A/N: This chapter has a high lemon content in it. Please be advised.

Chapter 02: Into the Heat

Even though all of the vampires were well aware of the fact that Kaname was with Zero, the hunter still preferred to enter the dorm through the aristocrat's window rather than the front door. There was too much pressure when he went through the front, too many judgmental eyes for him to deal with whenever he wanted to see Kaname. Besides, it was his business when and why he wanted to see Kaname; the others had no say in it.

Silently letting himself in, Zero mentally swore to himself when he heard Ichijou's voice droning on about whatever conference they had just returned from early that night. Couldn't they have done this in the car ride home? Zero wondered to himself in irritation as he lingered by Kaname's bedroom door, looking into the living room where they sat at a table. Ever since his inner beast had experienced a taste of Kaname, brief as it was, it was rattling in its cage for more. Zero was loathe to deny it since for once he was in agreement with it. He burned with a complicated need for Kaname, embarrassing as it still was for him.

Shifting weight from foot to foot as he started to get antsy, Zero realized that their conversation was far from over. He debated interrupting them when his thoughts suddenly turned as he saw Kaname sip blood tablets from an ornate glass. It caused Zero to burn for a whole different reason; it stirred up insecurities about his own tainted blood and Kaname's refusal to drink it since that one night of indiscretion. Kaname's refusal to drink from him since that night, despite their many, many couplings since only further exacerbated the problem. It made him wonder why, made him think dark thoughts best left alone. But without knowing exactly where he stood with Kaname in regards to their relationship, it made it hard to trust in Kaname's stance on him.

The sudden flux of tumultuous feelings made Zero turn away from the scene before him and head toward the window to leave, his heart feeling heavy with complicated emotions. He was startled when he felt Kaname's hand around his wrist, stopping him from leaving. "Wait," Kaname commanded in a low tone, tightening his grip when he felt Zero pulling away.

"No!" Zero growled as he freed his wrist, cutting himself on Kaname's claws in the process.

"Please," Kaname added as he noticed the blood welling up from the shallow marks.

"Why should I?" Zero petulantly demanded, wondering why Kaname was staring at his wrist.

"Ichijou," Kaname called out, "leave us at once."

"Yes, Kaname-sama," came the prompt response, followed by the closing of the heavy front door, signaling that they were alone together.

"Now, what is your problem?" Kaname asked in a tolerant tone, although his patience was nearing its end.

"You!" Zero exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Holding an undignified sigh in check, Kaname questioned, "What about me?"

"I'm sick of you acting like this is okay," Zero replied, hating the rush of blood in his cheeks that he knew betrayed his embarrassment at even having to have such a conversation.

"It is okay, unless something has changed that I'm unaware of," Kaname told Zero, annoyed that the past issues seemed to be repeating in the present.

Growling in agitation as his eyes flashed red for the briefest moment, Zero denied, "No, you say you're fine with this—with us—but it's a fucking lie."

"And on what grounds do you make such an accusation?" Kaname demanded, his voice rising as his anger began to. "If anything, I have been unfailing patient—"

Interrupting Kaname, Zero yelled, "Admit it—I disgust you."

"What?" Kaname asked incredulously, too shocked by the accusation to be annoyed at the interruption.

"Don't play innocent with me," Zero snapped, his anger starting to take hold. "It's beneath you, pureblood."

Rushing forward and wrapping his hand threateningly around Zero's throat to cut off such foolish words, he was unprepared for Zero to smugly croak, "That's what I thought."

"You are not talking sense," Kaname growled, frustrated with what was happening. "What have I done to deserve this?"

"Because it's always about you, isn't it?" Zero spat out as he wrapped his fingers around Kaname's wrist.

"My concern right now is you," Kaname evenly countered, but he still didn't let go. "Now tell me your reasoning for such baseless accusations."

"You hate that I'm a Level D," Zero accused him. "It disgusts you. Admit it!"

Holding back the urge to grit his teeth, Kaname demanded, "When have I ever said that?"

