In spite of how late it was when they had finally gone to sleep, Ven woke up early the next morning. Vanitas opened his eyes just moments later, as if synced up to Ven. A smile bloomed on his lips, and it was all Ven could do to chase it with a kiss. Vanitas was still wearing his hoodie, and Ven was in a hurry to get the offending piece of clothing out of the way.
When the door clicked open, Ven cried out in panic, but it was too late to alert Terra. He backed out of the room promptly, with a groan and a "Are you serious?" while Ven looked on at the closing door, mortified.
"Guess it's time to go back to deal with the world again," Ven said.
From beneath him, Vanitas shrugged. "You sure we can't at least finish off?" He pointed at his own crotch with a wicked grin, and Ven shoved him down on the mattress.
"Pretty sure I'm not getting back in the mood." Then, with a smile, he suggested, "Maybe later?"
"I hope later is more than a 'maybe'," Vanitas grumbled, but he finally let Ven out of his grasp.
Ven was in desperate need for a shower, and it was no surprise that Vanitas followed him to the bathroom without even being coaxed into it. But now that he was out of the cocoon of his own room, of his own post-reunion bliss with Vanitas, everything else was coming back in sharp focus—in particular, what had happened to Sora.
"If you keep worrying so much, you're going to drop your soap." Vanitas's sarcasm dropped as soon as Ven looked at him, and Ven didn't want to know what it meant for the look in his eyes. "Hey," he said, reaching out to gently stroke up Ven's arm. "Wanna talk about it?"
"It's just—what can I even do? For Sora?"
"Honestly? I don't know. You'll have to see how he is when he wakes up. But if anyone can help him deal with it, it's probably you. And you will."
"Thanks." Ven wasn't sure he felt as confident, but it was comforting to hear someone believed in him in this way.
They got out of the shower and got dressed. Vanitas was forced to borrow some of Ven's clothes, which looked tight across his chest, and Ven wasn't even in the mood to enjoy the view. Instead, Ven's focus was all on gathering his courage to head into Vanitas's room and talk to his brother, but before he could leave, Vanitas caught his hand in his. "Look," he said, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of Ven's hand, "What matters most is that he's okay. He had Riku to take care of him, and you."
"And you," Ven pointed out, which made Vanitas smile.
"So don't dwell over how much worse it could have been. And don't you dare go blaming yourself."
Ven opened his mouth to retort, but he wasn't sure he could deny it. How could he not take some of the blame? If he hadn't left Sora in Eraqus's care, especially after this week, none of this might have happened. And if he was right, none of it would have happened at all were it not for Xehanort—and that connection was entirely through Ven. Even the way he'd handled things, leaving Sora alone with friends to go off chasing his boyfriend, felt like a betrayal.
"You're doing it right now," Vanitas pointed out, and Ven snapped to attention. "This isn't your fault. Or his. It's the fault of the guy who gave him that drink."
Ven flashed back to Yozora's face in that alleyway. "Not just him. You said so yourself—he was an accomplice."
"Yeah. And we'll deal with him too, in due time. But right now, what matters is your brother. Got it?"
"You're right." Ven sighed. "But the problem is, none of it would have happened if he hadn't stolen Roxas's car and ID to drive to a college party. That's what makes it so messy. I know it's not his fault it happened, but I can't let that slide, either."
"Some would say you're not his dad, and it's not your job."
"But it has been. For a while." He left the last part unsaid: that as of two days ago, he had begun a process that might make it his job in a very official manner.
"Yeah." Vanitas squeezed his hand gently. "Look, all you can do is talk to him. He's old enough to have a serious conversation."
"Is that what you'd do? If it were Xion?"
"I don't know. She's never done anything quite like this." He smirked. "I think I got all the delinquent attitude in the family."
"Considering who the rest of your family is, that's arguable."
Vanitas scoffed. "They're not my family—not anymore."
On any other day, Ven would have believed him wholesale, unaware of the cracks in his armor; but he'd seen that armor blown to pieces the previous night. Maybe Vanitas would never truly shake off their influence—but then again, what mattered was that he was trying.
