A/N: I tried to finish this before I left to go to my brother's house. So I'm scrambling to type the ending right now (I never type a whole chapter in one setting). I hope you like this and more importantly, I hope you don't think the ending is fail since it was rushed -sweatdrop- other than that, I don't have much to report to you guys :/

Because i'm publishing this on her birthday, I want to dedicate this chapter to LISA (my bff in the whole world; her account is sSophisticateds if anyone wants to read her fics)!!! Why? Because let's face it, Lis, you're a lot like Zexion. You need a Demyx. -glomps you- I love you and hope you have a great birthday! :3

Enjoy.

Opinion: You Can Gaze Into a Soul

"Why does your sister seem down lately, Zexion?"

It was one of those rare Monday mornings in which Zexion's father was still home even though it was after dawn. Fuu, more than likely taking after their father, was an early riser but always carried that ominous air about her. She had just gotten through getting ready for school and had come downstairs probably thinking the place was deserted. Upon seeing her father, her nose scrunched in what appeared to be disgust and stormed out of the house, complete with a resonating door slam.

Zexion looked up from his book - Being by Kevin Brooks for the curious - and stared incredulously at his father. Fuu had been down lately? Try the past few years. "I wouldn't know," he admitted flatly. "Her presence in this house is as scarce as yours."

"Do you mean she's been out late?" his dad asked, completely missing the true meaning of Zexion's words. He shook his head and ran a hand through his grey-streaked hair. It used to be the same color as his son's, but age and stress had quickly turned it to the color of bluish ash.

Zexion didn't answer, instead placing a bookmark into the novel and excusing himself from the breakfast table. Honestly, he couldn't believe his father's comments. It couldn't be possible for a person to be any more dense. And to think his parents used to wonder why the therapy hadn't worked - because no one had bothered to actually listen.

As the teen was fixing up his tie, his dad came up to him doing the exact same thing. "I was a bit late today. But I had to talk to your uncle. He's coming over this weekend and staying for about two weeks." His father's eyes, as blue-gray as his hair, bore onto him expectantly.

The stare was no stranger to Zexion. It was something the two had practiced during therapy. The doctor had told him that communication was a key part of a relationship. "Take an interest in your parents' conversations, even if they aren't exciting," she had said. "You can't expect anyone to have an interest in you if you don't have an interest in them."

Zexion really had to muse over how the hell that woman got a degree in therapy.

In any case, he decided to throw his dad a bone and droned, "Really? What for?"

Zexion's father quirked a smile and said, "Well apparently he's been appointed chief of police, but he had to move in order to take the promotion." He smoothed his shirt over and checked himself in the mirror. "He needs to find a permanent place to stay, and until he does I've agreed that he can stay here. Do you think Fuujin will be okay with that?"

Fuu won't give a rat's ass as long as she doesn't have to share her room.

Zexion shrugged, the neutral answer. "I'm leaving," he murmured, gathering his binder and hugging it to his chest as he opened the door and got out of the house. The bus stop wasn't far, but Zexion decided to walk and read at the same time. Doing so over the years enhanced his peripheral vision greatly. Moreover, he didn't even have to cross any streets to get to the stop, which was a huge plus.

Zexion opened his book and resumed where he had been interrupted. Robert had just escaped from the hotel and was on the bus, still on the run from Ryan. Now Robert was looking at the passersby with a new light.

"They all seemed distant to me now," the teen read. "Different. Disconnected. Unrelated. They weren't the same as me anymore. I wasn't the same as them. I was here, they were there. And the world out there had become something else. It was an alien territory now, a place where I didn't belong."

'An alien territory'. Although it was based on different circumstances, Zexion could definitely empathize with Robert. The world had always seemed so different from him, and without realizing it, the teen would try to mold himself into someone else's ideals. He tried to get into sports and cracking jokes like other boys his age had. He tried to look at girls the same way they did, he tried to be open-hearted.

But I'm not any of those things. I can't do any of it. It wasn't until middle school that Zexion realized he couldn't do it anymore. It was way too hard to put up this façade.

When the boys in his P.E. class asked if he wanted to shoot baskets, he ignored them and read in a corner. When they were laughing during lunch, they didn't bother to try to clue the slate-haired teen anymore. If a girl with plush lips and breasts batted her eyelashes at him, he only adverted his gaze - but from boredom rather than embarrassment.

His parents thought he had shut down. But he hadn't. He was just burying his real self even deeper - whoever his 'real' self was.

Zexion read on. "I wasn't sure of anything."

If Zexion believed in coincidences, this was where he would think, Funny, so am I.

