They must have dozed off, because the next thing Ventus knew, he was waking up, his limbs tangled with Vanitas's. They were both still naked, but in this moment, right after waking up, it didn't feel sexual so much as vulnerable—in a good way. Perhaps it had to do with Vanitas's sleeping, unguarded face. He'd dropped his guard with Ventus several times by now, but there was still something special about seeing him like this.

With a contented sigh, Ven scooted closer, nuzzling into Vanitas's chest. Without waking up, as if by reflex, Vanitas wrapped an arm around him. The gesture felt protective, and with it, Ven's senses were overwhelmed with Vanitas's presence in every direction. The quiet sound of his breathing. The smooth, firm warmth of his skin, the weight of his arm, and the cold, hard touch of his piercings where they brushed against Ventus. The scent of him, mixed with the musk of sex. The taste of his tongue lingering on Ventus's tongue, of his skin on Ventus's lips. And, if Ventus opened his eyes, the sight of his body laid out bare in front of him.

The moment was still, and for once, Ven's mind was still as well. His heart raced with the realization of what this meant, of what they'd agreed to, but his brain was giving him some peace for now, allowing him to just feel. That was all he wanted or needed for now.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed this way—he might even have fallen back asleep at some point, or very close to it. When Vanitas stirred against him, it brought him back to full alertness, but neither of them moved immediately. Vanitas's heart started drumming a little faster into his ear as he woke up, Ven noticed, smiling at the thought.

Vanitas stroked his back gently, and Ventus finally pulled away, just so he could meet his gaze—and his smile. "Hey," he said, his voice more sleepy than he'd expected.

"Hey," Vanitas said back, and leaned forward to kiss Ventus briefly.

There was really nothing else to say, so neither of them said anything for a moment.

Then, finally, Ventus's brain decided the time for peace was at an end. "Oh, shit!" he let out as his memories returned to him. He sat up in the bed, scanning the room for his clothes.

Before he could stand, Vanitas's hand grabbed his forearm, holding him back. Ventus glanced back, taking in the frown on Vanitas's face, equal parts worried and terrified. "What's wrong? Is it—"

Ventus opened his mouth, then closed it, suddenly realizing what Vanitas must be assuming. "It's—it's not you." He caught sight of the breath Vanitas released, but didn't point it out. "I promised Roxas we'd go pick a car for him today."

Vanitas glanced at the nightstand. "It's one p.m.," he noted, even though Ven had followed his gaze to the alarm clock.

"Yeah. I should be going," Ventus said, casting an apologetic gaze towards Vanitas. "I'm sorry to ruin the moment, I just—"

Vanitas shook his head. "It's okay; I understand. I wouldn't break a promise I made to Xion either." In spite of his words, there was a hint of regret in his tone, one Ventus felt himself.

There was nothing to do about it, though. Ventus stood up, briefly feeling awkward being naked in someone else's room now that his brain wasn't filled up with lust. He glanced back at Vanitas self-consciously, but the way Vanitas was looking at him—admiring, with a hint of fondness hidden in his lascivious grin—made the feeling fade away.

He found his clothes on the floor, keeping Vanitas at the edge of his vision as he put his underwear back on, then his pants. Then he couldn't help but resist teasing him. "You know, I'm pretty sure you should look at me like that when I'm taking my clothes off, not putting them on."

Vanitas chuckled. "You look good either way." He sat up, leaning back against his pillows. "And maybe I'm still wrapping my head around our discussion earlier."

"You haven't changed your mind, right?"

"Have you?"

"Of course not." And just like that, the idea hit him, and he blurted out, "Do you want to come with me?"

For a brief moment, Vanitas stared at him silently, his lips parted in surprise. "Come with you—"

"To meet my brother. Well, probably both of my brothers, I'm sure Sora will want to come along." He paused, suddenly realizing how he sounded. "If it's too fast—"

"No, I—I'd love to," Vanitas cut him off. "I just don't want to get in the way."

"You won't." Ventus smiled at him, and walked back towards the bed, kneeling on the mattress by Vanitas's feet. "When I was asking to be your boyfriend, I meant—the whole package." He chuckled. "Besides, I've talked about you to my brothers too much not to introduce you, now that we're together."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "You talked about me?"