Ven linked their fingers together and leaned against Vanitas, allowing himself one final moment to gather his thoughts. "Okay," he finally said, "I'm ready."
Vanitas's room felt cramped when Ven entered it. Aqua had separated the beds Vanitas usually kept next to one another, and Sora slept on one, but Riku, Aqua and Terra were all up in a space that wasn't designed for this many people at once.
Terra was the first to acknowledge them. "Let's never talk about this again." Ven immediately blushed at the reminder.
Vanitas, of course, was undeterred. "I don't know." He smirked. "I am very curious to hear your feedback."
"Vanitas," Ven hissed. Then he turned to Aqua, pointedly ignoring Terra's embarrassed sputtering. "How's he doing?"
"He's been sleeping the whole time," she said softly. "I think he'll be okay."
"He should be," Vanitas said, all humor melting from his voice as he focused on Sora. "Might be better to give him a check-up, but I don't think the damage will be physical."
"It's not just that," Riku said. He was sitting at the foot of Sora's bed, and the look in his eyes defied anyone to make him move, but he had his phone in hand. "Social media has been active."
The words were enough to make Ven want to look away from what Riku was trying to show him. Years of trying to protect his brothers' privacy—all for this. Still, even if he couldn't bring himself to look, he needed to know—for Sora's sake if nothing else. "How bad is it?"
"Pretty much what you could expect," Aqua said. She had her laptop open beside her, Ven noticed. "There are pictures of him drinking. Nothing of his fall, but there are a couple pictures of you dragging him out of the bar, and it looks like he's passed out drunk, not—" She nodded towards Sora's still sleeping form. "You know."
"The problem is in the captions," Riku added. "People think he's Roxas."
Ven wanted to scream, but instead his voice came out too quiet. "This is—a nightmare."
"Ven—" Vanitas started.
"I know what you're going to say. Yes, it could be worse. But now Roxas is involved too." Even more involved than he already was since Sora had taken his car, anyway. "There's no going back from this. I've spent years making sure nothing like that happened ot them, that they could grow up away from all this shit." He waved at the screen, full of impotent rage. "And now Roxas is taking the fall."
"What about Ro?" The sound of Sora's voice startled Ven, and before Ven knew what to say, Sora was stirring, faster than Ven expected, practically springing up into a seated position on the bed. He blinked at the lot of them with bleary eyes. "What's going on? Where am I?" He reached up to his face, briefly staring at the bandages on his palms, then pulled his head back sharply when he touched the one on his forehead.
"You're in my dorm room," Vanitas said. He came closer to crouch by Sora's bedside. "We took you here after you passed out last night. Remember?"
Ven slowly walked closer as well, careful not to crowd around him too much. As he did, he delicately closed Aqua's laptop, hoping she'd catch the meaning in his gaze. There would be time to break the news to Sora later.
Sora was distracted enough by Vanitas not to notice. "I remember you guys showed up at the bar," he said. "It's—kind of a blur." His eyes found Ven, and his voice quivered when he added, "What did you say about Roxas?"
Seeing the distraught—almost panicked—look in his eyes, Ven made a snap decision. "I need a moment with my brother," he told the rest of them. For a silent moment, nobody moved. Then Aqua and Terra were the first on their feet, shuffling out of the room as Ven said a quiet 'Thank you' to them. Vanitas questioned him with a look, but Ven nodded confidently, and he finally left.
Riku was the last to stay, and there was still an angry look in his eyes as he challenged Ven to make him leave. But Ven was full of enough anger of his own not to care. "Riku, you know I love you and your friendship with Sora," he said. "But considering you went along with everything, now's not the time to act tough with me. You're supposed to know better, even if you don't know how to tell my brother 'no'."
He wasn't sure if his words or his tone were what cowed him, but Riku averted his gaze slowly, contrite. He glanced at Sora, then got on his feet. "I'll be waiting for you," he said before leaving the room.
"Ven," Sora said once they were alone, "what's going on?"
With a heavy sigh, Ven sat on the bed next to Sora. "You hurt yourself," Ven said, nodding at the bandages. "A bad fall, according to Riku."
