Helloooo! Laci here, even though Kat's doing the uploading. I still lack proper computer access, so she'll be doing that for a while.
There's not much to say here really. Mostly, we just hope you like the chapter. It's all a little slow right now, but things will sort of pick up soon. Fun stuff will be happening, at least in my opinion.
Anyway, enjoy!
September 17, 2011
Vanitas looked at the boy asleep on his bed. Vanitas had been rougher on him than he usually was on his human toys, but he had put quite a lot of effort into the blonde. If he was willing to use that much compulsion on a human, the human was going to give Vanitas everything he had.
Besides, Ventus was a virgin. It was bound to be a rough go for the boy, anyway. At least this way, he would enjoy his first time, whether he liked it or not.
Vanitas was in a particularly good mood. His hunger was sated for a few days, he had fun with the blonde, and he did not get caught. Vanitas was going to have to take care of the bite marks littering the blonde human's skin, though. He could not leave the boy with all the scars, or it would draw attention. If he was going to keep this toy around, Van would need to make sure he was discreet.
Using saliva, Vanitas healed up some of the open wounds. Once Ventus was awake, Vanitas could feed him a little bit of blood to heal the bruises and more serious injuries. He would mark him as his own later, once the boy was all healed up.
There was no harm in letting the other vampires know that this human was his toy. The foolish humans would think it was a hickey and leave it alone.
Vanitas cleaned up the room a bit while he waited for the blonde to wake up. It was a few more hours before Ven's eyes finally opened.
"Hello Ventus," Vanitas said, smiling. "How are you?"
"I'm tired," Ventus mumbled, his eyes not quite focused yet.
"Know what will make you feel better?"
"What?"
Vanitas made a small cut on his wrist and held it out to Ventus. "Drink this."
"What?" Ven frowned.
"Trust me. It will make you feel better," Vanitas said, smiling at the blonde.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"And you're not lying?" Ventus asked, still sounding slightly uneasy.
Vanitas frowned, annoyed. "Stop questioning me and drink it."
Ven's hand shakily reached out and grabbed Van's wrist. He tentatively did as Vanitas said, and as Ventus drank, his bruises and remaining bite marks slowly started to fade. Vanitas watched the small boy's skin to gauge how much of his blood to give the boy.
"Stop now," Vanitas said once Ventus' skin was once again unblemished. "Don't you feel better?"
Ven let go of the wrist and sat back some, nodding.
"That is why you should stop questioning me, Ventus. When I say something, you should obey me the first time," Vanitas chastised.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Vanitas said, smiling down at Ventus' apologetic face. "Now, there's one mark that I'm going to put back, okay? It will look just like a hickey, so no one will think it is weird. It will keep you safe from other people like me."
"Okay."
Vanitas made sure to look directly into Ventus' eyes for the next part. It was important that the blonde obey him, or things could go wrong. "If anyone asks you too many questions about it, you will report them to me, okay? I'll make the questions stop for you. It hurts your head when people ask you too many questions about me. If you tell me all about it, I can make the pain stop."
Ven nodded.
"Will you do that for me?"
"Mhmm," Ven said, sounding much less exhausted than before.
"Good." Vanitas leaned in and bit Ventus at the base of his neck. "There you go. You're mine now."
"Mhmm."
"Tell me where you live."
"The apartment complex on the edge of the college campus. In 813."
Vanitas nodded. That was easy enough to remember. "You are going to return there. You will not talk to anyone on your way. What is your cell phone number?"
Ventus told him the number.
"I will call you tonight. You will come meet me. Do you want to do what we did last night again?"
"I... I don't know," Ventus said, his voice shaking slightly.
"You do," Vanitas said firmly.
"I do?"
Vanitas looked in Ventus' eyes. "You always do. You enjoy it."
"Okay. Then, yes."
Smiling, Vanitas said, "Perfect. Now, it's time for you to leave."
"Okay."
"Ventus."
