Follow the Leader [Zexion]

"You lead the way."

    Demyx smiled and obliged willingly, taking his arm away from its resting spot on Zexion's shoulders. He supposed he was going to have to do a lot of the leading... Even though Zexion had been the sixth in the Organization and pretty intelligent, he was probably used to following orders and being directed places; not venturing without a guiding hand or cutting his own path. Ah Zex, you have a lot to learn.... He thought, getting up so he could brush himself off and then turning with an extended arm to help the younger Nobody up. After they were both on their feet and ready, Demyx summoned a dark portal linked arms with Zexion as he stepped through it. It never failed that he preferred being close to someone when going through the portals. They were so creepy and desolate on their own...


    The other side had transported them to the din of Traverse Town. The small metropolis was lit up with neon colors as per usual, and it made Demyx cringe a little. Artificial light was not kind to his eyes, and if he stared at it for too long he'd get a headache. With that in mind, and with Zexion's arm still linked in his, the blonde navigated quickly to the hotel. He gave a friendly greeting to the concierge, making light conversation as he got them a room. Thankfully, making their stay indefinite was an option. Payment would be worked out when they chose to leave, and Demyx figured he could make himself useful doing errands here and there for others so he could pay at the end. 

    He gave Zexion the spare key as he shoved the main one into the lock, twisting and pushing open the door to a small but cozy looking room. With a shout of glee he made a running leap toward the bed, bouncing off and twisting as much as he could in the air. "Oh man! This bed is awesome! Go try yours... Out... Uh. Crap." Demyx puffed his cheeks out a little as he finally saw there wasn't a second bed. He looked at Zexion, then the door, then the bed, and sighed. "I guess it's commonplace for dudes to share the same bed? It's... Kinda late. So. I can go curl up on the chair tonight and get it worked out tomorrow." He sat up, looking at Zexion sheepishly. "You can shower first, since I messed up." He flopped back on the bed, slipping off his boots and socks with a loud sigh of relief.

He had walked in with his arm linked with the Nocturne's, and he had to admit... The contact was absolutely wonderful. Zexion had never had the chance to experience what it would be like to have someone touching him, to have someone simply putting their hand atop his, or in this case, have their arm interlinked with his own. He would have been smiling if emotions were channeled through him properly, but, unfortunately, such was not the case.

Surrounded by the ambiance of Traverse Town was always a little strange, as the place was coated in neon lights that almost didn't suit the coffee-shop vibe it gave off, but Zexion still admired the world. It was a refuge for people who had lost everything they had the opportunity to call their own - this place was there for them when no one else was, and the illusionist respected that heavily. He followed the blond into a building and listened as Demyx easily talked to the person behind the counter; he watched carefully, a few things noting themselves down in Lexicon as he noted ways to socially interact with people. When they had turned to leave, Zexion gave a nod of appreciation to the clerk behind the counter, and then proceeded out of the office and into a long hall with a multitude of doors on either side of them. Also, something about breakfast in the morning for free? Zexion had picked up on the word muffin and he was ready for it, honestly.

He took the spare key given to him and placed it in his pocket, curiously summoning Lexicon to his right hand, opening it to see what just been put in there, rereading it as if to almost relive the situation, but finding that it was only a generic "Making eye contact with others creates conversation less complicated." Among a few other things, that was the most important thing that had been jotted down. Zexion closed it and kept it in his hand before moving into the room, watching the Nocturne flop onto the single bed that was in the room. It was always amusing to watch Demyx lounge around as though he hadn't a care in the world - it was reassuring to see that there truly were people that had a mindset like his.

"That won't be necessary." He said calmly, placing Lexicon on the bed without a second thought, gripping the bottom of his shirt and pulling it over his had, carefully placing it on the single chair that Demyx had said he would sleep on. That surely wouldn't be comfortable and would probably cause some sort of back pain he would have to deal with in the morning, and that was simply inexcusable and avoidable. Zexion raised one of his arms into the air to stretch and when done, he used that same hand to accompany the other in running his fingers through his hair. It was nice, knowing that he could relax without having to think about the castle or any of the things that had happened within it.

