Vanitas is woken from a deep slumber by a cold nose poking against his cheek. He groans and pushes it away without a care before rolling over. The nose worms its way against his back, however, and a tongue licks his arm. The annoyance behind him barks, causing Vanitas to huff in irritation as Jewel climbs up to lay most of her weight on top of him.
So, Sora’s left for the day already then. Great.
Vanitas groggily opens his chocolate-colored eyes, finding himself face to face with Jewel. The dalmatian brightens up and barks once more, her tail whipping against his leg in an annoying rhythm. He can only sigh and go slack underneath her weight, having begrudgingly gotten used to this routine.
The mutt has been sneaking into his space every morning whenever Sora leaves to train for his Mark of Mastery Exam retest. At first, Vanitas had nearly punched her out of reflex from being woken up by a foreign touch. Jewel had understandably been shocked and had bolted out of the room, but was quick to come back for more no matter how many times Vanitas pushed her away. It became easier with each morning as the pattern continued, and his body eventually stopped responding with fight or flight instincts.
Despite her clingy behavior, Jewel is the easiest to get along with out of everyone in the house. She would find him at random times, persistently cuddling up to him or following at his heels, wanting nothing but his attention. He didn’t really understand why. He never purposefully sought her out. Never pet her or gave her treats. No expectations on his part to interact with her, but she came to him just the same. And like his Unversed, she never talked back. Never judged him. She was sort of comforting in that way, just having her nearby.
Though, as Vanitas had quickly figured out, if Jewel had the choice, she would always choose Sora above all. If she was lying down with Vanitas, the sound of Sora’s voice would cause her to burst away before he could blink. If she was following Vanitas around in the backyard, the sound of Sora arriving home could get her to come running.
It shouldn’t have bothered Vanitas. Jewel is Sora’s dog after all. Apparently has been so ever since she was a puppy too. But somehow it still irritated him that Jewel made it her mission to cling to Vanitas whenever Sora wasn’t around.
What a joy it was to be somebody’s second choice. At least it wouldn’t be the first time.
Banishing bitter thoughts, Vanitas sits up and pushes Jewel away so that he can extract himself from the blankets. He still hasn’t gotten used to the concept of having a soft place to rest, and has instead taken to sleeping on the pull out couch instead of the perfectly good bed across the room. It had been several days before Vanitas was ready to even attempt this much, and sometimes he still ends up sleeping in the window regardless.
Either way, it beats sleeping on the ground in the Keyblade Graveyard that’s for sure.
He looks around the room in a daze, trying to gauge what time it actually is. The door is thrown open, curtesy of Jewel. The desk across from the bed is bare, as is the matching dresser and bookshelf along the opposite wall, and the bag full of beans has an indent in the middle from where Jewel has taken to sleeping in it.
Bean bag chair… Right. Somehow, he’s disappointed with himself for not figuring that one out.
Suzume had purchased it for Vanitas along with the other furniture the day it was decided he would be staying here. He’d never asked for nor wanted any of it, but she had insisted. Even so, Vanitas still doesn’t dare to consider any of them his, despite how long he’s been around them already. Still far much longer than he’s ‘owned’ anything else in his short time of living.
He always made sure to never own anything for too long. Sometimes bits and pieces of things his Unversed would find would make their way back to him from other worlds; a stolen pass, a flower, a gem, a sticker or two. He’d destroyed them all with his own hands before anyone else could. It was easier that way, back in the Organization. But these things, in this room, Vanitas couldn’t bring himself to destroy them. Not when Suzume gave them so willingly. Instead he tries to enjoy them while he can.
Vanitas groggily stands up and goes to the dresser. The dark wood is smooth as he purposely runs his hand against it, memorizing the feeling with his uncovered hands, before opening the drawer and getting dressed.
All the while, he casts a glance through the small gap in the window curtains, pondering what Suzume has in store for today. Unlike Sora, Vanitas has no training regimen to fulfill. Nothing to take up his days as he recovers, and no need to push himself beyond his limits.
At first, he had gone stir crazy, constantly using his Unversed to observe far more than his eyes could take in just to fill the time. Destiny Island is a very tranquil world with not a lot going on, though, and watching local wildlife, waves and plants quickly lost his attention. So, he had diverted to observing people instead. Just normal people going about their day; going to work, spending time with friends, enjoying the outdoors. It was a pastime Vanitas never got to partake in before, just watching normal people go about their lives.
He even found himself watching Suzume and her employees from the window nook, particularly interested in figuring out whatever it was they were doing each day, but never downright asking.