"Yes?"
"You're mine now. That means you can only have sex with me, okay?"
Ventus nodded.
Vanitas looked satisfied. "Goodbye, Ventus."
"Bye."
It was 10:00 AM when the door opened and Ventus finally walked into the apartment. Roxas was sitting at the table, nursing a hangover. He had stayed up most of the night waiting for his brother. He took a few short naps over the course of the night when he could not keep himself awake, and Axel had helped by waiting up with him for a while. Around five or six in the morning, though, Roxas shoved him off to bed so he could get a decent night's sleep.
Roxas looked up when he heard the door. "Ven?"
"Hey, Rox."
"You're home safely. I was a bit worried."
"I'm sorry."
Roxas shrugged. As long as Ventus was safe, a few hours didn't matter. "So."
"So."
"Details."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ven faked cluelessness.
Roxas rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Tell me about it. Who was the person?"
"You wouldn't know them."
"I know a lot of people."
Ven shrugged.
"Boy or girl?" Roxas asked.
Ven was quiet for a moment. "Boy."
Roxas grinned "Called it."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Twin instincts," Roxas said, nodding sagely.
"Bull."
Roxas just grinned. "Was he any good?"
"Very."
Roxas' grin widened. "Oh, really?"
"Yep."
"Was it a one-time deal?"
"I don't think so..."
Ventus started to look like he was getting uncomfortable, but Roxas was a pro at making his little brother uncomfortable on a daily basis, anyway. "Then you know the rule," he said, looking at his twin.
"Which rule?" Ven asked.
"Older brother's privileges. I have to meet this guy."
"I'll talk to him about it."
Roxas raised an eyebrow at that. "He already has you that whipped?"
"I'm not. He just comes off as a private person. I don't want to make him uncomfortable."
It was Roxas' turn to feel a bit uneasy. "How old even is this guy?"
"Um, like 20."
"Do you know that for a fact?"
"No..." Ven's uneasiness was increasing.
"What DO you know about this guy? What is his name?" Roxas could understand not knowing a thing about the guy if it was just a one-night stand, but if it was going to be more than that, he felt obligated to bombard Ven with questions.
"He... I… um..."
Roxas waited.
"I know it, but I can't say it."
Roxas made a face. "Huh? What the fuck does that mean?"
Ven shrugged. "I can't tell you his name."
"Why the fuck not?" Roxas looked at his brother strangely. Ventus seemed so nonchalant about it, but there was definitely something wrong with the situation.
"I don't know. Just let it go."
Roxas, of course, refused. "That's bizarre as hell, Ven."
"I know. Just stop, please," Ven pleaded. Roxas frowned, but catching Ventus' tone, he obeyed, shaking his head slightly.
"What did you get yourself into, Ven?"
"I don't know."
Roxas sighed. "I have a headache, or I'd push further."
"I'd prefer you not."
"Why not? You used to grill me about guys before Axe came along."
"Just... trust me and don't ask."
Although Roxas fully intended to bring up the issue again later, he knew he had to agree for the time being. "Fine. Like I said, though. I meet him or else."
"Like I said, I'll talk to him about it. It's not like I'm dating him or something, though."
"Thank god. If you can't even tell me his name, dating him would be not safe."
"I know," Ventus said.
"You promise you're safe?"
"Promise."
"Okay." Roxas held out his arms. "Give me a hug."
Ven walked over and hugged his twin.
"Love you, kid."
"I'm not a kid," Ventus insisted. "I'm only seven minutes younger than you."
"And you've got a third of my experience. I'm wondering if last night was a mistake."
"I... don't think it was."
That surprised Roxas. "You don't?"
"I don't know."
"At least you got sexed up, and you said that was good."
"Yeah."
"We should get a cake," Roxas said, grinning slightly. "Celebrating Ventus' devirginization."
"I will push your head into the table."
Roxas grinned. That was more like his brother. "You did use protection, like I told you to, right?"
