#and vanitas is neither

[retracexcviii]

Sunday Moon

Hi there dear fellows and Luna lovers. Sunday is here.

Don't edit this drawing and don't post it anywhere.

This really lovely Luna was made by an artist that is active on the fandom to support Palestine.

The artist is @/cinnajer on Twitter.

[neversetyoufree]

I've been thinking lately about Vanitas and Noé's first "what is salvation" fight at the bal masqué and what it means about their individual definitions of the concept, and I've realized something about Vanitas.

Noé's definition of salvation is the obvious one. It feels natural. To save someone is to keep them from dying. But in a way, his understanding of salvation is also almost selfish. Noé's foundational trauma is the constant loss of his loved ones. He is the eternal sole survivor. So of course he wants to keep people alive—he wants to "save" the people he cares about in the way that keeps them by his side this time.

It's not wrong to want that, of course. I don't mean "selfish" as a condemnation. It's just that the definition of salvation that Noé starts the series with is inarguably the one that best serves his own happiness.

And it's the same with Vanitas.

When Vanitas kills the little girl Catherine by restoring her true name, he tells Noé he doesn't know what salvation is. He might be lying there, or he might be telling the truth in that he's never put his definition of salvation into words or acknowledged it on a conscious level. Either way, though, I do think he has a definition of salvation somewhere in his mind, and it's a very personal one.

Vanitas sees salvation as the preservation or restoration of one's true self. You're saved so long as you can preserve your essential self, uncorrupted by outside forces. Even if the price of that selfness is death.

While Noé's foundational trauma that informs his worldview is the loss of his loved ones, one of Vanitas's foundational traumas is the loss of his bodily autonomy. Through Moreau's experiments and Luna's mark/bite, he has been transformed into something no longer fully human, and he hates it. From the moment Luna told him he was dying, he said he wanted to die as himself rather than live as their kin, and he has been denied that opportunity.

Nothing is more important for Vanitas than being able to dictate the destiny of his own body, and malnomen are the ultimate corruption of bodily autonomy and selfness. Altering one's true name warps not only their physical body, but their very being on a metaphysical level. The curse takes everything a vampire is and changes it, and doing that to an unwilling victim is the ultimate horror for Vanitas.

Given that context, of course Vanitas thinks that killing a child to restore her true name counts as saving her. He's restoring her essential self and un-corrupting her body and being, and even if her self is only returned for an instant before she dies, it's preferable to living on as something warped by an outside force.

Vanitas absolutely starts the series with a definition of salvation, and like Noé, it's the one that best serves his own happiness. He wants to be saved. He wants to be returned to his human self, and failing that (since he knows it's impossible), he wants to wipe out all traces of the force that changed him and then die without going any further down the path of inhumanity.

Vanitas might not be able to admit that definition out loud (or even to himself directly), but it's there, and it guides him early in the series as much as Noé's own definition of salvation guides him in turn.

[sigmastolen]

anyway i've also been having lots of thoughts today about a fancy-dress ball nightcrawler costume with three-fingered blue lace gloves and like, a black-with-red-v corset-style bodice and maybe panniers supporting a train in the back but open in the front w/ breeches. i think in my heart this costume has heelless heels but i don't think that is realistic if i want to make this and wear it (tbh none of this is realistic for me to make but it's nice to dream)

[panvani]

Like kind of the whole gimmick is that VnC is a tragedy in large part because Noé failed to cultivate an actually meaningfully intimate relationship with Vanitas prior to the latter's death, with sex being very important to the respective arcs of each and with special emphasis on Vanitas withholding sex from Noé as a way to demonstrate that failure of intimacy, vs. PH which is like throwing out the party streamers and inviting mariachi bands at the end of the story when it's announced that Gil and Vincent never had sex

[revindicatedbyhistory-moved]

thinking about it vampire chronicles was a massive influence for vnc wasn´t it

[sasouken]

xsalvaticn asked: " i'm sorry… i know this isn't what you signed up for." ( cloud ) // in an hour of need

a soft breath leaves him, gaze flickering over to vanitas. brows furrow as he quickly looks away, back at the door the closed behind them when they had entered the room. shoulders rise and fall gracefully as he steps closer to the door, checking once again for anything that could unlock it from their side.