"You don't have to," Zero snarled in disgust as he finally jerked himself free. "I'm amazed you can even stand to touch me that long."

"Whether you chose to believe it or not, the only one disgusted by your status is you," Kaname told him. "I do not hold it against you. What is disgusting me is your behavior right now."

"Bullshit," Zero swore, too worked up to truly hear what Kaname was saying. "You would rather drink those disgusting fake tablets than my tainted blood."

It took a moment for the words to process before Kaname could respond, "Is that what this is about?"

"Admit it!" Zero demanded, knowing he'd never be satisfied until he heard it from the aristocrat's own mouth.

"You have misunderstood me," Kaname tried to defend himself, "yet again through your biased perceptions."

"Oh really?" Zero facetiously replied. "Then enlighten me. How have I misinterpreted your refusal to drink my blood since that night?"

"Zero, look at me," Kaname commanded, trying to get Zero to focus his attentions. "Do you really think I would have stayed with you for a moment if I truly felt that way?"

The earnestness in Kaname's eyes was unnerving, but Zero held true to his fears. "Like I understand anything you do," Zero muttered.

"Did it ever occur to you that I was holding back for your sake?" Kaname asked, giving himself a small victory when Zero began to splutter fragments of words.

"For my sake?" Zero indignantly repeated in shock. "For my sake?"

"You made it perfectly clear that you didn't approve of what I did that night," Kaname defended himself, remembering the tang of Zero's fear.

Narrowing his eyes at Kaname, Zero demanded, "By doing what? Personally, I thought I dealt with it really fucking well."

Kaname didn't disagree with that, but he knew that Zero wasn't as brave about it as he was trying to seem. "You were afraid."

As much as Zero wanted to deny it, he snarled, "Of course I was!"

"So why would I subject you to something that you hated?" Kaname tried to reason with him.

Swallowing down his embarrassment, Zero snapped, "Because it wasn't until afterward that I had that reaction, asshole!"

"So you're saying that you're fine with what I did," Kaname said, trying to read between the lines of what Zero was trying to say.

"You should have asked first," Zero replied, still finding it hard to admit that he had enjoyed the experience.

"And if I had, would you have said yes?" Kaname wanted to know.

The question quieted Zero and he stared critically at Kaname, trying to judge where things were going. "I don't know," Zero finally admitted, angrily crossing his arms across his chest.

"And now?" Kaname asked as he narrowed the distance between them.

"I don't want your pity," Zero answered, knowing that anything that happened would be a reaction to the conversation.

Wrapping his arm around Zero's waist and tugging him closer, Kaname murmured against the hunter's neck, "Who said anything about pity?" Letting his fangs trail down Zero's neck and smirking at the shiver it caused, Kaname felt a victory approaching as he scented a shift. "I'm only interested in one thing."

"And what's that?"

"You," Kaname simply said. "All of you."

Zero blushed against his will as Kaname suckled his neck and it took an effort to say, "You don't mean that."

"No?" Kaname hummed, his anger subsiding as he became interested in the new direction they were heading. "Shall I show you?"

"You'll only be doing it to prove a point," Zero muttered as he tried to move away from the affections.

"Don't be stupid," Kaname chastised him as he let his free hand slip under Zero's shirt.

"Don't tell me what to do," Zero snapped, forcing Kaname's hand away.

"Always with the mixed messages," Kaname commented as he stripped Zero of his shirt.

Zero made a noise of protest, but he still allowed himself to be backed up to the bed. "So what, now we're just going to do it?"

"So crass," Kaname complained as he shoved Zero onto the bed and pinned him.

Zero stared up at Kaname with a frown and pointed out, "That wasn't a no."

"No, it wasn't," Kaname confirmed. "If you're giving me permission, I'm going to show you what I have to try so hard to resist every time."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Zero muttered as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, you'll like it," Kaname promised as he once again pressed his lips to Zero's neck and began trailing kisses.

