In the Night -For Zemyx Day-

Demyx woke that Saturday morning, taking in his first few breaths as an 18 year old. He had been waiting 4 years for this day; the day that he would finally be free to leave the village and visit the castle in the mountains without anyone to stop him.

It had been 4 years since he had last seen his dear friend Zexion, and not a day went by that the blond didn't miss him. Demyx was a mere 14 years old when he last saw his best friend; Zexion had just turned 18.

'Prince Zexion… I will see you today, whether I'm allowed to or not.'

Demyx hopped out of bed and eagerly prepared himself for the day to come. He quickly checked the backpack under his bed, making sure he had all the supplies he would need to make his escape later that night after his birthday party.

The villagers weren't allowed to go up into the mountains, a practice, which Demyx noticed, began 4 years ago. Still, Demyx was going to sneak out that night, hell bent on seeing his old friend.

…

Demyx waited until everyone in the village had gone to sleep before taking off into the mountains.

Zexion stood before him, fists clenched tightly at his sides. Guards stood on either side of him, which Demyx thought was odd. Demyx had played alone with Zexion for three years, why did the guards surround them now?

"Demyx, I'm sorry, but we can't see each other anymore."

"What? Why not?"

"We simply can't."

"But Zexion! We're best friends, aren't we?" Demyx took a step forward, but jumped back in fright when Zexion's guards raised their swords to keep the blond from coming closer.

"…Zexion?"

The slate-haired teen took a step back and closed his eyes, breathing heavily and struggling to keep clam, but Demyx wasn't sure why.

"Zexion, please tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Demyx…" Zexion swiftly turned and strode gracefully out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The guards followed and stood in front of the door.

"Zexion!" Demyx continued to call his best friend's name as he was forcefully pulled away.

Demyx stood in the shadows under Zexion's window, which was open. 'The least he could do is explain why he wanted to stop seeing me.' Demyx set his bag down and pulled out the supplies he'd need to scale the side of the castle. "Here goes nothing…"

...

Demyx's feet hit the carpet with a muffled thud once he climbed into the dimly-lit room. His eyes scanned the grandiose room but the prince was nowhere to be found. 'Damn it, where is he?' He sighed and sat on the edge of the glorious king sized bed, running a hand through his hair.

…

Zexion passed the comb in his hand through his silvery-blue fringe one last time before setting it down and stepping out of the bathroom adjoined to his room, fresh from a shower and shirtless. He froze when he spotted the figure on his bed. The young blond man hadn't looked up, not having noticed Zexion's presence.

'I had a drink not too long ago. …And they usually bring my meals in blindfolded. Still…' Zexion silently inhaled the air, shuddering as he reveled in the scent that came from the one seated on his bed. 'He smells absolutely exquisite. I'll have to thank father for this treat later.'

…

Demyx gave a shout when he was tackled and pinned down to the sheets, feeling a pair of cool lips press against his neck. A head of slate colored hair caught the corner of his eye. "Zexion?"

When a wet tongue smoothed over the skin over a vein in his neck, Demyx gasped and tried to push the offender away. "Z-Zexion, what are you doing?"

The prince froze in his ministrations, sharp teeth hovering mere millimeters above Demyx's neck. Zexion reluctantly pulled away to stare into Demyx's face, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No one has ever addressed me so informally…" he trailed off, his eyes widening as a sense of recognition came over him. "…except…" Zexion pulled further away to carefully examine the young man underneath him, particularly his shining blue-green eyes.

Zexion's voice was barely even a whisper now. "Demyx?"

"Zexy?" Demyx stared back into a pair of crimson red eyes, not sapphire blue as he once remembered them. Zexion's blue bangs still covered the right side of his face while the rest of his hair framed his face exactly as Demyx remembered. Perhaps a bit too exact. It had been 4 years and the older male still looked precisely the same as he did when they last saw each other.

Zexion broke his gaze first and swiftly retracted from his position over Demyx's body. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring off into the distance. "What are you doing here? Villagers aren't allowed up here."

Demyx's eyes scanned over the smooth and too pale skin of Zexion's back, frowning at the prince's tone. He felt as if he were a child being scolded. "I'm 18 now, Zexy, I can make my own decisions."

