update 7/18/13: hi, just ironed out something at the end, enjoy reading, and please leave a review!
Hi everybody, this is a oneshot from truth~
so...
ok. i know this is posted late, but hey, what are you gonna do?
so this was inspired by two stories, including Smile Again by chococrepes, the summary of Lullaby by Handwritten (i never read the story, but the summary was good enough)
i also originally wrote this on my original account, and since i've been locked out of that once, i've had to rewrite it here T_T
this is also for Vanshion Day!
Happy Vanshion Day everyone~
~attractions~
Xion was a serious, occasionally vibrant pianist. Vanitas was an easy-going, very flirtatious violinist. And somewhere along the way, they both fell in love with each other.
...
Mr. Meyd was a talkative person. He would go on and on about things that really didn't actually matter. But the last bell of the school day had already rung, and all Xion could do was to sigh in silent agony as he rambled on about some professional level violin player, and how well they'd play together. "-and he's your age too, it's a perfect match, especially for the performance in the summer."
"What did you come to me for? We both know I don't really like performing duos. Or performing at all." said Xion, stopping her stride and turning around to look at him.
Mr. Meyd fumbled his fingers together nervously, and said, "He doesn't like performing duos either. But I begged him for months to do this and you're the only one who's skill level matches his with an instrument as majestic as the piano, and he finally agreed! Can you just meet him at least?"
"What's his name?" asked Xion, giving in to her music teacher's whining.
"Vanitas Caelum."
"Am I meeting him today or after the weekend?" sighed Xion, searching through her mind for the name Vanitas Somnus, but nothing came up to mind. However, considering that the Academy had over 900 students in the 11th grade, it wasn't much of a surprise that she didn't know some of them.
"You'll be meeting him today. He's waiting in room 113. You should hurry before he leaves. He's not really that patient." smiled Mr. Meyd nervously, handing her a folder. "Inside is some music that I'd like both of you to practice. Hope you like it." Xion takes it, noting that the folder was very light, deducing that it probably only had warm-ups inside.
"Alright. I'll see you on Monday, Mr. Meyd." replied Xion, waving goodbye as she walked to the stairway. Mr. Meyd acknowledged this by raising his hand, gesturing for her to go and yelling, "I really hope you two get along! Say hello for me when you're there!"
Xion walked up to the window of the door, and stood up on her tippy-toes to try and see through. She only caught a glimpse of a bright window with sunlight streaming in, and the seat of a black piano. Opening the door gingerly, Xion spotted him.
Biting her bottom lip, she noted that Etro, he's hot. He's asleep, but to her, he's a god. His messy, unruly hair covered his forehead gently, his red school tie was loosened, and his tight jeans only added to his figure. Xion tried not to blush as she taps him on the shoulder.
He opened up one golden eye. "Did Mr. Meyd send a pretty face to wake me up?" he smirked, stretching. Trying not to blush again, she tried to keep a stoic expression. "Are you Vanitas?" He lazily nodded, and points to the piano. "I really hope you aren't just a pretty face." His demeanor now is more serious, but inside, she secretly wants him to flirt a little more.
"Here. Mr. Meyd wanted us to play what's inside." she says gently, opening up the folder on the grand piano. He doesn't spare a glance, only walking towards his black violin case. Tuning up, he looks at the music, and smirking, says, "Are you sure you can handle this, girlie?"
"My name is Xion. And yes, these are only warm-" Her expression changes as she scans over the piece. "I haven't practiced it, but I'm a pretty good sight reader." Vanitas, taking out a music stand, remarks, "Yeah, we'll see." She feels a twinge of irritation, but instead sits down on the seat and puts her hands on the keys.
She begins to play, and he keeps up easily, his eyes glued to the music sheets. Concentrating on playing the next measure after measure, Xion realizes that she hasn't played this hard since her last performance at Twilight's Hall. Xion, still in the midst of her thoughts, stumbles over a chord, and Vanitas stops. "Maybe you are just a pretty face." he stated.
Xion wasn't going to let him get away with this one. He might have the body of a god, but he had the personality of a dick. About to respond with some ugly words, he remarks, "Well, pretty faces are still pretty." Blushing, Xion closes her jaw, and bites her bottom lip. Damn. He does know how to get away with it.
Xion notices that he's putting away his violin, and she asks, "Is it time to go already?"
"For me, it is. I'm sure you still need some practice, but I sure don't. See you later, Xion." he grins, walking out of the room with his case.
The song that was played was: Kingdom Hearts - Dearly Beloved (violin, piano) FT. Josh Chiu
(Kyle Landry)
"So how did it go? Did you guys do well?" asked Mr. Meyd excitedly, trying to keep pace with Xion's stride. "He told me I should practice more and he walked out after like 5 minutes." responded Xion, trying to outstrip Mr. Meyd. "Listen, I'm sure he'll grow on you, just meet him every Wednesday and Friday in the same room!" called out Mr. Meyd, with Xion rolling her eyes. Because of Mr. Meyd, she was nearly late for her math class, and she rushed to the classroom just in time.
The minutes rolled by quickly, period after period, until it was finally lunch time. Lunch periods were mandatory until senior year, where you could replace it with another class, but students like Xion often used it to finish up homework and to cram for tests. Although Xion didn't have a lot of homework, she was hungry, and went to the outside cafeteria, which none of her friends usually sat in, but could provide Xion with food quicker.
Taking a seat near a window, she hopped onto the lunch line, grabbed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and chocolate milk, and sat back down at her seat. Wolfing down her sandwich, she pulled out the music folder that Mr. Meyd had given her on Friday, and examined the music more carefully.
"Wasn't that the girl Mr. Meyd kept bothering you about?" asked Riku, tapping Vanitas on his shoulder. Vanitas turned sideways to glance at her marking something with her pencil. "Yeah. What about her?" replied Vanitas, grabbing a carton of orange juice. "She's cute. You should date her." grinned Riku, while Vanitas groaned mentally. Every time that he talked to a girl, his friends would bother him about it for days and weeks to come.
"No. I don't even know her." refused Vanitas, taking his sandwich and sitting down at a table. "But if you got to know her better, would you?" asked Riku, taking the seat next to him. "It's unlikely that I will get to know her better. We're only gonna meet every Friday and Wednesday for practice." shrugged Vanitas, taking a bite out of his sandwich.
"Well, she's sitting alone right now. What's stopping you?" smirked Riku, opening up his carton of milk. "Your fucking mouth, now shut it before I shut it for you." glowered Vanitas, fed up with his bantering. "Oooh, Vanitas has a crush he's afraid to talk to." teased Riku, clearly baiting him.
"Goddamn it," muttered Vanitas, seeing and taking the bait anyway. Vanitas picked up his lunch tray and walked over to her table.
When he sat down across from her, Xion seemingly didn't take any notice. "Did he goad you into it?" asked Xion, not looking up from her music sheets. "Remember, I like pretty faces." teases Vanitas, looking for her reaction. She looks up a little, saying, "Probably because you don't have one, Vanitas." He grinned, and responds, "If I were you, I'd worry more about myself. And my own skill playing instruments."
