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Today could not have been worse.
In Vanitas’ mind, it really could have been, but he logically knows it couldn’t. He feels like he just went through every bad thing in the world from a war to natural disasters. It all started when he first woke up at 5am. He usually gets up at this time for work, so he can make it to the bakery on time to get everything ready. It was when he was just about to leave the apartment at exactly 5:30 that he couldn’t find his car keys.
They weren’t on the hook by the front door for some odd reason. Vanitas always hangs them there when he gets home. And Noé can’t drive, so he couldn’t have taken them. Vanitas looked high and low, and finally found them after 15 minutes. The damn cat had them in his pile of toys. Vanitas was ready to kick Murr out that very second. But he didn’t have time, he was late.
Upon entering the bakery, he quickly put his stuff away and set to work. He started up the ovens and began with the cakes and biscuits. It was peaceful while baking; it always is. Music is playing from his phone, and Vanitas is dancing around the kitchen doing this and that. He had managed to have everything baked, iced, decorated, and set in the display cases 20 minutes before opening. Which is surprising since he was late today, but Vanitas guesses the quickness comes with the practice from years of baking.
He makes sure everything is cleaned and set up properly. He writes their specials on the small chalkboard that Noé gifted him when he first opened his bakery. It's a little worn out after four years of excessive use, but Vanitas refuses to get a new one. He flips over the sign to open and customers soon start pouring in. He is able to handle the morning crowd usually; his employees don’t come in until 10. However, today was a shitty day.
A business man yelled at Vanitas, saying he made the coffee wrong and promptly threw the styrofoam cup onto the floor. He demanded a refund after insulting Vanitas, the nerve of him. Vanitas can handle rude customers, and when they insult him. But once someone insults his shop, and his hard work, he goes ballistic. So, instead of just giving the rude ass man what he wanted so he could be on his merry way, Vanitas kicked him out. He didn’t yell at the man, just said some harsh words to get him to leave. Other patrons around gave him sympathetic or encouraging smiles. After that, it’s peaceful until his employees come in.
30 minutes left. Vanitas only has 30 minutes left until the bakery closes, and he can go home. He leaves the cleaning and locking up to his assistant manager, so he doesn’t need to worry about it. Vanitas is cleaning the coffee maker when a customer walks in, the small bell above the door indicating so. He turns to greet the customer, but stops when it’s a face he recognizes.
“Roland, what the hell are you doing here?” Vanitas asks, scowl set on his face already.
The blond man only laughs, used to Vanitas’ ways by now, “Hello, Vanitas! Wonderful night, no? How was your day?”
Vanitas isn’t buying it. He eyes the taller man suspiciously with his arms crossed. “Roland, get to the point. Did you and Noé have a stupid fight again? Or was it Olivier this time?”
Roland’s happy-go-lucky demeanor cracked and he began bawling his eyes out. He flops his upper body over the counter, and sobs as he says, “Oh, Vanitas! It was horrible! My buddy Noé was so angry with me!’
Vanitas rolls his eyes. Noé doesn't get mad; at least not easily and especially not at Roland. This freak is so dramatic. “Roland, there’s no way. What did you guys even fight about this time?”
So, Roland goes on to explain that he just mentioned, in passing, that Frosted Flakes were the best cereal. Noé vehemently disagreed with that statement. He argued that Cinnamon Toast Crunch was the best cereal ever. Thus, their petty argument began. Roland claimed that Noé isn’t talking to him anymore, and the blond can’t handle his best friend ignoring him.
Its such a stupid thing, and Vanitas knows he’s going to hear more about it when he gets home. Speaking of…
“Listen, Roland, I would absolutely hate to help you, so I won’t. I close the shop in literally 5 minutes and I haven’t even finished what I needed. So, get out and go complain to that partner of yours!” Vanitas has to physically remove the man from the bakery. He shoves the blond out the door and locks it. Vanitas ignores the banging on the door in favor of finishing up his cleaning.
Vanitas rushes to finish cleaning the dining area and bathrooms. He leaves 30 minutes late, and he is tired.
It’s when he’s driving home, that another thing to ruin his day happens. His feet are aching today for some reason, he’s annoyed by Roland, and now there’s a traffic jam. A truck carrying chickens had crashed into a pole, setting loose all the cargo. Now the roads are filled with police and the owner running around to catch the damn things. It took them a whole two hours and Vanitas wanted to cry. He’s so, so tired and just needs Noé to hold him. He’s been awake for far too long, and just wants to sleep in his boyfriend’s arms.
He had hoped the vampire wasn’t too worried for him. Vanitas’s phone miraculously died at the end of his shift. It wouldn’t turn on, and he didn’t have a charger at work. Do not ask him why he doesn’t.
Noé usually gets home an hour before him. He works at the hotel near their apartment as a waiter. And since it’s really close, Noé walks to and from work; a total of 20 minutes. Vanitas is grateful for this because he could simply collapse into Noé’s awaiting embrace as soon as he steps through the door. However, that isn’t waiting for him at the door at 8:45pm.