"I kinda remember that," Sora said. "It's after that that—" He shook his head. "But what about Roxas? You're scaring me, Ven."
"Riku said you used Roxas's name." Ven tried his best to keep his voice neutral, to keep his anger in check. He doubted it would help right now, and he couldn't even direct the most of it at Sora. "People picked up on it, and have been posting pictures."
"Oh, no," Sora said softly, his eyes glistening with a hint of tears. "No, no, no—"
He buried his face in his hands, his body shaking with sobs. Ven's anger melted into heartbreak, and he shuffled closer to Sora, taking him into his arms. Sora went slack against him, pressing his face on his shoulder.
"It wasn't supposed to happen," Sora said. "I swear." Ven bit back his retort, but Sora must have sensed the way he tensed up, because he pulled back, looking at Ven with wet eyes. "They said they wouldn't let anyone post pictures, because they didn't want anyone to know the frat was serving drinks to minors, right? I mean, we weren't the only ones there. Most college students are under twenty-one, right?"
"Sora," Ven said, as softly as he could. "Are you really trying to argue with me that it's okay because you didn't think you'd get caught?"
In spite of Ven's efforts to remain calm, Sora flinched. "I— You're right. I'm sorry."
Ven shook his head. "I'm not the one you're gonna have to apologize to. Getting that call from Riku was scary, but—worrying about you, that's my job."
"But there's gotta be a way to fix this, right? I can't let Roxas be in trouble over this!"
"We'll figure it out," Ven said. "One thing at a time—first I need to make sure you're okay. That's all we can do from here. Mind if I look at those cuts?"
Sora didn't look satisfied with Ven's answer; he looked away, a pout on his lips, but nodded. "Sure."
Ven fetched Vanitas's first aid kit, just in case, and worked to peel off the bandages. None of the cuts looked infected or swollen; satisfied, Ven got to work redressing the wounds, just for good measure.
"I really messed up, didn't I?" Sora asked. "Ro's gonna hate me now."
"He's not gonna hate you, Sora. Just apologize to him. We'll work together to fix this." He wasn't sure how yet, but he couldn't share that with Sora. He doubted his grandfather would let him deal with a catastrophe on this scale by himself, which meant the company's PR would get involved too. The prospect was enough to make him wince internally.
None of that, however, mattered for now.
"There's something else you need to know," Ven said gravely as he moved to redo the bandage on Sora's forehead. "Last night—it wasn't just the drink that made you pass out. Someone dosed you with—" The name of the drug eluded him; Vanitas would have known. "Some kind of drug," he finally settled on. Best not to elaborate on its purpose. "You have no idea how worried I was."
"I—" Sora started, his eyes widening.
"You're okay," Ven said.
"I never thought—"
Ven could imagine his grandfather's response—something about youth believing itself indestructible. He doubted such a platitude would help right now. "I want you to know I'm not angry at you, and that it's not your fault. But—I hope you never do anything like that again."
Sora looked down. "I'm sorry."
"I know you are." Ven put in the last few touches, then backed away. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I—" Sora looked away, then stood. "Not really, no."
"Okay," Ven said. "If you change your mind, I'm right here."
"Actually—I think I want to talk to Doctor Sid about it."
The suggestion took Ven by surprise, but he nodded. "I'll call him."
"Or—maybe someone else, since he's already seeing Roxas. I don't want to take that away from him too."
"It's—" Ven started, then thought it best not to argue. How Roxas felt wasn't up to him, and while he didn't want to see his brothers torn apart over this, he couldn't speak for either of them. "We'll see what's best." He sighed. "I spent so long worrying about Roxas's mental health, I never thought about yours. I'm sorry." Ultimately, what Sora had done—impersonating his twin, stealing his car, going to a college party—it all struck him as a cry for help that Ven hadn't listened to in time.
Sora nodded slowly. "We're gonna have to go home now, aren't we?" He grimaced, but kept a brave face. "We can't leave Ro alone with Grandfather."
