A Gift from Me to You

A/N: Well, I've darn near completely disappeared from this site since I've been over at AO3 mostly. So here's a thing I wrote (it's posted on my AO3 account as well). Happy Valentine's Day!

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Ventus woke up slowly, warm and swaddled in blankets. The morning was bright and filtering through the curtains in just the right way: enough to light up the room, but not enough to blind him. He had no obligations that day, it being his day off, and was content to simply lay in bed with his eyes closed. A serene smile appeared on his face at the feeling of utter relaxation. He barely paid it any mind when he felt the bed dip, already knowing who it was. He had wondered for a brief moment why he wasn't waking up with someone at his side, but remembered that his boyfriend was a surprisingly early riser and likely got up to get himself breakfast.

Ventus did stir, however, when he felt someone's breath on his face. Vanitas didn't typically get into someone's face for no reason (not that he couldn't easily find reasons, usually pointless ones). Cracking an eye open, he was met with two golden ones watching him silently. Having caught Ven's attention, Vanitas backed up slightly, a smirk plain on his face. Ven wasn't sure he wanted to know why it was there.

But knowing Vanitas, he'd hover over him until he asked.

"…"

It started as a silent staring contest. A raised eyebrow from Ventus, a widening smirk from Vanitas, a pair of pursed lips from Ventus, a flicker of those golden eyes down to those lips and then back up again. Vanitas seemed quite determined to hear Ven's curiosity expressed in words.

"Why do you look like the cat that ate the canary?"

Vanitas didn't even flinch in the face of accusation. Not that Ven expected him to.

"It's Valentine's Day," Vanitas simply stated. His smirk grew wider still.

"Uh…yes?"

So it was Valentine's Day. But they never did anything for Valentine's Day. Ven specifically remembered Vanitas hating holidays with a burning passion. They usually spent them lying around in their apartment, pretending they don't exist. And then Ven would go spend the evening with Aqua and Terra to celebrate them on his own time. So why was this being brought up?

"So, look. I got you something."

That was a surprise. Blinking, Ven pushed himself up into a sitting position. Vanitas backed off completely, moving to sit cross-legged in front of Ven instead. Smiling brightly (which was even more frightening then the supposed gift), he dramatically waved an arm to the left corner of their room. Where a person in a brown and black retail-style uniform sat tied up. Ven stared owlishly at the man.

"You…you got me a person?!"

Vanitas shot Ven a slightly irritated look.

"What? No, what the hell would you want with him? I mean the chocolate, idiot."

Sure enough, there was a box of chocolate in the man's lap. Or it had been, rather. It had been dislodged when the man had started struggling and shouting from beneath the duct tape on his mouth, realizing that Ven had noticed him. Ven sent a look of absolute disbelief at his boyfriend. Vanitas figured out that he at least owed an explanation.

"So uh, you know how we don't ever do anything for Valentine's Day."

It wasn't a question, but Ven nodded anyway.

"So, I went to that fancy chocolate place this morning, figured I'd do something nice…"

Ven knew the place. Sora frequently blew his money there, especially around holidays and birthdays. Ven had no clue where he was getting the funds for his habits from, considering the place was ridiculously expensive. Ven chanced a glance at the box of chocolate. Sure enough, on the box in wavy font was printed Poppins. Ven raised an eyebrow at Vanitas again. He picked up on what Ven was thinking pretty quickly.

"Yeah, shit's expensive. Like, arm and a leg expensive. So, I just grabbed a box and walked out."

This…did not surprise Ven. Not really.

But that didn't explain the guy.

Vanitas caught his confused glance sent towards the poor man, and continued explaining.

"So this dude, walks up to me like 'You know you have to pay for that sir' or some shit. So I'm like, why can't you just turn a blind eye?"

The man shot Vanitas a dirty look from his corner.

"So he keeps badgering me about it, saying I have to pay for it. I don't know where I'm supposed to get the money for their stupidly expensive chocolate. We got bills to pay."

He could have asked Sora, Ven thought.

"So anyway, he got annoying when he tried to call the police, so I took him too," Vanitas finished, completely and assuredly unashamed of his actions.

Ven…still could not believe the story he'd just heard. Not because he wouldn't expect such behavior of Vanitas but because…because…

Honestly, maybe he shouldn't be surprised at all.

Ven sent a sorry look at the tied up worker. Said worker was watching him with large, shiny puppy dog eyes. Ven knew what it was, he wasn't stupid. Obvious as the attempt to garner sympathy from him was, Ven also wasn't cruel. Sighing and rubbing at his temple, he looked at Vanitas again, suddenly feeling tired despite the good rest he had just woken up from.

"Put him back Vanitas."

Vanitas' self-satisfied smirk quickly drooped into a frown.

"What?!"

"Put them both back." Ven did not want stolen chocolate. Or the police at their door.

"After all the trouble I went through to get that chocolate?!"

Ven didn't back down, however, and continued glaring at Vanitas. After a few tense minutes, his boyfriend finally scoffed and rolled his eyes, giving in to Ven's demands.

"Fine, I'll put the bastard back," he grumbled, standing up from the bed and grabbing the man's collar to drag him back out of the room. Ven hoped he wouldn't treat him so roughly, but didn't bother voicing that, knowing Vanitas probably wouldn't give a damn anyway. Instead, he sent his boyfriend a relieved smile, nodding his thanks.

"How about, after you come back, we can go out for breakfast? We could go to the waffle place and just celebrate Valentine's Day there." If you don't get arrested, Ven mentally added. Vanitas paused in the doorway, his back still turned to Ven. He stood for a moment, and then kept going. It was most likely a 'yes', seeing as a 'no' would've been loudly vocalized. Ven was content with that.

He sat back after he heard the front door of the apartment close. His brow immediately knit into an expression of frustration, and he rubbed at his head again.

Why couldn't he have normal mornings?