Demyx sighed as he sat on his large bed. Staring out the window, the sun was setting in brilliant shades of pinks and purples with streaks of orange and yellow. But he wasn't staring at the sun set. His eyes had different out to the apple orchard where he could see the servants picking apples. Probably preparing to make a few apple pies tonight or tomorrow. He smiled as he saw Zexion drop another apple, that was the seventh one this hour, he was clumsy tonight. Demyx wondered what could be on his mind that was making him so careless. He sighed again knowing he'd probably never know. The two didn't talk often, except for the few run-ins they had throughout the day, never more than a few words being spoken. Of course, Demyx was attracted to him, severly attracted to him, but that was his secret that no one else on the planet knew. Except for his cat who was curled up into a ball, asleep by his side. He watched as the servants finished up and began heading inside. Once he could no longer see them he laid backwards on his bed with a huff, he could go down into the kitchen and speak with them but he'd need a reason to go down there, he couldn't just pop up for no reason. Not to mention Zexion was a bit shy and probably wouldn't talk much anyways. So instead he just stared up at his white marble ceiling and tried to think of what Zexion might be thinking about right now. Although, it was a rather hard task. After a few minutes his mind drifted and he was thinking about is upcoming 18th birthday. It was in exactly five months away and all year his parents had been telling them that on his 18th birthday they had a wonderful surprise for him. But he wasn't too worried about what it could be. Demyx rolled over on his side now and pet his sleeping cat lightly, jumping when he heard a knock on his door, and even more shocked to see Zexion standing on the other side when he opened the door.

Zexion was out in the orchard, doing his job as always. Which was just about any odd job that was needed around the castle. But he couldn't focus. Every time he dropped one of the apples, one of the elder servants scolded him. But he just brushed it off. He didn't care about that. The breeze blew his hair out of his face. Once his basket was full, he turned and went back into the kitchen. He gave the basket to the cook. The King wanted several apple pies made for the Prince. And any way he could help the prince, he would do it. Something that nobody knew was that he had a small crush on the prince. But he wouldn't dare say it out loud. He would be killed or banished if anybody found out. As he was returning to his quarters he was called to go fetch the Prince. The King wanted to see him for something. So he turned around and headed up to the Prince's room. He knocked lightly on the door when he arrived.

Demyx smiled, even after hearing Zexion's reason for being here was only to fetch him for the king. He reached out for Zexion and smirked a bit when Zexion moved away. He knew it was taboo for servants to be touched by royality other than being struck. Some even saw it as a crime. But none the less Demyx has reached out, but obviously Zexion hadn't been wanting to risk his life. "Are you making an apple dessert?" He asked, leaning against the frame of his door, not yet ready to go and see what his father wanted. "Maybe I could have him as dessert.." he thought to himself, almost wanting to make a pass at Zexion but knowing it would be for nothing. After all, Demyx wasn't even sure if Zexion "played for his team". After a moment he turned his head and looked down the hallway, knowing he should go to his father, as he walked by Zexion he casually stuck his fingers out so they brushed across his hand, the touch could have easily been mistaken as an accident but Demyx had surely done it on purpose, just wanting to touch him in anyway he could for the time being.

Zexion explained to the Prince why he had come. When the boy reached for him, he automatically leaned away from him. No matter how much he wanted for him to touch him. He just couldn't. "Yes sire." he muttered, his eyes on the ground. He turned and headed back down the hall. When he felt the Prince's fingers touching his, his hand instantly flinched away, his face turning light pink. He turned his head away so that nobody could see. Once he got to the throne room, he left the prince there. Then he went to his own chambers.

The walk to the throne room was silent, although Demyx couldn't get the grin to stay off his face. His fingers still tingled from the contact they had made with Zexion's hand. But, finally as they entered the throne room and Zexion left Demyx finally let the grin leave his face.

His father spoke of trival matters, worrying over trifles, and things that didn't seem interesting to Demyx. But finally, his father spoke of holding as masquerade in two nights. Demyx smiled. "I think that would be a wonderful idea." He said as he already began to put his costume together in his head. And after what seemed like years, his father finally dismissed him. Demyx stopped a maid in the hallway and told her about the masquerade and that all the servants and maids were invited, it was a bit odd for royalty to invite servants and maids to a party but Demyx knew it would seem suspicious if he only invited Zexion. He also told the maid to send a seamstress up to his room tonight. He wanted to get ready on his elegant costume immdiately.