Ven frowned and nodded.
"Good. So, that means you got sex AND you won't get a slew of diseases! Yay!"
"I was serious about the table," Ven threatened. "Stop now, Mr. Hangover."
"I'm just proud you like it up the ass. You're a true twin now."
Ven blushed, which only made Roxas grin wider.
"How long have you been trying to hide that you like dick?"
"A long time, Roxy."
"Why?" Roxas asked, sounding genuinely confused. "The parents don't give a fuck."
Ven shrugged. "I don't know. I just... didn't want to make them have to deal with both of their children..."
"We can adopt."
"It's not the same, though."
Roxas shrugged at him. "You can knock up a girl just for the sake of having a baby, if you'd like."
"...Ew."
"There's a reason I didn't volunteer to do it, though girls really aren't THAT bad."
"I don't like girls, Rox."
"They're okay," Roxas insisted. "I like girls, but I lean towards guys."
Ven shook his head.
"Do you EVER plan on telling them?"
"I'll have to eventually."
Roxas was glad that Ventus knew that much, at least. "If you want, I can be around when it happens."
Ven nodded, and Roxas actually took a good look at Ven. "You look tired. Guessing you didn't get a hell of a lot of sleep?"
"Maybe three or four hours."
"Head off to bed," Roxas insisted.
"Okay. Night, Rox. Even though it's..." Ven looked at the clock. "10:37am."
"Night, Ven."
Ven went to his room, but Roxas stuck around the kitchen. He knew that he would not be able to sleep if he tried.
He was worried about his brother.
Something wasn't quite right.
September 26, 2011
A week or so later, Axel and Roxas were walking around on campus. They had just finished their last class of the afternoon, and they were making their way back to their apartment. They were taking their time-it was a nice out, and they were in no hurry.
Riku was going through his rounds. Because Riku was younger, he always handled stuff at the university nearby. He would poke around during the day, listening for any news about attacks or missing humans. Sometimes, he would go to the parties at night on the campus, because that was often where trouble started.
As he was walking, he saw the short blonde and redhead. He had seen them when he was at the last party he attended, though he seriously doubted that either of them would recognize him. Riku knew that Roxas had been incredibly intoxicated, and he did not spend much time with the pair.
Roxas, however, deserved more credit than Riku was giving him. He poked Axel to get his attention. "Hey, look! It's that one kid. The one at the party,"
"Which one? There are lots of those."
"Kid with gray hair. Ri-something."
"Oh! That one." Axel looked around. "Where?"
"Over by the quad." Roxas pointed right at Riku.
Axel turned his attention that way. "Huh, look at that."
"We should say hello."
"If you want."
"I do." Roxas always wanted to go talk to people.
"Let's go, then."
Roxas grabbed Axel's hand and walked over to the boy. "Heya there, Riku!" he said, pulling the name out of his head. "What's up?"
Riku grinned, taking it in stride. He was a bit alarmed that the boy remembered his name. "Hello there, Roxas, Axel."
"Shrimpy here wanted to say hi, so hi," Axel said.
"What are you guys up to?" Riku figured it would benefit him to make some connections, especially since he was suspicious about the events that occurred at the party.
"Just got out of class."
"Fun," Riku said, making a face.
"Sure."
"It was!" Roxas insisted. "In a boring, kind of nerdy way."
"What class?"
"Econ," Roxas said, grinning.
"So boring," Riku said.
"Incredibly," Axel added.
Roxas poked Axel in the stomach. "It is not! It's ten times more interesting than that stupid literary analysis class you like so much."
"There is nothing wrong with it."
"It's a bullshit class, Axel. I could say that every book we are reading in that class is a big old symbol for sex, and as long as I was able to make up enough bullshit that it sounded legit, the prof. would give me an A."
"That's what makes it great," Axel insisted. "It's so easy."
"It's a waste of time."
"So why did you take it?"
Roxas shrugged. "Gotta get the English credit out of the way."
