Had it not been for the taste of blood, everything would have been perfect.
Vanitas had set everything up in the precise manner that his plan would not fail. Even with Noé's easily-distracted personality, the vampire couldn't have gotten lost or out of focus with all of the planning the man had set up.
It started around noon—luckily they had some downtime to gather supplies and the such. That was when Vanitas had decided to suggest going out for a 'special snack,' as he said.
Though it sounded a bit strange with the exaggerated grin plastered across the man's face, Noé had found the idea to be something different from their constant activities—constantly seeking out other vampires and having to deal with ways of saving them. It was exhausting, and everyone needs a break at some point. Even them.
Going to a pâtisserie seemed to be the best idea—Paris was always quite famous for its delicious confectionaries—so Noé was allowed the choice to pick out where they had wanted to go. That wasn't a problem for Vanitas' plan—the only real location he had to set in stone was that they would be nearby to a hotel service that he had booked earlier that day.
Quite the devilish plan he had set up—one without flaw, according to himself.
It wasn't long before Noé had chosen a small, girlish type bakery—Fleur de Sucre—and excitedly tugged on his friend's wrist to drag him inside.
The bright pink that covered the walls was a bit overwhelming at first, but the man ignored that—it wasn't important—and instead focused on the vampire's cute face as he gazed over the pastries that were laid out like artifacts in a museum that were to be admired by all.
"Pick whatever you'd like," Vanitas cooed, as if he was trying to woo the other with his voice—though it was clear to tell the vampire was more interested in the food. It...ticked him off, honestly.
Was food really that great? Surely loneliness could kill just as much as starvation. Vanitas knew that much better than anyone.
"F-for real?! I'll take up on that offer!" The glint of pure happiness shone off of Noé's dark red orbs, and he beamed. The look was one of pure innocence—one that Vanitas couldn't wait to wipe off his face.
The thought of Noé, pressed down onto a cot, with hair messily spread and cheeks tinged with a beautiful red blush that matched his eyes—that was enough to rile the man up already.
However, he wouldn't let himself get carried away now—not yet. Being kicked out of a bakery for a boner over his friend would be one of the last things Vanitas would like to be remembered for, especially since that would go against his plan.
The plan—one of perfection—consisted of three parts.
Part one, which was already completed, was to become friends. Simple as that sounded, it took Noé a while to warm up to the man's risky and somewhat childish behavior.
Part two was in play currently. Luring the vampire with food was going to be the easiest part, that he could tell. It was already going smoothly, as Noé had packed his arms with boxes of macaroons, croissants, eclairs, and other delicacies.
Last, but definitely not least, part three. Vanitas' personal favorite part of the plan—making Noé aware of the feelings he already harbored for the other.
Of course, that wouldn't be so easy.
The vampire wouldn't be convinced at first that his feelings of friendship and companionship were actually romantic feelings towards the man, but with a bit of sweet-talking and reciprocating of his feelings, Noé was sure to accept it.
Vanitas had started to crave the vampire a while back. He hadn't understood at first, but once he did, it was his goal to get Noé to feel the same.
Finally, having done that, their downtime was the perfect opportunity to put his well-structured plan into play.
Tossing the gold coins to the worker, Vanitas followed his friend to a seat nearby, watching him munch down happily on the candies.
"Food really is your thing, huh?" The man teased, a grin upturning on his lips while resting his head against the knuckle of his hand.
That caught Noé's attention, and he looked up. His gaze set on Vanitas, seemingly thinking of the correct response.
It was troublesome conversing with him—that's the only thing the vampire could take away from being his friend for a while. The man could twist words in his favor no matter what the subject was. Be it work, hobbies, vampires, the Book of Vanitas, or even just food—if a statement wasn't said explicitly how he had wanted it to be, Vanitas would switch the meaning around to his satisfaction.
That was annoying, Noé had decided when he first noticed the pattern. He would have to keep his mouth in check, in case something slipped—and he had done so.
"I guess so," the vampire finally mumbled out, hoping Vanitas hadn't really heard him. His teasing was intolerable sometimes, and Noé wasn't in the mood to deal with it, frankly.
Vanitas pulled a chair up to sit beside Noé, yawning. His hand moved up to cover his mouth slightly, yet still visible between slim digits.
"Hey, I'm tired." The man switched his position slightly—along with the topic—head resting in the palm of his hand now instead. "Let's stay at the hotel a few roads down."
He couldn't smirk now—Vanitas' plan was going, well, as planned. Noé seemed a bit suspicious at first, but let out a sigh. Vanitas knew the vampire couldn't argue with him—that was a definite plus to their relationship, if one could call it that.
Although he was curious as to why the man was so tired at this time of day, Noé decided against arguing—for obvious reasons—and instead nodded in agreement.
"That's fine."
Of course it is, Vanitas thought, rising from his seat once more. He grabbed a few boxes of pastries from the table and gave Noé a look that told him to follow suit.
Once the vampire did, the man paraded off to the hotel with Noé following close behind. Their conversations on the way were select few—topics including simple things like their next moves, comrades met along their journey so far, and an even simpler subject of weather.
Having bribed—well, not exactly, but pretty close to bribery—the worker at their hotel, Vanitas led his friend to think that they had made the mistake of getting a single bed. So, he went to speak with the worker in the lobby.
"Excuse me, sir," Noé caught the worker's attention with the slight wave of his hand, "I believe you've made a mistake in our room. There should be two bed sets, not one."
