There was only one week left for the graduation ceremony and therefore two weeks before vacation was over. It was saturday morning and Vanitas was making his coffee as usual, his hand being the constant reminder that he should stay focused, attentive to whether his father was around or not. Even now that Xehanort had left to buy bread for breakfast, Vanitas still couldn't avoid his uneasiness. At least for now he could drink his coffee and prepare for his music class in peace… With no interruptions this time!

Ventus had already sent his typical Good Morning message but today Vanitas didn't leave him hanging and replied. The raven was still trying to convince himself that Ventus wouldn't tell anyone about his situation, but it was hard to control his disjointed thoughts when they came. Still, he had to try. It was dangerous to get paranoid over it.

The door was opened and his thoughts dissolved into smoke. Vanitas didn't look to the man who was his father, merely got himself more coffee to drink and sat again, staring down to his cup the whole time.

"Where are you going to waste your time today?" The man asked.

"Studying. Then I'll look for a job"

"You say you'll study as if you actually did that"

Vanitas opened his mouth to reply but thought better and drowned his thoughts in more coffee. He didn't want to lose another music class because of a stupid argument. Xehanort smiled at the boy's hesitation and continued.

"I don't know if I'll be here tonight. In any case, lock the doors and don't do anything stupid while I'm out!"

"Yes, sir"

Vanitas stood up, washing his cup and picking his backpack from the other chair. He wanted to leave home earlier to make sure he wouldn't lose the bus. And also to stay away from his father. After brushing his teeth he walked back to the entrance and reached for the door but didn't open it, thinking. Xehanort was still in the kitchen, making something for himself to eat. He was right there. It was his chance.

"... I'm going out next weekend"

He didn't look to the man when he said it and regretted his decision for a moment. Vanitas didn't want to face him and be denied to go right away but he couldn't just pretend he wasn't there. When he finally looked to him however Xehanort didn't seem angry nor anything like it. There was no expression on his face.

"Where are you going to?"

"I'm… I'm going to another town. To a party" Vanitas cleared his throat. It wasn't exactly a party but it would be easier to put it that way "And… I don't think I'll be back on the same day. Probably not"

"Mmm. A party, you say..."

Vanitas frowned: Xehanort was smiling.

"So you'll be away from home for the night? I see… As long as you're careful, then it's all good"

"Careful?"

"You'll be 18 soon" The man continued, taking a sip of his drink and turning to the boy "You may be a no one but at least you don't have any responsibilities in life. What I mean is… You don't have someone who depends on you yet"

Vanitas lowered his head. He knew what was coming.

"I'll only tell you one thing: If a girl shows up saying she's pregnant you're out of here! And don't you think you're taking anything with you because you're not!"

Vanitas closed his eyes. Did he really have to say that? Did he-

"I don't care if you're staying one or two days away from home as long as you don't bring me more problems. Take some condoms with you, have fun but don't do anything stupid that you'll regret later!"

A cold, shaky laugh left Vanitas' lips. Of course. Xehanort always found a way to remind him just how miserable he was. Nothing more than a problem. A burden. An unwanted child.

"Don't worry, dad. I won't make the same mistake as you" He said before leaving and closing the door behind himself. It wasn't hard to just ask where he was going or even with who he was going, was it? And yet…

Vanitas shook his head and left. It was 7:40 when he arrived at the bus stop and there he once again smoked a cigarette in silence. When Ventus arrived a few minutes later, he threw it away and waved to him.

"Good morning, Vani!" Ventus gave him a tight hug "Are you okay?"

Vanitas smiled.

"I'm fine"

Ventus went to the guests room for the 5th time that Friday to make sure that everything was alright, that the bed was made and that it was all clean. It was 6 PM and he couldn't contain his enthusiasm! How could he when Vanitas would be sleeping there for the first time?

He ran back to the living room, the whole family being there watching TV. Ventus sat next to his father and smiled when he ruffled his hair.

"Excited?"

"Yeah!" Ventus smiled even wider "Thanks for letting him sleep here!"

The man smiled too and then both turned their attention back to the TV. Only twenty minutes later however the bell rang and Ventus jumped off of the sofa, almost running to the door while his brother shook his head and his parents shared glances.

