Work Text:
May 18th, 1987
As usual the coffee shop Vanitas worked at was irritatingly loud. Chatty patrons sipped half-heartedly prepared caffeine while he tried to resist the urge to quite for the billionth time that century. Not that he didn’t like his job- ok no he hated it. But unfortunately it was just unsuspicious enough to not give him away. There were some benefits at least-
“Excuse me, I’ll have a caramel latte please.” The soft voice that had a tendency to appear just often enough to be annoying rang out behind him. Vanitas turned around and came face to face with one of the few faces he had bothered to remember over the years, feathery blonde hair now reaching over her shoulder compared to the last time he saw her.
He smirked at her over the counter,”Only you could stick to the same basic order for multiple decades Naminé.” Nevertheless he began preparing it instinctively, not bothering to charge her as per usual.
She smiled warmly,”Axel says I have a brand.” Taking her usual seat right across the counter from him. The first few times she visited, he complained about the small talk and while he would still rather be asleep her company had become a part of his routine against his will.
“Tell Axel he’s being too generous.” Vanitas deadpanned. He slid the latte over to her, proud of how the flower had come out that time.
Naminé smiled that misleading smile of hers. The one that spelled trouble for the one on the other side should they fall for it. “Oooor, you could always come back and tell him yourself. I know they would all love to finally meet the mysterious immortal I keep mentioning.”
His stomach did not flutter at that. He just had one of those microwavable burritos from the gas station across from his house and was feeling the effects. “Nice try. I’m not going anywhere near you freaks, I’ll stick to making coffee.”
As always she stayed quiet after that, sipping her drink after quietly admiring the latte art like she always did. And like she always did she attempted to pay him, leading to him kicking her out of the shop. Vanitas knew Naminé would be back. Like she always has.
June 7th, 2016
Naminé walked into the cozy coffee shop casually. The patrons were full of life as always, contrasting the barista who was anything but. This time around he had his ears pierced though, unlike the previous few times she had seen him. She was around the day he got them, but it still made her face flush just a bit seeing them.
Vanitas saw her from across the shop and started prepping her order before she could even say hi. Despite his best efforts she saw the way his face briefly lit up upon seeing her again. How long had it been for him she wondered? It’s always so hard to tell with these things.
Naminé took her regular seat and smiled at him, content in the silence until he finished his work. Vanitas slid the latte over with practiced ease and carefully watched her reaction to it like always. This time the art was a little leaf and as per usual was absolutely stunning. She made sure to smile at him before drinking to let him know she appreciated the effort.
He suddenly cleared his throat, gesturing to the calendar behind him,”So am I allowed to ask what’s so important about today?” Most of the time he saw her, he would later find out some major historical event happened that day and would usually glare at her for not telling him even if it was confidential.
This time however, was special. “Well for starters, it’s my day off,” Vanitas very obviously did a double take at that but she continued,”But I was hoping we could hang out outside the cafe today? If you have plans that’s alright I just thought-“
“Sure.”
It was Naminé’s turn to do a double take. Sure she had come in with a plan of action, but she hadn’t expected it to work. She was fully prepared to just wander around time for a bit until she was called in.
“Oh! Ok then! Um, should I stay here until your shift is over or…” if her voice cracked like she was a teenager again then that is her business and her business alone, and she has the right to ignore the smirk on Vanitas’ face telling her he noticed all she wanted.
The wait was admittedly not that long, Naminé having lucked out and shown up towards the end of his shift. They left around sunset and just started walking with no destination in mind.
“And then Sora had to desperately tell himself not to push the button, but he accidentally went back too far and accidentally gave himself a fear of buttons for a week.” Recounting the tale of the broken coffee machine to the barista was probably not her best idea for conversation, but Vanitas took it in stride and laughed with her over Sora’s misery. (Sorry Sora!)
The had found themselves in a park on the outskirts of town, sunset long gone and no end in sight for their… hang out session? Naminé found herself questioning what exactly they were doing while he told her of something his twin Ventus had done a couple centuries ago. Not that she would mind if they were on a date, if the fluttering of her heart and her warm face was anything to go by, but is that what this was? She looked at their joined hands questioningly, knowing how both of them were with touching. She almost pulled away instinctively, but was oddly comfortable enough to hold on.
Vanitas had stopped talking, pointing up at the sky. She followed his gaze to a single star shining in spite of the light pollution in the area. “That’s one thing I miss.” His voice was softer than normal, almost melancholy. “You can’t see the stars anymore.” Naminé had known this about the future, but it was easy to forget when she spent so much time in the past where they still took up the empty sky.
“You could.” She blurted out before she could stop herself. The trance was broken, Vanitas turning away from the sky and out of her suddenly cold hand.
“I can’t. Not like this.” He stared down at his hands with so much hatred Naminé was almost afraid for his safety, but it passed when he glanced back at her. “Sorry.” The spell was still broken, but some of the softness had returned to his voice.
The easy conversation returned eventually, but time marched ever forward like it did whenever Naminé wasn’t at the agency, and they had to part ways. “I’ll see you soon.” She tried to reassure him. He smiled a little but didn’t respond. They both knew that wasn’t a promise she could make.
