A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for dropping in on my first fanfic (eeee!). It's been so long so I've been in any fandoms, but Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy have restored the fangirl inside of me.

First, some disclaimers- there's a smattering of fowl language at the very start, and a bit of Dutch at the end (I will provide translations at the bottom of the story- apologies in advance, as my Dutch isn't great!).
No, I don't own Kingdom Hearts (even if I wish I did). This is slash fiction, Marluxia/Vexen (although I'm using their 'real' names, Lumaria and Even). And there are probably some raging historical/title inaccuracies. We'll pretend they don't exist, yeah?

Enjoy, folks!

The Duke of Southampton scowled as the other winked at him from across the room with a smug smile. Even shook his head at the other, trying to signal for him to shut the fuck up before someone took notice and called them out, but when did the spoiled Marquis of Bath ever listen? Lumaria was cocky for his place in the court. The foreign boy vexed him to no end. From his fluency of Latin, French, Greek, German, Dutch, English, and even a dash of the Asian languages, to the King's favouritism for him to go on missions to the foreign colonies, to the fact that he just...popped out of nowhere- where was he even from? But what vexed Even the most was how enraptured he was by the other. The way he walked with nothing but confidence and strength in his stride, the soft husk to his tone when he spoke the Germanic languages in their tutoring classes and how he could purr out the Romantics, how concentrated he was when caught fiddling with plants in the garden, and how Lumaria would catch his eye in the corridor only to give him an almost predatory smile that sent a searing heat into Even's loins and cheeks. Even would end up in the confession at least twice a day when Lumaria was in court, trying to look into his Puritan upbringing to put his mind at ease.

Even knew that they were so different, he was a man of logic and Lumaria was one of pleasure, but there was a spark between them- it couldn't be denied. That's why when the other began to send the letters he would pretend that they didn't interest him, or that they were nothing of importance, only to hide them under his mattress to read in the dead of night. They weren't just normal letters. They were filled with words proclaiming how beautiful and charming he was ('..even with that rigid scowl marked upon your full lips when something is to your distaste') and that he wanted nothing more than to bed him and to take him as an equal in his home. Lumaria was clever though. He always wrote in Dutch, which forced Even to have to learn the language. It wasn't too hard, considering the similarities to German, but different enough that if anyone were to come across those sinful words it would take them a while to interpret.

And Lumaria couldn't pick a more appropriate night to act on his words, apparently. The others' eyes had been marked upon the Duke of Southampton since the beginning of the night, watching him in the manner that a wild cat would stalk its' prey. The rose haired man sat prettily upon his chair, often humouring the ladies with a small word of jest or a dance, and did almost nothing else but harass the other with his deep blue eyes and his obviously lewd thoughts. Even was almost glad for the interruption of his thought when everyone was bade to dance. Luck was not on his side. He nearly ran back to his chair when he realized that Lumaria's partner was to be directly in front of his, meaning that they would be a quadruplet for the dance. But he raised his chin and continued, taking the woman's hand with a small bow before positioning himself the right way and attempting not to cower from the strong gaze of his 'friend'. He was surprised when Lumaria kept silence for the first dance, but blushed when the other spoke during the second. "Mijn goede heer, ontmoet je mij in mijn kamer als dit klaar is?" He hoped that the smirk on his lips looked cocky enough to challenge Lumaria. "Waarom niet de keuken? Je kamer klinkt een beetje intiem, nee?" Lumaria chuckled lowly and almost purred out, "Er zijn vele redenen waarom ik zou mijn kamer wilt, schat. Zal ik je vertellen waarom, of heb je niet het lezen van mijn brieven?" Even's cheeks went positively red, "Heb ik gedaan. Ik heb gelezen je brieven." Lumaria chuckled softly as they continued to dance, only to laugh harder when ten minutes later Even spat out, "En ik ben niet je schat!"

A/N: (Rough) Translations!
L: My good sir, will you meet me in my room when this is finished?
E: Why not the kitchen? Your room is a bit intimate, isn't it?
L: There are many reasons why I would prefer my room, darling. Shall I tell you why, if you haven't read my letters?
E: I did. I read your letters.
E: And I'm not your darling!