Xion only looks back down at her music sheets, biting her bottom lip again. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I offend you?" mocks Vanitas. Xion is about to let loose some more angry words, but a loud voice interrupts her rage. "XION! We were wondering where you-" The redhead stops as soon as she sees Vanitas. A grin spreads on the redhead's face, while looking at Xion suggestively. "Well, I'm gonna let you two have your private time." she smirks, walking away.
"Kairi, it's not like that!" Xion yelled, blushing profusely.
"It's okay. I know I'm irresistible." grinned Vanitas, shaking his head. "Get out of my sight, Vanitas." frowned Xion, letting out an angry breath. "Alright, fine. Catch you later." he said, taking the rest of his things and moving back to Riku's table.
Riku shakes his head disapprovingly. "You managed to fuck it up again. You're such an idiot sometimes."
Vanitas shrugged again, finishing the rest of his sandwich. "I really don't care. It's not like we were actually gonna hook up."
As the grey haired teen rolls his eyes, he says, "There was a chance."
Xion hated practicing with him. He flirts and insults her, often toeing the fine line between the two. In one moment, Xion could be blushing from a complement, the next, she could be glowering from an insult. Nonetheless, two weeks pass, and Mr. Meyd checks in on a Friday's afterschool practice.
"You both sound great! I could put you both in the Summer Concert right now!" says Mr. Meyd, a smile on his face. Xion and Vanitas look at each other, Xion with a look of resentment, Vanitas with a cheeky grin. "But, I wanna try something different this year." he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Both of you are known through the school and even the town for your skills, but for the Summer Concert, I want both of you to play each other's instrument."
Xion is the first to say, "What?"
"I'm sure that you'll have plenty of time to teach each other, as it's not even November yet. Anyway, I'll leave the two of you to decide lessons and practices. See you guys later!" smiles Mr. Meyd, leaving them both alone.
"Well. Looks like you have to teach me piano." smirks Vanitas, tapping the grand piano with his fingers.
"Over my dead body." mutters Xion, collecting her sheet music. "Don't worry, I'll teach you violin to the best of my ability." Vanitas sarcastically remarks. "So, next Wednesday, you're teaching me first." says Xion, putting her folder back into her bag. "Sure. So Friday's my turn." he grins, zipping up his own case.
"I'll be looking forward to it." says Xion sarcastically, rolling her eyes and walking out the door.
Xion is looking through the glass window, trying to see if Vanitas is there or not. Sure enough, the son of the bitch is waiting for her, tapping his fingers on his knees. She carefully opens the door, and he looks up and says, "You're late."
Xion shrugs, while he pulls out another, slightly smaller case for her. "I think this should do." he says, unzipping it for her. He hands her a bow, and takes his own bow out.
"What about the violin?" asks Xion, puzzled.
"Bow holding is the first thing you'll learn. Tempos and rhythms I don't need to teach you as you've got the piano experience for that, but tuning is next week." he says.
Vanitas goes into a rant about balance, up-stroke, down-stroke, and wrist movements. By the end of it, Xion is struggling not to fall asleep, and Vanitas finally says, "Okay. Try it."
She does, and he says something under his breath. "Give me your hand." Xion holds out her hand, and he grabs her bow and places it in her hand. He's guiding her through the finger-ings of the bow, and she tries to focus, but she's paying a little too much attention to how rough his hands are for a violin player. "Hey. Pay attention. I know you haven't been touched by other very attractive guys in a long time, but that's no excuse to blank out." he teases.
"Shut up." she says, blushing, but refocusing her attention back onto the task at hand.
She tries again, but finally she just breathes out in frustration and puts her bow down on the piano. Xion plops down on the piano seat, and takes a deep breath. "Sorry, I need to relax for a second." Vanitas rolls his eyes, and looks out the window.
"I'm giving you five minutes."
By the end of the lesson, Vanitas is mentally worn-out, while Xion has barely gotten the bowing technique down. "Just keep practicing, and by next Wednesday, you should have it down." sighs Vanitas, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"I'm sorry I was acting kinda stupid during practice today." says Xion, gripping her bookbag tighter.
"Don't beat yourself up for what you always are." teases Vanitas, a smirk entering his face again. She pushes him gently, but he sticks out his tongue, and Xion blows a raspberry.
He walks Xion to her bus, and she waves goodbye to him. It's a friendly, harmless gesture, Vanitas thinks.
So pulling a hand out of one of his pockets, he waves back.
"Try to concentrate, Vanitas. It's only a C major scale. Nothing you can't handle." says Xion gently, twiddling her thumbs.
He furrows his brow, and his fingers get tense. He plays up fine, up until he returns the scale, where he gets too caught up trying to play fast. "Take it slow. I know violin is different, but the key to piano practice is just to play it slow, and then speed up as you feel more comfortable." Xion tries to guide him, but she's growing impatient. He scowls, and tries to play it slow. Finally, he succeeds, and he lets out a huge sigh of relief, and Xion rolls her eyes.
"Okay. Practice these chords going up and then going down." she says, nudging Vanitas over and turning the practice page of the book over. He gives way to her, and he tries to pay attention to the notes she's playing, but Vanitas's eyes stray to her face. She has nice hair that covers up a little part of her face, and-
"Hey. I know it's been a while since you've been this close to a girl, but that's no reason to blank out." teases Xion, the sides of her lips curving upwards.
Vanitas moves in close, right next to her ear, and whispers, "Sorry, but it's hard to when I'm being distracted by such a pretty girl." He blows hot air on her ear gently and slowly, and she moves away, and points at the piano shaking, "Shut u-up and play." Xion has a tomato-red blush on her face, and he's laughing, sitting down on the piano bench. He plays the exercise with various mistakes, and shaking her head, she says, "Play it again."
By the end of practice, she's putting away the practice book, and he's waiting for her to pack up. "Hey, how am I supposed to practice? I don't have a piano at home." says Vanitas, standing up. Xion realizes this, and smacks her forehead.
"Crap. I didn't think of that." mumbles Xion, trying to think of a remedy to the situation.
"Let's ask Mr. Meyd whether we can use this room during the rest of the week." suggested Vanitas, glancing at the clock. "Yeah, but you need to practice by yourself. But I guess that the rest of the week would be okay too." said Xion.
"You only agreed because you wanted to see me more." teased Vanitas. Xion scoffs, "As if anyone would want to see you more."
"Keep telling yourself that."
It was a lazy Saturday, and Xion's parents had gone out for a business trip. Waking up lazily on a weekend morning were some of Xion's favorite things to do. After just laying in bed for about an hour after waking, she heard her phone vibrate. Reluctant to get up from her cocoon of warmth, she rose from her bed with a sigh, and checked who had texted her. It was from Kairi, telling her to come over.
After trying to tell Kairi that she didn't want to come over, Xion finally gave in, and walked over to her house. "Xion! I'm so glad you came!" squeals Kairi, opening the door for her. "Only because you kept annoying me about it." says Xion, a faint smile tugging at her lips. Despite the fact Kairi was sometimes irritating, Xion was glad to have her as a friend. "Naminé's already upstairs. We're watching a movie."
"Xion!" smiles Naminé, hugging a pillow in her lap. "I'm happy to see you Naminé! How's Roxas?"
Naminé's smile only widens, and she says, "I loooovee him. He's such a great hugger and cuddler. I spent a couple hours just cuddling with him last week." Kairi, pressing play, says, "Sora is also great cuddler and hugger among other things too..." The second the words left her mouth, the redhead's cheeks began to blush furiously.