People watching, is what Suzume had called it upon spotting him. She found it flattering that he was so intrigued by her work and obviously failing to disguise it.
‘Well, if you’re interested, you might as well learn the family business.’ She had grinned. ‘We’d love the help.’
He’d tried to ignore that turn of phrase, but otherwise, ended up enjoying the time he spent learning Suzume’s craft and meeting her team. There was Freya, Suzume’s second in command. Kind of like that what that blue haired guy was to Xemnas, from what Vanitas understood. Then there was Sazh, Barrett, Ignis, and Luna. Like the worker bees they tend, they each have their own role to play with either removals, classes, sales, inventory, or marketing and do so together as one cohesive unit.
The staff had been delighted when Suzume had strolled in one day with Vanitas in tow, eager to share their world with such a young newcomer. They were a group of people connected by one shared passion, and Vanitas was at a loss for words that first day, unable to completely comprehend a circle such as theirs. The Organization was made of liars and backstabbers. A union under the guise of working together while only out for their own initiatives. And their leader, Xehanort, didn’t much care whether they lived or died as long as his own goal was accomplished.
Suzume and her team could not be any different. On multiple occasions he saw them step in to help each other, joke and laugh together, talk about their lives and dreams, and work as a true team to make the shop as successful as it is. They themselves are a beehive, one that instinctively knows how to thrive and coexist together.
One of the teachers, Luna, taught Vanitas the defining elements between bees and wasps, and has no shortage of books and knowledge to share with him. Sazh and Barrett handle removals, and already a comradery was formed from day one when Sazh let Vanitas use a vacuum to suck up a whole nest of wasps. It had been exhilarating and deeply satisfying to the little gremlin inside Vanitas that yearns for mischief to see all those little pests disappear into a black void.
Ignis is fondly referred to as the ‘eye in the hive’ by the rest of the team. He handles anything and everything that has to do with a computer, and is the first line of defense whenever anything goes wrong. Along with the bees, he has an unmatched passion for cooking, and will often bring new foods into the office. Vanitas, given his limited history with food, has been a tough customer to please, and earning Vanitas’s approval quickly became one of Ignis’s goals. Even the other team members would join in too and converse amongst themselves whether Vanitas would give new dishes a passing grade or not.
It was… nice. To have his opinion heard and respected. It gave him confidence, in an odd way.
Freya, unlike the others, is the only one of them that doesn’t participate in the food wagers, and is an enigma all her own that Vanitas has yet to figure out. They have spoken maybe a handful of times, but she seems nice enough. As second in command, she keeps herself busy making sure every day goes by smoothly, and often can be seen running around filling in any role that’s needed. She was the one Vanitas originally took an interest in, as his mind struggled to keep up with trying to decipher her actions from the window nook. According to Suzume, Freya has been with the business the longest, which Vanitas was not at all surprised to hear. It’s almost scary how efficient she is at her job, and seeing her in action never fails to spur some odd sort of inspiration in him that he’s yet to dwell on.
Suzume herself is just as efficient as Freya, though, if not better in many aspects. According to the team, she is the best boss that any of them could have asked for, and not one of them would refrain from singing her praises. She’s fair, kind, empathetic, compassionate, and flexible. They all look up to her and trust her judgement as a competent leader to know what needs to be done and do so in a manner that works not just for her business but for her team.
Vanitas has seen her work both through windows and in person now, and over his short time of living here has grown comfortable stepping in under her guidance as well. She’s nothing like Xehanort. He was a dictator, a cruel manager of his subordinates that ruled with no room for error. Suzume is a leader, more interested in instilling motivation through her own actions and helping to build up those around her than in the overall success of her business. Her team always comes first, and Vanitas finds that way of thinking so very refreshing after everything he’s been through.
So, he set himself to work helping them with small jobs to fill the monotony as he waited for his injuries to fully heal. Granted, Suzume had made it clear she doesn’t want him overexerting himself, but he was allowed to do most tasks. His favorite ones are the wasps removals. It’s addicting as hell to suck the little buggers up in the vacuum and it has never lost its charm no matter how many nests he destroys.
He’s asked before, what the company does with the remaining larvae and comb of the nests, and Suzume had explained that they are given to their neighbor down the road. He owns a farm with chickens and other large birds that will happily eat up anything that comes their way.
‘Was one of them that big bird from the other day?’ Vanitas had asked, recalling waking up one morning to the sight of a gigantic bird in the backyard.
‘Yes, they sometimes wander up here.’ Suzume had chuckled. ‘That was Stanley, he’s an emu.’
