I warily opened my eyes to see strips of sunlight shooting onto the walls from behind the window shade. The light hit the cinderblock to form a long, jagged line that began near the ceiling, continued across my bed, and onto the floor. I could feel the pleasant warmth of the sun on my arm. I blinked excessively to clear my vision and focused upwards.

I yawned and stretched, realizing first that my mouth was shockingly dry and next that I was in my clothes from last night. I attempted to sit up to determine my situation.

"ARGH!" A massive amount of pain shot through my head. I clenched my jaw and shut my eyes, lying back down. Perhaps moving was not a good idea.

" WHAT? WHAT IS IT!? ARE YOU OKAY?"

I screamed at the sudden person standing beside my bed, quieted as I came to my senses, and watched as an exhausted Demyx frantically rubbed his eyes and stared at me in worry.

"D-Demyx?" I muttered, still in a bit of shock. I rubbed the side of my head; the abrupt loud noise did not help my migraine. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He frowned and nervously played with his hair. "So yeah…about that."

"Did you sleep on my floor all night?"

"Um…sleep might not be the right word for it. Well, I left your dorm last night, and just as I walked down the hall, I realized. 'what if he has a concussion or drank so much that he stops breathing!?' So I bolted my way back down the hall and reached your room just as the door slammed shut. Then I had to find a way inside. I found your RA, told him there was an emergency, and he opened the door for me. And then I spent the night on the floor," he explained and gave an innocent, little smile at the end.

I could not believe what I was hearing. I was not exactly pleased to find out all someone had to do was tell my Resident Assistant that there was an emergency to get into my dorm. I had a sudden mental image of an ax murderer creeping into my room in the dark and –

"And why would I possibly have a concussion?" I questioned curiously, slightly terrified over the prospects of the answer. Apparently I drank more than I realized.

Demyx appeared surprised. "You mean you don't remember when you fell off your bed during our rough sex last night!?"

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened. "E-excuse me?"

Demyx burst out laughing for a good minute. He doubled over and had to wipe tears from his eyes before looking back at me. "Hahaha….I'm…haha, totally kidding."

I gave a great sigh of relief, but could not ignore the huge headache that I had. "What did happen?"

"You got really drunk, fell, and hit your head on a table. I took you back to campus. Though I think my story is more entertaining."

I shuddered. "Yes, entertaining. So you watched me all night to see if I was breathing."

"I listened all night to hear if you were. Man, you have an uncomfortable floor. My back kills." He stretched and cracked his back. I grimaced at the unpleasant noise.

"You're a bit of a creeper for sleeping in here uninvited," I smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was just trying to make sure you were okay! I couldn't just leave you to die after deciding to get you back safely!" he tried to explain, desperately. "Are you mad?"

I was pretty sure he was exaggerating and that there was virtually no possibility I could have died in my sleep, but he was obviously no pre-med major and the effort he made was endearing. I couldn't think of another person who would sleep on my floor because I was drunk, and Demyx was still just a stranger.

I shook my head and sat up, jumping from my bed. I gritted my teeth through the pain in my head long enough to make my way to the drawer with my pain reliever in it. I dry-swallowed two pills out of impatience, and then opened my mini fridge to find a bottle of water. I downed half of it as Demyx watched quietly, apparently at a loss for words. (What a surprise.)

"What time is it, anyway?"

"Ten of twelve."

"Noon!?" I simply couldn't remember the last time I had slept in so late. I was an early bird. I loved the boost in productivity my days had when I awoke earlier than the average college student.

A loud growl came from across the room and I looked over at Demyx in surprise. He was clutching his stomach. "Wanna get lunch?" he asked. "I'm starved."

I was still in my clothes from yesterday and felt disgusting. "Let me shower first. I'll be quick. You can wait here."

Demyx nodded and sat down in my desk chair, helping himself to any entertainment that my laptop could bring. He immediately visited youtube and began to watch music videos of some band I didn't know.

I rummaged through my drawers to find suitable clothes, put on my black shower flip flops which were in the corner, and exited the room, headed to the bathroom down the hallway. After a very quick, refreshing shower, I returned to my dorm to find Demyx exactly where I had left him. Except now, the room was filled with a soft, familiar melody.

"I Will Possess Your Heart," I said aloud, proud to make my alternative music knowledge known.

"You like Death Cab for Cutie?" Demyx questioned, turning around in the chair to watch me.

"They're my favorite. Their lyrics are so–"

"Thought-provoking," Demyx finished, nodding.

"Yes," I agreed, slightly surprised. Demyx had never seemed one to put much thought into anything. Or maybe that first impression I had of him was wrong. "So you're into alternative?"

He gave a brief booming laugh. "I'm a music major, you know. Music's my life. I like everything from Mozart to Manson, depending on my mood. But yeah, alternative is one of my favorites, I guess." He closed the window on my computer and stood up.