Xion shook her head, and plopped down on the bed, alongside Naminé. "Hey, I hear Mr. Meyd sought you out for the Spring Concert. Aren't you a talented one?" smiled Kairi, also laying next to them.
"Yeah, but I'm stuck with this asshole who gets on my case a lot and stuff." says Xion, brushing a hair behind her ear.
"Vanitas Caelum, right? You know, he's the cousin of Sora? He looks almost exactly like him." said Kairi, grabbing a pillow for herself to hug. Xion shrugged, while Kairi shook her head at her, rolling her eyes.
"What I meant was, he's freaking hot. And conveniently single. And also pretty much hitting on you." sighs Kairi, sitting up. The raven-haired girl's cheeks began to glow a light pink. "Shut up." mumbled Xion, shifting uncomfortably in her place.
Naminé and Kairi's mouths both opened wide, and Kairi was the first to say, "Xiooooon! You really do like him! This is so cute, you should totally hook up with him." Xion shook her head. "I don't know how to deal with him. Sometimes he flirts with me shamelessly, and the next moment he's insulting my piano skills." The corners of Naminé's mouth begin to curve upwards.
"I think you should take a chance. I took one with Roxas, and look how happy we are." says Naminé, her soft voice soothing Xion's indignant anger.
"Vanitas is definitely not Roxas. And if I will, then I'm just going to wait for him to make the first move." huffs Xion, crossing her arms. "Xion. You shouldn't be so pissed off with Vanitas." chides Kairi, hugging her pillow a little tighter than usual. "Sora told me a little about him, and if anything, you're like his crush. His flirting and insulting is just the way he talks, I guess. So when he's flirting a little harder than usual, which he will, then flirt back, and one thing will lead to another."
Xion doesn't say anything, and just continues to watch the movie.
A month full of lessons and schoolwork passes by, and Xion keeps herself on her toes with Vanitas, both of them toeing the thin line between teasing and insulting each other. She doesn't tell him anything personal about herself, and neither does he, and now they both have a sort of friendship. He'll sit next to her during lunch and talk to her, while she'll help him with his math homework. But secretly, a yearning for something more, something romantichas sprouted within Xion's heart for him, because now, she can spot him through a crowd, she blushes more every time he flirts with her, and she sort of starts to look forward to the everyday encounters with him.
But not today.
"Keep your fingers up." scolded Xion, tapping his wrist with a pen. She is crankier than usual, mostly because it's a Monday, and she has to spend most of the afternoon with someone who clearly does not make an attempt to play to the best of his ability during practices. "Shut up." he mumbles, but still fixing his hand's posture. "Look at the sorry state you're in. Maybe I will have to have you come over sometime for extra lessons." mumbled the raven-haired girl, looking at the clock.
"I know you just wanna spend more time with me." flirted Vanitas shamelessly, continuing the song.
Xion mumbled another no, and with a furious blush, looked away, pretending to organize. Brushing a hair out of her face, Xion finally says, "I'll call you this weekend. What's your number again?" Vanitas smirked deviously and with a teasing tone, cooed, "You do want to spend more time with me!" Xion turned around and gave him a post-it and a pen. "As if anyone could stand your cocky-ness for more than an hour." she said exasperatedly.
"Here." Vanitas said, returning the post-it with a neat 10 numbers written down upon it. Their fingers brush. "Your hands are warm." she stated, another faint blush spreading on her face. "Your hands are cold." he murmured, his voice suddenly quiet. Vanitas gently holds her wrists, and she holds his. Her hands are shaking a little, and she's taking a step forward, towards him. He entwines his fingers in hers, and suddenly, Xion doesn't see him as an arrogant asshole who's too good at everything for his own good.
He's just Vanitas.
"Play a song for me." he finally says, his voice rumbling a bit. Xion is blushing furiously, and she nods. He sits next to her, closer than they should be sitting together, and all that Xion can breathe is the sudden scent of cinnamon and coffee. She doesn't know what to do, but her hands are moving by themselves, and something absolutely beautiful is being played, and she's just as shocked as he is.
When she is done, Xion lets out a breath, and Vanitas is looking up towards her. He cautiously brings up his hand to her face, and brushes a stray hair out of her eyesight, and tucks it neatly behind her ear. They can hear each other breathing, and the constant tick-tock of the clock.
"See you tomorrow." he mumbles, and she is left in the room by herself, her heart full and content.
Song played by Xion is Eternity ~Memory of Light and Waves~ (piano cover)
(Kyle Landry)
"Have you been practicing?" Vanitas smirks, as Xion effortlessly blows through scales and arpeggios. "Yeah." she says, smiling.
"Looks like you're too good for simple stuff like this. Let's try an exercise in fast note-playing." She notices he is a bit softer to her, the edges of his personality smoothing out for her. Vanitas no longer insults her outright, instead teasing and flirting with her.
He motions for her to copy what he's playing and Xion copies him with a few mistakes. Now he's walking towards her, and standing behind her, Vanitas guides her hands again.
"You're making simple mistakes." he scolds, guiding her hands along the bow. "You just wanted an excuse to touch me." teases Xion, leaning her head back for a fraction of a second.
"Remember what I said about pretty girls?"
Xion is blushing furiously again, and he lets go of her hands. "Play it by yourself now." She plays it again, and this time, plays it perfectly. "I thought you would screw up again." says Vanitas, another smirk on his face. "As usual."
"The only one who's messing up here is you. With piano." she retorts. "I'll catch up." says Vanitas, and now they're both laughing, because they both know that's a lie. "I'll beat you at your own game." laughs Vanitas, and now Xion is doubled over, her lungs wheezing with lack of oxygen from laughing.
Their euphoria fades away, and Xion is left sitting on the ground. "Let's just go home for today. You're clearly ahead of schedule, so just pick a simple song to start practicing." he says, packing his own violin away. She packs hers away too, and they're both standing together, a violin case in each of their right hands.
"Want me to walk you to your bus?" murmurs Vanitas softly, and now Xion knows that he's making an offer of something more towards her, because his voice is much too soft to be flirting or teasing. She takes it. "Yeah. That'd be nice." she responds, tucking another stray hand behind her ear.
He switches his case to his left hand, and reaches for her hand. Surprised, Xion almost jerks her hand away from him. He notices this, and doesn't try again, leaving his own hand by his side. "Sorry. I was startled." smiles Xion, reaching for his hand. She's a little nervous, being this near to him, but Vanitas squeezes her hand gently and starts to walk, and she forgets about everything else.
The next two days are piano days for Vanitas. He improves dramatically, and by Friday, his hands now being able to fly through notes almost as fast as Xion can. "Maybe I am just as good as you are." he says, sticking out his tongue. Xion raises her eyebrow, and pushing him off the piano bench, plays a grandiose scale. "What was that you said?" she smiles. Vanitas doesn't say anything.
"Don't worry." says Xion, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll catch up." she says mockingly, and he rolls his eyes and looks away. Vanitas holds her wrist, and the air isn't casual, it's romantic and soft, and everything Xion wants from him.
And then she changes the air again.
