Van began his holiday week by giving Hitomi a tour of his mansion. She was worried she'd get lost, but Van reassured her. "I'll stay with you," he told her. His mansion, to say the least, was aesthetically pleasing. It was simple and spacious, yet something about it seemed so... sophisticated. "Besides," Van was saying, "It isn't like you need to go anywhere. Our rooms are right next to each other. The bathroom is down the hall from there. The living room is down the stairs, and the kitchen is right next to the living room."
Hitomi's brow creased, "I won't get to see the rest of the house?" He paused at the question. The rest of the house...
"If you really want," he answered slowly, "I can show you." Hitomi beamed at him and he responded with his own fake smile. He brought her around, to the drawing room, the dining room, the guest rooms...
"If these are the guest rooms," Hitomi asked, "Whose room am I sleeping in?"
Van shrugged nonchalantly, "My parents'."
She stopped walking and stared at him wide-eyed, "I'm alone with you at your house without adult supervision?" Van stopped as well and turned to her.
He sighed and rolled his eyes, "I'm not Allen." Then he added with a cynical grin, "Or Dilandou." Their eyes met for a moment, "I live with Merle and I have no adult supervision."
"But Merle is like your sister," Hitomi insisted, "That's different."
Van asked with a smirk, "Then what are we?"
"Best friends," she answered quickly.
His smirk grew, despite how it felt like the phrase was lacking something, "What in the world would I possibly do to my best friend?" When Hitomi scowled at that, his smirk dropped. She noticed and watched him warily. "Don't you trust me, Hitomi?" he asked gently. Their gazes locked again, and Hitomi couldn't help but feel her heart melt.
"Of course I trust you, Van," she assured him, knowing to the depths of her soul that she did. He smiled at the reassurance and continued showing her around the house, this time in silence. One question burned in Hitomi's gut, and rose to the surface. She tried to keep it in because the silence was so comforting, but her curiosity finally won over her mouth.
"Where are your parents, anyway?" Hitomi blurted.
Van shrugged, "I don't know." Hitomi scowled at that.
"They just left you here all alone?" she asked, "Do they even know I'm here?"
He shrugged again, "They might. I told them, but..." he trailed off. Something in his tone made Hitomi pause in her thoughts. She tried to examine his face, but his expression was unreadable. His bored, pained mask was back.
"Is something wrong?" she asked. He turned his hard eyes on her and stopped walking. She stopped as well and they stared at each other for the longest moment of her life. It only reminded Van of that one moment in his childhood that seemed to last his entire life span...
"Do you want to see where my parents are?" Van asked quietly. She frowned at the strange wording of the question, but nodded anyway. He set off at a brisk walk. Hitomi scrambled to follow in his suddenly wrathful wake. His strides were long and he was hard to keep up with, but somehow Hitomi noticed that they only skipped over one room in the giant mansion.
Van brought her outside, and they trekked into his backyard. Just when Hitomi thought the walk would take a long time, Van turned and within minutes they stopped. For some unknown reason, there was a shovel leaning against a tree and there was a spot obviously recently dug up beside it. Van took the shovel and began digging. It sunk into Hitomi's brain. His parents were dead? But that spot he was digging up wasn't big enough for one body let alone two...
She waited for him. At last, he threw the shovel down and leaned forward into the hole. She watched with wide eyes as Van pulled up an urn. Then another. Then a portrait.
"When people ask me," Van said, his voice detached, "where my parents are, I tell them I don't know. I'm not joking when I say that." He handed her the portrait and Hitomi reluctantly examined it. A woman with dark hair like Van, and a man stood in the center of the picture. A baby was in the woman's arms and a little blue-haired boy sat on the ground, clutching his mother's skirt.
Tears filled her eyes, "Oh, Van. I had no idea they were... were..." She ran forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her face in his chest and the tears spilled over her cheeks. "I'm so sorry," she choked out. Van surprised her by stroking her hair and murmuring comforting things in her ear. She wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. "I should be comforting you," she half-laughed.
He shrugged, "I got over it... to a degree." Hitomi glanced at the photo in her hands.
"Who is that?" she nearly whispered, indicating the blue-haired boy. Van's mask came back, and Hitomi instantly regretting asking.
However, Van answered, "My brother. He went missing shortly after they died. I'm... I'm not quite over that. Sometimes I... I have nightmares about..." A beep interrupted him and he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. He grimaced, but answered.