"Then don't complain."
Riku looked at the two. "Are you always like this?"
"Basically," Axel replied.
"And you live together?" Riku had remembered Roxas mentioning having an apartment together on the campus.
"Yep."
"How do you live in the same place without murdering each other?"
"Lots of sex," Roxas said, nodding sagely.
"What Shrimpy said."
"Not Shrimpy," Roxas said, poking Axel hard in the stomach.
"Ow! No sex for you tonight."
"Ven has a test tomorrow, anyway. He asked us to keep the sex noises to a minimum."
Axel frowned. "Well, with as often as he's gone..."
Riku looked at them. "Ven?"
"My twin brother," Roxas explained. "He lives with us in our apartment. He's been acting kinda funny lately, though."
"Oh? Funny how?" This was the inroad that Riku needed. Although Riku did not recognize the name, he did remember Roxas' twin brother quite clearly.
"He's been out a lot, even when he says he's staying in for the night," Axel explained.
"That's really weird. Any idea where he goes?"
"Not a clue," Axel said. "He won't tell us anything."
Roxas frowned. "It's starting to make me worried. He didn't used to have secrets. Everything changed when he met some boy at the party we met you at."
Nodding, Riku said, "Do you know the guy?"
Axel shook his head. "We can't even get a name out of the kid."
Riku raised an eyebrow. "Is it that he doesn't know it, or..."
"He says he knows it, but he can't tell. If we ask too many questions, he starts freaking out, warning us to stop. If we keep asking, he claims he has a headache and goes to nap for a while. Scary shit is going on."
That was all the confirmation Riku needed. At the party, Roxas had pointed out his brother, and Riku kept an eye on him. He knew there was something funny about the boy that approached the blonde. He looked a bit too much like Sora for Riku not to be suspicious, but actually watching the boy made Riku even more nervous.
That, coupled with Roxas' statements, left no doubt in Riku's mind. That kid, the boy who looked a bit too much like Sora, was probably a vampire. "Is he in now?"
Axel nodded. "Should be. He gets out of classes before us."
"You should meet him!" Roxas insisted. "He's a little weird and a little grumpy lately, but he's not all bad. Axe, don't you think he would like Ven?"
"Everyone likes Ven."
"He doesn't believe that, though," Roxas whispered, getting a bit too close to Riku for Riku to be entirely comfortable.
"I would love to meet your brother," Riku said, smiling and scooting away from Roxas slightly.
"Perfect! Let's go, then!" Roxas grinned and grabbed Riku's arm.
"Roxas," Axel said. "He can walk. You don't have to drag him." He had noticed the other boy's discomfort when Roxas got too close, and as Roxas's external sense of moderation, it was his job to stop the blonde.
Roxas spun around to look at Axel. "Axe, look at him. If he minded all that much, he could've tossed me to the ground by now."
"Some people have manners, Shrimpy."
"Having 'em and using 'em are different matters entirely," Roxas said, grinning. "I have 'em. I just don't need to use 'em. Riku's practically family now."
Axel just rolled his eyes. He'd tried.
Roxas saw Axel rolling his eyes, and he felt like he had to explain himself. "Axel, look at this guy. What do you see?"
"A person."
"Besides that."
"A boy person."
"A hot boy person," Roxas agreed. "That's not what I'm getting at, though."
"What are you getting at?"
Roxas poked at Riku's face. "He knows things. You can tell just by looking at him."
"So?"
"So his eyes went all recognition-y when we were talking about Ven, Axel. He knows things," Roxas insisted.
"Okay. But that doesn't mean you have to yank him around by the arm like he's some puppy that isn't leash-trained."
Roxas shook his head. "It means that I am going to get him back to our apartment and get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. If that means I drag him along a bit, I'm okay with that."
"Um..." Riku said, finally speaking up. Roxas turned to face him.
"Yes?"
"If it counts for anything, I have no idea what you mean," Riku insisted.
