Pastel, I Love You
Vanitas glowers at his dusty reflection, momentarily ignoring the horrendous messiness of his bedroom due to a more pressing issue that, in his eighteen years on earth, he has never realized before this very moment:
He has no idea how to tie a tie.
Regardless of how nimbly his fingers smooth out the creases in his baby blue sweater-vest and tuck in the loose pockets of his faded khaki pants, they can't quite master the tiny, silken navy tie, which is wrapped rather innocently about the crisp collar of his white button-up as his face flushes at the mere audacity of the situation.
Ventus sure as Hell had better appreciate this.
He finally opts to discard the tie, reasoning that it would just give Ven's annoying friends all the more reason to poke fun at him, and trudges through the clutter about him, digging out an old pair of argyle socks that he assumes his father forgot to pack when he left six years prior.
Finally, he pulls on his nicest pair of shoes: a dulled and dingy pair of his dad's loafer's, and, taking one last look at himself in the mirror (noting, in horror, how stupid he really does look) before swallowing his remaining pride and slipping out the back door, before his mother catches sight of him and questions just what it is that he's up to.
Although it's snowing quite heavily, it does nothing to soothe the heat that has come to settle beneath his skin. His fingers are numbed in the mid-January chill, but all he can fathom is the lump that is steadily growing in his throat and the realization that Ven's house is entirely too close.
"Hey, that's not fair!"
Ven cries, teary-eyed as Terra collects his earnings –a meager two dollars and twenty-nine cents and a pair of floral earrings- and Aqua furrows her brows in aggravation, patting the fretting blonde on the back.
"Those are the rule, Ven."
The brunette chuckles, reshuffling, then redistributing the playing cards.
"You can't win if you don't call bullshit and you didn't call it once, so you shouldn't be surprised."
Aqua rolls her eyes, glaring at Terra as he takes stock of his new hand of cards.
"He doesn't curse, Terra. You know that. Can't we just change the word?"
At the bluenette's suggestion, Ven nods vigorously and Terra laughs, setting two cards on the coffee table before him and stating offhandedly, 'two aces'.
"To what?" He asks, condescending. "Bullcrap? He won't say that either."
Ven blushes; setting down a two and no one questions it. He also won't lie, and both of his friends know this.
Aqua sets three threes.
"Bullshit."
Terra croons, so determined, but he's wrong and Aqua giggles good-naturedly as he's forced to collect the entire pile.
"Card games, huh? How old are you?"
A voice calls from the foyer to their left, and all eyes snap in its direction, only to catch sight of midnight hair and golden eyes, a smirk on full lips as the teen stares down at them, arrogant even in the confines of someone else's doorway.
It's only moments later that the trio notices his unusual attire: a pastel sweater and lengthy pair of khaki's that just screams "Sunday School Chique".
"You can't just let yourself into other people's houses, you know."
Terra snarls, placing two cards on the table. "Three fours" he adds.
Vanitas chuckles, making himself comfortable on the plastic-covered loveseat that sits behind the brunette.
"For your information, Ven's old man let me in on his way out." He replies, resting his forearms on the slick cushion behind him. "So I didn't actually let myself in. It's not my fault that blondie's parents actually want me over because I'm not a giant prick unlike some people, and-"
He reaches forward, plucking Terra's cards from their place on the table.
"Don't bullshit them. You only put down one four."
Low and behold, he is correct, but it's not surprising.
Ven fights down the rampant fluttering of his heart at the sight of the dark haired teen as his hands jitter incessantly.
Vanitas, he muses, with all of his lies and tricks, has an eye for injustice that the blonde finds quite endearing.
"The point of the game is to lie, dumbass."
Terra snaps, snatching his cards from Vanitas's grasp and slamming them back on the table. No one dares call bullshit, not in the middle of the two males' unspoken battle for dominance.
"So Vanitas," Aqua intervenes, and Ven swears he can hear the steam hiss as her voice douses their fiery rage. "What brings you here today, with…?"
She hesitates for a moment, noting the odd accessory that rests in the dark haired boy's lap.
"…With… Flowers?"