"with how reckless you are, i'm not surprised," he says. if one did not understand cloud, they would think he was being rude. he turns to face vanitas, crossing his arms over his chest. "what was that, anyway? did you know that person?"

[vacivusviscera]

I literally cannot keep having the “Xehanort was abusive to Vanitas with or without the context of the novel” conversation with people anymore because it only takes a pair of eyes and an ounce of media literacy to see it.

The most damning piece of evidence imo is khdr where Xehanort LITERALLY threatens Vanitas and he STUTTERS and shuts the fuck up. and people want to argue that vanitas and Xehanort’s relationship is anything but abusive? my brother in christ if he treated Ventus like shit what makes you think Vanitas is getting treated any better?

Then theres the character files. theres been a lot of debate wether these are canon or not but for the purpose of making my point, im going to take them as canon.

“Someone is using me again. Looks like Xehanort wasn't satisfied just bringing me into existence. I hate Xehanort, I hate Ventus, I hate all of you, I hate the entire world, and I want to fade away again.”- Vanitas’ character file

XEHANORT LITERALLY IN EVERY CONTEXT USED VANITAS. in the games he uses vanitas’ darkness for his own gain, in the novel he does the same, and vanitas has said as such in his character file. Vanitas is literally a child soldier and i feel people forget that. Vanitas was a kid too. hes literally a victim and the entire fandom either treats him like some misunderstood baby or evil incarnated. Vanitas is neither. He’s not some helpless victim the same way he isnt some cruel monster. He’s a kid who did some fucked up shit, but the same way victims can become abusers, Vanitas can do awful stuff and still be a victim. thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[prideworthless]

Suddenly the idea of making a soul eater for Au came into my head.

Vanitas is a demonic two-handed sword. He is not particularly fond of studying and generally prefers to goof off. But with great joy goes out on the "hunt", as long as let him swing with someone and eat souls.

Ventus is a demonic spear. He works a lot, trying to be one of the best students (which is really hindered by Vanitas).

Two completely different demonic weapons, but with the same problem. Neither Vanitas nor Ventus were ever able to find the right meisters for them among humans. The rhythm of their souls were too different. And, while this was expected with Vanitas, since he was rather troublesome in his own right, Ventus was ready to tear his hair out, not understanding why this was so.

However, for some funny reason, the two of them had a well-matched soul rhythm that allowed them to work as meister and weapon alternately. It was a strange partnership, but the two were allowed to work like that until they found suitable meisters among the humans.

[starlightwayfinder]

You know, your post saying Ven can’t wrap his head around why people would use the darkness is getting me thinking again about its nature and place in the setting. I hope it doesn’t end up being as evil as the narrative makes it out to be.

This is a super interesting ask, and I think to answer it honestly—I have to disagree a little, but I also do agree? Let me explain my thoughts.

Personally, I do think the narrative works best when “light” and “darkness” are literally interpreted as good and evil, creation and destruction, love and hatred, etc. The thing is, KH is clever and has made a point to specify that *true* light and darkness are a little different from what people might initially assume to be good and evil. 

Of all the games, KHDR looks most deeply into what actually defines darkness. The best example off the top of my head is when they’re comparing the residents of Wonderland. Even though they all seem to harbor a negative emotion of ‘fear’, only the Queen manifests it as darkness in her heart. The difference being that she harms and executes others to maintain her power. We see how she is consumed by ire and lashes out at everyone. Xehanort argues that maybe her darkness is necessary to maintain order… but it’s not a good kind of order to make people live in fear, is it?

Conversely, what defines light? Some ‘light’ sided characters like Eraqus go around seeking to obliterate the darkness out of a hatred for it. (He justifies this by mentally separating darkness from people, but khdr confirmed that hearts and darkness are basically entangled in the modern era.) This sort of behavior doesn’t align with ‘true’ light though, as harming others is still what defines darkness. Of course, there are situations where fighting is required to protect people from harm—but even then, it’s not ideal to have to hurt anyone. When people have been hurt, it can be accepted and transformed into light / something ‘good’, or it can continue to manifest as darkness and become something cyclical that hurts others too.

