The lights dimmed again and silence fell over the auditorium. All eyes were on the band students as they appeared on the stage and took their places on the chairs that had been brought out for them.

Not having said more than five words since he'd arrived with Axel in tow—the redhead really was too eager to spend time around Roxas—Zexion's eyes found and tracked the movements of one student in particular. Unsurprisingly, Demyx looked fantastic in his formal uniform and Zexion found himself admiring the way the vest showed off his shape.

I didn't think it was possible for him to be sexy. He's usually being too cute, but in that uniform…

A gentle nudge to his arm broke his train of thought and he turned to find Axel looking at him.

"What?" He kept his voice down despite being mildly irritated.

"You're smirking, and you muttered," Axel whispered, looking both amused and curious.

Oops. He hadn't realized he'd said something out loud and had no idea what that something might be. Thought it had almost definitely been about how Demyx looked in his uniform. And Zexion definitely didn't want Axel privy to those thoughts—he was glad it was so dark when he felt his face warm slightly.

"It was nothing."

Axel grinned, white teeth visible even in the dark. "If you say so."

His tone made Zexion want to strangle him. Not in the frenzied, tackle-to-the-ground-and-choke-the-life-out-of-him way. If he was going to murder someone, it would be slow and deliberate. But Axel wasn't worth the effort Zexion would put into his death, and besides, there was a chance that he would miss the redhead's company. Maybe. Regardless, he had more important things to focus on at the moment. Mister Marluxia—bastard—had stepped up to the podium and was mere moments from beginning the first song.

With graceful movements, Marluxia's arms lifted and the band students took a breath. His arms fell, and the first soft note drifted out over the audience.

Zexion couldn't believe he'd never bothered to attend the school's concerts before. It wasn't at all what he'd been expecting. He'd always thought the songs would be simple and on the boring side, but he realized almost immediately that he'd been wrong. This was some of the most captivating, beautiful music he'd ever heard, and Zexion had been exposed to a wide variety of music in his childhood as part of his exams. None of it had interested him, and he'd assumed that this music wouldn't either.

Curious, the senior opened his program and peered at the list of song titles in the Musical Ensemble section. The song currently being played was called "Rising God," by someone called Kazuhiro Soul. The name was familiar but he couldn't quite remember where he'd heard it before.

Demyx probably knows. I'll just ask him after the concert.

He was very curious about where he'd heard of this Kazuhiro Soul before.

XXX

Damn.

They'd turned the lights back on, and Zexion wasn't sure that was such a good idea. It was, of course, because the concert was over and the performers were now free to interact with the audience. And now Demyx was walking towards him with that shy little smile and bits of blond hair falling over his forehead. It was so cute it was stupid, but the junior was still wearing his uniform—with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his jacket slung over his shoulder. How was it even possible for a human being to be adorable and sexy all at once?

"You're staring again," Axel muttered, that infuriating smirk in place.

"Shut up." He shot a glare at the taller senior to make sure his command was obeyed before moving forward and pulling the blond into a hug then taking his hand before Demyx had a chance to say anything.

"Did you like it?" He sounded a little nervous, as if he was sure that Zexion had been bored out of his mind the entire time.

"I loved it," Zexion assured him, smiling. "It was amazing."

Demyx blushed lightly and lowered his head in shy embarrassment. "Really?"

"Really." Ignoring the fact that they were in an auditorium surrounded by other people, Zexion placed his hand on the younger boy's cheek and lifted his chin so he could kiss him softly. "And you look fantastic in your formal wear," he whispered as he pulled away, looking directly into Demyx's eyes as the boy blushed even darker. His voice had dropped to a lower key than usual, betraying the fact that he was actually a little turned on by the way Demyx looked.

The blond squeezed the older boy's hand gently and moved to stand a little closer to him. "You wanna come over after this?"

"I'd love to."

His shy smile turned slightly playful and he dropped his voice to a whisper. "And stay the night?"