"We'll sleep in the same bed, I don't mind." And with that, the Schemer was in the bathroom, not even shutting the door all the way - he wasn't exactly the modest type. He finished removing the clothes from his body and started the water. He waited for it to warm up before he stepped in and pulled the curtain, letting the heat pour down on him and washing away all of the worries and fears he had. He took in a deep breath, a gentle smile appearing on his face, his steel eyes coming to a close.

Huh.

Well.

    Zexion was undressing, and it was in front of him. And he wasn't even being shy about it. He'd always pegged Zexion for the textbook definition of proper; he wasn't loud, wasn't crude, and probably drank his tea with the pinkie extended. Yet there he went into the bathroom, not even shutting the door all the way. It was... Weird. But also kind of exciting. Demyx wondered what X-Face was like when not busy kissing Xemnas' butt. Fun? Dull? Probably dull. Not that he was biased at all.


    Then there was the matter of Lexicon. It was materialized, and sitting quite conveniently on the bed beside him. It was so tempting to look inside it. There couldn't be anything really personal in there; after all, it was a weapon. It probably only recorded things it deemed important to its user, which had to be maps and fighting techniques and stuff. Not that Zexion was an overly physical fighter. Demyx bit his lip, fighting with himself internally. In the end, he gave in and pulled the book onto his lap as he watched the door. He wasn't sure how long Zexion took in the shower. It could be five minutes or half an hour, so he had to use his time wisely. He flipped through a few pages in the front, then skipped all the way to the back where the new entries would be.


    Admittedly, Demyx's expectations of anything interesting had been low. He'd found the first entries after Zexion had reformed, and they were...Vague. Vague and disjointed and a little scared. A couple pages in and he found some paragraphs with things relating to talking to others or making better conversation. The following page had a few more things on interactions, and then Demyx's smile is quite nice. Wait. What. Letting someone touch you is comforting. Huh. He didn't think the Lexicon would write down things like that. It seemed... Personal and not something a book would write in itself. Weren't weapons supposed to protect their users? Stuff like this could be dangerous to the other Nobody's well being, but... It was kind of nice knowing that Demyx is warm, and that in return will make you feel as such. There was no way he could part with Zexion now. The guy was probably starting to actually like him more than co-worker. Hopefully as friends.

They could definitely use one of those.

Using the products given to him by the hotel's stock, Zexion had washed his hair and made sure that all of the dirt and grime had been removed from his small body. Of course he remained under the rain, gradually turning the heat up as his skin became accustomed to the scalding temperatures, turning his pale exterior a rosy pink. It had been a while since he had his last shower, simply because he had become the Castle' hermit, barely leaving his room because he was so perturbed and disoriented due to reformation. Things seemed to now be clearing up, the blur having resolved itself in a way that allowed some sort of understanding. The situation was an odd one, one that he couldn't go to many about, but he was so grateful that he had Demyx just in the other room, ready and willing to listen to any fear that Zexion might have.

He shut the water off, breathing in the humidity around him and pulling the curtain back, stepping out onto the cold, slick tile, being careful so he wouldn't slip. That would simply be the icing on the cake that he wanted to avoid at all costs. Once the illusionist was finished drying off his small figure, he slipped his boxers back on, the previous color of his skin finally returning as the pink faded away. When he opened the door, the cold air hit his skin and caused a sharp shiver, but he regained his composure quickly afterward.

Zexion tilted his head and began to wring out his hair, the droplets of water falling to the carpet and discoloring it, leaving a moist mark. At least when it was wet it was easier to keep out of his face, and so the Schemer tucked the veil securely behind his ear - once it dried, it was a little harder to manage, but he didn't have to worry about any of that right now. As if moving like a levitating ghost, the Nobody meandered his way around the bed and took a seat on his side, looking forward a the blank tv, as if concentrating on it.

