Vanitas × Noé

Fragile Love

It was late at night when Noé returned home from work. Usually he never arrived back after dark but he'd been offered a night shift and Vanitas had advised him to take it. He wasn't sure if that was because Vanitas wanted him out of his hair or if he was genuinely trying to be helpful. When he pushed open the door he was greeted by soft piano music. Noé followed the music to the parlour where, to his surprise, Vanitas was seated at the piano.

"You can play?"

Vanitas stopped with a jarring slam of his hands on the keys. "You're back then?" He looked over his shoulder to face Noé.

"Yes. You know you can keep playing if you want to."

"I was only passing the time waiting for you. It's not a skill I keep polished." Vanitas rose from the bench and would have walked off but he found Noé blocking his path. "What?"

"Would you play something for me?" Noé asked.

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "Why on Earth would you want that? I just told you that I'm not a pianist. I wouldn't have even been in this room if I didn't have to make sure you got home safe. Heaven forbid you get lost at night instead of during the day."

"I don't mind if you're not all that good, I'd still like to hear it. No one else is around so please?"

Vanitas hesitated for a moment, frown hovering across his features, before he let out a resigned exhale. "Fine. One song."

Noé wandered over to the settee, while Vanitas sank back down onto the piano bench. His hands hovered over the keys for a while, not pressing down on any but moving over them as though Vanitas were playing a silent song in his head. After a moment he froze, took a deep breath, and then he began to play.

The tune was different to the one Noé had heard when he came home. It was more complicated, slower and sadder. There was a great depth to the chords Vanitas was playing, they rattled Noé's bones and hung in the air as the next notes raced to meet them. It evoked nostalgic melancholy even though Noé had never heard it before.

After a short few minutes that seemed to have stretched far longer, Vanitas stopped. The last notes faded into the air and silence settled between them.

"That song was awfully sad," Noé said.

"What's wrong with sad?" Vanitas huffed, keeping his back to Noé as he leaned back a little on the stool.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Noé assured him. "I enjoyed hearing it. What's the song called?"

Vanitas shrugged, "I haven't thought of a name yet."

"You composed it!?"

Vanitas looked over his shoulder and met Noé's eyes for the first time since he started playing with an infuriating smirk. "What? Didn't think I was capable?"

"Honestly? No. You told me a minute ago that you didn't keep your skills polished."

"And I was telling the truth, I'm out of practice. Not my worst work for something I composed on the fly though, eh?"

"On the-! Vanitas, you aren't telling me you came up with that just now!"

"What's the big deal?" Vanitas ran a hand through his hair irritably. "You asked me to play something."

"I was expecting a song that already existed! You're... amazing!"

Vanitas turned away, miffed. "You're so annoying."

"We should come up with a name for it," Noé suggested.

"Huh? I'm not naming a song I'll never play again. You can do what you like but don't involve me."

"Okay then, I'll call it Fragile Love."

"No! You aren't naming my song that!" Vanitas whipped around to him, slamming one hand down on the piano keys in rage.

"You said you didn't care," Noé smirked. "The name's been chosen and you can't do anything about it now."

Vanitas growled at him from the back of his throat.

"Play something else," Noé said. "How about something more upbeat?"

"Don't try to change the subject!"

Noé approached where Vanitas was sitting to stand behind him. "I'm not. We've just finished the conversation about your first song. Play me something happy."

Vanitas scowled up at him but after a brief pause he complied. He didn't take nearly as long to start as he had when composing Fragile Love, beginning to play near instantly. The tune was remarkably plain and simple. It was the sort of thing you'd hear anywhere, bringing to mind street performers, parades and circuses. It wasn't bad but Noé found himself instinctively reaching out to grab one of Vanitas's hands in order to still his playing. Vanitas looked up at him in confusion.

"Sorry," Noé murmured, still clutching Vanitas's hand. "I just- It reminds me too much of Charlatan."

Vanitas's eyes softened slightly and he moved his free hand away from the piano to clasp on top of Noé's hand. "I didn't realise. I'm sorry. This is just a song I've known for years, probably one of the first I ever learnt so it came naturally to me. I didn't think..."

"So you didn't compose this one?" Noé tilted his head.

Vanitas laughed. "No, dear, I didn't. Not really my style."

"Thank you for playing it for me in any case. When did you learn it?"

"A very long time ago. I learned a great many skills as a child and music is one of them. It's not much use to me nowadays."

"Does everything have to have a use?"

Vanitas blinked, staring back into Noé's earnest eyes that always seemed to stare straight through him. "I'd always thought so," he admitted.

Noé smiled at that. "That's very like you. But you can enjoy things for the sake of it you know? Life's more fun that way. Eat, dance, write, play music, do whatever you like and don't be hung up on doing it well. I think you'd find yourself happier for it."

"I wonder about that," Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "... If we have the time maybe I'll play you something else another day. For now, I think it's time to turn in for the night."

"Would you play me Fragile Love again?"

"We are not calling it that!" Vanitas scowled as he stood and began to walk away.

"I think we are," Noé replied decidedly.

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So close to memoire 52 raws I'm intensely awaiting them. This chapter looks insane from Jun's spoilers. Ahhhh can't wait. Anyway, enjoy the fic haha