"Thank you for calling Mr. Lovely's sex line. How may I pleasure you?" he asked. Hitomi's eyes widened at that, but when Van winked and rubbed her shoulder, she knew he was joking. "Yes," he murmured into the phone, "I understand, Balgus." He paused, "I was thinking about something. Perhaps... teaching will help me learn." He paused, smiled briefly, and thanked Balgus over the phone before closing it shut and smiling at Hitomi.
"Balgus?" Hitomi asked, confused.
Van smiled, "God father and teacher. He used to be my private tutor until..." he waved to the urns.
The walk back to the house was somber. For some reason, Hitomi couldn't help but think of the one room Van didn't show her. Maybe he hadn't shown her on purpose. But why would he do that? Not sure why, she didn't feel quite comfortable asking Van, so she decided that she'd check it out herself when she got the chance.
"So does Merle usually sleep in," she paused, "my room?"
He smiled softly at her, "She sleeps in my brother's room."
Hitomi grinned, "Like a replacement sibling." Van blinked at the thought, and grinned as well. Merle was sort of a replacement for his brother. They entered the house and Hitomi's stomach growled. The first thought that went through his head was the number on his speed dial. Before he reached for his phone, he figured he'd ask Hitomi if she even liked Chinese food.
"Do you feel like Chinese tonight?" he asked her.
She shrugged, "Sure. But its time for lunch. Let's have something else." Van's brow creased. He hadn't made food in forever. Sure, he liked food network. Yes, Merle cooked for him all the time. However, more often than not, Merle would not cook and he'd end up ordering Chinese. Every now and again he'd have pizza delivered, but...
"I don't know what to make," he admitted at last. They were in the kitchen, Hitomi checking the cabinets and fridge.
"Merle must really like strawberry ice cream," Hitomi commented upon opening the freezer, ignoring his statement.
He flushed, "Merle keeps her ice cream in her fridge upstairs." Hitomi looked at him and raised an eyebrow, earning a cuter, deeper blush. "She's afraid I'll eat it."
"Does she have reason to be frightened of that?" Hitomi asked.
He grinned awkwardly, "Yeah." She chuckled and went back to looking around for something to eat. She placed a pan on the stove and turned it up. Van turned it down, but left it on. When Hitomi turned to him with another raised eyebrow, he merely smiled and informed her, "I only said I don't know what to make. You're a guest; I can't let you cook."
She grinned, "Eggs." He paused. Eggs. So simple. When was the last time he ate eggs? When was the last time he cooked eggs? He smiled at her and got out eggs and some bacon for himself.
"I do have to tell you, though," he warned, "I can't remember the last time I made anything by myself. It might just kill you." Hitomi laughed easily. Van found a grin on his face that threatened to crack his skull. When he served their food, he commented, "I think cooking is relaxing." Hitomi nodded in agreement. She bit into her food, and Van was concerned about the shock on her face.
"Van!" Hitomi gasped after swallowing, "I thought you said it might kill me! Its delicious!"
Before deciding on his course of action, he asked seriously, "You're not bullshitting me, right?"
She punched his arm, "I don't bullshit people, Van. I'm serious! This is so good!" He felt secretly proud of his food. He munched on his bacon and found Hitomi eating so fast, she threatened to swallow the plate whole. Van found this amusing and watched her. After a minute, though, she stopped and looked up at him. "Why are you staring at me?"
He blinked and pulled out of his reverie, "I was staring?"
She nodded, "It was kind of creepy."
"Sorry," he smiled apologetically and ate the rest of his food. After they finished eating and washing their plates, Hitomi gave him a smile that melted his bones and turned his brain into a puddle of goo. Something in her smile was so endearing... her eyes beckoned him to get closer...
"You okay, Van?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts, "Your face is all red."
He smiled goofily at her, "Is it?"
She rolled her eyes, "Fine. Disregard my care." That last word echoed in his head for a few moments before what she said registered in his brain.
"I wasn't disregarding it," he replied, trying not to sound defensive but failing miserably, "I was just... slow for a minute."
Hitomi sighed, "It doesn't matter. What are we going to do now?"
