Notes: Zexion/Demyx. This pairing has taken over my life! I honestly can't get enough of it. Unfortunately, I seem to be the only one that's posted a story containing romance between Zexion and Demyx... Or so says the search engine.

This is based on a roleplay between Shikyou Daemon and myself. I've only edited the verb tenses, fixed around a few phrases, added an introduction and conclusion, and changed it so that it made sense. Half of the credit goes to her entirely!

I apologize for severe OOC-ness for any of the characters. I wrote most of it while listening to 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' soundtrack. It's distracting!

This contains KH2 spoilers, though it takes place before or during Chain of Memories.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters are property of Square Enix. I claim no ownership to them.

Smile
By Nina Lynn (Oblivion Sky)

The library was silent, the lack of noise oppressive alongside the completely white interior. White walls, a crystal-like white floor, white furniture... Even the books were white. And here he was, clothed in the deepest of blacks, lilac hair a shock of color in the otherwise bleak room. It was as if they were required to dress in a way that would cause them to stand out, just to make it seem that they didn't belong.

They didn't.

And he hated it.

A soft sigh escaped Zexion, sounding much too loud in the deathly quiet library. He wasn't sure why he had come here, of all places. It was one of the places that the rest of the Organization's members loved to frequent, along with the training and lounge areas. Never one for company, he was only thankful that he was alone.

It didn't last very long.

Just as he was walking out from between two shelves, the large door on the opposite side of the room was flung open, none other than Demyx striding through it. Zexion winced; while he didn't dislike the boy, his hyperactive attitude was thoroughly annoying. Deciding that he'd rather not deal with the younger Nobody at the moment, he made to duck back behind the shelves only to swear softly when Demyx called out to him.

"Hey, Zexy!"

Scowling at the nickname, Zexion reluctantly turned around, seeing the other running up to him. "What?" he asked shortly, frown deepening in clear agitation.

Demyx grinned sheepishly, coming to a stop in front of him. "Er, have you seen my sitar anywhere? Axel stole it from me this morning..."

Zexion couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wouldn't put it past the pyromaniac to do something like that. "No. Why would I have anything to do with your weapon?"

The blonde immediately pouted. "It's not just a weapon! Besides, I thought you might have seen him hiding it."

"And how often do I interact with Axel?" Zexion replied, already turning around to scan through the bookshelf behind him, hoping that the boy would catch on and leave.

Demyx did no such thing, his pout growing. "Zexy, you always act so... emotionless!"

The lilac-haired man glanced at Demyx, gaze flashing subtly. "Don't call me that."

"What? 'Zexy'?"

"Yes. That."

The sulk abruptly became a wicked look, the other's aqua-blue eyes glimmering mischievously. Zexion found himself taking a step back, alarm appearing on his visage. 'No, he's going to-!'

"Zexy is seeeexy! Zexy is seeeexy!"

A groan of mortification escaped the man, barely resisting the urge to smash his head against the wall. Or hit himself with a book. Whichever worked.

"Sexy Zexy!"

Or he could hit Demyx.

"'Z' is for ZEXY-!"

Zexion abruptly let out a snarl, one boot-clad foot connecting with the younger male's stomach, sending him crashing into one of the shelves. Luckily, it didn't tip over, though several books fell down and collided with Demyx's head.

That worked, too.

Demyx managed to pull himself to his feet, arms wrapped around his abdomen. "Ow... You're not very nice, are you?" he whined, straightening up slowly.

Zexion shrugged, regarding the smaller male out of the corner of his eye, unable to keep the smug look off his face. "So? What else did you expect?"

Demyx sniffed, letting his hands fall to his sides. "Aww... Zexy's still as cold as ever. You know, I wouldn't have had to do that if you'd just smile more often!"

The taller of the two growled quietly. Without realizing what he was doing, he turned his head to the side, not wanting to look at the cheerful male at the moment. "...I don't have any reason to smile."

The words had left him unintentionally, his shoulders tensing up a second later. Eventually, however, he just sighed and returned to browsing through the selection. Hopefully, it wouldn't become a huge deal.

His hopes were dashed when Demyx blinked, looking at him in a confused manner. "There's lots to smile about, Zexy! There's nature, there's our friends... I mean, there's all the neat stuff that happens... And the fact that we're here," the boy said, his grin reappearing. "You're just so... dark all the time, and you don't notice it!"

Zexion shook his head slightly, staring off in any other direction than at Demyx. "There's no point in smiling about anything. We're not supposed to exist, don't you see? Everything we do is meaningless. What we are.. is wrong."

He wasn't sure why he was telling this to the upbeat Nobody. It was like it was being coaxed out of him by an unseen force, or so it appeared.

"We're only wrong if we think we're wrong!" Demyx chirped, stepping over the pile of books and stumbling slightly as he did so. "We aren't supposed to exist... But we do! See, you only focus on the negative.. You need to focus on the good things in life! Not the bad things!

"I mean.. I'd probably be the first one out of us all to die if we were in a battle, so, why don't I let that get me down?" he continued, grin still in place despite what he was talking about, " 'Cause I want to be happy while I'm alive."

"We should already be dead, but..." Zexion didn't say anything else for a moment, finally turning his head to regard the other male, only one eye visible as usual. When he spoke, his voice was as emotionless as ever, except for the hidden tone that he himself wasn't quite aware of. "...We wouldn't leave you to die, Demyx."

