Good Question: We get a little insight into Zexion and what he thinks of this entire situation.

Also, the previous chapter has been re-uploaded (whenever it shows up) under a different title, longer with stuff that I took out from this chapter and put with the previous one, and some revisions.

Those of you unhappy with the DemyxZexionRoxas, it's an important device and I indulge myself sometimes. It's not an actual pairing tho', so it won't threaten the Akuroku.

And please review. Empty inboxes make me sad. –heart-

Chapter 8: Negligence

Roxas glanced at the watch on his cell phone. 5:40 PM. Good. He'd have plenty of time to get home and stop by the store to grab himself something to eat before Tina came home. Tina had read about some new diet and insisted Roxas try it as well. He poked his flat tummy and decided he was in good enough health to buy himself something sweet. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and began to head to the Marketplace. His teeth chattered as he entered the grocery store, his shoes wet from the sleet on the streets.

"Roxas?"

Roxas turned around and smiled. "Are you old enough to be here all by yourself?" he teased.

Namine laughed and gave him a hug, " Thank you for your concern but Reno's with me. I'm here to make sure he doesn't get sidetracked."

"How's Axel?" Roxas asked. He hadn't been able to spend much time with the red head in the recent weeks.

"He's well. I actually haven't seen him that much around the house. He's always out," Namine said with a small pout.

"It's okay. I'll talk to him eventually right?"

"You should come over sometimes, not just to visit Axel," Nanime remarked with a sympathetic smile.

"Namine! Where'd you go?! Oh-" Reno appeared from around the corner, and a small increase in tension occurred. Namine noticed this and quickly said good bye to Roxas, leading Reno to the cashier. Roxas sighed, maybe some tea was in order instead.

Zexion leaned back in his chair and shook the box of mints in his hands. The rattle visibly relaxed him. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, watching as the light reflecting from his wind chime bounced around the room. Zexion lifted his legs up on the desk and titled his chair even further back.

Things weren't going so well for him.

He loved Demyx, but wasn't sure what Demyx thought of him. The blond was attracted to him, of that much he was sure, but he questioned the full nature of that attraction. He had thought that he had come to terms with being the second best, with being a replacement for Axel. Recent events had caused him to become uneasy with it.

Roxas.

His arrival had changed a lot of things for him. Oh there were positives, lots of them. He now had a friend he didn't mind spending time outside of school with. While Zexion wasn't a recluse he didn't exactly make friends easily, finding most of the people at school people he only really wanted to speak to during school. Roxas was also a pleasant person to confide in. He closed his eyes and flipped the mint can over in his hands. Roxas had, however unintentionally, created a problem that could quite possibly break his heart. He cared about Roxas and wanted to see him happy, but for Roxas to be happy Axel had to have an interest in men. Zexion felt that the only reason he had lucked out with Demyx was because Axel was straight and therefore a conquest Demyx couldn't pursue. Zexion wasn't concerned just for his own state of affairs. He also thought about what it would mean for Demyx. More than likely, if things panned out in favor of Roxas, Axel would be interested in men and probably put his attentions to Roxas. Zexion's heart gave pained flutters as he thought about how… rejected Demyx would feel. He also thought about the distance that seemed to have spread between him and Demyx, a distance he somehow felt Demyx stuffing Roxas into, almost using him as a buffer.

He opened the can of mints and popped one in his mouth. It was 3 days to Valentines and Zexion still wanted to find something to impress Demyx, despite his worries. After all, if he intended to even try and keep Demyx there was only one way to do it. To be better than Axel. Zexion wrapped a warm scarf around his neck, for February was unusually cold this year.

Zexion went to a little popular coffee shop, he had ordered and as the waitress gave him his tea, he smiled, watching as the poor woman blushed and grinned. Life would have been so much easier had he been straight.

"Zexion?"

Zexion turned in his chair to find a surprised Roxas standing at the doorway of the café. "Roxas," he replied with a smile. Roxas waved at him and made his way to the comfy chairs Zexion was at. He sat down.

"I didn't know you came here," he said as he began to unravel himself from the layers he was wearing.

"I'm just full of surprises," Zexion replied as he helped Roxas put his stuff up, "but if your wanting me not to lie, they've got great tea."

Roxas smiled and waved over a waitress, "I come here for coffee. Before you and Demyx started disturbing my sleep, I'd always make a quick morning run here."

Zexion chuckled and sipped at his tea," My apologies."

Roxas rolled his eyes at Zexion's amusement and accepted his coffee from the waitress. He watched as she fled to the counter, where she got into the center of a group of girls, all giggling and trying to point discreetly.

"I think they think we're on a date," Zexion remarked watching the girls curiously.

"I suppose we could be," Roxas said with a wink.

Zexion shook his head and laughed, his face sobered up a little, "So, how are things with you and Axel?"

Roxas stopped mid laugh and sunk back in his chair a little bit. "Not much progress. Although, I do have the support of the younger sister, I'd say that's a step forward."

"Namine right?"

"Yeah. A lot of the time nowadays I end up hanging out with Namine more than with Axel."

Zexion gave a sympathetic smile and reached out to take Roxa's hand. He twined their fingers together and raised Roxas' hand to his lips, ignoring the obvious squeaks from the counter. "Don't lose hope, it's only a matter of time," Zexion said with a smile.