Emu… Sazh had brought him over there once to drop off some of the nests, and he got to meet one. They stand about twice as tall as Vanitas, large and intimidating birds with razor sharp talons. But they can be surprisingly gentle, and their feathers are the softest things he ever felt as they glided across his fingertips.
While the emus and chickens get to enjoy the wasp nests, the bees are never fed to them, and are always handled with the upmost care. Once they’re removed, they are taken to either live full time on Suzume’s property or are sold off to live with other beekeepers around the islands. When asked why, Suzume had iterated that bees are pollinators, and without them, humans and animals would have no plants to eat, and life on this world would be very hard for everyone.
It was… difficult, for Vanitas to be gentle. To consciously control his fingers and muscles to relax when he worked with the bees. But he tried. He tried to be considerate of them. More than anything he ever had in his life. All the while, it was thrilling to use his hands for something other than destruction, and he found joy in watching them crawl all over his gloves and buzz around his head whenever they went out on a removal.
Suzume seemed to pick up on this right away, and has since booked the bee removals so that she and Vanitas can go together and she can offer him as much time as he needs. She’s always very patient with Vanitas while he is learning, and in turn she learns something new about him each day.
Such as how he had trouble eating anything other than soft textured foods(she has since been more conscious of meal choices). How he didn’t know basic things like tying his own shoes(she gladly taught him). How he heavily struggled with accepting gifts of any kind(even taking a simple piece of candy from one of her client’s kids was an ordeal in itself). How he shied away from any physical touch(Barrett had tried to tussle his hair once in a gesture of a job well done, but he quickly backed away). How he struggled with words(Luna had offered him a dictionary). How he flinched whenever someone raised their voice(a neighbor had yelled at one of their clients for the racket of the vacuum cleaner, and Vanitas had flinched so hard she was afraid he might have hurt himself).
Each new revelation broke her heart further, angered her to the core that someone would treat Vanitas in this way. But nothing good could come from hanging on to those feelings, especially when knowing that someone is already long gone. Instead, she sought to make his stay here as comfortable as possible and allow him the chance to grow and forget whatever happened in the past.
Suzume could tell that Sora felt the same, too, and was helping in his own way.
Sora had tried to reconnect with Vanitas more than once, to extend an olive branch for whatever happened between them. But Vanitas was stubborn, and hasn’t so much as looked at Sora since that day at Radiant Garden. Suzume could tell this was deeply hurting her son. Sora never holds grudges, and is often the first one to reconcile whenever he and any of his friends are upset with each other. This fight with Vanitas has outlasted any that Sora has had thus far, and she could tell it was taking a toll on the both of them as Sora keeps trying to approach Vanitas with intentions to reconcile, but Vanitas stubbornly keeps him at an arm’s length.
Oddly enough, though, neither of them have explained whatever it was that happened, and are quick to change the subject whenever she brings it up. She knew it was only a matter of time, though, before she either found out or the two boys confronted each other.
Either way, Vanitas couldn’t keep avoiding Sora forever, and something would eventually have to give.
The day proceeds as normal for Vanitas as he spends the first half of it bothering Ignis and going out with Sazh to remove a wasp nest. Usually, the back half of the day has something to do with the bees, either sitting in for a class with Luna or Suzume, or heading out to remove a hive. But today, Luna and Barrett are out, and there is nothing planned on the board for after lunch, which he thought was a bit odd.
Suzume, though, had mentioned that she had wanted to show him something amazing today.
‘Since it’s early summer, it’s finally time to start harvesting.’ Suzume says with a giddy expression once lunch break has ended. She had wasted no time seeking him out and handing him a suit.
‘Harvesting?’ Vanitas asks while zipping himself into the mesh layer.
‘Honey!’ Her enthusiasm is infectious, and Vanitas curiously trails after her, watching her gather a wheelbarrow, bee brush, and blanket. She’s practically buzzing just like the bees in her care as they stop at the closest hive.
Honey… He’s heard that word about a thousand times already. It’s plastered all over the shop and written on the sign outside. But what even is it? Believe it or not even after all this time he had no clue. He knew it was golden brown, and there was something written about sugar nutrients in one of the books he received from Luna. By that logic wasn’t honey just food the bees made for themselves? Why would humans want to harvest it?
‘Let’s see what these girls have for us.’ Suzume says while taking the top of the hive off. She doesn’t stop to look at the notecard on the inner lid, which Vanitas finds odd.
‘We’re not checking in on them?’ He raises a dark eyebrow.