Zexion couldn't help but smirk a little and he ruffled the younger boy's hair. "Don't forget about exams tomorrow. We have to get enough sleep and I know you still need to study for your Anatomy final."

"Are you gonna help me study, Zexy?" the junior asked, pulling the most innocent face he could manage. Somehow, Zexion was able to keep a straight face and merely lifted the hand still clasped in his own, kissing the blond's fingers.

"Of course."

Content and blushing, Demyx used his grip on the blue-haired senior's hand to pull him towards where the art was being displayed. "Come on, let's at least pretend to browse the art before we casually leave to go 'study.'"

"Whatever you want, my lovely meadowlark."

X

"So, which ones are yours?" Roxas asked, drawing Namine's attention away from their shamelessly flirtatious companions, namely Riku and Sora.

Smiling slightly, Namine led him over to one of the stands and pointed at the painting she'd done of the trees for her midterm, the one Mister Marluxia had liked so much. He'd insisted that she allow it to be displayed for the Winter Concert and, unable to disappoint him, she'd agreed. Even now, months after she'd originally designed and finished it, she was still proud of how well it had turned out.

"This is fantastic," Roxas complimented, leaning close to examine the details. "Are these the trees along the path to Kingdom?"

Pleased that he'd recognized it, she nodded. "Yes, though the trees don't look exactly the same as the real ones."

Roxas laughed softly, still looking at the painting. "Well, of course not, but it's still really, really well done. Do you have any other works on display?" He didn't notice the blonde girl's hesitation before she led him to a different stand and gestured at a picture done in charcoal and pastel. Hiding his surprise, Roxas looked the piece over. Despite the unexpected content, it was a beautiful work of art and he was once again impressed by her abilities. Still, he couldn't help but be curious.

"It's really good, but, why him?"

Her cheeks darkening just slightly, Namine shrugged. "I don't know. But it came out really nice, I think."

"Yeah…"

Standing side-by-side, the two blondes looked at the art in question. Done almost entirely in shades of gray was a head-and-shoulders portrait of Mister Marluxia as he looked down at something he was likely holding just in front of himself. The only color was the blue-and-purple pastel that Namine had used to create the proper shade of his irises, which were partially hidden behind his bangs. It was strikingly accurate to the teacher's appearance and the use of the charcoal made his eyes seem almost impossibly vivid. He was smiling just slightly, as if he had a sweet little secret all to himself.

"Do you like him?"

Namine almost jumped, she was so startled by the question. "W-what? Who?"

"Mister Marluxia."

"Well, of course. He's a great teacher and he's always been very polite and kind towards me," she responded, hoping that had been the sort of answer Roxas was looking for but also knowing that it probably wasn't. And why should she like Mister Marluxia at all, after what she knew he'd done? It was wrong, anyway—he was her teacher and they couldn't be together. But, of course, she didn't care because she didn't like him in any way other than that of a teacher and student that got along.

"Namine, do you like him?" Roxas persisted, looking at her with mild concern because she seemed unnecessarily nervous about the picture.

"Oh, no, of course not." She was blushing and both she and Roxas knew it. Her face felt much warmer than usual and she couldn't bring herself to meet her friend's eyes—all she could think about was the time Kairi had looked over her shoulder and accidentally saw one of the drawings in Namine's sketchbook. But Roxas had never seen in any of her sketchbooks, so she tried to force her blush down and gave the most relaxed smile she could. "He's my band director and my art instructor, Roxas. That's all."

Shrugging, Roxas turned his gaze back to the portrait. "If you say so." He would just have to ask Kairi about it sometime later in the week while Namine wasn't there.

XXX

Finally, Demyx finished answering the last question on his study guide and set down his pencil in relief. Normally, filling out his study guide for Anatomy would have taken him at least a few hours. With Zexion's help, it took just a little over one hour, even though they occasionally got off topic and spent a few minutes talking about other things now and then.

"Thanks for helping me, Zex," the junior sighed gratefully as he carefully tucked the study guide inside his text book and set it aside. "That would have taken me ages."