"I still think you should come over though." she says. "There's a lot of things I could teach you in more than just one or two hours here." He agrees, and stands up, exhaling. "Is practice over?" he says, and now his voice is soft again, and so is the air, and now he extends his hand towards her. She takes it eagerly, inadvertently tripping into him in the process. "Clumsy." he teases, supporting her up gently. "I don't know what you're talking about." she says, leaning on him.
Their faces are a little too close, but Xion is the only one blushing. She angles her head a little, standing up on her tippy-toes. His hands are on her waist, and her hands are on his chest. Their lips are literally centimeters apart, and-
He pulls back, and he laughs at her. "You should've seen the look on your face!" But Xion is not smiling, she is angry and embarrassed, and she slaps him. Hard.
He doesn't say anything after that, and she walks to her bus with tears in her eyes.
They don't talk, or meet up for practices for a week. She doesn't want to talk to him, because she feels embarrassed and humiliated, and most of all, rejected. But all of her friends continue to tell her to make up with him, that it was just a slip-up for them.
It's another Saturday morning, and she's practicing violin. Xion hasn't touched it in a week, but she doesn't want to let go of her newfound talent. She hears her phone start ringing.
It's him. She doesn't know how he got her number, but she picks it up anyway.
"Hey." he says quietly.
"Hi."
"Can I...um...come over?" he says.
There's a period of silence between the two. Finally, Xion clears her throat and says, "I don't think that's the best idea." More silence. "Sorry." she adds.
He chuckles awkwardly, and says, "Yeah. Um, me too. See you later."
She closes her phone, and leans on the piano for a few minutes, ignoring the jarring notes she's created. Xion closes her eyes, and picks up her phone again.
Xion is glad her parents are out again, and she gets out of her pajamas, into tights that go down to her knees, and a checkerboard shirt. She's done combing her hair, when she hears the ring of the doorbell. She walks downstairs, and opens up the door.
Her heart skips a beat, and his ashy coal hair isn't helping her either.
"Hi." she says, letting him in. Clearly, he's impressed with her house, as he mumbles a hello, while staring up at the vastness of her house with an expression that clearly said, "Holy shit."
She giggles a bit at the thought, and says, "Are you just gonna keep staring at my house until it gets late?" Vanitas snaps back to reality and looks at her. "Yeah. Where's your piano?" he asks, still marveling at the large expanse of her home.
"Over here. Come on." she says, leading him downstairs to a large white room, with a checkerboard tiled floor, and a large black piano.
He sits down and starts to play.
Hours pass. Vanitas's head hurts from all the notes and the sounds, but Xion is chirping happily about piano techniques and certain songs, that he tries not to mind it. But after 4 hours of playing piano straight, Vanitas finally says, "I need a break, Xion."
Xion nods her head, and they sit on the floor together. "I'm hungry~" whines Xion, while Vanitas closes his eyes and relaxes. "Go find some food then. It's your house." he says, staring at her.
"I'm lazy."
Vanitas rolls his eyes, and Xion walks upstairs, scavenging her kitchen for a snack. She returns with a package of Pocky, a chocolate stick in her mouth. She nibbles on it until finally swallowing it, and then reaching for another one.
"Want to play the Pocky game?" he asks suddenly. "What's that?" she asks.
Finally, the trademark Vanitas smirk returns to his face. "Come here." he says, and she does so. "Give me a Pocky."
She hands him a stick, and he sticks the chocolate end in his mouth. "Come closer." he mumbles through the stick in his mouth. Xion inches closer, suspicious, but then Vanitas grabs her hips, picks her up, and drops her on his lap.
She is glowing red again, and he moves in closer, and mumbles, "Open your mouth." Xion says no, and this time, it is a violent no, something that Vanitas should take seriously, Xion almost jerks away from him, but his arms are too damn strong, and he's trying to keep her in his lap, but she's thrashing, because she doesn't trust him, she doesn't want to be humiliated, until Vanitas grabs her chin.
"Calm down." he murmurs. "It's just a game. Open your mouth." She does so this time, and he sticks the other end of the stick into her mouth, and she almost breaks the stick in half from surprise. "Sit up." he mumbles, his hands on her hips.
Xion is still scared, scared that he will laugh at her, and that it'll end up like last time. But she wants to trust him again, to take another chance, and so she closes her eyes, and inches closer to his face, while he does the same. They're in the same position as last time, only centimeters apart, and this time, Xion can feel his grips on her hips tightening, and she's closing her eyes, and-
She's the one who breaks apart. Vanitas is almost surprised as she is, amber gold eyes widened with shock. Xion mumbles out a, "You s-should see the look o-on y-our face." Vanitas grabs her head with one hand, and brings it very, very close to his.
"You don't steal my lines, Xion."
She feels his soft lips crash against her own. Xion almost sighs in relief, opening her eyes. Putting her arms around his neck, and he grunts, falling onto the floor. It feels weird, straddling him, inhaling the deep scent of cinnamon and coffee, and having someone's hands grope her ass and her thighs. But Xion is feeling something in her stomach, something that feels weird and warm, and she likes being gripped so tightly, and she's kissing him, and that's all that matters. This is kiss is soft, and Xion whimpers as Vanitas makes his way into her mouth. It's tongue against tongue, with him tickling hers with his, and Xion sucking harder on his lips.
They finally break apart, and she's panting, and he's holding her head close to his neck. And then, with Xion squealing with surprise, he picks her up by her thighs, kissing her against the wall. Her legs are wrapped around his waist, and this kiss is a lot fiercer than before. The scent of coffee and cinnamon is overpowering, in fact, it is the only thing Xion can smell as Vanitas violates her lips with his own. Xion is pulling on his hair in pleasure, and all she wants to feel is his hands on her waist, and his lips on her own. Vanitas has her on the ropes, because she is whimpering for more, with her arms around his neck and hair.
He breaks away, and Xion breathes in and out. Xion's legs are still tightly fastened around his waist, and she's still leaning against the wall. "Sorry about last week." he says, kissing her neck and collarbones. "It's okay." she murmurs back into his cinnamon scented hair. He sets her down gently, and she's standing against the wall, with her hands on his hips, and this feels wrong and weird and-
Xion looks up into his eyes. They bore back into hers.
She places a hand on his cheek hesitantly, and Vanitas slips her hand into his.
They fly through lessons and school, and it's another month gone.
They love each other more than anything now, and it's like they're in a competition, trying to see who loves each other more. He likes to hold hands and cuddle surprisingly, and she likes to hug and be hugged.
"Hey Xion." he says, kissing her on the cheek from behind. "Vanitas!" she happily chirps, running her hand through his hair. He grunts appreciatively, slips his hand around her waist, and asks, "How was your day?"
"Good. Wanna come over today?" she asks. Vanitas responds, "Are your parents home?" Xion laughs, and it sounds bright and just radiant. "They should be at work today, but honestly, you can't keep avoiding them forever. They're really nice people. I'm sure they'll like you."
Vanitas grumbles, and slips his hand into hers.
"You've reached a plateau, Xion." says Vanitas, crossing his arms. "What the hell does that supposed to mean?" scowls Xion, a frown plastered on her face. "It means you have a wall to break through. You have great technique, but now you need to focus more on the emotional development of the music."