‘Oh.’ She pauses, noticing his curiosity. ‘Of course we will, since we’re in here already.’ Suzume says, while pulling out a frame and inspecting the combs. ‘We never disturb the bees without a proper reason, as I always say.’
‘I know.’ Vanitas hums as she puts the frame away and steps back, allowing him to move closer to pick up a frame himself. He holds the top corners of the frame with notable care, looking over it for the queen, but something in that particular frame seems to have caught Suzume’s interest.
‘Oh, that one’s perfect! Good choice!’ She claps her hands. ‘Just keep it like that.’ She grabs the bee brush and uses it to gently remove the bees from the frame before instructing Vanitas to plop it into the wheelbarrow and cover it up with the blanket.
Vanitas watches with interest as they repeat the process with one more frame, before bundling the hive back up and moving on to the next one. He takes all of the information in, trying to gather what they are doing.
It had been like that with Xehanort. Find the solution on your own before asking stupid questions. He had a feeling Suzume would not scold him for any such inquiries, but old habits die hard.
‘We’re only taking ones that have both sides filled and capped off with wax.’ Vanitas observes quietly, and Suzume hums. ‘But not any of the ones with brood or pollen on it.’
‘Yes. Very observant.’ She hums while taking out a frame that was literally dripping with the brown colored liquid. ‘Oh, this one’s very good too.’
Vanitas watches the substance drip down onto the ground, some of it landing on the hive itself. In no time, a few bees find the fluid and begin drinking it up.
So that’s the honey. But again, why were they taking it from them?
His question isn’t answered as eventually he and Suzume finish gathering frames and make their way to a small offshoot building behind the store.
‘This is your first time in the bee shed.’ Suzume observes while unlocking the door and asking him to hold it open for her to move the wheelbarrow inside. She doesn’t ask for his help and has repeatedly made it quite clear she doesn’t want him exerting himself at all until he’s made a full recovery. It’s annoying, especially since the other members of the team have taken the same stance and makes sure he never works long hours or does anything exertive, but he can live with it for now.
The shed looks more like the house’s garage than anything else, with a concrete floor, sink, fridge, and several empty tables filled with empty jars. There’s a large stainless-steel machine near the back that catches his eye.
‘That’s our extractor. We call her Regalia. Luna came up with it, something about a car her husband used to have.’ She introduces him, and takes one of the frames out of the wheelbarrow. ‘But first, you see the frames? There’s a layer of wax on them.’
‘Yea, you said that’s to make sure things in the cells don’t come out.’ He says. ‘Like how the cupboards in the house have a door.’
‘Exactly. You’re such a good student Vanitas.’ She beams a proud smile at him, causing him to look away. He never knows how to react to praise. ‘But now we need to get the honey out of the cupboards, so we need to remove the wax. That’s why Freya set out these tools for us.’
The two kinds of tools that Freya had left on one of the tables look like dull knives and little combs. Suzume got to work showing Vanitas how to use them to properly scrape off the wax from the frames, before letting him have a turn. She always showed him by doing, something he was grateful for. He was never able to learn any other way.
With Xehanort it was either do it right the first time or suffer the consequences. At least the only consequence here was being gently reminded not to take off too much comb.
Once the frames have been stripped, Suzume sets them up inside the Regalia and turns it on. A loud noise comes from the machine, and Vanitas curiously watches as the frames are spun round and round in the barrel of the extractor.
‘Basically, what it does,’ Suzume has to shout to be heard, ‘is spins the frames fast enough so that the honey will fly out and onto the sides of the cylinder, then it pools down at the bottom.’ She explains before turning to take the wheelbarrow back outside. ‘Should take about five minutes one direction and then we spin it backwards.’
Vanitas hums, the noise lost among the sound of the machine as he watches the frames spin. After what feels like an eternity, Suzume sets a clean bucket and strainer next to the Regalia, and opens a spigot near the bottom. A cloudy golden substance comes out of the extractor and oozes down into the bucket through the strainer until there is nothing left in the machine.
‘And that ought to do it.’ Suzume says while checking for any leftover honey before closing up the extractor and getting to work cleaning it out. ‘Should be ready once the last of that wax strains out.’
Vanitas furrows his brow, touching the spherical strainer and watching it wobble slightly to one side on top of the bucket. So, it seems like they’ve done all this work to purify the honey and drain out the wax. But the question of why still alludes him.
Sometime later, after they’ve both had a break to say their goodbye to Ignis and Freya for the day, Suzume and Vanitas return and round up the pure honey into jars to then be labeled with stickers from her store.