This, of course, causes Vanitas to flinch, face coloring crimson, which shocks the trio more than his sudden appearance and unusual attire combined. Aside from anger and sick satisfaction, Vanitas has never been known to show emotion, especially not embarrassment.
"Well, uh..."
He struggles to remember the words that he had rehearsed for so many hours the night before. He'd anticipated the company of Ven's idiotic friends, obviously, since the three were inseparable and all, so why is he letting them trip him up now?
He sighs, resigning himself to his fate, pulling himself halfheartedly to his feet, only to kneel before Ven two or three steps later.
"Ven-Ventus, I-"
He chokes on his words, eying the carpet below with interest.
"You see, I-"
Ven's gaze is conflicted; Curiosity is killing him, Vanitas can tell. He's dying to know what their school's renowned "badass" has trekked all the way to his house dressed like an idiot to say, but at the same time, the compassion that has weighed heavily on his conscious since he can remember is urging him to comfort the older teen.
In the end, he is silent, unmoving, and Vanitas thanks the heaven's for his surreal patience.
"Vanitas?"
His voice is a soft melody, nearly smothered by the pounding of Vanitas's heartbeat.
"Ven-" He curses under his breath, dropping the bouquet that he's nearly crushed in his iron grip, grasping Ven's cheeks in trembling palms. He then pulls the younger teen forward, smashing their lips together in the gentlest kiss he can muster and ignoring their audience's shocked gasps.
Ven's lips are soft like silk, just as they are in his dreams in which he's kissing the petite blonde that have plagued him since he met the boy nearly two years ago. They're warm like he'd always hoped they'd be; sweet like no candy he's ever tasted and it takes everything he has not to push the younger teen down then and there and take him for his own.
Ven is the first to pull away, face rosy in the early morning light. Aqua clears her throat and Vanitas can only imagine, with a swell of aloof pride, the envious, totally flabbergasted expression that paints Terra's shell shocked features.
"Uh, Vanitas?"
Ven squeaks, lips slightly puffy.
Vanitas begins his declaration once more, hoping that the kiss has given him some confidence; only to be cut off by the two pairs of eyes that he is suddenly aware are burning a hole in his back. Growling, he fists the bouquet, shoving it into Ven's face and blurting, awkwardly,
"Goddammit Ventus, I like you!"
Brows low, eyes trained on the floor, his hands shake uncontrollably as Ven accepts the flowers tenderly, his smile outshining the sun as he complements their scent.
"Really?"
He chirps merrily, tone void of the discomfort Vanitas is expecting and the disgust that he knows the boy isn't capable of.
"I like you too."
He lets the flowers rest on the table, face glowing golden as he grins up at his dark haired admirer.
"Aqua told me that two people who like each other are in a relationship, so we're boyfriends now, right?"
These words cause Vanitas to choke on the rest of his composure as Aqua mutters an urgent, "That's not what I meant!"
Vanitas finds himself chuckling then, whether at Ven's innocent acceptance, Aqua's extreme discomfort, Terra's perplexed expression, or the likelihood that, for once, everything would actually go exactly as he'd hoped, he doesn't know, but the laughter spills from him like music, like the addicting affection that radiates from Ven's smile, and suddenly, they're kissing again.
Aqua excuses herself to the restroom, and Terra storms off without a word, forgetting his two dollars and some-odd cents in his haste, and Ven, well, Vanitas is definitely surprised to discover that someone has told the blonde about French kissing.
Shocked, yes, but definitely not disappointed.
Fin.
For some reason I've been writing a lot of "getting together" stories lately. This is the first one that I've actually typed up and posted (because it's the shortest and I'm lazy), but I'm sure I'll get the others up soon enough. They're Akuroku and Soriku (is it called "Soriku" if Riku is on top? So confusing…).
Anywho, I got 358/2 Days for Christmas, and currently, I'm on day… 352, I think. I haven't been playing as often as I'd like, but I'm almost done, I guess. I also bought Re: Coded, but I haven't done much with it. I just beat Traverse Town and went to bed. Sora's voice is so deep!
Ranting aside, thank you so much for reading and please feel free to review and tell me what you thought!