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noes-pillow · 1 year

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✨️Vanoé Angst Week: Day 5✨️ @vanoeangstweek

Blood Will Stain

| 2.0k | read on ao3 | inspired by this ask from @galactic-chaos9 |

Prompt: (only 2 today)

Memories | “You Promised”

Summary:

“Don’t worry,” the platinum haired vampire let out a chuckle, “it’s not the first time in my life I’ve been covered in blood like this.”

Vanitas turned to face his partner for the first time since the end of the amusement park fight. Blue eyes didn’t blink.

“Though,” as Noé continued laughter shook strands of white hair onto his forehead, “it is the first time the blood is my own.” Noé’s residual smile slowly melted as concern slowly froze into his face.

-or-

Vanitas asks Noé to tell him why he was covered in blood once as a child. He is grossly unprepared for the answer, and Noé is unprepared for what Vanitas will ask of him after.

...

“Don’t worry,” the platinum haired vampire let out a chuckle, “it’s not the first time in my life I’ve been covered in blood like this.”

Vanitas turned to face his partner for the first time since the end of the amusement park fight. Blue eyes didn’t blink.

Vanitas inhaled to comment but stopped himself mid breath at the new expression made by his white-haired counterpart. He prepared himself to deal with Noé’s inevitable account of whatever caused the concerning blood event from the “first” time.

It was a story he had never shared with the human before. And by the vampire’s concerned expression, it looked like that was about to change.

Whatever “it” was, it was enough for Vanitas to recognize it was not just a story. The vampire seemed to flinch around certain topics. Stories were stories. Memories were something more.

Sincere and deep amethyst eyes locked with shocked bright sapphires. Noé’s face was stone. Surely a question was perched on the tip of the vampire’s tongue.

Vanitas braced for impact.

Sure enough, with his head down, Noé opened his mouth.

“Vanitas…”

He waited.

The pause was heavy. Thick with dread and anticipation.

The vampire spoke.

“Do you know how to get blood out of a white coat?”

…?

That’s it?

Vanitas was no short of dumbfounded. “Excuse me, come again?” his tone somehow staler than Noé’s half-eaten croissant from yesterday’s breakfast still sitting on his desk. There was no way his ears were working properly today.

Noé dramatically sighed in disappointment. “Aw I knew it. Teacher always warned me to be careful, there’s no way I’ll be able to get this blood stain out now, will I?”

“You… you’re worried about the blood on your clothes?”

“Of course! I can’t go out in public like this, its unbecoming.”

Vanitas had to agree there. But that wasn’t the point. “Noé, about what you said earlier…”

“This coat means a lot to me!”

Dear lord, Vanitas swore the smallest stupid things were important to this vampire. “Alright Noé, I’ll tell you what to do, but only if you agree to answer a question.”

“Deal.”

That was fast.

“You promise?” Vanitas confirmed.

“Promise. So long as you help me with this.” Noé lifted his bloodied coat.

Well ok then.

Vanitas rolled his eyes. “I’ll ask Miss Amelia later if the hotel has sodium bicarbonate lying around. It should help lift the stain. For now, soak it in the tub with some soap and cold water.

Noé spun on his heels to walk toward the bathroom.

“Once you’re back you had better answer my question,” Vanitas called expectantly.

“Of course! Give me one moment.”

The vampire returned, minus his waistcoat, promptly after running water into the tub for a few minutes. Vanitas noticed the sleeves of his black shirt were rolled to his elbows and two buttons from the neck were undone. But he ignored those observations.

“I’ve finished, Vanitas. What was your question?”

The human took a breath. “You have to promise to answer honestly.”

“I promise.” Noé slightly giggled, “You always know when I lie, anyway.”

Vanitas smiled. Noé was right. But the overly bubbly attitude the vampire was showing seemed to be evidence that Noé was indeed worried about the question Vanitas was about to ask him.

“Earlier,” Vanitas was careful to select the least intrusive language, “you mentioned that you had been covered in blood before.”

Noé tensed. It was subtle, but Vanitas was perceptive. The vampire caught on quickly.

“What happened?” The human was concise in his question.

The gears in Noé’s head turned and he grimaced. He did not like this question. “I don’t want to answer this.”

“You promised,” Vanitas reminded him.

Noé shrugged, he did promise. “It was just Louis.”

Louis? Noé had mentioned that name after Mikhail nearly killed Dominique. That was her brother, right?

“His head kinda flew off and the blood got all over my face, hair, and clothing.” Noé continued.

…what?

Vanitas froze. As if Veronica de Sade had encased him in ice right then and there.

Noé’s tone lightened a bit. “Teacher took care of my clothes. All the blood stains were removed too! My hair looked a bit brown for a little while though. But just the right side of my head and bangs. I had never dyed my hair before, so it was cool to see something other than white…” the vampire continued to ramble, but Vanitas was still stuck on one detail.

His head…

…”flew off”?

“Noé,” Vanitas cut Noé off. “Louis… was decapitated in front of you?”

Noé’s face hardened once again, annoyed that Vanitas had backtracked. “Why do you even care? You just wanted to use me as your shield, remember? You have no right to pry around asking about my old memories just to judge me for them.”

Vanitas scoffed. “Judge you? Oh, that’s rich coming from you.” he snapped back at him.

Noé scrunched his eyebrows. “Why?”

“Don’t act ignorant, Archiviste,” Vanitas hissed.

“What? Vanitas, I assure you I’m not trying to.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” The human muttered under his breath.

“Vanitas, what is your point?” Noé was equally annoyed and irritated now.

“Forget it, Noé.” Vanitas turned to walk away gritting his teeth and biting his tongue. “I’m not about to attempt to psychoanalyze you anyway. You wouldn’t even listen to good advice if it slapped you in the face.”

