[closed] my heart is made of just one thing.

[oathkeeper]

Who: Sora & Vanitas
When: The first week of February/Feoveuer
Where: Darkness House
What: These two weirdos somehow bonded and now they have to deal with it.
Warnings: tba!

Comments

[oathkeeper]

I hope that helps.

[Sora sits back a little and watches Vanitas drink. He swallows back a lump in his throat.]

I'm sorry. It was something I did, wasn't it?

[darkcharge]

[ Van sighs and leans back against the wall. He closes his eyes for a moment, pondering how to answer the question. ]

Yes. [ Because it is the truth. ] Also no.

[ That is the truth of it as well. It's not something Sora had actively done, but it had been brought on because of one simple act. ]

It's complicated and not really your fault.

[oathkeeper]

[Sora settles to sit where he is too. Now they're sitting on the bathroom floor. It's fine.]

Do you wanna talk about it?

[The invitation is there if Vanitas really wants to share what this moment was all about. Sora doesn't feel like pushing anymore but he would like to understand as well.]

[darkcharge]

Tch. No, but if you're going to be stubborn and tough all this out then...

[ He shrugs, scratching at his neck. ]

You'll experience this again.

[ So it'd probably be better to just Bond with someone else and let Van go, Sora. ]

[oathkeeper]

[Sora grumbles a little and pouts. He leans forward as he holds his own ankles where he's sitting cross-legged.]

Like I said, I don't mind this. I don't mind being here.

[Too bad, Vanitas. He's not letting go now. Vanitas is stuck with him.]

If it's a little rough once in a while I'll just have to get better and getting you water and stuff.

[darkcharge]

[ Van sighs and stands up. He's still a little wobbly, but he can make it. Then he nudges Sora with a toe. ]

Come on. Back to the room.

[ He's not going to talk in the bathroom. Other people live here and need to use it too. ]

[oathkeeper]

Umm. Okay.

[Sora quickly gets to his feet and follows Vanitas like a puppy back to the room.]

[darkcharge]

Unless you want to sit on the bathroom floor?

[ Who wants that, Sora? Van rolls his eyes, still so tired and those dark rings under them haven’t started to fade just yet. Though soon enough they are back in the bedroom. Van just leans against the window. He leans his forehead on the glass, enjoying the slight chill. ]

I didn’t always have control over the Unversed. When I first came to be, I had no idea what they were or where they were coming from.

[oathkeeper]

[Sora picks to sit on the edge of the bed, looking over at Vanitas as he talks. He notes the way that Vanitas still looks somewhat exhausted. Sora can feel some sort of flicker of that in his own bones. It's an odd feeling.

But he's gently surprised that Vanitas does talk instead of shutting Sora down again. He doesn't even kick Sora out after a situation like that like Sora had sort of been expecting. Vanitas really is unpredictable.]

The Unversed? But they do come from you, right?

[Like Vanitas' flood that had led Sora to this place.]

[darkcharge]

[ It probably is surprising to Sora. Not so much to Vanitas. After all, Sora has already seen him frail and weak. He's already asked for Sora's help. As Vanitas has been vulnerable to the brat before there's little use to keep up some pretenses.

That doesn't mean his defenses won't be back up come morning. ]

Yes, they do. That doesn't mean I knew that to start with. As you know they feed off of negativity. Who do you think their first target was?

[oathkeeper]

[Sora contemplates for a moment while feeling a little awkward about hearing about the unversed in general. He's killed them before but he never really had the time to ask the why or what about that.]

Don't tell me it was you?

[He seems alarmed.]

[darkcharge]

Naturally it was. More often than not, I was he only one around. Xehanort came and went as he pleased. So they'd go after the first source of negativity they could find: me.

[ He doesn't look away from the window. ]

They attacked. I attacked back. When they vanished, they'd return to me. I'd feel it and create more in return. Thus the cycle would keep going and going.

[oathkeeper]

[He watches the other boy with some grief in his eyes at the thought of all of that. To have the unversed come from Vanitas only to turn around and attack him? What a terrible and vicious circle that he can't imagine must have felt like. Sora's shoulders sag and he's even more glad that Xehanort is toast.]