The blonde frowned. "I highly doubt that. No one would care."

He shrugged his shoulders, one boot tapping against the floor. "We're friends until it really comes down to life and death. Then no one would really hesitate to kill each other... 'cept me. I'd rather not betray anybody... Unlike Axel."

Zexion made a soft sound, which might've been a sardonic laugh. "Isn't that the truth, though? We're all selfish bastards when it comes to these stolen lives of ours. If anything so much as threatens us, we kill whatever's causing that threat, even if it's a fellow Nobody."

He exhaled faintly, gaze flickering off to the side again. "And one of these days, Demyx, I fear you might make a mistake around one of us and end up dead -- truly dead."

"When it happens, it happens." Demyx waved a hand, not a trace of fear upon his face. "I've got a pretty good feeling that Roxas -- er, Sora -- is going to be the one to do away with me... So, chances are, I'll be one of the first to go, you know? But that doesn't bother me all that much..."

Zexion's gaze returned to the younger male once again, a somewhat incredulous look in the dark orbs. "Are you saying that you don't fear death?"

He blinked a few times, apparently in disbelief. It made no sense. Demyx was the weakest of the Organization; he should have feared it the most.

Demyx's grin didn't fade; if anything, it grew bigger. "Nope, 'cause I live each day like it's my last. You guys all spend most of your time worrying about what's going to happen next, trying to plot the next move. But while you're doing that, you miss everything that happens around you."

The boy shoved his hands into his pockets, having not looked away from his superior once. "People don't make sense, Zexy. You could spend your whole life trying to figure them out, but somebody is always going to come by and prove all of your research false."

Zexion certainly hadn't expected the ditzy Nobody to say anything so serious and so... deep, for lack of a better word. Wasn't Demyx supposed to be nothing but a klutz? The disbelief didn't disappear; instead, it increased.

"...I believe that somebody is you," he muttered, a hint of bitterness in his tone.

Those aqua-blue eyes finally went to the floor, focusing on something invisible. He sighed, turning to leave. Obviously, the conversation had taken a turn that he didn't like. "Nope. Zexy, you should know this by now... I'm a Nobody, not a Somebody."

Zexion suddenly found himself reaching up and tugging the smaller male back, fingers encircling his thin wrist. The action surprised himself immensely; he could only guess what it was doing to Demyx. But for whatever reason, he didn't want the conversation to end.

"You know what I meant. You just don't make sense, Demyx. Despite what you said, everything about you is illogical. You're weak, and yet you seek no protection. You are the prey, and yet you don't run from the predator. Why? Have you no sense of self-preservation? Even though you may have accepted your death, it doesn't mean that you should cease taking care of yourself."

He fell silent, another frown gracing his pale lips. This was probably the most he'd ever said to another Organization member, even Vexen while they were conducting tests on the Replica. And still, his hand kept its grip on his companion's wrist, firm yet loose enough that it wouldn't hurt.

The boy let out a squeak as he was jerked backwards, looking at Zexion with startled aqua eyes. He waited a moment before he began to speak, trying to ignore the other's grasp on him. "...Running just wears you out quicker."

His lips quirked upwards into a hesitant smile. "I'm weak... And I'll always be weak. So, even if I run, it's only prolonging the inevitable. And I can't get protection from anyone, because they just won't. Everyone looks out for number one around here."

Zexion sighed, releasing his grip on Demyx as he felt him relax. His gaze locked with the boy's, scrutinizing, searching... And yet he found nothing that made sense. Illogical decisions, a concrete belief in what he'd said, and that... smile. The same grin he always wore, but this time, it was... different. Sadder. Like he'd realized long ago that he was weak and would thus die because of it.

"You could find someone, if you wanted to," he heard himself say while he was distracted with his thoughts.

But what Demyx had said was true. No one in the Organization would offer their help; "protecting" someone showed a sense of caring, which couldn't be afforded... Not when they were all so selfish.

Demyx shook his head, eyes once again traveling to the ground. "Name one person here that would ever consider protecting someone else."

Zexion paused, taking in the dejected appearance the boy held. He'd never seen Demyx act like this. To put it simply, he wasn't aware that the hyperactive blonde was capable of coming down from his permanent high.

"...I would protect you."

The sentence escaped unheeded, and his eyes widened momentarily once it left him. Then again, he supposed it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Everything about Demyx confused him... By keeping him alive, it would give him further time to study him... But for whatever reason, he had the feeling that it wasn't the only reason. There was something about Demyx, that was for sure.

The younger Nobody's eyes widened momentarily, but slowly, that infectious grin returned, practically beaming with happiness. He could only guess what Demyx was feeling. "Thanks, Zexion..."

The man looked away again, a quiet sigh coming from him, trying to ignore the sheer happiness he could feel radiating from the other. How could such a simple offer make the boy so overjoyed? "Don't think this will happen often, though."

Demyx laughed, nodding vigorously. He seemed to have completely forgotten about his missing sitar, focusing only on the lilac-haired male in front of him. " 'Kay! Whatever you say, Zexy!"

And despite his desire to snap at the other for calling him that ridiculous nickname again, Zexion felt a smile creep onto his features without his consent, only causing the blonde to let out another laugh.

Zexion died a week later.

- Fin.