When Zexion woke up the next morning, he found Demyx pressed up against the wall, his pillow down near his legs. Sitting up he felt decidedly clean, even though he was used to taking a shower as soon as he could. Gingerly he slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Demyx as he found his bag and took out the clothes. He shed his pajamas and got dressed comfortably in the warm room, light streaming in from a window near the ceiling. Looking up he noticed that it was too shrouded in plants from his backyard to see in or out properly, a fact he found rather convenient given what he and Demyx were up to last night.

After pulling on his shirt he ran his fingers through his hair, sighing and sitting back down on the bed, leaning over Demyx's legs and letting his back rest against the wall. This way he could see his face, still sleeping peacefully, Zexion smiling at how very calm he seemed in comparison to his normally energetic expressions. He couldn't wake him up, not yet…Feeling bold; he set a hand on Demyx's thigh, closing his eyes for a moment.

Axel had said that sex would complicate things; that if you weren't on the same page, it could get messy. Last night's conversation had certainly proved that they were at least close to the same page—though he knew Demyx wanted more than he felt like giving. But he had never tried to make him do anything he didn't want, which Zexion was thankful for. He imagined Demyx on top of him, looking at him after he had come and turned to stroking Zexion instead, and it was easy to see why Demyx wanted it so badly. It had felt so much better than doing it alone, though he felt a pang of guilt that he hadn't tried to touch Demyx in the way the blonde had touched him.

Opening his eyes Zexion leaned down, remembering how it had gone the last time he had tried to wake Demyx—but when he shook him softly Demyx sat up without complaint, Zexion a bit shocked by the change. Though, to give him credit, it was only the second time he'd ever tried to wake him. Kissing him on the side of the head, Demyx's words croaked unsteadily in an attempt to find his voice.

"How come you're dressed?" He rubbed at his eyes, yawning deeply.

"I don't like staying in my pajamas for too long…" Zexion ran his fingers through Demyx's hair, appreciating how it looked, limp and without gel. It was an interesting picture, and Zexion was pleased that Demyx looked decidedly happy that he had woke him up.

"Are you leaving?" He mumbled, pulling Zexion closer and pressing his lips against his neck, making Zexion blush.

"Do you want me to? I can leave whenever you like, I don't have homework to do or anything."

"Stay here with me for a while, then." Demyx kissed him, running his fingers through his hair slowly. Zexion indulged him for a few minutes, resting his hands on his hips and even moaning when he got goose bumps from the way Demyx ran his nails lightly over the nape of his neck.

Their activities ended abruptly, however, when the door opened and Demyx's mother walked in. Demyx tore himself away from Zexion, who couldn't bring himself to look at whatever expression she wore, instead concentrating worriedly on Demyx's face as he stared, irritated, at his mother.

"Mom, seriously, don't you know how to knock?" The tone of his voice was of the utmost annoyance, though Zexion was surprised at the casual way in which he crossed his arms and leaned back against his headboard. Zexion found himself blushing deeply, wishing he could teleport to his room in Axel's apartment and never leave again.

"I-I'm sorry, I just wanted to let you know that breakfast is ready, if you want any…" She sounded a bit flustered, though Zexion doubted anyone was as flustered as he felt. "And maybe at breakfast we can have a talk."

"Don't tell dad yet, mom. At least let me do that part." Zexion heard no reply as she left, closing the door behind her and going back up the stairs. Zexion put a hand over his face, falling backward onto Demyx's bed and groaning pitifully.

"Oh my god…" Zexion couldn't believe his luck, feeling more than embarrassed at being discovered by one of Demyx's parents. The last thing he needed was to have a talk with some adults he barely knew about who knows what over breakfast.

"Don't worry, Zexion." Demyx seemed less upset now that his mother was gone, "I'm nineteen, remember? It's not like mom wants to give us a talk about the birds and the bees. She probably just wants to make sure we use protection, or something like that."

"No matter what, I don't really feel like hearing any 'talks' from any parents. Ever." Zexion mumbled, "I kind of just want to go home and bury myself in a hole." Demyx laughed, flopping down on the bed next to Zexion and laying a hand on his chest comfortingly.

"I'll handle all the talks. Mom can't say a thing at breakfast if Dad's there, and I know she's not going to tell him if I told her that I will. Don't worry; I'll get you home before she can say a word." Zexion slowly uncovered his face, wondering how Demyx could act so calmly about everything.

