I'm so glad over the reviews I got over the last fic I posted. I've always loved how supportive this fandom was and I'm truly glad to be taking part, even if it is not as active as it used to be. Currently, I'm writing a multi-chapter fic, but thought I would simultaneously post another series of one-shots for you guys. It's pure fluff just like the last one, although this one is going to be a lot longer and multiple chapters. What can I say? These two need some fluff in their lives.
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or any of its characters, and any and all mistakes are mine and mine alone.
(1) Grocery Shopping
-.-.-
"This is what you called me out of class for?" Zero asked the Chairman dubiously as he looked over the shopping list he had been given for tonight's dinner. "Was that really necessary?"
Cross shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about pulling his adopted son out of class to send him on an errand to buy groceries. "You're the only one I can send right now. Your precious father has far too much paperwork to do to just leave at the moment."
The ex-human rolled his eyes at that. "That's because you keep putting off your damn work," he scolded, about to crumple the list in his hands when the Chairman settled his eyes upon him pityingly. Zero sighed, unfolding the creased paper and eying the list once more. "Fine," he finally relented, cringing at the way Cross's face lit up and refusing to acknowledge it. "Is this all you need?" He asked to which the Chairman nodded eagerly.
"And whatever else you think – " Cross began before a knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
Zero tensed up as he recognized the presence beyond the door before the Chairman even got up from his desk. The Chairman went to greet the unexpected visitor, and the ex-human's eyes narrowed as the Night Class President strode in gracefully, studiously ignoring the hunter which only served to irk Zero more.
Cross, seemingly oblivious to the hostile atmosphere, smiled up at Kaname warmly. "Kaname-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He greeted, moving to his desk and gesturing for Kaname to sit across from him.
Zero leaned against the wall on the side of the room, arms crossed his chest. He'd leave now, but he didn't want to give Kuran the satisfaction that his presence had chased the hunter out of the room. So instead, he chose to remain in place. And brood.
"Cross," Kaname greeted with a nod of his head, his eyes briefly landing on Zero once more and watching him with a calculated gaze. "Kiryuu-kun," he greeted with a small patronizing smile that made the hunter grind his teeth together.
"Kuran," he all but spat out, the closest thing to a greeting he could manage at the moment.
"How are you doing today?" He greeted amicably, although Zero knew better, he could feel the condescending gaze on him as the pureblood's presence took over the room.
"Fine," he replied curtly, turning his head to the side and dismissing the other, but the pureblood was no longer paying attention to him, his eyes turned back to the headmaster.
"Chairman," Kaname went on, ignoring the hostile glare Zero settled on him to which he studiously ignored. Kaname was not here to annoy the ex-human. That was just a pleasant bonus of his visit. "I have the papers you requested from last week, as well as the lesson plans and syllabi from all of the instructors in the Night Class."
"Ah yes," the Chairman hummed as he perused the stack of papers the pureblood handed him. "Thank you, Kaname, this saves me much time."
"Of course, anything to help," he responded politely to the Chairman. "If there is anything else?" Kaname questioned as he pushed the chair back across from the desk and moved to stand, however Cross looked up at him expectantly, effectively stopping him in his tracks.
"Actually..." the Chairman trailed off, his eyes meeting Zero's apprehensively before flicking back to the pureblood.
"Absolutely not," Zero spoke through gritted teeth, but the Headmaster went on as if he hadn't said a thing.
"My darling son is making us dinner tonight and has to go into town by himself. It would be great for him to have some company."
"Cross," the hunter growled warningly.
Kaname blinked, surprised at the unexpected request. He glanced between the Chairman and the irritated ex-human, eyes landing on the silver-haired hunter for a few moments. He was about to refuse the offer, imaging the hundreds of things he'd rather be doing than going out with the prefect. However, the glare Zero laid upon him amused him and he sent a smug grin over to the hunter before turning back to Cross. "If I can be of any help, Cross, then I would gladly accompany Kiryuu-kun," he said, eyes never leaving the prefect's who was now glaring at him menacingly. The vampire simply smiled patronizingly in return before turning back to the Chairman.
"Cross," Zero hedged in, "I'll be fine on my own."
"Nonsense," he insisted, "there is far too much on that list for one person to carry and Kaname-kun isn't in class right now anyways."
"Precisely," the pureblood hummed in agreement, sending an amused grin over at the prefect who was growing increasingly angrier by the second and looked about ready to storm out. "It's not an issue is it, Kiryuu-kun?" There was a challenge in his voice that grated on the hunter's nerves and as much as Zero wanted to say "yes, yes it was an issue", he also didn't want to give Kuran the satisfaction that he had riled him up so.
"Of course not," Zero replied through gritted teeth, rising up to the challenge the pureblood placed between them.
Cross clapped his hands in joy, ignoring the tense aura that was suffocating the room, and Zero wondered if the ex-hunter was truly as oblivious as he pretended to be. "Then it's settled! I hope to see you two at dinner!"
