Archive of Our Own

Black Sapphire was quite fond of trains. From a technological perspective, they were quite an overlooked marvel of the modern age. He relinquished the fact he could never hope to fully understand how one worked in the same way he might understand the workings of a clock or a radio.

But more than this, he appreciated their purpose. They allowed for a highly efficient and pleasant journey- faster than any horse, and allowed for one to be engaged in whatever pass-times they brought with them while the train travelled independently. It was a shame that his own town did not have a train line that ran through- he had needed to go by horseback to the nearest town with a railroad before boarding the first train of the day. From there, he had needed to travel a generous number of hours until he reached his first major stop, before switching railroads a few more times, where his final several-hour journey was now underway.

It was truly inconvenient how far he needed to travel to visit Pure Vanilla- how on earth had Pure Vanilla taken a horse-drawn cart all the way to their town? There must have been something he missed. Maybe some railroads were used in that journey as well?

Black Sapphire leaned back in his seat and gazed down at the newspaper. He had taken a copy with him should he run out of entertainment, yet had now reread the paper once already with little desire to read it again.

The sound of the train screeching on the tracks reached Black Sapphires ears, before the conductors voice rang out- announcing the name of the upcoming station.

Black Sapphire unbuckled his luggage to quickly slip the paper in, before taking his bag with him as he went to exit the train as it screeched to a halt.

The station opened up before him- revealing the inside of a building with lovely architecture- metal posts with large clocks stood in between benches, large red-brick pillars extended to the ceiling. His feet met the brick tile alongside the rest of the crowd, having to weave between the flow of people both leaving and boarding the train.

His steps quickly took him out of the station, onto the street. What immediately stood out to him was how the crowds of the station also extended to the outdoors- the streets absolutely filled with couples and families on the cobbles. And yet again, he had to acknowledge just how stunning the city really was.

Unlit lampposts dotted the streets, and each storefront had beautiful displays set up by their windows. Street vendors were littered around the place- the buttery smell of their goods were able to overwhelm the undertones of smoke that drifted from the figures surrounding him.

Black Sapphire stood still, soaking in his surroundings, before a few bumps from strangers trying to get by him reminded him that he was still in the walkway of the station. He looked around for a bench, opting to sit under the awning of a small florist.

He reached into his breast pocket, pulling out both a map and a small slip of paper containing Pure Vanilla’s address. Laying them against his lap, his index traced the map from the street he was on until he was able to reach Pure Vanilla’s street. He took his gaze up, trying to visualise the way that he had seen on his map and translate it into his surroundings.

Fortunately, Pure Vanilla lived only a few streets walk away- hiring a horse-drawn taxi was not necessary.

He took another look at his surroundings. He would love to explore them independently. Of course, he would soon get travel the streets with Pure Vanilla- but there was a noticeable tinge of apprehension he felt regarding their… relationship.

Last time he saw Pure Vanilla in person, there was a… small amount of kidnapping and gun threats involved. Of course, the other being ever the optimistic pacifist, was easily able to get along with Shadow Milk despite their less than ideal first impressions, yet Black Sapphire still acknowledged that he may have treated Pure Vanilla with the elegance of someone who never expected that the person in front of him would end up being friends with him in the near future. Which is to say, he’d be surprised if Pure Vanilla could even make eye contact with him without breaking into a cold sweat.

He had hoped the letter he sent to announce his sole arrival was well met- he had really laced his words with plenty of apologies and kind regards.

Perhaps it wasn’t enough?

Black Sapphire’s train of thought broke when a door chime rattled near him. He turned to see a young lady holding a small bouquet of flowers as she exited into the streets.

Not a bad idea.

He was quick to rise to his feet and make his way into the florist, browsing the premade bouquets that lined the rim of the wall. The natural floral scent was pleasant- putting to shame his synthetic scents of the candles he so enjoyed. Taking a look at the selection, he quickly came to the obvious realisation he wasn’t quite sure what flowers Pure Vanilla liked. Of course, he could probably make a few assumptions about the other based on his character- but he also… didn’t know anything the other. Well, he could always get something that he himself liked and just assume that his taste was shared.

Actually, that seemed like a great idea. If he had nowhere to start, might as well get something that at least he knew someone liked. And besides, he has good taste- most people would likely agree with him.

A bouquet of purple orchids, snapdragons and white rosebuds- all framed by branches of dark leaves- was selected. It’s darker colour palette was an obvious choice. What, think he was going to buy red roses?

After the purchase was made, he exited into the street and began the walk he had already mapped out in his head, turning the bouquet in his hand. It really was splendid- if the inn had a florist anywhere near it, he would surely love to purchase a bouquet like this to keep in his room, suiting the darker palette he used in his decorum. Maybe another one for the reception would look lovely- the guests greeted with the rare sight of fresh flowers as they entered.

It was such a shame to him that flowers were not practical out in the frontier.

The next street he turned to was remarkably clearer than the one before- and housing began to appear. Mostly apartment complexes and crammed houses lined the streets as establishments began to disappear.

Again, the streets changed as he walked to open into far larger houses. Many had the luxury of a yard, and some had beautiful hedging out the front that must have concealed the beautiful gardens that they were surely trying to hide.

He looked at the sign at the end of the street, naming the adjacent street for Black Sapphire to wander down.

With a grin, he briskened his pace, taking his steps up to house number 15 in the corner.

And never had Black Sapphire been so jealous at someone else for how they got to live.

In the corner of the street, at the junction in the road, a large property was lined by a beautiful iron fence with an iron gate to signal the entrance. A lovely gravel path could be seen on the other side of the fence which extended through the garden- even making way for a fountain- before ending at the stairs to the house itself. A few steps of wide cobble stairs lead to the front doors- large and wooden with a brass knocker. And the house itself was the most impressive- red brick, at least 3 stories, and incredibly large. It must have been many scores the size of an average home, obviously the largest property on the block and wholly out of place in such an urbanised setting.

Black Sapphire almost felt nervous as he stared ahead at the iron gate, peering through the bars, unsure how to go about actually getting in.

“Pure Vanilla?”

He called out to no answer. Well, now he felt a little awkward.

He tapped his foot on the ground, looking at the gate and noticing a locked chain around the two gate doors.

Well, at least there’s nothing more he can do other than wait.

Which, as it turned out, wasn’t even fully necessary.

So quiet he almost missed it, a small voice called out from inside the massive house.

“…aphire…’m…coming!”

A rattle come from near the front doors, before the swung open and a very well-dressed Pure Vanilla emerged, hurriedly making his way to the gate.

Black Sapphire looked over the others attire, noting a very nice, lighter palette fitting the others figure. Unlike last time, the other had dressed for the occasion, with a lovely set of beige trousers and waistcoat, with a white undershirt.

Taking an obvious liking to gold jewellery (was it Shadow Milk’s fault?), Pure Vanilla’s figure was comprehensively covered in gold from the watch-chain hanging from his breast pocket to the rings, necklaces and bracelets the other had taken to.

It was remarkably similar to Black Sapphires outfit, except the dark-haired man had obviously fancier accessories and a darker palette. And he wore it better, of course.

For a moment, the only thing filling the silence was the rattling of the key in the lock as Pure Vanilla tried to open the gate. Eventually the gate opened, and the gate swung forward, allowing Black Sapphire’s entry.

“Hello Pure Vanilla, thank you kindly for inviting me today. I’ve been exceedingly looking forward to this~.”

“Ah, yes, hello…”

Pure Vanilla nervously put his hands behind his back as he lowered his head slightly, backing himself up to allow for Black Sapphire to walk past.

Black Sapphire eyed him cautiously as he passed.

Not too comfortable, evidently…

“So, nice place, huh?”

“Ah, you think so…?”

“…Yes?”

“…Thank you…”

Pure Vanilla’s voice was barely higher than a mumble as the other began to quietly tread a few steps behind Black Sapphire.

They reached the front door, Pure Vanilla scuttling over to the door to hold it open.

“Please, do come in…”

Geez, did somebody die?

Of course, he knew that maybe the other might have not the greatest impression of him, but was leaving Shadow Milk at home really so significant?

He took a few steps inside, the small entryway quickly opening up into a large, decorated living room with an adjacent dining room, a small doorway to the side of the dining room which he assumed led into the kitchen.

A large staircase framed the living room, curving around the setting and disappearing above. Candle-lit iron chandeliers (pieces which Black Sapphire was highly jealous of) hung above the centre of the dining room and another set above the coffee table. From what he could tell, there was more to the first story house behind the set of double doors on the other end of the room.

But this atmosphere…

“Goodness, Pure Vanilla- you live nicely.”

He strolled in further, leaving his luggage in the entryway, turning to appreciate the decorum.

The sound of the front door clicking shut was followed by soft footsteps from Pure Vanilla, who likewise looked around as though it were his first time in this house.

He fidgeted with his fingers, glancing at Black Sapphire from the corner of his eye as he stood beside him.

“…The… uh… journey must have been long…”

“Yes, quite the distance.”

The blond let his fingers intertwine as he turned his head to face the other further.

“…Are you hungry…?”

“Well, if you’re offering, it has been a minute since I’ve eaten. Oh, and also-“

Black Sapphire backtracked to the entryway, picking up the bouquet that he had previously set down, holding it out to Pure Vanilla.

“… I might have not been the most gracious host last time- I want to offer my apologies~.”

He held out the bouquet to Pure Vanilla, who stared for a moment- blinking- before taking it in both hands with a surprised expression.

“I- thank you!”

His tense shoulders dropped, a big smile gracing his face as he took the flowers up to his nose, inhaling the fragrance.

“Sorry, I wasn’t too sure on what you liked, so I got something that I thought looked nice.”

Pure Vanilla looked back up at him, his eyes flicking between the bouquet and the other man.

“Hah- I suppose that doesn’t come as a surprise...”

“What, the fact I don’t know what you like?”

“Oh, no- I mean I’m not surprised that these are flowers you like.”

“Ah- is that so?”

Pure Vanilla began to walk into the kitchen, scanning the shelf for a vase. Black Sapphire followed, leaning against the doorway, watching the other work.

“Well, the palette is certainly on theme… Maybe I think the lavender flower would suit you well?”

Some water from the tap filled the clay vessel, before it was set down. Pure Vanilla turned to a drawer, searching through the blades.

