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Noé didn’t think too much of his comments at the time.
“Oh, look! Matching outfits!” Noé cooed as he spotted the children on the other side of the street who were, indeed, wearing matching sailor outfits.
“Seems stifling.” Vanitas didn’t even bother looking up from his newspaper and coffee.
“You didn’t even look!” Noé pouted, kicking him slightly under the table until he shot him a dirty glance. However, Noé quickly redirected his gaze towards the cute sight.
Vanitas just stared for a moment before he rolled his eyes. “I don’t see what all of the hullabaloo is about.”
“Doesn’t it seem fun? Wearing the same thing as someone else? Like you belong together as a set.” Noé smiled at the thought. The thought of having a place and something to show for it was a nice thought.
It was something that had been at the back of his mind ever since Jean-Jacques’s comment of how Chloé had identified him as an Archiviste.
Something about his comment made Vanitas pause and turn to him. He studied his face for a second before folding up his newspaper and choosing to instead pick at the food on his plate. “You never did anything like that with Dominique or…her brother?”
Vanitas was surprisingly careful regarding Louis after Mikhail revealed his existence to him. Noé had told him about his old friend afterward, but Vanitas didn’t ask much about him. If Noé didn’t know better, he’d almost say he was being tactful.
“Ah, no.” Noé answered. “We’d play dress-up sometimes and I know Louis and Domi had some matching outfits, but I never had anything that matched with them.”
It was true but not untrue. All of them usually had bits of purple in their outfits to varying degrees. It was a mark, in a way, of their connection to each other and to Teach- the Comte, but Noé didn’t really count it as matching.
They were connected but they didn’t all go together.
Vanitas frowned. “Did you ever tell them you wanted to? I’m sure they would’ve indulged you.”
“Perhaps.” Noé didn’t want to talk about it. He quickly searched for something else. “Oh! But we had a lot of fun doing other things!”
“Really.” Vanitas’s voice went flat in that way it did when he simply couldn’t relate to something.
“Yes! We’d play games, read stories, dress up — oh!” Noé blinked at the sudden reminder. “I wonder when I should start looking for a sweater.”
Vanitas stared at him like he couldn’t believe what he just said. “Noé… It’s June.” His nose wrinkled slightly. “And I don’t think we’re going back to the mountains anytime soon.”
“No, no. This is a special sweater!” Noé tried to reassure him.
Vanitas just looked confused. “A special sweater?”
“Yes! You see, Christmas holidays were always our favorite!”
“Christmas? I didn’t realize vampires could be religious. Are you Protestant or something?”
“Oh, no! We celebrate Christmas for the fun of it! And of course, Santa!”
Vanitas paused. “Santa? You…”
“Anyway, that’s not important!” Noé brushed that aside. “To celebrate, each year we’d try to find festive sweaters to wear. Domi usually had the best one — since my and Louis’s options were limited unless Teacher stopped by — but I’m living in the city now! Surely I can find something appropriate.”
“Hmmm.” Vanitas tapped his fingers. “Well, I don’t think you’ll find anything right now.”
“No, but I’ll have to remember once it starts getting cooler.” He wondered if he should write himself a note — but surely, he would remember when it came time! It was months away, after all.
“I suppose.” Vanitas hummed thoughtfully before grabbing his paper and pushing his plate aside. “Well, Orlok is expecting us. We shouldn’t keep him waiting.”
“Of course!” Noé shoved the last of his food into his mouth, quickly joining Vanitas as he paid their bill.
And to him, that was that. Just another innocuous conversation between him and Vanitas that peppered their shared daily lives.
For an Archiviste, he truly underestimated Vanitas’s ability to remember.
.
To tell the truth, the hints were there long before Noé even knew there were pieces to be put together.
Before they ever talked of matching outfits or holiday sweaters, the set-up had already begun.
“He’s surprisingly domestic, isn’t he?” Amelia commented once, to Noé’s surprise.
“What do you mean?” He asked, though in some ways, he could see what she meant.
Vanitas was fussy about their living space. He was the one who took care that everything was neat and tidy and clean, quick to berate Noé for leaving things strewn about. By the time she said this, Noé was also aware of Vanitas’s sewing skills, having seen him sew up the tears in his clothes during the evening before Amelia could get to it. This particular conversation was before he learned of Vanitas’s skills in cooking and baking though.
