Le Chat et L'Amant Mort.

Memories of the past

The mirror reflected a man few would recognize. The long bone-white hair sticking waist-length... violet hue's unsure as the man stared into his reflection... he really did look dastardly horrid.

Gloved fingers lifting a pair of scissors, staring at himself, he lifted it to the tied back hair...

One breath,

Two breaths,

And three breaths,

Clip~

Down went the hair, falling to the ground.

Noé leaned on the counter, supporting his weight as he reminded himself he'd be seeing Vanitas every day. The only difference from then to now are memories... lost time this Vanitas didn't have... but it was him...

Slowly, his gaze lifted to his reflection as he shook his head. The mess of his hair fell against his face, nearly perfect but a bit uneven. He fixed it himself, reminded of a friend who'd always complained about the unruly mess she had to clean up... He smiled to himself as his fingers ran through his hair, he felt lighter... The weight gone was... relaxing.

His next duty was to hang the coat in the closet and grab a new coat, white and pretty, in his hands. He slipped it on, thankful it still fit.

His old clothes, vintage and worth a lot of money, still sat packed away, but he had modern clothes, a sweater, a pale yellow that sat nicely over a white button-up, baggy pants, white as was a custom for him.

A smile graced his lips as he reminded himself of today... today has been... more than nice.

He walked past the empty bed, and it didn't hurt to picture Vanitas sitting there propped against the headboard... it didn't hurt to slip to the roof and sit down, staring into the stars.

There were those who he should inform of this...

But...

Perhaps it was selfish...

Perhaps he didn't deserve to be so...

But that could wait... he could have Vanitas to himself for a little, maybe years...

Slowly his eyes drifted shut, the cool wind breezing past him wasn't uncomfortable, rather, it soothed him.

-

Vanitas slipped inside, glancing around the room, the sweet smell of a cooked meal reaching his nose. "Is it edible?" he called out, nearly startling the other two who missed the door opening from their spot before a T.V.

"Yay! Big brother's home!" The child slipped from the adult's arms to rush for his brother, throwing himself at the male, who sighed, lifting him.

"Father made us stew today, and it was good!" Vanitas nodded, holding the small being in one arm, the other making himself a plate.

"What kept you out so long today?" Vanitas glanced at the parent figure with a small shrug.

"I met somebody today."

"Wha? Big brother won't stop hanging out with me, right?" The boy's lip started to wobble as Vanitas chuckled to himself, rolling his eyes. He set the boy down in the chair next to him as he sat to eat.

"I'll still have time for you..." Vanitas trailed off, blowing on a spoonful of his dinner, slipping it into his mouth, he was rather impressed.

"Wow, it is edible!" He chimed, watching as Luna narrowed their eyes and pouted, acting hurt by the words.

"Who is this someone?"

"Kid from school who ran into at the Cafe, a street down from the building. His name is Noé." The two seemed to freeze themselves, eyes on the boy who, very unlike himself, didn't pick up on the surprised atmosphere between the two.

"Oh? What's he like?"

"Annoying... he runs off at the littlest things, shocked he hasn't ended up lost on his own."

"It sounds like you made a friend."

"I guess..." The boy beside him crossed his arms, pouting.

"I wanna meet this Noé!" Vanitas shook his head as he leaned back.

"Doesn't seem like the type to like younger kids." Vanitas stretched, standing from his seat to wash the bowl he used, setting it in the dishwasher as he stretched again.

~

Cold...

Again

He's so cold...

Like a corpse...

Vanitas curled up on himself, asleep but aware of his surroundings. There was a lighter weight on the bed, snuggled against his back... his little brother... who he knew wasn't his actual brother, but he might as well be.

His name was called by that dreaded panicked voice... that cry of his name that came with the phantom feeling of water hitting his cheeks, a weight on his chest, heavy as a person, pain seeping by his chest as he startled awake, gasping for air as arms came and hugged him from behind. "Two in a row? Please... you should let Father take you somewhere... It's scary!" Vanitas brought a hand to his face, trying to stop the shaking of his limbs as he tried not to breathe too heavily.

"Vanitas... are you alright?"

"Oui..."

"I'll get you a glass of ice water..." Vanitas wanted to decline the offer, but went against that as he shifted away from the smallest hold and stood up leaning against the nightstand for support still shaken from the dream...

"At least... can you... tell me about it?" Vanitas turned to the child and shook his head, walking around a bit as he shook off the jitters.

"Mikhail, they're just dreams, that's it. Nothing special, or worth talking over." Vanitas hummed, patting the boy's head once he was done pacing around.

Curling back underneath the covers, he stretched before his eyes closed.

He was long asleep before the ice water arrived.

-

Noé startled awake, glancing to his side, pulling his knees to his chest as he wiped his face with the back of his hands...

That had been... a pleasant dream till the end.

He'd been reliving an old memory, the night he'd first met Vanitas...

His lips curled into a smile as he remembered the way he'd dropped to catch the falling human, mainly to ask him questions, but had unwillingly been tagged as the boy's partner. He was glad the boy had ignored his denial that night... he laughed to himself as he recalled the dramatic first few months... the exclamations that could give him second-hand embarrassment... the running, fighting, being saved... the moments where they bickered, where Vanitas teased him, where he teased right back.

They would make all new memories, he wondered if those memories... would be even better than the past ones

He answered his own thought.

That these new memories would be far greater then the past... because this Vanitas.... He smiled a lot more than the Vanitas he knew.