The next day went by in a flash, as Terra toured the DSU campus with him. Ventus had been on the official campus tour before he'd applied, of course; and years ago, back when his father was a professor here, he'd come regularly as well. But all he'd seen at the time were places where a child could wait for his dad, or major landmarks to impress applicants and their family.
Terra had the more practical outlook Ven still needed. Information needed to live on campus. Places to eat, places to avoid, how to orient himself around campus…there was a lot Ven didn't know.
With so much to see, evening came fast—and so did time for the party at the King Mickey Mouse Residence.
That evening, Ventus learned something about himself. It was one thing to fantasize about college parties at home, or to get excited when Terra invited him to one. It was another entirely for him to actually feel ready for said party. Even after Terra assured him it was a casual get-together—basically just an excuse for the old residents to catch up and meet the few new arrivals—Ventus felt a nervous urge to find a pretext to back down.
Even once he was dressed for the party—just a white dress shirt and grey jeans, since Terra had insisted at length how casual the whole affair would be—he still had to force himself to walk out of his room after Terra. It's just a party, he told himself, to no avail. You've been to parties before.
He still hadn't met any of his cluster neighbors since his brief interaction with Vanitas, but as he and Terra waited for the elevator, the door across the hall from the elevator opened, and a young man walked out. Slightly shorter than Ventus, he was clad all in black, with a strict vest over his shirt. His silver hair was brushed forward, falling across half of his face and partly hiding his eye. He was carrying a small tablet, but when he caught sight of Terra and Ventus, he tucked it back in a satchel slung over his shoulder.
"Hey, Ienzo," Terra greeted him. "His Grace isn't joining us tonight?"
Ienzo rolled his eyes—well, eye, as far as Ventus could see. "Lauriam's on the rooftop."
Ventus frowned at that. "Rooftop? I thought the party was in the lobby?"
Ienzo focused his attention on him then, raising an eyebrow. "Terra's new roommate, I take it?"
"Call me Ven." He held out a hand, hoping to keep the introduction as short as possible. "Terra already told me about you and Lauriam. Why's he on the rooftop?"
"Gardening."
"Though," Terra interjected, "I'm sure if you wait long enough, he'll be up to something else up there. Or someone else."
Ienzo shrugged. "I wish I could chalk it up to you being bitter, but you're probably right."
"He can't be that bad," Ven offered.
"You're right," Ienzo said, deadpan. "At least he doesn't use our room. I'd hate being locked out on a daily basis." The elevator doors opened, and he shrugged as he entered. "Look, Lauriam's my friend. And really, he's not doing anything wrong, per se."
Terra huffed. "You mean aside from the string of broken hearts—"
"It's my understanding he's always very clear about his long-term relationship goals. Or lack thereof." Ienzo cast Terra a pointed look, as if challenging him to deny it. "It's just hard not to comment on how…active one man's libido can be. Especially when it gets disruptive of your own life." Ven stared intently, waiting for him to explain himself, but he shook his head. "You don't want to know."
All thoughts of the infamous Lauriam faded when the elevator doors opened. The lobby was packed, and the sheer size of the residence finally became more apparent as Ventus's gaze glided over the crowd.
He followed Terra around at first, meeting new faces with each step and trying his best to commit each name to memory. To each and every one of them, he introduced himself as Ven, never offering a last name, and nobody asked. Then again, judging by Terra's comments, the few people who offered their own last names were doing so in an attempt to impress him—the very thing Ven was trying to avoid.
Of course, they had no way of knowing just how futile that was for Ventus. He was certain he'd met with the parents of at least three of them while interning at X-Blade Industries—with his grandfather leading the conversation, of course—and they had all shown him deference. He'd felt uncomfortable back then, but was mostly unfazed now, when their children or younger relatives acted like Venus was below their notice.
The anonymity felt nice, for the time being. He could meet people who wouldn't look at him and see his family. It was little more than an experiment, one he'd more or less improvised thanks to Sora, but it was paying off. He felt more at ease with each new encounter, more in his element and less like he was about to crack under the pressure.
Terra hadn't lied about this being casual, though; those few snobs aside, most people welcomed Ventus to the residence with unreserved warmth. He learned who knew the best places to eat at around campus, who organized study groups and tutoring, who had notes that Ventus could borrow if he took the same classes…so many things, he was fairly certain it would all end up blurred in his mind the next day. But he appreciated Terra for trying, and for being his guide through the night.