But he didn't, and instead advised Robert to purchase an encyclopedia. You can be sure of facts.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Demyx Watera lately," Lexaeus said that day during lunch. "I heard it was because you're tutoring him."

Zexion frowned and looked inquiringly at the auburn-haired boy. "And where on Earth did you hear that?" he asked. He could've sworn the whole tutoring was a secret, or at least one he kept. Then the answer hit him at the same time Lexaeus replied, "Demyx seemed to make that a point during Phys Ed one day."

Of course. The blonde couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut for anything… "I didn't realize the two of you had class together."

"Neither did I, to tell the truth. He just came up to me the other day and asked if I was your friend. He noticed we sat together during lunch. Does he have it at the same time we do?"

"Unfortunately…" Zexion murmured. The slate-haired teen had made a point a few weeks ago how he never wanted Demyx to sit with him during lunch - or vise versa. He looked pointedly at a table near the center of the cafeteria. "He usually sits with other members of the swim team over there."

Before the teen could even get back to the book her had been previously reading, Lexaeus remarked suddenly, "…Isn't that him coming towards us?"

"What?!" Zexion didn't even look up when he all of a sudden felt arms constrict around him. Then he was pulled onto a warm body, making his skin automatically catch on fire. "D-Demyx?!"

"Hey, Zexy!" the swimmer returned energetically, his arms tightening their hold. Zexion's face was in the crook of Demyx's neck, making him blush hotly.

"D-Demyx! Get off of me! This is inappropriate!" he exclaimed, pushing himself away. Dammit, Demyx was touching him in public! Touching him where everyone in the cafeteria could see them - if they ever cared to notice… But wondering eyes could spot the awkward situation! When the blonde was finally off of him and he could properly breathe, he asked, "Has it occurred to you that we're in school?"

"Well, yeah…but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Read the Student Handbook once in a blue moon!" Zexion exclaimed. "Public display of affection is strictly prohibited."

Demyx frowned, but then cracked a smile, which finally evolved to laughter. "Dude, you do realize we're in high school right? PDA is a daily happening here." He scrutinized the slate-haired teen and remarked, "Aw, you don't get enough love, Zexy. You need to get hugged more often - maybe it'll soften you up."

The notion was enough for Zexion to pop a blood vessel. He was so repelled and stunned by the statement that he could only choke out broken fragments of sentences, "Demyx… No, I will never… Don't you ever dare… Touch me again and you'll…"

"Hey, and Lexy's here, too!" All at once Demyx was now focused on the auburn-haired boy next to Zexion. And…wait, 'Lexy'?!

"Must you give your ridiculous nicknames to everyone?" Surely the blonde couldn't be that idiotic… He looked over at Lexaeus, who was giving him a look that said both 'help me' and 'just leave it'. Shaking his head, Zexion asked, "Do you've any business here? I thought I told you to leave me alone during lunch period."

Demyx sat down right next to Zexion and smiled - though it was safe to always assume Demyx always had a smile, so Zexion would just stop mentioning it. "You may have, but I just used my selective hearing," he admitted. "It's so boring without you to talk to."

Hewantstotalkwithme-? Okay, ignoring the slate-haired teen's thoughts - which seemed to be greatly uncontrollable around the swimmer… "I can't see what you'd stand to gain from conversing with me," he droned. "I think it's very idiotic of you to even think you'd hold some meaningful conversation with me. It's like you don't know me at all."

"Things like this wouldn't be a problem if you opened up more," Demyx pointed out. "Hey, Lexaeus, does Zexion ever open up to you?"

The teen looked over at the larger boy expectantly. Lexaeus looked uncomfortable now that he was on spotlight, but he managed to murmur, "Erm…not especially." before pretending to be engrossed in his spaghetti.

Zexion blinked in surprise, but didn't have long to muse before Demyx said, "See? You got to talk more. C'mon, start with me - start with me and Lexy."

The teen frowned, the words annoying him for some odd reason. They…reminded him of what people have been trying to shove down his throat for years - open up, talk, be someone, mold yourself into someone who you're not. It annoyed him and Zexion impulsively found himself bristling. He stared at Demyx for a long time, and when the blonde finally registered Zexion's gaze to be a glare, he blinked in surprise.

"Uh, did I say something wrong?"

"Don't talk - you're obnoxious."

Demyx held up his hands to signal surrender. "H-hey, don't glare at me like that. Geez, if looks could kill…"

"I'd have you dead, rest assured."

The blonde titled his head to the side and looked over at Lexaeus. "Tell me, does he give threats like this often?"

