We told Kairi
It took a moment for Ventus to make sense of the text Sora sent him on Monday night. His Economy class had just ended, and his mind felt numb, and it took a moment for him to remember about his brother's new relationship status.
After the few seconds it took to re-focus, he texted back. Skype in 10?
K
Ven left at a brisk pace, dodging Peter's fourth attempt to talk him into joining his fraternity on his way out of the auditorium. He hurried back to his dorm, feeling nervous for his brother. Even after a few years of being comfortable with his own sexuality, coming out still felt huge to him, even if it was his brother doing it.
To his dismay, Terra was already in their dorm room when he arrived—he'd counted on him being away like he often was, between his girlfriend and his extracurriculars. He briefly considered Skyping Sora anyway, and decided against it, considering how private the topic was—and not his to share with his roommate.
"Hey," he just said. "Be back in a moment—family thing." He laid down his bag, grabbed his laptop, and walked back out of the room before Terra could ask anything.
He went down to the dining hall, empty at this time of the afternoon. It would be another couple hours before it started filling up for dinner—plenty of time to have the place to himself. Plugging in his earphones anyway, just in case, he finally started the call.
"So what happened?" he asked as soon as Sora showed up on screen. He didn't feel like he could make smalltalk yet.
"Uh, I told you. We told Kairi."
Ven couldn't help but roll his eyes. "After that, Sora."
"Oh. She already knew."
He fell silent, and for a moment Ven was too stunned by his detachment to reply. "Okay, and then what? Do I have to drag the whole story ou of you?"
Sora flashed a mischievous grin. "Nah, I'm just messing with you. But yeah, she'd already figured it out. We, um—we left evidence."
"Oh, God," Ven let out, appalled.
"I just mean the lube," Sora retorted. "We forgot to put it away."
And sure, it wasn't the worst thing that had come to Ven's mind, but it still made him roll his eyes. "I guess at least you were using some."
"Well, yeah. And protection. Come on, we looked it up before we got started."
Ven stared at the screen for a moment. "You know, for a spur of the moment thing, it's sounding more and more deliberate."
Sora blushed a little—at least, Ven thought he did, but the video feed was too poor to be sure. "Anyway—she also said we weren't being very subtle about it when she got there. Or for the week since then, for that matter." He made a face. "She says I'm being too…'physically affectionate'. Which is totally unfair! I'm like that all the time."
"Especially with Riku," Ventus couldn't help but point out teasingly. In hindsight, maybe he of all people should have seen this coming. "So, she knew. But what did she say?"
"Oh, she's happy for us, she's glad we trusted her with it, those clichés. Something about archery too?"
Ventus blinked. "Archery?"
"Yeah, she said she's…an arrow ace?"
"You mean aro ace?" he suggested. "As in aromantic and asexual?"
Sora frowned a little. "Maybe? I kind of nodded along and figured I could look it up later."
Ven chuckled. "I'll send you a couple links," he offered. "At least it's good that she's supportive. So how're you feeling?"
"I mean, good? We told her in the morning, so Riku and I—we kind of tried being open about it over lunch. Act like official boyfriends, you know, like we planned."
"That fast, huh?" Part of Ventus felt worried—scared, even—but he couldn't help but be a bit proud of his little brother, too, for daring to do what he hadn't gotten to at the same age.
"It went fine. A couple people commented on it, but like, nothing mean. It was mostly Selphie, anyway. I didn't really pay attention to her." He paused. "Because I was busy kissing Riku. I mean, you know, it's just Selphie, I don't really care what she has to say."
Ven had no idea who this Selphie was—the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember a thing about her. Mostly, he was just impressed. "Wow. Try to keep it in your pants while you're at school, at least." Well, impressed and a little petty. He couldn't not tease his brother about it.
Sora was undeterred. "I'm not making any promises."