He shrugged, "Are you settled in your room?" She shook her head and the two of them went upstairs to unpack Hitomi's things. That afternoon was surprisingly fun. After silently getting Hitomi settled into her room, Hitomi engaged him in a wrestling match by pouncing on his back. It was strange to be so free and happy with each other. Recently they had been rather uncomfortable around the other and their conversations had been, to say the least, stiff. Suddenly Allen and Dilandou didn't matter and all that did matter was having fun.
In a breathless heap, Van on top of Hitomi, the two lay. Van was decidedly the victor, although Hitomi put up a damn good fight. Van reminded her breathlessly throughout the match that he had muscle on his side. As they lay, without breath, hearts pounding, they felt oddly comfortable. Van's head rested between her shoulder blades and Hitomi lay on her stomach. Originally, his hands had been holding down her wrists, but now it seemed to him more like holding hands.
"I want... to beat you... so bad," she panted. Van listened to her voice through her back and smiled at the vague syllables. How he wished "to beat" wasn't in that sentence. His head rose and fell with each breath from Hitomi. He heard her heart pounding and wondered if she knew how hard it was laboring at the moment.
"Hitomi," he murmured.
"Hm?" she replied.
He took a deep breath and removed himself from her, "Are you okay?"
She sat up and groaned, "I think you broke my wrist." She winced when she rolled her hand in a circle.
He rolled his eyes, "You're a big baby."
She pouted, "Will you take care of your baby? She's injured." His heart skipped a beat. His baby? Oh, he wished that was an endearment he could use.
"Of course, baby," he whispered. Hitomi looked at him, a little confused by his tone. He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, then her wrist. She flushed and avoided his eyes, even though he tried to catch her gaze from behind long eyelashes.
"Van?" she whispered, daring to look him in the eye. He lifted his head and leaned forward.
"Yes, babe?" he murmured. She could feel his hot breath on her face and secretly relished it. Why was her heart pounding? What was Van doing? Calling her "babe" and getting in her face! Strangely, though, she didn't mind. She loved it. If it always felt like this, she'd give up her personal bubble for the rest of her life. Her throat stuck. What was she going to say again? She couldn't remember. His scent overwhelmed her senses. He smelled like a sunny day, in a grassy field... Perhaps he smelled somewhat like cinnamon as well.
Van tilted his head and repeated himself, "Yes, babe?"
She snapped out of it momentarily, so she whispered, "What time is it?"
"Does it matter when we're together?" he murmured. Her breath hitched. Did it matter? What were they talking about? All she could focus on was the intensity of his wine-colored eyes.
"Together?" she repeated, as if she didn't understand what the word meant.
He smirked, "Perhaps I should leave you alone to recuperate." He leaned back and hesitated. She shook her head and blinked a few times. "Did you hit your head?" he asked.
She smiled, "I'm fine." He relaxed a little and helped her stand. "What time is it?" she asked again. Van took out his phone and flipped it open.
"Did we have a late lunch?" he asked, his brow creased.
Hitomi shrugged, "I wasn't paying attention."
He frowned, "It's nearly five in the evening. Are you getting hungry?"
She shook her head, "No."
"Hm," he murmured, then suggested, "Why don't I show you the basement, then?"
She shivered, "I hate basements."
He rolled his eyes, "Big baby. It'll be fine." She gave in and they went through the house and finally reached a door. Van unlocked and opened it. Behind the door were stairs. A draft sent chills down Hitomi's spine. Van stepped on the first step in the dark. However, he didn't hear Hitomi move and turned to see her shiver. He smirked, "You're such a baby." He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.
She stumbled and bumped into his chest. "You jerk!" she shouted, lamely hitting his chest with her free hand. He chuckled, but didn't let go of her.
"You're just saying that because you're scared," he accused her while they walked cautiously down the stairs in the dark. He felt her shiver again. This made him concerned, so he rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand, "I'm right here, Hitomi. It isn't half as scary when we find the switch at the bottom of the stairs."
Right on cue, they reached the last step and with a flick of his wrist, light flooded their vision. Hitomi had to squint at first. It was large and comfortable, if a little chilly. There was no furniture, and weapons lined the walls. There were swords, machetes, maces, and even a pair of floor was padded as well.
Van pulled out two wooden swords and handed one to her.
He smirked, "Learn how to do it outside of the guymelef first."
~Later
"Van!" Hitomi complained, "You're going easy on me, I swear!" Hitomi and Van were both sweating and panting, Van having taken off his shirt to cool off earlier. They were doing simple exercises and Hitomi was easily winning. Despite that, they were both tired and aching. Even the simple things took energy.