The auburn-haired boy nearly cracked a smile. "Others are usually more wary around Zexion," he remarked lightly.

"Don't indulge him, Lexaeus," the slate-haired teen snapped softly. "He's too dense to be observant enough to know when he has a very threatening force near him."

"You know, your mouth is more venomous than your actual actions," Demyx noted, raising a brow. He smirked and said, "One of these days, are you ever going to follow up on your threats? I'd love to see little Zexy in action." His voice dripped with mock sweetness and his eyes shone teasingly.

"Are you offering yourself?" Zexion asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, trust me, I'd love to offer myself, but I don't think we're talking about the same thing," Demyx laughed.

The slate-haired teen almost didn't realize what that meant, but then clarity struck him and he found himself blushing again. Dammit, dammit, why did the blonde have to say such STUPID things?! Zexion began to wonder if the swimmer actually was homosexual, but if he was, he should learn that there were frickin' boundaries!

"…You're a moron."

"And you're a dog that has a worse bark than bite."

"I'll maim you, you little-"

"Please do, I'm begging you."

"Dammit, Demyx, why is there always a game with you?!"

"Because you're always willing to play, Zexy," the blonde replied with a chuckle. He laced his fingers under his chin and smiled sweetly.

Zexion blanched. There was something like a chuckle next to him and the slate-haired teen was shocked to realize it had been emitted form Lexaeus. That was really odd, considering the auburn-haired boy usually never cracked a smile; never laughed. "You...think this amusing, Lexaeus?" the teen asked tentatively.

Lexaeus realized that eyes were on him now and he covered his grin with his mouth. "No, it's, ahem, just that... Pfft! Haha..."

Demyx looked at him with interest before laughing himself, making Zexion feel even more uncomfortable. Oh, great, now he was surrounded by idiots - laughing idiots. Lexaeus caught the slate-haired teen's look and quickly shut himself up. "Heh, my, um, apologies. It's just...the way you two argue...its very amusing."

Leering at the auburn-haired boy, Zexion hissed, "You realize you're descending down to his level?"

Demyx scoffed. "Yeah, you do need to get hugged more. There's no way a sane person would protest laughter. I mean, there are buzz-kills...and then there's you, Zexy." He prodded the teen's pale wrist with a single finger.

The slate-haired teen twitched. "I should like to think I'm more sane than you!" he exclaimed, withdrawing his wrist (there was that warm feeling again...). Shaking his head, he added, "And I also believe I informed you that I do not enjoy your displays of affection. Or any of your affection at all!"

"...So you don't like it when I hug you?" Demyx asked slowly. The tone was a little odd. It told Zexion that either the swimmer was being incredibly stupid and was missing the point entirely.

"No. I don't like being touched at all."

"Someone's going to remain a virgin forever..." the blonde murmured through a smirk.

"Idiot! Imbecile! A complete and utter ignoramus!" Zexion exclaimed with clenched fists and a red face. "Why do you insist on keeping up this lunacy?"

"Why do you insist on all your name-calling to begin with 'I'?" Demyx inquired.

"...You really can't have been born this stupid."

"How would I know? My memory doesn't stretch back that far!" the blonde cried with a straight face. And it was that serious expression that caused any previous notions Zexion ever had of Demyx possessing intelligence dashed away.

Moron...he's a moron. Could it be that I didn't miscalculate after all and he is beyond help? the teen thought. His wonderings trailed back to the day Demyx had helped him, when he had been surrounded by Demyx's scent and voice. Was that really the boy who was in front of him now? And to think, I almost dared to get to know him better! I was a bigger fool than he! I can't believe I almost...and I...

Zexion then came to a harsh conclusion for all of his meaningless thoughts and growing insanity: It's. All. His. Fault.

"Oh crap, did I break him or something?" the swimmer asked Lexaeus when Zexion buried his face in his hands, mumbling incoherently and quite furiously, like he was placing a curse on someone - maybe even himself.

The auburn-haired boy shrugged. "If you did, you'll have many classmates musing over how the hell you did it."

Zexion's binder was settled on his lap with loose-leaf paper and an open textbook littered around him. He was sitting on the floor with his back against a soft, albeit unkempt bed. On the bed, on top of the cerulean sheets and plaid, blue blankets, lay Demyx with his eyes closed and humming a tune. He was singing some sort of song, but Zexion didn't care enough to ask because he was too busy being just a lit-tle cheesed off.

"Demyx," he said slowly. He turned and glared at the procrastinating blonde.

Eyelids fluttered open and aqua irises landed on the slate-haired teen's form. "'Sup, Zexy?"