It’s a day’s work for the two of them, and they haven’t even gone through half of the hives that are on the property, but Vanitas still feels satisfied just the same.
‘Thanks for helping me today, Vanitas.’ Suzume says as she finishes labeling the last jar. ‘Usually, Luna and Barrett would be here to help with the harvest, but with that stomach bug going around and all of the removals this time of year, I had to just pencil it in somewhere and hope for the best.’
Vanitas nods, a strange feeling in his chest. It was… strange, to be needed, and be told he was doing a good job. Kingdom Hearts knows Xehanort never granted him that luxury. The most he ever got was being left alone whenever he managed to do something right.
The two of them move the jars into the store, and Suzume scans them into the system so that Vanitas can set them up on the shelves, but not before giving him an unusual request.
‘Go ahead and pick out a jar for our house first.’
Vanitas raises an eyebrow, confused, but does so anyway by just grabbing one at random.
‘Why?’ He hazards to ask.
‘Well since it’s the very first harvest of the season, the first pick is very special.’ Suzume says cheerfully. ‘I wanted you to do the honors this year.’
That strange feeling in his chest grows even stronger in response to her words, and he places a hand to his heart, rubbing at it to make it go away.
He looks at her with a confused expression still hanging on his face.
‘But what is it used for?’
Suzume then looks at him fully, and something in her must click because her expression falls.
‘Oh, Vanitas. Honey is for eating.’ She says, her tone sounding more gentle than anything else. As if she’s heartbroken he’s never tried it before. He supposes he couldn’t blame her, seeing as it’s obviously her entire life’s work.
She turns away from the register and goes into the back, returning shortly after with a small plastic spoon. ‘Here, open up the jar and try some.’
Hesitantly, Vanitas takes the spoon and opens the jar. Its golden glow glistens as he sticks the spoon in, watching as it clings to itself and drips down from the little plastic utensil.
As it coats his tongue, it tastes rich, dark and sugary. Not bad at all. It sits on his senses, a reminder of the work the two of them did today.
Sora returns home about an hour or so later for dinner, having spent the day training and then later hanging out with Riku on the play island. Vanitas barely looks up at him from his spot on the couch, too busy reading a new book that Luna had let him borrow yesterday. He really was becoming obsessed with bees and wasps, but he let it slide, seeing how it was the very first thing in his life he found any particular interest in.
‘Hey Vanitas.’ Sora greets as he shuts the door and Jewel proceeds to jump all over him.
Vanitas only glances at him for maybe half a second before raising his book higher so that he wouldn’t have to look at his lighter half, missing how Sora’s face falls in response.
Vanitas, for his part, has still not worked through his brain what exactly it meant to be related to Sora. By that logic, was he related to Suzume? That thought was even more dizzying, and not to mention, he still hadn’t gotten over what she said about his eyes…
So to the backburner of his brain it all went for now. To be dealt with whenever he had the patience. Or actually never if he were being honest.
But even without all of that, he had given some serious thought about whether he actually wanted to stay here or not. He still hasn’t quite regained the power of dark corridors yet, but he could tell that time was approaching soon. Maybe even now if he really pushed himself to his absolute limit.
But the problem was, did he even want to leave?
No one hurt him here, and he had somewhere safe to sleep. He had food, even though his stomach protested most of the time for him to eat properly anyway. And he wasn’t alone anymore.
That all had to count for something, right?
He ponders further until dinner is ready, his mind and body on autopilot as he slowly eats bits and pieces until Suzume abruptly gets both his and Sora’s attention.
‘Well boys…’ She starts, letting out a breath. Just from her tone alone Vanitas can tell whatever she has to say can’t be anything good. ‘I have a class to teach tomorrow. Turns out Sazh’s son caught that stomach bug that’s been going around town.’
‘Is that what you and Freya were talking about earlier?’ Vanitas asks, remembering being told that Sazh had to go home early, and noticicing that Freya had pulled Suzume aside to talk in hushed tones.
Suzume hums.
‘There’s no one else to go but me. Ignis and Freya have to mind the store.’
‘How long will you be gone this time?’ Sora gently questions.
By his words, Vanitas can tell that this has happened more than once. But… if she’s teaching a class though, where would she have to go? The only class he’s ever seen her teach is in the shop or the backyard.
‘Not long, just for one night. I’ll be back early morning the next day.’ Suzume says. ‘It’s for a college a few towns over, but the class is later at night to accommodate the students.’ She looks over the two of them. ‘So, you both will be home by yourselves for the night tomorrow.’ Her face shows she is nervous to leave the two of them alone, especially with the way they have been dancing around each other lately. ‘I expect you to be on your best behavior. No wild parties or burning the house down.’