Vanitas was terribly nervous and yet there he was. Standing right before the door, the same backpack he used for school now full of clothing and anything else he needed to spend the night there and go to the ceremony. There was only silence when he rang the bell but soon enough he heard footsteps, already knowing who would be on the other side.

"Hi, Vani! Good evening!"

"Hey" Vanitas' smile was soft when Ventus called him inside. They kissed before they went to the living room where everyone was quick to greet him.

"Make yourself comfortable, sweetheart" The twins' mother said, walking to the boy to give him a proper welcome. Vanitas thanked her and soon enough followed Ventus to the room where he'd be sleeping in.

The blond turned to him "You can watch TV later if you want, the remote is right here. Also the bathroom is right there, you can take a shower if you'd like, there are towels and soup you can use there"Vanitas listened and nodded, looking around for a while. It reminded him a lot of his own bedroom back home.

"If you need anything else, you can tell me. You can knock at my door or send me a message if you'd rather me to come here, I don't mind"

"That's alright, Ven. I don't think I'll need anything else"

Ventus looked at him for a few seconds "Is this your first time sleeping away from home?"

"… You noticed, uh?"

"Well…. You do look more tense today than when you came here before, so… " Ventus said and then wrapped his arms around Vanitas, looking up to meet his gaze "I can't believe you're actually sleeping here. I'm so happy!"

"Yeah?" Vanitas kissed his forehead "I'm happy too. Sorry for, uh… Feeling nervous, it's not because of you"

"Don't apologize!" Ventus kissed him back "I just hope you enjoy your stay here!"

"I already do"

It would be impossible not to enjoy it. Once they left the bedroom they were called to watch a new movie - Popcorn included! - which they all enjoyed immensely. Just a normal evening with family, something Vanitas really liked. Once the movie was over they still spent an hour just chatting before the adults announced they were going to sleep. Roxas then took his leave as well, returning to his bedroom while the two went to the guests room.

Ventus took the lead, standing before the wardrobe and opening it "How many blankets would you like?"

"One is fine, thank you" Vanitas observed Ventus prepare the bed for him with a silly smile "So… Excited for tomorrow?"

"Yeah… But I'm more excited with having you here, to be honest" Ventus said and sat on the bed, inviting Vanitas to sit next to him.

And before they knew it they were kissing again. Vanitas touched the boy's face with care, both closing their eyes and letting themselves be guided by each other's warmth. Ventus really missed being with him, just the two of them, and having Vanitas this close reminded him of the feelings he had awakened within him. He wanted more of them.

Vanitas smiled, noticing how Ventus' hands didn't stay still and roamed around his neck, then down to his waist and then suddenly under his shirt. Vanitas didn't know where that had come from but he enjoyed it nonetheless and he would've let Ventus touch his skin as much as he wanted to... But then Ventus' hand reached his chest and Vanitas instinctively gripped at his arm.

They pulled apart and looked each other in the eye. Ventus pressed his lips together.

"Vani, there's… There's something you don't want me to see, isn't there? Is it a wound?"

Vanitas looked away "... Yeah. I didn't want you to know about this one. But… i guess I don't really have any reason to hide it anymore… Right?"

Ventus was silent. He saw how Vanitas' fingers were suddenly more trembly than before, but something in his eyes told him he was more relieved than nervous somehow. Maybe because the hardest part - Telling Ventus what happened at home - had already been done. Vanitas looked to Ventus, waiting for him to say it was okay to show him, and when Ven nodded he took off his shirt.

There were some scars on his abdomen but not too many. Ventus widened his eyes however when he saw the one Vanitas didn't really want him to see, what was once a cut now a long, deep and pale scar on his chest. Vanitas lowered his gaze and then ran his finger over it.

"… This one was made by one of those kitchen knives" Ventus gasped "It's okay, it wasn't my father who did it! I just messed with the wrong people when I was young and well…. I paid for it"

"... How old were you?"

"I think… 13" Vanitas said without worrying too much about it "Do you… Want to see my back?"