The best understanding of light in KH is found in actions that stem from a desire to help and heal others. Take Kairi helping Sora come back from being a Heartless, for example. Even though he had fallen to darkness, she revived him with the power of her faith and love. Sora himself says that ‘deep down there’s a light that never goes out’ in every heart, and that ‘Kingdom Hearts is light’. This makes logical sense to me, if life and light are the same, you can’t be alive without light. And if that light never really goes out, neither does a person’s life. Hence why the heart is ‘never really gone’.

A lot of what KH asks comes down to—“what is a perfect world?” In the lore and fairytales of the series, light was a freely given gift from Kingdom Hearts—presumably in the form of hearts. What gave way to darkness was people attempting to selfishly claim that light for themselves and take it from others. This turns the world from order to chaos, and Kingdom Hearts disappears. Until it can truly return, there will still be darkness and suffering in the now-divided worlds. Coexistence and peace would be the ideal world order, but the conflict between light and darkness prevents it. Note that the real conflict between light and darkness is “darkness tries to possess light”, not “they both try to destroy each other”. I don’t think that true light, the kind that has ‘more than meets the eye’, is out to destroy darkness so much as to return it to light.

We don’t know everything about the True Darknesses yet, but Khux implies that they cast away their forms to conquer light, only to realize that their will would be lost without  bodies. This is why they seek to ‘infect’ people’s hearts and stay alive through expansion, claiming more worlds and lights along the way. The Master of Masters claims they are entirely different from people, and yet we see Vanitas gain a heart—which by my logic before, wouldn’t even be alive without possessing at least some light, right? 

So to answer your question, I do think darkness is “evil”, but only in the sense of being an absence or willful rejection of goodness / light. I think there’s a real chance the KH ending will be one of reconciliation and restoration. It would be pretty wonderful to see all of the true darknesses get their own forms and hearts again, especially if that puts an end to the conflict once and for all. Darkness isn’t completely bad to the extent of being irredeemable, but it is completely bad in that—on its own—it only causes an endless cycle of cruelty and pain to be inflicted on people. Just like you can’t fight fire with fire, you can’t fight darkness with darkness; light is the key necessary to make things right again. 

So to explain my headcanon about Ven, we have to get into his mind as a pure-hearted person. He’s selfless and aims to share light rather than possess it for himself (or fight over it with others.) That’s how the ideal world is supposed to work, and it benefits everyone. So he doesn’t see the logic in hurting others to benefit only yourself. That will just make people hate you, right? Where’s the harmony in that?  He values friendship above all else, so that’s why he can’t wrap his mind around people valuing other things (power) more and justifying harming others to gain them. That’s why ‘his friends are his power’. Because if you have the light of friendship, you don’t need to take power from others or use the power of darkness to feel fulfilled.

Thanks for the ask!! I hope this explanation makes sense 😅

[sasouken]

                                for all vanitas knows, cloud hadn't hurt his mumbled words. he meets the doctor's eyes as he turns to face him, head canting slightly. he lets out a huff — an amused breath of a laugh. "then don't inconvenience me." the response is simple and straight to the point. he hasn't decided if he's actually going to charge vanitas. he'll wait until the end of the day, let him sit in it for a bit.

                                "vanitas, wait — !" tongue clicks against the roof of his mouth as the shorter male takes off. he groans and pulls his sword before following after him.

sasouken​:

                                expression stays stoic as the other exclaims, brows rising as if asking vanitas to challenge him. if he had thought they’d be running into danger, he should have brought it up — the price probably would have been significantly lower had it been worked into their original contract.

                                "it’s not me i’m worried about,“ he comments, frowning as he steps forward to follow the odd man. “it’s you. if anything happens to you, then i don’t get my money.” he doesn’t care that he sounds indifferent or that all he cares about is the money… because it is. he rolls his eyes, hand rising to rest on the hilt of his sword, should he need to pull it out at a moment’s notice. “careful, pipsqueak — might just add an inconvenience fee.” the corners of his mouth twitch, the only hint that he may be toying with him at this point.

