For a prompt request on tumblr: "This is all your fault."
Tbh I had a tough time trying to determine if I needed to rate this as T or M since it gets kinda... suggestive. But I think that it should be okay as it is? If not, please let me know if I should change the rating and I'll do it as quick as I can!
Vanitas was no stranger to mischief. He was, after all, an instigator of all sorts of chaos. It was something in his nature, being the more devious (yet still childish) half of a whole. Yet, for all that it was worth, he was only inclined to enjoy troublesome high jinks when they actually served him.
This was not shaping out to be one of those occasions.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, startling his rather annoyingly optimistic look alike.
Sora yelped, his balance wavering as the stack of books beneath him, which (barely) resembled a staircase, teetered dangerously from side to side. Vanitas eyed the trembling structure, contemplating if he should, ah, give it a nudge and help it collapse. The destructive idea passed by harmlessly though, and soon he was focusing again on the brunette.
Steadying himself by gripping the edge of the bookcase he had been trying to scale, Sora peered back at him with a sheepish (or was it it impish? With a face so similar to his own, it was sometimes hard to tell.) grin. "Oh, uh, hey Van. What can I do for ya?"
He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I don't know. Maybe you should try answering my question first, ya dope."
"Well, you see," Sora began, struggling once again to keep from toppling over, "I'd love to chat, but I'm just a little busy right now. So if you don't mind―"
"If you're trying to get at that cookie jar Merlin hid up there, then don't." Vanitas crossed his arms tightly over his chest and scowled, knowing full well that was exactly what Sora was going for.
"Psh, dunno what you're talking about…"
Rolling his eyes, he sighed, "You know, you do this thing where you start to mumble when you lie. And that was just a piss poor excuse, by the way."
Bright blue eyes turned on him once again, brows furrowed as the other boy glared at him. In return, Van graced the other with a smug grin. Sora huffed and turned away. Now more intent on getting the desired object down, he stood on his tiptoes, splaying his fingers so as to bring himself closer to a terracotta pot that he knew was just out of sight. Watching the boy struggle quickly turned his expression sour again.
"Seriously, stop trying to get it. It's not worth it."
"Oh yeah?" Sora grunted as he stretched a little farther. "Why's that?"
"Use your brain, dummy. Why do you think Merlin stuck a cookie jar in a place that's hard to get?"
The brunette's chuckles were muffled as he stretched even more, finally managing to touch his goal. "Who died and made you the gatekeeper of cookies? Besides, isn't this kind of thing right up your alley, being all sneaky and everything?"
He began to wiggle the jar towards him. Van eyed the jar with a small hint of trepidation.
"I'm more dramatic and you know it. And for your information, the only reason I'm not approving of this dumbass idea is because that jar is a tra―"
A gasp escaped Sora as his poorly tower of books finally gave up the ghost and caved beneath him. The boy fell backwards, knocking the cookie jar over in the process. Unfortunately for Vanitas, he was directly beneath Sora when he realized it was too late.
'You've got to be kidding me,' was all he could think the moment Sora collided with him. But instead of falling into a mindless heap on the floor, they were instead pulled upwards, towards the now lidless jar.
To be mercilessly stretched like the laws of human anatomy and physics didn't apply to him was definitely not one of the most pleasant experiences he'd had the opportunity to endure. Nothing said 'Screw you!' quite like a trick spell that could make you feel like taffy. Thankfully, it was over in half a second from the moment it had begun. However, any gratefulness he might have felt from that relief was instantly negated by the fact that he was now stuck in a very confined, very dark space with an obnoxious sunshine child. Even worse, he was stuck in a small dark space because of an obnoxious sunshine child.
"I know I've done plenty of horrible things in my life, but what was the one thing I did to deserve this?" he groaned aloud.
The only response he received was a short burst of cackling from the one who put him in this mess in the first place. Vanitas growled, growing more aware of the fact that he was completely entangled in the other boy.
"This is all your fault," he hissed as he struggled to extract his arm from beneath Sora's leg.
"God I sure hope so." Still laughing, Sora shifted in an attempt to help him free his arm.
Vanitas narrowed his eyes. Even though he could barely see what was in front of him, he had a feeling that he and the other boy had locked gazes. He could practically feel Sora's smugness radiating off of him.
"You did this on purpose," he accused.
Sora's voice was sickeningly sweet as it dripped fake innocence onto his words. "I dunno what you're talking about." To fan the flames of his chagrin, the boy added, "But what about you? You knew what would happen once I got into the jar. Speaking from personal experience, were we?"
An ungodly wave of heat assaulted his face as he spluttered. Yes, he had known about the trap Merlin had put on the supposedly acclaimed cookie jar. No he was not going to admit that the only reason he had found out about it was because he had been trying to steal a few cookies.