An awkward smile formed on Ventus's lips as he realized what he'd said. "Maybe?"

"How intriguing," Vanitas teased.

"I think you already know most of my inner conflict when it comes to you, by now," Ventus pointed out, but Vanitas's grin only grew larger. "If you're gonna come with me just to make fun of me—"

"I would never—"

Ven scoffed, and hopped off the bed. "Whatever you say."

He'd barely taken one step away from the bed when Vanitas caught up with him, circling his arms around Ven to stop him. Through the fabric of his pants, Ven was keenly aware that Vanitas was still naked—and suddenly it didn't feel so innocently intimate anymore.

"Do I have the time to shower first?" Vanitas asked in his ears. His voice was low—barely above a whisper.

Ventus caught the implication—and he couldn't resist it. "I could use a shower myself," he admitted, keeping his tone as neutral as he could. "We'll have to make it quick."

"Disappointing, but I can work with that," Vanitas simply said. He opened his arms, but Ventus felt as though he hadn't truly been let go of.


To Vanitas's credit, he did do his best to keep the shower brief. It was almost disappointing, as Ventus could have gladly spent the entire afternoon exploring all the possibilities of showering together with his boyfriend—a term he still had trouble thinking of without feeling like screaming in joy. But under Vanitas's commands and his expert hands, both of them were quickly hard, over the edge, and back on Earth just in time to clean up and get dressed.

Ventus didn't regret the experience, short as it was. The bathroom's steamy atmosphere leant it a dreamlike quality that worked with the short time frame. And, truth be told, they did need to hurry. He'd texted Roxas that he'd be late, but he didn't want to make his brother wait forever. As it was, it was almost two in the afternoon by the time they got into Ven's car and drove off towards Daybreak.

During the entire drive, Ven wondered what he was most nervous about—Vanitas meeting his brothers, or the other way around. He had deliberated warning Roxas in his text, then decided against it, since that would only lead to Roxas asking him follow-up questions and delaying him even further; so he knew his brothers would be surprised—shocked, even, since he hadn't caught them up on the latest developments. But he knew his brothers—he could almost predict their exact reactions—whereas he had no idea whatsoever what Vanitas would do.

Vanitas must have sensed his nervousness. "Relax," he said as Ventus left the highway. "I know I'm not typical boyfriend material, but it won't be that bad."

"It's not that," Ventus said. "You shouldn't even say that. You're perfectly fine."

"You didn't think so less than twenty-four hours ago," Vanitas pointed out, and Ventus couldn't argue—because he was right. "I know what image I created for myself."

"It really isn't that, though," Ven insisted. "They know most of what happened. I'm sure they'll trust I have a good reason to change my mind about you."

"If it helps, it's fine if you want to tell them about Xion."

Ventus glanced a him, surprised. "You don't have to do that," he said.

"But I want to. I agreed to be your boyfriend too, you know."

Sighing, Ventus dropped the argument. "We'll see, I guess. But really, I'm more curious what you'll think of them." He already felt jittery just driving in the streets of his hometown with Vanitas in the passenger seat. "I basically raised them since I was thirteen. We have a complicated relationship, and—honestly, I don't know what it looks like from the outside."

"As long as you're not sleeping with them—" Vanitas teased, then paused. "You're not, right?"

Ventus rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm not. Don't be ridiculous."

"Then I'm sure I can take it."

His reassurance came just as Ven's family home came into view. Ventus idly wondered how he always seemed to have such perfect timing when they were talking, as he pulled up in front of the house.

"Come on," he said as he already exited the car. The twins would probably want to leave as quickly as possible, but he'd rather make the introductions outside of the car, while everyone could actually look at each other.

Vanitas trailed behind him to the front door, but Ventus hadn't even reached the doorbell when Sora emerged from the house with an excited smile. "All right, car time!" he said in lieu of greeting. His gaze drifted past Ventus's shoulder and grew curious. "Hi! Are you—"

Ven glanced back, noticing the stunned look on Vanitas's face. "Sora, this is—Vanitas. Vanitas, Sora, one of my brothers."

Vanitas blinked, and finally, wiped the look off his face and took a step forward. "Nice to meet you," he said, and even though he'd regained his composure, he still sounded rattled.