“Wow – Maybe I should tip you extra just to get you to care—!” Vanitas hissed under his breath, hoping that Cloud couldn’t hear him: the last thing he needed was to give him any ideas. Of all the people to hire as a ‘shield’, of course he would get the money hungry one. Was he just a magnet for pocket gorging people??

The human turns towards the mercenary, eyebrow threatening to twitch even if he noted the faint quirk of his lips. “You’re going to get your paycheck, okay?? With or without my injury–” Because he would be damned if Cloud got hurt trying to protect him, no matter the ‘reasons’ he hired him for – “But I’m not made of money, so don’t add on extortionist fees that I can’t hope to pay!!”

Something shifted at end of his words, drawing Vanitas’ attention away from the blonde and back forward, demeanor changing as fingers brush over the spine of the book, frown marring his lips. “… Just stay close to me, got it?” Without waiting for a response or reaction, he’s darting forward to follow the sound.

[neversetyoufree]

The way Noé Archiviste is written is so good. I'm so obsessed with him.

He's such a protagonist—endlessly hopeful against adversity and filled with kindness and attempted understanding toward everyone he meets. He's a good person! He wants to save everyone! He is genuinely and utterly without any sort of cruelty or unfair bias.

Yet, the more the series goes on, the more he's written as a very obvious parallel to our antagonists.

The most blatant example of this is the Ruthven parallel. Ruthven once happily said that he liked vampires, and in the same way, he liked humans. Noé repeats this exact same line when he has tea with Ruthven.

This parallel doesn't reflect too poorly on Noé, since it's pretty clear that something Happened to Ruthven to change him between his speaking that line and him becoming our antagonist, but it is an interesting way to tie the two of them together. It raises certain questions in readers' minds. In what other ways are Noé and Ruthven still similar, and how might Noé change to become more like him?

Then there's Noé's toxic optimism. The "you should be a little bothered, actually" aspect of him. Noé is the mirror to Vanitas's toxic pessimism. He latches onto the good in the world to a fault, and in this way he detaches from reality and endures an endless series of abuses to his person without even understanding they're abuses.

That is also one of the defining traits of Mikhail. Misha is unsettling in part because he is completely detached from any understanding of severity. Misha happily recounts being abused and watching his mother die not because he's cruel or hateful, but because he doesn't understand what's happened to him or why those things are bad. Misha wants to bring Luna back to life because he's in denial of the reality of their death. He believes he can just resurrect them and everything will be fine, and he'll get to play happy family again.

If Noé went just a little bit more extreme with the over-optimism, he could disconnect from reality just as badly as Misha has.

Finally there's my favorite parallel—the tie between Noé and his Teacher. Noé Archiviste has a tendency to watch others in fascination, trying to figure them out from the sidelines while he fails to understand his own impact on them, and he absolutely loves the Blue Moon. He thinks the Blue Moon is beautiful. Teacher spends his time collecting interestingly damaged children in putting them in awful situations, apparently just for the fun of watching what they'll do next, and he calls The Vampire of the Blue Moon "the most beautiful creature in the world."

Noé's curiosity-driven fascination with Vanitas's trauma and his love of the blue moon—neither of these are necessarily a problem on their own, but when written in direct parallel with The Count of Saint Germain, they become somewhat alarming.

In the same way that Misha is "worse" than Noé because his obliviousness to his trauma leads him to harm others, Noé's teacher is surely a worse person than him because he lets himself harm others in pursuit of his interests. Noé doesn't do that. But what would it take for that to change? He's pushed boundaries before. He learned to hurt Astolfo and Misha in the name of protecting those he cares about. What other strange places could his headstrong nature lead?

What might Noé do when his fascination and his obliviousness intersect? When the parts of him that are Teacher and the parts of him that are Misha overlap? What would he do to see Vanitas again? What might he do without letting himself realize how terrible it was?

Noé is a good person. He's one of the best people. But in his attentiveness and his optimism and his love, there's the seeds of something that could lead him down a very dark road. Each of the above antagonists is a little bit a part of who he is.

Misha wants to bring Luna back to life. Ruthven is working toward some mysterious aim with the dead or dying Faustina. And given how he talks in mémoire 55, I wouldn't be surprised if Teacher also had an interest in bringing back The Vampire of the Blue moon in one form or another.