"When you told me you wanted me to come over, I assumed you were referring to the tutoring," he began with a low, daunting voice. Shaking his head slightly, he said, "But I can see that was my own fault for assuming with you."

"Hey, man, haven't you ever heard that saying about assuming?" Demyx asked. At the slate-haired teen's blank look, he explained, "Yeah, it's 'don't make an ass of u and me.' Get it? Ah, that girl Maxi Valentine told me that one."

"...If only you remembered the rules to solving logarithmic equations as well as you recall meaningless wordplays," Zexion droned.

Demyx looked at the teen for a long time, a span in which Zexion was stuck in choosing whether or not to break the silence. Finally, something like sadness crossed the blonde's countenance, and he asked quietly, "Dude, why do you have to be like that? You don't have to be such a dick all the time. I mean, I don't act this way on accident. Well, I kinda do, but... I just keep hoping some of this stupid stuff will impress you; get you to smile, maybe."

Zexion looked away, frowning. "And why on Earth would you hope for something so ridiculous?"

A small smile formed over the swimmer's pink lips. "I like it when you smile. It's...nice."

The teen widened his eyes in disbelief, snapping his head back up to face the blonde. His first impulse was to retort with something witty like he always did, but...that expression in Demyx's eyes...an expression he couldn't read...that's what was stopping him from being himself. It was that expression that had him feeling like time was slowing and that he was a blind idiot for never considering Demyx's feelings before.

"You mean to say you act stupid to amuse me in some way?" Zexion asked slowly.

Demyx chuckled awkwardly. "Well, it sounds pretty dumb when you put it that way," he said, the tips of his ears turning a bright scarlet. "But, that's what it is, yeah. I act that way because I can't help myself. I mean, people laugh at stupid things, right? So begins my reasoning, anyway..."

Zexion thought this over. So Demyx just acted like a moron? Well, that was...slightly comforting. But there was still something that bothered the teen, and that was why he was worth such a big deal anyway. He'd seen people - boys and girls alike - act odd like Demyx was, but they usually did it for a reason. The reason they all had in common was that they were all attracted to the person they were trying to, as Demyx stated, 'impress.'

Some sort of feeling - a good kind of feeling - flooded through his body all of a sudden, swelling his heart. Zexion felt like he could do just about anything then, he could say anything. And all that processed through his mind were jumbled words that refused to connect into some sort of conclusion.

Zexion cleared his throat, for the first time in his life willing his mind to shut down before all the dots connected. "My smile is a trivial thing and a rare occurrence – too much so to be 'nice.' I have no idea why you feel you have something to gain from all this. It's stupid. You're stupid."

Demyx chuckled lightly, seemingly unfazed. "You have no one to blame but yourself for that. You're supposed to be making me smarter, right? Well, if you think I'm stupid, you must obviously be failing your duties." At the slate-haired teen's shocked look, Demyx flashed his teeth triumphantly. "Got you."

"F-for once!" Zexion stammered, just to keep up his firm persona.

"Not once!" Demyx protested. The pair didn't have a chance to say more though, because Iri opened the door then, wiping her hands on a waist-apron.

"Hey, I thought you guys would want something to eat," she said with a cheery smile. "You know, a break from the studying."

WHAT studying? Zexion wondered furiously, giving Demyx a knowing glare. The blonde ignored it by placing his hands on both sides of Zexion's head and turning it away from him. "H-hey-!"

"Sure! That's cool, right, Zexy?" he asked, smiling oh-so-not-innocently. The slate-haired teen narrowed his eyes; saw Demyx wasn't going to give him an inch, and sighed in resignation, nodding.

Iri grinned, seemingly pleased by the answer. "I thought y'all would agree, so I fixed up some finger-sandwiches and chips. They're ready on the counter if either of you would like some." Her light-green eyes looked down at Zexion and she kindly asked, "Are sandwiches and chips okay, sweetie? You don't want something different?"

"Eh?" Zexion shook his head, still not used to how benign Demyx's mother was. "No, they're fine, ma'am. Thank you."

"No problem! But really, Zexion, its Iri. Iri," she insisted with a small grin. "Well, come and get them!" She walked away and Demyx immediately jolted up.

"C'mon, let's go eat!" he declared, pumping a fist in the air with a sense of triumph. Not that Demyx never didn't act like there wasn't something to celebrate…

"Will you do anything to keep from the two of us actually studying productively?" Zexion inquired, standing up as well.

"I'd like to prolong the torture as long as possible, thank you." The blonde went over to the door, stopped, and then bowed, seemingly to Zexion. "Ladies first."