Sora shook his hand with a grin. "Yeah! I heard a lot about you. Ven didn't tell us how cool you looked. Love the piercings and the tattoos."

"Thanks," Vanitas said with an amused smile. "If you want, I can—"

"You're not telling my brother how to get those," Ven intervened. He couldn't help but relax anyway.

That was when Roxas came out of the house. "Hey, Ven—" He suddenly froze as his eyes fell on Vanitas. "You're—Xion's brother. What're you doing here?"

"Ah," Vanitas said as he turned to Roxas. "Twins. I forgot." He smiled, and extended his hand. "Vanitas Ansem. Yeah, Xion's my sister."

"Vanitas?" Roxas turned to Ven. "Your Vanitas?"

Ventus stared at them incredulously, trying his best to ignore the cocky smirk on Vanitas's face. "You know each other?"

"Only from sight," Vanitas said.

"I told you there was a new girl in my orchestra class," Roxas said. "Her name's Xion. Her brother—" he nodded towards Vanitas. "He comes pick her up after class."

"Oh," Ven said. "So you already know about Xion, then." He realized it wasn't all he needed to explain, but it still felt like a relief not having to force Vanitas to tell his brothers about her.

Roxas frowned, but he didn't ask what he meant. "Is he here because you're—together now?"

Immediately, Sora gasped and stared at them with wide eyes. Ventus shifted on his feet; he hadn't expected to be uncovered that easily. Still, he'd come to tell them about it; no point in denying it now. "Yeah. That's why I asked him to come with me—so you guys could meet. We've only gotten together this morning," he added, anticipating Roxas's next question. "It's still fresh."

"Wow!" Sora let out. "Congrats, guys!"

"Yeah," Roxas said, more quietly. "Anyway, can we go?" Without waiting, he brushed past Ventus and kept going towards his car.

With a sigh, Ventus gestured to Vanitas and Sora. "Hold on," he said quietly before going after his brother. He caught up to him just before he could climb in the backseat of Ven's car, and gently grabbed his shoulder to stop him. "Ro," he said, calmly. "Talk to me."

Roxas sighed. "You'll think I'm selfish."

"If you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't—"

"I just hoped today would be about me."

Ventus couldn't help but flinch at that. "It's still about you—"

"You're late because of him, aren't you? And he's here, and it'll just—"

"Change things?" Ven guessed. "You're right—I'm late because I got carried away with Vanitas this morning, but this afternoon's still all about you." He paused. "I asked him to come specifically so you and Sora could meet him."

"I know, and I'm happy you did." Roxas huffed in frustration. "I'm not even making any sense!" he said.

"You're afraid that me having a boyfriend will mean I have less room for you, but you're happy I found one anyway?" Ventus suggested. "It's okay; I understand."

Roxas let out another deep sigh. "Why do you have to be so great all the time?"

Ven scoffed. "I'm really not—I just know you, that's all." He grimaced briefly. "If you want, we can go," he offered. "Just the two of us—we can even ditch Sora. If it'll make you feel better. I'll make sure Vanitas understands."

"No," Roxas shook his head. "Then I'll just feel even more selfish. It's fine, really, I'm just—I don't know."

"We can talk about it until you do?"

"Maybe later. Or I'll talk to Doctor Sid about it. Right now we should go, before we run out of time."

The rejection stung, but Ven didn't want to force his brother. "As long as you promise you'll talk to me if there's anything I can actually do."

Roxas looked at him out the corner of his eyes, his face forming a pout that made him look like such a stereotypical teenager it felt out of place on him. "Fine," he conceded, and climbed into the car without another word.

Ventus turned away from him, walking back up to Sora and Vanitas, still waiting by the house's front door, Sora staring at Vanitas with unabashed admiration as they laughed together. When Ven came closer, however, Vanitas immediately turned to him with a worried look.

"Everything all right?"

"Mostly," Ven said. He didn't feel comfortable enough sharing all the details of his brother's mental health with Vanitas yet—not when he didn't fully understand this new development himself. "We should get going."

Sora dashed towards the car, although Ventus had noticed the hint of worry in his eyes. "He's a great kid," Vanitas said, walking up to stand by Ventus's side. "I didn't think the popular type like him could openly accept me."