Ventus gulped. Vanitas wouldn't let anyone see his wounds like this unless he really trusted that someone and while Ventus wondered if he really wanted to see them, he knew Vanitas needed him to. He had to show someone, to take that weight off his chest and so Ventus said yes, watching as Vanitas turned his back to him.

Unlike his abdomen his back was very scarred. Ventus moved and sat closer to him, gently running his fingers over his wounds. There were… Too many of them. Ventus saw the wound on his shoulder, the one he had helped Vanitas with, but most of them were cuts which had been reopened more than once. One of them in particular, on the right side of his back, looked especially bad. The skin was bruised and he wouldn't be surprised if it was infected.

"You… Said you'd made some of those yourself…?" Ventus asked, saddened. Vanitas felt him touch that same wound he'd made days ago and nodded.

"Yeah. When I get too nervous I… I don't really notice I'm hurting myself until it's too late. I end up… Scratching on my skin, reopening wounds, making them worse"

Ventus frowned, noticing the large bruise under his ribs. It looked recent "What happened here?"

"It's from… The day when I burnt my hand. He pushed me against the table"

"... Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore"

They were silent once again. It wasn't the scars that bothered Ventus, no. What bothered him was how they had come to be. How much Vanitas had endured throughout his life, how much he had suffered alone. How much he still suffered to this day, even now, showing his scars to him like this. Ventus swallowed the tears that threatened to leave his eyes and gently hugged Vanitas from behind.

"You don't need to be ashamed of them. I can't even… Begin to imagine what you've been through but those scars, they're the proof that you're here. The proof that you made it through all of this. And when this is over, they will be nothing but markings you can leave behind"

"Do you think you could live with that?"

"Without thinking twice" The boy replied and Vanitas turned to him, kissing him again and slowly pushing him on the bed, his hand never leaving Ventus' cheek as they lay down. He couldn't thank him enough. Everything Ventus did for him, even after he knew about his father, was much more than anyone had done for him. Much more than he deserved.

"Ven..."

"Hm?"

"Can you… Stay here for a while longer?"

Ventus smiled and kissed him again before pulling him into an embrace. Their foreheads touched and Vanitas smiled too.

"I'll stay here for as long as you want me to"

The blond stood before the mirror staring at his mess of hair. He let out a deep and long sigh before he brushed it once again. And again. And again.

There were only a few hours left before the ceremony. Their friends would be there soon and then Axel, who would take 4 of them in his car just like it had been decided before. Everyone was pretty much ready but Vanitas was still changing clothes and Ventus was fighting his wild hair. A lost battle, but one he always fought.

"You look like a Chocobo" Roxas said.

"Há, very funny!"

The brothers were both wearing suits and Roxas, seeing how Ventus was struggling with his hair, decided to at least help him with his tie. The younger blond stood still, waiting.

"Are you nervous?" Ventus asked at last.

"Uh? Why would I be nervous?"

"Well, you're finally meeting Axel's parents. If you're not nervous then you must be excited at least!"

"And why would I be nervous because of that?"

"I... Nevermind" Ventus shrugged. He knew there was nothing going on between his brother and Axel - Apparently their parents had had a long conversation with him, something Ven overheard but was never told about - but he imagined he would be nervous. After all, if it was him meeting Vanitas' parents he knew he would be crying on the inside!

Before Ventus' thoughts could go any further and he started thinking too much, they heard the doorbell ring and walked to the window, staring down to the street with a wide smile; everyone was there!

"I'll open the door!" Ventus said and ran down the stairs, inviting his friends inside. All the the boys wore formal clothing while Xion wore a beautiful black dress and a pearl necklace. One by one they got inside and greeted the twins' parents, all of them eager for Axel to show up.

It was then that Vanitas left the guests room and Ventus widened his eyes when he saw him. He was wearing dark jeans, and over his white shirt was a simple but elegant black blazer. He was surprised to see everyone there already but when he saw Ventus his cheeks blushed immediately! It didn't help that Ventus looked pretty flustered himself.

"Hey there, Vanitas!" Sora said and the black-haired teen finally waved to them, although his attention was still on Ven. He approached the blond and smiled to him.

"You are beautiful"

The blond blushed just as much as him "Ah… Thank you. So are you! I love your clothes!"