‘Yes mom.’ Sora chuckles, though Vanitas doesn’t find anything about this funny.
How was he supposed to fill a whole day and night without her?
Regardless of all their reservations, Suzume heads out in the early afternoon of the next day, trusting Sora and Vanitas to get along without her.
Once she’s gone, Vanitas immediately retreats into his room, leaving Jewel and Sora to their own devices. Sora tries to call him down for lunch, and later again for dinner, but Vanitas ignores him, seemingly more content to waste the hours away staring out the window.
He can see Freya and Ignis occasionally though the window to the store, as well as customers coming in and out to buy various goods. He had debated going down there more than once, but it didn’t feel right. He’s seen the sight of the big blue building many times before from his window, but it feels… hollow now without Suzume there. It isn’t as warm or inviting, like her absence sucked the life out of the place.
Was this what it meant to miss someone? He’d never felt it before, not even with Ventus. Couldn’t really miss yourself, right?
But then again, since finding out he is Sora’s twin brother, Vanitas supposes he and Ventus really are nothing to each other now.
If he were honest with himself, he’s still not sure how to feel about that either.
Eventually sleep comes to claim Vanitas when the sun dips below the horizon. He’s not sure exactly what time it is when he’s slowly awoken to an odd sound. It sounds like pattering, like the footsteps of his Unversed rapping their paws against the window.
His brown eyes slide open, and he sits up to look outside. There’s water out there, and the sky has turned dark. Vanitas’s dark eyebrows raise, and he quickly gets up from the window nook, afraid the sight will disappear should he not hurry.
Rain… It’s really rain.
Vanitas heads down the stairs, not bothering to be quiet in the darkened home as he goes into the kitchen and slides the glass door open to the backyard. The wood of the porch is cold against his bare feet, and a wet feeling surrounds his toes. He’s only ever felt the sensation before in the shower, and that water had been warm, but this was cold, and a grounding chill settles over him as he stares in awe at the backyard.
Fat water droplets descend from the sky, splattering against the grass and the gravel walkway to the store. Vanitas shivers, watching them fall in a trance and steps further out onto the porch. He reaches out towards the water with one hand, before shrinking back when the cool sensation glides across his fingertips.
He looks down at the drops on his hand, taking in the small reflection of his own face in its mirror surface, before reaching back underneath the spray. After a few moments of the gentle sensation pattering against his hand, he feels a bit bolder and reaches further, his whole forearm and a small part of his sleeve growing wet under the rain.
After a few moments of getting used to the feeling of the strange drops from the sky, Vanitas steps completely out from under the porch’s shelter and into the rain. Cool water cascades down his hair and onto his face, causing his shoulders to shiver as his feet take in the feeling of wet grass and soil.
The sensations are unlike anything he’s ever felt in that wasteland of a desert he used to call home. The smell out here is intoxicating, one that he could not even begin to describe, and the water somehow tastes sweeter when he dares to catch a drop with this tongue. He walks further out into the backyard, his skin quivering against the pitter patter of the rain as he looks up at the sky, blinking whenever a stray drop wanders into his eye.
He doesn’t know exactly how long he stands out there, his feet sinking into the muddy earth, before a voice similar to his own calls out his name in a worried tone.
‘Vanitas!’ Sora yells from under the porch awning, raising his voice to be heard underneath the spray. ‘What are you doing out there?!’
Vanitas doesn’t bother with a response, but apparently his ignoring of Sora will get him nowhere this time as the brunette follows him out into the rain.
‘Hey, Vanitas!’ Sora puts a hand onto his shoulder, moving to steer him back towards the house, but Vanitas doesn’t budge an inch. ‘What’s wrong? What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?’
Sora can see that Vanitas mumbles something in response but struggles to hear his words.
‘What?!’ Sora asks a bit louder. The heavy rainfall sounds all around them, eating up all noise.
Vanitas then finally looks at Sora for all of one second before turning back towards the sky.
‘I want to experience this.’
Sora looks at him as if he’s crazy. He stands there dumbfounded for a few moments, before daring to question.
‘You’ve… never seen rain before?’
Vanitas doesn’t respond.
‘Okay.’ Sora says, nodding. ‘Okay. Then let’s experience it from the porch where it’s warmer.’