The slate-haired teen rolled his eyes, pretending the statement didn't faze him. "Is this just another one of your stupid antics?" He pulled the blonde back up into an upright position and huffed, "It isn't working, you know."

"I'll get you to smile one of these days, I just know it," Demyx promised, following Zexion downstairs.

"Do you really believe that to be a fact? Mere hopes aren't going to get you anywhere," the shorter male informed in a low voice. "Clinging to a notion never saved anyone."

The swimmer looked down at the slate-haired boy, something like wonder in his oceanic eyes. Zexion saw from the corner of his eyes the look Demyx had on his face; he looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if it should be a sarcastic statement, or an actual inquiry. Finally, he just decided on turning his face away, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Didn't know you could be so pessimistic, Zexy," he murmured.

"Yes, most facts are often on the down side of things."

Iri was already in the kitchen when the two boys entered it. She placed a plate full of finger-sandwiches and a pile of chips before them. "Here you go. I hope you enjoy them," she said. Flipping her blond hair over her shoulder, she turned and opened the refrigerator behind her. "I'm sorry that we don't have much of a variety of beverages to choose from. There's milk, cranberry juice and bottled water. What would you like, Zexion?"

"Um, bottled water is fine," he replied quietly, slowly settling himself onto one of the barstools in front of the counter.

"Hey, what about me?" Demyx said, pouting slightly. "I want some milk."

"You can get it yourself, honey," Iri said with a straight face, grabbing a bottle of water and gently placing it beside Zexion's plate. She offered the teen an upbeat smile. "There you go, sweetie. Enjoy."

"I think it a little funny you're hospitable to everyone but your own son," the swimmer said, getting up and opening a cupboard full of glasses and plates. "By the way, Ma, Dad wanted you to know he's working an hour later again."

Iri scoffed, but it lacked resentment; it was more like a small sigh. "I swear, he believes that office is his second home… Okay, then. I'll be in my room if either of you need me."

When she disappeared upstairs, Zexion looked at Demyx in wonder and asked, "Your father works a lot?"

Taking out a jug of milk from the refrigerator, the blonde replied, "Meh, sorta. He only does to save up enough hours to take time off so he can spend it with me and Mom." He poured some milk into a glass, capped the jug, then put it away. "Right now, he's trying to get hours in so he has enough so he can be with us for winter break in two months."

"That's…" Zexion frowned, reminded of his own father who was always gone at work, but never for the benefit of his family; not for something like Demyx's dad was doing. Biting into a potato chip, he finished in a mumble, "That's considerate of him."

Demyx, not noticing something was on the teen's mind, plopped down next to him. "Maybe, but I like when he's here. I think you'd like him."

"If he's anything like you, I highly doubt that," dead-panned the shorter male.

"Again with the verbal abuse… Hey, want to hear something stupid?"

"How does a 'something stupid' differentiate from your normal speaking?" Another dead-pan, but Demyx only rolled his eyes and went on as if Zexion hadn't talked.

"Remember when they came out with that chocolate syrup that can make your milk chocolate?" His aqua eyes surveyed the teen's expression, looking for some hint of interest. Finding none, he decided to continue, "Well, I used to think that actual syrup would turn my milk that way. So one day I went into the fridge and got some, then put in it my drink. Heh, it didn't really work out, and I would get so frustrated when it never turned chocolate."

"So even as a boy you failed at life," Zexion concluded sardonically.

"I didn't fail at anything!" Demyx protested. "And are you implying that you didn't seem like an idiot sometimes when you were little? C'mon, Zexy, no one's perfect; not even you."

Zexion looked over at the blonde and did what appeared to be a smirk. "I can assure you, Demyx Watera, I was the most perfect adolescent you could possibly know. That's something I'm sure I can say with utmost certainty." He returned to nibbling into some finger sandwiches as Demyx widened his eyes incredulously.

"So you're telling me you were always a stick in the mud?"

The slate-haired teen frowned at the inquiry. Sure, he wasn't exactly the life of the party - not that he'd BE in a party in the first place - but that didn't mean he didn't...know how to have fun. He sulkily bit into a sandwich. "Don't criticize my attributes when you have persona problems of your own," he managed to quip.

"Yeah, but at least I try to change that. Tell me Zexy, when was the last time you at least laughed?" the swimmer asked, raising a brow.

Zexion groaned, rubbing his temples. "Are you really babbling that nonsense again? Why do you care about such trivial things?"

Demyx chuckled, messing with his glass full of milk and not saying anything. The slate-haired teen hoped that that meant the blonde would finally give the damn thing a rest; the subject was starting to become really obnoxious. Kind of like Demyx. Couldn't he ever think of a worth-while thing to say? No, he couldn't. Could the swimmer ever be trusted to make correct judgment? That answer was as equally no.