No, instead, it’s just Murr. He’s gotten into the shoe rack and is now chewing on Vanitas’s shoe string from his sneakers. He shoos the cat away, and Murr hisses at him in anger. The fur ball will calm down eventually. Vanitas takes off his work shoes, putting them away neatly on the rack. He hangs up his coat in the small closet, and makes his way into the living room.
“ Mon ange ? Are you home?” Vanitas asks, but comes up empty handed. There are signs Noé was in here, if the throw pillows on the floor, and the empty coffee mug were anything to go by. Murr meows loudly and Vanitas looks down at him.
Murr is lounging on the stairs, his tail swaying lazily. He looks up at the top of the steps and meows again. Then the fur ball lies down on his paws, and closes his eyes. Vanitas loves Murr, but only at times like this. He gives the cat head pats on his way up the steps.
“ Mon ange ? I’m home!” Vanitas yells as he goes into their bedroom. There is a loud thud, and then someone– Noé– yelps in pain. “Noé?”
A groan. “Bathroom.”
Vanitas goes into the ensuite and finds his boyfriend sitting on the floor, probably rummaging through the cabinets, since there’s a mess around him. “What are you doing? You better put the shit back how I had it! What the hell, Noé!”
And this is Vanitas’ breaking point.
He bursts into tears. Hot tears are rolling down his face rapidly, and the vampire is immediately on him, alarms going off in his head. Noé holds his small boyfriend to his chest, and Vanitas promptly hides his face against it. His body shudders as he cries loudly, and it’s making Noé’s heartache. They’ve been together long enough that Noé knows it isn’t the disorganized bathroom that has his pretty baby sobbing. The vampire picks him up, and Vanitas and wraps around him like a koala, hanging on like he’s Vanitas’ lifeline. Noé wouldn’t mind that, actually.
He carefully climbs onto their bed, settling right in the middle of it with his back against the pillows. He gently rubs Vanitas’ back, swaying lightly, until he calms down. It only takes about 15 minutes until the human’s sobbing is reduced to light sniffles. Vanitas still has a death grip on Noé’s shirt, which is wet with tears and snot. Noé doesn’t care, though.
The vampire speaks softly, “Hey, Vani. Feeling better?”
Vanitas nods.
“Good. Want to talk about it?”
Vanitas doesn’t give a verbal response, at least not yet. Noé lets him take his time to gather his words. Talking about and expressing his true feelings is still something Vanitas is working on after years of suppression. He hates that he still has a hard time just saying his thoughts, but Noé always reassures him that it takes time and effort. It's so easy to just get rid of the feelings and act like they don’t exist or affect him in any way, shape, or form. Noé has to remind him that taking the easy way out isn’t always the solution. Nor is it an ethical way. Vanitas knows– he knows – but it's just that: easier.
Vanitas eventually speaks, but not lifting his head to look at Noé and that’s all right with him. “I just ... had a really, really bad day. I don’t want to get into what exactly happened, but… the world wasn’t kind to me today, Noé. And, I missed you. All day, I only wanted to be in your arms like this, from the moment I woke up. I hated today so much. It was just mundane things, but those things never happened before. Anyway, I just missed you and I want to forget about today. Please… just hold me for the rest of the night. That's all I ask, mon ange. ”
Noé tightens his grip on his boyfriend, and cradles his head. He kisses against Vanitas’ temple, and his ear, and wherever else he can reach. “I’ve got you now, mon coeur. It’s okay. I’ll hold you as long as you want. You did good today; you held on until you got home to me. I'm so, so proud of you, Vani. I’m proud of you every single day. I love you dearly.”
Vanitas breaks down again at his boyfriend’s loving words. He hugs the vampire tighter (if possible) as he cries and cries. Vanitas’ heart and body and soul feels so full of his love. He can feel Noé in every corner of his body. He occupies Vanitas’ mind, constantly running through his thoughts each and every day. There hasn’t been a day that has gone by where Vanitas didn’t think of Noé. He loves him so much; maybe too much.
And it is the same for Noé. Vanitas is his everything: his mind, his body, his soul, and his life. Noé’s world revolves around Vanitas, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He loves the human like no other, and cannot imagine a future where they are separated. He doesn’t even want to imagine it. They share this life together, and Noé needs to keep sharing it until the end of time. He’s almost obsessed with Vanitas, but neither of them care.
Just as promised, Noé holds his boyfriend for the rest of the night. He holds him while they bathe, he holds him while blow drying Vanitas’ black locks, he holds him as they eat dinner, holds him as they watch a movie on the couch, and holds, holds, holds.
By the time they're in bed, it’s nearing midnight. They both hold on to each other for dear life, as if it’s their last night on earth. Noé hopes that night won’t ever come soon, so he holds him a bit tighter.
“I can’t breathe, Noé.” Vanitas whispers and giggles.
“Sorry, I’m just doing what I was told.” Noé whispers back with a giggle of his own.
“I know, but I like to breathe. Just a bit.”
Noé loosens his grip, but not too much. They’refinally falling asleep when Murr meows, and crawls in between them. Vanitas lets out an annoyed huff as the cat’s owner laughs.
It was going to be a
looong
night.