“Hmm, lavender is my favourite fragrance, but they are hard to work into a bouquet.”

“…You do like them? My garden has a lot of lavender out the back, if you’d like to take a look.”

Once the stems were trimmed, the flowers were slotted inside, Pure Vanilla walking out to exit the kitchen. He stood in front of Black Sapphire a moment, looking up expectantly, before nervously diverting his gaze.

Black Sapphire quickly realised that he was in the way, and stepped aside from the doorway.

“Yes, I’d quite like that. Maybe after the markets, perhaps?”

“After…? Don’t you want to rest for a minute after your travels…?” Pure Vanilla mumbled, placing the vase down on the coffee table. “I mean- whatever you want, of course- you’re the guest, after all…” he nearly trailed off before finishing his thoughts. “But isn’t going straight to the markets after several hour train ride little full on…?”

“Oh, of course not. I’m not tired in the slightest.”

A lie, but it was just the markets. And Black Sapphire wants to go to those markets.

“Are you sure…? It’s late in the afternoon, and we could always go tomorrow.”

 “Wonderful news~! We get go today and tomorrow.”

“But there’s- we have more to do that visit the markets…”

“I am fine with the markets.”

“That’s quite- I mean- are you sure you don’t want to rest? Our gardens are quite lovely, and I’d love to spend some time in-“

“I said, there is no problem. Let us rest at the end of the day. That is why beds exist.”

The words left with a sudden bluntness which he hadn’t intended to let out. Especially that unnecessary last line.

“-Oh.” Pure Vanilla suddenly felt a small lump in his throat. He blinked a few times at the other, a sudden set of guilt tugging at his gut.

 “I-I’ll go get ready…”

He bowed his head lightly, scurrying up the staircase, leaving Black Sapphire standing in the living room alone.

Pure Vanilla quietly turned the knob as he entered his bedroom. He padded his footsteps, taking a seat on the queen-sized bed, staring at the wall in front of him.

He inhaled deeply, letting the breath settle, before blowing out slowly.

“Hah…”

He had ruined it. Hadn’t he?

The other was making an effort to be nice. Trying to make up for… last time.

And what did he do in return?

Nothing but annoy him.

He had tried to convince the other to do something he didn’t want to do.

Why couldn’t he just have agreed? Just say ‘yes’ the first time he said he wanted to go to the markets? Why did he have to insist?

He looked over at the walk-in closet, staring at the slightly ajar door.

He should get ready.

Pure Vanilla stood up, slowly treading out each step, almost deliberately slowing how long it took to get ready.

He had annoyed the other.

And that tone that the other used- that tone-

A shiver ran down his spine.

It felt… too similar to back then. It was completely different, of course- the other no longer threatened to put a bullet through his skull- but that curt tone had just brought him back for a moment.

He let out a sigh.

It wasn’t too complicated. He just wanted to visit the markets. And surely the other was only acting out of exhaustion- which… which would not make sense, as he said he was rested enough… to go… to the markets…

He slapped his face lightly, taking his gaze back inside the closet, looking around the variety of non-clothing items he also chose to store in there. Many of his knitting supplies were stored in this closet for convenience- he often opted to lie in bed while working on his projects, rather than take himself all the way to the art room. He ended up settling on a wicker-basket. It was used for storing yarn, but they would need a way of carrying any goods they brought, so it would work. And maybe, he could put some sandwiches in there. For Black Sapphire. He had forgotten about his promise of food amongst the flowers.

Ah, the flowers. Maybe they would never truly get past their hiccups from back when he got kidnapped, but if those flowers weren’t proof that Black Sapphire was trying, then what was? And it really was a lovely bouquet. From that selection, only roses were available to Pure Vanilla from his yard- the others were far less common sightings.

He really ought to repay the others’ kindness. Maybe he could get something at the markets?

He found his steps a lot less hesitant as he exited the wardrobe, making his way out of the wardrobe and to the vanity table that sat at its side, near the large window. He took a quick look at himself in the mirror, seeing himself as presentable, before exiting his room and making his way back downstairs to the living room.

Black Sapphire was sitting on the sofa, elbow on the armrest as he cradled his face with his palm.

Open hearing footsteps descending, he took a quick glance up at Pure Vanilla, a small sigh released itself under his breath.

He didn’t mean to lose composure.

The other was already, obviously, not yet comfortable around him. And he had just taken a step back after managing to ease his tension.

It wasn’t necessary to have a good relationship with Pure Vanilla- but it would be nice, he supposed. He could probably just buy him something at the markets.

Would that be enough…? This ‘making new friends’ thing was rather difficult. Shadow Milk was enough.

The same man who occupied his thoughts suddenly interrupted them as he parted his lips to speak.

“I’m sorry about the wait, but I am nearly ready, could you please just give me a few minutes?”

Black Sapphire corrected his slouched posture, folding his hands in his lap as he gave a polite smile.

“Of course, do what you need to.”

He hoped his slightly up-played manners had reached the other well.

The other returned a kind smile, turning to enter the kitchen. Black Sapphire followed, unexpected of him from the other as he was a guest, yet welcomed.

Leaning against the kitchen wall, he watched a breadbox get opened, four slices of soft sourdough taken out and placed onto a chopping board. A small, pot-like ceramic on the far bench was brought over to the board, piquing Black Sapphires attention.

“Oh- is that a butter bell?”

Pure Vanilla turned to the voice in slight surprise, not really expecting anything more than silence. With a small smile, he turned back to the board and took the lid upside down and lowered it to meet the bench.

“Yes, but tell me- do you not have these out in the frontier?”

“Oh, I’ve seen them around, but butter is a little harder to come by- we’d have to churn it ourselves. We opt for lard when its available.”

Pure Vanilla’s curiosity became visible on his face, now spreading a generous layer of butter on each slice.

“You’d have to churn it yourself? I suppose the economy out there isn’t as advanced as it is over here...”

Black Sapphire chuckled.

“No, most certainly not. Sometimes merchants or travellers might give you something you need, but a lot of our inn is self-sustained…” Black Sapphire trailed off slightly, watching as the blond turned into the pantry, waiting for the other to come out before he continued to speak.

“But in any case, I’m sure you can understand why I’m exceedingly thrilled to visit the markets. And to see your city itself, really.”

A jam jar was opened, a large scoop of the berry mixture landing on every other slice. The spoon spread the jam around evenly to coat the slices.

“Well, if you have a lot you’d like to do, I’d be glad to let you stay as long as you need. I’d rather you take the time to enjoy the city than get as much possible done in only a weekend.”

The spoon lifted from the bread, an uneven glazing of jam sticking to the spoon.

The blond stared at it for a second, before reaching a tongue out to lick it.

Black Sapphire blinked for a moment, before putting his fist up to his mouth as he stifled a chuckle, trying to disguise it as a cough.

The blond turned, realising his unmannered motion was so obviously the subject of mockery, and immediately put the spoon down.

“I- ah- I didn’t mean-“ His face completely burnt red all over. Black Sapphire gave up on trying to hide it, and let out a proper laugh.

“Oh, Nilla-!” He chuckled a bit more before approaching the other, pinching the spoon in his fingers.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh- it’s just you didn’t strike me as the type to lick cutlery like a dog in front of company~.”

“what-?! A dog-!?”

Black Sapphire laughed again, twirling the spoon in between his fingers.

“I’m not judging, I’m not judging~. But what I will judge, is the fact you didn’t even finish all the jam~”

Black Sapphire put the spoon in his mouth, cleaning it up and pulling it out fully cleaned.

Pure Vanilla’s flush deepened even further.

“I- you- but I used that spoon…”

“Oh, I’m more fussed about food wastage than just a few germs.” It was a bit of a lie, germs were Black Sapphire’s Achilles, but he just wanted to tease.

“…that’s not…”

Black Sapphire handed the spoon over to Pure Vanilla without another thought, turning his attention down to the sandwiches as he put the slices together. Two sourdough sandwiches were produced, and he already turned to search the kitchen for towel.

Pure Vanilla just stood there, blinking, before snapping out of it when he noticed Black Sapphire searching.

“-oh, please- you are my guest. I will finish up here.”

“Are you sure? I am quite happy to lend assistance.”

 “No, it’s quite fine. I am nearly done.”

Pure Vanilla left the spoon at the sink, before taking a small kitchen towel and wrapping the sandwiches within them, placing the bundle into the now-picnic basket.

“Alright, I take it we may finally leave?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Pure Vanilla lead him back through the house, taking him through the front yard and out onto the streets, where they walked for a while as they furthered into the heart of the city. There was very little conversation between the two, occasional questions regarding how things were with each other, usually followed by short responses. For the most part, Black Sapphire was simply enjoying just observing his surroundings, and once Pure Vanilla noticed this, he allowed himself to stay quiet, perhaps describing the details of whatever he assumed Black Sapphire had taken an interest in.

The first signs of the market showed itself with outskirt sellers who clearly weren’t fortunate enough to get a stall in the centre of the district. Black Sapphire felt a spark of excitement when he saw the first stalls, immediately changing their paths to approach.

“Wait, Black Sapphire-“

“Oh, I’ll be just a moment~.”

Pure Vanilla briskened his pace to catch up to him, joining him at their first stall. From afar, Black Sapphire only saw the shimmers of glass- he approached in excitement with an expectation of finding hour glasses or other decorative pieces- yet his face lost its excited grin when he realised the seller was just selling jars and pickled goods.

Pure Vanilla hesitated when he noticed the obvious disappointment on the others face.

“Oh, we are more or less in the section where you would see farmers produce and home-produced foodstuffs, if this isn’t really what you’re looking for…”

“Ah, that would make sense. Let us go further in, then.”

Black Sapphire already turned to look at the main road, where even more stalls had began to make themselves obvious. He already began to walk when a small tug on his sleeve made him stop.

“Wait-!”

He swivelled around, yet the hand quickly retracted itself.

“Oh, sorry- I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s fine. What did you want?”

“Ah, well, I was just going to look at some of this stalls produce, if you don’t mind waiting for a moment.” Pure Vanilla scratched at his arm lightly, looking up at Black Sapphire.

“Oh, don’t worry. I can just go ahead and meet up with you later.” Black Sapphire had already turned around, not even waiting for a response.

