OblivionX

-7-

Me and You

Demyx felt his heart racing with a mixture of fear and excitement. In his left hand was a bundle of papers. In his eyes, there was a little extra sparkle. "Hey, do you know where Dulor is?" Demyx asked Zexion nervously, as he passed him in the hall. Zexion shook his head, without looking up from his book.

Demyx sighed and continued on his way. Axel didn't know, and neither did Roxas. He stopped in the living room to question Xaldin. "I haven't seen him since... Some time this morning." The drummer informed him.

The singer's heart sunk. He grimaced and collapsed onto a couch, just as Xaldin turned to leave the room.

"I know where he is."

Yazoo slid into the room, moving over to perch on the edge of the couch. The man grinned, looked down at Demyx with amusement. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yeah, I- I need to talk to him." Demyx sat up straighter, eying Yazoo cautiously. "Why wouldn't I want to know?"

"What if I said, say... he was with a girl?"

"He..." The idea was like a poison, seeping slowly through his thoughts and dissolving everything in its path. His expression grew sullen, the glimmer disappearing from his eyes. "He... He's not, is he?" Demyx asked in a worried tone.

"Actually..." said Yazoo, "... he visits Relena down at the cafe quite often." Yazoo gave him a smooth sympathetic look. "Thought you should know... What is it you wanted to show him? I'd be happy to see."

Demyx clutched the papers to his chest. He could feel the tears welling in the corners of his eyes, and it burned to hold them back. "Its... Its nothing..." He said, voice barely above a whisper. "Just something stupid. Dunno what I was thinking..."

"Aww, you poor thing..." Yazoo slid down onto the couch and put his arms around the singer. "It wasn't that important, was it?"

"No, just... Stupid..." Slowly, he crumpled the papers into a ball and tossed it across the room. "I just... I... I should go."

"Why don't I make you a cup of t-" And a thick hardback book slammed into the side of his head, causing him to fall off the couch with a thump. Yazoo sat up, rubbing his head, and looked around woozily to spot Zexion standing coldly at the entrance to the living room.

"...Wha-?"

"You know very well what, Yazoo. Stop flirting with the vocalist." He stepped down into the couch-pit and walked over to drag Yazoo away from the couch. "Don't be alarmed, Demyx. He probably wouldn't have done more than make out with you. He doesn't cheat on me that much. Gods, if it weren't for the fact that I love you I'd've killed you by now... Demyx, what's wrong? He wasn't serious.. what're you..."

Demyx sniffed. A single tear trickled down his right cheek. He quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand. "I- I'll b-be in my r-room, if anyone needs me..." He said, shakily rising to his feet.

Abruptly there was a small hand on his arm.

Zexion was looking at him with the blue eye unhidden by his hair.

"What did he tell you?"

"N-nothing..."

His grip tightened. He repeated, "What did he tell you?"

"He just said... It doesn't matter. Let go of me, please?" He took another step toward the doorway.

"Tell me or I'll read those papers and know anyways."

At this point in time Yazoo stood up irritably, dusting himself off- for the effect, that is. There wasn't actually any dust in the room. "The stupid fucker's got a crush on Dulor. I told him he was with Rell at the cafe."

Demyx wrenched his arm away and made a mad dash for the hallway.

"Implying... But they're siblings!"

He stopped in his tracks. "...What?"

Yazoo looked sheepish. Zexion said matter-of-factly, "Relena is Dulor's sister. She works at a cafe down the street and he's been visiting her because we're in town." The bassist glared at Yazoo.

"...Oh." He suddenly felt incredibly stupid. But with that feeling, there was a tiny glow of hope. "Sister... That means..." Excitedly, he practically dived to retrieve his crumpled papers. He unrolled them carefully, smoothing them out the best he could. "...Yazoo, that was mean."

Yazoo grinned. "Generally. Now can we see what's on those?"

"No! Mine!" He said, shoving them in his shirt for protection.

Yazoo laughed, suddenly congenial again. "We'll see them eventually."

Before he could do any more harm Zexion swiftly gave Demyx clear and concise directions to the cafe and left, tugging his boyfriend along with him.

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Demyx stopped in front of the door, double-checking to make sure it was the right one. It was there, just as Zexion had said. This had to be it... "Wish me luck..." He said to no one, pushing the door open and glancing around anxiously.

It was sunny, and simple inside. There wasn't any art painted on the walls by college students or elegantly made chairs. It was painted a simple soft yellow, like chicks, accented with a drab green. The counter was bustling about nothing, for there were only two customers aside from Demyx. But the red-head at the counter bustled anyways, flashing a smile at Demyx as he came in. Her pink shirt clashed horribly with the drab green apron she was wearing. In the corner sat a man eating a donut and drinking coffee, a newspaper in front of him.

At the booth next to the window sat Dulor, watching him. He'd probably been watching Demyx the entire time.