And now Zexion was answering his own questions...

"...I wonder if this is a sign of my growing insanity?" he murmured, realizing a tad too late that he said it out loud.

"What, you believe in things like that?"

Zexion considered the question, then shrugged. "If you've a mind, you've the power to wield it effectively. Conversely, you've the power to let common sense slip."

"What the hell? So you're saying insanity is a choice?" Demyx asked, the look in his eyes a cross between disbelief and interest. Putting an elbow on the table and cupping his chin, he said, "That so isn't the deal. Then why're there people who have to take medication because of their mental instability?"

"That was defensive. Have you ever thought about speech and debate?"

"...You're teasing me again, I just know it. And why would I go out for speech and debate? My after school activities are already booked with your tutoring and my swimming meets."

"I've always mused over this: why is swimming season during the beginning of autumn? Wouldn't the water be cold?"

Demyx blinked, as if he was just now wondering the very same thing. "Um...I'm not too sure about that. But I've never really noticed the temperature of the water before." He tapped his bottom lip thoughtfully, then shrugged. "I think after a while I got used to it. I mean, I've been in water all my life."

Zexion slightly tilted his head to the side. "So you always knew you wanted to swim as a profession?"

"Eh? Well, I'm not sure about going all pro with it," Demyx said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because I sort of wanted to be a musican, too. Hey, don't look at me that way, Zexy. I'm not stupid; I know that the odds of me hitting it big time aren't so hot. I figure though, since I got the whole swimming thing going for me, I can probably get a good job as a lifeguard."

"Huh? Isn't that a waste of talent?"

Demyx's oceanic eyes gave him a look that asked, why should you care? "No, not really. Being a professional at anything is tough business. What're you planning to do with your life?"

Slate brows furrowed in confusion. "You want to know about me?"

"Well, just what you want to do, but I'm totally prepared to hear a life-story if you're up for it."

"Not likely, you one-track minded fool."

"Ah..." wilted the blonde.

Anyway, back to the swimmer's previous question... Zexion looked away. He never really pondered something like that before. He did know the basics like being top of his class, getting into one of the best colleges in the country; y'know, things like that. Future prospects were never really on his mind. The farthest he ever gotten in visualizing down the road was probably seven years. Shocking, but true. Wasn't a guy like Zexion already supposed to have his whole life figured out? At least...that was the reasoning the slate-haired teen suspected Demyx to follow after he told him he didn't know any kind of answer.

Finally he began to mess with the cap of his water bottle - screwing and unscrewing it. "I...don't know. I don't know what I'd like to do as an adult." He looked down, expecting the blonde to make a show of being all shocked and surprised.

It didn't come. Demyx looked up thoughtfully. "Yeah? Well, mind you, not even I know if my career is set and stone. Only the lucky ones do, I guess." He shrugged. "Anyways, you like to read...write, too, right? Why don't you become like a...a writer or something? Or hey, you like to think alot - what about those...what do you call 'em? Philosophers, I think. Yeah, we need more of them in the world," he chuckled, probably realizing he wasn't making much sense. "You'd be good at it." His aqua eyes glanced over at Zexion, silently asking if he liked any of the ideas.

Zexion did something between a scoff and a chuckle. All he knew was that he was faintly smiling. "I don't think so. Philosophers are supposed to be open-minded. They must see things from all perspectives and consider rather impossible outcomes and ideas. I'm not like that." He unscrewed the cap all the way and settled it on his plate. "I don't like thinking that way. It's just not how I do things."

"Are you okay with that?" Demyx's eyes bore onto his, light disbelief upon his countenance. "You're talking about not being open-minded...you're alright with shutting yourself out like that?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Demyx. I'm not shutting myself out of anything. I'm closing myself in."

There was a brief moment of silence in which the blonde just stared at Zexion. It was making weird things happen inside him...like his stomach felt like mush and his chest felt so weightless like a balloon had been inflated where his heart was. It was unsettling because this was a sensation the slate-haired teen was not familiar with and it was pissing him the hell off. A sort of abashed blush lightly stained his cheeks and he tried to hide it by saying, "This is the part in which you inform me of how depressing I am."

Then the most wonderful smile Zexion had ever seen spread across Demyx's full pink lips. "Zexy, I don't think it's depressing. It's just...different, that's all. I've never met someone with a thought-process like yours. It's kinda interesting."