“Wait, don’t go-!”

Black Sapphire turned around to meet Pure Vanilla, keeping a composed look on his face while he tried to supress the desperate itch to just explore.

“I’m- it’s just that it’s you’re first time in the city, I’d hate for you to get lost- I don’t even know if I’d be able to find you if we got split up. I’ll be just a minute, so could you please keep me company?”

It wasn’t ideal by any metric, but Black Sapphire supposed that fighting would probably waste more time than if he just waited for Pure Vanilla. He nodded slightly, turning back to the original stall. Pure Vanilla smiled his direction, standing beside him as he looked at the stock.

“I was also wondering, if you were going to stay for the next few days, I should probably get some more food- I only really stock for myself, and my diet isn’t particularly varied.”

“Oh? In which ways?”

“Well, I like cooking, but I often it’s just easier if I toast some bread and eat it alongside something small- like fruit?”

Pure Vanilla picked up a jar of pickles, turning it in his hand.

“So now that I’m hosting someone, I figured maybe I should plan ahead a bit- like maybe these pickles could go nicely in a sandwich.”

Black Sapphire let out a small chuckle.

“You’re kind of similar to Shadow Milk, except he wouldn’t be that considerate~.” He put his hand over Pure Vanilla’s, guiding him to put the jar back down on the stall table. “It flatters me that you’d expand your menu to accommodate me, but, I am not particularly a fan of preserved goods.”

Black Sapphire, taking Pure Vanilla’s hand fully, started to walk away from the stall, pulling the other along with him.

“Umm, Black Sapphire-“

“If you’d like something that would suit my palette, let us look at the fruits.”

They entered the main street, Pure Vanilla looking down at their joined hands with a slight blush on his face.

Black Sapphire had a rather… direct way of leading him where he wanted…

The other was in his own world. He could not give less of an ass where Pure Vanilla wanted to go, unless it was where he wanted. But… he could go for some fresh fruit. It had been a minute.

When they reached the stall, their hands were still joined. Pure Vanilla wondered when he’d get his hand back.

“Goodness, apples! I haven’t had one since last Halloween~.”

 “Oh, you celebrate?”

“Hah-! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Candy Apple would never let me miss it, either.”

“Candy Apple…?”

“My younger sister- I guess you didn’t meet her, last time. Anyways, she just loves apples. Quite fitting. Every year, we go out of town to the nearest apple orchard and do apple bobbing and eat toffee apples to celebrate..”

“The nearest orchard…? Isn’t that ages away from where you guys live?”

“Yes, it’s our only holiday where we all get out of the inn for a day. I’d never leave the inn completely unattended, but we used to have a friend we could contact to keep the inn safe while we enjoyed ourselves. It’s a shame that we might not be able to leave this year…”

“Oh? How come?”

“It’s Shadow Milk. When our friend found out that most of his wardrobe was stolen, he took some of the clothes and donated them to the less fortunate in life. They fought for days when we got back- Shadow Milk was absolutely livid, while the other demanded he buy his own clothes with his large savings.”

Black Sapphire took one of the supplied paper bags, released Pure Vanilla’s hand to fill the bag with apples.

“…Shadow Milk steals clothes?!”

The dark-haired man paused mid motion, turning to face Pure Vanilla with an expression of surprise in his eyes.

“You weren’t aware?”

“Goodness, no! Does that mean the outfit he gave me was also ill-earnt?”

Black Sapphire let out a laugh. The other man’s face dropped even more.

“Oh gosh, I’ve been wearing someone else’s stolen clothes this whole time- why didn’t you two tell me?!”

“Oh dear, don’t get too hung up on it~ I’d hate for Milky to lose another friend who donated his wardrobe to the poor.”

Pure Vanilla’s gaze reached the cobbles. He said nothing more, face burning with unbearable shame.

Black Sapphire watched the others fallen expression, quickly paying the seller for the produce before bringing an arm to Pure Vanilla’s back, rubbing slightly.

“Hey, don’t worry so much. I can scold him for it later, if you’d like~.”

Pure Vanilla didn’t say anything to this, letting out a small pout, taking the paper bag of apples and putting it into his basket.

“…Let’s just go to the artisan section.”

The blond finally said something, walking quickly with his gaze diverted. Black Sapphire dropped his arm to the side, watching the other in confusion.

A bit dramatic, much.

Was he so guilty over a few pieces of third-hand cloth?

“Woah, let’s slow down for a second. I don’t want to shop in such a miserable mood.”

Pure Vanilla turned around, an obviously pensive expression on his face. His eyebrows were drawn in, his lips pursing and pinched in his teeth.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring the mood down so much-“ His sentence was interrupted when the basket in his hand was lifted, Black Sapphire taking it into his own as he offered his other to Pure Vanilla.

“Don’t worry about it~. Besides, you brought sandwiches, right? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hungry~.”

“But we just got here, didn’t you have something you really wanted to see?”

Black Sapphire reached out and grabbed the others hand himself when there was no reciprocation, dragging the other along and onto a bench between stalls.

“What I want most right now is to enjoy myself- the markets are a part of that, but miserable company hardly helps the experience~…”

It was true, and he honestly wanted Pure Vanilla to feel more comfortable around him.

Black Sapphire put the basket on his lap, releasing Pure Vanilla’s hand to reach inside.

“And besides, I haven’t eaten since breakfast. Let us eat something before we keep walking.”

A sandwich was placed in Pure Vanilla’s hands, before Black Sapphire took one for himself. The kitchen towel keeping them together was spread onto Pure Vanilla’s lap to catch any crumbs.

A small smile met Pure Vanilla’s face.

“…Thank you…”

Black Sapphire took a bite of his sandwich, watching from a small distance at the large crowd of passerby’s gather around the stalls. Sweet flavour quickly spread around his mouth, taking him by surprise.

“Goodness, this is nice. What flavour is it?”

Pure Vanilla took a bite himself, chewing while he thought.

“I’m not sure. I wasn’t really looking at the label when I picked it out.”

He took another bite, this time past the crust, letting a lot more of the sweetness into his mouth.

“Oh, I think it’s raspberry. There’s a house out here that grows berries and makes jams out of the extras. Actually, they usually bring out a stall for these weekend markets. You might even see them today.”

“Buying local? Actually, that doesn’t surprise me at all~.”

“Oh, well, I have the means, so I feel like there’s a bit of a responsibility to support the smaller growers?”

Black Sapphire took another bite, savouring the sweetness.

“Actually, I hope you don’t mind me asking- but what do you do that allows you to live so nicely?”

Pure Vanilla turned his head away in slight shame. He mumbled something that Black Sapphire barely caught.

“What was that?”

“…nepotism…”

The laugh that Black Sapphire let out made several faces turn to glance at them. Pure Vanilla immediately raised his hands in front of Black Sapphires face.

“P-please keep it down-!”

He quickly changed his hands to cover his own face, with sudden shame growing over him.

Black Sapphire’s laughter died down, wiping a small tear from his eye as he turned back to Pure Vanilla.

“Oh, -hah-, I’m sorry- it’s just the way you said it so bluntly-“

Another small breath of amusement left him as he collected himself.

“No, really, I apologise. But- may I inquire a little more?”

“I- yes. My mother owns a large business, and supports me while I live independently. I still work a few days a week as a teacher, although it isn’t enough for my lifestyle.”

“Ah, that makes sense- you must have a good relationship with your parents for them to fund you so generously.”

Pure Vanilla’s smile lit up with that.

“Yes! I do. Well, I don’t actually know my father- but my mother and I have a good relationship. She visits a few times a year.”

“Ah, how lovely.”

Black Sapphire finished his sandwich, brushing his hands together to wipe the crumbs off. Pure Vanilla quickly cleaned the rest of his up when he saw that the other had done eating.

“So, what type of business does your mother-“ Black Sapphire paused when he noticed a small bit of jam in the corner of Pure Vanilla’s mouth. “Ah, excuse me for a moment-“

Pure Vanilla watched quietly, as Black Sapphire pulled a napkin out of his breast pocket. Quickly, his curiosity turned to shock when the other casually reached over and wiped at his mouth with the cloth. The thin edge of his fingernails tickled at the corner of his lips through the fabric.

“B-Black Sapphire-?!”

The handkerchief was pulled away, revealing a spot of raspberry jam at the spot that was just at his lips.

“Messy eater, huh~?” Black Sapphire said lightly, a small smirk on his face as he absently folded the handkerchief up, folding it and placing it back into his pocket.

Pure Vanilla’s face grew hot, and he quickly turned away from the other- just what was he thinking?!

How- how could Black Sapphire just… just do that? And say something like that as though it were normal?! Just what was-

“Oh, now I know you aren’t a fan of stealing- but I must apologize~.”

Black Sapphire tapped on Pure Vanilla’s shoulder, encouraging him to turn as he reached into the basket.

Pure Vanilla noticed as beside the paper bag, two loose apples were rolling around the basket.

“But that seller was seriously up charging- so I decided that I’d make the deal a little better for ourselves and even things out a little.” He ended with a small chuckle, taking an apple out and handing it to Pure Vanilla, who stared at him with his mouth slightly agape.

“Black Sapphire-!”

“Hmm? Not hungry?”

Pure Vanilla let out an exhausted sigh.

“I am not eating stolen food.”

“Oh, give me that one then. Here you go~.”

Black Sapphire reached into the bag, taking one of the rightfully purchased apples and swapping it for Pure Vanilla’s.

“Black Sapphire- I-“

The dark-haired man took a large bite of his apple, crunching down on it and beginning to chew.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? I bought that one properly.” He said through his food.

The blond huffed, pouting slightly.

“No. We aren’t going home until you go back and pay for those apples.”

“Whaaattt? No way~.”

“Black Sapphire, it’s the right thing to do!”

“The right thing to do right now is for you to chew your food. Let’s just forget about those two little apples and move along to the artisan crafts before they sell out of stock...”

“No.”

“I’m not going back and admitting that I stole from the guy~. What sort of reputation would that give me? And you, by extension.”

“I- I’d rather be known as someone who admitted to wrongdoings than who would steal something as small as some apples.”

“Small, you say? You’re right- two apples is hardly worth making a fuss over. Now come on, just eat while you walk.”