August 10th, 1946
Vanitas kept his head down in the crowd, trying to make it home without incident. He kept getting the distinct feeling he was being watched. That is until literally two blocks from his shared apartment, someone put a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around and gave a withering glare to whoever it was, surprised to find a woman glaring at him too. “What do you want?” He spat out, wanting to just go home and pretend this never happened.
Something on the woman’s coat however, caught his eye. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” That damn clock plastered all over Ventus’ paperwork stared at him just as intensely as the blonde woman still holding onto his arm. Noticeably shaking though, he noted. Probably a newbie.
“Oh? You know what this symbol means?” Her face betrayed none of the fear the rest of her did. “Then you must know why I’m here.”
He smirked. He could work with this. “And? If I did? I don’t care what your little organization wants from me, so if you could go back and tell them that, it would save us both a lot of time.”
She hesitated, a crack in the mask she had been trying to wear. She regained her composure quickly though, still gripping his arm just tight enough that he couldn’t leave. “Look, it’s not gonna take super long, just sign some papers and you’re free to go.” Vanitas would never understand how his brother fell for this obvious scam.
“I won’t say it again, I don’t want you people constantly breathing down my neck and telling me what I can and can’t do. Let me go, or I’m calling the authorities.” Her eyes widened, mask fully broken and fear on full display. Definitely a newbie.
She looked him in the eyes, ocean blue against unnatural gold. They sat there for a moment, neither willing to break and pull away. After what seemed like an eternity but was likely just a few seconds of staring, she sighed and let go of his arm. “You do realize this means I have to come back at some point right?”
Vanitas had already turned around and waved behind him. “Good luck. I’m not signing anything.”
December 25th, 2018
Warmth greeted Naminé when she entered the coffee shop, a welcome break from the bitter cold of outside. “Working on Christmas? How did Ven let this happen?” Her voice cut through the empty shop, snapping its lone tender out of his obvious daydream.
Vanitas rolled his eyes at her and moved to make her usual without prompting. She sat down, head in her hands and watching him while he worked. “Ven’s with Terra and Aqua, figured they’d told you.” They did in fact tell her, even inviting her to the festivities, but she preferred to check in on her favorite immortal instead.
The latte art was a star this time, simple but delicate all the same. She hummed in contentment and looked around the cafe. Aside from some lights in the front window and a small Christmas tree on the counter in front of her, there were very few decorations up. “Where’s all the Christmas cheer? Not even a reef on the door?”
He glared at her,”It was either that or the same stupid mistletoe they use every year, so I made the executive decision to spare all of us the trouble. You’re welcome.” She still pouted, but more out of principle. Then, she got an idea. An idea that Kairi would be proud of and have Axel grumbling that he should have thought of it first.
Later, Naminé told herself, lower his guard first. “Shame, but it can’t be helped. Are you planning on doing anything at night at least? Do I need to get Sora to drag you to his family’s celebrations?”
Vanitas glared daggers at her, but by now she was used to his default expression,”You do that and I will find a way to hunt you down.”
She laughed at him, shaking her head. “You’d have to find a way to time travel without a permit first.”
He crossed his arms and looked away,”I’d figure it out. Never underestimate the power of spite.”
Well if that wasn’t an in. She got up, causing him to raise an eyebrow in question. “Speaking of which, it’s Christmas so I’m going to give you a gift.”
Vanitas watched her go behind the counter wearily, while Naminé looked discreetly for her target. She figured it would be in easy reach of the cash register given the stories she’d heard of Larxene’s pranking affinity. She pulled out her wallet and watched as he started walking over to the register almost defensively. “Nope. Put it down, you’re not doing this.”
Bingo. Behind the register, just barely out of sight, was her prize. “But it’s Christmas! You have to let me pay for my drink, just this once.” He crossed his arms and stood just in front of the register, not saying a word in response.
She tried to get behind him and grab at the register, but he just pushed her back. She tried again from different angles until finally! Naminé sighed, tucking her hands behind her back,”Fine, fine! You win this time. I’ll think of something else to give you.”
She knew she didn’t fool him by Vanitas’ questioning look, but it wasn’t until she turned around that he understood he’d been fooled. “You…! How did you even? Give that back!” He had noticed the mistletoe clutched in her hands.
In the span of about two seconds, he had jumped to try and grab it, she sidestepped and avoided him, and he had fallen on the ground in a display of desperation. “I’m serious, if the boss sees that I’m not gonna be able to take it down!” Saix’s tendency to forget what isn’t in front of him was something Naminé was well aware of because of Axel’s ramblings, but Vanitas didn’t need to know that.
The struggle continued until he finally snatched it out of her hands, holding it up in victory. “Ha! Seriously you don’t wanna know what kind of chaos I’ve seen cause of this mistle-“ whatever else he was going to say was quickly cut off by a quick peck on the lips. In truth, it wasn’t the intended end goal of the whole prank, but when he had put it above their heads she couldn’t help herself. They both stood there, frozen in shock until miraculously Naminé’s phone buzzed and she was called away on business, latte long since forgotten.
If, later that night the both of them stayed up wishing the phone hadn’t rang and they had gotten the chance to talk, and perhaps (though neither would admit it) do it again, then that is their business and their business alone. Each of them did smile privately however, when they remembered that of all the faces they both saw on a daily basis, they would surely see each other’s again.
They had all the time in the world after all.