happy zemyx day! i finally got this thing to a postable state... yknow i look thru the zemyx tag on tumblr and occasionally see ppl getting into it for the first time or trying to get back into it and i point at the screen dramatically, saying "im writing this for YOU" zemyx nation we are not dead! so honestly thanks for motivating me. altho it really did help that this was such a self-indulgent story lmao. idk if anyone will read this if i post it here, but i figure i might as well.
thank u to my fwiend amy for pseudo-betaing (reading thru and leaving funny comments and also some genuine points) mwwwaahhhhhhh!
in addition, i hope you enjoy the playlist i made for this fic! [ open dot spotify dot com/playlist/39lE4sWFG5YYFD2vuFr1lC ] i listened to it a lot while writing, and i think its perfect for a sugary beach fairytale
Hello
If you are by the seaside
I'll gently leave you a soft blanket
We can walk open barefoot in the field or in the garden
With the birds I sing a song of the new day
Whether you laugh or cry
Let me hear your heart flutter
When the wind blows
Write your secret letter and send it to me
If you ever lose your way
Please just listen to that very moment
In the midst of the world where waves crash
Raise your stars
"Hello?"
hello - ichiko aoba
Dear Whoever Gets This Letter,
I really, really, really want a pen pal. Larxene says writing letters is boring and for babies and I'm a big kid now so I can't. So I hope someone really cool and interesting finds this letter and that Larxene doesn't find it instead and I can shove it in her face. It was really hard to find paper.
My name is Demyx and I'm seven and three quarters years old. I have a wiggly tooth in the front that my mom tells me not to play with but I play with it anyway because if I stick my tongue underneath I can almost feel the roots. Do teeth have roots like plants? Wouldn't it be weird if instead of teeth we had seaweed growing in our mouths? I like fish and I think my favorite fish is flying fish. They're really pretty and I think it looks really cool when they jump out of the water. My mom knows more about fish than me, though.
Okay, now it's your turn to tell me about yourself, pen pal. Unless you're Larxene, then you can go get caught in a net. I know that's a mean thing to say but she's usually way meaner to me so I think it's okay.
Love, Demyx
Ienzo stared down at the paper in his hands. It was a little warped and water-stained along the edges, the ink smudged and barely legible. He'd found it rolled up inside of an old bottle stoppered with a cork. He had been sitting on a blanket on the beach with a stack of books when he looked toward the water and saw something glinting in the sunlight. At first he only looked around, and when he saw no one he put his book aside, stood, and went to investigate.
He wasn't worried about being alone on the beach. It was a private beach attached to the castle, with high walls. From the grass there was a sandy incline down the side of a short cliff to the shore, speckled with rocks. He'd been swimming in that water since he was tiny. Only one guard stood by the path back inside, a tall man named Dilan who sometimes made funny faces at him to try and make him laugh. Ienzo thought himself much too mature for funny faces, but whenever he said that all the grown ups would just smile at him.
Ienzo read through the letter again. He'd never met someone named Demyx or even heard of him, so he likely wasn't a noble or from another castle. But Ienzo was fascinated by the way he talked, how he just said whatever he wanted as it came to him. No one at the castle talked like that, not even Ienzo himself. Even the handwriting was interesting—Ienzo could imagine a boy holding a pen in his fist, laboring over still-unfamiliar letters and dripping ink. He didn't think his own handwriting was much better, but he'd been trained on proper grip already, and he could even do cursive.
He smiled down at the paper. Having a pen pal would be fun. They were very close in age, and Ienzo had never had a friend his age before. Everyone at the castle was a grown up, which meant Ienzo often had to find his own ways of passing the time when he wasn't taking lessons. Maybe Demyx could even tell him what it was like outside of the castle. The last time Ienzo had been outside the castle was when he was a baby, when he lived with his parents.
Ienzo swept past Dilan, heading in the direction of the infirmary to see Even. The king thought he should have a specialization, so when he wasn't occupied by reading or regular lessons, he often spent time in Doctor Even's infirmary and learned medicine. He wouldn't need to know more than cutting bandages or how plants were pounded and boiled into tinctures until he was older, but for now it was fun. Even sometimes gave him sweets if he behaved himself, and he didn't even cry when a patient was once carried in with a flash of bone sticking out from their leg.
Even stood at a counter intently reading a chart when Ienzo approached. He briefly glanced down.
"Good afternoon, your highness," he said. "What can I do for you?"
Ienzo bounced excitedly.
"Can you use your words, please?" Even asked.
Ienzo paused, face slightly scrunched. He tried to use his words, but they didn't want to come. Instead, he simply placed the bottle and letter onto the counter. Even put his chart down and looked at them. He picked up the letter and began to read. Ienzo gazed up hopefully until he finished.
When Even was done, he looked down at Ienzo with an amused look on his face, which for Even was quite a rare feat.
"I suppose this means you'd like to write back?" he asked.
Ienzo gripped the edge of the counter, bouncing up and down and nodding his excitement.
"You've been getting quite good with your penmanship," Even said, and led Ienzo to a desk where he kept parchment and ink. "I suppose it should be alright."
Ienzo followed. The fountain pen Even produced was stained and worn from use, but Ienzo thought it was beautiful. Even allowed him to sit at his desk, and while Even watched him settle in, Ienzo looked up and tried as hard as he could to project "thank you" at him. His words still didn't want to work today, so he grabbed Even's sleeve, hoping to amplify it.
Even was good at understanding Ienzo, so he gave him a brief pat on the head. "Yes, yes, I know," he said. "You're welcome."
When Even walked away, Ienzo sat at the desk for several long minutes, feet swinging, and tried to think of what to write. Demyx said he wanted his pen pal to be cool and interesting, but Ienzo didn't think he was very much of either. He also didn't want to lie, because that was wrong. He figured he might as well start with what was in Demyx's letter.
Dear Demyx,
I was happy to find your letter. You sound weird but kind of funny. Who is Larxene and why is she so mean to you? I think if we had seaweed instead of teeth we wouldn't be able to chew anything, so I'm glad we have teeth. Or else I wouldn't be able to eat chocolate cake, which is the best kind of cake.
My name is Ienzo. I live in the castle and I just turned seven so you're older than me. I like to sit on the beach and read. We have a really big library in the castle and I can read anything I want, though some books are still hard to understand. My favorite book at the moment is called Understanding the Heart: an Introduction. It's very interesting.
I also help the castle physician sometimes. I'm using his desk to write this letter right now. His name is Even and he teaches me all kinds of things about medicine and sometimes he accidentally says curse words. He thinks I don't notice but I do.
I don't know how your letter found me, but I hope my letter finds you when I throw it back into the sea. Otherwise that would be called littering.
Sincerely, Ienzo
When Ienzo was done, he blew on the ink to make it dry faster, then rolled up the parchment and shoved it in the bottle. He didn't want Even to see what he'd written.
Even did not go with Ienzo to the beach to throw the bottle back into the tide. For a long time, Ienzo stood in the shallows with his trousers rolled up and looked out into the vast, blue ocean. He hoped that maybe he'd be able to see where the letter had originally come from. When the flat water gave him no answer, he reeled his arm back and chucked the bottle as hard as he could. It landed with a light splish and disappeared for a half a second before bobbing to the surface. With that done, he walked back up the shore, sand sticking to his feet, sat down on his blanket, and returned to reading.
