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“And the next morning there was actually a present at the end of my bed! It seems like I've been really good this year! And then there was...”
Dominique and Vanitas looked at Noé, completely stunned, as he gave a speech about how Santa had brought him a present this year too, completely ignoring the fact that he had never received a Christmas present before and also that most vampires didn't celebrate Christmas at all.
“Noé, chéri... Aren't you a little too old to believe in Santa Claus?” Dominique mumbled in a tone that didn't reach Noé's ears as she batted her eyes in disbelief. “How did you even...” she continued, but before she could finish her sentence, her gaze fell on Vanitas, who was looking to the side, embarrassed but grumpy.
Really?
She was a little stunned. Vanitas' rude words and his kind deeds really didn't go well together. But at least now that she knew what he was really like, she was no longer worried about Noé or her dear Jeanne being involved with him.
She looked thoughtfully around the room of the restaurant where they were sitting. The New Year's Eve party was in full swing and the waiters had their hands full.
As many vampires didn't think much of Christmas, New Year, or rather the evening before, was a much more important holiday for them, and yet she preferred to spend it here in the human realm. A place where nobody knew her and where she could celebrate undisturbed with Noé and her friends.
“I wonder if Jeanne will manage to get here. She did say that Luca would give her time off after dinner, but I'm not sure how busy she'll be.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Vanitas stiffen and blush at her sentence. She still wasn't sure if he felt as much for Jeanne as she did for him, but Dominique didn't think it was appropriate to ask him. Still, a little teasing couldn't hurt.
“Tell me, Noé chéri, were you actually able to teach Vanitas to dance well last time? Don't want him to embarrass himself later when Jeanne wants to dance with him.”
Noé, who had finally forgotten his Christmas present, looked at Dominique with a determined and proud smile as he raised his fist triumphantly.
“I did, Domi! To be honest, he was already quite good at dancing before, but with my help, he's sure to impress Jeanne!”
“I don't have to impress anyone, okay?!” Vanitas hissed at him with a bright red head, while Dominique began to laugh out loud.
Vanitas took an annoyed deep breath. It was clear that Dominique was just teasing him. As if he would give her the satisfaction of actually dancing with Jeanne now, if she came here at all. He wasn't even sure if he wanted that. Part of him wanted nothing more than to finally see her again and hold her close, and another part of him panicked about it, didn't know how to deal with it now that his feelings for Jeanne were no longer superficial but he actually had something to lose and anyway he would only ruin it in the end. She was far too good for him.
Another toast rang out at the next table before a few couples crowded onto the dance floor now that a more upbeat song was playing. It was deafening for someone who tended to avoid alcohol.
Nervously, Vanitas drummed his fingers on the table while he took out his pocket watch with his other hand. There was still half an hour until midnight. After the fireworks, Noé would hopefully finally let him go home. These mass events were not for him, but he simply couldn't resist the puppy eyes of this fool and maybe... deep down in his heart there was a tiny desire to see Jeanne. Even if she certainly wouldn't be coming at all. Luca wouldn't let her go anyway.
“Jeanne!”
Dominique's voice instantly snapped Vanitas out of his thoughts as he almost automatically turned towards the door. There she was... He didn't know exactly why he had expected Jeanne to show up in her work uniform, but she was wearing a petrol-colored dress with an asymmetrical ruffle under which a flowery white underskirt flashed out, as well as matching short gloves and a simple shawl. She looked so pretty that no one who didn't know her could have guessed that she was actually trained to fight.
It was only when he noticed another giggle from Dominique and a puzzled look from Noé that he realized he had stopped moving and his mouth had fallen open. He quickly tried to pull himself together when Jeanne made eye contact with the small group and approached them, smiling sheepishly.
“G-good evening,” Jeanne greeted the others a little awkwardly. It was still extremely unfamiliar for her to go out in such fine clothes and at the same time she tried with all her might not to immediately throw her arms around Vanitas' neck. On the one hand, that would certainly have made him uncomfortable in front of so many people, but on the other, she didn't want to let too much of her true feelings show just yet. After all, he apparently had an aversion to women who actually fell in love with him. So there was no way he could find out.