Xion is shaking her head, saying, "No, there's got to be something more before that, something better-"
But Vanitas is looking at her with a mix of pity and amusement. "No. It means you need to practice with emotion. Your fingering and posture is really good, as good as mine even, but you play without passion. Without emotion."
Xion purses her lips. "So what emotion?" she says. The raven haired girl is flirtatious now, because practice time is over, the goal is set, and now they're alone. He walks towards her, and she's smiling and placing her arms around his neck. "Depends what song." he mutters, as he leads her over to the piano bench. They sit down, and she's in his lap, her arm around his neck. He tilts his head down, burying his own face into her neck, planting little kisses on her collarbone.
"I love you." she sighs, and her nose is in his hair, and all she can smell again is his cinnamon and coffee scent.
"I know." he mutters with a small smile on his face, and she can't help but smile too.
They're holding hands, and she opens the door with her key. "I can't help but feel amazed every time I see your hou-" begins Vanitas, before a loud, cheery voice interrupts him. "Xion! I'm glad to see you home. Looks like you brought someone with you~" smiles another black haired woman, with cheery brown eyes. "Mom!" says Xion, with a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Mrs. Kisaragi." says Vanitas curtly, with a hint of fear in his eyes, and extends his hand. "Please, call me Yuffie." she takes his hand, and shakes it vigorously. "Any friend that's a male is a friend in my house." she adds, nudging Xion in the ribs. "Mom." she grumbled, leading Vanitas by the hand to the piano room.
"I thought you said your mom and dad wouldn't be home!" whispered Vanitas to Xion, as Xion sat down on the piano seat hurriedly. "I said I wouldn't know. My dad works as part of the Turks, and my mom goes along with him on missions."
"The fucking Turks? Aren't they some sort of secret as shit black ops operations?" asked Vanitas, his eyes widening with surprise. "Listen, just calm down. My dad isn't gonna taze you or anything. But try to agree to everything they ask of you, like dinner or something." says Xion, pulling out some practice books.
With his hands shaking slightly, Vanitas began to play.
"Your posture is messed up, and it's not from anxiety from my parents." chided Xion, tapping his hands lightly after a few minutes of playing basic warm-ups and scales. Vanitas only grumbled. Xion continued, "Looks like you've gotten lazy. You've been practicing alright, but you've been practicing a mistake."
Xion sat next to Vanitas, who had a rather confused expression on his face. "The hell does that mean?" he muttered, as Xion showed him her posture. "See how upright my hands are?" He glanced at her hands and saw perfectly curved fingers in position for playing and a very relaxed wrist slightly above the piano. He nodded and made a deep sound with his throat.
"This is your posture." she said, immediately slumping her wrist.
"It isn't that bad." defended Vanitas, a little offended. "Fine. Maybe I exaggerated a little. But that's still a big mistake you need to fix, or it'll become a habit." warned Xion, returning her hands back to the sides of her hips.
"Okay, okay. I'll fix it. Can we move onto the song we've been practicing?"
Xion nodded, and rolled her eyes at his impatience. With that attitude, how in the world would he learn to improve his techniques? He began, and almost instantaneously, Xion stopped him. "Stop smashing the keys. Act as if your fingers are made of glass."
He complied, but Xion wasn't impressed. "Lighter. Airier." she demonstrated. "Only go down half of the key as a guide. Make sure you're still able to hear the note though." Vanitas nodded again, but barely improved. "Again." commanded Xion, crossing her arms and relaxing in her chair.
This process was repeated over and over again with different parts of the song. Vanitas would be able to go on for another six or seven measures, before Xion stopped him in order to correct a technicality, which Vanitas would take a few minutes to fix. As the minutes turned into hours, the air began to smell fragrant with the aroma of herbs and spices m emanating from the kitchen, and both Xion and Vanitas were beginning to drool.
Finally, Xion's stomach began to growl noticeably. "You're hungry." teased Vanitas playfully, leaning back on the piano bench. "I am." agreed Xion, a small smile on her face. "Aren't you? We've been at this song for nearly two hours." Practice with Vanitas was satisfying, as it made her happy to see him progress, but it tired her out both mentally and physically.
"Mom! Is Vanitas staying over for dinner?" yelled Xion, walking up the stairs back to the ground floor.
"If he pleases to do so!" a voice yelled back.
"Say yes. I'm changing out of this stupid uniform." muttered Xion, walking upstairs to her room. Vanitas looked to her for a little more guidance, but she only glared back. "I'd have to call my parents, Mrs. Kisa-I mean, Yuffie." he called back. Taking a seat on the couch, Vanitas closed his eyes and took deep breaths.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a man in a suit with a crimson red tie stepped in. "I'm home." he called out to no one in particular. His face was impassive as he scanned over Vanitas, and he lifted a hand to brush some of his bangs out of his face. "And who might you be?" he asked, setting down his suitcase and unbuttoning his jacket.
"I'm Vanitas Caelum. Xion's violin tutor-teacher and her student at piano." responded Vanitas, taking a closer look at the man.
He had sharp, cold red eyes, with black hair slightly in the way of his face, and slight wrinkles on his forehead revealed his true age. "I'm Xion's father. Vincent."
The older male extended a hand, and Vanitas shook his firmly. "Did Xion invite you over for dinner?"
Vanitas shook his head. "I have to call my parents first."
The older male laughed, a hollow bark similar to a dog's. "Please. I insist you stay. I doubt that not calling your parents about eating dinner at a friend's house is not the lightest crime you've inflicted upon them."
Vanitas could only smile nervously as he nodded. Xion came walking down the stairs, now out of her school uniform, and into something much more casual. "Hey Dad. This is Vanitas. He's-"
"I know. Time for dinner, Xion." he said, walking over to the kitchen.
Xion looked at Vanitas with a look that clearly said, 'What's going on?' Vanitas shrugged, and Yuffie called, "Time for dinner, kiddos! It's pot roast tonight!"
For the first time in a long time, Vanitas was very, very nervous.
Song played was Kingdom Hearts - Utada Hikaru - Hikari (piano cover) by Kyle Landry
"Dinner smells good, Mom." remarked Xion, taking a seat at the table earnestly. Vanitas was about to make sure he sat directly across from her, before her father took that seat instead. Hastily re-positioning himself, Vanitas hurried to the seat next to Xion, not wanting to be next to the older man's icy aura. Yuffie seemed to be a ray of sunshine, happily taking out the pot roast from the oven and opening it on the dinner table. Beads of water trickled down the pot's cover, and steam emanated from the pot, leaving a savory smell in the air.
"I have some rice to go with this, everyone." said Yuffie, hurrying to the rice cooker. Taking out the pot within, she set it down on the table. As everyone began to serve themselves, Vincent asked, "How long have you been teaching Xion violin?"
Vanitas knew the hidden question behind this one. 'How long have you been in contact with my daughter?' But, not wishing to lie to his girlfriend's daughter, he replied, "Since the beginning of the school year. Doesn't she practice at home?"
Although Vincent's face and actions did not betray any feelings nor thoughts, Yuffie gave it away by suddenly taking a lot of interest in pushing around her rice into her stew. Vanitas had hit a sensitive spot, at least for Xion's mother. "Oh, I'm sorry, are you not home often?" he cautiously asked, taking a sip of water after.