Idly, Ven reached for Vanitas's hand and laced their fingers together. They'd never done something like that, and he almost expected Vanitas to recoil at the contact, but he just squeezed back gently. "Why would you think that? You're a badass. He's dazzled."

"Maybe I'm not used to being a badass." Vanitas chuckled. "Are you sure Roxas is okay? If it's my fault, I can always go—I can get back to the city on my own—"

"I offered that," Ventus admitted. "He said no. He's—going through things. Better roll with it." His mental health, on a tenuous recovery, but also the changes in his family—Ventus moving out and now bringing Vanitas home, and Sora's new relationship and sexuality. Ventus could imagine how those changes might scare him, and how that fear might conflict with his attempts at getting better. But he couldn't explain that to Vanitas—not yet, not until Roxas accepted him and gave Ven the green light. He owed him that much, at least.

"Should I be offended you 'offered'?" Vanitas asked, but when Ven turned to look at him, he wore a teasing smile. "I get it," he said. "I'd do the same—"

"For your sister, yeah." Ventus scoffed. "I can't believe they know each other." Roxas hadn't mentioned her much—not even enough to tell Ventus her name—but Ven remembered him talking about her a couple times over the past week. He wondered what it meant, if anything.

"What I can't believe is I didn't know that was your brother. Your grandfather did some impressive work keeping their faces out of public record."

"That's mostly my doing, actually," Ventus said. "Not to brag or anything."

"Oh. Guess I should have known." Vanitas paused, suddenly tense. "Well, impressive work anyway."

"Thanks," Ven simply said. "Shall we go?"


It took them three hours and four dealerships before Roxas and Ventus could manage to agree on a car, unabashedly arguing about how unnecessary it was that Ventus wanted him to get parking sensors and air conditioning and he could absolutely do without those, thank you very much. The arguing felt reassuring, more than anything; at least Roxas was back to talking openly to him.

It was as if Roxas's earlier outburst hadn't happened—though Ventus hadn't forgotten, and he doubted Roxas had either. But he was making an effort, even going so far as to talk to Vanitas. First he asked about Xion—smalltalk, how she was doing and why she took a class in Daybreak if she lived in Radiant City. Sora joined in, asking Roxas about Xion, and why they'd barely heard of her, a question Roxas dodged expertly.

But as they drove to the fourth dealership, Roxas asked Vanitas how he and Ven got together.

"You should ask your brother," Vanitas said, amused. "He's the one who barged into my room this morning to make his declaration."

Ventus felt himself starting to blush. "It just hit me after last night."

"Ooh," Sora chimed in.

"Not like that," Ventus objected over the sound of Sora and Vanitas laughing. "Yesterday, Vanitas told me about his sister, and—it changed my understanding of things."

"You mean like how he sells drugs?" Roxas asked pointedly.

Any sense of hilarity died in the car. "Well, he only invented it—" Ventus started, but Vanitas interrupted him.

"It's okay—I might as well be selling it myself." He glanced into the rear view mirror, and Ventus guessed his eyes locked onto Roxas's. "Our father kicked my sister out. It was the only way I had to provide for her."

"Why'd he kick her out?" Roxas pressed.

"Ro!" Ven interjected. Then, to Vanitas, "You don't have to answer that."

"I—it's okay. I get that your brother's curious." Ven wondered if he was imagining the implication—that he understood if Ventus was curious, too. "It might be best if you ask her directly, though, Roxas. Your next class is Tuesday, right?" He glanced at Ventus. "You should come too," he said. "You waned to meet her, after all."

"Only if Roxas will let me come," he said, then he realized he had to explain that to Vanitas. "We have a code—so I don't embarrass them."

"Not too much, anyway," Sora teased, but he went mostly ignored, Vanitas still looking at Ventus questioningly, and Ventus glancing at Roxas in the rear view mirror. Roxas didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway.

"Okay, you can come," he said. "Just this once."

They reached the dealership, but as they exited the car, Roxas zoomed around it and planted himself in front of Vanitas. "Can we talk a minute?"

Ventus stared at the two of them, frozen in sudden panic, but Vanitas glanced at him and nodded, and there wasn't much he could do beyond walk in with Sora and talk to the owner as he waited. It didn't take much more than the minute Roxas had asked for, but it felt like forever to Ven's anxious mind. Vanitas stood back as Roxas came by Ven's side, introducing himself to the salesman and asking if they could see the car they'd come for.

