Author's Note: So here it is… The very first Demyx/Riku fic on this whole site… Wow. I've had this pairing in my head for the longest time… But then when I couldn't find any stories for it I started swearing… Nearly smashed my computer. So I decided I would have to write the first one before someone else did. But I needed the right idea.

So one day in my literature class my teacher explained what "playing the dozens" was and I was like: "Perfect!"

Also I would like to thank my friends from school who not only read my stories on this website but ALSO created accounts just so they could favorite me and REVIEW! (hinthint to those who haven't created accounts) Anyone from school who went through that trouble is forever my friend. I love you all. And anyone else who reviews.

This story was inspired by a fanart I found on DeviantArt. So here it is… "Playing the Dozens"…

Disclaimer: Duh.

-

Demyx wasn't sure what it was that had attracted him at first.

What he did know was that there had been nothing unordinary about that day. He had woken up, late for the meeting as usual, gotten yelled at by superiors and then finally been given a list of things to do.

Usually they gave him all the boring jobs like cleaning because a) he wasn't very good at fighting, b) they liked to watch him do house work and suffer, and c) they didn't think he was competent enough to do anything important. It might also have had something to do with the maid uniform he had to wear while doing the housework (Demyx had long suspected Xigbar of having feelings for him).

So obviously Demyx hadn't been surprised when his list had comprised of the usual chores and of course checking in on the residents of Castle Oblivion, the Organization's other head quarters. Roxas often wondered why he couldn't go to Castle Oblivion and check up on Axel (after all he was the pyro's best friend). But as always the Superior would blatantly refuse, failing to specify why (everyone else knew it was because he was afraid Roxas would meet Sora).

It was just like any other day. Really it was. But when he got to the castle he was shocked to find Axel packing up all his things.

"Where are the others?" he'd asked, scared and suspicious all at once.

The red-head avoided eye contact with the water loving nobody, "They're gone. Xemnas was right; Larxene and Marluxia were planning on taking down the Organization." Demyx had stood there rooted to the spot, stunned that two of his best friends had tried to betray him and everyone else.

"What about Zexion and the others? I thought they were supposed to be helping you get rid of the traitors…"

Axel looked at the floor before responding, "They got into some of their own problems… They shouldn't have interfered…"

And with that Axel headed through a dark portal leaving the blonde musician standing there in the now empty castle.

'Their own problems…?" wondered Demyx. He suspected it must have had something to do with Riku. He knew they had been carefully watching his progress throw the castle's basements.

He briefly wondered what had happened to Sora and his friends, or Namine for that matter. It was obvious in the way Axel had not mentioned her that she'd betrayed Larxene and Marluxia. Demyx looked out the window. And his eyes caught a glint of silver.

He quickly glanced back and this time he definetly saw it.

It was Riku and the King of the Rodents leaving the castle in Organization XIII cloaks. And despite the fact that it was technically Riku's fault Zexion was dead, Demyx couldn't help but think:

'His hair is really pretty…'

-

Demyx wasn't sure what made him do it.

After spotting the odd pair walking down the long dirt path that left Castle Oblivion he'd instinctively followed them, never quite taking his eyes off of that hair. He liked the way it swished back and forth, never quite stopping its movement.

He would always keep his distance from the two travelers though. He never said anything or let them know he was there. However he sometimes got the feeling Riku could sense he was there… Or maybe he could smell Demyx.

For days he'd rush through his chores, portal back to where they'd left off in the road and speed up until he caught sight of them. After that, all he had to do was follow. He'd been there when the red-bandage man had offered Riku an important choice, he'd been there to witness Riku's eyes changing color, and he'd been there as King Mickey slipped the blindfold over the now golden slits. And at the time he couldn't help but think:

'He looks better with the blindfold and the oversized cloak…'

-

Demyx wasn't sure what made him make it.

After all, it was just another guy. Just another stupid friend to the stupid keyblade master. But he somehow found himself thinking about that silver-haired wonder more and more often.

Ever since Axel's return things had gotten pretty busy for Organization XIII. Demyx hardly had time to stalk his new found obsession, though he was still there to witness Riku's split with Mickey.

One day after a particularly long meeting in "The Conference Room That Never Was" Demyx was sitting in his plain white room sewing. Yes sewing.