“He seems to know a lot about running a household. M. Vanitas knows about everything, even more than some of the staff.” She giggled slightly at that. “Plus, sometimes, when he’s waiting for you in the lobby, he’ll —”
“Ah, Amelia!” Vanitas interrupted. “Has Dante been by yet?”
“Oh, not yet, M. Vanitas!” Amelia cheerfully replied.
Vanitas sighed. “Then I guess we’ll have to go to him?” He pulled on his coat and cast a glance at Noé. “Coming?”
Noé scowled. “Of course.” He didn’t like the thought of Vanitas leaving him behind.
That was all when they were still beginning to know each other. Before the amusement park, before Gévaudan, before even the catacombs.
Yet even after learning more about the array of skills Vanitas had, Noé never thought there might be more that Vanitas could possibly offer.
.
Noé didn’t know what exactly Vanitas was doing with his notebook for once.
They hadn’t had a case for a week and Noé knew Vanitas hadn’t had a meeting with Dante today. No books were strewn about indicating Vanitas had been researching something. And since they’d helped clean up the amusement park fiasco and solved a few cases since then, Orlok wouldn’t have had a reason to call upon them either. Even if he did, Vanitas would’ve picked him up from work to meet him.
So Noé had no clue why he was scribbling so intensely with a scowl on his face. Every now and then Vanitas’s eyes would flick up to look at Murr sprawled across the end of his bed.
“Is everything alright?” Noé questioned as he shrugged off his coat and removed his hat.
“Fine.” Vanitas said, but he was clearly distracted by something, his gaze narrowing on the page before him as he pursed his lips.He looked upward as if trying to calculate something in his head before he wrote something else down.
“Is there another curse bearer on the loose?” Noé scowled at the possibility. They were supposed to tell each other these sorts of things so another amusement park didn’t happen again. And Vanitas had really been trying, but it annoyed Noé if he was slipping back into his bad habits.
“I mean, probably. But none have caused enough trouble to be noticeable yet.”
“Then what are you doing?” Noé was at a loss.
“It’s nothing work-related. Just a personal project.” Vanitas waved his concerns away.
“Not work-related?” Noé tilted his head. That didn’t sound like Vanitas. The only other thing he did besides research or cases was sulking about whatever had recently bothered him.
“Yes. Weren’t you the one who wanted me to do something else besides revenge? Don’t worry about it.”
Noé’s frown lightened but didn’t disappear.
He did wish that Vanitas had something more than his pursuit of revenge. He wanted Vanitas to have more than that, Vanitas deserved more than that. Especially since his time was apparently so limited…
He was certain he’d never actually expressed that though. Not with words or so clearly before.
Vanitas could read him like a book though.
“Will you let me see whatever you’re doing?” He asked instead, because whatever could capture Vanitas’s attention like this had to be interesting.
“Eventually.” Vanitas vaguely replied and Noé sighed, knowing that’s all he would get.
“Alright then.” He allowed the subject to drop.
.
There was something glinting from Vanitas’s chest of drawers.
Noé’s head tilted as he squinted at whatever object was sticking out and catching the light from the sunset.
He knew he shouldn’t pry. Vanitas valued his privacy, keeping all his things put away where they belonged.
But Vanitas had been growing more and more open, so maybe it would be okay to…
And it was something shiny and interesting!
Noé stepped around Vanitas’s bed to get a closer look. He peered into the slightly open drawer.
He was pretty sure it was some sort of weapon. Made of metal, it was tapered at one end and a stopper had been placed on the other. The pointed end was the one sticking out, but through the crack in the drawer, he could see similar shapes lying next to it.
The shape was familiar for some reason, but Noé couldn’t put his finger on what exactly it was.
“What are you doing?”
Noé jumped slightly and turned to find Vanitas standing in the doorway and holding a tray with their dinner on it. Noé flushed slightly as Vanitas raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“Is something wrong with your daggers?” That was the question that ended up leaving Noé’s lips.
Vanitas’s brow furrowed. As if to double check, he briefly glanced down at his knives still strapped to his belt. “No?” He headed over to place the tray on his bedside table since the desk had gotten cluttered with Noé’s things again.
“So are you experimenting with a new weapon then?” Noé pointed at the metal object sticking out, because that’s the only possibility currently coming to mind given what he knows of Vanitas.
“New weapon? What are you babbling about —” His gaze followed Noé’s and for a moment, he stiffened at the sight. He stood there, almost frozen to Noé’s surprise, and his eyes widened.
And then he was suddenly diving across the bed, shoving himself between Noé and the drawer. He pushed the strange metal rod down into the drawer and then slammed it shut.