As they followed him through the building, Roxas whispered to Ventus, "Look, I'm sorry if I made things awkward."

"Just tell me if I should be worried," Ven replied in a similarly low voice.

"I just told Vanitas I'm happy you got together. And I am. I'm just looking out for you, you know?"

"I know," Ven said. "You don't have to, but I'm glad you're doing it. But I'd still like to know what's going on with you today."

"Me too," Roxas said with a snort. "But it's not fair of me to dish it out on you and your new boyfriend. Thanks again for doing all this, by the way. I'm really feeling this one."

Roxas was correct: a short time and some paperwork later, they'd reached a deal, and Roxas received a set of keys for his new—well, used—car. Giddy with excitement, he took it immediately on a test drive, Sora practically jumping into the passenger seat, with the promise to meet up back home.

"You're just gonna tail them the whole time, aren't you?" Vanitas asked, bemused, as soon as they were alone in Ventus's car.

"I don't—" The thought had occurred to him, but he hadn't made up his mind yet—until Vanitas asked. "Yeah, I am."

As he followed his brother down the quiet streets of Daybreak, Vanitas spoke again. "Sora asked me if I was out to my father, you know."

Ventus glanced at him, surprised. "When did he do that?"

"Back at your house." He paused. "You were talking to him, right? About coming out to your grandfather? Because he wasn't sure if he should do it himself?"

"Yeah, that was Sora." Ventus knew what Vanitas was getting at—this was an opportunity to make good on that promise. Part of him had actually hoped Eraqus would have seen him and Vanitas earlier, making it easier to breach the subject with him. But in hindsight, he was glad it hadn't happened—not for his sake, but for Vanitas's. "Would it be okay if—if I did that now? If my grandfather's here, I mean."

"You don't need to ask my permission to come out," Vanitas pointed out.

"No, but—I don't want to put you on the spot, either. I can do it sometime you're not there."

With an understanding nod, Vanitas said, "If you make the call, I'll stand by you." He smirked. "I'm not scared of Eraqus Enix."

Ventus scoffed. "You've never met him."

A brief pause. "I have, actually. A few times." Ventus glanced at him, surprised. "Once through my father's lab, and once through a journal that published me. I'm not entirely sure, due to double blind standards, but I think he was also a peer reviewer on one of my papers."

Ventus had only gotten part of what he'd just said, but he got the gist of it, and he gaped at Vanitas briefly before returning his attention to the road, and his brother's car ahead. "Wow. I should've known."

"Maybe." He paused. "You know, come to think of it, I think I saw you at the company's office, back in—January? X-Blade Industries was trying to buy out the patent for Unbirth."

"They were?" Ventus asked, incredulous—though perhaps he shouldn't have been. The company's reach was wide, and while recreational drugs weren't part of heir business, he could easily imagine the other applications of Unbirth. "Did you—"

"We didn't sell. It wasn't my call—I was just there as a spokesman."

"Would you have? If it'd been your call?"

"I don't know." Vanitas sighed. "Point is, your grandfather tried to make me change my mind—I guess he didn't realize it was my father's decision. I know how he can be."

"He wasn't there? Your father?"

Vanitas shook his head. "The less said about that, the better."

Ventus frowned, but the implication to drop the subject was clear. So Ventus switched courses, adopting a teasing tone. "No offense, but that's not nearly enough to know how bad he can be."

"It doesn't matter. I'll still stand by you."

The words filled Ventus with a giddy, light feeling. He was still smiling as he finally parked, slightly down the road from his home—Roxas having taken the spot right in front of it.

"Well, I hope you mean that," he said. They caught up to the twins in the driveway, and Ven called Sora over. "I'm gonna tell Grandfather," he said. "About Vanitas and me. Like we said." Sora stood there, petrified, and Ventus continued. "You don't have to come out straight away, even if he takes it well. I just wanted you to know."

Finally, Sora blinked and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks. And—good luck."