Sora was laughing again, and it was really starting to grate on his nerves. Vanitas finally wrenched his arm free and slammed it into the wall near where he guessed the boy's face to be. Silence descended upon them, yet somehow, he just knew the other was still gloating.
"You're a real cheeky brat," he growled lowly. "Now what are you trying to pull?"
There was no reply. For a moment, Vanitas considered being a little more forceful in getting answers to his demands, but like most of his violent thoughts these days, it passed him by without incident, and he continued to wait for a response. (Besides, this jar was way too cramped for any kind of rough housing.)
To his surprise, Sora's response did not come via words. He stilled as he felt the other's hand bunch up the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. Uncertainty enveloped his mind like a fog, limiting his options to react properly. What was Sora doing?
"I might not be particularly quick on the uptake of somethings, but I am pretty good when it comes to executing a strategy." Warm air fanned across Vanitas as Sora spoke, a faint whine hiding beneath the boys words. "I just thought that no one would bother us for bit if we were both stuck in timeout."
In a single beat, Vanitas relaxed. So that's what this was about, huh? Scowl melting away, he leaned in until they were touching noses. With a haughty air surrounding him, he said, "Aw, sounds like the little baby is lonesome. But I don't know how he expects me to fix that."
"We could always start," soft lips grazed along the bottom of his own, "like this."
Vanitas found himself leaning in to deepen the contact, tasting something rather sweet on the boy's lips. A low moan built up around them. Had that come from him? Or had it come from Sora, revealing that he was a lot needier than he had let on? Perhaps he should toy around with him a little, and teach him how to make use of his time outs.
He pulled away, eliciting sounds of complaint from the other boy. He leaned back into his side of the jar, scoffing. "If you were that desperate, you should have just asked for an audience with me. I might have actually graced you with my presence."
"You're so mean," Sora whined. He could clearly picture that cute pout that must have been accompanying those words, with those big blue puppy eyes staring straight at him. It almost broke his resolve imagining it, but Vanitas remained firm. If Sora wanted this so badly, he'd have to keep working to get it a little longer.
Grinning deviously into the dark, he let the other know of his challenge. "If you want something from me, you're gonna have to come get it."
No sooner had he said the words then Sora was already making his move. Shoving himself closer, he crawled over Vanitas's knees, straddling his hips with such domineering confidence that he couldn't help but snicker a little. Placing his hands on Van's shoulders, Sora forgoed any of the gentleness he'd used before and crashed his lips onto his own.
There was nothing smooth or thought out about this gesture. It was hungry, needy, and incredibly sloppy. Vanitas could roll with sloppy.
His grin spoke for him, and the not-so-innocent sunshine boy pushed harder, one hand traveling down his chest, to the edge of his shirt, and then under. Though it was only a half of a heart Vanitas possessed, it beat as wildly as a whole one the moment Sora's warm fingers grazed across his bare skin.
The harder they breathed, the faster their hearts pounded, the more they pressed against one another, daring the other to abandon all sense of composure, the hotter it became in that cramped little jar. But the heat was fine. It was exhilarating.
But sadly, time outs were not meant to be a permanent punishment.
Just as Sora's hand found its place over his heart, and his own hands had claimed dominance on Sora's backside, a shaft of light illuminated the inside of the jar. Before either of them could disentangle themselves from one another they found themselves flying towards the source of the light. And once again, Vanitas was reminded of how much he hated this stupid spell.
The boys landed in a heap on the floor, groaning at their unceremonious dumping. Vanitas blinked rapidly as he adjusted to the light, spying a blue pair of old man slippers directly in front of him. He groaned again as he realized what was about to come his way.
"Well, I can't say I'm not surprised to have found you back in that jar, though I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson after the last time," Merlin harrumphed at him. "And as for you, Sora, I thought you would have known better than to get into the things I told you not to."
Vanitas pulled himself out from underneath Sora and quickly stood up, reflexively dusting himself off even though there wasn't really a need for it. Immediately, he turned away from the other two and began to make his exit as quick as he could. No way was he sticking around for another lecture from the old geezer― especially not when this one was on Sora.
"Ahem, and where do you think you're going?" Merlin called after him.
"Anywhere that's not here," he shrugged nonchalantly. Casting a wayward glance over his shoulder, he grinned wolfishly and added, "But if you still need me, then you can come find me."
A strangled noise escaped Sora, causing his grin to widen. As he continued to walk away, he ran his tongue over his lips, tasting that sweetness from earlier. It was a little funny now that he thought about it.
Whether it was being in that jar, or just the other boy himself, at least one thing was certain: Sora's kisses tasted just like cookies.