They took a break by the bar, where Terra grabbed a beer and handed Ventus a soda cup.
"No drinks if you're underage while you're at the Residence," he said. "You don't want to get kicked out, trust me." He winked. "If you want to try stuff out, I can show you where to go some other time, kay?"
Ventus sheepishly reached for the soda. Truth be told, he hadn't really thought about drinking any alcohol tonight, but he figured there was no point arguing about that. "Um, sure, maybe."
"As long as you promise to be responsible about it."
It took all of Ven's effort to stifle an amused snort. He'd had plenty of opportunities to drink before—a perk of attending company events as the CEO's grandson. The idea of drinking had lost some of its controversial allure, when his first memories of it were tied to his grandfather's serious eyes keeping track of him all evening. And Terra acting pretty much the same way made him wonder if he'd really be the best person to bring him somewhere he could have a drink and let loose, or if he'd just end up forcing Ventus to stay in control.
Ven didn't mention any of that. Instead, he just took a sip, then put the cup down. "The hell is that? It's gross!"
Terra chuckled. "Yeah, they don't really invest in quality soft drinks, even here. I can get you some water instead, if you want." Just then, his gaze moved to a point behind Ventus. "Oh, there's Aqua. Do you mind if I—"
Aqua was Terra's girlfriend; Ven was curious to meet her, but he surmised that Terra wanted a moment alone with her first. "Yeah, go. I'll get myself that water, we can always meet back here."
"All right." Terra smiled, then headed across the lobby.
Ventus turned to the bar, and found it surrounded by a gaggle of thirsty residents all waiting to get their drinks. There didn't appear to be any kind of system; most of them didn't even clear the area once they had a drink in hand. And, well, Ven had never considered himself short before, but pretty much everyone in front of him was at least half a foot taller, making it almost impossible to even see the bar from where he stood.
Ven tried to find an opening to slip through, to no avail; then he tried politely asking people to move, but they didn't even seem to notice him. He tried elbowing his way through the crowd, attracting a couple glares as he did, but even then, he was stuck just short of the bar.
"How did Terra even get us anything?" he said to himself—out loud, but too quiet for anyone to hear over the ambient buzz of conversations.
And yet, just then, a hand grasped his upper arm. "There you are!" a voice followed, ringing loud in spite of the noise—familiar, though Ven couldn't place it. The people who stood between Ventus and the bar turned for a brief moment, stepped aside, and the hand on Ventus's arm pulled him forward to the bar.
He nearly tripped, but the hand held him steady. Ventus looked up, and his eyes fell on the unforgettable tattoo first, before taking in the rest of his helper's face. "Vanitas," he let out, incredulous. He hadn't even known Vanitas was at the party—Terra hadn't mentioned him, nor had anyone they'd talked to. Not that there was any reason anyone should have mentioned him, Ventus guessed, but he still felt surprised, for some reason he couldn't place. Maybe he couldn't imagine Vanitas not being the center of the attention. Was that his suburban inexperience talking again?
"7M," Vanitas replied, flatly.
Ventus blinked, then realized Vanitas was referring to his room number. "Ah—it's Ventus. Ven," he corrected, but he'd already let it slip.
"Ventus," Vanitas said, enunciating the name with a leisurely smile. "I assume you wanted a drink?"
It took a moment for Ventus to remember that was indeed why he'd come. "Uh—yeah. Thanks for the help, by the way." He had no idea how Vanitas had even seen him coming—they were the same height, and Ventus sure hadn't been able to see him amidst all these ridiculously tall students.
"Sure. You looked like you could use it."
Ventus nodded absently, but he focused on trying to catch the barista's attention. Unfortunately, he was just perpetually glossing over Ventus and moving to take someone else's order.
He almost jumped when Vanitas spoke again. "What're you having? I think I'll have an easier time calling him over."
Ven turned to him again, holding back an irritated quip at the implication. "Just—water, I guess."
Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "You know you could have just gone to any tap for that, right? Come on, it's open bar. There's gotta be something else you want."
"Well, their soda is disgusting, and I'm under drinking age, so—"
"Oh, of course," Vanitas cut him off with a smirk. "Wouldn't want to risk getting kicked out, right?" Then, smoothly, that smirk turned into a more genuine half-smile—Ven wasn't really sure what the difference was, or how he could even tell, but it was there. "I know just the thing." He barely raised a hand, and the barista zoomed over to him. "Two more of the same, please."