"I'm serious. Don't get into trouble. You have plenty of time to be with Riku after school." He couldn't help but add, "And be careful, okay? Just because it went well today—"
"I know, Ven," Sora cut him off. "I mean, I'm not stupid, geez. Some people were already talking behind our backs." He sighed. "It's like Roxas said, about us being popular. I know we're gonna have friends sticking up for us, but I know that's not always enough. Riku knows it too. I just—don't want to think about it too hard, you know. I'd rather focus on the good stuff. Like Riku's—"
"Don't finish that sentence," Ven chided him. "As long as you're aware of what can happen, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. And I'll call if I need anything. Or I'll ask Roxas, if it's an emergency. Or—" He paused, biting his own lip as he frowned. "You know, I never asked you why you didn't come out to Grandpa."
His question took Ven aback for a moment. "I—it never really occurred to me," he said, and it was true. He'd already been the adult at home by the time he'd come to terms with being gay; the idea that he'd ever need Eraqus for help had seemed like a remote possibility. He knew he'd probably have to come out to him, eventually—say, if he ever got in a relationship—but until then, it didn't seem relevant.
"I mean, we know he was married to a guy, right? And that was decades ago. So it can't be a problem with him."
"Well, they weren't legally married," Ven pointed out. Marriage on Destiny Islands had traditionally been much more open for centuries, but as far as American law was concerned, it had no legal value, even if they called each other husbands in everyday life. "But yeah, I don't think he'd have a problem with it. Not…personally, you know?"
"What do you mean, 'not personally'?"
"I mean—" He'd never told his brothers about Morgan, and he wasn't sure if this was the right time to bring it up. So he just side-stepped the issue. "He never had another relationship in public since the divorce. And I can't help but think it's because he wants to brush it under the rug, for the company's sake. And maybe—" He sighed. "Maybe he'd tell us to do the same."
"Oh."
Seeing Sora look suddenly defeated made Ventus regret he'd brought it up at all. "Look, if you want to tell him, you should," he said. "Since I'm not home, you should have an adult you can rely on for help. And—I don't think he'd force you and Riku to break up." At least, if he did, Ventus would make sure to intervene. "He might just—not be happy about it."
Sora let out a mocking scoff. "When is he ever happy with me?"
"Sora, don't say that," Ven chided him.
"Okay." But Sora sighed anyway.
"Look, you can take some time to think it over. For now, you should focus on the good stuff, like you said." An idea came to his mind, sending his pulse rushing when it did, and for a moment, it felt too big to say out loud—but he forced himself to do it anyway. "And if you want, I can come out to him first. So you can see how he deals with it."
Sora gaped at him. "You'd do that?"
"Of course I would," Ven said, forcing a smile—not because he didn't mean it, but because the very thought made his stomach churn.
The way Sora blinked rapidly told Ventus he was stifling tears. "Thanks, bro," he mumbled. "I should get going—Riku and I are meeting."
"Like, on a date?"
"Yeah, our first real date." Sora made a dreamy smile. "So I'd better get ready. I want to look my best."
"I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can do to make him forget how you look at your worst," Ventus pointed out, smirking. "Have fun, Sora. And remember to call—"
"If I need anything, yeah. Bye."
Ventus chuckled to himself at the empty screen for a few seconds after the call ended. He felt bad for bringing Sora's spirits down about their grandfather, but mostly, he was happy for his brother. Even if things went awry for him, he'd still have his best friends to rely on—one of whom was now his boyfriend. That was the most important part.
It took him a minute to notice the dark-clad silhouette in his periphery, and he nearly jumped when he recognized Vanitas, sitting at a table halfway across the dining hall. He was wearing earphones, staring absently and doing nothing to justify his presence here between mealtimes. When Ventus looked his way, he glanced back, greeting him with a silent nod and a smirk.
"Now who's stalking who?" Ven called out as he walked towards the exit.
No reply came, and for a moment, Ven wasn't even sure that Vanitas had heard him. Yet when he reached the elevator, Vanitas caught up with him, his breathing just heavy enough to betray he'd dashed after him.
"Was that your brother?" he asked.
Ventus scoffed. "As I was saying: and you call me a stalker."
"I wasn't trying to listen in, I—"
Ven stared him down, and Vanitas fell silent. "I don't care what your excuse is. You clearly weren't busy, so you could have just left when you saw I was there."