Zexion smiled and settled more comfortably on the bed, stretching his legs out. "No problem. Just go over that a few times before your exam and you'll be fine."

Rolling his shoulders, the blond spent a few minutes working the stiffness out of his muscles before crawling up his boyfriend's body and placing a kiss on the corner of Zexion's mouth. "Are you staying over for the night?"

"Mm…" With an ever so slight smirk, Zexion slid down a little and began leaving butterfly-soft kisses on the exposed skin of Demyx's neck so that the blond shivered, his hands settling on the younger student's slender waist. "I might."

"I'd really love for you to stay," Demyx whispered, putting his own hands to work with the task of unbuttoning Zexion's shirt. "I really," he finished unbuttoning the shirt and pushed it open to bare the older student's chest, "truly," leaning down, he tilted his head and brushed his lips against Zexion's, pulling away when the senior lifted his head for a kiss, "would." Before Zexion could complain, the blond placed a hand flat on the older boy's chest and leaned a bit of his weight on it, effectively pinning him down as he kissed the senior. It was a soft, sweet kiss that had Zexion winding his arms around the junior's waist and pulling the younger boy down so his body rested against his own.

"Dem…" He said it so quietly that Demyx almost didn't hear, but the blond smiled into the kiss, his hands rubbing the bare chest beneath him so that Zexion arched up slightly into the touch. One of the arms around his waist tightened and he felt a hand slide up his back under his shirt.

"Ah," he broke away from the kiss, spine arching at the almost-tickling touch, "Zexion…"

Blue eyes full of mischief, Zexion nuzzled Demyx's cheek and began moving his hand in small circles on the younger boy's back, letting his nails trail lightly over the sensitive skin. "Yes, little lark?"

Without even a moment's hesitation, Demyx straddled Zexion's waist and sat up, hurriedly unbuttoning the front of his vest and shrugging out of it as a second pair of hands quickly unbuttoned his shirt. Less than ten seconds after sitting up he was shirtless and Zexion had sat up as well, his mouth now latched onto the hollow of Demyx's collarbone. Both of his hands slid up the younger boy's back to hold Demyx somewhat still as the blond squirmed slightly at the feeling of lips and teeth and a tongue biting and licking and sucking at that sensitive spot.

"Z-Zex…ah…"

Encouraged, Zexion licked the fast-forming hickey he'd just made before kissing his way up the blond's neck to capture his lips in another kiss. It wasn't as long as the first one and he pulled away after only a few moments. Instead, he focused on that plump bottom lip, drawing it into his own mouth to suck and nip then lick to soothe away any sting the younger boy may have felt before starting the process all over again until he felt Demyx's nails digging into his back out of frustration. The blond tried to press closer and kiss the older boy only to have Zexion bite his lip to reprimand him, which made him draw away only to have the senior pull him back and lick where he'd bit.

"Zexion!" Demyx whined after several minutes of this, sitting back and pouting so that the older boy laughed. "It's not funny! You're teasing!"

"Of course I am." Gently, he gripped the blond's chin and kissed him, tongue slipping between his parted lips and catching him by surprise so that Demyx groaned softly and snaked his arms around Zexion's neck. His hand released the younger boy's chin and slid along his jawline to the back of his head where it tangled into the blond mullet, preventing him from pulling away before Zexion was ready for the kiss to end. He took his time in plundering the mouth that was so willingly offered to him, letting his tongue roam over every bump, ridge and curve as he—not for the first time—memorized the shape of it.

Not wanting to be completely submissive, Demyx allowed this patient exploration to continue for only a short time before he began to not-so-patiently push back with his own tongue. There was a short struggle for dominance as he tried to subdue the invading appendage, thought it didn't take long for Zexion to prove that he was in fact the dominant partner in this little make out session. Then, and only then, did he allow Demyx's tongue to move into his own mouth and he patiently allowed for the junior to do to him what he'd just done to Demyx. He was clumsy and not very experienced but not without his talents, and soon Zexion found that he was moaning quietly and out of breath just like Demyx had been a few moments ago.