Ventus nodded at him, and pressed on, feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline at the thought of what he was about to do. If it hadn't been for Vanitas's presence at his back, he wasn't sure he would have made it all the way to the living room, where Eraqus sat, unperturbed as always. It was only when he noticed Vanitas standing with his grandsons that he looked up, eyebrows raised at the newcomer.

"Hello, Grandfather," Ventus greeted him, remaining formal. Roxas disappeared up the stairs, but Sora lingered in the doorway. It seemed to Ven as though he was hiding behind Vanitas, though he couldn't be sure without glancing back.

"You took care of Roxas's car, I take it."

"Yes. But that's not why I'm here." He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Grandfather, this is Vanitas. He's my boyfriend." He paused, but there was no reaction. "I'm dating him. I'm gay."

There was a moment of silence, during which it sounded like the words were echoing—but perhaps it was just the rush of blood in his ears tricking him.

"I see," Eraqus finally said. "Well, you know I was married to a man, so you should already know that I'm fine with it." His eyes fell on Vanitas. "We've met before. Vanitas—Ansem. Correct?" He insisted on the name hard enough that, even though he was asking for a confirmation, it was clear he already remembered Vanitas.

Vanitas held his gaze steadily. "Correct."

Eraqus hummed softly. "As they say, if you have noting nice to say—" He returned his gaze to Ventus. "I appreciate you coming to me about it, I truly do."

His cold tone, and the implied insult, undercut the weight of his words to Ventus's ears. Ven suddenly felt grateful very Vanitas had told him they'd met before. "Grandfather, if this is because of your business dealings with him—"

"Not at all." He stood up. "Now if you don't mind, I have files that need attending."

On that abrupt dismissal, Eraqus left the room, barely acknowledging Sora as he walked past him.

Once they'd heard his footsteps vanish outside, followed by the sound of the door to his office, Vanitas finally spoke. "Well, I can see why you were worried," he said.

Ventus shook his head slowly. "What even was that?"

Sora walked into the room, awkwardly standing by Ventus. "Are you okay?"

Was he? He wasn't even sure how he felt. "I—It could have been worse, I guess." He glanced at Vanitas, his curiosity muffled by worry. What if this disapproval escalated, and Eraqus tried to put pressure on his relationship? He had little in the way of leverage left over Ventus, who had already access to most of his inheritance as per his parents' will. Well—that wasn't true. Eraqus still had custody of the twins. That was, ultimately, what made Ventus afraid. Would he go so far as to use them against him?

He shook his head. He was spiraling, and this hadn't even really been about him. He turned to Sora. "What about you?"

"That—wasn't what I expected," he admitted. "But—well, he always liked Riku, right?" He cast Vanitas an apologetic glance. "So he should be okay with us?"

"Honestly, after what just happened, I don't know what to think anymore," Ventus confessed. "But you're right—it does look like it." He wanted it to be okay for Sora—so his brother had an adult to rely on at home. Still, he couldn't find it in himself to be wholly optimistic anymore. "Just take a moment to think it over, okay? Maybe have Riku there when you do it. Kairi, too, if she's okay with it."

Sora managed a weak grin. "Yeah, that was the plan anyway," he said. "So, are you guys staying over for dinner?"

Ven glanced at Vanitas. His face was a mask, but Ventus could see a hint of discomfort leaking through. "I think we should make ourselves scarce for today," he said.

Sora chuckled. "Okay. I'm meeting with Riku in half an hour anyway, so—see you next weekend?"

"At the latest," Ventus promised.

"All right." Turning to Vanitas, Sora added, "Nice meeting you! Hope we can see each other again."

"I'm not planning on going anywhere," Vanitas replied with a smile.

And even though it didn't sound like much, Ventus was glad that Sora ran up the stairs, because the words made his heart beat just a little harder, and he was certain he was blushing from it. He leaned against Vanitas's shoulder, letting the touch ground him as he tried to regain a semblance of balance.

"Thanks for being here," he finally said.

"Are you sure? From where I stood, it sounded like I was the only thing your grandfather disapproved of."

"Yeah. It doesn't matter. Thanks anyway."

They were halfway to the door when Ventus paused in the hallway as a thought crossed his mind. "Hold on a second," he said, and he rushed up the staircase and into his old bedroom.

The telescope stood where it had been the last time. This time, though, Ventus took it with him when he left.