“Vanitas, what are you —?!”
“You’re right!” Vanitas burst out. His face was tinted red and he seemed slightly out of breath from the sudden movement, which was unusual for him. “I’ve been thinking of switching things up! Once I met a lady from Germany who used combat needles and occasionally poison when fighting, so if you see them, don’t touch them!”
“Didn’t you just touch them?” Noé decided to set aside Vanitas’s odd behavior to focus on the important things.
“I always wear gloves. And I haven’t tried putting poison on them yet.”
“Right…” Noé narrowed his eyes.
Vanitas shifted to try sprawling more nonchalantly across his bed, but the obvious effort ruined the effect. He shot Noé one of his over-the-top grins that didn’t dim a bit at Noé’s lack of a response.
“Didn’t you say you were hungry? I did bring us some food.”
“Vanitas…” Noé was interrupted by his growling stomach. “We’ll talk about this later.” He decided.
“Sure. Want to eat up on the roof?” Vanitas rolled across the bed and picked up the tray again to lead them to their usual spot.
“That’s fine.” Noé was resolved to ask Vanitas more about those strange weapons.
However, by the time they finished their meal and conversed quietly under the light of the moon and stars, all thoughts of weird weapons and Vanitas keeping secrets again had slipped from Noé’s mind.
.
Murr was tangled in a ball of yarn.
Noé stared at him.
True, Murr didn’t seem exactly upset by the state he was in — in fact, Murr seemed delighted as he wiggled and twisted in his confines and bit at the strings wrapped around him —but that left quite the mystery on Noé’s hands.
Where did the yarn come from?
His first thought was Mlle Amelia or another member of the staff, but he couldn’t think of a reason why it would then be in their room.
Did Riche knit? She had been by the other day with Dante, but it wasn’t like she carried around a bag that it could have fallen from.
None of his other acquaintances who might be able to knit or crochet — Noé couldn’t think of any he knew for sure could do it — had dropped by either.
Noé pondered it while he watched Murr play, then ultimately sighed and crouched down and began to untangle the cat, much to Murr’s disgust. He weathered through the scratches regardless, soon winding the last of the yarn back into its ball.
He supposed that with autumn well under way at this point, it would be the time for people to be finishing up their knitting in anticipation of winter. Perhaps Murr had found the yarn somewhere else and brought it back here as a trophy.
Though thinking of the incoming winter tugged at something in Noé’s memory… Something he was supposed to remember…
“What do you have there?” Vanitas swung into the room through the window.
“I think Murr stole a ball of yarn from someone.” Noé held up the ball of green yarn for Vanitas to see, ignoring Murr’s indignant look at the accusation.
Vanitas blinked, but recognition sparked as he saw the yarn. “Ah, I think I know where it came from. I’ll make sure it gets back to where it belongs.”
Noé narrowed at how helpful Vanitas was being without even the slightest hint of a tease or an admonition towards Murr’s behavior.
“If you’re sure…” He said as he handed the yarn over.
“I’m sure.” Vanitas tucked the ball of yarn somewhere in one of his many pockets.
Noé hummed, still suspicious, but his mind turned to the train it had been on before. Something about yarn and winter…
“Are we still going to that concert you wanted to attend tonight?” Vanitas asked as he bent down to give Murr some scritches.
Noé immediately brightened. “You’re actually going with me?” He hoped Vanitas would come but while he hadn’t denied it, Vanitas hadn’t confirmed his attendance either.
“You did ask me.” Vanitas pouted in that way he always did when he indulged Noé’s whims.
“Ah, I can’t believe you’re coming!” Noé giggled and flapped his hands as he hurried to the closet to get his outfit for the night. “This is going to be such fun.”
“Well, I suppose it might be nice not to deal with any curse bearers.” Vanitas said. “We can take a small break.”
He jinxed it.
One concert that started out nice but turned into another cursed incident later, the ball of yarn was long forgotten as Noé fussed over an exhausted Vanitas.
.
Noé finally remembered the night before Domi’s holiday party.
“I never got a new holiday sweater!” Noé hissed as he bolted up in bed.
Vanitas grumbled from where Noé had dropped him at his sudden movement before he scooched closer, his hand curling into Noé’s pajamas. “Worry about it in the morning…”
“Vanitas, you don’t understand.” He pressed a hand to his mouth. “This is one of the few traditions Domi and I still have together! I should have given it more —”
Vanitas tugged him down into an embrace. Noé’s brain stopped as his head met Vanitas’s chest, his heartbeat a soothing melody beneath his ear.