It takes some time, but eventually Vanitas complies and follows Sora back onto the porch, where Jewel is waiting for them behind the screen door. Sora tells Vanitas to wait here, before disappearing inside, letting Jewel sneak her way past him and onto the porch. She nudges against his ice-cold hands, but he barely acknowledges her. He’s too busy watching the rain, though he does turn his gaze away when Sora throws a towel over his head.
‘Hey!’ Vanitas complains as Sora rubs the towel against his sopping wet hair. He bats his hands away, deigning to dry off by himself.
The two of them eventually settle down together on the porch swing, each now with their own blanket and Jewel squashed in between them. They stare at the rain together+ for some time, the silence too awkward to be comfortable, but not so overbearing as to be unbearable.
It’s Sora that ultimately turns to Vanitas.
‘So… you really never got to experience a lot of things, huh?’
Vanitas doesn’t speak, his silence answering for him.
‘Vanitas… you can talk to me you know.’ Sora sighs. ‘I know we were both upset before but-‘
‘What’s the point?’ Vanitas also sighs. ‘There’s nothing to say.’
‘What do you mean? Of course there’s stuff to say!’ Sora says, his eyebrows upturned with hurt. ‘We’re brothers, we…’
‘I don’t need a brother.’ Vanitas shakes his head, pulling the fluffy blanket tighter around himself. His voice is restrained, lacking emotion. ‘Or a family, or whatever. I’ve always been fine on my own.’
‘How can you say that? You know it’s not true.’ Sora looks at him, his expression turning sullen as he digests those words. ‘Vanitas… Ven told me about Xehanort. How he would-‘
‘Save it!’ Vanitas snaps, hating the sound of that man’s name. ‘I don’t need Ventus either.’ He declares bitterly. ‘You weren’t there. He would rather see me disappear inside his heart forever than live my own life. He said “we’re not brothers, we’re the same”.’ He grits his teeth, angrily shifting in his seat. ‘Ventus… he’ll never get it. I’ll always be an out of line heart piece that he can finally forget about once I go back to not existing anymore.’
Vanitas stands up, the blanket draped around his shoulders as he glares down at Sora.
‘And you Sora, what reason do I have to think you wouldn’t be any different?’
Sora looks taken aback for a moment before he also stands up, the pair of them looking out of place on the dark porch with fluffy blankets wrapped around their wet frames.
‘You’re wrong!’ Sora exclaims. ‘I have never thought that way about you! Or about any of our other friends that were born from the heart of someone else. Roxas, Xion, Namine, they’re all their own people and I’ve never once thought that they should disappear. That they shouldn’t have the chance to live.’ Sora dares to come closer. ‘The same goes for you too Vanitas.’
Sora grabs Vanitas’s hand, and his grip is unyielding when the other boy tries to pull away.
‘I know what Ventus said hurt you. And you can say that you don’t want anything to do with him anymore. That’s okay.’ Sora’s face scrunches up, as if in pain. ‘But don’t push me away too. Don’t you feel it? There’s a connection between us, and the tests prove it. I am your brother Vanitas, whether you like it or not. We’re twins. And I care about you!’ Vanitas has to look away, clearly uncomfortable with the earnest words, but Sora isn’t finished. ‘So don’t you dare push me away again.’
Vanitas looks back at Sora then, the odd feeling in his heart now a tidal wave of emotion. Part of him wants to trust Sora, but trust is not an easy thing for him to give. It’s been thrown back in his face too many times to count.
It was so much easier when they never knew each other, when there was distance between them. But now Sora has grown too close, close enough to hurt.
As Vanitas is contemplating, there is a nudge against his leg, and he looks down to find Jewel nosing against him. She gazes up at him with such open, trusting eyes. She had those same eyes when they first met on the beach, before she even knew him at all. Sora was the same back then in the graveyard, looking as if he wanted to give Vanitas the world if he simply wished it.
Vanitas sighs. He hates to admit it, but he had been thinking about Sora off and on all day. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that if he wanted to stay here, they would have to get along somehow. And at this point… Vanitas couldn’t find it in himself to leave. Not when he’d spent this entire day feeling miserable and missing Suzume. That counted for something, and he wasn’t blinded to it.
He knows he can’t go. Not now. And if staying here meant he had to make amends… then so be it.
Vanitas isn’t Ventus’s brother anymore, both of them deciding to cut that tie themselves that day in the Graveyard, but maybe, he could be… Sora’s.
‘I’m sure you won’t stop bugging about it, so I guess I have no other choice but to agree.’
Sora’s face falls, looking as if he’s about to protest but Vanitas cuts him off.