The barista nodded, and a moment later, laid two full glasses in front of them. Ventus glanced at them, hesitant. "This is non-alcoholic, right?" he asked, and miraculously, the barman paid attention to him this time.
"Yup. 'Cuddles on the Beach'. It's a non-alcoholic 'Sex on the Beach'. Because—"
"Yeah, I got it," Ventus cut him off. "Thanks."
Even with the barista's assurance, he couldn't help but cautiously sniff at the drink, and take a small sip first, just to be safe. "This is really good," he let out.
Beside him, Vanitas scoffed. "I'll try not to be offended that you're so shocked."
"No, I'm—" Ventus cut himself off, because—well, he was surprised. "Okay, I'm sorry."
"You're lucky you're too cute," Vanitas said, grinning. "I can't stay mad at you, Ventus." There it was again—he said his name with such care, like he was tasting it. It was destabilizing.
Ventus looked down, trying not to blush, and his eyes fell on the leather jacket Vanitas was wearing—the same as the previous day. It was zipped all the way up, and he wore thick leather boots over his skinny jeans. "Don't you ever get hot with that hing on?" he said, just to find anything to say and move on from Vanitas's…was it flirting? Ven wasn't even sure.
A devilish grin formed on Vanitas's lips, and Ventus realized his mistake a moment too late. "I'm always hot."
He had said it with utter conviction, but the way he held his smile, just a little too long, made Ventus realize he wasn't completely serious, and that made him crack up. "Thanks for the drink, Vanitas," he said, suddenly feeling much less tense. He turned away from the bar, but the crowd hadn't thinned, and he felt weary just at the thought of crossing it again.
He almost jumped—again—when Vanitas's hand closed around his forearm. "I'll walk you out." His grasp was gentle, but firm, and without waiting for Ventus to answer, he cleared his throat and took one step forward. Almost immediately, the people standing in his way moved, clearing a path. It was all Ventus could do but follow, looking with amazement at Vanitas. Out the corner of his eyes, he noted that none of the people who had moved were looking at them—as if they were avoiding to look at them, even.
"You know," he said once they'd cleared the bar area, "it almost looks like all these people are scared of you."
Vanitas met his gaze steadily. "Are you scared of me?"
Ven looked down, at Vanitas's hand still on his arm. It was still gentle. "I don't think so," he said, feeling almost surprised to admit it. Then, with a frown, he added, "But I barely know you."
"Most relationships here are built on reputation. Some are serial playboys. Some have family names. Some are just the friendliest people, like your roommate. That's why you're invisible to them—you don't have a reputation yet."
Ven frowned. "What's yours?"
To his disappointment, Vanitas grinned and shrugged. "How would I know? Ask around." He let go of Ventus's arm, and walked away.
Before Ventus could decide if he should follow him and ask for more, he heard Terra's voice calling. "Ven! There you are!"
Ventus glanced at him briefly, but he couldn't help but stare at the back of Vanitas's head. It took him a moment longer to tear his gaze away from him. "Hey. Sorry, I—" Terra was with a young woman, her hair a stark royal blue and cut short. "Hi, you must be Aqua, right?"
"And you're Ven," she said. "Nice to meet you."
"Was that Vanitas?" Terra asked.
"Yeah, I ran into him at the bar. He recommended a drink to me," Ven said, holding up his cocktail.
Terra raised his eyebrows. "Huh. Didn't even know he attended residence parties."
"Tell me about it," Aqua said. "I thought he only went to more…hardcore stuff. I've only ever seen him in class, myself."
"I don't know," Ven said. "He seems all right." He briefly considered asking them what Vanitas had meant about his reputation, then decided it wasn't worth it. Intriguing as Vanitas was, he wasn't Ventus's roommate—or his roommate's girlfriend. "Whatever. Tell me more about you, Aqua."
Around midnight, the party was still going strong, but Ventus's sleep schedule caught up to him. Unlike—he assumed—most of his peers, he'd spent most of summer working in an office, which had meant waking up early to drive into Radiant City and going to sleep early. And with his move just the day before, he was just plain tired.
"I'm gonna turn in for the night," he told Terra and Aqua, apologetic. "Can't start classes by needing to catch up on sleep, you know?"
"You sure?" Terra asked. "There's still all weekend to catch up on sleep."
Beside him, Aqua laughed. "Don't lead him down that road, Terra. You should follow his example instead. Try putting in some effort, this year."
Terra rolled his eyes. "Do you want me to leave this party right now and go to sleep?"
