"Why do we have to do this?"
"You owe me."
Ven sniffed at Vanitas. "I thought I'd already repaid you for Christmas. What with dating you for real and stuff."
Vanitas stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare at Ventus. "Oh, so you're only dating me out of a sense of obligation? You get nothing at all of the relationship?" Turning away with a scoff, he dashed forward with a few quick steps, leaving Ven behind.
Panicked, Ven scrambled to keep up. "No, of course I—" He caught the grin on Vanitas's face, and let out an indignant sound. "You're making fun of me?"
"In my defense, it is pretty easy."
"Hey! No fair, I—"
Ven's complaint was cut short when Vanitas whirled around, grabbed Ven by the shoulders, and pulled him into a kiss. Ven yelped in surprise, but melted against Vanitas's lips the moment they met, as he always did. It hadn't even been two months, yet kissing Vanitas already felt like coming home to Ventus.
It was definitely enough to forgive the teasing. Some of the time, anyway.
"If you want to back out," Vanitas said without letting go of Ven's shoulders, "then we back out. But—it really means a lot to me."
Ven sighed. "I wouldn't dream of it. I know how much your sister means to you. It's just—" He wasn't sure how to say what was on his mind. Specifically, how he'd expected to spend his first Valentine's Day in a relationship doing something else than helping his boyfriend's sister with her mysterious art project. But saying that would sound petulant—and he really did understand Vanitas wanting to help Xion. Ven would probably drop everything for his brothers too; if anything, it was oddly romantic that Vanitas had thought to include him.
"You're overthinking," Vanitas said matter-of-factly.
"It's not important, I promise." He reached for Vanitas's hands and took them in his. "Let's go. I don't wanna make Xion wait."
Those words got a smile out of Vanitas, making the whole thing worth it. "Thanks. You won't regret it, I promise."
Just a few minutes later, Vanitas was opening the door to his house and stepping aside, letting Ventus enter first with an exaggerated, chivalrous bow. Chuckling, it took a moment for Ven to take note of the dim lighting inside.
Or the row of candles on the floor, leading to the dining room.
He glanced back, but Vanitas had seemingly vanished, the front door closed behind Ventus with his boyfriend nowhere in sight.
"Vanitas?" he called, hesitantly. There was no answer, though a faint music—violin?—drifted in from down the hallway. Confused, Ven followed the trail of candles, taking care not to knock them over. "Xion? If your art project is a haunted house, maybe you should wait for Hallow—"
He cut himself off as he entered the dining room. He'd been here a handful of times by now, but the room had been completely transformed. Gone was the long table Vanitas's parents used to host their prestigious guests, replaced with a small, round table set for two. Atop it were more candles, and red rose petals were scattered around them, with more petals strewn over the floor. The rest of the room was plunged in darkness, though Ven could hear that the music came from a speaker in the opposite corner.
He heard the dining room's side door softly creak open then closed again, and the violin music on the speakers faded away, replaced by an instrumental opening Ven was all too familiar with. Just then, Vanitas stepped into the candlelight.
"Mon cher Monsieur, it is with deepest pride
And greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight
And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair
As the dining room proudly presents
Your dinner!"
With the last couple words, Vanitas struck a pose, flicking a black, feathered fedora hat on top of his head with rehearsed ease. Ven chuckled, torn between surprise, disbelief, and utter adoration for the boy in front of him, but then, Vanitas started singing in earnest; and as he did, he took Ventus by the hand, pulling him into a dance over the song Be Our Guest.
Laughing, Ven let himself be twirled around the dining room, doing his best not to trip over his own feet—and failing once, though Vanitas caught him before he hit the floor. Out the corner of his eye, he noticed some movement, and managed to catch sight of Xion, sneaking in to set something on the table. She was gone before Ven could tell her anything, and Vanitas was demanding his attention too much with the dancing for Ven to focus on it.
Finally, the song came to an end, leaving the two of them standing next to the table, out of breath and exhilarated. Even in the dim candlelight, Ven could see the flush on Vanitas's cheeks—and he doubted it was only due to the exertion.
"So?" Vanitas said, breathlessly, raising an eyebrow.
"This was fun, but I—don't understand," he admitted. "You said this was—"
"Xion's idea. Well, it was. I couldn't think of a better way to make today special."
"To make—oh." So much for Ven's inner whining. "You didn't forget about Valentine's Day."