Vanitas almost told him the blazer belonged to Riku but he figured that wasn't necessary for now. He joined the others and they spent a few more minutes chatting before Axel arrived and when he finally did everyone practically jumped on him.

"You did it, man! Congrats!"

"You're finally free!"

"Congratulations, man!"

"Thank you, thank you! I know, I know, it's an honor to be in my presence!" The redhead bragged playfully while they all talked to him. Just a few minutes later and they all hit the road, everyone being so loud that before they knew it they had already arrived.

The place was crowded, as expected! While the graduates ran around looking for their classmates and getting ready for the ceremony, their families all gathered together, happy voices echoing as one single unintelligible sound. As for the teenagers, they all looked around in awe. No one said a thing for the time being, but they were clearly imagining what college was truly like.

"Ah, there you are!" A woman exclaimed and Axel smiled, walking towards his mother and father who were coming their way. Roxas was next to him and a tint of red covered his cheeks but he too smiled.

"So you're Roxas?" Axel's father asked, greeting the boy and quick to talk to his parents "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, sir!" Roxas held back a nervous laughter. There was nothing going on between them but he couldn't deny having his and Axel's parents in the same place was a bit overwhelming.

There were five seats for each graduate and the teenagers agreed that those seats belonged to Axel's parents, the twins' parents and Roxas. The rest of the group stood in the back, watching everything from afar.

"Man… Can you believe that in two years it'll be our turn?" Sora said right when the graduates were called to the stage "And then… Off to college!"

"It feels like yesterday since we met, Sora" Ventus said "Remember?"

"Of course I remember! I saw a shy blond a few meters away from me, then I looked away… And when I looked again he was all angry and pouting. Only then I noticed there were two blonds and I was like 'What?'"

The boys laughed. Riku turned to Ventus "Has Sora always been lazy like this?

"Nah… He's much lazier nowadays"

"Ven!"

The ceremony had finally begun and with it the excited cheers from the families of the graduates and their friends. There was loud clapping every time one of them received their certificate but when Axel got his own screams joined in, Xion and Sora shouting out his name while the others cheered him on.

Still, it didn't go unnoticed by Ventus that Vanitas was thinking about something. He could see it in his eyes, in the way he watched the ceremony unfold. The blond held his hand, bringing his back to the present moment, and decided to wait before saying anything.

"Man, you guys were so loud! I loved it!" Axel exclaimed half an hour later when he reunited with his friends. After a heartwarming moment between Axel and his parents, all of them crying in joy, they were told the photographers had started to call the graduates for the pictures. It would take a while for Axel to be called, however, and Vanitas saw that as an opportunity. He had kept his cool since they arrived; he deserved to have a break.

"I'm going to get some fresh air" He told Ventus when no one else was looking "I'll be right back"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just need to smoke a little"

"Oh… Can I go with you?"

"... Sure"

"Okay!" Ventus took a quick glance at his friends and called for Xion "Xi, we're going outside for bit. Can you call us back when it's time?"

"Sure, go on!"

With that the two left the building, walking to the plaza at the entrance. After Ventus insisted he was fine with the smoke, Vanitas lit one cigarette and sat on a bench, smoking in silence.

"... Are you smoking because of your addiction… Or is there something bothering you?" Ventus asked in a low tone.

"A bit of both I think"

Ventus sat closer to him "When did you start again?"

"When I was 11. But I've been trying to stop, I swear" He laughed nervously "I don't want you to be bothered by this bad smell forever"

"It's not about me, Vani. Think about yourself. Smoking is bad for your health!"

"I know. But it's hard to stop. I almost did it years ago but… Well, here I am"

The blond looked up to the sky. It was a very starry night and the moonlight shone through the leaves of the surrounding trees with a pretty sensibility "Well, if you smoke to calm yourself down… Then perhaps you need to find something to replace that need, right?"

"... Right?" Vanitas looked to him, getting rid of the ashes.

"Alright. So, tell me! What do you think would make you relax?" Ventus asked and turned to him, a silly smile on his lips. Vanitas raised a brow. What was he up to?