"I guess so," Ven said, but he didn't move immediately. "We'll figure this out. Together."
Vanitas and Riku were both waiting outside the room. The moment Ven came out, Riku rushed towards Sora, who ran into his arms without hesitation. Riku's gaze moved past him, to glance at Vanitas, then finally landed on Ventus.
"I'll do my best to keep an eye on him," Riku simply said. It wasn't an apology, but Ven wasn't even sure if one was truly warranted.
Ven nodded. "Let's just go home." He turned to Vanitas. "Can you come with us? I'll have to take Roxas's car back, so I'll need you to give me a ride back."
"Anything you need."
The words gave Ven pause, feeling so massive as to be overwhelming, even in this casual context. "Th-thanks." He caught Sora snickering at him at the edge of his sight, but he couldn't bring himself to mind.
They walked to Twilight, since Vanitas had also abandoned his car there and never gone to get it back. The silence that hung between them felt uncharacteristic, with Sora steeped into a sullen mood and Vanitas hovering close to Ven, brushing hands every chance he got, his step lighter than usual. It was almost like they had become each other's mirror image—a strange, somewhat scary thought.
Vanitas lingered by Roxas's car as Sora and Riku filed onto the backseat. "Thanks for this," Ven said again. "It means a lot."
"Helping you deal with your family issues? Come on, Ventus. You'd do the same. You have." He paused. "Do you have a plan yet?"
Ven shook his head. "Grandfather is going to have one."
"More than a plan, from what I've seen." Ven frowned, and Vanitas continued, "Posts have stopped showing up, and a bunch of the ones I saw got deleted. I can't help but think this is his doing—or someone at the company."
"Oh." It wasn't a surprise that Eraqus had found out, exactly—he must have anticipated it after Ven's visit last night. Ven wondered if it was good news or bad. "Well, I guess we'll find out what else he has in store."
He climbed on the driver's seat, fishing Roxas's key from his pocket. The Wayfinder dug into his palm when he turned on the ignition, like a reminder of what was at stake.
Ven dropped Riku off at his place before he headed home; whatever storm was waiting for them there, he didn't want to expose Riku to it—especially if Eraqus already viewed his relationship with Sora in a poor light. And if it meant Ven was selfish from bringing Vanitas along, then, so be it.
He still hadn't gotten a message or a call from his grandfather, and a part of him couldn't help but be bothered by it. Eraqus knew Ven was involved—he was even on some of the pictures that were now circulating online. Yet he hadn't taken the time to reach out before he acted.
Even more worrying was the absence of messages from Roxas. This could only mean one of two things: either Eraqus was preventing him from contacting Ven for some reason, or he didn't want to reach out. Neither option left Ven feeling optimistic.
Finally, he pulled into the driveway, and he and Sora walked up to the front door—Sora dragging his feet the entire way. Vanitas caught up with them just before Ven inserted his key in the lock, and silently pressed a hand to the small of Ven's back, the warmth of that simple touch bringing a small measure of comfort to him.
There was a certain agitation in the air when they came in, and Ven found his grandfather in the living room, still wearing the same robe he had the night before. With him was Morgan, clad in silk pajamas which Ven was fairly certain belonged to his grandfather. He was busy on the phone, but he silently greeted Ven and Sora when they came in.
Eraqus, on the other hand, wasn't busy. He set down his laptop, and turned an icy glare towards Ven then Vanitas as they sat across from him. Sora nestled himself between the two of them, and Ven felt the need to protect him when Eraqus's gaze grew ten times colder once it landed on him Sora. Ven was suddenly keenly aware of what he must look like, still wearing a party outfit—one Eraqus must have seen in countless pictures by now—with his hands and head wrapped in bandages.
"You should consider yourself lucky that Morgan is on the phone," Eraqus hissed. "It's the only thing standing between you and an earful. If that's all you get." His gaze moved away, past Ven and landing straight on Vanitas. "This is a family matter—"
"Oh, knock it off," Ven cut him off. "Vanitas is here because I asked him to be. And if we're going to talk about family—" He eyed Morgan. "I assume Morgan was already here last night?" Morgan looked at him briefly, then back to Eraqus, shrugging faintly before focusing on his phone call again. Ven had plenty of suspicions about the nature of their relationship, but he was fairly certain they'd never gone as far as to have him sleep over.