Xion seemed to take notice, and lightly tapped Vanitas's foot as a warning.
"We have a lot of business related work. It is a shame that we cannot see Xion more often. When she was younger, putting work after her was easy, but as Xion is now sixteen, I daresay she can take of herself." These sentences seemed to end the subject, and a very awkward silence seemed to settle over the room.
"Vanitas is really good at piano. He's a very quick learner. Almost as good as me." said Xion suddenly, wishing to break the tension. "I'm okay. Not a pro like her." faked chuckled Vanitas, taking another bite of his food.
"Xion has always loved piano. I'm sure you feel the same way about violin." said Yuffie warmly, glad for the break in silence. Vanitas could only nod, as Vincent's red eyes began to bore holes into him. Eventually, Vanitas accidentally met his gaze, and was transfixed in it. Yuffie, noticing her husband's stare-off with Vanitas, quickly interrupted the two by asking, "Vincent, can you pour me another cup of water? I think I burned my tongue a little."
Finally breaking away, Vanitas sighed internally, as Vincent walked into the kitchen, filling up a glass of water with ice in it. Meanwhile, Xion looked rather distressed, absentmindedly pushing around her food in her plate.
Noticing Xion's fidgeting, Yuffie also quickly asked, "Does anyone want dessert? I have a really good sea-salt ice cream that I made a few days ago!" Vanitas nodded politely, leaning slightly back on his chair. Vincent returned with the glass as Yuffie headed to the freezer. While generously scooping out portions of the ice cream, Xion stole a glance at Vanitas. His gold eyes were mostly relaxed, but still had a hint of caution and slight fear in them.
He looked at her full on, and her hearts skipped a beat. Their hands brushed, and Xion felt a slight shock shudder through her body.
But the rest of the night seemed to pass quickly for Xion. As they complimented and ate more and more ice cream, Xion felt butterflies flapping in her stomach, none of them soothed by the ice cold salty-sweetness of her mother's dessert. As she watched her father study Vanitas, the question of whether her father approved of him became more and more prominent in her mind.
As her father took a visit to the restroom, Xion began to hurry Vanitas out. "You should go. We'll talk tomorrow. I promise." she quickly mutters. Vanitas, about to argue, looks at her worried face. Glancing at Yuffie, who was occupied by putting away the rest of the ice cream, he kisses her on the forehead quickly and says, "Thanks for dinner, Xi." In a louder voice, he says, "Thank you, Yuffie! I really have to go though. Send your father my regards."
Xion nodded, and closed the door behind him. As her father opened the door from the bathroom, Xion hurried up the stairs, her stomach writhing with discomfort.
There weren't any tears, just the unsettling memory of the stare-down between Vanitas and her father. Xion laid in her bed, cuddling up in the thin sky blue sheets. After what seemed to be an eternity, her father finally knocked on the closed door, but entered anyway.
There wasn't a hello, just a Xion rubbing her stomach in a vain attempt to soothe the anxiousness that resided within her.
"I like him." he said, not looking at his daughter. The flapping butterflies seemed to flap a little quieter now, the nervousness beginning to die down a little. "But I know when people are full of shit." The flapping butterflies seemed to roar up again, right before her father's next words.
"Xion. You didn't tell me you were into bad boys." her father said, a rare smirk on his face. Xion seemed to smile nervously, and tried to defend her boyfriend, saying, "But he's nice. To me. And he gets high grades and he's really good at violin. He's just sorta-"
"I know, I know. Uncle Zack was like that too. Party hard, and still somehow get top grades, sometimes even better than mine. And I also know you two have and still are digging into each other," he said, while Xion furiously blushed, "And that's okay. As long as we're keeping up with our studies and keeping everybody happy, I'm fine with him."
"Good night, Xion." he finally said. Xion relaxed into her bed, smiling to herself. These were one of the few moments where her father had actually said more than a few sentences. She couldn't wait until tomorrow to tell her father-approved boyfriend her news.
Xion entered the room, expecting to see her smirking boyfriend warming up on the piano. When she entered, no one was there. Xion could barely take a breath before someone placed their hand over her eyes. Xion screamed in fear, and a cackle of laughter. Both blushing and angry, Xion punched Vanitas on the arm, who was doubled over with laughter.
"That wasn't funny!" frowned Xion, punching him again on the arm. Vanitas wiped a tear from his eye, and replied, "Maybe not to you, but to me, that was gold."
Xion sat down at the piano bench, and punching Vanitas again on the arm just for good measure, began playing a grandiose scale to warm up. "I can do that too now, you know." smirked Vanitas, pushing her over gently.
He imitated her nearly perfectly, his fingers flying through the notes, with only a sour note at the end. Impressed, Xion smiled and touched him on the shoulder gently. "I forgive you for scaring me." she whispered into his ear, kissing his cheek gently.
By the end of the practice, Vanitas had displayed all of his skills, from scales to arpeggios, to simple melodies to complex ones. Xion in return, showed him fast and simple melodies, and her well-practiced vibrato.
After practicing a simple song together, Vanitas opened the window, letting in a breeze. It knocked many of the music sheets onto the ground, and Vanitas sheepishly said, "Sorry." Xion shook her head, and began picking them off the ground.
"We're moving at a good pace, Vanitas. By the end of April, we should start preparing a song." said Xion, a small smile on her face. As she collected the various music sheets scattered over the floor and piano, Vanitas sneaked up behind her, and gently grabbed her waistline. "You look nice today." he murmured, as she leaned her head back to kiss him on the neck.
Practice time was over, and now Vanitas was leading her back to the piano bench. She practically sat on his lap, her arms around his neck, and they breathed in and out, nose to nose. "My dad likes you." she reveals, loosening Vanitas's red uniform tie. Vanitas snorted, "Clearly. Everybody does. Even you.".
"That wasn't what your face said yesterday during that stare down." she giggled, twisting a piece of his hair around her finger. Vanitas rolled his eyes, Shaking her head, Xion kissed him. It was soft and chaste, and Xion melted into his grasp.
"He knows you're totally full of shit though." giggled Xion, as Vanitas assaulted her neck with kisses and gentle suckles. "Don't leave any marks, you idiot. Mom and dad will freak." she whispered, kissing his neck too.
Suddenly, Mr. Meyd opened the door in the middle of their make-out session. Mr. Meyd asked with amusement, "Am I interrupting something here?". Xion shook her head, blushing furiously, and immediately took a seat next to Vanitas. "Do you guys mind if I can take a look at where you guys are at?" asked Mr. Meyd, taking a seat.
The couple displayed their talents to the older teacher, who was impressed and immediately began complimenting and praising them. This led into a conversation about inspiration, and how the song has to fit their skills.
"You've got to choose a song that's amazing, a song that is just beautiful for the two of you to play, something that will speak to the audience. It's late April now, and the concert is in June. You've got about a month to practice a song. You've both got the skill by now, and I really trust you guys to pick out a great song."
Xion and Vanitas sat next to each other on the piano bench, both of them having sort of blanked out on Mr. Meyd's overly long and boring lecture on how their music was clearly representing the elegance and grace of Xion and the fire and mischievousness of Vanitas. Finally, after what seemed to be an hour, Mr. Meyd finally clapped Vanitas on the shoulder and said, "Well. I think that's enough talking for now. I'll just leave you two to decide what song you two will play."