"You're getting better at this," he murmured once the blond had pulled away, pushing Demyx back on the bed and moving over him as he covered the junior's neck in kisses and little nips. His breath came in short pants despite his best efforts to calm it, though judging by the way Demyx shivered when Zexion exhaled against the skin of his neck, he didn't mind that the senior was a little winded.

"Mm…th-thanks…"

"You're welcome." Without warning, he bit down at the corner of Demyx's jaw, tugging and sucking at the skin there to form a second hickey. At the same time, he lightly dragged his nails down the junior's front, leaving faint nail marks going from his collarbone down past his bellybutton to his pants. Demyx arched into the touch, gasping and then moaning Zexion's name just a little louder than before as the nails scraped across his skin.

"Zexion, more," he pleaded softly as the senior continued ministering to the corner of his jaw.

Almost immediately, the hand that had trailed down his front was tugging on his belt, opening it quickly and then moving onto the buttons and zippers that kept the junior's charcoal gray dress pants closed. When he'd finally managed to undo the near-ridiculous number of buttons and clasps and the zipper, he softly kissed the mark he'd made at the corner of Demyx's jaw then looked into the junior's eyes, their foreheads pressing together.

"Is this okay? I'm not going too fast, am I?" he asked quietly, knowing that they'd only been dating for around a month and that what he intended to do to the boy beneath him might be too much for such a young relationship.

Slightly out of breath and flushed, Demyx smiled shyly then tilted his chin up to just barely let his lips brush against Zexion's. "It's great, you're perfect, I'm fine, and I might be mad at you if you don't keep going."

The way he said it made the blue-haired senior chuckle and he returned Demyx's kiss, though his was fuller and lasted for several moments. "Whatever you want, my lovely meadowlark," he teased before using both hands to grip the fabric of Demyx's pants and tugging them down to his knees.

Immediately, the junior's face darkened to red and he glanced away from Zexion, biting his lip nervously. What would Zexion think of him? Mister Marluxia had teased him about his inexperience and used his naivety against him, but he knew that Zexion would never do something like that. Besides, this wasn't the first time they'd kissed like this. They'd just always stopped before going this far because Zexion was worried about upsetting him. Demyx thought that was silly—he could never be upset with Zexion just for wanting to be physical with him, but the senior insisted on taking things at a fairly slow pace. Admittedly, Demyx was glad that the older boy cared that much.

"Keep going," he urged quietly when he looked up again to find Zexion watching him with concern. The senior had his fingers wrapped in the fabric of Demyx's dark green boxers and was ready to remove them but had stopped what he was doing when the younger boy looked away.

"Are you sure? You look nervous."

Demyx did his best to smile. "I'm fine, Zex. It's just…you know…doing this for the first time with my first actual boyfriend…I can't help but feel a little shy, you know?"

If that wasn't one of the most adorable things he'd ever heard in his life, then Zexion didn't think he'd ever consider anything other than Demyx himself to be adorable ever again. He was too cute. He was too god damn cute for Zexion to do something so dirty to him.

"You're my first boyfriend, too, Dem. I've never done this before," he confided in the blond, suddenly feeling a bit shy and nervous himself. Sure, he'd kissed a girl or two in his home town before coming to Kingdom High, but since he'd started school here, he'd been too busy with his studies to give dating the time of day. That is, until he saw Marluxia and Demyx at the homecoming dance and essentially drove himself crazy thinking about the junior. "If this makes you uncomfortable, we can stop and just watch a movie and cuddle or something."

"No, I want to do this." His smile was less forced this time as Demyx gently pulled the older boy down into a sweet kiss. "I want to do this with you because I like you a lot and I trust you. I'm ready for this."

Zexion grinned and gripped the junior's boxes more firmly. "I like you a lot, too, Demy." Then he tugged on the fabric until the boxers were at the blond's knees, kissing him deeply all the while as Demyx held onto him to keep him from pulling away. Slowly, they broke apart, and Zexion let his eyes wander down his boyfriend's bare torso until he reached the boy's waist and paused before looking at this new part of Demyx that he'd never seen before. He knew his face was redder than it had been a few moments ago as he took in the sight of Demyx's half-hard member—the junior was bigger than he'd expected, though he didn't know why. It wasn't as if he was disproportionate.