‘But there’s worse fates in the worlds that putting up with being your brother.’ He sighs.
Sora smiles at that, and Vanitas feels something warm in his chest from seeing his unbridled joyful expression.
‘You mean it?’ Sora asks, grinning ear to ear.
‘Whatever.’ Vanitas pulls his hand away, and Sora lets him go without a fuss this time. Vanitas pulls the blanket closer over his shoulders and turns to head inside. ‘But just so you know, I’m the older twin.’
‘What?’ Sora asks incredulously, running to catch up. ‘No you’re not! Prove it!’
‘We’ll just have to ask Suzume when she gets home.’
‘Yea, and she’ll tell you that you’re wrong!’
The next morning, a weary Suzume returns home to find popcorn, soda cans and candy wrappers strewn about the living room. She only shakes her head and turns off the still running television, unable to stop the smile that comes over her face at the sight of Vanitas and Sora slumped together on the couch with Jewel nestled in alongside them.
Bonus Scene:
“Hey. Heard you made up with Sora.”
Vanitas scowls as a message pops up on his phone, knowing exactly who it’s from. There’s only one person who’s bothered to message him since he got the Gummi Phone.
Riku would text him at random times, and although Vanitas never replied, he was a persistent little fucker; asking about Vanitas’s day, if he was settling in alright, requesting updates on his recovery etc. It was annoying as hell.
Something about this time though was different.
“How the hell do you know that?”
“How else do you think? Sora told me.”
Vanitas rolls his eyes. Of course he did. Really, was it any wonder why he never responded to Riku before? He probably would have just spouted everything back to Sora anyway. And really, Vanitas is done having his words monitored and reported to someone else.
“So?” Riku texts again. “How are things between you guys now?”
It’d been a couple of days since Vanitas and Sora’s supposed truce, and things were so much lighter in the house. Suzume had mentioned that it was easier to breathe now, knowing that the two boys have reconciled.
Vanitas himself wouldn’t go so far as to call them close or anything yet, but he could recognize that baby steps were happening in a better direction.
“Why are you asking me? Shouldn’t you be asking your best friend instead if you’re so damn curious?”
“I could, but I didn’t. I asked you.”
Vanitas groans, his eyebrow twitching with irritation.
“You’re annoying.”
Vanitas’s words cause a lull in conversation, and a smug feeling comes over him as finally the incessant messages has ceased.
“So it’s going well. Glad to hear it.”
Vanitas gawks.
“That’s not what I said.”
“I know, but you’re easy to read.”
Vanitas’s eyebrow twitches in irritation and he slams the phone in his pocket, ignoring the incessant buzzing for the rest of the day.
Bonus Bonus Scene:
It is some time after Vanitas and Sora have reconciled when Vanitas finally ventures to sleep in the bed Suzume had gotten for him. It’s more comfortable than anything he has ever laid on before, though, and he has a hard time falling asleep that night, inadvertently staying awake until past midnight.
Just as he’s pondering whether to get up and return to the familiar comfort of the window nook, the sound of the door creaking open can be heard. It forcibly alerts Vanitas out of any lucidity he had been trying to force himself into, and he tenses as someone half-closes the door and the sound of pitter-pattering nails against hardwood catches his ears.
‘What do you two want?’ Vanitas scoffs, sensing his brother finding his way through the darkness and towards the bed.
‘Couldn’t sleep.’ Sora yawns before reaching the bed. He flings the covers off of one side before flopping in next to Vanitas.
‘Hey.’ Vanitas protests as Jewel also joins in by jumping up to lay down by their feet. ‘What the hell? Get out. Both of you.’
‘C’mon, Vani. Please. I’m tired.’ Sora whines, snuggling up further against Vanitas under the blankets.
Vanitas momentarily pauses at the nickname, his brain momentarily short circuiting from such a ridiculous notion.
‘So go sleep in your own bed.’ He sakes it off. ‘And don’t call me that.’
Vanitas nudges Sora none too gently, but his brother doesn’t respond, already clearly off in dream land.
‘What in the worlds?’ Vanitas mumbles, envying his ability to fall asleep on command. One glance down towards the end of the bed reveals that Jewel is just the same, already snoozing with her head pillowed on top of his legs.
Vanitas sighs, staring up at the ceiling with an irritated expression. If he had any plans of leaving the bed it was surely gone now, lest the two of them follow him and ruin the safety of his personal space nook. Vanitas can only huff and reluctantly settle down again, surprisingly finding that dream land is not so hard to reach this time with those two at his side.
Dream Eater Allyphant Creations 
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