That night, King Ansem the Wise tucked Ienzo into bed.
He didn't always, but sometimes he'd send the servants away early. In those instances, he'd bring Ienzo up to his rooms and tuck him in. Sometimes he would read to him from whatever thick textbook Ienzo had sitting on his bedside table, but that was mostly when Ienzo was really little. The lamplight cast an oily, yellow glow onto the stone walls. Though it was nearing summer, the layers of blankets were still thick and a little bit scratchy. Ienzo chewed on his lip, considering.
"I've got a new pen pal," Ienzo said. His voice was small, but the others had trained their ears to hear it.
"A pen pal?" Ansem asked, in that voice reserved for talking to a child.
Ienzo didn't like that voice much. It felt like he was being treated like a baby, like Ansem thought he was stupid just because he was young. Like he was delicate and needed to be coddled. He wished Ansem would talk to him like a grown up. But he only nodded in response.
"Are you writing notes to Doctor Even?" Ansem asked, and Ienzo shook his head.
"He's from outside," he said. "We write a letter and then put it in a bottle and throw it into the sea."
"I'm not sure it's safe for you to talk to strangers, Ienzo," Ansem said. "It could be someone trying to hurt you."
Ienzo thought about that for a moment, frowning in concentration. But it didn't make a lot of sense, so he shrugged.
"Demyx is nice," he said, and started absently playing with the fringe at the end of one of the blankets.
"I suppose you've already written back," Ansem stated, not asking. Ienzo nodded. "If you get another letter from him, I'd like to read it just to make sure he really is as nice as you say."
"That's a breach of mine and Demyx's privacy," Ienzo replied. He was pretty sure he'd said that right. Ansem only raised an eyebrow, so he wasn't certain.
"As your guardian, it is my responsibility to keep you safe," he countered. "If I find something I don't like, then no more letters. If it seems safe, then I'll let you continue."
Ienzo crossed his arms and huffed. "Fine."
Ansem nodded like the conversation was satisfactory. He smoothed the blankets, lightly touched Ienzo's shoulder, then turned out the light and left without another word.
Straining his ear, Ienzo listened to the sound of his footsteps fading away. Sensing that the coast was clear, he leaned over to the drawer on his bedside table and took out a matchbox. He struck a match and lit a candle. Then from just under the layers of blankets he produced the book he'd been reading on the beach, and took from it Demyx's letter, which he'd been using to keep his place. He read that letter over and over, until he grew too tired to keep his eyes open and the candle burnt down to a stub, and he dreamed of a faceless boy who sat in low tide, his back to the shore.
⋆°.✧📚✧.°⋆
Dear Ienzo,
You sound really smart. I've seen the castle before, but only from the outside. It looks really big. Is it fun living there? If you get to eat cake a lot then I think it must be lots of fun. I never get to eat cake. We eat a lot of fish, and I like fish but it's not fun. Do you do sword fighting like in stories? If you live in a castle, does that mean you're a prince? I think my mom would get mad at me if I talked to a prince because I don't have very nice manners. So I hope you're not a prince so then it's okay if I don't have good manners.
Larxene is my stinky big sister. She always says mean things to me and likes to lock me in the closet. She gets in trouble after but I think that just makes her want to be even meaner. But joke's on her because when she's a grown up she'll have to move out and then I get to keep her room cuz it's bigger than mine. That's what my mom said at least. And then I can throw away all her stuff!
Love, Demyx
So it wasn't a fluke. Ienzo stared down at the letter in his hands, the second he'd received from Demyx. It appeared the same as the first, in an old, weather-beaten bottle stopped up with a cork. The sun-warmed letter was just as water damaged as the first. It smelled deeply of the ocean.
Then he remembered what the king had requested of him. But he didn't want to share Demyx's letter—it felt far too personal a thing to share, like something that belonged only to him. The thought of having a secret was exciting. Ienzo decided then that if asked, he would simply deny the fact that he'd received another letter. If he kept them hidden, then no one would know and he would be able to keep writing and receiving letters as much as he wanted. He knew lying was bad, but what if the king thought this letter was enough to stop him from sending any more?
Ienzo brought the bottle to his room, hiding it temporarily under his blankets, then he snuck down to Even's office where he knew a sheaf of paper was stored. All he needed then was a pen and ink. Luckily, there was a small store of them in the library where he took his lessons. With all of that acquired, he sat down in his room and wrote. He had no desk, so the wooden floor would have to do.
Dear Demyx,
Thank you for your letter. The castle is okay. I'm not really a prince, but the king is my adoptive guardian. He was friends with my real parents but then they died so he adopted me. He's nice but sometimes I think he doesn't want me around, or maybe he wishes I was older so I could help out more with research. He never had any children even though he's old so I'm the only child in the whole castle. The guards sometimes play with me but I can tell they're only doing it because watching me is their job. Everyone in the castle is very busy all the time. It's okay, because I'm usually busy too.
I don't mind if you have good manners or not. I like the way you talk. You talk differently from anyone at the castle so I think it's very interesting. I wish I could send you cake, because everyone deserves to eat cake when they want, but I don't think I could put it in the bottle without it getting all squished.
Your sister sounds mean. Isn't there anything you can do?
Sincerely, Ienzo
Dear Ienzo,
I'm sorry. Being the only kid at the castle sounds really lonely. I wish I could go there so we can play together, and you can show me the library and all your favorite books. And then I can show you how to skip a stone really good. Are there any secret passages in the castle? I heard that a lot of big, old castles have secret passages in case the castle gets attacked so everyone can escape.
Today Larxene said the orchestra conductor is just pretending to be nice to me. I've been practicing my sitar almost every day since I was a baby and he told me that one day he'll let me play in the band. Right now I'm still too little. But Larxene says no matter how much I practice, he'll never actually let me play. It made me really mad so I ran away and hid. But then when I got home I heard my mom yelling at her and I'm still mad at her but now I feel a little bad. Did I do the wrong thing?
Love, Demyx
Dear Demyx,
There are some secret passages, but I don't use them. They're dark and scary and they smell kind of funny. Sometimes I see servants use them to get around. I know that there's one in the library. There's a heart-shaped bookend on the shelf that you turn around and that opens the door, but I don't know where it goes.
I'm sorry about what your sister said. I don't think you did anything wrong at all. I bet you're the best sitar player ever, or if you're not now then you definitely will be when you're a grown up. I'm not good at anything like that. I wish I could hear you play your sitar. We can sit on the beach and I can read you my favorite books, and then we can eat cake together.
Sincerely, Ienzo
⋆°.✧💌✧.°⋆
5 years later…
Ienzo sat in the castle library, staring out the window with his chin leaning on his hand. The ocean was bright and glittering and inviting from so high up. Though he couldn't smell the salt through the glass, he was intimately familiar with it enough that he could imagine it. He couldn't help but think of Demyx and his most recent letter.
I think I just like being able to talk to you like this. It feels like a secret. I can tell you things I can't tell anyone else. But I guess it's more like no one else takes me seriously anyway. I understand a lot more than they think I do. I work hard practicing my sitar. And no matter what, I know I can tell you anything and you'll never think I'm dumb or make fun of me like that. Thanks for listening to me.