Zexion returned to the servants' quarters and went straight over to his bed. He was exhausted. This had been a really long day. Luckily for him though, his work was done for the day. And if he was still needed, he would go help. After he's had a nap though. He relaxed on his bed and his eyes closed. It didn't take to long for him to fall asleep. He woke a few hours later when he heard a maid explaining something about a masquerade and that all the servants were invited. That wasn't normal. Chances are, he probably wouldn't go if he had a choice. He didn't do well in groups.

Demyx worked throughout most of the night with the seamstress and throughout most of the day. Only leaving his room to get food and shower when needed. As he headed down to the kitchen to get his own food, after telling a servant he hadn't wanted to be disturbed earlier, he saw Zexion and a few others in the kitchen. "I hope you all are attending the masquerade." He said with a smile. More or less meaning "I hope you are attending, Zexion.". He didn't know what made Zexion so attractive to him. Maybe it was the way he was so indifferently and reclusive. Just something about Zexion excited Demyx beyond means. As he left the kitchen to head back to his room it was dusk outside, just one more night until the masquerade. As he turned to shut the door his eyes locked with Zexion and he smiled at him a bit. But this smile held a little bit more meaning. It was a coy smile, a taunting, and teasing smile. An almost challenging smile. But before he could see Zexion's reaction he shut the door behind him and headed for his room. He knew he'd finish his costume in time, he had to, and if he saw Zexion at the masquerade, things would work out perfectly.

Zexion slept through the night undisturbed. Lucky for him. He really was exhausted. The next morning though he was up bright and early. There was still so much to do to prepare for the masquerade. While he was downstairs in the kitchen, he saw the Prince. His eyes instantly dropped to the ground as the others responded to what he had said. He, on the other hand, said nothing. He still hasn't decided if he was going to go or not. And he didn't miss the Prince smiling at him. Which made him blush lightly.

Demyx awoke the morning of the masquerade and immediately began to pace the floor of his room in front of his costume. He wanted it to be absolutely perfect for tonight. It had been a while hes had guests over, not to mention have a party of any kind. He sighed as he collapsed onto the floor in front of his costume. Not sure how to make it look any more perfect. The seamstress had declared it perfect last night, or rather, early this morning and then returned to her room.

Finally, after an hour of gazing up at his costume and trying to fill in the night with details that hadn't happened he pushed himself up off the floor and changed into his morning clothes before heading down for breakfast. He didn't see Zexion when he went into the kitchen but as he was carrying his plate from the kitchen to the dining room he opened the door and ran face first into him, dropping the plate to the floor, it shattered everywhere. "Oh my.. I'm sorry." He said, bending down to pick the large pieces of broken plate off the ground before looking up at him. "You're not hurt are you?" He asked, wanting to reach out to him again, but with people standing just behind him he decided to keep his hands to himself.

Zexion had been up all night running around the castle, getting things ready. He was exhausted, but his work wasn't done yet. The King wanted all of this to be perfect. So perfect it shall be. He wasn't going to be taking the blame if something went wrong.

He relaxed when he was just about done. All that was left was check the stuff in the kitchen. Maybe get something to eat while he was at it. He was starving. He stumbled back when someone ran into him. His face turned red when he saw who it was, Prince Demyx. This was just embarrassing. "I"m fine, sire..." he muttered. He cleaned up the mess before taking it and dumping the pieces of the plate into the garbage. He can't believe that he just ran into the Prince. He was sure that he would get punished for it.

After helping to clean up the mess a bit, Demyx noticed there was going to be a small stain, his father would surely notice it. "If my father asks of the stain I dropped a plate. Do you understand?" He said aloud so everyone could hear him. He was trying to imply that Zexion's name be completely left out of the mix, otherwise he would be punished, and probably harshly. He then smiled as he washed his hands and grabbed another. "Lets try it again yeah?" He said passing Zexion with a smile. Unlike most of the royal family, Demyx was different, he did most things for himself and liked to help out. He was very independent, although there were some days where he could be extremely lazy. As he entered the smaller dining room he ate in silence and chatted with two young maids afterward, he was quite the charmer really.

Zexion was a bit surprised that Demyx took the blame for it when it was his own fault. The Prince was never to blame for anything. He knew that. And he knew that he would be punished, no matter what Prince Demyx said. But when the other smiled at him, he couldn't help but smile back. Though he dropped his head so that nobody would see. He finished helping out in the kitchen before slipping out and heading off to a place he liked to go when he had free time. The library. When he arrived, he smiled seeing that it was empty. Just the way he liked it. Luckily for him though he never got in trouble for being in here and reading. As long as his work was done, he could read all he wanted. Which is what he did. He grabbed his favorite book and sat on a small couch near the corner before he began reading.

