hey." The senior tipped Demyx's chin up and kissed him lightly, smiling. "I spent weeks protecting you from that creep. I'm not about to make his mistakes."

"You won't," Demyx assured him, nuzzling into the older boy's neck. "You're not like him."

Zexion chuckled and held the blond close, running his fingers through his hair. "Good, because I don't want to lose you like he did." That made the junior laugh quietly, and Zexion found that he loved the way it sounded.

Geez, this kid's turning me into a huge sap. Axel's going to have a cow when he finds out about this.

Eh, maybe the other senior didn't have to find out just yet.