"Ready for lunch?" I asked, putting on my sneakers.

"I'm always ready to eat," Demyx assured me.

I grabbed my student id off of the bureau and slid it into my back pocket. Walking from the room and into the long hallway, an enthusiastic Demyx immediately followed me closely. We continued on in silence for a little while, though I could tell my companion found the quiet uncomfortable and dull. Why can't some people understand there is nothing wrong with being together in silence?

"So does your hair really just dry like that?" Demyx asked, unable to remain quiet any longer.

"Like what?" My hair was drenched from my shower and I had not bothered to do anything with it.

"Well, like how your hair always is. All…flippy. It's so punk and awesome."

I chuckled quietly. "Oh, well, thank you. Yeah, I don't bother with it much."

"You're so lucky!" he exclaimed.

"Your hairstyle is particularly cool, too, though."

"But I have to put a ton of effort into it. Lots of product," he complained.

I simply shrugged. I was getting better at taking compliments; my confidence was noticeably improving. We reached the dining hall, which was actually connected directly to my building, scanned our identification cards at the entrance, and I watched as Demyx sprinted eagerly towards the food. I managed to disregard the loud, familiar sounds of unintelligible chatter and the clanking of dishes.

I followed Demyx slowly, scanning the different displays of food with faltering interest. None of the hot food items, with excessively strong odors that made me scrunch up my nose, appealed to my not-quite-settled stomach. In the end, as was common, I chose to simply prepare myself a turkey and cheese sandwich at the deli station. I placed my plate on a tray, filled a glass up with water at the soda fountain, and looked up for my companion. I found him still selecting food, so I chose a seat at a two-person table near the large window that overlooked the ocean.

I had just taken my first small bite when Demyx joined me at the table. His tray consisted of more food than I could eat in an entire day: two large pieces of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, a massive piece of lasagna, and two plate-sized pieces of pepperoni pizza. Apparently my attempt to hide my surprise was a failure, because he laughed at my expression.

"I like to eat," he said obviously, sitting down and diving right in to his chicken.

"I guess it's good you have a fast metabolism then."

"Or I'd be huge!" Demyx exclaimed through a mouthful of chicken. "But I'm active, too. I have to get my energy up for surf club, didn't sleep much last night."

"Coffee might help," I suggested; though, as soon as I said it I realized that could be a dangerous situation.

He chuckled. "You wouldn't like to see me caffeinated…"

"I can only imagine it would be a frightening sight."

A few minutes passed in silence, during which time I gazed out the window, towards the ocean and began to zone out. It was a beautiful, sunny day. The only clouds in the sky were puffy and white, not at all threatening. My thoughts drifted from the mounds of homework that awaited me this weekend to the friends that I had left at the party last night.

"So do you want to come?" Demyx asked.

I was shaken out of my thoughts, and had absolutely no idea where he was referring to. "What? Where?" I asked, sounding considerably oblivious whereas I was usually down to earth.

"Surf club, of course. I mean I know you probably don't surf but you can just hang out on the beach and watch, it'd be fun. It's a beautiful day; you shouldn't coop yourself up in your little dorm." Demyx spoke excitedly, his offer was sincere.

"I have a ton of homework. I really shouldn't…" I answered unsurely. It would be fun to spend some time outside.

A look of disappointment overcame his face. "Aw, c'mon. Look how beautiful it is out," Demyx attempted to persuade me, waving his arm towards the window. "Procrastinate a little. College students aren't meant to spend a day like this inside."

I sighed. "Well, I could bring some work with me…if all I'm doing is sitting there."

"Yay! It's settled!" He practically shouted, making me shrink back at the sudden loud noise.

We finished our lunches at about the same time, unsurprising if one could understand the zeal with which Demyx devoured the food in front of him. He was a walking, talking garbage disposal. We stood up and left the table together, ridding ourselves of the trays in the proper cleaning area.

"I'll meet you at First Beach in about an hour," Demyx said as we walked back across the dining hall to the exit.

"Okay, see you then."

We parted after exiting the dining hall; Demyx turned to go out the front door of the lobby, and I walked back towards my dorm. When I reached my door I entered the code, as usual, (34, 12, 5), and passed inside. I had a little bit of time to myself because the walk to the beach would only take fifteen minutes along the coast from my current location. I decided to pass the minutes by checking my email, of which I had one new from my mom. I answered it quickly, though less-than-thoroughly since mainly she was asking how my weekend had been thus far and I wanted to avoid the truth of the matter for obvious reasons.