Demyx was on his way toward his room as he passed by the library. It had been a while since he read something new. As he walked in he didn't even realize Zexion was in there, tucked away in a corner of the library reading. Demyx wandering the many isles and stopped at the long wall that was covered in shelves of books before he sat with his back against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him as he had a pile of books around him. A few open and a few in stacks. He was secretly a large fan of poetry but could never decide what to read first. So instead he read many different things from many different books at the same time. He would always love Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe though. Always. He was happy the library was silent and empty, or so he thought, so he could enjoy his secret love for the works of the two great writers. From the angle he was sitting at he couldn't see Zexion but Zexion could surely see him.

Zexion looked up when he heard the door to the library open. Nobody ever came in here at this time of night. He was completely shocked when he saw it was Prince Demyx. That was the last person he expected. His raised his book up so that it was blocking his face. But he could see the Prince over the top of it. He watched as the other read. He couldn't help but smile as he watched. Demyx wasn't someone who appeared to like to read. Guess he was wrong about that. It was something they had in common. That thought made him happy.

Demyx continued to read for a moment longer before he realized it was getting late and the masquerade was going to be starting soon. He quickly stood and put all his books away. As he was doing so he spotted Zexion and walked over slowly. "I didn't even see you over here.. when did you come in?" He asked, hoping Zexion hadn't seen any of the books he had been reading. He then turned his head back to the entrance, seeing a few people in costume pass by. "You should hurry. Or you'll be late for the masquerade." He said with a small smile before turning to leave to return to his room. He dressed quickly and fixed his hair differently than normal, when he looked in the mirror he hardly even recognized himself. His costume was standard, a black and red suit with frills here and there but his mask was truly beautiful. The same black and red color as his suit. It covered half of his face but left his mouth bare. Perfect. He worked a few more minutes on his appearance before heading down to the masquerade. Almost everyone was already there, Demyx lingered as the edge of the crowd for a moment before dancing with a young woman for a little. The flow of the music was slow and smooth, the violins playing beautifully. As he spun the young woman around he spotted Zexion, leaning against a wall with some of his friends. He was dressed up but wore no mask, a smile hit Demyx face as he bid his partner goodnight and headed over to Zexion and offered his hand, "May I have this dance?" He asked, smiling, knowing Zexion wouldn't know it was him

Zexion blushed lightly when Demyx came over. But before he got the chance to answer, the Prince was gone. After a few minutes, he put his books away and headed back to the room. As soon as he entered, his friends made him get dressed for the masquerade, no matter how much he complained that he didn't want to go. They just wouldn't listen. They dragged him to the right room. He went and leaned against the wall, his friends chatting about how cool this all was. His face turned red when someone came over to him and asked for him to dance with him. He nodded. "Y-Yeah.." he stuttered, reaching out and taking the man's hand.

Demyx could not get the smile off his face the entire time. They danced together for two songs until the music slowed more and Demyx stopped, came close to Zexion on kissed him lightly, his hand lingering on the Zexion's cheek. Over Zexion's shoulder he could see his friends who were gaping and staring at them. Making Demyx smile and kiss him lightly again.

After a couple second Demyx was about to tell Zexion just who he was until the music stopped and the lights dimmed. The King stepped to the front of the room. "Demyx, please come to the front. We have a surprise for you." His father's voice boomed through the room. Demyx smirked and backed away. "I guess that means I should go." He said as he walked toward his father.

The "surprise" his parents had for him was a blonde girl a year younger than him they had forced him to dance with endlessly. Little did he know that she was actually his future fiancee, whether he wanted it or not. His parents had set all of this up just so they could meet. Before Demyx even knew it, the masquerade was over and he was exhausted. The girl was interesting but he wasn't attracted to her in the least. His mind had drifted back to Zexion throughout the whole night but he never caught sight of him after their first dance.

Zexion willingly danced with the man. He could feel his friends' eyes on him He really wished that they would do something else besides watch him. When the man kissed him, he froze, his face turning light pink. He couldn't believe that it actually happened. It was definitely not something that he was expecting.

He heard the King call for Demyx. And was completely shocked when he found out the man he was dancing with was the Prince. That made him blush more. The Prince had kissed him. That made it even more unbelieveable.

As soon as the Prince was gone, he turned and left he room. He really needed space to breath and there were to many people in that room. He headed down to the servants quarters. It should be empty since most of them were either at the masquerade or working right now. He arrived and changed, then collapsed on the bed. His mind was still on the kiss when he fell asleep.