In all his fascination and love and hope, would/will Noé be able to let Vanitas die when death is preferable to the alternative? This is a story about the inevitability of death, and the denial of that inevitability creates nothing but horror and perversion. Noé is growing and learning to understand both Vanitas and the moral complexities of the world, and we can only hope that he learns enough. We can see through his many reflections in other characters what he might become if he can't accept painful reality.

[fairy-writes]

MORNING ROUTINE

Reblogs and Comments are greatly appreciated!!

__________________________________________________________________________

Requester: @straykidsnerd255

Prompt: A fluffy, domestic imagine with Noé from Vanitas

Word Count: 0.7k

Fandom(s): The Case Study of Vanitas

Pairing(s): Noé Archiviste x Reader

Genre(s)/Tag(s): Female!Reader, Domestic AU

__________________________________________________________________________

Your morning routine begins with Noé.

You wake up wrapped tightly in his arms as his nose is buried in your hair. He’s still fast asleep. His white hair is mussed and unruly, not at all how he carefully styles it every morning when he actually wakes up. 

But Vanitas didn’t have anything planned today, so you had him all to yourself. 

It’s a pain to get out of his hold, but you’d been dating him for a year and known him even longer than that. Getting out of his bear hug was child’s play for you now. Putting your hands on his entwined arms, you push down gently. He shifts in his sleep but doesn’t awaken. 

But slowly… ever so slowly… his arms move down your waist until they get caught on your hips. You push a bit harder, but when Noé almost wakes up, you stop. 

So you shimmy your hips and push gently until you can awkwardly clamber out of his arms and stand upright. You replace your body with your pillow, and Noé is none the wiser. He rolls over in his sleep with an incoherent mumble. You spy Vanitas on the other bed of your shared hotel room, pitch-black hair sticking up in all directions as he sits up and glares around the room. 

Neither of the boys are particularly joyous when woken up in the morning. 

“What do you feel like for breakfast?” You whisper, and he grunts, lying back down and covering his head with the blanket. You can’t help but giggle but stifle the noise when Vanitas peeks his head out again and turns his nasty glare onto you. 

The next part of your morning routine is simple. You wash your face and hands and rifle quietly through your luggage for clothing for the day. You pick out a simple violet dress and matching shoes and change in the bathroom, tossing Noé’s shirt that he had lent you for sleeping onto the bed once you’re done. 

Paris is just beginning to wake up as you walk down the slowly brightening streets. The sun is just peeking over the horizon, but you don’t stop to admire it as you typically would. 

You’re on a mission. 

A mission to get breakfast back before the boys wake up. 

Well… wake up for real at least. 

There is a bakery near your hotel room, but you wanted to try one just down and across the road. The locals had raved about it when you talked to them last week. Though there is already a line forming before the doors have even opened. 

So you get in line and hope you can make it back in time before Vanitas and Noé wake up. 

It takes about an hour, but you get a box of pastries and tiny cakes, pay, and head back to the hotel room.

You open the door and find Noé standing there, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and his hair sticking up every which way. He still holds your pillow in his free hand and frowns when he spots you dressed and holding a pastry box in your hands. 

“Wassat?” He mumbles, and you laugh at his sleep-addled words. 

“Breakfast.” Now go get changed and you can have some.” You nudge gently and he visibly brightens when he smells the still-warm pastries in the box. 

It doesn’t take long for the scent to entice Vanitas out of bed either. As soon as you set the box down and go to check on your boyfriend, you see Vanitas moving around under the covers as if trying to hype himself up to get out of bed. 

Noé all but bounds out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for the day. He wraps his arms tightly around your middle and peppers you with kisses. You laugh and gently push him away before reaching behind you into the box and shoving a pastry into his mouth. He stops, chews once or twice, and absolutely melts with adoration. 

Looks like you mission is accomplished. 

[thewritetofreespeech]

D, O, and V with Vanitas, for the alphabet meme?

NSFW ALPHABET

D = DIRTY SECRET (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He will never, ever, never admit it, but Vanitas actually likes vampire bites and is aroused by them. Of course, they have to be with a consensual vampire partner, but feeling them in his neck and draining his blood makes him woozy but his cock hard.