"Why aren't you worried about how your parents are going to react that you were kissing a boy?" Zexion looked over at the blonde, wishing he could act as casually as his boyfriend did at the moment. But all he felt was loathing for going upstairs, and his thoughts began to fill with plans of exiting out of the window next to the ceiling in Demyx's room. Subconsciously he began to look for something tall he could climb out with.

"Well, they just don't seem like they're really gonna have a problem with you being a boy. Just you being in my bedroom. I wish I had a lock…" Demyx pouted his lips in thought as Zexion closed his eyes once again.

"I guess we're just going to have to go and eat?" Zexion sighed, though he didn't really feel like opening his eyes. "Or maybe I can just go; I don't have to have breakfast. That sounds much too excruciating."

"You know, if we stay together for a long time, you're going to see them a lot." Demyx chuckled, "I can sneak you home now, but in the future we may not get so lucky." Zexion suddenly felt a little itchy, not really wanting to think that far ahead in the future. He hadn't planned on being discovered so quickly into their relationship, and wondered if he would be feeling different if he and Demyx hadn't masturbated together the night before.

"Don't you think this is going a little too fast?" Zexion sat up, scooting to the edge of the bed. Demyx followed him quickly, looking quite worried at what he had said

"N-Now don't say things like that…" Demyx folded his hands together, nudging him with his shoulder. "If you need to I'll deal with all the things mom has to say, and we can start hanging out at your place more often…and only come here if you're okay with it. There are a lot of other places we can go, too."

Zexion nodded reluctantly. He hadn't realized he was so private a person, though it made sense—he hadn't gotten to know Demyx's mother very well, usually getting home much later than his Dad. He was frightened at how his Dad might react to him once he found out, the whole idea stressing him more than he thought it would.

"I'm going to get dressed, and we're gonna get out of here, alright?" Demyx's voice was soft, Zexion watching the door carefully as he grabbed everything into his bag, afraid of another pop-in. Demyx quickly dressed into some jeans and a t-shirt, ushering Zexion out of his room and to the front door, where thankfully neither parent caught sight of them.

"Want to walk?" Demyx raised his eyebrows in question as he extended his hand, Zexion taking it in relief.

"You sure? I thought it was kind of far to walk…" Zexion felt a bit better as Demyx squeezed his hand, lacing their fingers together intimately. "Not that I mind, but you have to walk all the way back, don't you?"

"Sure, but this way I get to spend more time with you…and less time with my parents. Besides, I brought snacks." Demyx pulled a couple granola bars out of his pocket, smiling widely as he brandished one to Zexion. Laughing, they both opened the wrapper with each of their free hands, Zexion eating it gratefully as Demyx opened his with his teeth.

"Your parents kind of scare me." Zexion admitted, earning a chuckle from Demyx as they made their way down the sidewalk.

"Oh? Why?"

"N-Not really in a bad way, but I guess they're just something I'm not used to. Your mom is really serious about things, and needs to…talk about stuff, whatever it might be. And your dad is so serene…I'm not used to a dad who sits in the kitchen and peels potatoes." As the words came out Zexion began to realize how ridiculous he was being, blushing a bit by his own admission.

"That scares you?" Demyx giggled, Zexion feeling rather self-conscious as he wordlessly took another bite of his granola bar and nodded.

"I guess my parents were a lot different. I never had any serious talks with my mom, except for once…" He swallowed, pushing the memory away, "And my dad wasn't really around during high school. I guess the idea that they're more involved in your life scares me…because I got used to being so private about my own."

"That's very introspective of you." Demyx ran his thumb over the back of Zexion's hand, "I'll do my best to make sure everything you want to keep private stays that way until you're ready."

"When I met you, I didn't know you'd be so respectful." Zexion looked up at Demyx, raising an eyebrow. "Have you always been this way?"

"I think Roxas and Axel have a little something to do with it." Demyx mused, ingesting a hunk of his granola bar as Zexion watched.

"Roxas is really smart when it comes to this stuff, I think." Zexion nodded as he said so, though Demyx shook his head.

"Mmmno," He swallowed, "Him and Axel have had tons of problems since they've gotten together. I've learned a lot from watching them, and since both of them tell me their feelings on each matter, I get to see both sides of every argument."

"But that's terrible! They don't seem like the type to fight very much…" Zexion was perplexed, afraid that Demyx was one of those people to benefit off of other's misfortunes. "I know Roxas had some kind of a problem with me coming to stay at Axel's…but otherwise I've never seen them mad at each other."