“Jeanne! Glad you could make it!” Noé cheered, while Dominique suddenly gave Vanitas a little push from behind. “Yes, we were just talking about how much Vanitas would like to dance with you!”
Completely caught off guard by the unexpected push, Vanitas staggered forward slightly and came to a halt just before Jeanne.
After giving the two others another angry look, he looked slightly embarrassed at Jeanne and reminded himself to pull himself together. Jeanne knew nothing of his true feelings. So it should be easy to keep telling her 'I love you' without actually saying 'I love you'.
He tried to smile, but it seemed rather cramped. “Yes Jeanne, I would like to... like to...” Why did he suddenly feel so hot? His ears seemed to be burning up. He had been so cool just a moment ago! “...like to...” He could feel everyone staring at him and Jeanne just tilted her head to the side in amazement. Damn, what kind of curse had Jeanne put on him? “D-d-d-d-d-d--d...” Damn. Damn! DAMN! This was a thousand times worse than the conversation he'd had with Roland, and to make matters worse, he could feel the piercing stares of Noé and Dominique at his back.
“D... dance...” he finally croaked out.
The sun rose in Jeanne's face. She had hoped for this. Her facial expressions took on the features of childlike enthusiasm and before Vanitas knew it, she had grabbed him by the wrist and was dragging him onto the dance floor. “Come on then! It's only minutes until midnight!”
As they took their first dance steps, Vanitas could only stare at her in fascination, while his feet moved as if by themselves thanks to the well-practiced steps. It seemed like something inside Jeanne's heart had loosened like a knot in Gévaudan. She seemed liberated, almost happy, and took the lead in this situation without hesitation.
Over time, the young doctor's steps became lighter and he managed to concentrate more on the music and get back into the beat. A slight smile stole across his face. Even though he was nervous, it was fun to be around Jeanne.
Jeanne felt her heart beat faster. She had been so looking forward to this evening and finally being able to see Vanitas again. It had been so long! He seemed nervous, but since their time in Gédauvan, she knew that he also had a very grumpy side. Maybe he just didn't like big parties? She should ask him later... For now, she was just happy to be near him.
And just like that, they stayed on the dance floor for the next song and the one after that. They both delayed the moment when they had to let go of each other's warm hands. They both wanted to absorb as much of this closeness as possible and maybe a small part of Vanitas just didn't want to go back to Dominique so quickly, who would surely continue to tease him.
When he was almost too exhausted to continue dancing, the music was interrupted. Jeanne and Vanitas looked up in surprise. They had completely lost track of time. From a distance, they could see Noé coming towards them, waving.
“Vanitas! Jeanne! Come quickly! The fireworks on the roof terrace are about to start!”
Before Noé could complete the sentence, the restaurant's guests slowly streamed up the stairs. It was just before midnight. Vanitas hesitantly broke away from Jeanne, but she took hold of one of his hands and pulled him with her, whereupon they both followed Noé and Dominique up to the roof.
Maybe she was taking advantage of the situation a little too much, maybe it was risky to seek Vanitas' proximity so deliberately when she wanted to hide her feelings, but Jeanne couldn't help it. She didn't want to let go of his hand and Vanitas himself didn't seem to raise any protest, not even a cheeky joke came from his lips. He simply returned the pressure of her hand and let himself be guided by her. Could this evening get any better?
Once they reached the top of the roof, it was freezing cold, so the pretty vampire pulled the scarf on her shoulders tighter with her other hand. The small group of three vampires and one human stood close together so they all had the same view of the sky. In just a few seconds, it would start.
While Dominique rested her head on Noé's shoulder and Noé smiled encouragingly at Vanitas, the latter squeezed Jeanne's hand a little tighter before the first bang was finally heard.