It was strange. Ienzo did feel similarly, of course, but it felt oddly out of character. Though he considered himself someone who knew Demyx very well by now, he found him constantly surprising. The letter was sincere and spoke of a depth that neither of them had particularly breached so far.
They were twelve. Perhaps their brains were finally developing more complex emotions and they were starting to get too old for a black or white perception of the world. That made sense.
"Your highness."
He looked up, surprised. His governess, a young woman named Aqua, looked at him consideringly. It wasn't like him to be distracted during lessons. She sat down across from him.
"Is there something on your mind?" she asked gently.
He stared at his hands, folded over his open textbook. The honest answer, of course, was yes. But he hadn't told anyone about Demyx since that first day. He figured some must know, like Even, who noticed his paper often depleting faster than expected. Instead he'd kept that secret in his heart, made it something private for only himself. He couldn't tell the truth, but he knew Aqua to be shrewd enough to see a lie.
"I'm a bit worried about my birthday," he said. It wasn't a lie, he really was nervous. His thirteenth birthday would be an important one, and the king would invite guests from many kingdoms to come celebrate. The usual solemn quiet of the castle was comforting in its own way, and it would be disrupted for days by noisy strangers—many of whom he knew would try to talk to him. It was an unpleasant thought.
There was a part of him that wanted Demyx to come, even while he wanted to keep him far away. Maybe meeting would change things between them. He'd come to think of Demyx as his best friend, though he was in a way his only friend. There wasn't anyone else he'd rather spend his birthday with. But it was useless to think like that. He already knew there would be no way Demyx could come—only nobles and royals were invited.
"You're a bright young man, Prince Ienzo," Aqua said. "I'm sure you'll find many wonderful friends to talk to."
"That's the problem," he said grumpily. "There will be far too many wonderful friends in the castle."
She smiled at him. Then she glanced at the door before leaning in. "I know some of them are a bit much, but I really do think you'll find someone to get along with," she said, voice low. While none in the castle would care if she insulted royalty from other countries, it was still rude. Ienzo liked that she was bold enough to say it, even if he was skeptical. "Lady Naminé is quite an accomplished painter in her young age, perhaps you can talk about that book about the sourcing and production of pigments you read not too long ago?"
"Perhaps…"
"Good!" Satisfied, Aqua stood and gestured to Ienzo's lesson, which was still open in front of him. "Now, let's go over the history of Destiny Islands again."
When Ienzo finally went out to the beach as the sun was setting, he spotted a new letter from Demyx. Over the years, even when he'd been late by hours, somehow no one had found these bottles. He guessed no one but him spent much time on the beach. While he was glad of it, he couldn't imagine why—it was beautiful at any time of day. The sky was tangerine-colored, the clouds tumbling down in puffy arcs. It looked like a painting. Maybe Demyx was looking at the same sky.
He bent and retrieved the letter.
Ienzo,
Larxene finally moved out. Is it weird that I kind of miss her a little bit? Growing up she was awful to me, but there were some good moments too. The first time a string on my sitar broke, she's the one who helped me fix it even though I was crying so hard and she complained the whole time. She didn't show it a whole lot, but I think she might have even liked me a little bit.
I'm gonna move all my stuff into her old room next week. Mom was thinking of turning my room into a music room so we don't have to go all the way to the auditorium to practice anymore. I don't know if I told you before, but my mom plays classical guitar for the orchestra here. She used to take me to practices there when I was a baby. I think that's why I love music so much now. Do you remember what your parents were like at all?
Demyx
Ienzo thought very hard the whole trip up to his room. Outside of first mentioning his adoption years ago, neither of them had breached the subject of Ienzo's birth parents. He wasn't sure what to say.
At some point in the past few years, he'd gotten a beautifully-built mahogany writing desk brought into his room. It stood proudly by a bookshelf of his favorite books from the castle library, ones he knew the king wouldn't mind going missing. He sat and composed his response. It took a while, and by the time he was done there were several failed attempts folded neatly and stacked on the far corner of his desk to be disposed of.
Demyx,
I know how complicated your relationship with Larxene was. I never had a sibling, so I can't personally understand how you're feeling, but I don't think it's weird at all. She's your sister. I'm glad she wasn't always cruel. On the bright side, you have more space and you'll be able to practice at home whenever you want. I'm sure she'll visit sometimes as well.
My parents died when I was very young. I don't even remember what they looked like. I do have a small portrait of the three of us they had commissioned when I was a baby, but they must have died very soon after. The king sometimes talks of them, but not much. He mostly tells me how brilliant they were. Our kingdom favors research and knowledge, so I suppose that's the highest praise someone can receive, but he rarely tells me anything more personal. Usually I don't think of them. I'm glad you have your mother, though. From what you've told me about her, she sounds very kind.
Ienzo
⋆°.✧🌊✧.°⋆
5 years later…
As Ienzo got older he found he had much less time to spend on the beach than he did as a child. Eventually his regular school lessons stopped and he spent all his time learning under Even. Aqua, his governess from childhood, left the castle with a tearful goodbye. She had found new work elsewhere with a beaming letter of recommendation from the King, and Ienzo had promised to write.
On his time off, however, he found himself drawn to the shore. He'd set up a blanket under the sparse shade of a tree near where the soil turned to sand. He read, always keeping an ear tuned for the sound of a suspicious splash.
He just didn't know what kind of splash he should be waiting for.
There, by the rocks on the far side of the shore, a head popped out of the water. It appeared to be a young man around Ienzo's age. Sopping blond hair covered his eyes like a curtain until he pushed it up and out of the way. Ienzo ducked behind a rock and observed.
The young man was looking around the beach, for what or whom Ienzo did not know. He appeared to sigh, then turned toward the ocean, leaning against the rock with his elbows. His bare shoulders were tan and muscled from swimming.
Although some of the new guards and servants were closer to Ienzo's age now than they used to be, they often didn't know how to interact with him. They acted stiff or sometimes confused if he tried to talk to them. He supposed this was only natural as he was their charge and shouldn't distract them in case he was suddenly attacked in the silence and comfort of the library. He was the prince and they were servants. But the truth was, he still often felt as lonely now as he did as a child with no peers whatsoever. So even though he was a bit afraid of this half-naked stranger swimming in the castle's waters, he still found himself crawling out from behind the rock and stepping closer.
"Who are you?" he asked, causing the blond to jump. He whirled around and stared up at him with wide eyes. They were seaglass-green and bright. Beads of water still clung to his face and arms. He looked like he belonged there in the water, like he was built to bask on slick rocks in the sun.
A few tense seconds went by. The young man's mouth flopped open as he tried and failed to answer. He grew pink around the ears.
"Um," he began, and Ienzo waited. "Oh, you know."
"No, I don't," Ienzo said, crossing his arms. "This is a private beach. How did you get here?"
"I swam," the man said simply. Ienzo raised an eyebrow at him.
"What is your name?" he pressed.
"Isn't it polite to give your own name first?"
"If you genuinely need to ask, you clearly aren't a local."
"Humor me."
