Aaand back again with another chapter! I need to work on more of these, I don't have much left in stock. I read all of your reviews (remember that you can post some on Anon if you don't have an account) and you guys always make my day so be sure to leave some!
Today's theme is stargazing (ish) which is quite a recurring theme when it comes to Vanitas in my fics... It all started with Secret Place ^o^

Was it in the middle of that cold, winter night?

Vanitas had run from home. It wasn't unusual for him to be sleeping out, and he knew no one would really worry. Ven might even cover him up, pretend that Vanitas had told him he'd sleep at a friend's. No matter how much he ran, he would still come back. But sometimes, the company of the stars (and a bottle of booze) felt much better than having a roof over his head and the loud snores of his brother on the room next door.

Tonight was freezing, but he didn't care. For one, alcohol warmed him up - or maybe he was just too drunk to feel the cold. And then, he had a warm coat blocking the wind. He had spent the whole evening hanging out with his gang, setting fire to public trash bins or tagging their names on any wall they could find. Long after night came, the guys finally left, and Vanitas was by himself, in company of the night sky, at peace.

He didn't mind the noise around, the sound of the streets, of cars driving way above the speed limit and of other drunkards screaming and fighting. This still felt better than home. This still was better than home.

He shivered, and the cold wasn't to blame. How long had it been since he started hating his place? Had he ever liked it? This house reminded him of what he was, and what he wasn't.

Both of his parents had succeeded in life. They had high degrees, owned a house probably too big for four people with a lovely garden, a nice car, were a happy couple and parents of two child. They were the perfect incarnation of the American dream. Ventus would probably follow their path, find a nice girl and have a wonderful little life himself.

In comparison, Vanitas was a failure. He wasn't particularly stupid, he just disliked school. He knew how to study, but never got really interested in that. He had no dream. No ambition. He wasn't really good at anything, except maybe at disappointing people. He disliked being told what to do. He had no faith that could help him - he was all alone, and while he did not mind it, he knew what society thought of that. He knew that in this world, he wouldn't last long.

Even when he was in the streets, he felt like an impostor. All these people had nowhere to go, and here he was, the selfish little boy who never knew hunger, with an expensive jacket to keep him warm, with overpriced shoes that kept his toes from frost bites. Even his booze was probably more expensive than anything people around here owned.

That being said, he wasn't keeping it all for himself. He often bought hot meals to share, maybe to keep the guilt at bay. But guilt was still there, telling him he didn't belong here. Telling him he didn't belong anywhere.

That night, that cold December night, six nights before Christmas, he would fall asleep not too far from a man named Earl - it might not have been his real name, but that didn't matter. Earl wasn't much of a talker, a reason why Vanitas liked him. The man had slept in these streets for as long as Vanitas remembered, and sometimes chased off people trying to annoy Vanitas while he was asleep - the boy didn't only have friends around. In exchange, Vanitas kept an eye on the man's stuff when he was there, and gave him a warm plaid.

The other reason why Vanitas liked Earl was Shadow. She was Earl's dog, a black Labrador who loved Vanitas and would always play with him. He liked animals more than he liked humans. They never were disappointed by you. They never expected anything from you. They were simply happy you were there.

Absent-mindedly petting Shadow, Vanitas was staring at the night sky, waiting for sleep to come.

When someone walked to Earl, Shadow growled and ran back to her master, waking Vanitas up. It was really cold now, and a little cloud of fog escaped his mouth every time he breathed out. His fingers, despite being in his pockets, were cold and really painful, and his back was sore. He slowly turned his head to see who would disturb his companion (and his sleep), and gasped.

Why did it seem like Aqua was everywhere he went? She was crouching next to Earl, a steaming cup in her hand, and she was smiling. The wind carried her words all the way to Vanitas.

"It's really cold tonight. May I offer you a cup of coffee? A tea, perhaps? We've got soup, too."

"Soup." Vanitas smirked. Earl really wasn't a man of many words. Aqua nodded, not losing her smile.

"Would you like to have it here? We have shelters opened. You will get a bed, access to sanitaries and food. I think you will be better there than here in the cold."

Earl shrugged, looking at his dog. Aqua slowly reached out to Shadow, who growled a bit before letting the blue haired stranger pet her.

"She can come too, of course. We've got water and food for her as well. What do you say, pretty? Would you like a warm bed for the night?"

It took a moment for Vanitas to realise she was talking to the dog and not the human, and he did his best not to laugh, picturing the girl talking to an old man that way. Earl finally nodded, getting up, and Aqua gave him her steaming cup with a bright smile.

Shadow barked, bringing Vanitas back to reality. Soon she would come to him. No way she would care about an old homeless man and not the man just a few meters away. He quickly put his hood on, jumping to his feet. The world was spinning a bit, but he did not have time to care about it. He needed to get away. He really had to.

"Wait! Please, wait!"

He stopped, making sure all she could see was his back.

"Wouldn't you like somewhere warm to rest for the night? Something hot to eat?"

He shook his head, exaggerating the movement so that she would see it even with the hood on. She sighed.

"Don't you have anywhere you can go that is safer than the street, then? Please. It's really dangerous with the cold. I don't want you to be hurt. Our association can help you find a safe place."

So that was the association he heard her talk about. Helping homeless people. Helping hopeless people. That was so much like her, the perfect job for someone as selfless as she was. No wonder she always got in his way, then. He was the perfect material for her stupid association. He shrugged, trying to walk away, but she ran after him.

He felt her hand grab his wrist, and it took all the self control in the world not to turn back. She put something in his hand. He could feel the cardboard around the cup. The nice smell of coffee finished to wake him up, and he didn't know whether he should blame her or thank her for that. Instead, he kept quiet, praying that she wouldn't look at his face.

"At least take that to keep you warm. Try to find somewhere with a shelter for the wind. Take care of you, please."

She slowly let him go, and this time, he managed to escape her. He would go home. He had no interest in sleeping under the stars anymore tonight, and no interest in sleeping whatsoever. He'd go home and watch silly sitcoms until his body would finally claim again some sleep.

He took a sip of warm coffee and froze. It wasn't any kind of coffee. It was a coffee with four sugar cubes in it. He scoffed, keeping on walking.

He would go home.

Mmmh, I now want Shadow to be featured more, because who doesn't like a good doggo?

Vanitas finally found out about what Aqua's Organiz...Association is (sorry not sorry), which is something quite important even though this is a slice of life fic!

Now hungry Ejes is hungry, so I'll see you next time for another chapter!