Roxas laughed at Riku. "You're a good liar, but you have trouble with your body language sometimes. It doesn't always match up."
Riku blinked. "I'll work on it?"
"Nah. I won't be able to tell if you're lying or not if you do that."
After a second of silence, Riku relented. "You know, for such an enormous spaz, you're not an idiot."
"Why thank you," Roxas said dryly. "What a wonderful compliment."
"You just haven't known him long enough..." Axel muttered.
Roxas finally let go of Riku so that he could tackle Axel into a tree. "Liar, liar, pants on fire."
"Good thing I like fire."
"Perfect," Riku said. "You two are in." He had made his decision. Leon would kill him for it later, but it did not matter.
"In?" Axel asked.
"You're going to have to like fire an awful lot if you want to help Ven."
"Why...?"
Riku sighed. "It's a long story."
"You'll have plenty of time to tell us when we get to the apartment."
"Great," Riku said. It was just finally hitting him that he would probably have to explain the situation to the two boys, which would not be fun or easy.
The trio finally reached the apartment.
"Ven, you around?" Roxas called.
"Kitchen!"
Roxas led Riku to the room. "We have a friend over. This is Riku."
Ven looked up from the tea he'd been drinking. "Hi."
"Nice to meet you," Riku said, nodding.
"You too."
"Riku is awesome, Ven. You should hang out with us."
"I'm studying, Rox."
"Are you staying in all night?" Roxas asked.
"That's the plan, yeah."
Roxas narrowed his eyes. "Promise you won't sneak out again this time?"
"...Promise."
"Good. If you do, I'm going to follow you."
"No," Ventus said sharply.
"Why not?"
Ven just shook his head, focusing on his teacup.
"You need to study, Ventus. School's way more important than your fuckbuddy." Roxas ignored the irony of the fact that it was him telling Ventus to focus on school. That only made the situation more disturbing.
"I know."
"Then why?" Roxas asked.
"I have to."
"Is he hurting you?"
"Do I look hurt?"
"You have that hickey that never goes away..."
Ven shrugged. "You've gotten hickeys from Axel before."
"They fade. I haven't seen you with your shirt off, lately, either. Are you sure he's not hurting you?"
"I'm fine."
Roxas narrowed his eyes. "You didn't answer my question."
"I'm fine. Drop it and let me study."
"You always talk about how good he is in the sack, but I've never heard you actually say a single fucking word describing what he is actually like as a person, Ven."
"Leave it alone, Roxas."
"How do I know you're not getting hauled into an alley and raped?"
"Roxas!"
"Hell, for all I know he's a serial rapist terrorizing young children."
Ven didn't say a word. Instead, he grabbed his stuff and retreated to his room.
"That went well," Riku said quietly.
Roxas looked at him. "Now you see what I mean?"
"He didn't say he had a headache," Riku pointed out.
"Didn't question him long enough for that."
Riku frowned. "Has anything else been different about him lately?"
"He's a lot more tired, but being out almost every night will do that, I guess," Axel piped up.
"He has nightmares when he does sleep," Roxas said. "He wakes up crying and refuses to tell us why."
"He only ever drinks hot tea or coffee lately."
"Warm drinks," Riku said, his voice quiet.
"Yeah."
"Fuck."
Axel frowned. "What's wrong?"
"When does he leave at night?" Riku asked.
"About midnight. Why?"
Riku mulled over his options before finally deciding that he might as well be honest with Axel and Roxas about what was going on. If they didn't believe him, that was their choice. "Would you think I was insane if I told you your brother was being used by a vampire?"
Roxas shook his head. "Nope!"
Axel looked at Roxas. "Weirdo. I'd want proof first."
"You know Mom always warned us to stay inside once it got dark for a reason."
"My mom never did. She just warned me to stay out of Reno's room once he got older."