"Point taken." Eraqus's voice lost just a little of its edge—enough to take Ven aback. He looked at Vanitas again, and heaved a deep sigh. "I take it you cleared everything up, then."
"We did," Vanitas said.
"If you're done needling my boyfriend," Ven said, unable to keep his annoyance in check, "maybe you can talk to your grandson."
"I was waiting for his apology." Eraqus turned his attention back to Sora, narrowing his eyes as he did. "Well? Are you going to explain yourself?"
Before Ven could think of a careful answer, Sora blurted out, "It's all my fault! Roxas had no idea I was going to sneak out and take his car, okay? It wasn't his fault that he—I didn't think—"
It took hearing him for Ven to realize what had been the cause of his sullen mood this entire time. More than himself, he was worried about Roxas—about the consequences this might have for him. "Sora—" he said softly, but Eraqus cut him off.
"So you're a liar and a thief, on top of an unruly child." His voice dripped with contempt. "Wonderful."
"The name-calling isn't helping," Ven interjected.
"I'll discipline my grandsons however I please," Eraqus said, turning his cold eyes towards him. "Including you. It's my job."
Ven ignored the veiled threat. "Your job is to protect them. Not to make them miserable. We talked about this."
Just then, Morgan hung up his phone. "He's got a point, Eraqus," he said softly, and while Eraqus was still visibly fuming, he seemed to forcibly calm himself down.
Ven nodded his thanks at Morgan. "Right now, the priority is figuring out what to do about all this," he said. "So what's the plan? Vanitas tells me posts are getting taken down. I assume that's you?"
"It is," Morgan said. "It shouldn't take long before they're all gone from the major platforms, with X-Blade's name behind the notices."
"Is that even legal?" Vanitas asked with open sarcasm.
"Not—strictly speaking."
"They're welcome to sue," Eraqus said, and it felt almost foreign for Ven to see his usual venom directed at someone other than his family for once. "I'm not worried about it."
"There is an argument to be made," Morgan continued, "given that the pictures are of a minor and shared without consent. Enough to drag the case for long enough that any plaintiff would run out of money, most likely."
"I don't care about that," Ven said, exasperated. "The problem is everything you can't cover up. Are you going to erase the memory of everyone who saw the pictures already? Erase every copy? They're bound to come back on smaller platforms, where we won't have as easy a time getting rid of them. So again: what's your plan?"
"I don't want anyone to think it was Roxas," Sora said meekly, his eyes fixed to the coffee table between them.
"You didn't seem to mind—"
Eraqus's admonishment was quieted by Morgan, who put a hand on his shoulder. "If it's about the risk of legal repercussions, rest assured that your brother is safe," he said. "As are you. We've got it handled."
Ven was tempted to press him on that, then decided he would rather not know what he had in mind. "It's not just about that, though, is it? It's also about image."
Sora nodded. "We're gonna have to start working on college applications soon. I don't want last night to cause Roxas any trouble."
Morgan and Eraqus traded a look, and Morgan said, "If you want to take control of the narrative, the best way might be to establish your own presence."
"Oh, fuck no," Ven blurted out. "I didn't keep the twins away from the spotlight for you to push them into it now." He hadn't even done anything quite this public himself.
"Consider this," Eraqus retorted dryly. "If you'd started tailoring your brand years ago, you wouldn't have caused a scandal at Departure State University just by being there."
Ven blinked, surprised that Eraqus had heard about that at all. "So instead of having only three friends that I know I can count on," he finally said, "I would have none. Yeah, great plan. Wonder why I didn't go for it."
Eraqus scoffed, but was once again stopped by Morgan. "Ventus is right about one thing: these pictures aren't going away completely, no matter how hard we try. This means Sora and Roxas's anonymity is compromised, no matter what we do."
"That doesn't mean we have to smash it open," Ven insisted.