That wasn't fair for you to go through something like that, Vanitas.

[He looks up at the other boy.]

But... Is that why you panicked? Because something reminded you of that? Or?

[darkcharge]

Life isn't fair, Sora. Ventus got to live in a castle and be completely oblivious to his other half. Meanwhile I had to fight my own emotions to get stronger.

[ He huffs, but really he's just complaining. ]

Anyway, yeah. That's why I panicked. Those days I didn't get too much sleep because the Unversed would just be there. Waiting. My panic and fear don't actually take form like other Unversed do.

[oathkeeper]

[It's such a shame because the little flood that had shown Sora the path to this place is kind of cute...]

That still doesn't make it your or Ventus' fault. It was Xehanort.

[Just saying that kinda softly. But it's true.]

But, I'm sorry. If it bothers you I won't do that again. I don't want to be why those memories come back like that, you know? There's got to be a better way to deal with all of it without you getting so panicked.

[darkcharge]

[ Vanitas makes a noncommittal sound. He isn't quite in the right place just yet to completely admit that Xehanort had manipulated him too. Isn't ready to accept that he had been a victim. ]

Time. Adjusting. I used to flinch even when Mira would just put her hand on my shoulder. Now I don't.

[ Snorts. ]

Stop apologizing anyway. It's not like you were aware.

[oathkeeper]

[Sora tilts his head as he wonders. He pulls his legs up on the bed and faces Vanitas.]

So, just a bit at a time, then? Give me your hands for a second.

[He holds out his hands.]

[darkcharge]

Huh?

[ What are you up to brat? Vanitas opens his eyes. Pushes himself up and away from the window. He then shuffles back to the bed and sits. ]

Why...

[ Van is still holding out his hands anyway. ]

[oathkeeper]

Because.

[Great reasoning. But Sora does more with his actions than he does with his words for now as he takes Vanitas' hands in his much like they did at the bonding ceremony. He glances up at Vanitas before he looks down at their hands again before he carefully moves his fingers over Vanitas' wrists. Pat pat.]

That's not bad, right?

[darkcharge]

[ His eyes are completely focused on Sora’s hands holding his own. This doesn’t bother Vanitas so much. He knows that Sora isn’t out to hurt or attack him - someone else might get a different reaction out of him though. Then as the kid runs his fingers over Van’s wrists? ]

No, not really.

[ It actually feels kind of nice? Warm. Soothing. Like Mira’s hand on his back. ]

[oathkeeper]

[Sora's so careful that he doesn't move too quickly or do something that might be too much. If Vanitas shows signs that he doesn't want Sora to continue he'll definitely stop. For now he lets his fingers drift up Vanitas' forearms a bit. It might tickle lightly.]

And this?

[darkcharge]

[ The only reason that Vanitas isn't as comfortable, tensing slightly, is because Sora is unpredictable. Van doesn't know what the kid is planning or what the end goal here is.

Again, it's not painful, but it's so weird. Rarely does Van have his arms exposed and yet here Sora is. It doesn't tickle, but Vanitas still finds that he is holding his breath.

Again. He has to adjust. ]

Weird.

[oathkeeper]

[He doesn't really have much of a plan at all. Sora just looks down a little with a tiny smile on his lips as he brings his fingers up to Vanitas' elbows and then slightly above that. His hands are warm and gentle, Sora's touch a bit curious and forward. He does that for a moment more before he stops and lets his hands fall away.]

Weird, but not bad. [He smiles more.] There, just a bit today.

[darkcharge]

No, not bad.

[ Honestly everything about Sora is curious and forward. At least just forward at any rate. Being gentle and slow about it, allowing Van to see exactly what's going on is actually quite helpful. It's likely the reason that Vanitas doesn't freak out entirely.

Yet he still breathes in a bit of a sigh of relief when those hands drop. Though his skin still prickles a little where those fingers had been. ]

Today?

[oathkeeper]

[Oh, did he say that word out loud with the implication there could be more later? Sora rubs sheepishly at the front of his hair as he shrugs lightly.]

Uh, I dunno. Maybe another day there's uh...

[What is he saying??]

Nevermind, it's nothing. [He laughs softly.] I'm glad you're feeling a little better now.