The ex-human groaned, his head thumping back against the wall behind him. This was going to be the worst.
-.-.-.-
Never in his life had Zero Kiryuu been so glad to be wrong.
"Absolutely not," the pureblood insisted and Zero rolled his eyes. Their whole walk to the supermarket had been a tense silence the entire way, and now Kuran chose to speak?
Although the silverette had to admit, watching Kuran Kaname, almighty pureblood, in the supermarket thus far was the best thing he's seen in years, and he could barely hide his amusement as he looked at the sheer disbelief on the vampire's face. "It's really not that big of a deal," the hunter commented, resting his elbows on the shopping cart before him, one foot on the rack below where there was a case of beer and something else that pureblood seemed to be taking personal offense to.
"It's boxed wine, Kiryuu. Boxed," he emphasized, eying the menace in the cart with open disgust.
"Yeah I heard you the first seven times," he replied with a sneer, "and besides, it's more convenient than an actual bottle," he went on, grabbing an actual bottle of white wine and setting it in the cart, much to the pureblood's relief. "Don't get too comfortable, Kuran, that bottle is for cooking." The vampire made a face at that. Clearly boxed wine was far below his pay grade and Zero pointed a finger at him. "You're lucky I'm not getting the canned wine," he said, trying not to smirk at the horror on the face of the vampire across from him. He wasn't serious about it, not really. Canned wine sounded awful although the silverette realized the practicality and portability of such packaging, it didn't mean he actually wanted any of it. Some things were just not worth it. Evidently, the pureblood wholeheartedly agreed.
"You're kidding," the pureblood replied, a look of distaste turning down the corner of his lips to which the hunter simply gestured to the shelf behind him, where indeed, there was a six pack of canned pinot noir. "Kiryuu, absolutely not," Kaname warned as Zero moved to grab a pack off the shelf and set it in the cart. "We are not serving our guests wine in a can. That's below even you," he accused, and the hunter would be offended if he didn't find this all so goddamn amusing. But damn, he was getting a kick out of this.
Zero had always known that most vampires, especially purebloods grew up in wealth and apart from human society. It was amusing that something seemingly so mundane could shock the pureblood across from him so much - his elitist attitude making the idea of convenience over style unfathomable. And that's what it was, convenient. It was good for picnics and easy to open and reseal. And considering that he didn't trust Yuuki anywhere near something with a cork stopper, this was definitely the best choice (for Zero had that bruise on his forehead for days even with his vampire healing. So nope. Never. Again.).
Unbeknownst to the two vampires in the liquor section, they were garnering quite a few stares from those around them, amused by the young couple bickering by something so seemingly simple. Ah, to be young and in love, one of the middle-aged patrons thought as she grabbed a six-pack of beer that would be accompanying her in her movie marathon tonight. However, Kaname and Zero were a bit too engrossed in their banter to be taking notice.
Zero ignored the pureblood's protests next to him, turning his attention back to the items in the cart. "What else do we need?" Zero asked, more to himself, completely dismissing the pureblood before him who was still completely dumbfounded. He looked over the list before quickly deciding to go to the produce section, pushing the cart away before Kaname had a chance to say anything.
"Zer- Kiryuu," the pureblood tried in vain to stop the hunter and all but huffed, sending several brown locks flying with the exhale of breath, before following him down the aisle towards the produce section. Partially regretting having come out in the first place. He could have made up any myriad of excuses as to why he couldn't go out, but when he saw how reluctant Zero to go with him, Kaname decided to tag along if for nothing more than to annoy the hunter and get him out of the academy for a few hours. However at the rate they were going, the two of them wouldn't be leaving the grocery store until nightfall, but Kaname would be damned if he let that abomination ruin Cross's dinner. And by abomination, he meant the canned wine sitting innocently in the cart.
Later on, when they were checking out, Zero, deciding to spare Kaname a small kindness, wisely chose not to mention the missing drinks from the shopping cart.
That night, Kaname showed up to the Chairman's house with his own bottle of wine from his personal collection. One that likely cost more than all of the food they bought that day combined. The pureblood's eyes landed on the hunter, whose back was turned in the kitchen as he finished the last touches of the meal, an empty bottle of white wine beside him on the counter.
Feeling a gaze upon him, Zero turned around and caught a pair of burgundy orbs watching him carefully. His lilac eyes flicked between the pureblood and the bottle of wine in his hands and sent him a knowing (and quite smug) grin.
If there were no others around, Kaname would have surely rolled his eyes at the hunter, but he managed to refrain from doing so, the slight twitch of his lips the only indication that he found all this just as amusing.
-.-.-
I imagined that Zero had planned all of that from the start to make sure Kaname brought the good shit to dinner. Although who knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ There's not a whole lot of interaction between the two in this one-shot as there will be in the coming ones, I have the whole thing planned out, not to worry! Reviews and criticisms are always welcome!