When he'd finished his work he put it down gently to admire it. It was a mini stuffed version of Riku, blindfold and all. He'd purposefully made the cloak a tad too long and he was especially proud of the way the hair hung over his eyes, just like it did with the real thing.

The doll sat there with perfect innocence, arms laying limply at its side, legs spread out floppily, and head tilted and drooping over its neck. Demyx smiled and gave the doll a hug.

Then suddenly an image entered his mind.

A picture of the real Riku holding this doll that Demyx had made.

'They'd be so cute together!' He squealed in his mind. The voice was creepy in the sense that it resembled a fangirl's squeal.

That night after the rest of the Organization was asleep; Demyx took a portal to the sandy road. It didn't take long for him to find Riku in the vacant field. The teen was curled up against his cloak that he had bunched up to work like a pillow. Without the cloak on Demyx could see that he was wearing the Organization's traditional uniform. Tight black pants, knee high boots, and a t-shirt with their insignia. He smiled upon seeing the boots.

The next day Riku woke up to a very strange sight. There was a mini him sitting in front of him, the picture of innocence with its limp posture.

Slowly the silver haired teen got up and shuffled over to the doll.

He stared.

The doll stared.

He poked it once.

The doll toppled over.

He smiled.

The doll's expression remained blank and emotionless.

After putting on his cloak he gathered up the stuffed replica and began heading out once again. Completely unaware of the blonde nobody watching him from afar.

And as he watched his fixation walk away Demyx couldn't help but think:

'He still looks pretty lonely…'

-

Demyx wasn't sure where he'd gotten that idea.

A few days passed. Business at "The Castle That Never Was" was as hectic as ever. And yet Demyx's strange fascination with Riku had gone from obsession to something ten times more. He couldn't concentrate on anything else.

He kept dropping things, he kept tripping, he even walked into walls. No it seemed that, for the life of him, the Melodious Nocturne could just not concentrate.

One day Luxord caught Demyx washing a paper plate, and so he stopped the blonde and sat him down on a chair.

"Alright," said Luxord, "who is she?"

"What?" asked Demyx startled by the sudden question.

"The girl," said Luxord insistently.

"What girl?"

"The one you're going crazy about."

"Oh…"

Demyx looked at the floor for the longest time before saying very slowly, "It's not a girl."

Luxord opened and closed his mouth for quite a while before saying dumbly, "Oh." Demyx's face flushed.

"Yeah," he muttered and made to get up.

"Wait," ordered the other nobody, causing Demyx to pause before sitting back down, "Okay…" he said slowly, "Okay it's a guy… Alright… That's fine… I'm cool with that… Mm-hm… Yup, yup no problem there…"

"Look I'm sorry if this is-

"Nope, nope it's fine," cut in the gambler, "So… so… What's he like?"

"What?" asked Demyx blankly.

"The guy you like. What's he like?"

"Oh um…" Demyx stopped to consider this, "I don't really know."

"Say again," said Luxord.

"I don't really know, we've never actually talked," as soon as the words were out Demyx realized how incredibly stupid that sounded.

"You've never talked?!" exclaimed Luxord, Demyx made some hushing sounds and the older of the two returned his voice to a huddled whisper.

"You've never talked to him?" he repeated.

"Nope," said Demyx.

"Well what are you waiting for?! Go! Now! Go find him and have a nice long conversation! And introduce yourself! And be charming! C'mon man! I wanna see suave!" Luxord said this speech with gusto and pushed Demyx up and out of the kitchen.

Perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned "suave" though because at that moment Demyx went toppling down one of the head quarter's largest flight of stairs.

As he flipped over and broke every bone in his body, Demyx couldn't help but think:

'Yeah… Yeah! I can talk to him!'

-

Demyx wasn't sure what to expect or why he was there.

He'd been following his silver haired idol for half the day trying to pick up the urge to go over and say something to him.

Earlier that day at the breakfast table Luxord had pulled every string in the book to get the Superior to give him the day off. And to the blonde Nobody's surprise he had succeeded. Demyx now had a chore free day ahead of him.

Before leaving "The Conference Room That Never Was" Luxord had shouted after him: "Go get'm tiger!"

Everyone else in the room had looked up at that and stared at the sitar player.