O = ORAL (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

Neither. He feels really vulnerable in either case. If asked he can give it, but there are other ways to get pleasure that he doesn’t see the benefit. Plus it just seems unsanitary.

V = VOLUME (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

He tries to stay quiet. Because what kind of tsundere would he be if he let his partner know that he actually liked it. Vanitas will moan now and then, but mostly just muffled whimpers as he tries to keep it down. There’s a few times when he’ll let himself go, but it’s pretty rare.

[bitemevanitas]

vanitas but he's very eepy. he's tired physically and mentally after something and he's just vv sleepy and a (perhaps f!) s/o puts the blanket over him and kisses his forehead as he falls asleep (and bonus points if in his near-sleep state he feels like around a mother he never had) and idk i write this as i am very eepy myself

𝐌𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐱 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐜̧𝐨𝐧

𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦: Vanitas No Carte

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Vanitas x Fem!Reader

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 & 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: established relationship between Vanitas and Reader, mild angst, reverse hurt/comfort (Vanitas), fluff, Dominique and Noé briefly mentioned, DomiNoé implications if you squint, Vanitas being tired and clingy, Reader comforting Vanitas

𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞: Oneshot

𝐓𝐖: slight mentions of trauma, not beta-read, possibly OOC characteriztion, google translate used for French words

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.993

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: After a long day, Vanitas drops the mask. You hold him through the night.

Spring in Paris had a distinct scent.

Cool and damp in the evenings, yet laced with the heady perfume of early blossoms sneaking in through cracked windows.

At night, when the city quieted, and all that remained were distant carriage wheels and the occasional call of an owl from the gardens beyond the wrought iron fences, the quiet made room for thoughts that had no place in the daylight.

You lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling overhead. Your arms were folded beneath your head. The bed beneath you was soft, comfortably warmed by your own body, and the sheets were freshly changed. They smelled faintly of rose soap and lemon balm.

The window to your right was cracked open just enough to let in the air—cool, sharp, and tinged with petrichor after a recent rain. The fir trees in the garden rustled faintly, their dark silhouettes tall against the starless sky.

You should have fallen asleep an hour ago. But instead, you lay there in silence, thinking.

The door creaked.

You blinked and slowly rolled onto your side. No, you didn’t need to ask who it was.

Vanitas appeared from around the doorway like a shadow untethered, dark hair mussed, shirt half-buttoned, waistcoat discarded. He didn’t speak. He rarely did when he was tired.

His steps were lazy, uneven, the floorboards sighing beneath his weight as he trudged toward the bed like a cat returning to its perch.

You didn’t speak either. You only watched him, one brow arching.

He took longer than usual to change tonight. Noé had left for Dominique’s estate after tonight's outing, and Vanitas—unsurprisingly—had opted not to return to Hôtel Chouchou. He had made no formal request to stay. He never did.

Just lingered, long past the time he should’ve left, until it was assumed he'd remain.

And when Vanitas was tired, you knew—he was always clingy.

He reached the bed and, without a word or ounce of elegance, crawled directly over you. It was maltreatment. You let out an offended noise as a sharp elbow jabbed you in the ribs.

"Must you always be a savage?" you groaned, grabbing his shoulder half-heartedly as he kneed you in the side.

Vanitas gave no response. He simply slid beneath the thin coverlet like a cat burrowing into its favorite hiding place. He curled up close to you with all the grace of a sack of flour being dropped.

Then, flatly—without tone, without ceremony, and without a single glance—he muttered:

"I love you."

You blinked.

That was...odd.

Not unwelcome. Just out of place. Neither of you had ever been fond of using the word outright. Yes, your love had always been laced into banter, into the way he watched you from the corner of his eye, into how you scolded him for not eating enough, or how his fingers lingered on your hands longer than necessary.

But saying it, and saying it like that?

Strange.

Most strange.

You frowned faintly. Then, you shifted toward him, but he refused to meet your gaze.

“You’re being weird,” you said, your voice quieter this time, cautious. You reached out and gently shook his shoulder. “You okay?”

He didn’t budge.

Instead, after a pause, he murmured again:

"I love you."

