Yay! Since you can actually make the ATL to S.FLA trip in about eight hours without traffic, they chose to do exactly that. The telling of Dem's story was at night, so they were probably heading down through the Central Florida area at that point...

And the potato thing... that comes from real life.

Slipping back out of the angst for a while now.

Like every other hotel room in America, it was freezing fucking cold when they got in and Demyx didn't seem to mind it. He was tired enough that as soon as he hit the sheets he was out cold.

Axel, however, was more or less obsessed with upkeep. Like a common housewife, he said, "Yeah, be there in a sec, babe," and then proceeded to take a shower, dress in a pair of pajama pants, brush, floss, examine his face at great length, and then do some tidying before he actually laid down next to his lover to go to bed.

"Stop… throwing the potato…" Demyx moaned in distress.

"I won't throw the potato," Axel promised, smiling softly.

"But… the Julian fries… potato!" Demyx persisted, writhing against the redhead's side.

"Julian won't touch the potato. The potato will survive, Dem…"

"Potato…" he whined one last time before falling into a deep sleep.

"God you're cute," Axel sighed, running a hand through the boy's thick blond hair. It wasn't long before he too was out cold.

--- ---

Axel woke to a cherub's voice. He had no idea in the world that Demyx could sing like that. Another side of his lover. The boy had more masks and false walls than anyone else he knew of, but knowing his life story was enough. It was kind of nice to have someone who was like a big bag of surprises living at his side.

"And you bring me home

'Cause we both know what it's like to be alone, oh

And I'm dreaming in your living room

But we don't have much room

To live."

He sang softly, running a generous handful of soft pomade into his thick hair, standing it up as best he could. It fell down almost instantly, but this time he palmed some wax and when it finally got soft enough, he added that, and it seemed to stand a little better.

"This is because I can spell konfusion with a 'k'

And I could like it

It's to dying in another's arms

And why I had to try it

It's to Jimmy Eat World

And those nights in my car

When the first star you see

May not be a star

I'm not your star

Isn't that what you said

What you thought this song meant?"

He smiled and left his hair alone in favor of smoothing the tight black long-sleeved thermal top he was wearing like a shirt. He threaded his belt into his belt loops, still singing without a hitch at all. He was wearing a pair of old-school Jnco "Jail breakers" low on his hips. His only really impressive pair of shoes poked out beneath the tattered bottom hems of said jeans, a pair of designer Dr. Martens with prints of that famous Japanese painting of the waves. He looked delicious.

"And if this is what it takes

Just to laugh with my mistakes

And live with what I did to you

And all the hell I put you through

I always catch the clock; it's 11:11

And now you want to talk

It's hard not to dream

You'll always be my Konstantine

My Konstantine."

"Bravo," Axel mumbled, sitting up groggily.

"I figured you'd wake up. I thought I was getting a tad loud there." He smiled and adjusted his oversized belt-buckle. Never missed a beat.

"So what's with you and potatoes?" Axel inquired, scratching his head in such a way as to elicit some wonderful shudders of pleasure. It wasn't long before Demyx trotted up, making a great deal of noise in his huge jeans, and buried his glassy black fingernails in the redhead's scalp. "Oh… that's so good…"

"Well, let me see," he said thoughtfully, pulling Axel up against his stomach, "I think… yeah. How could I forget that? I had a dog named Potato."

"What did it to deserve such a name?" Axel laughed.

"Well… it was a brown English Bull Terrier."

"English Bull Terrier?"

"Target dog!"

"Oh!" Axel cried in understanding. "So you had a flatiron-head dog and it was brown and you named it potato?"

"Exactly."

"But you said something about throwing the potato, and some guy named Julian…" Axel mumbled, looking up to the young blond for clarification. "Julian's fries or something like that…"

Demyx thought about it.

"I have no idea, Axel. Honestly, I think I just talk randomness…"

"You sounded pretty upset."

"I always do, don't I?" he laughed.

Demyx turned and slumped down on the bed next to Axel, a hand lightly resting on the redhead's cheek.

"You worry about me a lot, don't you?"

"I do," Axel admitted.

"Why?" he asked softly, "Well… I don't have to ask really. You know… you're not all that quiet in your sleep either."

Axel froze, eyes widening in horror.

"I won't die… I promise," Demyx said softly, "I wouldn't die unless something really fucked up happened, and trust me, that won't."

He smiled almost convincingly, but Axel could see a little flicker of doubt in those lovely ocean tide eyes, and he wanted to make it all go away. He pulled the blond close, oblivious to the complaints based around the mussing of a certain person's perfect hair, but they fell silent relatively quickly as the two of them seemed to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Demyx sighed softly.