Black Sapphire stood up, grabbing Pure Vanilla’s arm and pulling him to stand upright.

“W-wait-“

Pure Vanilla stumbled on his feet, Black Sapphire not even waiting before already dragging the other to the artisan stalls.

Earlier, he thought himself to have the patience to wait for the other’s mood to sort itself out- now he was just worried by the suns position in the sky. Surely he would still get time to check out the artisan crafts…

Pure Vanilla reluctantly let himself get dragged along while taking large bites of his apple. Sure, he was still a bit mad at Black Sapphire. But some fresh fruit did seem really tasty right now…

And this apple wasn’t stolen, so it was fine, right?

Still, he wouldn’t stop Black Sapphire from checking out the rest of the markets- but no way were they going home without paying for the apples! Even if Black Sapphire didn’t want to admit to swiping, they could at least go back and pay the person running the place under a different guise- like maybe the apples were so good they simply had to tip.

Actually, these apples were pretty good…

“Pure Vanilla!”

Pure Vanilla’s thoughts were interrupted by a harsh tug on his arm, yanking him into the other- the force of the pull paired with his loose grip caused the apple to fall onto the floor.

He looked back to where he was standing, seeing an alone large dog tied up to a street lamp- snarling and biting at the air where Pure Vanilla had just walked through. The crowd of marketgoers seemed to part around the dog in avoidance, yet in Pure Vanilla’s daze he had almost walked straight into it.

“Goodness, what’s the matter with you?”

“Oh- thank you, Black Sapphire.”

As Black Sapphire had begun to resume his walk, continuing to pull Pure Vanilla along, Pure Vanilla found himself not complying but rather staying still- Black Sapphire having to turn around to face him again.

A flicker of annoyance ran over his face as he tried not to get any more bothered by the continuous delays to his market plans.

“What is it now, Pure Vanilla.”

Yet again, his tone slipped up- leaving an overly blunt and fed up edge to his voice. Geez, what was up with him today? Was Pure Vanilla really just that difficult for him to be polite to?

“Oh- sorry, it’s just that I saw this dog last in this same spot time I was here, too. I hope it’s alright-“

“It’s probably fine- owner probably runs a stall or something- let’s not worry about it too much and go to the artisan crafts.”

“I’ve even seen an owner-“

A harsh tug got Pure Vanilla to get moving again, forced to stare at the back of Black Sapphire’s head when a small mutter came out of the other.

“God, some people might just be too damn busy, just let the mutt be…”

Pure Vanilla stared blankly at the back of the other, blinking.

Something in his heart broke when he heard the other say that.

… Just how could he be so cruel?

And so… materialistic?

Why did everything revolve around going to the markets- and why couldn’t he just pay for those extra apples?

Why was he so willing to walk past that dog without a second thought just because he wanted to see the markets?

…Was it… his fault?

Did Pure Vanilla delay his trip so much- at the house, at the stalls, by acting miserable- that Black Sapphire simply had no capacity left to look at the dog?

His face fell to stare at the cobbles again. At some point, they stopped before a stall with a tablecloth over it, individual artist goods arrayed with hefty price tags near them.

He let his gaze flit over to Black Sapphires, a little worried to perceive the others mood, yet was taken aback by the pure… sparkle within the others eyes.

They flicked rapidly around each piece, ducking his head up and down to observe all viewing angles to thoroughly inspect each item, eventually releasing Pure Vanilla (he had obviously forgotten he was still holding his arm in the first place) to raise his fingers just shy of an object. He stopped himself, then turned to the seller occupied by a cigar.

“Excuse me, but would it be alright if I got to touch the merchandise? I’d like to know each item properly before I make a purchase.”

The vendor tilted his bowler cap up, a small plume of smoke wafting out as he made eye contact with Black Sapphire.

“Do what ya like, but if ya break it, ya buy it.”

He leaned back in his chair, his hat falling over his eyes again, leaving him blind to the rest of the world.

Black Sapphire let out a grin and immediately reached for a small, wooden box with black details- twisting the knob on the side before excitedly undoing the latch and opening it.

A small ballerina spun around inside, a soft melody accompanying its dancing figure. The shallow of the box was empty, of course intended for storage. The dark-haired mans grin widened, reaching back to grab Pure Vanilla as he pulled the other in front of the music box.

“Wow. Just wow~.”

Owlishly, he blinked, bringing his head this way and that to watch every detail of the box. Finally, the music stopped and the ballerina halted, and he shut the box again.

“Definitely a keeper~.” He continued.

Pure Vanilla’s eyes narrowed, bringing his voice to a whisper as he turned to Black Sapphire.

“You aren’t going to steal it while that man can’t even see you, are you?”

Black Sapphire looked back over at the smoking man, his eyes obviously concealed by the hat on his head.

“Goodness, stealing from a master craftsman? It’s an honour to buy from him, I’d hardly like to put such a man out of business through swiping something of such high value.”

Pure Vanilla breathed a sigh of relief, yet confusion quickly took over his mind as he began to wonder what exactly Black Sapphire saw as grounds for stealing. Still, it relieved him that the other wasn’t completely devoid of a moral compass, and he decided to take this small victory that was just... legitimately buying something.

Black Sapphire pulled a small pouch of coins out of his pocket, fidgeting with them before his eye caught something else at the table- immediately returning his funds.

“Pure Vanilla, make sure no-one buys that music box- ok?”

The man in question looked around confusedly- there was no-one else at the stall to even buy it, and besides, Black Sapphire was one of the only people in the marketplace that could possibly have the funds to even consider buying something of such high grade. Still, he stood awkwardly at the music box, looking around at the other oddities at the table before turning to the seller.

“Um, excuse me?”

The hat was tilted up again, silently prompting the blond to continue.

“If you don’t mind me asking, where do you get your stock from? It’s just that, it seems a bit unlikely that you really made everything at this table…”

Everything from small clocks to quill sets to handbags were sold- it surely wasn’t possible for someone to have such a wide skillset.

“I sell on behalf of my siblings and myself.”

That was all was provided before the hat naturally fell over the others eyes. It was almost comical, the man didn’t do so much as tilt his head slightly back or slightly forward in his chair and the hat would fall into place.

The answer was so blunt that any further questions from Pure Vanilla, like ‘which of these did you make’, or ‘does your whole family work in craftsmanship?’ were put aside. Instead, he looked down at the table, looking at the stock from a different lens.

Now that he thought of it, each item seemed to fit a niche of sorts. There were a variety of bound books, wallets, belts and other leather-forged goods. As well, wooden mechanisms such as the music box, as well as small marionettes and wind-up children’s toys littered the assortment.

His eyes fell on a small pocket mirror. It was very nice, snapping open to reveal an empty spot to place a small photo or note, with a very small reflective surface on the other half.

He looked over at Black Sapphire, who now that he thought about it, seemed very particular about his looks.

He thought back to the vanity mirror and excessive fashion and beauty items that the other kept in his room. It seemed like a suitable gift… and he needed to get something in return for those lovely flowers.

But- would the other already have a pocket mirror?

It seemed like something he would already own. But at the same time, there was a good chance he simply never came across something of that sort- living so rural.

He decided to buy it, anyways. At the very worst, it could be given to Shadow Milk instead.

Thinking of Shadow Milk, why doesn’t he get him something here, as well?

In the letters sent by Black Sapphire, he had mentioned how Shadow Milk was still learning to read and write and didn’t want to send any letters written by himself until he was confident in his handwriting- which, was kind of silly, given Pure Vanilla would not judge anything of that nature- but he chose not to mention it.

His hand drifted over a lovely leather-bound notebook, being sold alongside a quill and ink set.

Well, it was a must-buy.

He took the pocket mirror and the writing set in both hands, forming a pile, placing them on an empty spot of the table as he counted up his money.

“Excuse me, I’m ready to buy, now.”

The seller lifted his head up, the hat now predictably falling back out of the way of his eyes, looking over at the small stack of items Pure Vanilla had placed down. He hauled his body off the chair and strolled over, towering over Pure Vanilla as he held a large hand out. Coins were quickly placed in his palm, the man not even looking at the amount before tossing them in a small box under the table.

“Oh- you aren’t going to count?”

The man glanced at him, a look of confusion on his face.

“Has anyone ever been underpaid by Pure Vanilla? I didn’t want to count lest I feel guilty for you overpaying”.

Pure Vanilla’s eyes widened, letting out a light chuckle.

“I wasn’t aware I held such a positive reputation.”

He blushed slightly, taking his purchase and looking over to Black Sapphire, who was now making his way over with a rather impressive stack.

The man placed his stack on the bench, yet walked back over to collect- even more?!

Pure Vanilla tried to count up what the other was gearing up to buy. The music box, a stack of leather-bound novels, a large jewellery box and a healthy collection of necklaces, a small clock, a purse, a ship in a bottle, a couple pieces of pottery, and-

His jaw dropped when the other hauled a gramophone onto the counter.

“Black Sapphire- how are we going to take this home?!”

The vendor’s eyes lit up, hurriedly approaching the counter and grasping the bench, looking down at the items with surprise.

“Geez, son. Buy out the whole table while you’re at it, why don’t ya?”

A large, toothy grin spread over his face, as his finger counted in the air, passing over each item. His expression turned thoughtful.

“Say, anything else you want to take off my hands? I’d be glad to give you a discount. Wares like these are hard enough to get rid of, anyways.”

Pure Vanilla turned to Black Sapphire, fear creeping into his mind as that charming face twisted into something that could only be described as sinister in intent as he could practically watch as an idea was birthed in that dark, materialistic mind.

“Well, if you’re offering…”

The deal was closed. Black Sapphire’s pouch was shaken empty at the table, and by the end of it, either one of them could’ve been robbed blind by the other but Pure Vanilla would never know. The scope of the items value was a little of out his reach.

To cap it all off, the seller nodded in delighted agreement when Black Sapphire said his only final condition was that the items had to be delivered to Pure Vanilla’s house within the next week. The thought of carrying anything home had long been abandoned.

Which, came as a relief to Pure Vanilla, as he was able to put his belongings in with the large delivery that was coming his way, not having to make room for them in the picnic basket.

“Well, I’d say that was quite the success~.”

Black Sapphire’s mood was obvious- all over his face, all over the half-skips his steps nearly did, before his poshness demanded he at least tried to keep his mask on.