Softer. This time, his nose pressed against the space just beneath your collarbone, like he was trying to burrow into your chest. He sounded exhausted. Worn thin. Not just tired in body, but in soul.

“…Can you hold me? Please?” he whispered. “Just for a bit.”

You exhaled through your nose, feigning annoyance. “You’re a menace,” you muttered, shifting onto your side to give him space.

He huffed lightly—somewhere between amusement and disappointment—and rolled away from you, as if to retreat.

The moment he did, however, you scrambled forward and caught him around the waist.

Vanitas stilled.

You pressed your cheek against the top of his head and wrapped both arms around his torso, cradling him against yourself.

His body remained stiff at first, unsure, but as your hand slid gently across his side and your voice softened, the tension bled out of him little by little.

“There you go,” you murmured. “I'm sorry, it's all right. Of course I can hold you.”

Your thumb traced slow circles against his ribs. Your cheek rested against his dark hair, and you pressed your forehead gently to his.

You loved Vanitas. You did. Even if you didn’t always show it in obvious ways. But now—now, you let yourself. Your grip tightened just a little more.

Vanitas let out a breath that trembled at the end.

He didn’t say anything, but the way he clung to you, fingers bunching the thin cotton of your nightgown, said enough.

Gently, you moved your hand down to his, untangling his fingers from the fabric, and threaded them through yours. Then you brought both your hands to your lips and kissed the back of his hand.

Vanitas looked up at you for a fleeting moment, half-lidded, a yawn stretching his mouth before he could stop it.

Your heart ached, but you said nothing. You only shifted until you finally lay flat on your back, and he—without needing to be told—rested himself across you. His waist was nestled between your parted thighs, his head placed directly below your breast. Right over your heart.

Not in a suggestive way—there was nothing carnal about this moment. Just warmth, and comfort.

The coverlet had half-slid off the bed during his earlier invasion. You then reached for it and threw it back over the both of you, messily, so that you were both entirely hidden beneath its weight. Cocooned in warmth.

You slowly slipped your fingers into his hair, combing them through the soft strands. He didn’t make a sound, but he pressed closer.

The other hand tugged the edge of the coverlet up and over his head, enclosing him entirely against you. Like a mother shielding a child from the night.

Your fingertips massaged small, slow circles into his scalp, each motion deliberate. Soothing. Calming. You didn't need to ask what haunted him. You already knew.

The nightmares had been bad lately. You had noticed the signs weeks ago—the sudden silences, the way he jolted awake when dozing off, the strange way he sometimes stared at children with a distant, unreadable expression. His childhood was a locked box, and he guarded it fiercely.

But some nights, the lock cracked.

Vanitas had never known the comfort of a mother’s arms. Never known what it felt like to be cradled with the kind of affection that asked for nothing in return.

And though he would never admit it—not even under torture—he found it now, with you.

His breathing slowed.

You kissed his temple, once.

"Dors bien, mon doux garçon," you whispered into the dark.

Sleep well, my sweet boy.

Vanitas did not reply. His fingers curled faintly around yours, breath fanning warm over your skin, as his eyes finally fluttered shut.

.

.

.

.

[sasouken]

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                                “—are you okay?" he brings his arms away from vanitas, looking up though the settling dust at the catwalk they had just been walking on— or what was left of it. he frowns, but doesn't see anyone or anything unusual, except the broken catwalk. "that was one hell of a fall."

[phlurrii]

I've been wondering this for a while. Do you pronounce Missingno.'s nickname as "Noh" like the word "no", or "No-eh" like Noe from The Case Study of Vanitas? Personally I always pronounced it as "Noh" but I wanna hear your opinion :3

also recently I've been pronouncing Meau as Meow in my head and it makes me laugh every time XD

Ehehe

Funfact, neither TC or Justice knew how to pronounce Meau’s name and when they asked I just

Admittedly I didn’t know because I never thought anyone would have to pronounce her name aloud-

Whoops

Anyways! I’ve always pronounced it “Nōh” or “No” because if you sane MissingNo. the ‘No’ is pronounced like that! I do know of the “Nō-āh” version! But in this case it’s not applicable ;3

And if your curious Meau’s is not pronounced at all like it should be, it’s “Mē-yō” why? Because idk I like it XD