"Stop calling me that. That rule applies to every member of the village, regardless of age."

Demyx sat up, comforted by once again being so close to his old friend, despite Zexion's cold demeanor. "I thought I deserved an explanation for your sudden goodbye 4 years ago."

A small, inhuman growl tore from Zexion's lips, catching Demyx off-guard. The elder stood and took a few steps forward, turning to glare at Demyx. "Get out of here, Demyx. Now, before I have you removed by force!"

The blond sprung from the bed and landed on his knees before Zexion, wrapping his arms around his former friend's legs. "Zexion, please!"

Zexion tensed at the unexpected contact. The slightest pink hue tinted his cheeks, a phenomenon he had never experienced since his change 4 years ago.

"I just want an explanation, that's all." The soft sound of muffled crying mingled with Demyx's words, keeping Zexion from pulling away. "If you never want to see me again, fine, but I need to know why."

An eternity seemed to pass between then as Zexion hesitated to answer. "You won't want to hear the truth, Demyx."

Demyx snapped his head up to look at him. "Yes I would!"

"None but those who live here in the castle are ever supposed to know. The royal family, the guards, the servants, they are all sworn to secrecy. Those few who were foolish enough to reveal my secret to the outside world have taken it to their premature graves. I'm not sure I can trust you with such a burden and I'd rather not place such a burden on your shoulders."

The blond stood and placed his hands on Zexion's shoulders, staring at him intensely. "I'll never betray you, Zexion, I swear." He pressed his forehead against Zexion's, his own cheeks darkening. His stomach fluttered with a feeling he couldn't place, but he was sure it was due to his close proximity to the other. "Please. Tell me."

Zexion smiled bitterly. "Demyx, look at my eyes."

"Yeah, they're red, what's up with that?"

"Look at my teeth." Zexion opened his mouth wide, baring his teeth and the sharp ivory fangs that had nearly pierced Demyx's neck earlier.

Demyx stared for a long moment before he could speak again. "Zexy, what are those?"

"Do you remember the stories my mother used to tell us when we were younger? Remember the myths of monsters that wandered through the night and drained the innocent of their blood?"

"You're… a vampire?"

"The night before we said goodbye, I was attacked by a vampire."

"But the night before was your birthday."

"Yes. My parents knew what was going to become of me, but they couldn't bring themselves to have me killed before I changed. The next day, I was still conscious, and in order to protect you from myself, I knew I'd have to stop seeing you. My father then instituted that rule with the village to protect them and appointed messengers who are unaware of the truth to travel back and forth between the castle and the village."

Demyx continued to stare into Zexion's crimson eyes, reaching up to gently push the slate colored fringe out of his face. "I'm not afraid of you, Zexion."

"I nearly attacked you earlier."

"You're not attacking me now."

"I've learned to control myself in the past four years. Still, it never hurts to be cautious."

"It does if it means I can never see you again."

A sigh left Zexion's lips. "Demyx-"

"No. I know the truth now and you can't keep me away from you, Zexion." Demyx only ever called Zexion by his full name when he was being serious.

The prince nodded his head once in reply. "Your family will wonder about you, however."

"Then we'll both write to them and tell them I came to live and work in the castle." Their voices were gentle whispers as they continued to stare into each other's eyes, their foreheads still touching.

"Demyx, you're insane."

The blond grinned widely. "Guess I haven't changed much in the past 4 years either, huh?"

Zexion's hands curled around Demyx's upper arms, feeling the muscles beneath the blue t-shirt. "I wouldn't say that. You're taller than I am now."

"True. I'm not that scrawny 14-year-old you once knew."

"And your hairstyle is ridiculous."

"Hey! Don't hate on the hair. You're just jealous."

Zexion smirked mockingly. "Of course I am."

Demyx pulled away slightly and laughed; his voice melodic in the night air. "Zexy! No fair!"

The young vampire watched his best friend with something akin to admiration before placing a hand behind the blond's neck to pull him down and press a light kiss against his lips. "You may stay."

Demyx blushed furiously, nodding. "Consider this my thanks." His arms slid around Zexion's neck, pulling him back for a longer, deeper kiss.