“Yes, I think so too. But are you done for today? There are a lot of other stalls left to visit.”

“Goodness, there are? Wow, I really am glad I smuggled our extra savings into our luggage. What time does the markets open tomorrow?”

Pure Vanilla’s expression twisted into one of mild shock, staring at the other in a look of disbelief.

“Are you- are you absolutely sure that you need more?”

Black Sapphire snorted.

“I suppose you’re right, I could show a bit of restraint this time.”

He snickered to himself as the image of Shadow Milk throwing a fit over all of his purchases appeared in his mind.

“Also, I would like to see the rest of this place. You have some places you could take me tomorrow?”

“Of course, there’s so much to do around here!” Pure Vanilla beamed at the other, before he corrected himself. “…Not that I really do much around here, I don’t really explore- but maybe that will just mean we get to explore together!”

As they walked, Black Sapphire looked up at the orange sky thoughtfully.

“Well, I was looking forward to a guided tour, but I suppose taking the city as it comes has its charm.”

“Yes, I’m sure it does-”

Pure Vanilla stopped in his tracks as he heard the faintest squeaking- turning to a small alleyway between storefronts.

“…Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Pure Vanilla said nothing, leaving Black Sapphire on edge. His fingers automatically reached for his waistcoat, undoing the buttons and reaching into a concealed inner pocket, finding a gun-

Pure Vanilla grabbed Black Sapphire by the hand, tugging him into the narrow alley.

“Wait- eugh, what could possibly-“

Black Sapphire looked down with Pure Vanilla, met with the sight of a small litter of four kittens inside a sideways cardboard box.

“Oh, Black Sapphire! They’re strays!”

Black Sapphire exhaled, letting go of his gun and buttoning his waistcoat up again.

“Yes, you’re right… We should probably get out of here before the mother comes back- who knows what she will do when she sees us with her-“

“Aww, isn’t she just such the prettiest mama kitty?”

Black Sapphire swivelled around, seeing Pure Vanilla squatting down on the alleyway floor, patting an affectionate tortoiseshell whom was making itself comfortable rubbing itself all over Pure Vanilla, getting its fur all over the blonds trousers.

It’s disgusting, grubby fur covered in matts-

“Oh, Pure Vanilla!”

Black Sapphire reached out and grabbed Pure Vanilla for what was now probably the fourth time that day, pulling him back to the edge of the alley.

“Get away from that cat- it could have diseases! Or even worse, dirt!”

Pure Vanilla looked up at him with a surprised expression, which quickly narrowed into disappointment.

“But- they’re strays- and they’re friendly!”

“Yes, yes- very cute, very fluffy- but they’re filthy! What if they have flees? Or tics?”

Pure Vanilla pouted slightly, making Black Sapphire flinch with guilt.

“Then we should give them a bath!”

“’we’...?”

The blond huffed.

“Well, seeing as you have no money left to pay for the apples, you’re going to have to earn a room in my house some other way!” Pure Vanilla crossed his arms. “…Please?”

Black Sapphire let out a small groan, already clocking that Pure Vanilla wouldn’t possibly leave him bed-less tonight- but, that face- just how could he say ‘no’ to a pout like that?

“…Fine, fine, we’ll take the cats home and clean them and give them a bed. I’ll even sing them a lullaby. What else do you want me to do?”

Black Sapphire suddenly felt like he had to shield his eyes with the force of the beam that was sent by the others smile.

“Please wait here while I buy them something to eat!”

The basket was taken from Black Sapphires hands, who was left staring at the tilted box of kittens while the others hurried footsteps faded into the crowd.

…What to do?

He looked over each kitten, observing their patterns. The mother was a tortoiseshell, yet one of the kittens turned out completely black. The others had all turned out to be tortoiseshell as well.

Actually, he had a book on genetic inheritance at home. Now, he wished he had brought it so he could relearn this topic. Could he glean what colouration the father was from the kittens alone...?

A small pressure was felt on his leg. He looked down, his eyes widening in horror as one of the dirty, probably-flee-ridden kitten pushed itself against his trousers, leaving a small stain of brown against the dark material.

Right then and there, he very nearly acted in panic and kicked the kitten off of him in shock, as one would swat a fly.

Instead, he carefully lowered himself, shivering in anticipation, gently wafting the kitten away with his hand- whispering “shoo, shoo” to the little black creature.

His eyes widened further when the kitten, now standing fully on his leather shoe, came up onto its hind legs as it pushed itself into his hand, rubbing the edge of its mouth into his fingers.

“Oh no oh ewewew…” he muttered under his breath, about to wipe his hand onto his trousers yet stopped himself as he realised he would only further the filth his clothes had on them. He nearly let out a small whine of distress.

Suddenly, a small “meow” sounded as another pressure was felt on his other leg, and then another mouth suddenly rubbed up on his other hand which had accidentally drifted too close to the ground.

“ohmyfuckinggodthiscannotbehappeningtome” Black Sapphire was stuck in mortified stasis as the kittens began to swarm him, soon joined by the mother cat, whom all found great pleasure in investigating his scent and rubbing all over his pants fabric.

For a few minutes, his soul felt like it had completely left his body, his limbs stuck in place until finally, finally, the sound of hurried footsteps met him. He slowly tilted his head, the orange sun illuminating Pure Vanilla from behind, making him quite literally look like an angel in this moment.

“I’m so sorry, it took me ages to find-“ Pure Vanilla dropped the basket, rushing over. “-Black Sapphire?!”

He took Black Sapphire’s hand, breaking him out of his stasis, before bending over and carefully sweeping the kittens off of his feet as they were shepherded back into the box.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, I didn’t even think-“

As he stood, his eyes wandered over Black Sapphires form, looking at the tiny smidges of dirt that had found its way onto his clothes.

“Oh, never mind, it’s nothing. Thank goodness, I thought your clothes may have been scratched up.”

And to Black Sapphires horror, Pure Vanilla lifted up his hands that had just been touching the kittens, and swept his clothes with them, as if he were trying to remove the dirt.

Pure Vanilla stood up fully, taking Black Sapphire’s hand in his, turning it around, inspecting.

“Ah, I thought your hand might have been bitten too, but fortunately they seem docile!”

Black Sapphire took his eyes down, looking at his hand now held in Pure Vanilla’s germ-ridden hand.

It’s fine there’s no visible dirt it’s fine probably no diseases no dirt no diseases oh my goodness his hands are probably so fucking gross right now I could throw up right here right now both from disgust and illness because I’m definitely catching illness from this holy shit

“Black Sapphire?”

He blinked.

“Ah, what was that?” Perfectly executed, masks back on, nothing’s wrong.

“That one seems to like you.”

…Huh?

He looked down, seeing the kitten back on his leg again. His eyes widened once more, instinctively taking a step back, the kitten falling forward onto the ground when the shoe was removed.

“Aww, Sapphire-“ Pure Vanilla paused when he looked at the others face, suddenly noticing an expression he’d never seen on the other before.

Was it… fear...?

Pure Vanilla tightened his grip on Black Sapphire’s hand, making the other look at him in a mix of fear and confusion.

“Don’t worry, they’re really friendly! They don’t mean to make you dirty, and we can wash up when we get home. Being dirty for a few minutes is not enough to get you sick, as long as you don’t kiss them or let it get in your mouth.”

“…People… kiss their cats?”

“On the fur, yeah! If they’re clean, of course- pretty unhygienic otherwise.”

“…But- can’t they get ringworm?”

“We haven’t had a case of ringworm in this city in ages. It’s unlikely that these cats will have anything like that, if that is what concerns you.”

Pure Vanilla, still holding Black Sapphires hand, bent over and scooped up the black kitten in his other hand. He stood up, cradling the kitten in one hand against his chest, and with the hand still holding Black Sapphire’s hand- pulled it near to the kitten.

“Would you like to pat it?”

Black Sapphire looked at the cat, at his held hand, and up at Pure Vanilla’s expectant eyes.

He swallowed lightly, his hand pulling away slightly, before looking back at those angelic eyes in front of him.

And, well, how could he refuse a smile like that?

He slowly set his hand on the kittens head, wincing slightly at the instinct to just get away from the germy creature, before realising that- he didn’t know how to pat a cat.

With his two fingers just sitting on the cats head for about a full ten seconds, unmoving, a small chuckle came the blond man, who pulled his fingers fully over Black Sapphire’s and dragged them down the length of the kitten, lingering at the belly before pushing his fingers lightly back and forth.

Black Sapphire let it happen, watching as the kitten stretched its four, tiny paws- its round belly pushing into his fingers.

“Are… are you not enjoying patting it?”

A nervous voice sounded from in front of him, before hesitantly retreating their drawn hands aside from the kitten.

Black Sapphire didn’t respond, twitching his fingers slightly in the air, staring down at the kitten that was against Pure Vanilla’s chest.

“It’s… charming, I’ll give it that…”

 The blond leaned down and deposited the kitten back onto the ground, still keeping his hand in Black Sapphire’s.

“…Sorry, I probably pressured you into patting it, didn’t I…”

“It’s fine. Let’s just go get these kittens home, like you said.”

Pure Vanilla lit up.

“Yes, lets!”

Black Sapphire’s hand was finally released, his fingers suddenly feeling cold from the absence of another’s. He watched as the other reached into the basket, shuffling the apples out of the way and laying out the kitchen towel which had previously wrapped the sandwiches- and unwrapping a small paper bundle which he must have bought while Black Sapphire was stuck alone in the alley, revealing a large fillet of fish.

“They look a few weeks old, so I’m really hoping that their mother has managed to ween them onto solid food. Otherwise, these next few weeks are going to be difficult…”

One by one, each of the four kittens was placed into the basket, each quickly latching themself onto the large chunk of meat. Pure Vanilla took his waistcoat off, leaving his upper body only covered by his white, long-sleeved button up, laying the waistcoat over the basket and tucked it in at the edges.

Black Sapphire felt immediate shock at the way a perfectly lovely waistcoat was being used in direct proximity to such dirty creatures and fish, but it was quickly replaced by a curiosity.

“What’s that for?” Black Sapphire inquired.

“Ah, we will be going through a crowd, and it would be bad if they got stressed- or even if they fall out. It’s better if we just keep them in a dark, enclosed space.”