When Demyx awoke the next morning he immediately thought of Zexion. After he bathed and dressed he had a maid send for him. As he waited for him he sat on his windowsill with his guitar, it had been awhile since he had played anything so he strummed a few verses but stopped when he heard a knocked at the door and set it down next to him. "Yes?" he answered and watched as a blushing Zexion entered his room and stood by the door. Demyx brushed his dripped hair out of his face. "I'm sorry. About last night." He paused. "If you didn't enjoy it or if it made you uncomfortable." He said, staring out his window now, looking out over the apple orchard. He smiled back at Zexion now, "Forgive me?" He knew what he was doing now, and what he had done last night was all very taboo. But he couldn't help it. The heart wanted what the heart wanted. Who was he to deny it?

The next morning, Zexion was up bright and early as always to get to work. He had plenty of sleep so that wasn't a problem. But he couldn't focus on his work. His mind kept going back to the fact that the Prince had kissed him. If anybody found out, mainly the King, then he was dead and he knew it. When a maid came and summoned him to the Prince's chambers, he couldn't say no. Upon arriving, he knocked lightly on the door, his face still a bit red. Uncomfortable? Not enjoy it? How could he not have enjoyed it? It was something he had wanted for a while now. "Yes, sire. I forgive you." he muttered, his eyes on the floor.

Demyx stood now and walked to Zexion, who backed away as Demyx got closer. Soon Zexion's back was against the door and Demyx's hands were on either side of him on the wall, as if to keep Zexion in place. "Then would you still forgive me if I did it again?" He paused and smirked. "Only proper this time." He said, meaning he'd kiss him the proper way and allow him time to kiss back, instead of just swift pecks like last night. Demyx couldn't help but wonder why it was Zexion had seemed open last night but every time they were around each other he was closed of and cautious. Was Zexion afraid of him? Or despised him maybe? Demyx wasn't sure but all he wanted right now was another kiss.

When Demyx moved towards him, Zexion automatically stepped back. As his back hit the door, he looked around for a way to get away from the Prince. He couldn't be seen so close to the Prince. It wasn't safe. He froze at what was said, his face turning red. Of course he would forgive him. He would forgive him even if Demyx was beating him. But only for him. "O-Of course I-I would, sire." he muttered, stuttering slightly. He mentally cursed himself for doing so. It made him seem weak and like an idiot. That wasn't how he wanted to appear to Prince Demyx.

Demyx put a hand under Zexion's chin and brought his face up before he slowly bending down and pressing his lips to Zexion's. Slow, almost timid at first, but as Demyx's tongue encouraged Zexion to kiss back the kiss itself seemed to catch on fire. Demyx's moved his hands down and wrapped them around Zexion's waist, slightly moaning into the kiss. He'd never kissed anyone like this in his entire life and it was amazing. Demyx pulled Zexion in closer to him and led him to the bed before laying Zexion down on his back, kneeling over him and continued to kiss him. He wanted the kiss to last forever but it ended too soon as a maid walked in carrying new sheets. Demyx pulled away quickly, but stayed over Zexion to block the maid's view so she could only see Zexion's legs hanging off the side of the bed. "I brought new.." Her voice trailed off as she took in the scene. "Out." Demyx said, staring at the maid. Immediately, the maid turned and left without question. "Well that could have been bad." He said moving away from Zexion to sit next to him.

When Demyx kissed him, Zexion's face turned bright red. It took him a moment, but he reacted. His arms went up and around the Prince's neck, wanting to be closer to him. He didn't even notice when they moved over to the bed. The only thing he did notice was that he was suddenly laying down. But that didn't stop him from kissing back still. He was extremely disappointed when Demyx pulled away from him. But when he heard one of the maids, he understood why. Didn't make him any less disappointed though. "Y-Yes.. It could have been..." he said, stuttering slightly as he sat up. His hand went up to his throat. He was sure that he would definitely be beheaded if someone found out about this.

Demyx smiled at Zexion, who still seemed nervous and shy. Demyx leaned over and kissed his neck. "Did you like it?" He asked, even though he could easily guess the answer. Demyx knew part of the reason why he was so attracted to Zexion was because he was off-limits. If anyone found out there consequences would be horrid. But he knew he could get away with it, he'd just need to start locking his door. "And I want you to give me an honest answer. Don't just answer because I'm the Prince." He added as looked down at Zexion, who seemed to be having trouble making eye contact. "Are you frightened of me?" He asked, a little confused.