Ienzo paused, studying him. He was leaning forward on the rocks, chin propped on his hands as he gazed up at him. As their conversation progressed, he confusingly became visibly more comfortable. Ienzo sat on the sun-warmed rock. Seeing him closer, he was even more handsome. Ienzo looked down, unable to make eye contact anymore, and stared at his sand-dusted feet.
"Ienzo," he finally replied. He glanced up and saw the blond's face break into a soft smile. "Now please share yours."
"Nah."
"What?"
"I think it would be more fun to keep you guessing."
With that, the young man dipped below the water's surface. Several seconds later when he failed to come back up, Ienzo scrambled to the rock's edge and peered down into the water. He couldn't see anything.
"Hello?" he called. "Are you there? Are you okay?"
He looked up and saw something out in the distance—a speck on the horizon that looked like a fish's tail. It was gone before he could blink.
Ienzo sat back and tried to process what had just happened. It hadn't quite gone how he'd expected, but then he hadn't expected much at all.
Strangely, Demyx's letters suddenly stopped arriving. For two weeks Ienzo intently watched the shoreline for bottles and never saw a single one. Had he missed them? Had someone discovered their secret correspondence? But no one in the castle approached him with questions. If the king found out, he never made it known to him.
Then, while packing up his blanket and books at the end of the day, Ienzo found a new letter.
Ienzo,
I know this is coming out of nowhere, but I want to meet. I've actually been thinking about it a lot lately.
Meet me by the rocks on the beach at midnight tonight. I'll wait for you. If you don't want to meet, I'll understand.
Demyx
Demyx wanted to meet. Demyx wanted to meet him. For the first time in the ten years they had been writing to each other, Ienzo would know what his friend looked like. His hands shook as he held the letter. Why now? What had happened? Was Demyx like him, always secretly yearning to meet but never able to say so? He thought back to a letter he had received years ago, Demyx telling him he liked their anonymity, that their facelessness gave him comfort. He supposed this meant Demyx no longer felt that way.
He was unsure. Of course he wanted to meet him, but so suddenly, and with hardly any time to prepare himself… Ienzo paced in his room, folding and refolding the letter until the fibers in the parchment went soft and fuzzy. He put it down to prevent it from tearing, but then realized he no longer had something to fiddle with. At dinner, he was nearly sure Ansem had noticed his nerves exploding out, but he didn't mention it.
That night, after Ienzo was sure the others had gone to sleep, he snuck out of his room for the first time. He dressed as normal and brought only a candle to see by, then slowly and deliberately made his way to the library. On the far wall was the secret passage. Turning the heart-shaped bookend caused the whole shelf to unlock, swinging open like a door. The path was cold and endlessly dark, but Ienzo had taken it before in daytime and knew that eventually it would lead him outside. He closed the door behind him and took in a shaky breath of stale air. The walk was slow going, mostly spent quietly spiraling and shielding the candle flame from going out.
Part of Ienzo was still uncertain. He'd done his best all night to not think too hard about their meeting, to a resounding failure. What if they met and Demyx decided he didn't like him? That Ienzo's status as a prince was too much and he couldn't handle it? He shook his head, trying to dismiss that line of thought. He shouldn't think that way. Demyx was not that shallow.
Finally outside, Ienzo blew out the candle and set it on the ground by the door. The night was bright with stars. A large, full moon filled up the sky so efficiently he could see perfectly well. He picked his way down the beach to the spot Demyx had specified and sat down on the rocks.
Even though Demyx had told him to come here, he wasn't sure how this was supposed to work. Demyx was from outside of the castle; he shouldn't know where this beach was, or even how to get to it. And for that matter, there wasn't any way onto the beach unless you went through the castle. That is, unless you came by water. Ienzo figured he didn't have much else to do but wait while his heart jack hammered in his chest. He took a deep breath.
A few minutes later, as Ienzo was rubbing his shaky hands together, he heard a noise. Turning toward the sound, he saw a silhouetted figure emerging from the water. Then the figure came closer and all at once he recognized the person floating right in front of him. It was the blond man he'd seen on the beach weeks ago.
Now that he was closer, Ienzo could see him more clearly in the low light. His eyes didn't seem as luminous now at night, but it was unmistakable.
"Ienzo," he said, smiling. His voice was hushed and nervous.
"Demyx?" Ienzo asked, breathy. He blinked hard and leaned closer, hands pressed flat to the rock. "Is it really you?"
Demyx laughed. "How'd you guess?"
Ienzo only sighed and rolled his eyes. "You could have said something before. What am I supposed to think when a stranger shows up on our beach?"
"Sorry," he said, not even trying to sound apologetic. The smile lighting up his face was radiant and contagious. "I thought it would be fun to mess with you a little."
"How did you even get here?"
"I swam," he replied, an echo from their earlier conversation.
Ienzo scoffed. "No, I mean, you swam all this way? From town?"
"I didn't come from town," Demyx said.
"Then where did you come from?"
Demyx pursed his lips for a few seconds.
"I think I should show you something," he said. "I usually wouldn't, but I trust you."
Ienzo did not know what that meant, but his interest was piqued by the possibility of seeing something elusive. He watched as Demyx swam to the side of the rock and begin floating on his back. Ienzo had to blink a few times to understand what he was seeing. Where Demyx's torso ended, instead of continuing into a pair of legs, there was something else—a tail, shimmering bluish-silver in the pale light. His breath caught. The tail extended far longer than legs would, ending with translucent fins.
Demyx never took his eyes off Ienzo, silently gauging his reaction.
"I… suppose a few things make more sense now," Ienzo breathed out. He tore his eyes away from the tail and looked into Demyx's face. He was smiling, just slightly. His tail dipped back into the water.
"Of course that's how you'd react," he said, sighing. "No, 'Woah, merpeople are real!' You just went straight to figuring out the facts."
"Well, at least I've learned how you got here," Ienzo said with a sniff. "But I certainly have many more questions now."
"Like what? I'm a merman, big deal," Demyx huffed. "S'pretty normal to me."
"Of course it's normal to you, seeing as you're the one who's known this whole time," Ienzo said. "Have you ever heard of the concept that the more you learn, the more ignorant you become?"
"Isn't that kind of the opposite of what happens?"
"Basically, when you learn about something new, suddenly you have more, newer questions about it, and thus realize how incomplete your understanding of that subject and, consequently, the world is," Ienzo said. "For example, let's say you know very little about the sky, specifically the stars. You ask yourself, what exactly are stars? Then you find out that they're giant floating balls of hot gas. That opens up more questions—what exactly are they made of, and how? How many are there? How big or small can they be, and how does that affect them? Are all of those points of light stars, or just some of them? How far away are they?"
Ienzo trailed off, looking up at the sky. "And when each of those questions are answered, you now have enough information to ask even more questions, and so on. When you start to think about it, even if you know a lot, there's still so many things that we're so far away from learning."
"But does that really matter?" Demyx asked. Ienzo looked down at him. He was reclining on the water again, hands behind his head as he looked upwards. "What good's it do to know all that stuff, especially if you're never gonna be up there?"
"Why did you put a letter in a bottle?"
"Huh? Well… 'cause I wanted to know if anyone would answer. I guess back then I was lonely."
"Right, you were curious," Ienzo said. "You just wanted to know for the sake of knowing, even if you got nothing out of it."
Demyx's face scrunched up for a second, as if in thought.
"Oh. I think I get it."