"Go… Get'm tiger?" asked Saix as if he were trying to understand the meaning of these words.

"What's he talking about Demyx?" asked Roxas.

"Yeah," said Axel keenly, "and why'd Luxord try to get you out of work today?"

"Oh, I bet what I know it is," said Xigbar nudging Xaldin in the ribs and winking, "ah, young love…" Xaldin and Xigbar sighed dreamily before laughing their asses off.

"Aw, that's so cute," said Axel, playfully ruffling Demyx's hair.

"What? Wait I don't get it…" said Roxas.

Axel grinned evilly at the short blonde keyblade wielder, "Don't you now? Well… Let me put it this way…"

Axel drew in a deep breath before yelling out loud:

"DEMYX HAS A GIRLFRIEND!!!"

"I do not! I do not!" Demyx whined.

Everyone in the room started laughing, Demyx's face was crimson. Luxord walked over to Demyx sympathetically and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Now everyone," he said, "give Demyx a break. C'mon the guy's flustered enough as it is. Okay? Good."

"Okay, okay," said Xigbar, joining Luxord in his attempt at quieting everyone down, "Let's try not to make this too painful for him alright people?"

"On one condition," said Axel holding up a finger, "he's got to give us more information when he gets back from playing pimp. Got it memorized, Demyx?"

"O- Okay…" said Demyx, hanging his head in defeat.

"There ya go," said Xaldin comfortingly, "now go sweep her off her feet!"

"Yeah," said Roxas, "and don't use any corny pick-up lines… They never work…." He shuddered.

"No fake romantic accents either," said Axel.

Demyx walked out of that room more confused than ever.

And now here he was, still trying to talk to this guy, Riku, after hours of following him.

After some time Riku stopped to eat again. Demyx figured this meant it was lunchtime because Riku only ever stopped to eat three times a day. He stopped to use the "facilities" too obviously but Demyx was trying not to think about that.

Watching Riku sitting there eating only reminded Demyx more of how hungry he was. Looking down at his stomach he heard it growl in protest.

"Por QUE?!"

It seemed to be asking. Demyx shushed it angrily. His stomach was totally blowing his cover.

After some debate with his hunger Demyx decided that he couldn't avoid the unavoidable (thus the word unavoidable). So he headed over to Riku slowly and cautiously. When the keyblade warrior spotted (sensed) Demyx he leapt up and drew his keyblade.

Demyx held up his hands and cleared his throat, "Um hi…"

He mentally slapped himself at that, and after Luxord had warned him to be suave too! Then he realized Riku was talking.

"Um, I'm sorry what did you say?" he asked meekly.

"God, you really aren't that smart are you?" asked Riku sarcastically.

"Uh, sorry…"

"Whatever," muttered Riku, he tilted his head in Demyx's direction, "Who are you? Are you another nobody?" Demyx flinched at the word 'nobody'.

"Uh, yeah… I'm a n- I'm a member of Organization XIII," he corrected himself.

"Organization XIII?" asked Riku blankly. Demyx sighed.

"Yeah it's a group of n- special people…"

"You mean nobodies right?" Riku asked curtly.

"No not… well I guess we sorta are…"

"Your mom must have been some kind of stupid," muttered Riku.

"What?" Oh no! He did NOT!

"I said, 'Your mom'," Riku smirked. Ooh, snarky eh?

"Well… well…" said Demyx struggling for words, "Yo mama's so stupid she invented a solar powered flashlight!"

"Well, yo mama's so fat she's on both sides of the family!"

"Yo mama's so fat I drove around her and ran out of gas!"

"Yo mama's so fat she got baptized at Sea World!"

"Yo mama's so fat she fell in love and broke it!"

"Yo mama's so ugly they pay her to put her clothes ON in strip joints!"

"Well… well… Your mom's… Your mom's… um…"

"HA!" cried Riku in triumph, "I win."

"Oh no!" cried Demyx and he actually burst out crying on the grass.

"Uh… hey are you okay?" asked Riku walking over to him.

"I lost!" wailed Demyx beating the ground with clenched fists, "And all I wanted to do was come here and get you to like me but NO! Instead I get beaten by a kid who's younger than me! And now what am I going to tell Axel?! Cause he said I had to tell them all that happened and now I can't because I lost but I have to cause he's scary and-

"You know," said Riku idly, "I have no idea what you're talking about at all. And I- Wait! What did you say?!"