“And what of the mother?”

Pure Vanilla hovered a finger at his chin, nearly scratching at it before remembering how unhygienic his hands were.

“It would be better if we could get her somewhere dark and enclosed, but the best we can do is trust that she will be calm for the trip. The crowds are only present for the main road, after all…” He trailed off, flicking his eyes between the mother cat and the basket, hesitating. “I can carry the cat, if you’d be fine taking the basket.

Black Sapphire looked at the basket, then back at the mother cat.

“Yes, that sounds like a fine plan.”

Since the basket was enclosed, it really wouldn’t be a problem.

“Great! Let’s get going at once.”

Pure Vanilla scooped up the mother cat, which acted nothing but affectionate in the arms of Pure Vanilla, while Black Sapphire lifted the basket. He looked down at the basket, watching as the uneven weight shifted it back and forth slightly, before lifting it up properly in his arms to cradle the basket.

Pure Vanilla led the way through the thinning crowd- the last scrap of daylight peaking out above the rooftops. In his arms, the mother cat shifted a little- showing signs of distress to the alarm of Black Sapphire, before Pure Vanilla leaned in and whispered affectionately to her in an attempt to soothe.

“…Does that do anything?”

Pure Vanilla turned meet Black Sapphire’s gaze, who was only watching the cat in his arms.

“Oh, I’d like to think it does. If nothing else, it makes me feel like I’m helping.”

“…Like, a cope?” Black Sapphire asked, genuinely.

Pure Vanilla just widened his jaw in disbelief.

“Hey!” He exhaled slightly through his nose, tossing a slightly exaggerated frown his way. “…So maybe it is. At least it makes me feel better.”

Black Sapphire watched with slight amusement at the spectacle that was Pure Vanilla. After last time, he hardly took Pure Vanilla as the type to get upset so easily. Was he just that good at pushing his buttons?

Well, it would make sense, he was excellent at annoying Shadow Milk.

“Say, Pure Vanilla, why did you end up asking to be friends with Shadow Milk and I after what we did to you? I can’t say we’ve ever met a victim do the same.” He paused for a moment. “Well, at least a victim who succeeded, anyways.”

“Oh, how ominous…” Pure Vanilla felt a little nervous at the implications. “Well, I’ve only ever really had a few close friends, and one of them died…” He trailed off a little.

Black Sapphire felt his throat clam up a bit. Was this about Black Raisin, like Shadow Milk mentioned...?

“Ah, I don’t want to spoil the mood. Anyways, the others live really far away- kind of like you guys, actually! Except they’re so far away that I can only reach them by letter. Not even all of them, at that- one of them lives all the way in Egypt of all places.”

Black Sapphire lit up at that. Egyptian relics? Oh, how he’d love to get his hands on some of those…

“Ah, anyways, I also was sort of friends with Shadow Milk the day before?”

“Oh, he did mention something like that…”

“And I don’t know, even when he kidnapped me, it wasn’t too bad. I’d like to imagine there’s a bit of good in everyone.”

Black Sapphire snorted.

“Oh-! And I really liked seeing you two be friends- if I may be honest, it made me a little jealous…”

Oh. Well, isn’t that interesting.

“Jealous? Of Milky and I? Well, it’s certainly an interesting relationship to be jealous of.”

“…How so? I thought it was nice how open and honest you could be around each other.”

“…Isn’t that normal for friends?”

Pure Vanilla hummed. “Well, a little, but I always feel like people are super nice to me- I sometimes wonder if they’re being genuine or not.”

The two passed around the corner of a street, noticing the lamp posts getting lit for the night as the sun was setting in full.

“Ah, I mean, maybe they feel like you aren’t being genuine with them? From what I’ve seen, you’re nothing but sunshine- for some people, matching the kindest soul in the room is quite natural.”

“Really…? I’ve never thought about it like that…”

“But after today, I think I understand you a bit more. To be honest, I thought you were a bit of a pushover, but you have a strong sense of right and wrong. I was surprised you were able to get so annoyed with me over the apples, especially since last time we met, I was pointing a gun at your head.”

Another street passed, the two finally in the quiet of night without any other people around.

“Oh, well, it took me a bit to get past that.”

“You’re past that?”

“Well, if it’s the same you carrying kittens home with me right now, then yes- I think I’m past that.” There was a brief pause. “…Just no more guns.”

Black Sapphire laughed.

“Yes, yes- I think I can do that.”

 The conversation quickly shifted into simple talk about each other’s lives until they reached Pure Vanilla’s residence. They entered through the still unlocked gate, before Pure Vanilla had to ask Black Sapphire to reach into his pocket for the keys. Upon entering, Black Sapphire set the kittens down to take off his shoes before Pure Vanilla led them both up the stairs.

“I apologise for the wait, but it might be a while before we get to eat dinner. I think we should prioritise getting the cats- and ourselves- bathed.”

“Of course.”

Pure Vanilla noticed how the other was in a much better mood than earlier, despite all that had happened today. He smiled.

They went down the hall, passing Pure Vanilla’s room until they approached small bathroom.

“Oh, proper plumbing-!”

Black Sapphire almost forgot why they were there in the first place with excitement.

The room was fairly cramped- a large clawfoot tub taking up the opposite end to the door- by its side, a small washbasin was against the wall with a toilet on the opposite wall to that.

“If you would prefer, I would be happy to wash the kittens.”

“Yes, I think I’d rather not. Thank you for the offer~.”

Pure Vanilla smiled, moving behind Black Sapphire to shut the door. He carefully scooted around him again, making his way to the clawfoot tub, before running the tap- carefully swiping his hands through until he got the right temperature. The bath got plugged, and the tub was filled only the tiniest amount.

“Alright, do you mind passing me the soap by the sink, and the kittens?”

Black Sapphire handed over the soap, before peeling the waistcoat off of the basket to reveal the kittens. The sight almost won him over.

The four kittens were sleeping in a tangled mess, small pieces of torn up fish scattered around their forms.

It was gross, but in a way, made his heart leap a little.

He picked them up, handing them to Pure Vanilla one by one. Pure Vanilla, fully clothed, sat in the tub- taking each kitten into the extremely shallow waters.

Black Sapphire then passed the mother cat in as well, who showed small signs of distress. He sat himself on the tile floor, casually hanging an arm on the edge of the tub as he peered in.

“Oh dear, we better get her cleaned up first.”

Pure Vanilla cupped water in his hands, pouring it over her form before taking some of the wash and scrubbing it throughout her fur. The cat reacted, hissing at him with upset, yet didn’t scratch.

“I’m so sorry, this will be quick, I promise…”

He ran his fingers through her fur, checking for fleas, sighing in relief when he found none. There was no flea dirt either, giving him greater assurance that she was fine.

“Can you dry her, please Sapphire?”

…Sapphire? Since when did Pure Vanilla call him…?

He ignored it, quickly taking a folded towel from the edge of the sink and placing it in his lap, reaching out to accept the cat that was coming his way. The cat was placed in the towel, and he worked at drying it off until it was only damp before it’s struggling demanded that it be released.

He obliged, letting it sit in the corner of the bathroom as it licked itself. How odd, that they just cleaned it, yet it deigned its saliva as a better mode of hygiene.

Pure Vanilla handed him another kitten, which he promptly dried before reaching to deposit into the basket. He quickly realised the basket was full, opting to place its contents aside, before taking a fresh towel and laying it out in the basket. The kitten was placed inside.

Just as fast as the other one came, another kitten was placed into his hands, and the process repeated itself.

“So, what do you intend on doing with these cats?”

“I’ll keep the mother and all of the females, but I’ll have to find someone to take care of any male kittens. Fortunately, if I’m not wrong, only the black one is probably male. The males have a tendency to adopt solid coloration, I’ve heard.”

“Wow, so you intend on keeping four cats? That’s quite a commitment. Why not just keep the fifth?”

Pure Vanilla handed him the third kitten, which happened to be the black one in question.

“Well, we already have a stray problem. While there are currently studies into permanently sterilising a cat, for now, owners must just do their part to keep cats of the opposite sex separated, lest we worsen the existing crisis. And, I want to prevent inbreeding.”

“…Huh, I’ve never even considered the intricacies of keeping cats in that way.”

“Yes, I am quite sad I won’t be able to take care of all five of them. I have the resources, it’s just a shame that the circumstances force this of me…”

“But won’t your efforts to keep the sexes separated go in vain? Cats like exploration- they’re sure to find their way to each other eventually.”

“Yes, unfortunately many owners let this be the case… That is why I will keep the cats indoors. I am blessed enough to have my own indoor greenhouse, so they will still get a taste of the outdoors without any risks of more unneeded cats in this city.”

“A greenhouse…? How lovely, I should wish I could keep one out in the frontier…”

The last kitten was dried and placed in the basket, Black Sapphire only slightly relieved it was finally over.

He looked back at Pure Vanilla, now quite thoroughly dampened by water, realising that his hands were obviously getting cleaned by this too.

The realisation further hit him that Black Sapphire, himself, was extremely dirty right now.

He instantly plunged his hands into the soapy water, scrubbing at them with great intent, furiously picking at the small flecks of dirt from earlier in the day.

Pure Vanilla sat in surprise, before letting out a giggle.

“Aw, want me to clean you too, Sapphire?”

Black Sapphire stopped.

…What?

Did he hear that right? Was Pure Vanilla… openly flirting with him?”

“What?” His voice echoed his thoughts.

Pure Vanilla’s face suddenly deepened red as he realised what he had just said.

“Ah, I mean-“

Black Sapphire smirked.

“Wow, when you said you wanted what Milky and I had, I didn’t take think you were serious. It appears I have underestimated you, ‘Nilly’~.”

The flush on his face deepened. Goodness, this was better than teasing Shadow Milk.

Well, how could he stop now?

He raised his hands from the water, shuffling over to Pure Vanilla’s end of the tub, presenting his hands to him.

“Well, as you asked~?”

The blond’s mouth started blubbing like a fish, hesitantly raising his hands- in an effort to deny, or in an effort to take them, Black Sapphire couldn’t tell.

“It was- I didn’t-“

“Too inconvenient~?”

To Pure Vanilla’s growing shock, he pulled himself to his feet, bracing his hands on either side of the tub as he stepped in, lowering himself into the inch-deep water.