Ienzo smiled at him. When Demyx looked over, their eyes met and Ienzo felt a rush of something warm in his chest. He liked this version of Demyx, this contemplative person who patiently listened to Ienzo ramble about things even if he didn't get them at first. He liked being able to look at him, to see the way he got a dimple on his left cheek when he smiled, the way he moved his hands when he talked. No one talked to Ienzo like this. It felt satisfying in a way he couldn't articulate to know a person in a way that was just his, and who knew Ienzo for himself and not as a prince or an oddity.
In a way, it was strange to talk to him without time and paper as a buffer, but he liked being able to learn this new way.
"So you wanna touch it?" Demyx asked suddenly.
"Touch… what, exactly?" Ienzo asked.
"My tail, duh," Demyx said, then grinned and continued in a sing-song. "I know you've been dying to."
Ienzo couldn't deny that. He felt his face heat up as he nodded. He hadn't yet touched any part of Demyx, though from the moment he knew it was him he wanted desperately to hug him. It was very strange, to meet someone and feel simultaneously that they were both a stranger and achingly familiar. This was the boy who'd sent him letters, who'd reached out and told him all about himself, his life. The boy who dedicated himself to playing sitar and struggled for his dream, the boy who fought with his sister. Ienzo had beaten the feeling down so he wouldn't make Demyx uncomfortable with his staring, but he was fascinated. He wanted to touch him at first merely as a friend who desires closeness, and then as a scientist, though he felt guilty about the latter part. Demyx was his friend first and foremost, but he still found himself curious. Ienzo only felt relieved that Demyx had offered first.
It took a minute, but Demyx hauled himself onto the rock, grunting with the effort of hoisting his tail up. It was gorgeous. He was sure it would look even more so in the sunlight, when he would be able to see all the color. For now, he studied the scales, but didn't dare to touch yet.
"Would you come back during the day?" Ienzo asked.
"To see you?"
Ienzo huffed a laugh. "Yes, but also so I can see your tail in the light. It's beautiful."
Demyx squeaked, then he was quiet for a long time, long enough for Ienzo to look up at him. His eyes darted around. Ienzo thought then that even though he'd only seen them once, he missed how they looked in the light. He missed the cool sea-green.
"I may have a little something I should probably, maybe get off my chest," Demyx mumbled.
Ienzo waited.
"I maybe, sorta, kinda have been coming in the daytime to try and see you," he said all in a rush, and covered his face with his hands. "You're always sitting on that blanket up the beach and you only ever saw me that once. It wasn't that many times, but I just got so curious and I already knew you would be there, so."
"You were watching me read?" Ienzo asked, perplexed.
"I'm really sorry," Demyx said. He let an eye peek out from between his fingers.
"Wasn't it boring?"
"It's not like I was there for that long!" Demyx said defensively. He started gesturing wildly. "Only a few minutes, and you were always really absorbed in your books. At first it was just 'cause I'd never met a human before and I wanted to know what you were like, and then, well…"
"I don't really mind," Ienzo said. And he didn't. All he was truly concerned about was that he didn't particularly think he was interesting enough to warrant staring. He was bookish and he'd always been a bit frail. The only reason anybody had ever stared at him before was because he was the prince, or because he'd said something strange, like unceremoniously recounting disturbing tales of patients who'd come into the infirmary. Demyx, on the other hand, he could stare at for hours.
"If you say so."
"I do."
Then Ienzo finally placed his hand on Demyx's tail where his thigh would be. Truthfully, Ienzo had never touched a fish's scales before. Usually they were processed by the kitchen staff before ever ending up anywhere close to him. He did not have a frame of reference for how Demyx's scales felt, only that they were rough and slick and initially a little cold, but underneath all that was warmth. It was the warmth of living things. It was then that Ienzo truly realized how close Demyx was—a mere handful of inches. He lifted his hand, suddenly shy.
Even without touching him, he could still feel the heat of his body. It was radiating out to meet him. He looked up and their eyes met. Demyx had been watching him the whole time. He looked like the ocean, his eyes deep and dark. (It was an uncharacteristically serious face—or was it? Would he now have opportunities to know Demyx's facial expressions?)
His eyes flicked down. He thought maybe Demyx was leaning in, but his head was flooding with blood. He could hardly breathe. Demyx looked like he tasted of salt. Ienzo wanted to find out if he really did.
"Prince Ienzo!" called a voice from up the beach.
Immediately, Demyx slid back into the water. At nearly the same moment, Even appeared in his nightclothes, long hair falling out of his sleep braid. He bent over his knees, breathing heavily.
"Thank goodness, there you are," he wheezed. "When the guard checked your room and didn't see you, everyone thought the worst."
"I'm sorry, Doctor," Ienzo said, standing and walking over to offer his arm as support. "It's just… the full moon on the water was so beautiful, I wanted to look at it closer. I'm perfectly safe, see?"
Aeleus and Dilan appeared next, looking visibly relieved. Aeleus left to notify the rest of the household.
"Your highness, please allow me to escort you back to your rooms," Dilan said.
Ienzo glanced back to the water where Demyx had disappeared into. He couldn't see him from here. He didn't know if he had left or was still there, listening. Either way, he wished he could apologize for such an abrupt end to their meeting.
"Yes, thank you," he replied.
The king, Ansem the Wise, stood waiting for them by the main staircase. He looked at Ienzo severely, his hands clasped behind his back and his spine straight and regal. He cut an imposing figure, even in his dressing gown.
"Young man," he said. "What exactly were you thinking?"
"His highness wanted to watch the—" Even began.
"I asked my son," Ansem said, his eyes not leaving Ienzo. "Let him speak for himself, please. He has long grown out of the need for adults to speak for him."
I don't think I've ever really been your son, Ienzo thought. He looked the king in the eye.
"I saw the full moon from my window and wanted a clearer look," he replied smoothly. It was a lie he'd come up with on the spot, but it was believable enough.
"I see," the king said. "Becoming interested in astronomy?"
Astronomy. That wasn't quite what he thought he'd implied, but as long as Ansem believed it he might as well play along.
"Yes, your majesty," he replied. "The full moon was so bright I thought I might be able to study the craters."
The king paused, looking at him as he digested that information.
"Very well," he said finally. "Next time you decide to sneak out of your quarters, however, please deign to tell a guard."
Then the king turned and began making his way up the stairs. Even let out a long breath as he watched the king go.
"Thank you, Even," Ienzo said softly. Even turned to him with surprise.
"Thank you for what?"
"Supporting me," he said.
"Your highness, I believe it is the other way around," Even said, lightly patting him where he was still holding his arm. He said it with a smile. Ienzo gave him a wry smile back.
Once he was finally back in his room, Ienzo slumped onto his bed, still dressed aside from his shoes. His heart was still beating double time. He couldn't believe what he'd seen, what he'd almost done. And lying to the king. Although, technically, he'd been lying of omission since he was young.
Ansem was right about one thing: he was no longer a child. And while Ienzo wasn't quite yet an adult, he figured change was imminent. For a man who prided himself on his wisdom and knowledge, it seemed even the king had trouble seeing things that were happening right in front of his very eyes.
Ienzo pushed the blankets away, crawled underneath, and fell asleep thinking about Demyx's eyes, the lullaby of the waves, and warm breath on his face.