Aqua met his gaze with a fond smile. "Definitely not." She turned back to Ventus. "Still, that's a responsible choice."
Ventus couldn't help but chuckle—he'd never thought of himself as responsible before. "It was nice meeting you, Aqua," he said, hoping it would sound as genuine as he felt.
"Is it okay if I come back late?" Terra asked as Ventus walked away. "Like…way late? I might wake you up."
Ventus shrugged. "It's fine. I can fall back asleep easily." With Sora as his brother, that was a skill he'd learned out of necessity.
"All right," Terra said. "Good night, Ven."
"Yeah, you too."
The lobby felt even more full than it had been when Ventus had first arrived at the party—or maybe being tired just made it seem that way. It forced him to walk at a slow crawl of a pace, barely moving towards the elevators with each step, constantly dodging and side-stepping people who never seemed to notice him—even those Terra had introduced him to earlier.
When he finally made it into the elevator, he closed his eyes, feeling just about ready to drop from exhaustion. When he heard a familiar calling for the elevator, he barely reacted fast enough to press the button and keep the doors open.
Vanitas walked in, looking somewhere between bored and annoyed. When he noticed Ventus, though, he had a small, tired smile. "I guess we're even now, Ventus."
"Just Ven, please," he insisted. Noting Vanitas's frown, he figured it would be best to explain. "I don't want people to know my full name just yet. It's—complicated." He paused, furiously trying to find a way to distract Vanitas from asking any follow-up questions. "And we're not even until I get you a drink at a crowded bar," he said, before he realized the obvious implication.
Vanitas, of course, didn't miss it. "If you're asking me out, I'd rather you don't do it out of a sense of obligation," he said, grinning.
"I—" Ventus froze, feeling himself blush once more. "I just mean—because you did that earlier—"
"Don't worry, I know what you mean," Vanitas said with a wink. "Though if you ever want to get a drink—"
Ventus was still trying to figure out if he was serious when the elevator doors opened. "Um," he said, feeling stupid. "I—don't know?"
"Relax, you don't have to answer right away."
"Right," was all Ventus managed to say. He wasn't sure why he couldn't really formulate a more coherent thought—maybe he was just tired. "I really need to sleep," he said, exiting the elevator…
…only to realize he hadn't taken his room key with him when he and Terra had left for the party. It was still inside, and the door was locked.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," he said, softly. He didn't feel like he still had the energy to go back to the party and ask Terra for his key—and besides, then Terra would be locked out, unless Ven forced him to leave the party as well, and he didn't feel like doing that.
"You okay?" Vanitas's voice caught his attention—he had frozen halfway to his own room, Ventus realized.
"Forgot my key," he said, unable to hold back his irritation—not just at having forgotten, but that Vanitas was there to see it. "I know, I'm stupid, I—"
"Do you want to come in my room?"
Ventus gaped at him, incredulous. "What?"
"So you don't have to wait for your roommate out here," Vanitas said, and for the first time, Ventus heard a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Or—if you need to crash. I don't have a roommate, but there are still two beds in my room."
"Um, I—" Something about Vanitas's offer felt like the start of a horror story. "I don't know?"
"Look, I know I've been flirting with you, but I'm not trying to take advantage of you here." He paused. "I made you uncomfortable, didn't I? You're probably straight."
"No, I—" Ventus blinked, trying to process the fact that yes, he had been flirting with him. "I wasn't uncomfortable. I'm just not used to it. But I don't want to impose." He searched for his words, for a clever way to say this, then gave up. "And—I'm not. Straight, I mean."
"Oh." Vanitas stared at him, this time, albeit briefly. "Well, either way. No pressure or anything. And you wouldn't be imposing; I'm offering."
Ven hesitated for a moment, then considered his alternatives—none of which seemed appealing—and shrugged. "All right. Just let me text Terra so he knows where to find me." Just in the off-chance that this was, in fact, the start of a horror story.
"All right," Vanitas said, and he finally moved again, walking to his door.
Forgot my keys, Venus typed on his phone. Crashed in Vanitas's room. You don't have to leave the party if you don't want to. He sent the message to Terra, and looked up, but Vanitas had already vanished inside of his room, leaving the door open behind him.
He entered the room gingerly, curious yet nervous to come in. He heard Vanitas in one of the closets, but he was too busy gawking at the rest of the room to wonder what he was doing.