Realizing he was committed to the experience, Zero worked off Kaname's shirt to give his shaking hands something to do. He felt a flutter of nervousness in his stomach that he didn't want to acknowledge as Kaname neared the edges of the design. The first kiss had Zero's toes curling and by the time Kaname had reached the center, his whole body was arched as he loudly moaned, uncaring of who would hear.

"That's what I thought," Kaname smugly commented before suckling on the design's center once again. He could scent Zero's arousal, could taste a hint of nervousness, but the fear was notably absent and it was for that reason that Kaname slowly slid his fangs into the center of the design and drank down the sweetest tasting blood he had ever had. It made him moan lowly in dark pleasure as his body moved against Zero's in ecstasy, loving the taste of the hunter. It wasn't tinted with his own pure blood coursing through the hunter's system, it was just purely Zero, one hundred percent, and Kaname couldn't get enough of it.

Zero's body was writhing under feeling and he was too far gone to be ashamed that his moans has been reduced down to whimpers of need. He clawed at Kaname's bare back, leaving long red lines of possessive want along pale skin that he longed to taste. He wanted to reciprocate the favor, wanted to taste Kaname's blood now that it had mixed with his own, but he was still too paralyzed by pleasure to do anything other than thrash at the sensations.

Knowing he needed to pace himself, Kaname slowly pulled out with a groan, his inner beast already lamenting the loss. He licked his lips so as not to miss a single drop of the precious taste and his eyes were bright with lust when he looked down at the sight of Zero spread so openly before him. It made him surge forward and kiss Zero passionately, drowning in the taste of the hunter as they continued. Zero slid his fingers through dark hair and pulled Kaname closer, deepening the kiss in the process. It still wasn't enough and he wrapped one of his legs around Kaname's waist and thrust upward against the answering hardness that was trapped between them.

Kaname took the hint and hurriedly rid them of the rest of their clothes before sliding his body up against Zero's and inhaling sharply as flesh came into contact with flesh after so long a time apart. He savored it for a moment before he started kissing along Zero's chest and working his way down, kiss by kiss. Kaname didn't stop until he was confronted with Zero's hard length and he paused long enough to take it into his mouth. The scent of so much blood in such an intimate place made Kaname moan deep in his throat and it caused Zero to arch off the bed as he called out, "Kaname," in surprise. The answering hum Kaname gave had Zero falling back to the bed and writhing in pleasure as the pureblood began a steady rhythm.

When he could tell Zero was close, Kaname nicked his fang against the hunter for a taste and it was damn near divine. The action made Zero cum hard and Kaname swallowed it all down with another satisfied moan, loving the taste of his partner on his tongue.

"I can't believe you just did that…." Zero breathily commented when Kaname came back up a started kissing back up toward his neck.

"There are a lot of things I want to do to you," Kaname murmured in a tone of voice that made Zero gasp despite himself. "The real question is will you let me do them?"

"If they feel like that, then hell yeah," Zero replied with a short laugh, feeling oddly satiated and yet wanting more.

"I'm holding you to that," Kaname promised as he trailed his fangs along Zero's neck once more, loving it when the hunter tilted his head in silent acquiescence. Raising a hickey before nipping it for a brief taste, Kaname loved the richer taste of Zero's arousal.

When Kaname felt Zero moving as if he were going to bite, he shifted away to make it impossible, earning him a growl of annoyance. "What, so you can take all you want and I get nothing?" Zero complained.

"For right now," Kaname answered, kissing Zero and getting away with it for a brief moment before the hunter pulled away. Kaname took that as his cue to get the lube and he spread some on his fingers before shifting back down the bed to work them into Zero with more patience than he actually possessed at the moment.

Zero snarled at the slow stretching process and he was desperate for a taste of Kaname, but he would not beg. It was a relief when Kaname finally pulled his fingers free, determining that Zero was finally ready to move on with the rest of his plan. Kaname attempted to slide in slowly, but Zero hooked one of his legs around the pureblood and forced him all the way in to the hilt. It caused them both to cry out and there was no slow pace after that as Kaname began to piston his hips at a fast rhythm that accidentally made Zero moan, "Yes," in a breathily wanton voice that cut right through the pureblood.