“Y-your- your pants-“

Pure Vanilla’s gaze travelled down to Black Sapphire’s lower pant legs, which were now wet at the bottom where they met the water.

Black Sapphire chuckled. “Aw, that’s all it was? Cute to see you worry about me~…” He paused for effect.

“…Don’t worry, I think all of me needs a clean right now.”

Pure Vanilla just about collapsed on the spot.

He sat back in the tub, his legs extended and his whole body quite damp from that whole ordeal, Black Sapphire now nearly straddling him if not for the fact that his torso was slightly elevated above his.

The hands which started this whole ordeal suddenly took Pure Vanilla’s own, Black Sapphire placing Pure Vanilla’s hand on top of his and reaching outside of the tub for a discarded towel, granting it to Pure Vanilla.

“Well? I need cleaning, don’t I?”

Pure Vanilla’s mouth fumbled over words that never formed, simply just accepting this new situation he was in, taking the towel in his hands and taking Black Sapphire’s own hands properly.

This… this was happening quite fast…

He dampened the towel in the water beside them, gently taking Black Sapphire’s left hand in one hand while his other dabbed at it with the wet towel.

“You’ve got to do better than that, even Milky knows how to clean me properly~.”

He didn’t know just how much redder he could get.

As he let a stuttered exhale leave his mouth, a small piece of damp hair fell in front of his face and clung to the skin.

He didn’t even notice it until the others free hand swept it behind his ear with gentle fingers.

They lingered there for a moment, Pure Vanilla nearly disappointed when he expected them to leave, but instead they stayed- beginning to run themselves through the short strands.

A little shiver of pleasure ran down his spine when he felt his scalp get scratched, leaning into the touch.

“Mmm- Black Sapphire-“

“Relaxing?”

“…Yes…”

He scratched a little harder, twisting his fingers around and around as he met the base of the others skull, the other rolling his head back into the touch.

“Don’t forget my hands~”

The other paused, then resumed his light scrubs at Black Sapphire’s hand, a little hesitant to release it in order to wash the one which was currently giving him such nice sensations.

He didn’t need to though- both hands retreated, leaving him a little worried.

“Did I- do something wrong?”

Black Sapphire grinned.

“No, don’t worry about it~. I just think you need to do my other hand now.”

Black Sapphire held out his other hand, which Pure Vanilla slightly smiled at and began to wash. He slightly hoped that the now-free hand would come to scratch at his scalp, a feeling of delight spread through him as he saw it reaching up.

He was instead surprised when it gently touched the muscle between his shoulder and neck, resting there lightly before applying slight pressure and pushing him backwards into the wall of the tub.

“B-Black-“

His sudden alarm was immediately eased when the other merely began to massage at the muscle, the touch suddenly releasing tension from the muscles with each push between his fingers.

Just how long has his shoulder felt so sore for…?

He nearly forgot to clean the others hand, although by this point he knew that this whole hand-washing this was just Black Sapphire’s way of acting friendly towards him.

It was an… odd way of befriending him.

Or was he even trying to be friendly at all?

…This felt really odd to be friend behaviour!

Not that he minded, the attention was nice, but… hopefully the other would make it clear-

His thoughts were interrupted by breath at his ear, Black Sapphire leaning close.

“Are you comfortable with this?”

Huh?

Pure Vanilla now felt a little nervous, it felt pretty obvious what the other was referring to, but…

“…With what?”

Black Sapphire pinched his own lips between his teeth, a little too nervous to outwardly just… ask.

“…Just tell me if you feel uncomfortable.”

Black Sapphire took his hand out of Pure Vanilla’s, opting to brace it on the edge of the tub as he pulled his head back, facing Pure Vanilla now.

With the hand that was on his shoulder, he moved it to cup Pure Vanilla’s chin, tilting his head up to meet Black Sapphire’s gaze.

The other’s blush was still there, showing no signs of upset or discomfort, yet Black Sapphire couldn’t help but feel nervous that the other was only acting out of compliance.

This was quickly changed when he felt two hands settling on his waist.

“…It’s ok…”

Pure Vanilla mumbled out.

“Is it really? I don’t want to do anything you aren’t OK with…”

“No- it’s just that I’m a little nervous, when it comes to being direct…”

Ah, the feeling was mutual, then.

Black Sapphire brushed a thumb over Pure Vanilla’s lips, which soon parted slightly- Black Sapphire finally leaning over to press his own lips against the other’s.

Pure Vanilla was immediately overwhelmed by the sensation- completely unfamiliar to what he had expected from how others had described such a feeling to him. He leaned back against the back of the bathtub more as Black Sapphire pushed into him, allowing for his mouth to open wider to let the other in.

He stroked his hands over the others waist, bringing them over to lightly scratch at the others back- he wasn’t quite sure what he was doing, but it felt right.

Two hands settled under his armpits, lifting him up from the edge slightly before settling at the others back as well, Black Sapphire’s hands kneading at the other’s skin through the thin, wet shirt he had on.

Ugh, in the way.

He dismissed the thought, thinking it too intense for the other- especially a first kiss. Well, he thought it was the other’s first kiss, anyway. His motions were quite rigid, and somewhat sloppy.

Well, wasn’t he a lucky guy~

A small smile found its way to his lips. He pushed in deeper, lapping at the roof of the others mouth, shivering at the sensation it brought. The other reciprocated, humming slightly, scratching harder at the other’s back through his waistcoat.

He settled down fully onto the other, leaning forward and hovering his chest just shy of the others. He kissed deeper, only pulling away when the other pushed him away with little force.

He caught his breath, panting slightly.

“A-are you alright?” He asked between breaths.

“Y-yeah. Just- just need to breathe-“

For a moment, they sat there exhaling into each other’s mouths- before Pure Vanilla pulled him in again.

This time, Black Sapphire found the others tongue in his mouth, him happily parting his lips more to allow for the other’s movements. The hands at his back moved down to his side, intently massaging his hip bones as a tongues messy movements were felt against his own.

Black Sapphire allowed it, even pulling the other to sit upright while he still had to bend down slightly to meet him.

He sighed into the others mouth, parting from the other slightly before beginning to nip at his lower lip, his canine digging into the plump flesh.

“Hnngh…”

Yet again Black Sapphire pulled away, looking at the other with concern.

“I apologise- did I hurt you?”

The other looked back at him, still slightly out of breath. His slightly flushed skin and messy, damp hair was making it difficult for Black Sapphire to wait for a response, the temptation to let his hands cling onto that wet, white shirt that clung to the others body so difficult to resist-

“No, it’s fine- but I think we should stop here-“ He said, trying to even his breath.

Immediately, Black Sapphire pulled back- raising out of the tub, standing on the bathmat before extending an arm out to Pure Vanilla.

Pure Vanilla accepted it, muttering a thank you before bracing another arm on the edge of the tub as he stumbled out of it.

“I-I’m sorry, I just-“

“Don’t apologize for anything, it’s fine.”

“No, yeah- it’s just- we probably should’ve dealt with the cat’s first-“

Oh, yeah.

Black Sapphire let out small pant of laughter through his still recovering breathing, nodding slightly.

“Y-yeah, I guess I could’ve picked a better time- or setting-“

Pure Vanilla reached around him, opening up the sink cabinet to pull out fresh towels.

“…You can wash up properly if you like, I’ll take the cats down to the living room.”

“Yeah, thanks…”

Almost hurriedly, Pure Vanilla took the basket in one hand and scooped up the now-dry mother cat onto his shoulder with the other. He quickly stepped out of the bathroom, bowing slightly, before walking back down the hall.

…

What was that about?

Also, not bad for a first-timer.

Black Sapphire shut the door, moving over to the bath and draining the water before running a fresh tub.

While he waited, he sat on the floor of the bathroom, taking the moment to reflect on the day.

Was kissing him really a good first-impression? Or second impression, he supposed?

Well, shit, the other’s first impression was awful, so maybe it wasn’t a fair comparison.

And, good lord, there was no way that just happened.

God, not even Shadow Milk kissed him like that. He was used to being the one pushed against something else.

Felt nice being on top, for once.

…Oh.

Maybe the other was thinking about this a little too hard, is that why he ran away in such a hurry?

Or maybe it was just the cats.

Actually, what did he mean to get out of this kiss? They were supposed to be friends. Pen-pals. Or, just potentially either of those two- they weren’t exactly close, just yet.

Well, this makes things awkward.

Black Sapphire stood up, turning the tap off and beginning to undress.

A small thud was heard outside the door, and Pure Vanilla’s quiet voice was heard through the muffling of the door.

“U-um, I brought your luggage, if you want to get changed…”

Black Sapphire stared at the door for a moment, remembering to answer.

“Oh, thank you.”

Footsteps which were clearly trying to pad themselves left, Black Sapphire walking over to crack the door open slightly, bringing his luggage in.

Pure Vanilla laid collapsed on the sofa, deeply grateful for the pile of kittens (and cat) that were currently making themselves comfortable all over him.

He idly reached a hand up to pat at one of them, stroking over the small tufts of fluff that felt so nice between his fingers.

So nice, nothing to think about, just cats, and the guy upstairs taking a bath which he had just kissed a few minutes ago and it was just the second time they met and today was not really meant to be a date but now it was suddenly looking very very much like a date and they were about to spend the next few days together and they already kissed the first day and what did that mean for the rest of the days oh gosh are they dating now is that how it works oh no is friendship over can they not be friends anymore-

Pure Vanilla exhaled, sitting upright and lightly clapping his hands over his cheeks.

It was fine, and actually, he had things to do. Worry about everything else later.

He lightly brushed the kittens off of him, putting them back on the floor with gentle hands, rising to his feet as he dodged the little creatures scrambling at his feet.

“Aww, don’t get too close, I don’t want to knock you over…”

He made his way to the kitchen, opening a door that joined the kitchen to the rest of the lower floor, opening into a large, open room- his mother had it built for hosting, with the idea that he would make many friends to have over. Small sitting areas with rugs and chairs lined the outside, a few doors showing themselves through the pillars that lined the edge of the room. Overall, Pure Vanilla had a love-hate relationship with the room- he only wished it matched the rest of the houses overall look, and that it ever served a purpose. He never had people over, after all. He reached the end of the room, opening a door which lead into a small wet-room, wooden shelves wound around the room- gloves, trowels and other gardening tools littered the space. He pulled out a stool, climbing to the top shelf- finding an old litter tray and food bowls from his late cat. He took the items, descending the steps, before realizing that he didn’t own litter any more.