"I'm nervous."

"I know. So am I."

"Why are you nervous?" Demyx laughed, looking up only briefly from kissing the line of his lover's pulse.

"I'm going with you."

This time the blond heaved a sigh.

"You can't."

"Why?"

"I know… mom and dad would…"

"They can live with it. They need to accept you for who you are. You're already being a rebellious little shit dressing the way you are. You never wear that stuff."

"I know…" he replied weakly, "But…"

"Maybe they'll come to terms with it. Your bro says I'm famous… I wouldn't know, but maybe they'll think that's pretty cool. I dunno."

"You want to come that bad?"

"Yes."

Demyx's teeth caught an earring in their strong pearly grasp, and he pulled down gently.

"You know that hurts," Axel rumbled. It wouldn't get to be a habit if he could help it.

"I know… I just like needling you sometimes," he laughed, releasing the jewelry. It tinkled musically as it fell back into its original place. "If I had ears like that, I'd totally push chopsticks and stuff through them just to freak people out."

"Well, first step is to get 'em pierced."

"I hate needles."

"I know, but you know what?"

"What…"

"I'll go with you and you can watch me get done first. You'll probably be more comfortable with it if you see me get it done first. It doesn't hurt… much."

Demyx shuddered, "I dunno Ax…"

"Just trust me. If things go over well tonight, we'll go and I'll get my tongue pierced like I always wanted to."

"Yeah… but then it'll hurt when you kiss me…" Demyx said sulkily.

"Alright… how about my lip?"

"That's good… but what will I do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"My ears… like yours."

"Well, we can go up to a four-gauge… but that's a big needle."

"Fine by me just as long as you stay," he laughed, "I don't think I'll be as scared if you're there."

"Alright… I need to get dressed. You can pick out my shit while I'm showering. No problem, right?" Axel chuckled, pushing the blond off his lap, "You're pretty fashion-wise today and it doesn't look like you're color-blind or anything, so please."

"No problem. Just hurry it up, Fire-crotch."

"Hey!" Axel cried indignantly, "Since when were you looking?"

"Since, like, forever…" Demyx jeered, "Come on Axel. You shouldn't put it past me. I am a dirty gay boy."

"You're a fucking virgin, for god's sake!" Axel bellowed, slinking into the bathroom and kicking off his pants and tossing them out the open door.

"True, but it doesn't mean I indulge in certain guilty pleasures from time to time. A boy can dream, you know…"

"Pervert!" Axel laughed, turning on the water.

"You're the one who molests me when you think I'm sleeping!" Demyx shot back.

"Jesus Christ! You weren't asleep?" Axel cried in horror.

"Fuck no! I thought you were going to rape me there for a minute!" The blond laughed, "You should be more careful when you're drunk and horny!"

Bad, bad memories popped up in Axel's head.

"You were so fucking fucked that you couldn't even keep it up!" Demyx taunted again, "And I'd only been around for a week! I totally thought I was going to have to run for my life!"

"Okay, so I had a wonderful combination of blue-balls and whiskey dick. I can't help it! That bitch totally turned me down right at the bar and there was nothing I could do! I had to get it out of my system somehow."

"So wrong!" Demyx cackled. He appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, just watching the redhead go through his routines. "Clothes are picked out."

"I have a favor… call the house and ask Saïx how the dogs are holding up."

"Feh. I forgot about that. Hold on," Demyx muttered.

They'd gotten one of Axel's old friends to apartment-sit for the time being, since they both knew they might be down here for a while, but it was unnerving for the blond since the man didn't really ever show his face, much less talk.

The phone rang twice before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey. This is Dem. Um… how are the dogs?"

"They're fine. I made sure they got some time out in the park today," a smooth, monotone voice replied, "Everything's under control for the most part. You'll have to tell Axel that the landlord is being an asshole about the heater though. It's not going to get fixed any time in the near future and he doesn't feel obligated to pay the space heaters."

"Shit," Demyx groaned. "There goes my bonus… well, um… thanks for all the trouble."

"No problem. Axel and I go way back… Enjoy your trip. You don't need to worry about anything."

"Thanks dude." Demyx was really starting to like this guy.

"No problem. When I give you Axel's money back, don't tell him. Just put it in the account, alright?"

Demyx laughed as quietly as he could possibly manage.

"Alright."

"Bye."

"Yeah. See ya later."

Demyx shoved the phone back into his deep pocket and leaned up against the bathroom doorjamb and giggled like a little school-girl.