Van flushed at being found out, "Not that easy." She rolled her eyes and dropped the tip of her practice sword to the ground. "Look," he said, "would you rather learn the basics and have a chance or just get beaten over and over?"
She threw her hands in the air, "How can I learn if I'm not challenged?"
Van sighed, "Fine. Ready?" She nodded and got into stance. He lunged forward, and with a loud clatter, Hitomi's weapon was on the ground, and Van had his sword up at her neck. "Feel challenged enough?" he snapped. She flushed and looked away. "Don't question my teaching methods, Hitomi. I do what I do for a reason."
"Okay," she replied, her voice small. He licked his lips, hating the way the two syllables left her lips.
He ran a hand through his hair, "You okay?" She nodded and he mentally kicked himself for being rough with her. "Let's take a break," he offered, "Are you hungry?" She nodded and he frowned at her behavior. He put their things away and helped her up the stairs in the darkness. He silently cursed the person who put the switch at the bottom of the stairs. What an idiot!
They reached the top of the stairs and Van called the Chinese place while Hitomi closed the basement door behind her. When he hung up the phone, she still wouldn't look at him.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, "You're not mad at me are you?"
She smiled softly, but didn't look directly at him, "I could never be angry with you, Van."
He hesitantly smiled, "I remember one time when you were angry with me."
She blushed and looked at the floor, "Well that was before."
"Before what, might I ask?" he asked, leaning against the wall. It was amusing to watch her struggle for words. Then her frustrated eyes met his and he was struck again by how vibrantly green her eyes were.
"Nothing," she answered quickly, ready for her throat to close and keep her from speaking again. What was this? Every time her eyes grazed over his sweaty, sexy chest... Every time his wine-colored eyes met hers... Her heart skipped a beat. What was wrong with her? It was just Van... in all his manly, sweaty glory. Face it, Hitomi, said the Merle/Millerna voice in her head, You're head-over-heels for your best friend.
She shook the thought out of her head and smiled at Van, "Let's wash up. I feel like I was training with a sword for over an hour!" Van chuckled and they went upstairs. He showed her to the bathroom with a smile and went to his own personal one. She stepped into the bathroom and narrowed her eyes. It was obviously decorated by a girl- or for a girl. Possibly an EXTREMELY feminine man decorated it, but Hitomi didn't know too many of those and none of them lived in Van's mansion.
For example, the curtains were pink and frilly. As Hitomi examined the bathroom, she became more and more convinced that Merle had decorated it for her arrival especially. Hitomi frowned at that. She tossed the doilies and strange dispensable girlie things and tossed them. She was left with pink frilly curtains for the window and pink heart bath curtains. She could do with those.
Once she was undressed and in the shower, she became aware that Merle had not chosen Hitomi's brand of shampoo. Instead, she found a green bottle labeled: Shampoo, and another blue one that was labeled: Body Wash. She narrowed her eyes at that. It was obviously hand-written, which made her instantly suspicious. She popped the shampoo open regardless and the scent of a field of grass on a sunny day hit her nose. Van instantly came to mind.
Smiling, she continued washing herself.
~Van
He sat in the living room, waiting. He bounced his leg impatiently. What was taking her so long? The food had arrived and she wasn't down yet. He'd knocked on the door and she'd told him she'd be right out. It was five minutes later and she wasn't out yet. Maybe he was just really impatient or maybe the clock was slow, like he speculated it was.
Hitomi appeared from behind him, "Boo!" Van jumped out of his seat and fell on his ass.
"Hey!" he shouted after her when she laughed and ran out of the room. Smirking, he stood and rubbed his butt, "That hurt!" Hitomi popped around the corner, slightly disappointed he wasn't chasing her, but glad he wasn't angry either. So she sat with him on the couch and noted the Chinese food on the coffee table in front of them.
"Yum!" she exclaimed, "I'm starving!"
Van smiled at her enthusiasm, "Why are you so excited?"
She shrugged, "I don't know." She paused, "Where did you get that shampoo?"
He squirmed a little, "I have a few weird connections. You don't want to know about it. Do you like it?"
"Hm," she murmured, "It smells like you." He blushed cherry red and she laughed at him. "I love it, don't worry."
He narrowed his eyes, "You indirectly said you like how I smell. You're weird."