“Sleep. We can’t deal with it right now.” Vanitas threaded his fingers through Noé’s hair and he felt himself slowly relax. “Maybe things will be better in the morning.”
Noé didn’t say anything else, instead letting Vanitas’s soft touch send him back to sleep.
.
There was a package at his bedside when he woke up in the morning.
Noé squinted at it, wiping a faint trace of drool away from his lips. “Vanitas?” He called out, noticing his companion’s absence. He knew Vanitas almost always got up before him, but the package made him wary.
“What?” Vanitas’s voice echoed from the bathroom.
“What is this?”
Vanitas chuckled, needing no further prompting. “Open it and see.”
Still slightly suspicious, Noé sat up the rest of the way and picked up the mysterious package. He noted the squishiness of its contents and decent weight, his curiosity quickly outgrowing his cautiousness.
Besides, they’d come far enough that Vanitas wouldn’t be childish enough to play some sort of prank on him, right?
It wasn’t quite Christmas yet, but the same thrill went through Noé as he untied the package’s string and removed the paper. As its contents were revealed, he bit back a gasp. His heart skipped a beat regardless.
It was a sweater.
And — as Noé slowly unfolded it — it wasn’t one that a person could simply pick up at the store, ready to go. It was personal.
Meaning someone had to have put a lot of effort into it.
It was mostly green, with red at the cuffs, collar, and bottom. Across the chest, in white yarn, a curly “Jolie (Nice)” had been knitted in. But what really caught Noé’s attention was what came below the words.
It looked like Murr’s face, one of his most content expressions Noé had ever witnessed.
“Vanitas…” Noé struggled to find the right words. His chest felt unbelievably warm and his eyes were watery. “You got me a sweater?”
“I knew it’d probably slip your mind, so I took care of it.” Noé could just imagine the blush staining Vanitas’s cheek as he tried to excuse his actions.
“Where’d you even get this?” Noé clutched the sweater close, now noticing how it seemed to be the perfect size, maybe just a bit larger than him so he could wear something underneath, and the stitching almost professionally done. “How long were you planning this?”
“Does it matter?” Vanitas tried to brush it off now. “Do you like it?”
“I love it.” Noé honestly admitted, doing his best not to cry all over it. “Though I’m wondering why this design in particular?”
“I figured you’d love something with your cat on it.”
“Well, yes.” Noé conceded as Vanitas stepped out of the bathroom. “But what’s with the Nice…” His voice trailed off as he saw what Vanitas was wearing.
Vanitas typically dressed in blues, blacks, and whites, so the red was immediately what caught his eye. Then he actually took in Vanitas’s top.
It was also a sweater.
Red with green along the edges in a contrast to Noé’s, the white yarn spelled out “Coquine (Naughty)” instead. This sweater also had a Murr on it, this time with him mid-hiss and obviously angry.
Noé’s eyes widened as the implications hit him. “Matching…” Sparkles lit up around his face. “Matching sweaters.”
“They don’t match.” Vanitas denied, but there was a telltale blush on his cheeks. “They’re clearly two distinct, different sweaters.”
“But they still go together! As a set!” Noé felt like his chest was fit to burst with how happy he was. “You remembered.”
“Don’t compare my mind to a scatter-brain like you.” Vanitas turned away and busied himself with attaching his book holder and daggers to his belt. “Something like this was easy to keep track of.”
That wasn’t the only thing Noé was remembering though. All those innocent and random hints were now adding up and painting a fairly clear picture.
“Vanitas, did you knit these yourself?” Noé asked.
Vanitas didn’t respond but that was an answer in and of itself. It helped that Noé could see how red Vanitas’s ears had become.
Noé grinned, unable to stop the giggle that escaped his lips, and he sprang up from the bed. “Thank you.” He said as he pressed a kiss to Vanitas’s cheek.
Vanitas’s face matched his sweater. “You - You - Get the hell away from me, you damn blood sucker!” Vanitas tried to kick at Noé, but he easily dodged it while laughing and slipped into the bathroom himself.
From the safety of the bathroom, Noé listened to Vanitas huff and grumble in protest. He knew it was all an act though.
Noé smiled as he gazed down at his sweater again and he hugged it close.
He wondered what would make him warm: the sweater itself or the love and care that Vanitas clearly put into it while making it.
Either way, it was a warmth he was sure to treasure.