"The choice is up to Sora," Morgan said, turning to him instead. Eraqus's eyes were already fixed on him, hard and intense. Ven couldn't help but look at him too.
Sora looked like a deer in headlights. "I—can I think about it? I definitely want to make it clear that it was me, not Ro, but—this is a lot."
"Of course," Morgan said before either Eraqus or Ven could say anything. "Let's just focus on one statement, then. I'll talk to you more about it later, okay? Give us all some time to clear our minds."
The dismissal was clear, and Sora took the offer immediately, nodding once then dashing out of the room. Ven didn't have it in him to hold him back; instead, he turned his gaze to Eraqus. "You're just doing a bang-up job without me, huh?
"This is none of your concern, Ventus. Frankly, I could do without your attitude. You should trust me to do what's best for them."
"Should I? You've clearly proven that you didn't."
"Ventus!" Morgan protested, but Ven pushed on.
"It's the second time in a week I have to step in. I told you what he went through—you can see the bandages yourself. Did you even think to comfort him? Anything at all that wasn't about looking at him like a problem to be fixed?" He felt out of breath, but he pressed on. "What about Roxas? Did you already give him his own round of abuse this morning before we showed up?"
"It was hardly abuse—" Eraqus scoffed. "Morgan can confirm."
Ven scoffed. "Way to miss the point." He huffed out a frustrated breath. "You know what, I don't even care what you have to say. I'm going to go take care of my brothers."
He stormed out of the room, heading straight up the staircase. He flinched at the sound of footsteps behind him as he reached the landing, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Vanitas, casting him an admirative look.
"Feeling better?"
Ven sighed. "Not really."
"You should have seen his face after you left. You seriously set him off."
"I know."
"So we're staying. To keep an eye on them."
"You don't have to do that—" He caught the stubborn look in Vanitas's face, and knew that argument wasn't going to take. "Fine. We're staying."
"Good. But I've gotta ask. What's the harm if they have a public persona?"
"It's not just that. I mean, you've seen what the name did to me, but if either of them really wanted to go public, I'd support them. But this isn't that; we've been pressured for a long time to do this. To Grandfather, it's all marketing."
"So you think he's using them, and you don't want that. Even if it might help?"
"Would you want Xion to work for your foster father, like you do? It would help her stay afloat, but—"
Vanitas's expression grew somber. "I get the point, I think."
"Thanks for understanding." He forced himself to take a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm down. "Hey, i'm sorry to ask this, but—can you wait for me in my room?" he asked with an apologetic smile. "I wanna talk to the twins, and I'd rather do it one on one."
"Don't worry about me. I have my laptop; I can keep myself busy. Just call if you need anything."
Ven started by Roxas's room; while he doubted Sora was feeling his best right now, he hadn't even seen Roxas since last night, and he needed to make sure he was okay after having to deal with their grandfather by himself.
"Can I come in?" he asked softly as he peeked inside.
Roxas swiveled on his desk chair and cast him an irritated look, but that wasn't why Ven froze at the sight of him. Roxas looked different: his brown mess of hair had been chopped and neatly arranged, the color bleached away into a warm blond. His hair was still a shade darker than Ven's, but the way Roxas had styled it still made the intent clear: this was an imitation of Ven's own hairstyle.
"Roxas," Ven said, breathless. "What—"
"I just—wanted to be my own person," Roxas said, his voice hard. "And then I figured I could look more like you. More like—I was your twin."
The words sent a sharp pang of pain through Ven's heart. Not just because it felt like forsaking Sora, but because he'd been there to hear their grandfather's story. "Oh, Ro—" Many thoughts ran through Ven's mind at the same time, and he wasn't sure how to say them all—or which ones to say at all. He had to have done this by himself, and that must have been dangerous—yet it wasn't the worst thing Roxas had done to himself with blades. Was this a new form of self-destructive behavior or just teen fancy? Ven doubted the answer was just one or the other, though.
"I—I know I should have told you about it first. It was a spur of the moment thing."
"It's—" Ven sighed, then he couldn't help but chuckle. "It suits you, actually. Better than me."