"Oh-" He said calmly, picking up the Lexicon, not really noticing it wasn't in the place he had left it, flipping through the pages to find that nothing had been added at the end, shutting the book and letting it poof back out of physical existence, back into the nothingness that was Zexion, awaiting to be called on yet again. His metal gaze turned towards the Nobody next to him before he leaned back, both of his hands behind his head as it hit the pillow, though he never took his eyes off of the blond. He was the academic, after all, consistently having the urge to study something or someone. "The bed is much nicer than the ones in the Castle." He stated very matter-of-factly, his small body snuggling into the blanket underneath him, which he'd be getting under soon. The poor young husk was very worn out, having not been able to get an adequate amount of sleep the past few days.

"What do you think?" He gently smiled to his new partner, his cold an hard gaze actually finding a way to soften the more he looked at the Nocturne. There was something so lively about him that was quite infectious. And Zexion was in awe of that.

Oh.

    His physical heart nearly jumped up his throat and out of his mouth as Zexion picked up the Lexicon. He really should have paid more attention to where it had been. Zexion was totally gonna know he was looking through it, was gonna get mad and storm out or banish his dumb self to whatever realm he pleased. Could he even do that? He could definitely do that. This was Zexion. The guy probably crafted voodoo dolls and poked them in the faces with needles when someone upset him.

    Then again, the other Nobody could also not be so anal retentive about things. So far, Demyx had been pleasantly surprised by most of Zexion's actions. So when the Lexicon was dismissed without a second thought, a sigh of relief slipped quietly passed the blonde's lips. But...

Oh.

    The comfort Zexion displayed with his own body was another thing that was amazing to him. He'd figured being open about showing a lot of skin or walking around in his underwear would have been improper. Improper. That was still something Demyx was transfixed on, having imposed the opposite into what he thought of Zexion's character. Proper was what popped into his head when the Schemer's name was said. Not this image in front of him, the younger Nobody lounging so casually in his boxers and stretched out on the bed. Thankfully, Demyx was good at keeping up appearances. On the outside, he looked calm. Almost content. On the inside, he was frantically throwing out and editing information on Zexion so he could better move forward with the right actions and words.

Oh.

    "Yeah, they're really nice. I could totally sleep on this for days."  Demyx laughed, focusing on how tired Zexion looked. It was a distraction from looking at nothing but the other Nobody's face. He was going to be in the same bed as this guy, all night. There were a million thoughts running through his head, with a loud voice in a mental PA urging him to remain calm. Friends did this, friends were totally cool sleeping in the same bed with each other, probably in nothing but their underwear, friends had weird thoughts about who would be the big spoon, what the other's skin would feel like. Did they also kind of like each other in a weird way? "As long as you're here, I think I can manage a good nights' sleep." Dude. Shut up. Yeah, Zexion looked... Kind of cute. Was he allowed to think that? His face just looked so soft, his expression... Something he wanted to see more of. He was grasping at things now. Demyx had really wanted a connection to somebody, like Axel and Roxas but... He shook his head, standing up and whipping off his shirt. "I'm gonna take a shower now. I stink." A cold shower. Demyx couldn't afford to mess up this friendship.

As long as he was here...

That statement mean more to Zexion than he would ever be able to reciprocate. He would never be able to verbally express how that made him feel, which was an amazing feat for anyone to have been able to accomplish. He was feeling things, which was something he had been without for the longest time. What was visible on his face, however, was a gentle smile that couldn't be matched by anything else. Demyx had stated he was going to go take a shower, and a strange part of the sixth almost wanted to reach out and keep him there, simply because he didn't want to face even just a few minutes by himself. Of course, he remained dormant and allowed the blond to retreat to the bathroom, completely unaware of the things that the Nocturne was having to face.