"I said I have to tell Axel I lost because he threat-

"No, no," said Riku hastily, "before that. The first thing you said was…"

"Oh! I said I…" Demyx fell silent upon realizing what it was Riku was asking him to repeat.

"Yes?" Riku prompted shrewdly.

"I might've come here to… get you to like me because um… I might um… have a strange fixation with your hair…?" Demyx twiddled his fingers and looked at the grass.

"Really?" asked Riku, though it was more of a comment than a question.

"Um, yeah…" murmured Demyx.

"Well c'mon then," said Riku grabbing Demyx by the elbow and hauling him up.

"Wh- What?!"

"You look hungry," said Riku in a bored fashion, "I have enough food to share."

"Oh okay," said Demyx allowing himself a smile.

They sat in silence for a while, each one quietly munching on their lunch. Demyx fidgeted a little. Riku watched him fidget. It entered a process; Demyx shifted uncomfortably, Riku stared at him through a layer of black material.

"Who's Axel?" asked Riku, deciding not to torment the nobody any longer.

"Oh, he's number eight of Organization XIII," said Demyx, happy for a conversation.

"Number eight?" asked Riku blankly.

"Yeah, you know," said Demyx chipperly, "like rankings and stuff!"

"Rankings? So like… Order of power? Positions? That kind of stuff?" asked Riku.

"Yeah," said Demyx eagerly, "in Organization XIII we all have ranks and orders and stuff… I'm number nine!" he puffed out his chest.

Riku gave a short laugh, "Is that a good thing? After all there are thirteen of you total right? And you're nine? I don't know," he shook his head, "doesn't sound very impressive to me…"

Demyx's self-pride folded and collapsed into itself.

"Well… There are still…" he counted on his fingers, "four more people below my number…"

"I'm not impressed," said Riku smiling and looking skyward. Demyx pouted.

"So," Demyx started again, "why're you all by yourself? Huh? Why'd you go and ditch the mouse man?"

"Because other people get in the way," said Riku, picking at his food, "and they try to help me."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"It is for me."

"And why's that Mr. Sulky-face?"

"…I don't deserve it."

Demyx leaned back and folded his arms smugly, "Oh I see how it is. You're one of those people."

"What?" asked Riku.

"The kind that blames themselves for EVERYTHING."

"I am not!" he retorted.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are- oh whatever…"

"Are you the one that's been following me this whole time?" asked Riku abruptly.

"How'd you know?" asked Demyx, "I thought I was being steafy…"

"It's stealthy, and no you weren't," replied Riku.

"Well yes I was… Does that freak you out?" came the timid response.

"Kind of," Riku admitted, "the thing with the doll was especially creepy though."

"Aw, c'mon! You know you liked it! Why else would you have taken it with you?" Demyx punched Riku in the shoulder a few times.

Simultaneously they both turned to stare at the doll.

The doll stared back.

"It is kind of… cute," said Riku slowly, "in a weird sort of way."

"See?" asked Demyx, picking up the doll and glomping it.

"Stop molesting me!" cried Riku snatching at it.

"I'm not molesting you silly!" squealed Demyx, "If I were molesting you I would be doing this!"

And with that he jumped onto the younger of the two, who let out a startled yell, but eventually stopped struggling.

And despite his current occupation Demyx couldn't help but think:

'I take back what I said earlier about the clothes and the blind fold… He looks way better without any clothing at all…'

-

Demyx wasn't sure when it'd gotten so serious.

All he knew was he'd gotten back to "The Castle That Never Was" at six-thirty in the morning the next day. Everyone immediately voiced their shock at how forward he had obviously been since he'd been gone ALL NIGHT.

He would respond to these comments with shrugs and smirks.

Once things had started calming down a little for the Organization Demyx was able to spend more and more time visiting Riku. And as time went on he found himself thinking about him not in an obsessive way, but an affectionate way. He liked the way Riku's smiles were small and soft, he liked the way Riku sort of shuffled his feet whenever he was mopey. And most of all he liked the way Riku kissed.