Forcefully, he brought his gaze back up to Demyx's flushed face and met the jade green eyes. "Can I?"

A small nod was the only response he got, so he leaned down and began dropping kisses all over the younger boy's chest as one of his hands slowly slid up the junior's thigh. The combination of touches made Demyx shiver and arch just slightly in anticipation as that hand moved closer and closer to the one place he really wanted it to be. Then the hand disappeared and he almost groaned in disappointment—the sound caught in his throat when the tip of a finger trailed along the side of his cock and he let out a strangled sounding squeak that made him blush even darker in embarrassment. He heard Zexion chuckle before teeth scraped over the skin of his chest and that damned finger began moving in little teasing circles around the head of his hardening member.

Trembling, Demyx whined in the back of his throat and moved his hips, trying to get Zexion to really touch him, though he knew how much the older boy loved to tease and that he might have to put up with his games for a little while longer. When, unsurprisingly, the older student ignored his wordless request, Demyx gathered up the blankets he was laying on into his fists and clamped his mouth shut. He wasn't making another sound until Zexion quit being such a tease.

"Someone got quiet," the senior commented, kissing his way up Demyx's chest and neck so he could look into the younger boy's eyes. "Are you trying to make a point, meadowlark?" His finger curved around the blond's length and slowly stroked up and down so that Demyx had to bite his tongue to keep from making a sound.

"Ah, I see what you're doing. No sounds for me until I give you what you want, huh?" Zexion purred, leaning down to put his lips by his boyfriend's ear. His tongue slipped out to draw the blond's earlobe into his mouth and he played with the sensitive skin until Demyx was breathing hard through his nose in his determination to maintain his silence. "Come on, my lovely little lark, sing for me."

Not fair! Entirely not fair! He knew what it did to Demyx to be called that pet name in that particular tone! The junior practically melted and was putty in Zexion's hands whenever the senior did that, but this time he tightened his grip on the blankets and looked away in blatant refusal to give in. He was not giving in.

"Demyx," the senior cooed, his palm rubbing against the overly sensitive flesh between Demyx's legs, "I want to hear how good this feels to you. Let me know how it feels."

Demyx shook his head, eyes purposefully looking everywhere but at the student hovering over him. "N-not until you s-stop teasing."

Lips pressed against his neck. "You don't like my teasing?"

"Not when I'm hard and I want—!" He stopped suddenly, biting his lip as his face turned a dark red at what he'd been about to say. Sensing an opportunity, Zexion kissed the younger boy persuasively, tracing his tongue over the shape of those perfect lips before moving past them and deepening the kiss. Only a moment later, Demyx let go of the blankets and wrapped his arms around Zexion's shoulders instead, one hand tangling in the hair on the back of the senior's head and the other going to the middle of his back where his nails dug in. Unexpectedly, he felt the hand that had been teasing him finally wrap around his length and pump once. A bolt of pleasure shot up his spine and Demyx gasped, his back arching off the bed and effectively pressing up into Zexion as the senior continued to kiss him.

"Z-Zexion," the blond moaned as his mouth and body were claimed completely by the boy above him, "please, m-more…"

Finally ready to obey the requests of his younger companion, Zexion began pumping at a steady pace that soon had Demyx panting and he switched from kissing him to biting and sucking at the blond's neck. Maybe he shouldn't have teased the junior, but he really couldn't help himself. And besides, the sounds that Demyx was now making were worth his previous silence. Every breath was a gasp and Zexion didn't think he'd ever get tired of hearing his own name come out in moans from the boy below him. It was all making him feel rather warm and he knew he was just as aroused as Demyx was, but he chose to ignore it, at least for now. He had more important things to focus on at the moment.