Roxas sat down at the kitchen table. "Mom always said there were things that went out at night that were scary enough that we should stay inside. I thought she was being silly until..." Roxas frowned. "Axe, you remember all the attacks from when we were younger?"
Axel thought for a moment. "Yeah."
"They always happened at night. It was obvious the bodies had been beaten. Bones were snapped and limbs were bent funny. There were never any marks on them, though. There's something not natural about that."
"Okay, I see your point now. And he," Axel looked at Riku, "is saying one's got a hold of Ven? Then why's he still alive?"
"If all the bloodsuckers' victims showed up dead, the world would be an empty place," Riku said, shrugging.
"Point taken."
Roxas looked at Riku. "You're going to have to explain some of this stuff to us."
"Like what?"
"Like why it's fuck-worthy to know Ven's only drinking warm stuff. It's a little out of season but..."
Riku grimaced. "He's getting addicted to vampire blood."
Axel blinked. "Um, what?"
"If you check his body, I can guarantee that the only mark you'll see on him is the one Roxas mentioned. Bruises, broken bones... they'll all be gone. Crueler vamps like to abuse their victims, but they know that vampires are made of tougher stuff than people are. They can heal surface wounds with saliva, but it doesn't fix any internal damage. To fix that, they feed the victims their blood."
"Ew. Why would anyone that's not a vampire drink blood?" Axel made a face.
Riku shrugged. "It's convenient for the vampire. They turn it into a cycle. Use the puny little human until they're almost dead and force the human to drink their blood to get them all healed up. After a while, the humans get so used to the blood that it's all they can drink."
"And so they drink warm stuff because it's like... ew."
Roxas frowned. "So Ven is already starting to get used to it, then... how long before...?"
"No telling. Depends on the person. We don't really have an accurate guess, since, most of the time, the vamps get bored and kill off the humans before they hit that point."
"Is there a way to get him out of this mess before he, ya know, dies?" Axel asked.
"Killing the vamp who's doing this to him is the best way," Riku said. "He'll go through withdrawals for a bit, but if he can still drink warm substances, he can still be saved."
"Except we don't know who's doing it."
"I'll work on that," Riku promised.
"Okay."
Roxas was quiet. "So what do we do now?"
"Just keep an eye on Ventus. Don't push him too hard for answers, though. It isn't a good idea."
"Why not?"
"He can't tell you anything." Riku shrugged.
"But why?" Roxas asked, some of his confusion and frustration finally starting to leak into his voice.
"He's probably been compelled not to."
"Compelled...?" Axel asked.
Riku nodded. "Basically, brainwashed? If a born vamp looks you in the eye and tells you what to do, you have to do it."
"Creepy."
Roxas' face fell. "So my brother is not only addicted to a vampire's blood, he's also being brainwashed?"
"Basically."
"This is so fucked up," Axel muttered.
"At least you know now?" Riku said helpfully.
"Guess so."
"I want to do something to help besides babysit my twin brother," Roxas insisted.
"I'll let you know if there is anything you can do," Riku promised. "For now, make sure Ventus is getting plenty of sleep and that he isn't screwing up his life too much because he's got a vampire in his brain, fucking up his priorities."
"Can do."
"If things get worse, let me know."
"How?" Roxas asked.
"Text me." Riku gave Roxas his phone number.
"How do you know all this stuff, anyway?" Roxas asked once he had added the number to his contacts list.
"Long story."
"For another time then."
Riku nodded, agreeing with Axel. "I'm sorry you guys are in this fucked up mess."
"Shit happens," Axel said, trying to be reasonable.
"This is pretty deep shit for randos with no prior involvement in the vampire world."
"But, we've got no choice but to deal with it and take it in stride."
"If you ever need to talk, call." Riku did not usually offer victim's counseling, but he actually liked Axel and Roxas. They weren't obnoxious. They were normal-ish.
"We will," Roxas promised. After a second or two, he tackled Riku.
"What was that one for?" Riku asked.