The shorter male blinked once, twice, then quickly averted his gaze. Those eyes...it was a look Zexion couldn't help but be...drawn to. It was like Demyx was trying to look at him; no, look into him. But not in that scary, probing way like the therapists had that always made him feel so dirty and violated later. No, looking into him like...he was trying to find Zexion's soul; trying to see if such a thing even existed within the teen's small body.

But...no, that was an idiotic notion. You couldn't see into someone's soul. All that poetic crap was nonsense. 'Eyes are the windows to a soul.' Whatever. That was just about one of the most ridiculous beliefs in the world. And if it was so easy to get a peek inside someone, then why was it every time Zexion stood in front of a mirror to figure himself out, he'd get nothing? Why wasn't that the therapists could just stare at him and immediately understand him? Why weren't other people able to do it?

"You're always having one part of your face covered," Demyx said with a chuckle. Zexion jumped when he felt a warm hand sweep past his cheek, smoothing over his forehead to brush back his bangs. He looked over at the blonde incredulously.

He's...touching me. Why's he...touching me...? Oddly enough, the feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach wasn't frustration or anger of any sort. It was more like panic. Maybe it was because suddenly he felt so...naked and exposed...even though it was over such a small thing as his hair.

Demyx's eyes continued scrutinizing the teen, seemingly with interest. Zexion wanted it to be interest; this was th same look he'd see boyfriends give their girlfriends when they were in their own little world, when they couldn't register anything but themselves. And now…the blonde was gazing at him in that same manner. His mind was reeling, that look getting him so unstable because it was Demyx, DEMYX, who was looking at him and that seemed to make all the difference in the world.

The swimmer chuckled, cutting into Zexion's near incoherent thoughts. "Aha, so the other eye does exist!" he exclaimed. His warm fingers became threaded into the blue-gray locks as he gently brushed the bangs back a little more. "Wow, you look so much different this way. So much less menacing; almost cute, I'd say. You know, maybe you should clip your hair back like girls do."

If there had been some moment between the two teenagers - which there wasn't, Zexion would later (and even now) insist due to a certain blonde's idiotic persona - it was immediately swept away at Demyx's comment. Slapping the hand away, he hissed, "Are you daring to imply that I'm a girl?"

"H-huh?" Demyx looked almost confused but then clarity caused him to widen his eyes. With his face coloring, he quickly defended, "Wh-what? No, was that what it seemed like? It's just…I was just thinking how good you look with your hair back so I made a suggestion…"

Zexion glared as harshly as he could, because what guy wanted to be anything like a girl?

The blonde caught the glare and stiffened. "…Okay, maybe it was a stupid suggestion. Erm…sorry I made you think you were a girl. And, um…for calling you cute, too. I couldn't help it, your eyes are so…so pretty. Really blue and big…like a little kid. What's the word…innocent?"

"…What?" Zexion snapped, narrowing his eyes. Innocent? Hardly.

Demyx shook his head, suddenly blushing. "Crap! I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound so gay! Arrrrrgh…!" He buried his face in his hands and began murmuring things incoherently. When he finally resurfaced, he said hastily, "Er, lemme, um…you're done, right? I'll just toss your stuff and wash up." With that, he stood up and gathered his and Zexion's plate and settled them into the sink. He turned and grabbed his glass still a little full of milk.

Zexion looked after the swimmer and frowned, trying to follow his odd behavior. One second he was the flirtatious little fucker he always knew jocks to be, then he was this bundle of…of meekness and affection and now he was complete opposite of the hyperactive blonde the teen knew him to be.

What's with all these changes? Even in nature, animals don't respond in such a variety unless they feel their equilibrium being disturbed; like they have to adapt to something

… Zexion never witnessed such attitude changes in people before, and maybe he could have he ever got close to someone. I wonder if other people get like this? Emotions and behavior polar opposites every second… Yes, either Demyx is bi-polar or he has multiple personalities. Maybe that's why he was so defensive about the insanity talk we had earlier.

Of course, this was all speculation. Zexion liked to do that.

"Would you like me to help you with this?" the teen asked as he came up behind the swimmer. Demyx had just turned on the faucet, which Zexion realized was one of those detachable types that could become like a hose.

"No, it's fine," the taller male returned tersely, and if Zexion heard right, the blonde's voice was a few notes higher than normal.

The slate-haired teen furrowed his brows. Well, he was getting a little confused - weren't people supposed to accept your polite acts of kindness? And let's face it, Zexion's kindness at all was rare. Watching the blonde's eyes focused too-intently on the dishes, Zexion reached out a hand and clasped it over Demyx's - the one not holding the faucet head. "It'll be alright. It's the least I can do."