Of course he was unaware - he didn't understand any of this whatsoever. Zexion didn't get it. Of course, that was understandable. Demyx was much more emotionally-oriented, more so than the majority of the Nobodies that had been in the Organization, the Schemer having been about the least. There was so much that he had to learn, and he was prepared to do whatever he could to be a good student. Of course that was just the way that the illusionist looked at the situation - it was how he looked at everything. He didn't have much to work off of when it came to looking at things from a non-logical standpoint, so Demyx was going to have to have a plethora of patience to help the young Nobody understand that there was more to life than simply following orders from someone else.

The water had started again, leaving the academic to lay in the bed with his eyes closed, though his eyebrows were furrowed. He didn't like this. He had already gotten so used to not being in a room by himself that even this was a little too much for him. Was it dependency or simply a desire? Who knew, but there was something that he knew he could do. This idea proved to be sensible (at least to him) and it would also allow him to understand Demyx much better than he ever had before. There was much that he willed himself to be able to learn about the things that the musician had to offer, and this was the perfect way to tap into it. He took a deep breath and concentrated, his target being the Nocturne surrounded in his element, and then he was delving into the others mind. It was there that he was able to communicate.

I wasn't aware that you thought of me to this degree,

It was true, there were so many thoughts pertaining to Zexion's own self that he was able to read. In Demyx's mind, he created a figure of himself just in the way he was laying on the bed, only boxers clinging to his hips. The water passed right through him, and if Demyx tried to touch him, his hand would do the same, though the steel gaze was still there, able to pierce right through him if given the chance.

You truly do relate to a somebody more than a Nobody.

That smile appeared on the illusion, reaching out to touch the blond's cheek, though of course the figure couldn't do that all on it's own. The sixth's power was what created the sensation of the contact to make this encounter seem even more real.

You read my Lexicon.

It was a statement, though it didn't sound angry whatsoever.

What you read was true. I do like those things.

The illusion's hand fell to its side, continuing to smile up towards the older of the two.

I like you.

And with that, the figure was gone. The boy on the bed got under the covers and smiled gently, closing his eyes but making sure that he wouldn't be falling asleep just yet. He wanted to know just what he would face when the confused husk got out of the shower. Not only would it be something new to learn, but it would be.. Amusing..?

Wow...

"I wasn't aware that you thought of me to this degree." 

    Demyx had only been standing in the shower when he heard Zexion's voice. He jumped in his skin, eyes flying open. Excuse me? He thought, peeking out from behind the shower curtain to take a quick survey of the room. There was no one in sight, and Demyx frowned but shrugged his paranoia away. The door was a little creaky, so the other Nobody would have been extremely careful to get in, but there was no way he could have hidden in the tiny bathroom. It was... Illogical. The blond had begun to lather up the shampoo he'd put in his hair when a picture of Zexion popped into his head.

    The Schemer was in the same state of dress had he had been when Demyx left to take a shower, staring him down with those deep blue eyes of his. He clamped his eyes shut and scrunched up his face, scrubbing his hair more vigorously, hoping to get rid of the image. They were hardly friends, so it wasn't right that he was having these thoughts. He'd even gone so far as to non-verbally agree to protect Zexion, and protectors didn't... Didn't- Kiss their protectees or think of them in only their boxers. But...

    "You truly do relate to a Somebody more than a Nobody." Yeah, okay. Whatever.

    And there Zexion was. In front of him. In the shower. There was a hand on his cheek, and Demyx's hands fell to his sides. The touch was nice, warm, although quite light. It was still enough to make a small smile appear on his face; although it quickly went away into thin line of shame and embarrassment. How did Zexion know that he'd looked in the Lexicon? Or even where? Because the confirmation that yes, indeed, he did like the things Demyx had read only caused his face to turn red and heat up as hot as lava. Oh man. This was so not happening. How was Zexion not mad? All Demyx could do was stand there, looking at the smile on Zexion's face. Well... Well, maybe it was a good thing. It was out in the open now. 