"Thank you," Roxas said, laying down on top of Riku and wrapping his arms around him. "Thank you so much."
"I haven't done anything yet," Riku pointed out.
"You've been honest with me."
"Most people wouldn't agree with you on that..."
Roxas laughed. "What I said to Axel was true. My mother raised us to be cautious of the things that come out at night. That doesn't mean that vampires are real, though. The thing that convinced me you were being straight with me was your eyes. There wasn't an ounce of deceit in them."
"I could just be crazy," Riku pointed out.
"You aren't," Roxas said firmly, resting his head on Riku's chest.
Riku smiled sadly. "I'm not," he confirmed.
"Called it," Roxas said, grinning. "Axel, tell him. I'm always right."
Axel just looked at him.
Roxas pouted. "Meanie."
"Your mood changes are giving me whiplash," Riku said, poking Roxas tentatively.
"You aren't the first person to tell me that," Roxas said, grinning again.
"Would you mind getting off now?"
"On you? Nah. That's reserved for boyfriends only," Roxas said, his grin widening.
Riku looked at him. "Okay, off." He shifted his weight slightly, causing Roxas to roll onto the ground. "I think I'm heading out."
Roxas sighed. "Okay, fine. We'll talk to you later?"
"Okay. Thanks for inviting me over."
"Let us know when you have something," Axel said.
"Will do." Riku waved and headed out.
Once Riku was gone, Axel walked over and hugged Roxas. "You okay, Shrimpy?"
"Don't call me that," Roxas said, pouting.
"It's a name of affection."
"I'm not a shrimp."
"No, but you are small."
"I'm not that small," Roxas argued.
"Smaller than me."
"I don't call you skyscraper-y."
"That'd be weird and isn't cute."
"Shrimpy isn't cute, either," Roxas said.
Axel pouted. "I think it is..."
"I'm not shrimpy."
"Fine..."
Roxas smiled slightly. "I am victorious?"
"Sure, Roxas."
The smile slipped off Roxas' face. "I'm sorry."
"It's whatever. Don't worry about it. I won't call you that anymore."
"I've upset you now." Roxas knew things were in bad shape if something as little as that was upsetting Axel.
"I'm fine."
Roxas frowned.
"I'm serious. You should go check on Ven."
"Okay," Roxas said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
Axel nudged him toward the door.
"Ven?" Roxas asked, knocking.
"What?" Ven called from inside.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
Roxas took a deep breath. "I'm not going to bug you about your guy anymore."
"Good."
"If there is ever anything about the situation that you can talk to me about, though, I'm here."
The door to Ven's room opened just enough for Ven to pop his head out and smile a little at Roxas. "I know."
"Good. I love you, kid."
"Love you too, Rox."
"I'm going to leave you alone to study now. Anything you need?"
"Um, more tea would be nice, but I can get that."
"You sure?" Roxas asked.
"Yeah."
"Okay. I can buy some hot chocolate, just so you have some variety. I know you've been drinking a lot of warm stuff lately."
"That... would be nice." Ven's smile grew slightly.
"Any other warm drinks you'd like around?"
"I honestly can't think of any outside of tea, coffee, and hot chocolate."
"Me either," Roxas said. "I can always warm milk for you. It might help with your sleeping problems."
"You think?"
"Maybe. At least, a little."
Ven looked down. "I feel like a little kid."
"Why?"
"Because you're standing here taking care of me. I'm eighteen. I should be able to take care of myself."
Roxas shrugged. "I'm your brother. I should get to take care of you sometimes. Everyone needs to be taken care of at some point."
"I guess, but that doesn't make me feel any better."
"Don't sweat it, okay?"
"Okay..."
Roxas smiled. "You study for a while, okay? If you have to leave, pop in and let me know."
Ven nodded. "Can do."
"Okay, good."
"I'll talk to you later, Rox." Ven smiled one more time before closing the door again.
Roxas sighed and returned to his bedroom.
[TBC]
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