“Vanitas, stop. I want to know why you are upset now.” Noé was irritated, but he also didn’t understand.

Years of suppressing a memory of that nature will do that to a person.

If Vanitas had bitten the inside of his check harder, maybe he could’ve kept his mouth shut. But he also would’ve drawn blood. In front of Noé, either option was less than ideal. He allowed his temper get the better of him.

In the blink of an eye, Vanitas pivoted on one foot to turn around and shoot angry electric blue eyes at his companion. “You…” his inhale almost an aggressive growl, “are so privileged to have forgotten what pain and trauma you experienced in your childhood. Because of that, you have no right to speak about memories in the way you do.”

Noé was taken aback. He was both surprised and confused. His expression looked as if Vanitas had slapped him.

“Is everyone else just a character in a book to you? How can you walk around drinking others’ blood left and right, seeing into their pasts like you were gifted a front row seat to the memoir of their lives when you barely even remember your own?”

It was Noé’s turn to feel dumbfounded. And, frankly, attacked too.

“Memories aren’t just a story.” Vanitas spat. “They hold more meaning than that.”

“Vanitas,” Noé uttered quietly. “I know.”

“You know? Then why do you talk about your friend…?”

“Louis.” Noé interrupted.

“Why do you talk about Louis like he was just some story from your past? Like you weren’t even there. Your best friend was brutally murdered right in front of your eyes. How are you not angry?”

Noé shrugged, “Teacher said it needed to be done.”

Vanitas froze. For as smart as Noé was, he was also a moron.

“And you don’t see anything wrong with that?” Vanitas was barely holding his composure.

“Well, I did at first. But after some time, I understood that Louis was sick and nothing I could’ve done would fix him. Only teacher could help him. And now I want to stop it from happening to anyone else.”

“No emotion in that, is there?” Vanitas mumbled quietly to no one but himself.

“What?” Thankfully Noé hadn’t heard him.

“Well, we have that in common,” Vanitas said a bit louder.

There was a heavy pause before Noé next spoke.

“It didn’t matter who killed him.”

Vanitas didn’t know what he meant.

“If he was going to die, it didn’t matter, right?” Noé looked like he was asking for approval from Vanitas.

“What do you mean?”

“Right before Louis… died,” Noé was fighting to get the next words out, “he asked me to kill him.”

He…

…what?

“So,” Vanitas needed to know, “did you?”

“Of course not!” Noé immediately shouted back at him. “How could I kill my best friend? And Domi’s brother too?”

There it was. The emotion Vanitas had been looking for was leaking out through Noé’s words.

But it also struck a nerve with the human. A question he himself had wanted to ask the vampire now felt very… unfair of him to voice. But he’d worry about that later.

“Who did kill him?” Vanitas still wanted to know the answer.

“Teacher… I think,” Noé squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, “it’s all still a bit of a blur. The next thing I knew something warm had splattered on my face and Louis was… in two pieces.”

“And you still trusted your Teacher after that?”

“He… saved me…” Noé seemed oddly unsure of himself, “…I’m pretty sure.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Surely.”

“Vanitas, Louis was a curse-bearer.”

Oh.

Well, that explained a lot. Actually, it explained everything. Noé’s need to save everyone. His fascination with Vanitas and the Book. And most importantly, his absolutely undeniable loyalty.

Who let a heart as enormous as Noé’s experience such turmoil?

The poor naïve boy was too kind for his own good.

Noé now just looked… sad.

He had just allowed many old and forgotten memories to resurface for the first time in years. He was far from feeling his best at the current moment.

Vanitas realized he may have overstepped, but he wasn’t about to apologize for it. Instead he walked over to Noé who was sitting on his bed staring at the floor, and stood in front of him.

Wordlessly Noé reached out to wrap his arms around Vanitas’ waist. Vanitas replied by wrapping one arm around Noé’s back between his shoulder blades and using the other hand to hold Noé’s head to his chest. Noé’s ear on his sternum.

Vanitas’ heart was beating ferociously but the rhythmic pulse seemed to soothe the vampire a bit.

However, the question Vanitas had wanted to ask appeared again on his tongue. He contemplated asking it but swallowed the words instead. Another time.

There was so much more Vanitas wanted to say. Too much more he wanted to say.

So he said nothing. He just let the vampire breathe and listen to his heartbeat.

Vanitas had opened up a wound that Noé had forgotten about, but never let heal. It was time to let him rest.

***

After some time, they both fell asleep. Purple eyes closed long before blue.

Noé squeezed his Vanitas shaped pillow. On any other occasion, the human would’ve slapped him awake but he suppressed the impulse. He’d let him sleep for now. He really needed it.

There was no way the cheery eyed vampire would sleep soundly anymore after tomorrow. Not after Vanitas would ask him to cover himself once again in blood.

And this time it would be on Noé’s hands, not his Teacher’s.

Tomorrow Noé would find out that he would once again be asked to soak himself in blood. And it would once again have to be the blood of a good friend. Dare he say his best friend.

Vanitas felt guilty for being the second person to ask Noé this.

He would understand, right? He had to.

Noé mumbled something in his sleep that seemed to sound vaguely like the name “Lo… uis.” He then adjusted and accidentally kicked Vanitas in his sleep and the human let out a grunt, so he kicked back.

“Don’t make this harder than it already is, dingbat.” Vanitas just audibly whispered.

The vampire was sound asleep and didn’t respond. Vanitas decided to practice his question.

“Noé,” Vanitas whispered almost silently, “when the time comes, will you be the one to kill me?”

No reply, as expected.

Noé just hugged Vanitas tighter in his sleep.

It was as good of a “yes” as Vanitas would get for now, so he too allowed himself to fall asleep.

fin

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