"I know what you're gonna say. Grandfather's gonna freak out."
"I'd try to be optimistic and say he's all out of that today," Ven said, "but I don't want to underestimate him." He slowly moved across the room to sit on the stool Roxas used to practice his instruments, waiting to see if Roxas would tell him to stop and leave. When Roxas remained silent, he asked, "Speaking of Grandfather—you okay?"
"I was mostly worried about Sora," he said flatly, in a low voice.
It sounded like a lie—or forced, at the very least— but Ven didn't challenge him on it. Instead, he took Roxas's keyring out of his pocket, pressing it into his hand. "Here."
Roxas closed his hand around the Wayfinder. "Grandfather was bad, but—he's not the one who took my car and used my name."
"I know," Ven said softly. "It was awful of him to do that."
"You're going to say 'but', aren't you."
"I thought about it," Ven said, "then I realized it would be awful if I did that. It really was awful, and you have every right to be pissed at him."
Roxas held his gaze for a moment, then sighed. "How bad was it?"
Ven tried to let out his sigh of relief as silently as he could. "He broke a bottle and fell on the shards. Lots of cuts on his hands, and a big one on his head."
"And—you said he got drugged?"
Ven nodded slowly, unable to find the words to explain it further.
"Did anyone—do anything to him?"
"Riku was there the whole time. Nothing happened. But—it could have."
Roxas looked away, rubbing his temples. "Shit."
"Yeah," was all Ven could say in response.
"If you were trying to make me stop being mad at him, you did a pretty good job."
"I wasn't. But I was hoping you might understand where I'm coming from. My date got seriously cut short because of him, you know. I'm pissed too."
Roxas chuckled. "Petty much?"
"Well, I made up for it this morning," Ven said, grinning.
Groaning, Roxas made an exaggerated face of disgust. "Gross. Don't tell me about it." He laughed again, then paused, serious once more. "I'm actually still mad at him, you know."
"That's okay. I think I still am too." He hadn't been able to really process that yet, but it felt good to say out loud. Though it was odd that Roxas should be the one he could be most vulnerable with, when he'd spent so long thinking of Roxas as the most fragile of them. "What he did was stupid. And he had me worried sick." He paused. "You know what really got to him, though? When he realized it was your name making rounds online."
"That sounds like Sora." Roxas averted his gaze. "I don't hate him, just so you know. I'm just mad."
"That's okay. Take your time."
"No, I—" He shuffled on his chair, then stood up. "I wanna talk to him."
Ven got the implication behind his words, and got to his feet as well. "I wanted to check up on him too. Come on. We'll go together."
With Roxas in tow, Ven crossed the hallway to Sora's door and knocked softly before letting himself in. "Hey again," he simply said.
Sora sat on his bed, his head resting against the wall as he looked up at the ceiling in consternation. "Why'd I have to do it, Ven?"
"Um—" Ven nodded towards Roxas behind him, hoping to get Sora's attention.
When he finally looked down, his mouth fell agape when he saw Roxas's new look. "Roxas? You—" A few emotions crossed Sora's face in quick succession, while Roxas shuffled awkwardly in place. Gently, Ven nudged him forward.
"Hey," Roxas finally said. "I—needed a change."
"Ro, I'm so sorry about everything. I never meant for you to—"
"Yeah, I get that now." With a sigh, Roxas walked forward, slowly, until he was sitting on the bed next to his twin. Even with the new haircut, the resemblance between them was undeniable. "I'm still mad at you, though."
"Let me make it up to you! I promise I'll do better. I'll—"
"You bet you will," Roxas teased. "I'll just need some time to figure out what I want from you." There was a smugness to him as he said the words, which, strangely, felt reassuring to Ven. "But I'm glad you're okay, too," he said, more softly.
Sora hummed a skeptical noise. "But now Grandfather wants me to rehabilitate my public image," he said. "What should I do?"
"It's your choice," Ven said. "But if you don't want to handle it yourself, I think I can do it for you." Both of his brothers turned curious faces to him. "I'm already in the spotlight, and part of this story is about me, too. I might as well be the one to make a statement."