The elevator doors came open, and Ventus walked out. Before he could reach his room, though, Vanitas walked after him.
"I just heard you talking about coming out to your grandfather, and—I wanted to know if you needed any support."
Ven looked back at him, stunned. "You what?" he hissed.
"You heard me." He shifted on his feet. "Look, I was a dick to you, on Friday night. I just wanted to make it clear where I stood on the 'no strings attached' thing, but it was just a jerk move. Especially after I made a point about aftercare. Just because it was a one-off thing doesn't mean we have to hate each other." He paused, as if expecting Ventus to reply, but he was too floored to find anything to say. "Anyway—I know what coming out is like. So, if you want to talk—"
Behind him, a door opened as Lauriam walked out of his room, and Vanitas gave a visible start at the sound. Ignoring Lauriam's curious glance, Ventus looked back at Vanitas, trying to parse what he'd said. Before he could say anything, though, Vanitas shook his head and stepped back.
"Just think about it," he said, and disappeared into his room. "You know where to find me."
As weirded out as Ventus was by his encounter with Vanitas, it didn't linger into his mind—not with so much happening with his brothers. Sora kept him updated about his relationship with Riku, and Roxas was looking into car deals in Daybreak and Radiant City,. Most of the ones he showed Ven were for half the budget their grandfather had allowed, which Ven pointed out numerous times, but Roxas didn't seem to care or mind.
When he saw Vanitas again on Thursday, during Spanish class, their conversation—and his offer to 'talk'—were completely out of Ven's mind. All he noticed was that, for the entirety of the class, Vanitas gave him a wide berth, barely even looking his way.
On Friday morning, when Vanitas gave them their graded reports from the previous week's lab, Ventus was almost shocked to receive a perfect grade. Not that he didn't deserve it—but after everything that had happened between him and Vanitas, he wasn't sure what to expect.
It was a relief, and yet, as he worked on the day's assignment, doubt started to claw at his guts. What if Vanitas had given him that grade to make sure Ventus wouldn't complain to anyone and reveal that they'd slept together? It could cost him his position as TA—which, as an undergraduate student, he probably didn't need, but it might also have further repercussions on his standing as a student.
The thought seemed silly, and Ventus tried to quash it all morning. He'd done good work—exemplary work, even, if he knew anything about it—and he'd been rewarded. But that sinking feeling lingered nonetheless. A small seed of anxiety, making him wonder if he was getting a special treatment. After being so scared that that would happen because of his family name, he couldn't let it happen because a boy he happened to have a crush on—a former crush on, he corrected himself.
He tried to talk to Vanitas about it at the end of the lab, but didn't manage to catch him before he'd left. All he was left to do was torture himself about it—and torture Aqua too, who patiently listened to his ramblings over lunch—until it came time for Spanish work group.
Yet when he arrived, their table was empty, and remained empty for the first ten minutes of class. Quistis had just asked which group could partner up with Ventus for this session when Vanitas finally showed up.
He lingered by the classroom's entrance, just long enough for Quistis to walk over to him. They spoke in hushed voices for a brief moment, then Quistis turned to Ventus, and nodded at him to come over. Curious—and a little embarrassed by the attention—Ventus stood and crossed the classroom, following the two of them outside.
"Vanitas here is saying he wants to drop out of class," Quistis said after cautiously closing the door.
"He—he is?" Ventus asked, incredulous. Frowning, he turned to Vanitas, who gave a sharp nod, keeping his eyes on Quistis. "Why?"
"That's not up for either of us to question," Quistis pointed out. "The only reason I'm calling you over is so we can discuss what we'll do about you. The groups are all set up here, but if you want, I can get you in with a group at a different time—"
"But this is the only time that fits into my schedule," Ventus protested.
"Well, due to our system, we usually work in even numbers. We can't have you working alone, but I suppose an exception group of three could be made…" She paused, glancing at the closed door, tapping a finger against her lips, as if she was already considering how that could work."
"Professor Trepe?" Ventus said before she could say anything more.
"Quistis, please," she chided him.
"Can you just—give us a moment so we can talk it out?"