The worker paused a moment before realizing it was the vampire who had accompanied Vanitas down. He spoke up after clearing his throat.
"I'm sorry," he started, bowing slightly in apology, "but I'm afraid there are no other available rooms. If you'd like to give up your room, then—"
"No," Noé cut the worker off and sighed once more, rubbing at his temples. Giving away their room would surely upset Vanitas, so what was the point? It's not like he needed to sleep right now anyway. He could let the man have as much space as he wanted, while Noé snacked on his candies again.
Or at least, that was the plan.
The man, upon Noé's return, captured the vampire in his arms the instant he walked through the door. It was almost like the damn idiot was drunk, yet he showed no signs of being under the influence of any alcohol—and Noé was absolutely certain they hadn't been remotely near any liquor that day.
Unless...no, there wasn't any liquor in the hotel room...right?
Noé scanned his eyes around the room while prying Vanitas' arms from around his torso. No, there was no alcohol anywhere in sight. Then...he was being teased again.
The vampire couldn't help narrowing his eyes just at the thought, letting out an irritated groan while he sat down in a nearby chair.
"Aren't you tired? Go take a nap then," Noé grumbled out.
Now, that wouldn't do.
Humming, Vanitas pulled his friend up gracefully—the action almost seemed like he was pulling Noé into a ballroom dance. It was strangely humorous, though the man wouldn't laugh.
Turning, he took the opportunity to shove the vampire down onto the bed. Finally...
Noé couldn't help blushing, eyes wide.
"Vani—"
"Hush~" Vanitas pressed a finger to his friend's lips—talking would definitely ruin the moment for him.
Taking in the sight of Noé brought much satisfaction, and arousal, to the man. It was almost exactly like his fantasies—the vampire's hair had indeed tussled slightly and his blush showed prominent on his face. The only thing that differed was the expression Noé bore.
Instead of wearing a lewdly pleasured face, Vanitas was disappointed to see that his friend instead wore a look of confusion and maybe even a bit of irritation.
"Noé, haven't you been watching me recently?" The man asked, dragging his finger along the outline of Noé's jaw.
The vampire felt his voice choke down in his throat. What exactly was this...brat about to do?
"I don't understand," came his reply—simple as that.
Tutting, Vanitas shook his head. His friend clearly didn't understand—he wanted a reply, however, not an obvious answer. Repeating the question, he waited patiently with the vampire pinned underneath him, squirming more and more as the time went on.
"Wha—I mean..." Noé couldn't help trailing off—the whole situation was strange, and having his friend hovering over him with a foggy emotion clouding his eyes seemed strangely...warm? "O-of course... Your form—it's just all research! That's the whole reason I was searching for the Book of Vanitas anyway!"
A clear excuse, Vanitas dubbed the reply. Chuckling, he started to slide his hands along the vampire's chest.
"Are you sure?" The man now moved back up, tugging down the collar of his shirt. "I've been looking too, you know..."
It, in all honestly, wasn't long before Noé gave in. Once again, it was the fact that he couldn't argue with Vanitas that won him over.
Both shirtless, skin brushed against skin and the vampire was letting out soft sounds of pleasure as his friend played with him.
Noé's pants were the next to go—Vanitas rubbed at his member through the fabric to get him even more aroused until he was erect.
That's when all thoughts slipped from Noé's mind. The pounding and intense feeling of pleasure at such a small action of friction was strange—pleasing nonetheless, but still strange. He could feel his mind slipping as he gave into the pleasure, letting Vanitas possess all control of the situation.
The said man was pulling off his own pants now, and, with a lack of lubricant, prodded his fingers into the vampire's mouth.
And...that's when things got out of hand.
Slipping, Vanitas pushed his finger up into Noé's hand, cutting the skin to form a fresh wound. Blood spilled down onto the vampire's tongue.
That's when Noé's eyes snapped open again, pupils thin like a cat's. He flipped them around, licking up the blood from Vanitas' cut before moving down to bite down harshly in the skin of his collarbone.
A sharp pain spiked in the man's neck first before it reached his shoulder. This wasn't good—he had made a mistake...
This outcome wasn't accounted for, as he assumed he wouldn't make a mistake in this...
"N-Noé—" Vanitas protested, feeling weaker as more blood was sapped from his body. He would faint at this point, and then the vampire might just accidentally commit homicide. He pushed desperately at his friend's chest. "Noé stop—!"
Thankfully, the painful, worried, and desperate tone of Vanitas' voice pulled Noé back. He moved away quickly, covering his mouth. Some of his friend's blood dripped down his lips and he felt it stain the palm of his hand.
"Vanitas—?" Noé looked around quickly for a moment. "Dammit," he cursed, moving away. "I'm sorry, I—it just..."
Vanitas turned away. He sat up slowly, rubbing the blood from his neck and shoulder. A small laugh escaped from his throat, which surprised the vampire.
"I sure wasn't expecting that." The man looked up to Noé with a smile.
For some reason...the vampire felt his chest tighten at that sight.
"You...are you crazy?" His brow furrowed, but deep inside Noé was sincerely thankful that someone like Vanitas existed. He didn't push him away for being a vampire in the first place, and he surely hadn't hated him for an accident like this.
Vanitas laughed again, resting his chin on his hand, looking up. Even if they had stopped now, he was sure to get what he wanted next time.
The words slipped out so easily—truthful as they were, "For you? I just might be."