Xion giggled a little, and said, "I think that's enough talking for the rest of the week, Mr. Meyd." The older teacher chuckled nervously, and promptly left the room.
"Do you wanna choose the song, or do you want to..." drifted off Xion, clasping his hand into hers, and breathing in his cinnamon-coffee scent. Vanitas chuckled and kissed her neck. "Look at you." he muttered into her ear, "You're beautiful." Xion blushed, and whispered back, "I'm guessing it's a no that you don't want to choose a song."
Vanitas pecked her neck and collarbone with kisses. "I do want to choose a song. Right after I'm done with you." he muttered huskily through kisses. "You just can't keep yourself away from me, can you?" giggled Xion, bending her neck allowing him more access.
He finally broke apart from her, and she's leaning her head on his shoulder. She sat on his lap, his warm hands on her exposed thighs, while she wrapped her arms closer around his neck. Kissing was fiery and passionate, but cuddling was what Xion loved the best. Vanitas was warm and a radiator of heat, a heat that quenched all of Xion's needs, physical and mental. Glancing at the clock, Vanitas finally groaned and tried to stand up with Xion's added weight. Almost falling off, Vanitas caught her arms, and giggling, Xion pulled herself up.
"Let's go to the buses." she said, clasping her hand in his. He took the first step, walking out the door.
She's stomping her foot in frustration, because he is just, so, so very stupid. "I told you already Vanitas, it's on beat three! Get your shit together!" she yells, readying her own playing position. Vanitas doesn't have a grin or smirk on his face either, because the one thing that he hates is when she's angry at him. He looks down at the keys of the piano blankly, with a mixture of shame and anger in his heart.
Xion sees him, and her heart fractures a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." she mumbles. He shakes it off and rolls his eyes. "I'm fine." She sits down next to him on the piano bench. "Maybe we should choose another so-"
"Don't. I can get this. Just give me a minute." gulps Vanitas, breathing in and out.
Xion nods, and looks at the clock. The day is still not over, and there's still time left.
He begins. It's a simple string of notes that he's practiced over and over, and he goes through them impeccably. She follows along a mere second after. The melody strings note after note together smoothly, and both of their hands are sweating.
There are numerous breaks in the song for Xion, and most of the stress and pressure is on Vanitas. They accelerate and play louder, harder, faster. Measure after measure is being played, and they move quickly over the spot Vanitas made a mistake on and continue to play, and now the notes aren't even coming from the music, it's from their hearts.
The end of the song comes for the both of them, Xion is done playing, with Vanitas ending the song. She looks at him and it's their first meeting all over again. His black unruly hair. His wrinkled uniform. Except it's him on the piano, gently playing through the last few notes, and she's falling head over heels for him all over again and-
The song ends.
"That was okay. There are still some parts we need to work on, but I think-" Xion walks over to Vanitas, and sits down next to him, "-we'll be okay for now."
Vanitas smiles at her, and Xion smiles back, nuzzling her nose against his.
Song played was: Kingdom Hearts - Passion (violin, piano) FT. Josh Chiu,
By Kyle Landry
Weeks fly by, and it's suddenly hot and everybody is studying for finals and looking forward to the summer. While he's warming up, Vanitas catches her fidgeting during the beginning of practice. Xion is looking out the window, looking for some sort of a distraction, and Vanitas wants to know what's going on.
"What's wrong?" he asks, gently grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him. She doesn't answer, and looks away again. "Tell me what's wrong." he says, and this time, it's not a question nor a polite request, it's a command.
"I'm really nervous." admits Xion, biting her lip. She looks a little pale, as if she's seen a ghost.
"About the concert?" asked Vanitas, an eyebrow raised.
Xion nods, and Vanitas smiles at her with amusement. He pulls her closer to him. He can smell her hair, and she smells sweet, like brown sugar. "What the hell is wrong with you, Xi?" he murmurs through her hair. She laughs a little, and it's music to his ears.
"We're gonna do fine. It's the other kids that are in the concert that you should be worried about."
Xion shakes her head, and hugs him hard.
"Of course." she replies.
They start practicing the song after that. They iron out the mistakes and polish off each measure, with Xion leading many of the parts. Vanitas keeps along, stealing glance after glance at her playing the violin. Practice is over after what seems like an eternity, and Vanitas can't stop himself from going after her any longer. He kisses her on the lips, and she doesn't even have a chance to put her violin down, and she smells like sugar, and she's kissing back, and she has her hands all tangled up in his hair, and they love each other so, so much.
She relaxes into his embrace, and he nibbles on her earlobe. After the two of them have calmed down, Vanitas says, "The concert's a week after finals. We've got the song down. Just relax."
Xion looks much calmer now, with some color having returned to her face. But she's still worried, still a little unsure about the performance. But she lets the doubts fall from her mind. "Let's hold hands on the way to the buses." she mumbles, after a few minutes have passed.
He lets her go.
"I don't think I've ever once taken you out for a date, Xi." smirks Vanitas, pulling on her short sleeve. "You haven't! You meanie." teased Xion, sticking out her tongue. It's the last day of finals, and it's a sunny, bright day.
"Let's go to the carnival today then. We'll have lots of fun." he grins, gently poking her sides. Xion squeals and slaps him on the arm lightly. Lunch has just started, and the two play around and tease each other for the rest of the day.
"Get in the car." orders Vanitas, and Xion happily complies. "How far away is it?" she asks, strapping on her safety belt. "Not far. Trust me." he grins, backing out of the parking space.
They ride for a while, with the wind blowing in her face, and she looks on in amazement as they near the carnival. He parks nearby, and Xion is still staring in amazement. A massive Ferris wheel towers over the park, with countless little shops scattered through it, and a roller coaster that stretched all over the park. "It's amazing." whispered Xion.
"Let's go then." Vanitas says, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along.
"Can we go ride the Ferris wheel, Vani?" she pouted. Vanitas wrapped an arm around her waist, and nodded. He gently poked her side, and she almost screamed out in shock. "Vanitas! Don't do that!" she chided, ruffling his hair.
"First off, I didn't do anything. Second of all, I know you like it when I do that." he smirked, walking towards the Ferris wheel. She scoffed, and slapped him gently on the arm. They paid 10 munny each for the ride, and they entered the compartment, with Xion sitting on his lap. The ride started, and they rose up into the sky. The two of them looked out the window of the compartment, and Xion sighed, "It's beautiful."
"Like me." snickered Vanitas, wrapping both his arms around her waist.
"Yes, you're very handsome, Vanitas." scoffed Xion, rolling her eyes.
The rest of the ride consisted of Vanitas kissing her shoulders and neck, and Xion relaxing into his embrace. Finally, the two got off, with Xion's neck feeling warm and loved. The day turned into night, with the stars coming out overhead, and the street lights beginning to glow.
Holding hands, the couple walked down the street, Xion often pointing out beautiful souvenirs, and with Vanitas making snide comments. Eventually, they settled on top of Vanitas's car, looking up at the sky together. "Thanks for the date today." said Xion, turning towards Vanitas, who had both his arms behind his head. "Huh? Oh. Yeah, it's no problem." replied Vanitas absentmindedly.
Xion giggled. "Got your mind on other things?" she asked, a gentle smile on her face.