    "I like you."

    The Schemer vanished as Demyx gasped and opened his eyes. The sound of water crashed back into his auditory sense, and he let out a huge breath. What the heck? He was going crazy. He had to be. After a second check of the bathroom, it was confirmed that Zexion still wasn't in there with him. But how? The hand had felt so real... Demyx groaned, finishing up his shower routine quickly and pulling on the tank top and boxers. New clothes were badly needed. He felt gross putting dirty garments on his clean body. The towel was thrown over the curtain rod to dry, and Demyx opened the bathroom door slowly. Zexion looked to be asleep when the blonde looked over, and he scrunched up his face in mild frustration. A mantra of you're going crazy, you're really going crazy' repeated in his mind as he locked the door and crawled under the covers with Zexion, staring at the other's face for a minute before rolling over. The bed was big enough that they could probably get away with not touching too much during the night, which was a good thing Demyx really didn't need any other... surprises happening before he could get a grip on the situation. With a sigh, he closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep. This could be dealt with properly tomorrow. Or never. Yeah, never sounded good.

Of course he didn't quite understand just how badly he had messed with the other's head - he didn't comprehend things like that simply because of his lack of a heart. In the end, he truly couldn't be blamed for such things, because he hadn't ever been told that it was the wrong thing to do. One should not get to know others in that degree, and it is quite the invasion of privacy. That would all come to him in time, but as of now, the half-asleep Nobody was pretty pleased with himself. The last thing that he had wanted to do was hurt someone that had been kind enough to help him to this degree, and he didn't think that it would do something as severe as what was now going on inside of Demyx's head.

Zexion was, unfortunately, simply naive.

What did happen, however, that was indication that the Schemer had been very well-aware of what had just occurred, he ha scooted closer to the body on the other side of the bed, to the point where they were almost touching. He pulled his legs up into a vague fetal-position, a deep breath of relaxation pouring out of his nostrils. He loved being close to the warmth of someone else, he was beginning to find, and the fact that it was Demyx made it that much better. He felt.. Attached? Was that the correct word? He hadn't even been with the Nocturne for more than a few choice hours, but he already was beginning to find that.. He didn't know how he'd handle it if he was left alone for too long.

Was that was humans called dependency? Something new was then jotted down in the Lexicon.

Goodnight. He kindly placed the word inside of the blond's thoughts, knowing that he would hear it, and would then probably realize that what had happened inside of the shower wasn't something that had been born of his own thoughts, but had been implemented by an outside force. Would he be angry? Zexion hadn't thought that one through, but he was still smiling, and continued to do so until he fell asleep.

_____

Steel eyes fluttered open, and he noticed that he hadn't moved once during the night. Thankfully, he had slept extraordinarily hard, and long, as it felt. He looked at the clock to realize that it was a little after ten; that meant that he had been unconscious for almost thirteen hours. Looking over, he saw hat the body next to him had been removed from the bed. Zexion sat up, brushing back his messy hair and looking around, seeing no signs of Demyx.

The Nobody got to his feet, looking around and finding that his clothes were also gone, leading him to believe that Demyx had gone out somewhere. All the Schemer was left to do was turn on the TV, put it on the science channel, and wait for the musician's wanted return. Patiently, of course.

"Goodnight."

    It had been the last thing he'd heard before drifting off into sleep world. It took a lot of mental willpower to push it away so he could sleep. This wasn't any time to be neurotic now. When he woke up in the morning, he saw that Zexion was still asleep. There was also the matter of their proximity; and it kind of made him happy. No matter the surprisingly soon internal conflict regarding the other Nobody, it was at least good to know Zexion was at least somewhat comfortable and wanted to stay around him. Demyx rolled out of bed carefully and got dressed, shoving what he needed into his pockets and heading out into town.