⋆°.✧💌✧.°⋆
Ienzo leaned against a tree by the beach, staring out at the sky. It was nearly sunset. In the several days since he was caught sneaking out, Ienzo had tried to appear busy. In truth he was generally a busy person, balancing his studies with the infirmary, but he knew he couldn't spend all his time on the beach without a reason anymore. He was no longer a child with free reign. He wasn't trying to avoid Demyx—in fact, he wanted to see Demyx more than anything. With more guards now being assigned to watch him, it became very difficult to sneak away even to check for a letter.
A sudden bright light flashed in his eye. He brought up a hand to shield himself. It wasn't the sun, so what…?
Down at the bottom of the beach, hidden behind the rocks, Ienzo saw a shock of blond sticking up out of the surf. Demyx's face appeared, and he was holding something small. He moved his hand minutely and another flash of light hit Ienzo, then Demyx plunged entirely underwater again.
Ienzo glanced over his shoulder to where Aeleus and Dilan were standing by the door. They were looking forward, but when they noticed Ienzo watching they turned to him. He cleared his throat.
"I'm just going down to the shore," he said, gesturing with his hand.
"Please do not go far, your highness," Aeleus said.
"The beach is not very large," Ienzo said dryly, then pushed off the tree and carefully made his way down the hill.
From where he stood on the rocks, all he could see of Aeleus was the top of his head, but he was an exceptionally tall man. Ienzo made it down just in time for a familiar blond head to poke up out of the water. He laughed softly at the way Demyx's sopping hair covered his eyes.
"Are you okay?" Demyx asked as he pushed his hair away. "They didn't punish you or anything?"
"I'm okay," Ienzo replied, voice low. He sat down on the rocks. "I just have more guards watching me now."
"Well, it's really nice to see you again, Ienzo."
Ienzo's face heated up to his ears. He couldn't contain his smile. "You too, Demyx," he replied, feeling out of his depth. No one had ever said that to Ienzo before and actually meant it. Demyx seemed like a natural at this whole friendship thing. He didn't seem nervous at all, not that Ienzo was an expert in what other people were like, especially other people his age. "I'm really sorry."
"'Bout what?"
"For us being interrupted so suddenly. And you were almost caught. It isn't safe to be seen by humans, right?"
"Ienzo, did you send those people to look for us?" Demyx asked patiently.
"Well, no, but they were looking for me because they didn't see me in my rooms," Ienzo said. "If I had planned better, maybe we wouldn't be caught."
"The way I see it, s'not your fault," Demyx said. "You could call it a learning experience."
"Learning… how to sneak out?" Ienzo asked, perplexed.
"Yeah!" Demyx said. "Like, not putting a dummy in your bed is a real guppy move, but I won't blame you, 'cause you are a guppy."
"I'm a human," Ienzo said seriously.
Demyx laughed. Even though he figured Demyx was probably laughing at him, it didn't feel mean-natured. And more than that, Ienzo loved the sound of his laughter.
"So you know a lot about sneaking out?" Ienzo asked.
"Yeah, 'course I do," Demyx replied. "I sneak out all the time to come here. Not that I really have to, but it's kinda fun anyway."
"Your mom doesn't mind?"
"Well, I think she'd like me to be a little more careful when I'm up here, but she's actually the one who got me to start writing letters."
"She was?" Ienzo was surprised by this. Somehow, in all the years they'd been talking, he never knew this. "Wasn't she concerned about you being caught by humans? You were only seven."
Demyx laughed again, but it's a softer thing this time. He wasn't laughing at Ienzo.
"Maybe that can be a story for another time," he said. "Gotta keep up the mystique while I can."
But Ienzo was insatiably curious now. Demyx's mother felt like an almost mythical figure to him.
"Anyway, you wanna continue where we left off?" Demyx asked, grinning up at him.
"Wh—you mean, right now?" Ienzo floundered, thrown by both the question and the change in topic. "My guards may be out of sight, but they are still right over there."
"Hang on," Demyx said, then grunted as he lifted himself out of the water and onto the rocks right next to Ienzo. "I wanted to sit next to you."
When Ienzo had theorized before that much of the color of Demyx's tail was drowned out by the moonlight, he was right. Though the sun had started to set, it was still light enough to see his tail was bright as jewels, the silvery-blue only an overlay highlighting an iridescent melange of greens. Ienzo barely dared to breathe as he leaned in to study it, his hand coming to rest where Demyx's thigh would be, a mirror of the other night.
"Wow," he said. He looked up at Demyx, eyes meeting. "Demyx, you're amazing."
Demyx looked away, but he was smiling.
"Y'know, this wasn't quite what I meant," he mumbled.
Ienzo tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean?"
Demyx only gave Ienzo a look, and all at once Ienzo understood. He felt himself flush again.
"I… I think perhaps now is not the right time," he said finally.
"Because the guards are over there, you mean?"
Ienzo was quiet. He stared down at the water as it brushed against the rock.
"You know," Demyx began. "I'm asking because I want to. I'm not just teasing you. And I wouldn't do it unless you wanted me to."
Ienzo suddenly found he couldn't reply at all. As a child, he'd often have bouts of several hours where he couldn't speak. It often seemed completely random. Now he was quiet by habit—a useful trait in a castle where people demanded complete silence in order to work and disliked being interrupted. But he'd still sometimes find himself unable to speak if he were upset or overwhelmed by something until he finally calmed down.
He looked at Demyx, angling his body until his knees knocked against the side of Demyx's tail. Demyx looked serious, and a flash of his face from the other night appeared in Ienzo's head. It was almost the exact same face.
"So?" Demyx asked in a whisper. His warm breath puffed against Ienzo's face. His hand came up to cup Ienzo's jaw, his thumb brushing his cheek.
Ienzo nodded. The image of Demyx at that moment stayed frozen in his mind's eye forever: Demyx leaning in with a dusty pink sky behind him.
The kiss itself was short and warm and not very remarkable. Ienzo was completely obsessed with it.
"Not salty," Ienzo mumbled, his eyes still closed.
He felt Demyx's breath as he gave a soft laugh. "What?"
Ienzo was already leaning back in, his arm coming up to rest behind Demyx's neck, pulling him closer. Demyx made a soft sound, or maybe Ienzo did. The world beyond their two bodies was a blur.
The castle library, while comprised of mostly scientific and historical texts, did carry a few notable fiction books. They had been left there an unknown amount of time ago, and among them were only a couple romances—books he'd read because they were books and that's what you did with a book, but that he'd never particularly put much thought into. He almost wished he had. Perhaps then he'd know where he was supposed to put his hands, or what he was supposed to do when Demyx pressed harder.
Eventually they pulled apart to catch their breath. The sun had almost completely set. The dimming light reminded Ienzo of the other night. He thought Demyx in any lighting was unbearably handsome.
Then he heard the crunch of shoes on sand. The guard was approaching. Demyx slid back into the water, his hand brushing Ienzo's as he went. He floated just under the surface, looking up at him with a smile, his cheeks still visibly pink beneath the filter of water. And then he darted away.
"Your highness," Aeleus said. Ienzo did not turn towards him, sure the evidence of what just happened was written all over him. He pointedly did not touch his lips. "Dinner has been called."