"Do you think Grandfather will agree?" Sora asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
"Screw that," Ven said. He hesitated, but the surprised look on their faces convinced him to elaborate. "Look, there's something I haven't had the time to tell you guys yet. And it might not work out, so I don't want to give you false hopes, but I'd rather know I'm doing this with your blessing." He paused, taking in a deep breath. "I met up with Brain on Friday. I'm going to try to become your legal guardian.
Sora's face fell into a stunned look, while Roxas's stare was like a full weight on Ven. "Really?" he said, his voice heavy with hesitation.
Ven nodded. "Brain thinks I have a decent case, but there's no guarantee, and it might take time. But—is that something you'd even want?"
"Yes! Of course I'd—" Roxas cut himself off, as if reining in his own enthusiasm. "Yeah. If you think you can do it."
"But what about—" Sora started. "What about college?"
"I can still go to college. I might have to move out of the dorm, but—I'll do it, for you guys."
"Ven, I told you—"
"I know, Sora, but—I can't just pretend this is working fine. Not when I keep having to come back to make sure the family doesn't implode. This isn't fair on any of us, just for the sake of me living in a dorm." He paused, and looked at Sora, expectantly. "So? What do you think?"
"Of course I'd love to do that," Sora finally said with a thin smile.
"And are you guys gonna be okay until then?" He looked between his brothers, the question heavy with possible meanings.
"I told you," Roxas said, "I don't hate him. We'll be fine."
"Hey!" Sora protested. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Roxas chuckled, and wrapped an arm across Sora's shoulders. "It means I've got your back, silly."
"Oh. Okay." He turned to Ven, and said, "I think I'll be okay, too." Then he turned back to Roxas. "But we should talk about Doctor Sid. I was wondering if—"
He hesitated, and Ven saw the tension in his shoulder. "I'll let you guys talk this out between you, okay?"
When Ven stepped into his room, he threw himself on the bed. He felt on the verge of exhaustion, not from lack of sleep or exertion, but because of how emotionally drained he felt.
"Everything all right?" Vanitas asked, looking up from his laptop. His eyes briefly settled over Ven, then he set the laptop down on the floor, and slid onto the bed, pressing himself against Ven. Reflexively, Ven leaned into him.
"I told the twins," Ven finally said. "About suing for guardianship."
"How'd it go?"
"Well. It all went well, actually. They're processing, but—I think they're gonna be fine. Lasting emotional damage notwithstanding."
"That's good to hear."
"But Sora brought something up I hadn't considered. What happens if I win? If I just come back to live here, with Grandfather, then I might as well not bother. So—"
"We'll find a solution. I have a couple ideas."
We. Such a simple word, and yet so potent. A promise to stand together. For how long, it was too soon to tell, but it was thrilling nonetheless. "I feel like a lousy boyfriend," he said. "You've just been through something traumatic too, and I ditched you at my family house to hang out with my brothers. And I ruined our date, too."
"You didn't do anything to ruin our date."
Ven didn't have a proper argument against that, even if it didn't sit well with him to simply concede. "Well, it was still ruined, though."
"Ventus," Vanitas said softly. "If you weren't the kind of person who would drop everything when your brother is in need, I don't think I'd love you."
Love him. Even though Vanitas had been pretty liberal with it since he'd first said the word, it still hit Ven's ears in full force, shifting the world around him like gravity. "Well, I'm glad you love it about myself, but I could still do without family drama for some time."
Vanitas chuckled. "That I can agree with." He took Ven's hand in his, linking their fingers together. "But you don't need to apologize because they need you. And I'm glad that you want me around when it happens. As for the date—we can have other dates."
"But not a first date."
"All right, then consider this: getting to save your brother, then you saving me? That's a much more memorable date than any dinner. Even if the restaurant you picked was really nice."
Ven rolled on his side, and buried his face in the crook of Vanitas's neck. "Maybe you're right. I still think we should plan a make-up date. One that hopefully won't be canceled halfway through."
"Consider it a promise."