"Got my mind on you." he said, sticking his tongue, and turning towards her. "That's sweet." she said, a bit of laughter escaping her lips again. He kissed her on the cheek, and said, "Get in the car. We're going home." said Vanitas, ruffling her hair.
With a small smile on her face, Xion nodded.
"I'm sorry, I just keep-" frowned Xion, tears in her eyes. "Xi, you can't do this, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry." he muttered, instantly embracing her. "I keep messing up there, and I'm gonna mess up at the performance, and that's not okay, that's-"
Vanitas shoved his pointer finger in her mouth. She looked up in surprise, keeping the finger in her mouth. "Just keep calm. We're gonna do fine. I told you already. We still have another day. It's nothing, it's just a slip of your finger." Vanitas reassured, while Xion continued to suckle on his finger. They started again.
But there was no perfect run-through after that, and Xion grew progressively worried measure after measure, note after note.
"Listen. I know we had a bad day, but we still have a practice tomorrow before the concert. We can do this." Vanitas tried reassuring again, but Xion was nearly in tears again, putting away her violin. "Can I play something for you?" asked Vanitas, grabbing her wrist.
"Sit next to me." he ordered, cupping her face gently.
Vanitas began to play, a simple string of notes connected to each other. The notes turned into a melody when the right hand was added, a beautifully simple melody, something that stretched across seas, something that stretched across skies. Xion seemed to feel better after the song, her eyebrows relaxing back somewhat.
"We'll be okay. We'll be okay." he repeated, but it seemed like he was trying to reassure himself more than Xion.
Song played was Summer, by Joe Hisaishi
Vanitas entered the practice room, a bag with his normal school clothes on his right arm, and his music sheets in his left hand. There stood Xion, practicing her violin. She looked alluring, dressed in a simple black dress that cut off at the lower thighs. Her skin was flawless, her hair slightly covering her sparkling blue eyes, and Vanitas almost choked on thin air upon seeing her.
She didn't notice him enter the room, too focused on her music. He used this opportunity to sneak up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist again. "Hey. You look beautiful." he admitted, and she arched her head back into his neck.
"I know. I'm just ironing out the mistakes. I've been practicing for a while now. It's okay, but without you, it's really nothing-" she said, before Mr. Meyd burst into the room. Before Vanitas could say a word, Mr. Meyd said, "Orchestra just finished. I know you guys are supposed to be last, but the band director has a very, very important call, and he needs you guys to go up first. I've put the audience on intermission, but you guys only have around ten minutes to practice before you go onstage."
All the color seemed to drain out of Xion's face. Mr. Meyd left after those few words, and Vanitas immediately headed to the piano. "Practice." he said simply, before beginning to play.
Practice felt like seconds passing through time, and before Xion knew it, she was walking down the hallway fast, with Vanitas holding her hand. "Vanitas, wait, I-" she said, before Vanitas turned the corner. He ignored her, trying to get the stage as quickly as possible. "Listen!" she yelled, and Vanitas stopped abruptly, looking at her in a mixture of shock and worry.
"I love you, okay? Even if you fuck up tonight." she giggled, tears in her eyes. Even with the color sucked out of her skin, and her hands trembling with the violin and bow in them, she still managed to look angelic in Vanitas's eyes.
Vanitas broke out into a smile, and shook his head. "You interrupted our stroll for that?"
The couple kissed, and walked into the backstage. Students and teachers ushered them behind the center of the curtain, and there they stoof. They were close to each other, with Vanitas whispering words of comfort. "We'll be fine." he said. Xion looked bothered though, a frown clearly plastered on her face. A few minutes passed, and as the announcement for the audience to begin heading back in the auditorium, Xion looked more bothered by the second.
Finally, everyone seemed to settle down in front of the curtain. The two of them heard Mr. Meyd begin to talk, and Vanitas saw her shaking from anxiety. "It'll be alright. Let's hold hands." He entwined his fingers with her clammy ones, and the curtain was opened, revealing the couple.
"I'd like the audience to give Xion Kisaragi and Vanitas Caelum a warm round of applause." Applause followed, along with several recognizable cheers from Kairi, Sora and some other friends. "They will be playing not the instruments they're known for, but the opposite! Vanitas will be playing the piano, while Xion will be playing the violin! They've worked really hard all year, and I hope you enjoy!"
There was utter silence as Vanitas reluctantly released Xion's hand, and walked to the piano. Xion herself got into position and waited for Vanitas.
The first note of the song was played.
"Thanks so much!" smiled Xion, as she was handed another bouquet of flowers. Everyone swarmed the couple after the concert, praising their abilities and talent for music. Parent after parent, friend after friend, everyone congratulated them on their piece. "What, I don't get some flowers?" grinned Vanitas, punching Riku lightly on the arm. "You guys did really well. I'll see you guys at the after-party. It's at Sora's house." Riku said, walking away.
As the minutes passed, the last of the crowd ebbed away, leaving only a few people quietly discussing the concert. "Let's go to the practice room." said Vanitas, nudging her gently. "Okay. But it's getting late and I really want to go to the after-"
"Just come." said Vanitas, rolling his eyes. He led her to the practice room, where there was nothing but the piano, and a few chairs. "This is where we met, you know." he said quietly, brushing his hands across her body. "I know. I'm glad I met you here, you know." said Xion.
"So am I." he said, before kissing her gently. "You did really well tonight." she said, loosening his tie. He nodded, and kissed her neck and collarbone. Minutes passed, but there weren't any breaks, nothing to interrupt them. It was only ten at night, and the after party would be starting around 12 or so.
"So what did you bring me down here for?" asked Xion, her arms around his neck.
Vanitas pulled a condom out of his pocket, smirking mischievously.
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note: Yes, folks, that is how the story ends! I know it had a shitty ending, but i crammed at the end really.
anyway, hopefully Vanitas will be getting some with Xion~ Happy Vanshion Day, haha!
And if you wanna know how long this story took me, I worked on this for over a year!
I really hope you review, because I would LOVE some feedback.
Some things to clear up:
Yes, Xion was a little snarky towards Vanitas in the beginning, and I noticed that I wasn't writing her to be as snarky anymore, but then I realized that it's natural, as Xion is becoming more and more comfortable with Vanitas.
Vanitas also did the same, became less and less snarky towards Xion, and more concerned about her and her well-being.
They are both seventeen years old, so the not written-out sex is probably legal, as I don't know the consent age of Destiny Islands/Twilight Town.
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Special thanks:
chococrepes: you probably won't read this story, buttttt, if you do, you MUST know that your story, Smile Again, inspired this story. Thanks you so much for your story, as it really did help me out making this story. (i didn't read the whole thing, but i did read some of it.)
ULTRA SPECIAL THANKS:
My beta-reader OmegaStarShooter14. She has helped out with the plot, grammar, etc. of the story ever since she became my beta-reader, and I'd really like everybody to go check out her stories and leave some reviews and such~ Really special thanks to her!
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My readers: I know you guys love me, and I love you guys too. So please, as an act of love, PLEASE FAVORITE, REVIEW, ALERT, ETC. anything you can do to show your support. I really want to hear your feedback, and it really helps me update and such.
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anyway, thanks so much.
yours truly,
-truth