    At least one of them needed a source of income, because food wouldn't just magically appear in their stomachs. Nor did clothes just pop into closets, etc. It was probably better for his well being if he got off his lazy butt and actually did some work. That's why the invented showers; to get rid of all the gross sweat. Demyx spent a better part of the morning going around to various shops, talking himself up to at least get a foot in the door. Many weren't interested, but a few asked him to come back the next day. Feeling pleased with his efforts, he bought food for Zexion and himself, figuring the other Nobody would be awake and hungry by now.

    Most of his worries about his weird thoughts and feelings about Zexion had gone away by the time he burst into the room, greeting the Schemer happily. "I come bearing nourishment!" Demyx set his bag of food down, shifting things around on a desk so he could place the containers down. "I wasn't really sure what you liked, so I just got us burgers. And salads. In case you don't eat meat." He scooted another chair to join his own by the desk, and started mowing down his food. "Sorry if I freaked you out by being gone when you woke up. I went job hunting!" A huge smile appeared on his face, cheeks bulging with food. Yeah, he felt good. Really good. He was gonna be productive, and not be lazy, and make a good life for himself. Nothing was gonna bring him down.

He had gone through about half of a show, actually finding that he was becoming immersed within it, watching the factual and punctual program, different various things being added to Lexicon as he did so. Curiously, he would summon the book into his hand and see what was added. It was during one of those moments when something struck him - a pang of curiousness; he turned the pages to come to the more personal matters. He was curious as to what Demyx had seen in the depths of this never-ending book. Although the size was that of an average novel, it was directly linked to the mind of the Schemer and would produce any intelligence that was requested of it.

As he read the information, he saw that what the blond read was, in fact, the honest truth. There was nothing wrong about what he saw there, and he was pleased that all of it was up in the air for either one of them to grab at, now. Zexion, of course, didn't quite grasp the severity of the situation, and saw nothing wrong with it and surely saw nothing to be embarrassed about.

The door opened suddenly, and he closed his Lexicon, placing it on the bed beside him as he looked up at the blond who had entered the hotel room. Smiling as he laid his eyes upon the other Nobody, he placed his hands in his lap; his stomach growled the moment that it was said food had been brought to him. He hadn't even noticed. It was like being away from the Castle meant that he didn't have to worry about anything, but it was obvious that he needed to continue listening to his body and giving it sustenance. Perhaps it was part of his naive nature, or maybe it was because he was actually embellishing upon being lazy for once.

"Job hunting?" Ah yes, that's right, normal people have normal jobs, jobs that you get paid for since things aren't supplied regularly like they were back in the Organization. Zexion hadn't realized until now that up until this point.. He had consistently been taken care of by someone else. The thought alone was slightly odd, but what was even odder was the fact that he would have to break out of that and actually become of some use to himself, not just to someone else. If Demyx was prepared to push the past aside and begin a life that consisted somewhat or normalcy, then the illusionist would do his best to do the same.

"Good thinking." He nodded with that continuous smile of his, one that no one else besides the Nocturne had ever seen out of him. The younger Nobody got to his feet, stretching and moving to the bag of food, reaching in and grabbing one of the burgers that had been purchased for the two of them, and moving back to the edge of the bed where he began to eat. It was wonderful to have something in his stomach, and he made quick work of it, having it gone in less than a minute, probably. Strangely, the steel-eyed boy held out his hand, and the book from the other side of the bed levitated in the air, coming to his call just as it always did, and he opened the pages up, willing it to give him the information upon normal humans and the lives they lived.

His eyes scanned back and forth, but he didn't find anything that could help him in the situation he was currently in. He had no prior knowledge, apparently... The book "poofed," becoming nothing but air in his grasp.

"I fear that I do not have any knowledge on how to survive without the Organization. If you truly are willing to teach me, I believe... I'm going to need a lot of patience." He admitted, his tone a little less than dead, though that emotionless aspect of his voice still remained. "I don't want to burden you, Demyx."