Roxas nodded but frowned, not taking his hand back until his waitress came with a second order of coffee for him. He stared out the window and asked, "Is it okay with you?"

Zexion looked surprised and stared at Roxas, "What are you talking about?"

Roxas gave a sad smile and began to gather his things, he had promised to help Axel with some school work that apparently only he could help with. "You and Demyx have a wonderful valentines day," Roxas said with a quick kiss on Zexion's cheek.

'You know, don't you?' Zexion thought with wide eyes, feeling more respect for the boy. But he also felt slightly sad, knowing that Roxas would sacrifice company for Demyx to stop depending so much on Roxas.

Demyx was working on random homework, or trying to, most of his math problems ending in doodles instead of actual work. His mind briefly drifted to and from Axel. It also rolled around Zexion for quite some time, wondering what he should do for the older boy for it. He realized with a slight uncomfortableness that he had absolutely no idea. He moved on from the math and was about to begin memorizing his lines when the doorbell rang. He heard his brother yell that he would get it, and popped his headphones on, and began to highlight his lines from the script. Demyx twitched when he felt someone slide the headphones off of his head. Usually he would turn around and frown and scold whoever had interrupted him, but he had picked up the scent of mint a bit before his head phones had been slid off his head. He felt long arms wrap around his shoulders and a head burying into his neck crevice.

"Zexion?"

"Just let me hold you."

Demyx smiled and leaned into the embrace for a few minutes before pulling away so that he could get out of the chair.

"Come here."

Demyx pulled Zexion with him over to his bed and sat down. Zexion gave a grateful smile and dropped himself onto the bed, his head falling into Demyx's lap. So much better.

"What's wrong?" Demyx asked his fingers brushing through Zexion's hair.

Zexion closed his eyes and curled up closer to Demyx. "Just tired."

"Tired?" Demyx repeated.

"Mm."

Demyx chuckled and slid in next to Zexion, wrapping his arms around him and spooning him, adjusting so that the blanket was somewhat covering them. "Then sleep."

A few seconds of silence passed before Zexion spoke up, "Demyx?"

"I thought you were tired."

Zexion turned around so that he was facing Demyx, their noses touching. It felt incredibly intimate. Something only lovers, people who loved each other did. At least that's what it felt like. "I love you."

Demyx blushed and kissed Zexion's cheek, "I love you too."

"Really?

"Madly, deeply, and without a doubt."

Zexion smiled and leaned in to kiss Demyx. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Demyx blinked as he felt a small box being pressed into his hand, he didn't look at it as he said, "but Valentine's Day isn't for another 3 days."

Zexion leaned back up on the bed and stared down at Demyx. HE smiled gently and brushed a hand through the blond hair, "I though I'd be original."

Demyx sat up and looked at the meticulously wrapped package in his hand. With a quick glance back at Zexion he began to unravel it, carefully, so as not to destroy any of the hard work Zexion had put into it. It was a can of mints. The can was blue, the picture on it slightly faded, and there was a small dent in it.

"Zexxy," Demyx said as he clutched the can to his chest and turned around with dreamy eyes at Zexion. "You kept it?" Instead of answering Zexion just bent down for a kiss instead.

The can had very emotional meaning to the both of them, and that Zexion had kept it, let alone remembered it, made Demyx's heart overflow with a joy that at least temporarily washed out all thoughts of anyone but Zexion. Zexion also remembered the incident with fondness.

Zexion had been fumbling with the zipper on his backpack, grumbling as he tried to get it shut. With a sigh he gave up and slammer his locker shut. He didn't have the patience for any of it today. He straightened out his uniform and turned to head out, except, instead of actually making it out of the building something collided with him. Zexion flinched as he fell backwards, a tiny box of mints flying out of his hand. The person he had collided with wobbled backwards, stepping on the box of tin mints, and falling to the ground.

"I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so ,so sorry," the boy babbled, frantically waving his arms around while trying to get up and help Zexion up.

"It's all right," Zexion mumbled checking himself for any damage.

"I'm sorry. Really. Oh no! Your mints!" the boy exclaimed as he picked up the almost flat box.

"It's all right," Zexion repeated finally looking up at the person he was talking to it. And it kind of took his breath away.

"I'm so-"

"You're beautiful."

The other boy blushed darkly and gave a shy smile. "I'm Demyx."

Zexion covered his mouth with his hand and blushed, realizing what he had said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."

"What's your name?"

Zexion uncovered his mouth and took the crushed box of mints out of the boy's hand. "I'm Zexion."

"Zexion… I think you're beautiful too."

Zexion was left perplexed by the situation and hadn't expected Demyx to show up again at his locker the next day.

"Zecxion!"

Zexion took a defensive position, something in his instinct telling him to protect himself, as Demyx launched himself in a gigantic hug at him. "Hey there Demyx," he mumbled, blushing a little bit because for the first time in awhile he felt awkward around someone.

"I'm sorry about your mints."

"I said it's okay."

"No, it's not. So I got you this."

Zexion stared at the blonds outstretched hand. In it was a small box of mints, blue and with a kitten printed on the cover, it had a small dent in it. The text on it said 'Mints' in small white letters. Demyx blushed and placed the box in Demyx's hands," Sorry about the dent. I'm a bit of a klutz."

And that was when Zexion had fallen in love, and decided to make the wonderful person cuddling with him his own.