Quistis frowned at the two of them, but she nodded. "All right. I suppose any other solution can wait a few more minutes. I'll—leave you to it, then."
She slipped back into the classroom, quietly, closing the door behind her. When she did, Ventus turned to Vanitas. "Okay," he said. "What's going on?"
"I suck at Spanish," Vanitas said. "No use beating a dead horse. I can get the credits I need from another language class."
Ventus studied him: the way he kept his eyes averted, the unusual way he stood, still and stiff, his arms close to his body, as if trying to take up less space. Then, he said, "Bullshit."
Finally, Vanitas looked at him—a surprised, furtive glance. "What?"
"Bullshit! You're making up excuses! You're giving up on something that you told me yourself was important to you, all because—what? It's too hard? I don't buy it!"
Vanitas crossed his arms and held his gaze—or tried to, anyway; he kept looking away. "Would you even care if it wasn't causing you a problem?"
"Of course I'd care!" He spoke the words, then realized what he'd said. The words felt true, even if they made no sense to him.
"Why? You made it clear you didn't want to talk! I'm trying all I can to give you some distance, so why are you making a fuss about it?"
Ventus frowned at him, suddenly realizing Vanitas's heavy breathing, the tremor in his voice. "I—what do you mean, I don't want to talk?" he asked, feeling like he'd found his answer, yet unable to piece it together.
"You never came. I said you could talk to me if you wanted, and I'm pretty sure you have no one here you can talk to about—these things, but I guess I wasn't even better than nothing, because you never came. Not to my room, or to Tiana's Palace, or—anywhere." He stopped and visibly caught his breath, before resuming. "I was just trying to be—a friend."
It took a moment for Ventus to even realize what he was talking about. "I—forgot," he admitted. "I've just been swamped, and the twins took all my attention, and—I don't know, I didn't see you over the past few days and it must have slipped my mind."
Vanitas's expression softened, his lips parted in surprise. "So you didn't—" He groaned, rubbing a hand against his forehead. "Of course. I'm so stupid."
"No, you just—" Ventus tried to think of something to say to comfort him, feeling more awkward with every passing second. "It clearly meant something for you to offer that, so it's a little bit my fault for not realizing that." He chuckled. "And here I was thinking you were avoiding me and giving me a good grade because you were afraid I'd report you."
"Afraid?" Vanitas looked up at him over his hand. "I'm not afraid of you."
Ven couldn't help but feel a little insulted by that. "Maybe you should. I could report you for real." There was no bite behind his words, though. Judging by the smirk that blossomed on Vanitas's face, he had noticed.
"I gave you a good grade because you deserved one," Vanitas said. "Don't insult my standards."
"All right, all right." Ventus raised his hands as if in surrender. "I'll accept that…if you accept that I don't actually hate you to the point where I want you as far away from me as possible." He paused. "And I'd really like you to stay in this class."
"To save you the headache of finding a new partner?"
Ventus shook his head. "In this class, and with you as my partner. Come on, I told you, I can relate with wanting a connection to your family. I don't want to be the reason you miss out on that."
Ventus pretended not to notice Quistis's sigh of relief when the two of them walked back into the classroom and took their seats. She didn't ask what had changed Vanitas's mind—in fact, she left them alone, not even pressing them to catch up with the others—and that was all Ven could ask for.
The conversation prompt for the day was 'family', and Ventus knew exactly what to start with.
"My brother just figured out he's…well, I'm not sure what, but not straight, at least," he started in Spanish.
Vanitas stared at him blankly. "You're really going to do this?" he asked, in English. Then, when Ventus shrugged and remained silent, he sighed, and repeated he question—in hesitant Spanish.
"You said I could talk to you about it," Ventus pointed out.
"What does that have to do with your grandfather?"
Ventus took a moment to correct his word order, then explained. "He has a boyfriend now—his best friend, actually. He was wondering why I never came out to our grandfather."
"Your grandfather…Eraqus? He's also gay, though, right?"