The sunglasses hid his expression, and his hand tightened around the cup of tea he was holding.

Demyx spotted the man immediately. He smiled, stepping toward him with cautious footsteps. Silently he considered, sitting next to him opposed to across. He pulled out the wrinkled papers, sliding them to him across the table. "Its... Its finished."

"Oh really?" Dulor sat down his teacup and reached out a hand to them. He hesitated.

"It's a song, isn't it?"

He smiled as the other man got up and left.

"Y-yeah..."

The smile grew wider, although he had no idea what was on the paper. "Well, then sing it."

"B-but-" He glanced around the shop, eying the girl who was now the only other person in the cafe. Just then she picked up a tray and walked through the doors to the back.

They were alone.

Dulor pushed the song toward him expectantly, raising an eyebrow.

Demyx looked around frantically for another excuse not to sing, but found none. "I... I can't... I... ...Okay." He crossed his fingers under the table, glancing around one last time to make sure no one else was there. He looked up at Dulor, wishing he could just see past those damn glasses. He took a breath, and began to sing.

"What day is it? And in what month?

This clock never seemed so alive

I can't keep up and I can't back down

I've been losing so much time"

It was just a piece of tinted glass. All he had to do was reach out and take them off.

"'Cause it's you and me

and all of the people

with nothing to do

Nothing to prove

And it's you and me

and all other people

And I don't know why,

I can't keep my eyes off of you"

He pulled a hand from under the table, raising it shakily. He felt his body lean forward on its own accord.

"There's something about you now

I can't quite figure out

Everything he does is beautiful

Everything he does is right"

Inch by inch he moved closer, hand reaching up.

"'Cause it's you and me

and all of the people

with nothing to do

Nothing to lose

And it's you and me

and all other people

And I don't know why,

I can't keep my eyes off of you"

He pulled the glasses off, and for the first time he saw Dulor's eyes. They were blue.

Demyx closed the last inch between them, and kissed him.

Something clicked into place.

Demyx's eyes looked different without black tint in between them. They were lighter, like the ocean. Warm lips pressed against his, and Dulor found he couldn't move. He couldn't think. Their touch was soft, hesitant, but desperate, as though he knew he wasn't allowed to do this, but he had to do it anyways because he wouldn't be allowed to touch much longer.

He felt thin arms slip around his neck for a moment, delicate fingers in his hair.

Suddenly, he gasped and pushed Demyx away.

It had only lasted a few, short seconds, but to Demyx it seemed like forever. Forever, and yet not near long enough. He could still taste Dulor's lips on his own as everything was brought to a cold and bitter end. He slammed into the table hard, barely keeping himself from plummeting to the floor.

The rustic taste of blood entered his mouth and his tongue ached where he'd bitten it. Rejection flashed behind closed eyes. No...

He looked up at Dulor, fear and pain showing clearly in his eyes. "I... I'm sorry," he said weakly, unable to mask the disappointment in his voice. He sat Dulor's sunglasses on the table, on top of the pile of papers he'd so painstakingly compiled. Every word, every carefully constructed phrase, was shaped just for him.

This was twice in one day that his hopes had been shattered right before his eyes.

"I just thought... You... We..." What had he thought? It hardly mattered now. "I'm sorry."

He couldn't meet his eyes. Those beautiful, blue eyes that he'd waited so long to see. Would he ever seen them again? Their image was so clear in his mind now... But it would fade.

Demyx swore he could feel his heart breaking.

Dulor stared at him in shock, slowly, unconsciously lifting two fingers to his lips to touch them in memory. Alarm filtered through him, and for a second more he couldn't think. Or rather, he could- too many thoughts to comprehend at once were flashing through him. He suddenly managed to grasp one clear denial through the turmoil.

"But-but... I'm... I'm not..."

Damn him and his bloody stuttering. He hadn't stuttered since he was a child. This anchored him, this abstract thought. He stood up suddenly, which was hard to do in a booth, and scrambled over the tabletop to get out. Once there, he turned up the collar of his coat against the sunny day outside and reached for his sunglasses. As he put them on, he said briskly, "Well there's no need to apologize. You were just joking around, right? I'm your manager, I mean. We don't do things like this. And I'm not... Not..." He cut off the stuttering in mid- sentence and turned towards the door, looking like a deer fleeing headlights.

"I think it's best we forget about this."

And he ran out the door.

"But..." Demyx stared after him, breathlessly mouthing three small words into the empty cafe. The ghost of what could have happened hung around him. The shadow of what /had/ happened clinging to his every thought. No... No... No no no! It wasn't supposed to end this way... End, before it even began. The shock set in, and he began to cry.

He let his head fall forward onto the table, shoulders heaving with sobs he didn't even bother trying to mask. It was only after a few long minutes of crying that he noticed it. The papers were gone.

That was the last anyone saw of Dulor Leblanc for a long time.

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