Vanitas × Noé

Christmas

"NooOOOooé!" Vanitas called from atop their roof.

Noé glared at the ceiling. He'd been writing a letter to his teacher. Vanitas's interruption caused his hand to slip. Teacher would be disappointed if there was a stain on the letter, Noé could barely reach his standards for good handwriting as it stood. He would have to start again from scratch. Noé would usually go up to see Vanitas but he was annoyed so he just called back.

"What!?"

Vanitas swung down to glare through the window, though Noé didn't see as he was still hunched over the desk. "Oi! Why are you giving me attitude?"

Noé replied without looking up, "I'm busy. And you should learn to be more polite. If you want to speak to someone don't yell from a distance!"

"What are you doing that's ever so important?" Vanitas crossed the room and leaned over Noé's shoulder.

"It's just another letter to Teacher. I have to update him every once in a while you know."

"That doesn't look like an update and... Ooh!" Vanitas plucked an already sealed letter off the desk. "You've been writing to Dominique as well!"

"Hey!"

Vanitas ignored Noé, instead breaking the seal and beginning to read Dominique's letter. "... I see. I hadn't realised it was this time of year again," Vanitas tossed the letter back onto the desk.

"Reading other people's mail is rude," Noé glared.

"The Lady De Sade doesn't have to know and besides, I'm not sure that rule applies when it hasn't even been mailed yet. I'll leave you be seeing as I've lost interest. If you plan to celebrate I would advise you do it well away from me."

"Vanitas, do you dislike Christmas?"

"I despise it. It's a terrible celebration and a miserable time of year."

"Why-"

"Drop it." Vanitas left through the window again without telling Noé why he came in the first place.

Noé finished his letters. He found Amelia, gave her the letter he wrote for her, and asked her to mail the rest for him. Well, most of them. Noé still had one that he kept to himself. He wrote one for this person. Every year. Without fail. It was usually the longest by far because he always had so much to say. And at the end of Christmas day he would burn it. It was of course addressed to Louis. Noé was glad he had yet to write it when Vanitas was snooping around. He wasn't ready to talk to him about Louis. Yet. One day he would.

For the time being Noé tucked Louis's letter into his coat's inner pocket. He wanted to speak to Vanitas now that his irritation had faded and he had finished his obligatory Christmas letters. So, Noé headed to the roof and found Vanitas sulking. He had his arms tucked into his sleeves and wrapped around his legs. Noé sat beside him.

"It's a bit cold to spend so much time out here." Noé commented.

"Shut up."

"What are you in a mood about this time?"

"I'm not in a mood. I always sit up here."

"Not for this long. Not in the day. Are you avoiding me?"

"What if I am?"

"If you are then that's pretty unfair. You were the one annoying me this morning."

"I was leaving you alone to be nice. Look, I'll admit I was being a pest, a delightful and whimsical pest but a pest all the same. And I hate Christmas. Bringing your mood down seemed unnecessary. How long until the fateful day? I know we're well into Winter but I haven't kept track of the date."