Title: 2 Inches
Pairing: Vanitas/Ventus
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Mellie here! Here's a late Vanven Day Surprise! But where I live, it is still the 21st, but barely. ^^; This is dedicated for all Vanven fans. (:
Summary: Written for Van/Ven Day; Ventus has to stand on his tiptoes to kiss Vanitas once, and then Vanitas ends up liking it so much that he plots sneaky ways to make it happen lots and lots.
Ventus hates these parties.
Being around so many people, surrounded by the smell of alcohol and the pounding party music, makes him anxious. It isn't good when he's anxious. When Ventus is anxious, he drinks and drinks and drinks. He's been here for three hours, which means something along the lines of five beers – meaning he's well past marginally intoxicated.
This is probably why, when Vanitas is in the middle of telling him some half-hearted sarcastic quip about the music choice, Ventus pushes up onto the balls of his feet and kisses him squarely on the lips. He sways slightly, but grabs onto Vanitas' tie to steady himself, holding the kiss for several seconds. Vanitas smiles, laughing slightly as Ventus pulls away.
Up until then, they'd kept it—well, not exactly a secret, everyone knew—but any displays of affection were kept more or less private, and Ventus rarely initiated anything in public. When he did, he made sure Vanitas was on his level first. Vanitas had never seen him get on his tiptoes for anything. Ventus had always been the kind of guy that was mutely ashamed of his height and avoided situations that brought it to the attention of others. If something was too high for him to reach, he usually pretended he was too busy to be bothered and made someone else get it for him.
"What was that for?" Vanitas asks, a little mystified, ignoring the crowd that had started aww'ing at the display.
Ventus's expression is blank, but strangely open—something that only happens when he's drunk. "I wanted to," he says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Vanitas's smirk widens.
"Want to do it again?" he asks, meaning it teasingly, but Ventus bounces off of his heels and kisses him again, this time clutching onto Vanitas's collar to hold the kiss even longer. The girls behind Vanitas whoop again, but Vanitas barely hears them, wrapping an arm around Ventus's waist and holding him steady.
Vanitas practically carries Ventus back to his room in his exuberance, pinning him against his door to shut it and ravishing him against it, holding him so that his toes barely touched the floor.
When they finally make it to the bed to fall asleep, Ventus is snuggled tightly against Vanitas' side and stretches out over Ventus' body to give him a quick kiss before curling up again. Ventus smiles and absently strokes Vanitas' hair until he falls asleep.
Two days later, they're on their way up the stairs to Ventus' room when Vanitas grabs Ventus's wrist. "No one's looking," he says teasingly. It's their code for whenever Vanitas wants a kiss at a time that, to Ventus, seems random and ridiculous. It isn't the first time they've kissed on a deserted staircase, but it's the first time they would kiss when Ventus wasn't a step ahead of Vanitas.
Ventus hesitates slightly, shifting to move up to the next step, but Vanitas still has his wrist, tugging gently to keep him in place. Ventus almost looks as if he's about to blush before he quickly pushes up onto his toes and pecks Vanitas briefly on the lips before continuing up the stairs.
About a week later they're sitting in Vanitas's suite. Vanitas sometimes wonders why they don't stay in his room more often. Ventus has slightly a smaller room, but Vanitas has one to himself, so there's never anyone to bother. Besides, Vanitas's bed is lofted, anyway—high enough to fit his desk under—so there's still just as much floor space.
Not that they use it.
The room is quiet, so Ventus jumps nearly a foot off the couch, swearing, when Vanitas drops his econ book to the floor with a loud, heavy thump and leans over his bed's railing. "It's like, 4am, Ven. Are you going to sleep at all?"
"I'll be up in a minute," Ventus promises vaguely, trying to get past a boss in the current video game he is obsessing over, with an annoyed noise at the back of his throat.
Minutes to Ventus could vary from ninety seconds to five hours, so Vanitas doesn't count on it. He rests his chin lazily on his hands, which are still clutching the edge of the railing. "Okay, well, I'm going to bed now, so. Good night."
"Good—" Ventus stops, realizing their trained habit, and sighs. He finds a savepoint after failing to defeat the boss (after the twentieth time) and gets to his feet, walking over to the bed. He moves to take a few steps up the ladder before realizing Vanitas's head is at the other end of the bed.
Grumbling, he asks, "Van, where's your desk chair?"
"Jesus, Ventus, you don't need the chair," Vanitas smirks cockily, reaching down and tugging gently at Ventus's collar.
Still grumbling, Ventus grabs the bottom of the railing and pulls himself up to meet Vanitas's mouth in a kiss.
Vanitas grabs a fistful of Ventus's spiky blonde hair and holds him still, deepening the kiss before pulling away. "It's late, Ven," he says, his voice firm but gentle, "Come to bed."
Ventus swallows and nods, turning off the television before crawling in next to Vanitas. He doesn't always do what Vanitas asks (Ventus will and forever be stubborn), so Vanitas decides to award his good behavior. After all, they have no one to disturb, in Vanitas' suite.
"I think you like that I'm shorter than you," Ventus says sleepily into Vanitas's neck as they're curling up to go to bed. "I think the height difference turns you on."
"Maybe a little," Vanitas admits, "But if it didn't have the same effect on you, there was no way I could've gotten you up here halfway through a video game marathon."
Vanitas can feel Ventus smile against his throat. "Shut up."