"Thank you, I'm coming." He nearly cringed at the rasp in his voice.
After taking a steeling breath, Ienzo stood and followed Aeleus inside. He stared at the floor until he was sure his heart had stopped racing.
⋆°.✧ 💌✧.°⋆
The next time he saw Demyx it was the middle of the day. Ienzo had a rare day off, and spent it on the beach with his books until he knew Demyx would eventually arrive. He sat beside Demyx on the rocks.
"You should come swimming with me!" Demyx said.
"Aeleus is right over there," Ienzo said. "He would hear us."
"So?" Demyx asked. "Is it really that suspicious for you to swim? You're always on the beach." He paused, eyebrows pinching together, then he gasped. "Do you… not know how to swim?" he asked with horror.
"I know how to swim just fine," Ienzo said.
"We have to, now!" Demyx pushed off the rocks and slipped back into the water, sending a splash up that soaked the knees of Ienzo's breeches.
"You did that on purpose," Ienzo muttered. "And you're going to get caught."
"Pshh, I'll just go underwater again," Demyx said, then ducked under the surface in demonstration. Through the water Ienzo saw the muffled shape of his body glide in a circle before he poked his head up into the air again. His hair clung to his face. "See?"
Ienzo shot a glance over his shoulder. If he stood, he would be able to see the top of Aeleus's head. From where he was sitting, he couldn't see him at all past the cliff. Aeleus wouldn't be able to see them from there, and perhaps they'd be able to hide Demyx if he decided to check in. Ienzo sighed and looked back to Demyx's hopeful face grinning up at him. It was the smile that broke him.
"Okay, fine," he conceded with another sigh. "You win. Give me a second."
Demyx looked like he was barely holding a loud whoop. He obliviously watched as Ienzo began undressing, starting with the clasps of his breeches. He noticed Demyx staring and shot him a look. Demyx only tilted his head, apparently confused.
"Stop staring," Ienzo hissed. "It's embarrassing."
"Why? You look at me a lot," Demyx replied.
"Well, yes, but it's different," Ienzo said. "You don't wear clothes."
"So?"
"So," Ienzo huffed, flustered. "Humans have something called modesty. Not only do we wear clothes for ornamentation and to protect ourselves from the elements, but it's also to cover certain sensitive body parts and… well… it's just not done! So please look away while I undress."
Demyx shrugged and turned around, looking out towards the sea instead. After a moment, Ienzo let out a breath and continued undressing, though he also realized in the back of his mind that even if he did undress, Demyx was going to see him half naked in the water anyway. It did not change the fact that Demyx's luminous eyes bored into him with an almost physical weight. Or maybe the intensity of the gaze just made it seem that way.
When he was only in his smallclothes, he dipped his foot into the water. It was just a little cold. The sun had warmed the water closer to land to a mostly comfortable temperature. Unlike the shore, the rocks he usually met Demyx at were more sheer. This allowed Demyx the space to swim, but it also meant Ienzo had to carefully lower himself into the water instead of walk in. He knew how to swim, of course, but it had been a long time, and it wasn't as if he'd learned much more than keeping himself alive in the water.
The wet linen clung to his skin. Once he was finally submerged up to his shoulders, he held on to the rock and looked at Demyx.
"It's okay now," he said. Demyx whipped around and stared at him. He looked like he was trying not to laugh.
"You can let go, you know," he said. "It's not that deep."
"I can't feel the bottom," Ienzo countered.
He came closer and Ienzo felt Demyx's hands sneak around to hold his sides. Ienzo jumped at the contact.
"Sorry," Demyx said, though he didn't release him. In fact, it almost felt like he held on tighter. "I was just gonna say I won't let you drown, so it's okay to let go. You can hold onto me instead if you need."
"I said I can swim," Ienzo said.
"If you can swim, why are you holding onto the rocks?"
Ienzo huffed and kicked off the side of the rock, attempting an unpracticed front crawl for several feet. It had been years since he got those lessons as a child, and he hadn't had many opportunities to swim since then. He hadn't really wanted to swim much, content as he was to sit and read. When he stopped swimming and brought his head up for air, Demyx was already there. Ienzo put a hand on his shoulder as he rested.
"What was that arm movement you did?"
"Swimming," he said, breathing heavily.
"Humans have to use their arms to swim?"
"Yes," Ienzo said. "We don't have a tail or any fins to help propel us forward or keep our balance, so we have to use our arms and legs. We are land creatures, after all. I'm… not very good. It's supposed to look more graceful than that."
"I've never seen a human swimming before, so it looked pretty normal to me," Demyx said.
With one hand he held Ienzo's side again, and with the other he took Ienzo's free hand. They floated there in the image of a waltz. Then they began slowly spinning, Ienzo kicking to keep his head above water.
"What is this?"
"Swimming."
Ienzo raised an eyebrow, but he was amused. "Really? This is swimming?"
"You don't trust a merman about swimming?"
"I do, it's just…" he paused. "It seems more like dancing."
The water was cooler there, and it felt refreshing. Ienzo wondered what it would be like to plunge under the waves and continue the dance without having to come up for air. He wondered if merfolk usually danced this way. He wondered if Demyx had ever danced with anyone else before.
"Demyx," he began, then paused. He licked his lips. "Have you ever kissed anyone before me?"
The dance stuttered as Demyx seemed to process the question. "Huh?"
"I never have," Ienzo said. "But I think that's probably obvious. I've never been this close to anyone before."
"Me neither," Demyx said. "People don't really take me seriously. And either way, I've always…"
"Always?"
Demyx thought for a few moments. He breathed in deep, let it out. "I've always been in love with you, anyway," he continued, hushed. "I never really gave anyone else a chance. I was always thinking of you."
All at once Ienzo felt he could no longer speak. His throat went tight, and when he looked at him the dance stopped as Demyx lifted a hand to Ienzo's cheek. His thumb brushed against his cheekbone. He leaned in and kissed Ienzo's forehead, his temple, his cheek just below his eye, which felt irregularly warm. Apparently he had started tearing up and he hadn't even realized it.
"Ienzo?" Demyx breathed.
With a sniff, Ienzo reached up and touched Demyx's hand. He smiled up at him. "I'm really glad you sent me that letter," he said under his breath. Sometimes that was the only way to push the words out at all. Luckily, Demyx was close enough to hear it. "I love you," he said, and meant it so dearly he hardly knew where the intensity came from. "I didn't know I could feel like this."
Demyx inclined his head, grinning back. "In love?"
"Not lonely. Even when you're gone."
⋆°.✧🌊📚✧.°⋆
"What are you reading today?" Demyx asked. Ienzo smiled at that. They were sitting side by side on the rocks again. It had become their spot.
"Oh, last night I couldn't sleep, so I picked up a book on merfolk," Ienzo replied. "I know it can't be entirely accurate, but I can't be the first human who's ever met one."
"Found something out, so now you have a bunch more questions, huh?"
"Exactly. Of course, I'd be happy to hear about it straight from you, if you're willing to tell me. For example, how does one play a musical instrument underwater? Does the water pressure not dampen the sound of the instrument?"
"I never really thought about it. It just works. Maybe our hearing underwater is better than yours."
"Fascinating! I wish I had brought something to write with."