"I'd like to think that's pretty obvious right now, yes," Vanitas said with a smirk. "So, dinner? My parents are out of town on a date, so we have the house to ourselves."
"What about Xion? I saw her just a moment ago—"
"She helped set everything up, but we made a deal. She's leaving to a sleepover." He nodded towards the table. "It's just us tonight."
Was it Ven's mind playing tricks, or did those words carry a certain heaviness to them? This wasn't their first date, but he still gulped nervously at the thought. "Just us."
"Well, are you gonna sit down? This was a hassle to make, especially since I was working on a tight schedule."
"A tight schedule?"
"You asked me to pick you up."
"Oh." Ven blinked, struggling to keep up. "You cooked?" His brain felt overwhelmed by the efforts Vanitas had made. "I kind of feel silly now. I just got you a present." He fished the box out of his pocket and gingerly handed it to Vanitas. It was an ear piercing, electric blue with a single red stud, custom-made with a design that Ven had seen in Vanitas's sketchbook and stolen a picture of.
A flash of recognition crossed Vanitas's eyes after a second, and he looked up at Ven with big, wet eyes. "Did you—"
"I know your ear isn't pierced yet, but you wanted to, so—you can wear it then? I know it's not much—"
"You had this custom-made. For me."
Ven shuffled on his feet. "Well, you did all this." He waved at the room around them. "So…"
Vanitas pulled him into a hug. "Shut up. It's not a competition. I love it." Ven had barely started to relax into the hug when Vanitas added, "I love you."
Ven jolted back reflexively. They hadn't gotten to those words yet, and while he'd always thought he wouldn't be the type to freak out over them—well. Turns out he was. And yet, gazing at the unsure look on Vanitas's face, the neatly-set table and the plates waiting on them, the feather on Vanitas's hat, he also didn't know why he was freaking out. Because, ultimately, the answer was pretty straightforward.
"I love you too," he said, softly.
With just those four words, Vanitas's face lit up. "Good," he let out, breathless, followed by a nervous chuckle that Ven couldn't help but return. "So, will you sit down? I didn't pull all the stops to let it go cold because you made things awkward."
Ven grinned. "You started it," he retorted, but he sat down anyway.
After dinner, they went up to Vanitas's bedroom for a movie—Ven's choice, though Ven was pretty sure Vanitas had populated his entire library with every movie Ven had ever mentioned he wanted to see, and it took him way too long to choose.
In the end, he'd settled for a romantic comedy he was actually only barely interested in seeing. A strategic choice, and one that proved judicious when, barely ten minutes later, Vanitas was already straddling his lip and pressing a kiss in the crook of Ven's neck.
Making out wasn't exactly anything new, though it was still as thrilling as ever. Making out on Vanitas's bed was, though. And it didn't take long for Ven's mind to make a devious suggestion. "We're all alone all evening, right?"
Vanitas let go of Ven's throat long enough to come up and gaze at him questioningly, his eyes dark and his pupils blown wide. "We definitely are."
Ven nodded slowly. "So—do you think we could—go all the way?"
"I was hoping you'd say that," Vanitas said, though his grin was uncertain, and this close, to him, Ven couldn't miss the nervous shallowness of his breath.
"Oh?" Ven said, trying on his best teasing grin.
"I stocked up." Vanitas nodded towards his nightstand. "Are—I mean—If you're sure?"
Ven chuckled, and pushed himself up on one elbow, until he was close enough to kiss Vanitas. "I'm definitely sure."
Sunlight on Ven's eyelids woke him up. Groggily, he looked around, his brain taking a moment to register the unfamiliar setting and recognize Vanitas's room. They'd forgotten to close the blinds the night before, he realized.
When his eyes fell upon Vanitas's sleeping form next to him, he didn't mind too much. He must have pushed the blankets off of himself in his sleep, exposing a positively scandalous amount of himself. Ven's own body still sang with the leftover feeling of Vanitas pressed against him, and he couldn't resist the urge to run a hand across the vast expanses of sun-warmed skin
Vanitas stirred at the touch, and creaked his eyes open, just enough to look at Ventus, though he frowned in the sun. "'Morning," he mumbled, before pressing his face down in the pillow.
Smiling, Ventus kissed the top of Vanitas's head, breathing in his scent. "'Morning," he whispered back.
"You're still here," Vanitas said softly. "You didn't run away."
"Of course I am here." Ven stroked the skin of Vanitas's back again, as if it would make his presence more real. "And hey, if your sister has more art projects like this…sign me up anytime."