"Apparently, so are your connections," she retorted, "but let's eat! I'm hungry!" He smiled at her. This week was going to be more fun than he originally expected.
Later that night, Van and Hitomi were sitting in the living room again. They were both in pajamas. Hitomi wore a green and blue frog outfit. Van, on the other hand, usually wore boxers. Since he was in Hitomi's presence, though, he decided to put on a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. To Van's secret delight, it made Hitomi blush. It would have made him ecstatic to know how sexy she thought he was without his shirt on. Alas, Van hadn't an inkling of this, and his delighted mood did not upgrade to ecstatic.
They sat in silence for a long time, both comfortable despite Hitomi's blush. Actually, Hitomi found the warmth in her cheeks comforting. It was almost as if it was a physical reaction to Van's presence, and therefore was a sign that he was near and they were happy. The serene moment lasted longer than either of them realized, Van reading and Hitomi sitting next to him, silently relishing his presence. It was in this seemingly eternal moment that Hitomi found time to memorize Van's face and toned chest. She soon came to understand a few small details in each of his expressions, that gave away how he was really feeling. That morning, she would have thought he looked bored or in pain, but she knew now that he was really ready to bawl his eyes out. By the time her eyes moved from his arms to his back, she was unaware that his book was closed on the coffee table and his own eyes were examining her rapt expression.
Not wanting to break the moment, but noticing Hitomi's tired eyes, Van exaggeratedly leaned forward and pretended to put the book down. Hitomi's trance wasn't broken until he lifted his arms in a stretch and yawned.
"You okay?" Van asked softly. She nodded, her throat closing again. "Tired?" he whispered. She nodded, daring to meet his eyes. They were soft and gentle, but held a deep sense of amusement. She'd seen a similar look in Allen's eyes, except Van's gaze was different somehow. There was something else... something that made him more endearing... more than a best friend...
Van broke the gaze by standing up, "We should get to bed, then." Slightly disappointed, Hitomi followed Van up the stairs. It was adorable how he walked her all the way to her bed and tucked her in like a child, but at the same time it was a little embarrassing.
"Is this how you treat all your guests?" she asked incredulously, "I'm not a baby."
"On the contrary," Van smiled, "you are a baby." He fought off the urge to say "my baby." However, Hitomi caught his undertone and was instantly touched. He really did care for her, didn't he? "Besides," he went on, "You're different."
She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, how?"
He paused, "I have faith in you. I have faith that you won't hurt me." She blinked at his retreating form in the doorway.
"Hurt you?" she asked, but he ignored the question and closed the door. That left her time to think. Why didn't he trust others? Tiredness overcame her and she let her eyelids drop. Despite her closed lids, she could not sleep with the knowledge that Van was sleeping shirtless in the room next to hers. She had to have stayed up for half an hour, squirming under the image of Van laying down in a bed shirtless.
It was much later that night when she got up, confident that Van was asleep, and slipped out of her bedroom. She opened Van's door, hoping to God he wouldn't wake. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, he was awake even as she turned his door knob. When she approached his bed, he turned to look at her in the darkness.
"Nightmare?" he asked. Hitomi hesitated. Did she wake him up? Was he talking in his sleep?
"I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered.
"You didn't," he reassured her. He licked his lips and pulled back the blankets for her. When he saw her reluctance, he murmured, "Only if you want to." She shook her head and climbed into bed with Van.
She whispered, "Thank you." She was relieved to find the bed already warm when Van gave a single small shiver. "Cold?" she asked.
He shrugged and turned on his side so he was facing away from her, "A little. Just go to sleep." Hitomi bit her lip. How did she expect to fall asleep when her heart was pouding so loudly in her ears? How was Van supposed to sleep if he was cold? Neither of them could sleep and it was only suffocating her. So she squirmed over to the cold side of the bed was, where Van lay, and pressed her front against his back. At first, Van stiffened.
She chuckled, "Calm down. I'm not going to stab you in the back." Coupled with the last thing he'd said about faith in her, he caught the double meaning and smiled. He relaxed and took her hand that rested on his shoulder. This motion calmed Hitomi a little, and her body warmed Van's. As Hitomi fell asleep, she realized sluggishly he was only wearing boxers, so she giggled tiredly.
"What?" Van asked.
She giggled, "You don't wear pants..." Sleep claimed her immediately after her statement.