It wasn’t the best solution, but he opened other door which led to the mini-greenhouse, taking a trowel with him on the way out.

He walked through small stepping-stone path, stopping at a patch of sand between flowers, taking a few scoops of the dry, sandy dirt into the litter tray, keeping the layer thin for the safety of the kittens.

It wasn’t ideal, but he wasn’t expecting to take cats home today.

Nor was he expecting to kiss the former scariest guy he’d ever met, but that was something he was trying to get his mind off of.

Wincing slightly at the thought, he put the trowel back and made his way back to the living room, setting out the litter tray on some old newspaper rolls he kept by the fireplace. For good measure, he laid out a lot more newspaper over the floor, before yet again realising he was severely underprepared for housing five cats.

He sighed, mulling over his options in keeping the cats safe.

He settled on keeping them in the kitchen, which was easy, as he could just keep the doors closed.

He moved everything into the kitchen, closing both doors and cleaning up some of the mess from the sandwich making. Making sure no other items were left on the floor, he filled up the shallow water bowl and set everything up, placing a blanket in the corner so that they had an easy place of rest away from the cold tiles.

Pleased with himself, he looked at the set-up, pleased with himself.

Before realising he still had to make dinner.

And perhaps, for the first time in his whole life, Pure Vanilla rolled his eyes.

Dinner was quite possibly the last thing he wanted to think about right now. Other than, well, the other last possible thing he wanted to think about right now.

Unfortunately for Black Sapphire, Pure Vanilla would not be cooking while there were tiny kittens in the kitchen, so leftovers would have to be served.

What a bad host, right?!

Usually, he might have cared, but right now he just wanted to collapse onto his bed,

Just why did he have to kiss him…

He looked into the pantry, tapping his foot slightly, before deciding that dried-beef sandwiches would actually be fine.

Not really, he really was being a terrible host right now, but there really was no food in the house- and Black Sapphire had dragged him away from the farmers stalls, so he wasn’t even able to get anything fresh…

He took a few slices of bread, buttering them as he had earlier, yet instead of making any sandwiches he just opted to place them onto a plate with the jerky by the side.

Feeling a bit bad, he took a pear from the fruit bowl and cut it into slices, spreading by the side of Black Sapphire’s plate.

It… It felt a bit better. At least some effort showed that he was trying to make a half-ok dinner for the other.

That was it. Tomorrow morning, he would rise earlier and buy a large assortment of pastries from the pâtissier for breakfast. And maybe, they’d get to go eat morning tea on the balcony.

Yes, that would make up for today.

Cleaning up the small mess he had made, Pure Vanilla took the plates out of the kitchen and into the small dining area by the living room, placing the plates opposite from each other.

Footfalls descending the staircase sounded, making the blond turn to look at the other.

“Bath’s free~.”

“Thank you…”

Pure Vanilla put his hands together in front of him, quickly walking past the other.

“Wait-“

A hand at his shoulder stopped him, before stuttering for a moment.

“S-sorry, dinners on the table!”

Unable to voice himself, Black Sapphire ended up just standing at the staircase, the other running past him.

Ugh, why was the other making this so difficult?

It was just a kiss.

Black Sapphire looked around, relieved when he saw no kittens, taking a seat at the dining table in front of a plate.

He assumed that the plate with pears was probably for him, given Pure Vanilla’s nature, but he just held the plate above the others and scraped half of the slices onto the other plate with his knife.

He wanted to wait for the other, but…

Maybe the time wasn’t quite right.

Pure Vanilla was ready for bed.

He ate his food- finding some slices of pears on his plate, which he decided to enjoy- he had dressed in his flannelettes, and now he was nice and clean.

Pure Vanilla should be ready for bed, but here he was, sitting on his bed and staring at the wall, watching the small candlelight from his bedside flicker against the floral patterns.

A small knock interrupted his thoughts.

Only one person it could be…

“Yes?” Pure Vanilla responded.

“May I come in?”

Pure Vanilla sighed. He wasn’t really ready for this conversation…

But he wasn’t really going to sleep otherwise, would he?

“Sure, come in.”

The door slowly creaked open, Black Sapphire standing slightly illuminated by a small candle in his hand.

The door slid shut behind him, and he walked over to the other side of the double bed, facing the curtains as he sat down, setting his candle on the other bedside dresser.

Silence sat for a moment, neither saying anything. Pure Vanilla gripped the blankets by his side.

“I’ve noticed, and it’s a little obvious, if I’m being honest- you don’t seem very comfortable around me after we kissed.”

…Straight to the point-!

His grip on the sheets tightened. Black Sapphire continued.

“I want you to know that I don’t expect anything of you after that- whatever you are comfortable with, I am happy to meet you with.”

Pure Vanilla paused.

Oh.

So… did that mean...?

“…That… relieves my thoughts, honestly.”

“I’m glad.”

The blankets were released, slightly.

Black Sapphire turned, sitting cross-legged and facing Pure Vanilla’s back.

“But if I may ask… are you alright? Did I overstep at all?”

Pure Vanilla swivelled around, facing him as well.

“N-no! Not at all… It did take me by surprise, of course- but I did all of that without feeling pressured.” Some of that slight blush reached Pure Vanilla’s face again, not quite meeting Black Sapphire’s gaze.

Black Sapphire breathed a sigh of relief.

“That makes me very glad.”

Pure Vanilla took his gaze to the sheets in front of him, trailing his fingers over the quilted stitching.

“…If I may ask…” He slowly lifted his gaze up, looking back up to Black Sapphire. “Are… Are you and Shadow Milk a thing? You mentioned something like that, about me… wanting ‘what you guys had’.”

Black Sapphire’s expression shifted into something of surprise, flicking his eyes around the room, almost looking for something to look at while trying to process the question.

“…Hah…” He sighed, shoulders dropping. “Milky and I are friends, but we snuggle, kiss- all of that mushy stuff.”

“Friends can do that?”

“Some of them do. But I don’t know if Shadow Milk and I fit into that box.”

“Then… what do you fit into?”

Black Sapphire scratched at his jaw lightly.

“I don’t think we have a box. We just kind of… make sure we are clear with each other? Like, we’ve already discussed the fact that we are fine with each other doing all that stuff with other people, as well with each other.”

“So, like dating…? Except with more?”

“Not quite, again, I don’t know if dating is the right word- I suppose we just sort of- well, geez, now you’re making me think about everything…”

Pure Vanilla tapped a finger to the sheets, before a small thought passed through him.

“…If I’m going to be honest, I don’t really know whether I want to just be friends with you, or kiss you again… because, kissing you was very nice, and maybe it would be fun…” he blushed a bit at that last bit, his words trailing off for a moment before continuing. “So, maybe, if it’s ok with you, could you and I be what you and Shadow Milk are? Like, not really a specific word for it, but we don’t ruin the friendship?”

Black Sapphire smiled slightly.

“I’m very glad we have had this talk tonight, Pure Vanilla.”

He opened up his arms, leaning forward to hug Pure Vanilla. The other reacted with a huge smile, nearly tackling Black Sapphire off of the bed with the force of his hug.

“woah-“

He caught himself, before rubbing at Pure Vanilla’s back lightly.

A sinister smile traced his lips, as he flicked his tongue out against his lips to ready himself for his next line.

“Well~… If you want what Shadow Milk and I have, the first step is snuggling…”

Black Sapphire leaned back into the pillows, pulling Pure Vanilla down with him as he started to move the sheets from beneath them.

“The second step is sharing a bed…”

The blankets were pulled over them, cocooning them fully in the covers and blocking out the candlelight. Pure Vanilla held his breath in anticipation.

“And the third step…”

Black Sapphire grinned, the smile swallowed by darkness, Pure Vanilla not catching any of it.

He silently took a pillow, readying by his side.

“Is to thoroughly hate each other’s guts.”

The pillow was slammed into Pure Vanilla’s face, the blond coughing in surprise as his hands scrambled at Black Sapphire’s face.

Black Sapphire laughed hard, ignoring the hands that were reaching out at him, using his own to roll the other over to the edge of the bed.

Content, he sprawled himself out on the massive bed, taking all of the space to himself while Pure Vanilla was still stunned at the edge.

“H-hey-!”

This time, the ugly smirk on his face did reach Pure Vanilla, as he pretended not to notice the pouty man beside him.

“What~? I’m just answering your request.”

“T-that doesn’t-!”

“Take a pillow.”

“-huh?”

“If you’re so mad, take a pillow~.”

Confused, Pure Vanilla picked up a pillow, turning to see Black Sapphire laying on his side, face propped on his elbow, a smug look on his face and he pointed to his face.

“I-can’t we just resolve this with dialogue…?”

“That’s your first problem!”

Another pillow landed in Pure Vanillas face, leaving a look of disbelief on him when the cushion fell.

“This- this is-!”

“Too slow~!”

Yet another one slammed into his face, bouncing back onto the covers in front of Pure Vanilla.

“Black Sapphire-!”

“Hmm?”

Black Sapphire’s grin grew when he saw Pure Vanilla finally raise a pillow over his head, reaching over to throw it before stopping short.

“Goodness, you really can’t hurt a fly. Just throw the damn thing already.”

“I- I don’t want to hurt you…?”

“Yes, and did it hurt when I threw it at you?”

“…No?”

Another pillow slammed into Pure Vanilla’s face.

“Then I guess I didn’t throw hard enough. Oops~!”

“Black Sapphire!”

Pure Vanilla folded his arms against his chest, dramatically landing into the covers.

“I give up, let me go to sleep...”

“Ok, ok- fine.”

The pillows were rearranged at the headboard, Pure Vanilla tilted his head up to make room for another cushion when he felt gentle fingers at the base of his neck prompting him up.

“Are you fine with me sleeping here tonight?”

Pure Vanilla blinked at the other confusedly, before snuffing out his candlelight.

Was he really asking this now…?

Pure Vanilla sighed, pulling the covers over his face.

“Yes, now please go to sleep.”