The residence rooms were standardized, all perfect replicas of one another, and since most people had to share the space with a roommate, decoration options were limited. But Vanitas didn't have to deal with that, and he'd made full use of his privacy. Three band posters Ventus didn't recognize hung on the wall near the entrance, all of them signed. The television was barely visible, as the desk it rested on was buried in books; and there was a bigger bookshelf in front of one of the closet doors—the one meant for Vanitas's nonexistent roommate, Ventus guessed. A thick, luscious vine crept along the side of that shelf, though upon closer inspection, Ventus was fairly sure it was actually made of plastic. The potted plant next to it, though—Ventus didn't know its name, but its flowers were a gradient of red and black—he was certain was very much alive. The two beds had been pushed together; next to them, by the window, stood a telescope on a tripod.
Ventus couldn't help but look at the telescope closer, feeling a mixture of wonder and sadness. As a child, when his mother left home to go to work, she used to say, "We share the same sky. One sky, one destiny." A simple philosophy to comfort her children. After she died, Ventus had found some solace looking at the sky, wondering if his parents were still sharing the same sky, and if that meant they were still connected, somehow. It had started an interest in astronomy that he'd kept to this day.
"You've exposed me; I'm secretly a nerd."
Startled, Ven turned around—he hadn't heard Vanitas coming out of his closet. He had taken off his jacket and boots; all he still wore were a pair of black pajama pants, and a faded crimson tee. It was too small, shrunken from years of use and washing, and Ventus couldn't keep his eyes off the skin of Vanitas's stomach it left exposed. It was smooth, slightly tanned, revealing defined abs. Something was tattooed over his right hip—a blue creature Ventus couldn't identify. Its muzzle pointed at Vanitas's navel, as if to lead Ventus's gaze to it, and to the glinting barbell pierced into it.
Ventus realized he'd taken a step towards Vanitas while staring at the piercing. He closed his eyes, clearing his throat and trying not to die of embarrassment. When he opened his eyes, however, Vanitas didn't look about to tease him; instead, he shifted on his feet, as if he was waiting for Ventus to pass judgment.
"Aren't you a certified genius?" Ven finally managed to say. "Is it really that much of a secret that you're a nerd?" Before Vanitas could answer, he turned back to the telescope. "Honestly, I was just admiring your gear. It's the newest SkyQuest, right?" The highest-quality telescope out there, as far as Ventus was aware—and not a cheap one, either. Vanitas might have bought it for the show, but looking at the rest of the room and Vanitas's own reaction, Ven doubted it.
For a moment, Vanitas remained silent, until Ventus turned back to him. "Yeah," he finally said. "It just arrived a couple days ago—I barely had the time to try it out."
"Well"—Ventus looked out the window—"it doesn't look like tonight's the night, does it?" He shrugged. "I kind of wish I'd thought to bring my telescope."
Vanitas made a surprised frown. "You're into astronomy too?"
Ven nodded. "I should bring it with me the next time I go home. I don't live far away from campus. Maybe we can get together one night," he said, waving at the telescope. He felt flustered just suggesting it, but he didn't want to back out.
At least Vanitas looked equally flustered. "Maybe."
Silence stretched out between them for a moment, until Ventus broked out into a yawn he couldn't stifle. "Sorry," he said. "I haven't slept this late in a while." He sighed, and rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up. "I hope Terra—" he started, checking his phone as he did. Terra hadn't replied, though Ventus's message was marked as read.
"Party's far from over," Vanitas pointed out. "You should just sleep here."
Ventus hesitated, nervous at the thought of sleeping in a bed that wasn't his own on just his second day at college. Yet he could barely keep his eyes open, and Vanitas's more nervous attitude somehow made Ventus feel more at ease around him. "I—if you're sure it's not a problem."
"I'm sure. There's plenty of room." He waved at the beds, as if Ventus could have missed them. "Just pick whichever you want. If you want, we can push them apart."
"It's okay," Ven said. He walked over to the nearest one and sat down on it.
"Do you want to borrow something to sleep in?"
Ventus hesitated, looking down at the dress shirt he was still wearing, but he shook his head. "It's fine. It'll just be rumpled in the morning. You've done enough." Besides, he wasn't sure he could force himself to stand up again. "Thanks, Vanitas." With that, he toed off his shoes and lay down, pulling the covers over him.
He heard a faint chuckle, and the sound of Vanitas slipping under the blankets of the other bed. "Sure thing, Ventus."
Ven felt like protesting, but he'd already closed his eyes and he was too tired to open them again.