Suddenly the sky was bathed in the brightest of colors, there was a murmur of astonished voices and people on the roof hugged each other and poured each other sparkling wine. As Vanitas looked into Jeanne's face, he could see her eyes beaming and the light of the fireworks reflected in them, and despite the icy cold outside, his heart suddenly warmed.
With slight surprise, he could feel Noé put his arms around him and the two women.
“Happy New Year!” Noé said in a cheerful and confident tone and Vanitas couldn't help but smile. Yes, maybe this time. Maybe this time it would be a happy year.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, Vanitas felt another tug on his hand.
“Excuse us for a moment!” Jeanne called hastily to the others as she pulled Vanitas a little further away to a place on the expansive roof where they could be alone for a moment. He looked at her, completely perplexed. What was the Hellfire Witch up to with him again?
They stopped in a slightly darker corner of the roof.
“What is it, Jeanne? The year has only just begun and you already can't wait to drink my blood?” Vanitas tried to regain his balance with his usual teasing remark...
“I've got something for you!”
... and was immediately thrown off course by her again.
“What?” Vanitas asked, perplexed.
Jeanne, who had now let go of his hand, rummaged sheepishly in her skirt pocket before finally bringing out a small box wrapped in silk paper.
“I know we don't normally celebrate Christmas in Altus, but that's why we sometimes give each other presents for New Year and when I saw this, I couldn't help but think of you...”
The longer her explanation became, the more her cheeks reddened. She had never given anyone a present before and was visibly nervous. Would he like it? What if he couldn't do anything with it or she hadn't met his taste?
In order not to get lost in explanations, she opened the silk paper. Vanitas' eyes widened when he saw a blue tie inside. Just a tiny shade darker than the one he wore tied in a bow around his neck, adorned with an obvious tear.
“I know yours broke on the last mission, so I thought... I thought...”
She stared mesmerized at the gift in her hand as she stammered these words to him. Vanitas said nothing and didn't move. What had she been thinking?
“Jeanne...”
Hesitantly, almost trembling, his gloved fingers reached for the ribbon. He hadn't received a gift since his time with Luna and now... “I... Thank you...”
The words sounded unusually honest coming from his mouth. He would have preferred to respond boldly or hide away and not accept it, but he couldn't bring himself to do either. For some reason, this little gesture just made him happy.
Jeanne looked up at him with relief, only to be met with a slightly sad smile on his part. Had she done something wrong? Hurt him?
“I'm very sorry. Unfortunately, I don't have anything for you,” he explained his expression at the same time. An answer to which Jeanne immediately shook her head. “I didn't expect anything like that. I just had to think of you and wanted to give it to you.”
She had no idea how happy it actually made the young man that she was thinking of him. The space on the roof slowly cleared Noé and Dominique had already gone downstairs. As Vanitas and Jeanne were the last to pass through the door to the stairs, Jeanne's gaze caught briefly on the ceiling and she stopped. Vanitas followed her gaze in surprise and saw the branch of a small green plant with round white berries hanging from it.
“A mistletoe?”
Jeanne nodded.
“Yes, I've heard it's a New Year's custom here in Paris...”
She looked at him meaningfully.
...
It took a moment before it seemed to 'click' in Vanitas' head and he immediately turned bright red. “J-Jeanne! Y-you're quite... b- brave today!”
Of course, he made it sound like she was the one who should be worried about being alone with him...
“Well... This would be your chance to give me something too,” Jeanne smiled. Her voice was quiet, but she was already getting closer to him.
At the narrow entrance to the staircase, Vanitas hardly had a chance to back away, but even though he was excited, he didn't actually want to. His heart was pounding in his throat when their lips finally met. A pleasant shiver ran through him and after a brief hesitation, he placed his hands on Jeanne's waist to pull her closer and kiss her properly while his eyes closed.
After what felt like a very short time, they separated again. Vanitas' eyes slowly opened again and caught sight of Jeanne's radiant smile.
“Happy New Year, Vanitas!”