Following the sent email, I surfed the web as I normally do, ending upon the social networking site that consumed an unhealthy portion of my time. I just so happened to come across an album of pictures from the previous night's party. I almost laughed out loud at one of a very delirious-looking Roxas drinking from a cup held by none other than an extremely proud Axel. Another photo I found so ridiculously adorable that I swooned a little: Riku and a sleepy-eyed Sora were rather entangled in a perfect cuddle-position on the couch. I suppose romance was in the air that night. But not for me. Oh well. I felt no self-pity. I would be terribly awkward in a relationship anyway.

In about half an hour I packed my physics book and notebook into my black messenger bag and began my short journey out of the building and towards First Beach. The walk was a beautiful, serene one, directly along a path that had been made on the coast. This part of campus featured a magnificent cliff, which continued for about a mile with beaches on either side – First beach to the immediately northeast, and Second Beach to the southeast.

I listened to my iPod on shuffle, and hardly five songs had passed before the cliff began to slope, and a short set of stairs brought me directly to the beach. It was not too crowded; small groups of XU students were here or there, but tourist season had ended in late September and the water itself was not ideally warm for swimming.

I noticed Demyx simply due to the large surfboards that he and three guys with him were holding. They had set themselves up in a rocky area nearby.

"Hey, Zexion!" Demyx shouted as soon as he noticed me and waved eagerly. He was wearing an exceptionally flattering wetsuit. Yes, he was a surfer boy alright.

I gave a small wave back as to not disappoint him, and reached the group.

"This is Cloud, Leon, and Tidus," Demyx introduced the three, slightly older-looking boys. We exchanged hellos and the three immediately ran towards the ocean, leaving Demyx and I alone for a moment.

"Your board is…pretty," I said, for lack of a more knowledgeable critique. It was both light and dark blue, with intricate music symbols forming stunning patterns.

"Thanks," he laughed. "She's my baby." He gave his surfboard a small hug. "Anyway, the waves are calling, I'll be back in a bit!" He ran off after the group, surfboard expertly held under his right arm.

I settled myself down into the sand, resting my back against a rock. I pulled out my homework and quickly became engrossed into the chapter on circular motion. The next time I even thought to glance up, I saw Demyx conquering a huge, impressive wave. I swear he saw me looking, because he glanced towards the shore, lost his focus and balance, and wiped out. I chuckled quietly; sometimes other people's misfortune amused me.

The time passed quickly, and Demyx was the first of the surfers to call it a day. I was proud, having completed three out of four chapters for the assignment. When he raced back towards me, I folded up my notebook, book, and packed everything neatly away.

"Did you see me!? Wasn't I good?"

I nodded. He beamed. No need to hurt the feeling of this puppy dog with the truth that I looked up from my work only that once.

He shook off and droplets of water from his soaked hair went everywhere.

"Hey, hey, watch it!" I called, not quite serious. But he jokingly shook even harder and when I put my arms up to shield my face from the wet onslaught he stopped. "Oh, were you talking to me?" he joked, tilting his head in a mock curious-manner and smiling wider than ever.

"Jerk," I mumbled, also smirking, and rose to my feet.

"You don't really think so, do you, Zexi!?" Demyx asked, startled.

I flinched at the nickname, but decided to ignore it – perhaps if I tried a different approach to preventing the unfortunate abbreviation of Zexion, he would simply disregard it as an option. "Sorry, I keep forgetting you lack the ability to distinguish sarcasm," I half-joked.

He breathed easier. I was noticing a pattern here.

We walked back to campus together. He talked the whole way about his recent surfing adventures. I stayed pretty quiet, knowing that my own physics adventures would fail to entertain him, but paid uncharacteristically close attention to his stories. Somehow, I was reaching beyond my usual introverted self in order to simply make Demyx happy. I didn't give it much thought then, but his cheeriness was contagious, and I was captivated.

A/N: AH SO MANY REVIEWS! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! -jumps up and down like an overenthusiastic Demyx-impersonator- You are all so amazing. I can't even begin to explain how happy your reviews have made me. So, I'm going to reply to a couple! (You know who you are.)

I definitely don't plan on rushing them into "I love you's," as that is a pretty big pet peeve for me too. And Sora, hmm…I guess I figured he'd be a little intimidated as a freshman going to an upperclassman party. Andd, I won't end it too soon at all and I'll certainly try to keep Riku more canon.

As to what college I go to, I've actually changed a lot more than I originally meant to about the location of this college in this fic due to a direction the plot is going to take later on. -wink- So it's not a ton like mine. My college is made of mansions, cliffs, and the ocean. It is also very small and private like XU. Ha, I like this game.

Finally! I am very sorry this chapter took so long. I literally spent a week deciding whether or not to make the beach-time a stand-alone chapter or shorter and in this chapter. Haha, sorry, but I'm quite a perfectionist.

Please review, loves. Especially if you add me to alerts and/or favorites. ^.^