Although he was feeling immense pleasure from their harsh coupling after being apart for so long, it still wasn't enough. Kaname slowed it down a bit as he leaned forward and bit into Zero's neck, causing the hunter to cry out Kaname's name once more as he arched beautifully under the pureblood. He was so distracted by the taste of Zero that he failed to stop the hunter taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention and bite his neck in return. Zero's soft keen at the taste of pureblood made Kaname moan in pleasure as he continued to draw more blood. It was an endless loop as he received just as much pleasure from drinking from Zero as he did from the hunter drinking from him.

Finally he had to force himself to withdraw, causing Zero to do the same. Satiated for the time being, Kaname refocused his attention to the pace and sped up once more. He wasn't far from finishing and as much as he wanted to draw out the experience, Kaname wasn't willing to deny himself. Just before he came, he once again began trailing his fangs along the edge of the design before plunging into the center of it. They both cried out as they reached climax as a result and Kaname wasn't surprised to feel Zero reciprocating the bite and suckling hard against his neck. Closing his eyes and savoring the feeling as the beautiful taste of Zero slid down his throat, Kaname finally had to show restraint and pull out, causing the hunter to groan in displeasure.

They remained quiet for a few moments before Kaname felt the need to prompt Zero, "Well?"

"Shut up," Zero muttered as he tried to roll over and was prevented by Kaname.

"It's not weakness to enjoy such things," Kaname tried to reason with Zero, assuming that was his problem as per usual.

"I said shut up," Zero groaned, not wanting to hear it.

Propping himself up and kissing Zero gently, Kaname refused to let him escalate it to hide his embarrassment. Instead he kept it languid, thoroughly enjoying himself, even more so when he felt Zero pull him closer still. Deciding he had already had victory enough for the day, Kaname let it slide for once.

When Kaname lay back down on the bed, Zero sprawled out over him with a huffy sigh. He didn't say anything when Kaname started stroking his hair, even though he wanted to mutter that he wasn't a cat; it seemed to be a habit of the pureblood and he knew he wouldn't succeed in stopping it, only making it worse. Besides, loathe as he was to admit it, it did feel sort of nice and relaxing. Idiot, he scoffed at himself as he closed his eyes.

Kaname's fingers drifted from the nape of Zero's neck over to the design with a teasingly light touch that earned him a small noise. The closer to the center he got, the more Zero squirmed under the attention until he finally ordered, "Stop that, damn it!"

"But it feels good," Kaname argued, tweaking the center and getting a sharp inhale in response.

"It's distracting," Zero complained as he tried to edge away from the touch without shifting from his comfortable position on Kaname.

"Distracting you from what?" Kaname asked, curious to know what the hunter was thinking about at the moment.

"Everything, I don't know," Zero tried to answer, swatting the wandering hand away before letting it flop back down over Kaname's chest. "Just stop it."

Kissing Zero's forehead and getting another harrumphing sound out of the hunter, Kaname agreed, "Okay."

"Besides, it's not fair that you don't have a spot that does that," Zero continued muttering, annoyed at the unfairness of it.

"Who says that I don't?" Kaname questioned with a mischievous grin that made Zero prop up and look down at the aristocrat.

"You're saying you have a spot that does the same thing," Zero demanded, annoyed that he hadn't found out such pertinent information sooner.

"I'm saying you're welcome to try and find if it exists," Kaname invited Zero with a lustful look that had the hunter swallowing hard.

"That sounds like a challenge," Zero said, a hint of excitement coming into his voice.

Nodding knowingly, Kaname added, "And you love those."

"Indeed," Zero agreed with the faintest trace of a blush before lying back down again and plotting out his next course of attack.

A/N: Thank you for the warm welcome back to the fandom after my prolonged absence! It was great getting to hear your reviews and I look forward to your thoughts on this chapter as well.

My next update will be a Prideshipping fic that I will post on Sunday, February 3rd. I'm still not sure which one it's going to be, whether it's Anya or something else I've been working on, but something will be going up for you lovelies that spoil me so.