Ventus nodded, a little embarrassed at the reminder that Vanitas seemingly knew a lot more about him and his family than he realized. "It's more complicated than that. I was afraid he'd try to police my sexuality—or now, Sora's—for the sake of the company's image." He paused, wondering if he should explain what he meant, but Vanitas just nodded in understanding. "You know, you understand Spanish really well." He was sure he'd already pointed it out, but it still surprised him.
A small smile bloomed on Vanitas's lips, but he stuck to Spanish. "So why offer to come out first?"
"To gauge his reaction. Sora needs someone he can trust at home. An adult. If our grandfather can't be that, I'd rather Sora finds out because I came out. Eraqus can only do so much to me anymore, compared to what he could do to Sora."
"So you…" He let out a frustrated sigh, and reverted to English. "You're putting your brother's needs before your own—sorry, I had no idea how to say that."
Ventus nodded, and offered a translation with a smile. "That's the idea. You must think I'm stupid to put myself at risk like that."
To his surprise, though, Vanitas shook his head. "I'd do the same for my sister."
Ven gaped at him. "You have a sister?" he asked.
For a moment, Vanitas hesitated—due to the language or the information he'd just revealed, Ven wasn't sure. "Foster sister," he said in English. Then, in Spanish, "Not that that makes a difference—she's my sister, that's all. For her, I—" He sighed once more. "She's the reason I let my foster father sell Unbirth," he said.
The sudden change of topic took Ventus aback; he frowned at Vanitas, unable to continue in Spanish. "What do you mean?"
"He threw her out," he said. "Last year, when I started at DSU. But I get a share of the profits from Unbirth. I rent her a place, close to campus, and everything else I make, I save up so she can go to college when she graduates high school in two years. I hope it'll be enough, anyway."
Ventus gaped at him, unable to contain his surprise—among other emotions. "You—"
To his surprise, Vanitas took out his phone then, searched for a few seconds, then showed him a picture. "This is her. Xion." The picture was a selfie taken by Vanitas, next to a girl, barely shorter than he was, with light brown skin and jet-black hair in a pixie cut. She was beaming at the camera, but Vanitas was looking at her, with a bright, warm smile Ventus had never seen on him before. Except maybe once, that night at the party, when he'd been looking at Ventus.
Vanitas pulled the phone back, as if burned from showing the picture to Ventus. But Ventus barely noticed—he suddenly remembered what Vanitas had said about Unbirth. "You said if you had the choice, you'd still sell it. Unbirth." He paused, searching Vanitas's gaze and finding the confirmation he was looking for. "You meant for her sake."
"Yes."
"Vanitas, I'm sor—"
"Don't," Vanitas cut him off.
His forceful tone startled Ventus. "Don't what?"
"You didn't know—because I don't want people to know. So don't act like you're sorry. Keeping this to myself is my decision, and I know exactly what it means. How people will treat me."
Ventus didn't ask why he was making that choice. The vulnerability in his eyes was almost alarming; Ventus could easily guess why he wouldn't want most people to know. Wasn't that, to an extent, why Ventus had tried to hide his family? To avoid making himself vulnerable to people's greed?
So instead, he gave Vanitas a way out. "Is she the reason you dye your hair?" he asked, smirking.
Vanitas stared at him, a surprised frown on his face. "How did you—"
"I—kind of assumed. Since you're blond—" He glanced down. Vanitas's crotch was out of sigh under the table, but Ventus hoped the implication was clear. "You know."
"You noticed," Vanitas said, smirking back.
"I was—paying close attention." Ventus felt himself starting to heat up just thinking back to that night, and he was sure it showed on his face.
Thankfully, if Vanitas noticed, he chose not to tease him about it. "Yeah, I dye it black for her. So we look more like siblings. Xion wants to get piercings too, and maybe a tattoo, but I told her that'd have to wait." He crossed his arms. "Besides, I don't look good with blond hair. Trust me."
"I sincerely doubt you'd be able to look bad," Ventus offered without thinking.
"Oh, really?"
"I mean—" Ventus started, but he couldn't find a way out of this one. So instead, he just smiled. "Yeah, really." And without missing a beat, he switched topics—and languages. "So for our essay, I had an idea you might like—"