"It's not a bad thing. They're still together, aren't they?" Demyx muttered, seeming completely unconcerned. "No two people can ever agree on everything. It's only natural for them to get into arguments, especially given all the time they spend together." Zexion looked down at the sidewalk as Demyx spoke, thinking about what he said. It was true; he had even had a small disagreement with Roxas once at school, though over something so unimportant that he had forgotten.

"We haven't argued over anything yet." He mentioned, wondering what Demyx would think.

"I know. I don't like arguing, so if I can avoid it, I do." Demyx shrugged matter-of-factly, stuffing the wrapper into his pocket. Zexion finished his and did the same. "I'm sure one day I'll do something that'll make you mad, though. I tend to do that, just ask Roxas and Axel." He laughed. "But if we do fight and still feel like being around each other, then we're doing something right."

"I didn't think we'd be getting into such a deep conversation walking back home. I was afraid I'd be too embarrassed to talk to you when I woke up, to be honest." Zexion began swinging their hands gently between them, looking around at the trees which had only just that week begun to sprout so beautifully, making everything green.

"Me too."

They walked in considerable silence the rest of the way, though Zexion felt much more at ease than he had when Demyx's mother had walked in. As they approached the apartment building he noticed someone standing outside his apartment door, the sight of straight, red hair and an eye patch making his heart flip as he tried his best not to think about the fact that his mother wasn't with him.

"U-Uh…Demyx?" Zexion said quickly as Nails recognized him, throwing his cigarette to the side and descending the stairs to meet them.

"Yeah?" Demyx had seen him too, holding Zexion's hand tightly, though at the moment he really wished he would let go.

"I know that guy, so don't freak out, okay?" Zexion couldn't explain any further, Nails approaching them quickly as Demyx stood silently beside him.

"Hey kid. I know I shoulda left a note or something, but I don't think it would be right to write a little note and leave you hangin'. This your friend?" Nails looked at Demyx but neither extended a hand as Zexion piped up.

"Y-Yes, but please, can you tell me anything?" Zexion's heart was in his throat. Leave him hanging? What did he mean by that?

"I can't. Actually, I started to ask for too much information from people and…let's just say I'm in a lot of trouble now. I have to disappear, and pretty quickly too, or else I'm gonna disappear to the bottom of a lake." He took out a fresh cigarette, lighting it nervously. "If I were you, I'd hire a Private Investigator, someone who can look into this stuff without getting themselves into a mess like me."

"So…you have to leave? And you haven't been able to find anything?" Zexion tried not to let his voice shake, knowing that it wasn't Nail's fault that she had disappeared so well.

"I'm sorry, kid…" Nails looked genuinely remorseful for Zexion's sake, pushing his hair back in a small fit of anxiety. "I did the best I could. There are two things you gotta know, though. One, that it's not because of your mom that I have to leave. It's my own shit that's catching up to me, which I think I'll regret for the rest of the time I'll spend running."

Demyx squeezed Zexion's hand as he felt him starting to tremble, Zexion glad that Demyx was there, and that he wasn't mad—yet.

"And as for the second thing—I don't want to get your hopes up now, but I will tell you, it's a lot easier to find someone if they're dead. And I know none of my buddies kept her around once she took off—I think your mom knew what she was doing when she left."

"Y-You think she's alive, then?" Zexion felt he was going to be sick from the stress of Nails' visit, already starting to feel nauseous.

"I don't want to say that, since I can't tell you for sure…but if I had to say anything about it, I would say she's out there somewhere. She probably thinks you died, which would explain why she hasn't shown up around here yet. A closet full of bullet holes is a pretty convincing reason not to think your son is alive, wouldn't you say?" Nails sucked down the smoke of his cigarette, tapping his shoe against the ground.

"Yeah…" Zexion couldn't really muster anything else on the subject. "Thanks…you did more than I could ask you to do."

"I hope you find your mom, kid." Nails pulled off his jacket, turning. "I gotta take off. Good luck."

"You too…" Demyx and Zexion watched him walk away, and with him the hopes Zexion had that he'd ever be able to find his mother. For a moment they stood there, Zexion squeezing Demyx's hand tightly, wondering briefly if he'd make it through life without crumpling under the stress he'd had to bear.

A/N: AUUUGHHHH I'm so sorry this took so long! I know I already warned you guys but you have all been so good to me in your reviews that I still feel bad. I do have a good excuse though, I turned 20 last Friday, and was quite busy with several extended celebrations XD So yay! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter for you sooner. It's approaching the end~ Though I should really stop saying that because I don't know how many chapters it will take.

ANYWAY. I hope you all are doing well! And that you enjoy this chapter, or at least...well. Enjoy the fact that you are not Zexion. XD