Vanitas × Noé

Together At Last

"Noé!" Vanitas yelled, running to his vampire companion with a face so relieved Noé was almost taken aback.

Vanitas's eyes were soft with a kind of unambiguous tenderness that Noé never thought he'd see directed towards himself. But Vanitas's lips were twisted into a little grimace of worry that also seemed uncharacteristic. Vanitas rarely showed his emotions so plainly on his face and Noé wondered if Vanitas even realised how clear they were in that moment. Noé almost hated how much he loved that face on Vanitas. That vulnerability. It had taken so long to get back to the point where they could trust each other but this was new. This honesty with which Vanitas approached him now.

When Vanitas reached Noé's side he immediately grabbed his head in both hands. Noé was so surprised he didn't even resist as Vanitas pulled him down so their foreheads were touching. Vanitas leaned forward a little and Noé was almost certain he felt lips brush against his cheek but their foreheads were together again so quickly Noé wasn't sure if he'd imagined it.

"You're okay?" Vanitas looked deep into his eyes and flashed a devastating smile.

"Yes, I'm fine. Ah, are you okay, Vanitas?"

Vanitas let out a huff of laughter and Noé felt the breath ghost over his lips. "Never better. You were the one in real danger you know?"

"You're right about that."

They stayed like that for a while longer and Noé began to wonder why. Vanitas's hands cradling his head wasn't bad but he wasn't sure what the point was. Noé gave Vanitas a somewhat pleading look, silently asking what he was meant to do now. Vanitas's lips quirked fondly and his eyes darted down to Noé's lips before re-establishing eye contact meaningfully. Oh. Vanitas was asking Noé, giving Noé permission.

In a heartbeat Noé had closed the remaining distance to press their lips together. He let his arms slide around Vanitas's waist to pull him a little closer as Vanitas's hands moved to rest behind his neck. Vanitas was colder than Noé had expected but he didn't mind. He didn't think he'd mind anything as long as it was with Vanitas.

Their kiss was heated, all the pent up frustration and devotion to each other poured into it. So much had led them here, to this moment. They had hated and loved each other in equal measure and every one of those feelings was precious. Was something that had made their relationship what it was. Even the regrets, even the pain, all of it made them who they were. Vanitas and Noé. Partners.

Vanitas was the first to break the kiss, pulling back looking slightly dazed. Noé found he also liked that face. He gave a lazy smile to Vanitas and saw, with great amusement, that Vanitas's cheeks flushed slightly pink at that. Vanitas groaned and let his head flop onto Noé's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Noé asked, his tone good-naturedly exasperated.

Vanitas mumbled something that sounded like embarrassing into his shoulder and Noé snorted. If it was really that bad Vanitas wouldn't still be clinging to him. But he didn't want to push his luck so he let Vanitas stay like that until he had composed himself. Vanitas pushed Noé gently away when he raised his head off of him, barely managing to maintain a cool expression.

"We can discuss this further when we get home." Vanitas's ears were definitely turning red. "For now we ought to finish the business with this cursebearer."

For someone who essentially initiated the kiss Vanitas was awfully flighty. But Noé thought he'd allow it if Vanitas kept acting so cute about it. Cute. That was a new way of looking at him. Noé supposed he'd start seeing Vanitas in lots of new ways from now on. The wait until they returned to their hotel room was agonising, thinking about the kiss taking up 90% of Noé's brainpower constantly. But, blessedly, they made it to their room eventually.

As soon as Noé shut the door behind them he was almost positive he felt something in the air shift. Tension ratcheted up tenfold and suddenly he was nervous. What had the kiss meant? Had it meant anything at all? He'd witnessed Vanitas kiss someone he'd just met who had been trying to kill him so it might not have meant anything.

"I-" Vanitas started, snapping Noé out of his thoughts. Vanitas wasn't looking him in the eyes and seemed to be having trouble deciding what to say.

"Vanitas," Noé interrupted his floundering. "That kiss, I'm allowed to do that again, aren't I?"

"No!" Vanitas's eyes widened. "Wait, yes. Argh! That's not what I'm trying to say!"

"Then what are you trying to say?"

"I-" Vanitas's eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere but Noé.

"You have to tell me otherwise I won't know."

"I know that!" Vanitas took a deep, steadying breath before fixing Noé with a burning stare, "I love you."

"What?" Noé's mouth hung open and he felt blood rushing to his face.

"...Forget I said that!" Vanitas squawked, turning away and retreating towards the window.

"No, Vanitas!" Noé grabbed his coat just as he was halfway through clambering out of the room.

"Let go." Vanitas mumbled, hiding his face with his hands.

"But-"

"But nothing. Let go!" He growled.

"Come on," Noé said. "I love you too."

Vanitas's head whipped around and he peered at Noé over his shoulder, looking utterly disoriented. "You can't just say that!"

"You just did though!"

"And I had the decency to be ashamed of it!"

Noé laughed, "Please don't keep trying to run away. There's no need to now that I've said I love you."

"Stop saying it!"

"Aw but I do love you," Noé teased.

Vanitas turned and leap back into the room, pushing into Noé's personal space. He grabbed him by the collar and pushed their lips together in a bruising kiss before releasing him.

"Shut up."

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I've been having trouble writing fluff lately because all my recent vanoé ideas have been based on the feelings from the most recent chapters. That is to say, I keep wanting to write about them hating each other's guts. But I hope this was okay, I had fun writing it. I don't know when this is happening, just assume it's far off in the future when they've worked out their issues.