"What's so funny?" Axel asked instantly.

"I like him," the blond replied. "He's really down to earth."

"You have no idea," Axel shot back. "Anything else?"

"Well… Landlord's being an asshole."

"Short-stuff has always been an asshole. Since when is that different?" Axel grumbled, the mere thought of Ienzo piquing his agitation.

"Well, he's leaving it up to us to pay for the heaters… the space heaters. That and he's not exactly sure when the gas heater will get fixed, the cock."

"Ugh," Axel sighed, making a small attempt to drown himself in the shower. "Whatever. He can go screw himself."

"Amen to that," Demyx laughed, a small smile scrawled across his mobile mouth. "We need to leave soon… I kind of wanted to show up at my parents' house around noon."

"What time is it now?" Axel asked, jumping out of the shower and snagging a towel.

"Like…" Demyx fished his phone out of his pocket once more and flipped it open, glanced at the little digital numbers, scrunching his forehead because he had to squint without his reading glasses. "It's 1:32."

"I slept in," Axel mused absently, pressing past the blond.

He found himself wonderfully pinned against the wall, Demyx's hands running up and down his bare flesh, leaving trails of goose bumps behind them.

"We don't have time for this, I thought," Axel whispered breathlessly.

"Hmm…" Demyx mumbled. Times like this, his voice seemed to drop an entire octave, the nasal quality evaporating like nothing but a memory. "We don't, do we?"

The mask slipped back onto him just as quickly as it had faded and he slinked over to the bed with that weird cat-like grace of his. He landed on the bed heavy on his knees, smiled up at Axel and held up the only pair of pants the redhead owned and couldn't wear boxers with.

"You seriously want me castrated, don't you?" Axel sighed.

"Well, you'll just have to wear tighty-whiteys or nothing at all… your call."

"I don't own any of those… they're for fat old guys…"

"You do have boxer briefs though. I saw 'em. Put 'em on…" he mumbled staring at his nails like they were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. "Unless, of course, you want to go commando…"

"Boxer briefs are sounding good right about now, since you're really giving me no choice."

"They're tighty-whiteys so you can't say you don't own any. Go get in em."

Axel obeyed rather placidly and snatched the pants out of Demyx's hands. He smiled, watching the skinny redhead wriggle into the skin-tight black denim. He then held up a long-sleeve tight dark maroon shirt that looked like it was probably his at one point. It seemed a little small for his much more filled-out frame though.

"This should look good. It'll ride on your hips. Put it on, hairball."

"Shut up. Just 'cause you shave every little hair that pops up…"

"You think it's sexy don't you?"

"Naked pussy is okay… I admit… but I still don't know about guys. It's like… immodest," he replied.

"Well, I don't believe in body hair. I'm a swimmer. Old habits die hard, and I do what I must."

Axel pulled on the shirt, surprised at how well it fit. He tried to pull the edges down, but Demyx stopped him, rising to yank at the waist of Axel's jeans. With the waistband of his briefs exposed, Demyx settled it so that just a little of the redhead's pale white skin was exposed. He then casually pulled the ends of the sleeves down and put Axel's thumbs through holes near the hem.

"These are my favorite pants, you know… I love them on you," Demyx mumbled, kneeling and running a hand down the back of Axel's thigh suggestively.

"I like them too… but they take so long to break in," the redhead said with a little shudder. "Shoes?"

"These," Demyx said, pulling a pair of black and red checkered Vans slip-ons and rose with a belt in hand. "I didn't think any of mine would fit you… proof being that I wear like a thirty-two and you're haning out around the twenty-eights. Funny how you can still wear boys' sizes."

"Fat little boys," Axel mused.

"You're just a skeleton, baby," Demyx teased, "But anyway, do not scratch this belt buckle. It's one of my favorites… I'm just lending it to you."

The blond didn't wait, just slid the studded belt into Axel's belt-loops and synched it loose around the redhead's hips. He smiled at the thick black outline of a star the center filled with bright red, encircled in silver.

"Good."

"This is nice…" Axel laughed, "Where do you get this shit?"

"You'd be surprised, the things people will give you when you're dating."

"So you got this…"

"From rich guys who thought I'd stick around longer if they gave me awesome shit like this…" he caressed Axel gently when he saw his lover wince. "You've given me what I need. Not empty gifts. I love you, alright? I don't regret leaving those guys in the dust…"

"Really?"

"Yeah… now let's do something with your crazy hair."

--- ---

"Your Konstantine…?"

"That's who you are… you're mine, love. I wouldn't leave you for the world."

"Konstantine…"