"Do you play any instruments?" Demyx asked. He leaned in so their shoulders were touching. His skin was still slightly damp, and Ienzo could feel warmth seep into his shirt sleeve.
"Hardly," Ienzo replied with a sigh. "The king tried for about a week to have me learn piano as a child, but it never stuck. I never had the patience for it, and I don't think he liked the noise either. Thank the stars he gave up so quick and let me be an apprentice physician instead."
"I wish I could hear you play," Demyx said. "Or anything. I've always wanted to see the library you talk so much about."
"Even if you somehow grew legs, it would be a nightmare getting you inside. An unknown man suddenly showing up at the castle, in the prince's rooms? The guards would never let it happen."
"When you say it like that, it sounds exciting," Demyx gave a lopsided grin. "Maybe I'll sneak in through your window like a rogue."
Ienzo sputtered a laugh at that. "Don't even joke about it!"
Ienzo's mind was already churning. Perhaps there was a way to give Demyx legs. While there were definitely several volumes of varying veracity on merfolk in the library, he had yet to find any useful magic books. Those that he did find were usually basics or elemental magic, nothing helpful at all. There was no court magician in the castle, and there hadn't been in some time. Not since far before Ienzo was ever born, maybe since before even the king was born. Perhaps if he looked hard enough he might find something on transfiguration or illusion magic…
There was another angle as well—if it was possible to give Demyx legs, maybe it would be possible for Ienzo to have a tail. Then he would be able to see Demyx's home and meet his mother and listen to him in the orchestra. They would be able to dance for longer, hours maybe.
When Ienzo looked at Demyx again, he was staring pensively into the water. He must have felt Ienzo's gaze, because he turned to him then.
"Hey, Ienzo?" he said, and slipped back into the water. He looked seriously up at Ienzo, his hands on the rocks.
"Yes?"
"Can I kiss you?" he asked.
"Of course."
Demyx pushed up and pressed an easy kiss to Ienzo's lips. They were getting quite good at it. What had once been awkward if exciting was now perfectly natural. As they parted, Ienzo brought a hand up to run through Demyx's hair. The way he was looking up at him was strange. A second ago, he'd been laughing and smiling normally. Just as he was about to ask, Demyx spoke up.
"Uh, I forgot I gotta go help my mom with something," he said vaguely. With his hands he absently started fiddling with the cuffs of Ienzo's breeches. "Sometimes we like to practice together, and the music for the upcoming concert is pretty hard this time around so it's taking more time than normal."
"Oh," Ienzo said. "Alright. Remember to take breaks or you'll work your fingers raw."
Naturally, Demyx was a master at taking breaks unless it had to do with his beloved sitar. Ienzo still had yet to hear him play, or even to see it, but he'd gathered from many clues that once Demyx started he was hard pressed to stop. At least his mother would be there to remind him.
"Of course," Demyx said. He smiled up at him, then came up for another quick kiss. "See ya!"
With that he plunged under the surface and swam away.
⋆°.✧🌊✧.°⋆
It was like Demyx had simply ceased to be. From the last time he had visited, a day turned to days, which turned into a week, then weeks, and then it had been longer than a month, but still there was no letter. There had been no letters in that whole time.
For the first time he could remember, Demyx had not written back. Of course, it wasn't as if they wrote every single day, and taking a while to reply wasn't strange. When Demyx first decided to meet in person, he took two weeks to send word. But it had been longer than ever before, and Ienzo was afraid. Something had happened, of this he was sure. There was no way Demyx would just disappear without saying anything.
He supposed it could just be concert practice taking up all his time, but to not write even once? Demyx couldn't be so busy that he would just forget him like that.
In the meantime, Ienzo distracted himself with work. Not only were invitations soon going out for his eighteenth birthday, which was a whole can of worms of its own, the king had deigned to allow him into one or two of his research meetings. There were many high-ranking officials in attendance, all shuffling papers and murmuring amongst themselves. More than ever, Ienzo felt like a boy pretending at being all grown up. After he finally became an adult he would be expected at these meetings more frequently, to better understand the subjects of study and the scope of their importance.
Of course, it was an honor to be included in the ranks of the king and his cohorts. Ienzo had never had any inclination he wouldn't be, considering his own position, but it was still intimidating to be surrounded by so many powerful people and expected to prove he wasn't just some spoiled, stupid, vapid prince cashing in on his adoptive guardian's good nature and influence. These people had known his parents—his parents had even been among their ranks before they'd died, so said the king. Ienzo did not miss the significance of that.
The second the meeting let out, Ienzo made for the infirmary. The details were already escaping him, and he knew he should have paid a little more attention because he was certain Ansem would quiz him at dinner, but he couldn't stand to be in that room any longer. He said his goodbyes with a polite smile and exited with as much grace and poise as his station required, then nearly ran the rest of the way. He glanced out the hall window on his way, catching the glimmer of the ocean. That only put a sour taste in his mouth, so he kept his eyes forward after that.
The infirmary was mostly empty. Even sat at his desk working on correspondence and barely looked up when Ienzo came in.
"An informative meeting, I take it?" he drawled.
Ienzo sighed and immediately took to reorganizing the storage cupboard. He'd already done it the day before, but it couldn't hurt being conscientious of workflows; if he or Even needed a vial or a bit of dried ginger or a tray to place them on, it would all be right there. He wasn't restless, he was being efficient.
"Put that down before you drop it," Even said sternly from across the room. "I can see your hands shaking from here."
The doctor stood and walked to where Ienzo knelt by the cupboard holding a beaker. He put his hands on his hips and peered down at him, unimpressed. In the past few years he'd started wearing a pair of spectacles to read small print, and the effect of him looking over the rim was distinct.
"If I may be so bold, your highness, I believe there is something on your mind," he said, not unkindly. He knelt beside Ienzo, using the shelf to help himself down. Then he slowly and carefully took the beaker from Ienzo's hand and placed it back in the cupboard. Ienzo picked at his thumbnail, bereft of anything else to hold. "This isn't very like you."
Ienzo shook his head in agreement. He helped Even stand back up. He wasn't quite old yet, but long hours on his feet had made his legs stiff. They stood looking at each other, or rather, Even looked at Ienzo while he looked at the grouting of the tiled floor.
"Prince Ienzo, I—" Even began.
There was a clamor at the door, and Aeleus stood there, having clearly ran. They stared at him, shocked at the disturbance.
"Doctor Even, a man has washed up on the beach," he said. "Please, come quickly!"
"Understood. Come, Ienzo."
Even brushed past, and Ienzo felt a tiny rush of joy at Even calling him by just his name. That feeling was soon eclipsed.
On the beach, a blond man laid face-down on the sand. Suddenly, Ienzo didn't want to go anywhere near. His legs stopped right where the grass and sand met. Before the guards even helped turn the man over and lift him onto a stretcher, Ienzo was certain he knew who he was. Though it hadn't been very long, he knew that silhouette by heart. When they rushed past, he stared at the unconscious face of Demyx, who, for some reason, now had legs.
uhmm so that just happened...😳
just so you know, this is technically not the end. i have 1500 words written so far for the 2nd half and many notes, but based on my track record it may take quite a while to write it. so please let me know if you want the continuation! and in the meantime, feel free to imagine your own.