"Does it feel good, my lovely little meadowlark?" he purred seductively, twisting his hand as he began pumping faster so that Demyx arched and bucked his hips a little; his nails dug deeper into Zexion's back, but the senior didn't mind.

"Y-yes! Ah!"

"Such a pretty voice~"

"Zexion!" Demyx's eyes widened when he felt the senior's thumb rub over his tip at the exact same moment that a tongue found one of his nipples. He clutched at Zexion's hair and back as teeth soon followed the tongue, able to force out only a few words other than the blue-haired boy's name amidst his nearly constant groans. "O-oh my g—ah! Z-Zex!"

The name was more of a keening whine than anything else as Demyx tried desperately to hold back the pressure building in his stomach, tried to keep from coming undone. He felt like he was coming apart at the seams—he'd long since partially kicked off his pants and boxers and had drawn his knees up as his feet twisted and slid against the blankets beneath him, searching for traction to help him push up against Zexion's hand in search of more friction, more touching, just more because that was all he wanted and all he needed.

The hand on him began moving faster, squeezing lightly as it went from base to tip and back again, and Demyx could tell that it had become wet with something even though he didn't know what, and he didn't care because Zexion was sucking on that sensitive little mound of flesh and touching him so intimately that he didn't care about anything except the places where they touched and how warm he felt and how tight his stomach was and that he was about to burst out of his skin.

"You're really close," Zexion murmured, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His hand was slick with the blond's pre-cum, making it easier to stroke and pump him, and Demyx was breathing as if he was in the middle of running a marathon. All he needed to do was find that one little thing that would push the younger boy over the edge.

Slowing the movements of his hand—Demyx whined and lifted his hips in protest—the senior looked down at his nearly-undone boyfriend in search of that special spot. Demyx's hands had tangled themselves in the bedsheets when Zexion pulled away and his pants were caught haphazardly on one ankle, making him look wanton and, quite honestly, like the incarnation of sex itself. Zexion smirked and leaned down to kiss the blond's neck.

"Tell me, little lark, do you have a special spot that no one gets to touch?"

Demyx's already flushed face darkened at the question and he whimpered softly, knowing exactly why Zexion was asking but still nervous to share such information after having kept it a secret.

"I-it's embarrassing," he panted, his frustration at the lack of friction on his erection growing rapidly.

"I don't care. If it helps me pleasure you, then I want to know about it."

The blond whined, hesitating until his desperation got the better of him. "The u-underside of my chin."

A grin curled Zexion's lips. "Perfect." With a gentle hand, he tilted the blond's head back to expose the described area and ever so slowly trailed his tongue from the boy's collarbone all the way to his chin. As expected, Demyx shuddered and whined, only to revert to groans as Zexion's other hand rapidly began moving once more. Determined, Zexion kissed the sensitive skin before biting down gently, tugging at the skin caught between his teeth and sucking on it at the same time. Mere seconds of this treatment was all it took.

"Zexion!" The name burst out of him in what was very nearly a scream as his back arched all the way off the bed and his vision flickered in a way that would have frightened him but he hardly noticed it, he was so overwhelmed by the pleasure that was drowning out his other senses. He could still feel Zexion's hand on his length and his mouth on that overly sensitive spot he usually kept secret; fingers were gently combing through his hair. Slowly, his body relaxed again and he collapsed on the bed, panting heavily as glazed green eyes stared at the ceiling. The hand in his hair continued its patient stroking but the two other places Zexion had been attending to were abandoned as the senior kissed him softly.

"How was that, my lovely little lark?" the blue-haired boy asked quietly, smiling as he pressed his forehead to the younger student's.

"F-fantastic," Demyx managed to say, still out of breath from the first climax he'd ever willingly experienced and feeling pleasantly drowsy and warm. Zexion kissed him again.

"Good." Before he could sit up or even move at all, Zexion felt hands on his shoulders pushing him over onto his back as Demyx somehow managed to completely flip their positions. "What is it?"

Demyx smiled innocently despite the fact that he was a post-orgasmic mess. "It's your turn."