"Hyaah-ah!" Demyx cried in surprise, snatching his hand away.

The shorter male scowled. "What did I do?"

"N-nothing! Nothing at all! Mmm….why don't you go wait for me upstairs or something. I swear I'll be right up in a minute."

"…Demyx-"

"Oh God don't yell at me!"

"…I wasn't going to, you over reactive, water-clogged moron," Zexion snapped, rolling his eyes when the blonde had flinched, prepared for a severe chastisement.

Demyx slowly relaxed. "Oh…knew that."

Resigned, the shorter male decided to just sit this one out and let the subject drop. "You're acting so peculiar. Not like you usually do."

"Me?"

"Who else could I be referring to?"

"Ah…right. I'm not acting funny, though."

"I can't say I actually concur with that," the slate-haired teen commented, crossing his arms. "I've seen a lot of odd behaviors before, but it's like you're the product of rolling them all into one."

"Don't you think you're reading way too into this?" Demyx asked, opening up the dishwasher and placing the plates inside. "I'm always a little odd. Heck, without that, you don't really have me." He turned towards Zexion and offered a smile. "See, everything's fine!"

Zexion stared at the blonde for a moment, a near uncontrollable urge to smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Ahem…Ah, Demyx-"

"…I pointed the faucet at myself, didn't I?" Demyx looked down at his shirt and groaned at the large wet spot on his shirt, the water spitting out of the faucet running down his clothes. "Goddammit! Why'd this have to happen? This is just so fucking great…" He began grumbling to himself crossly as he turned the water off, tossing the hose back into the sink. That's when he heard it:

"Pfft…!" Zexion laughed, nearly doubling over as his chest rose up and down with his laughter, pig-like snorts coming out of his nose. "Ha…haha! Haha…!"

Demyx's oceanic eyes immediately widened in disbelief. "What're… You're…you're laughing? Holy crap, you're laughing!"

Zexion fervently shook his head, trying to keep his snorts down to a minimum by covering his face. "N-no, I'm - haha! - I'm not! Sh-shut up! I…" He snorted again. "Don't l-listen - ha - I hate…I h-hate how I l-laugh!"

Demyx grinned, seemingly forgetting all about his wet T-shirt. "What? That's it? I like it!"

"Sh-shut up…heh…"

"I'm serious!" the blonde protested.

Flushing in embarrassment or anger, Zexion wasn't too sure, but he emitted another few pig-like noises then finally calmed down. His hands were still covering his face and he wasn't certain whether or not he should remove them. Demyx couldn't have meant what he said about his laugh. It was the fucking dorkiest thing in the world - no one laughed like that!

"I like your laugh, Zexy."

"…You still sound homosexual; saying things like that…"

"Meh, maybe, but I don't want you to be embarrassed by it. I loved it; now I know you have some sense of humor in that apathetic exterior."

Slowly, tentatively, Zexion put down his hands - because he was getting fed up with this stupid attention the blonde was giving him. When he could see, the first thing that registered was the ridiculous scene before him: Demyx, wet shirt clinging to his skin and dampened stray strands of sandy hair getting wavy and sticking to his forehead and neck; and finally, the grin on his face - the same one he gave the slate-haired teen the day they first officially met. The one that immediately accepted him as a human being even though he knew nothing about him.

Zexion was disgusted with himself for even thinking such things. He shouldn't care so much; he shouldn't care at all about what someone like Demyx thought. He didn't want to smile…

…but he knew that Demyx wouldn't stop looking so stupid unless he gave some sort of satisfaction. So Zexion allowed the tiniest of smiles to spread across his face. Because, let's face it: Demyx's smile was way too contagious.

Xelruna: This was the stupidest endings of all stupid endings. There are many cliches in the world, but I can't help but use them! Argh, I need to get better matierial... Anyways, I think next chapter might have a little less Demyx in it - I mean, I think it's time I focus just a bit more on Zexion's past. Plus I need to build his character a bit more, y'know? I need to make him more of an asshole, that's what I need. But its so hard...! I'm such a meek perosn by nature...!

Anyways, this is late...AGAIN! why? Because I kept telling myself for at least the past two weeks and a half that I'd publish it, but I'd only type like five sentences every time I promised that. So today I buckled down for this to get out TODAY! (that reminds me of this weird thing my Enlish teacher told us: she said writing well is like giving birth to a baby...she even gave a rather graphic visual of that....and demonstrated.... -twitches at memory-)

Well, I REALLY hope you likey so I'll ask with my fingers crossed: Am I worthy of a review?

PS, I had Zexion snort because I snort...and I felt lonely cuz I'm the only one of my friends that does....