"Hmm... I don't know. What do you do to relax?"

"I usually try to read a book. Or I play video games. I also like to listen to music! And sometimes I just cry because, you know" Ventus said with a low laugh, one that made Vanitas chuckle himself.

"I think I'll pass on that one. But music sounds nice… It helps sometimes"

Ventus crossed his arms and looked away and that was when Vanitas noticed a- Wait, was that a smirk? On Ventus' lips?

"I see… Well then, we should be able to find something that can calm you down. Something you can do whenever you want. Right, Vani?"

"Yeah?" Vanitas laughed again, utterly confused with the expression Ventus was giving him. Still, he shrugged it off and continued "Which I still don't know what it is. So if you've got an idea let me k-"

On the next second Vanitas lost his breath, caught by surprise when Ventus pulled him by his shirt and locked their lips together. Vanitas held the cigarette away so he wouldn't hurt Ven but the boy was so intense that he let it fall and returned his kisses and soft touches.

Just when Vanitas wanted more Ventus stopped and smiled to him with innocence "So? Did it work?"

Vanitas raised a brow at him again, unable to hold back his laugh "I don't think so. I still really want to smoke"

"Oh, so you want more, uh? Okay then..."

Ventus put his hands in his pockets in search of something and Vanitas frowned, watching him and trying to see what he was looking for. Smiling, he took a necklace out of it and held it before Vanitas' eyes.

"I was going to give it to you once we got home but if you want to distract yourself then why not?" The blond said and smiled, giving the necklace to Vanitas. The raven held it with care, looking to the carefully crafted shape that stood on its end: A small silver and black guitar!

"I wanted something we could both use, you know. So I got that one for you..." He pulled another necklace out of his other pocket and, instead of a guitar, this one had a musical keyboard on it "And this one for me! We just started theory classes but soon we'll be playing and.. I thought you'd like it"

"... Can I?" Vanitas smiled and extended his hand to Ventus, offering to put his necklace on his neck. Just as he did, Ventus did the same for him and giggled.

"It looks really good on you!" The younger boy said and Vanitas ruffled his hair with care before picking the cigarette from the ground and throwing it in the trash next to the bench.

"Why… Why do you do all of this? I… I don't understand"

"What do you mean 'why'?" Ventus exclaimed in a playful tone but then stared down to his own feet and blushed again "Because… Because I… Because I love you, of course!"

Vanitas' eyes went wide and he stared to him in shock. Ventus felt his deep gaze over him and continued, speaking with trembly words.

"A-And of course you deserve it! You're… You're special and I like to see you happy and- I-I'm sorry, was I too straight forward?"

Vanitas still hadn't moved, unable to. Had Ven really said them? Those… Words? Ventus was freaking out with embarrassment, not knowing what to do, and seeing Vanitas serious like that made him regret even saying it in the first place.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me! It's… Just because I feel this way it doesn't mean you have to as well, I just, uh, I… I-I- "

No more words were necessary. Vanitas held his face with both hands, delicate and gentle, and kissed him again, passionately. Those words… He had heard them before but never in his life did he understand their meaning. No one ever said they loved him and he knew he had never loved anyone before.

Until now. Now he understood their meaning because he felt the same, because he was overflowing with this emotion he didn't know existed a few months ago. Vanitas ran his hand on Ventus' hair, his thumb stroking his cheeks with affection. The blond was still blushing but his eyes had a different light to them now. Vanitas felt the same for him!

The raven let himself stare to that shiny blue for a few more seconds, his heart pumping fast in his chest and it felt as if time itself had stopped for them when a voice called.

"Vanitas, Ventus, come on! It's time!"

The boys waved back to Xion and she quickly went back inside while they stood up, Vanitas letting Ventus hold him by his arm. They both felt so happy that they couldn't even speak and so they walked back inside, back to their friends, waiting with a never fading smile on their lips. Just before they were finally called to join for the picture, Vanitas held Ventus back for a second...

"Hey, Ven"

"Yeah?"

And for the first time Vanitas didn't care if people were looking, he didn't mind what they could say or think, because for the first time he could finally say it out loud as he kissed Ventus' lips one more time.

"I love you too"