Because Riku's kisses were exactly the opposite of the sitar player's. They were soft, warm, sad and smooth.

Demyx liked them whole bunches!

Or so he told the silver haired teen on a daily basis.

These days it was a lot easier for him to track Riku down too. All he had to do was take a portal to Riku's room in DiZ's mansion and he'd be there. And if he wasn't there Demyx could just wait until his return. He didn't mind waiting. He usually did but not in this case.

Waiting meant he could flip through Riku's sketchbooks while he was gone. Waiting also meant getting so excited he practically jumped on poor Riku when he finally did walk in the room unsuspectingly. And Demyx was never alone anyways. The Riku doll was always there to keep him company, sitting and staring.

And then they would talk for a while and Demyx would make Riku laugh, regardless of if he was in a good or bad mood. If he was coming back from seeing Namine or DiZ Demyx would act overprotective and pester Riku with questions of two-timing and betrayal. If Riku had come back from seeing Sora Demyx would hug him while he cried.

On one such occasion Riku looked up at Demyx and said, "I'm sorry about all this… It's just… I don't like seeing him standing there… not moving… It's scary…"

"That's fine," said Demyx, when a thought occurred to him, "hey Riku?"

"Y- Yeah?"

"Would you cry like this if it was me?"

"If you were the one sleeping?"

"Yeah…"

"I wouldn't cry," said Riku drying his tear stained face on his sleeve, "I'd probably hang myself." Demyx laughed his hysterical laugh causing Riku to snort boogers all over his hand as he was wiping his face.

The silver haired teen froze and looked at Demyx, "Um, can you get me a tissue?"

"Sure," said Demyx between laughs. And as he watched Riku sit there in his own quite, shy embarrassed way he couldn't help but think:

'He looks really cute with his hand held over his mouth like he's embarrassed…"

-

Demyx wasn't sure how or why this was happening.

Ever since he had taken a portal to Riku's room one day, only to find Riku lying on the floor with blood leaking out from under him, Riku had been distant. Almost as if he was trying to make up his mind about something.

"I was fighting Roxas," he said one day as he entered the room.

Demyx looked up and opened his mouth, "I kind of already knew," he whispered for no apparent reason, "the day I found you hurt he came back pretty beaten up too… He left the Organization you know."

"I'm sorry," said Riku hanging his head.

"There you go again! Blaming yourself!" said Demyx breezily waving a hand in Riku's direction, "It doesn't matter, Riku. Everyone's fine now so move on."

"But I tried to hurt your friend…"

"Only to help your BEST friend," said Demyx, albeit a tad bitterly.

"I guess," said Riku, then he finally looked like he'd come to a decision on something, "Demyx," he began, "I'm leaving. I know what I've gotta do to catch Roxas and I'm going to do it."

"What?" asked a flabbergasted Demyx.

"I've gotta help Sora," he said.

"But if you help Sora… I… I'll… I'll be by myself," murmured Demyx quietly.

"No!" said Riku in a forced happy tone, "You won't be alone!" He snatched something up from the bed. Demyx looked down. It was the Riku plushy.

Riku pushed the plushy into Demyx's arms and whispered, "I promise…"

"Okay," Demyx smiled warmly before leaning into one last kiss. It wasn't as sweet as their others, mainly because Riku started sobbing uncontrollably half-way through. So instead Demyx ended up just holding the other and whispering words of comfort in his ear. And Demyx couldn't help but think:

'Gosh… I'm never going to see him again am I?"

-

Demyx was sure this wasn't supposed to happen.

He was laying at the feet of his adversary, Sora, giving out his last cry of defeat. He wondered fleetingly if Sora even knew he was killing his best friend's boyfriend. He wondered if Riku would ever find out Sora had been the one to kill him. He wondered if Riku would really kill himself over the water loving nobody or just seek solace in his friends. He wondered if… Riku would ever even find out he was dead. Maybe the silver one would be too scared to ask Sora.

He also wondered if Riku would blame himself for Demyx's death. The sitar player was almost sure the boy would be able to cook up some crazy scenario in which he'd leapt to the nobody's rescue.

Demyx glanced at Sora through a haze of tears, and his last fleeting thought was:

'I'm never going to see him again… And Sora will steal him from me…'

End

…

Or is it?

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