#namivan

♥︎ Rarepair Month 2022 ♥︎ Namivan ♥︎ Naminé x Vanitas ♥︎

Naminé nervously meets Vanitas in secret; her friends have yet to discover their special relationship. As shadows of two heroes and a princess, their mutual loneliness drew them together. Perhaps now they can find happiness, and realize they’re more than just copies.

45. Alone.

“Have you ever felt alone, Vanitas?” Vanitas stops focusing on how the sand feels under his feet as they walk along the shore. “Huh? Alone? I’ve never cared about being alone.” Naminé swings her sandals at her side. “Hm...I thought otherwise,” she confesses. “Why?” “Sometimes you seem lonely. Like when you have to leave Ven.” Vanitas scoffs. He doesn’t say anything. Naminé slows down. “I wonder...why don’t you live with him? You miss him.” She’s sad from the idea, but it’s the truth. Vanitas knocks her hand with his. “I see him enough. I’m not alone with you.”

46. Remember.

“So what’s it like? With you and Kairi?” Vanitas asks. He’s more comfortable with Naminé now to ask. Naminé sighs happily. “I remember how we connected as soon as we met. I felt safe with her...like I could follow her lead and be okay.” Vanitas takes another bite out of his sea salt ice-cream. “Remember anything else?” Naminé looks down at her ice-cream. “Plenty, but we haven’t been able to spend that much time together. And now that she’s asleep...” She wipes at her eye and Vanitas feels a small pang of guilt. “She’ll come back, y’know,” he says.

47. Forget.

“So you can make anyone forget anything?” Vanitas asks, tossing the book he was barely reading off to the side. Naminé is used to Vanitas’ mistreatment of books at this point; at least it was onto his bed and not the floor. She sips her tea. “Yes, I can.” Vanitas whistles. “That’s some power. But you’re too good to do that to anyone, aren’t you?” Naminé pauses. She’s much better now about believing she’s a good person and she’s done everything she can to help out her friends. She’s good. “You’re right, I am.”

48. Stop. (Writer’s Choice)

Against Riku’s gentle opposition, Naminé takes to sitting outside Vanitas’ door and sometimes talking to him. He doesn’t answer most of the time and they spend a lot of time in silence. Naminé doesn’t want to leave him alone; everyone needs a friend. “Hey.” Naminé jumps. “Oh, hello, Vanitas.” She hears Vanitas’ “tch” and finds the sliver of personality charming for existing. “Stop doing this,” he growls, “there’s no point in whatever you’re doing.” Naminé frowns. She’s been afraid of pushing him away instead of coaxing him into conversation. “I disagree. You’re talking to me now, that’s all I want.”

49. Wait. (Writer’s Choice)

Naminé kisses Kairi’s temple. “See you soon,” she whispers. She holds out her hand for Vanitas to take and as he does she starts to lead them out of the lab. She thanks the scientists--and Demyx, she guesses--for taking care of Kairi and bustles out. “It’s a little harder each time,” Naminé says, her voice cracking, “waiting is getting harder.” Vanitas stops Naminé from leading them past the gummi ship. “Hey, you can’t just run away like that.” Naminé holds onto his hand tighter. Her grip isn’t strong but it isn’t weak either. “I know...she wouldn’t want me to.”

50. Go. (Writer’s Choice)

39. Poor.

Naminé finds it incredibly sweet of Vanitas to go out into town on his own and come back with a gift for her. It’s almost the same present as one Riku gave her before but a different set. She’ll always look at these colored pencils and feel warm that it was Vanitas who gave them to her. She colors with them once and discovers that they’re poor quality but Naminé doesn’t mind. She is, however, concerned about one particular detail. “Vanitas...where did you get the money for these?” Vanitas’ furrowed, confused brow tells her all she needs to know.

40. Rich.

Sometimes when they decide to go out together--on dates as Naminé bashfully calls it--they often arrive in Twilight Town and head straight for the bistro. Naminé usually gets sweet things for dessert but today she decides to try a very rich chocolate cake in hopes that Vanitas will like a dessert for once. Naminé can only handle a few bites until she puts down her fork. Vanitas grins. “Oh, so it got the best of you after all.” Naminé nods. “It’s very good but...well, I’m glad you like it.” Vanitas smirks and pulls the cake towards him.

41. Truth.

“Y’know I’m surprised none of your friends made a big fuss about us.” Vanitas says to Naminé, chin in his hands. Riku doesn’t want to comment. He keeps watching the kettle and setting up three mugs. But Vanitas has a way of dragging people into things. “Especially you over there,” he says. “To tell the truth, you two,” Riku admits, “I wasn’t so sure about this.” Vanitas shrugs and Naminé looks down at her folded hands. Riku sighs and sets down their teas in front of them. This isn’t his favorite conversation but he didn’t want to lie.

42. Lies.

“I’ve...told a lot of lies,” Naminé confesses softly. “I’ve created so many lies...and I was never the one to pay the price.” Vanitas watches her, mouth pursed to the side. Then he shrugs and stretches his arms up. “So what?” Naminé’s head snaps towards him. “What?” “So what? None of your friends care about all that, right?” Naminé pauses. “No...they don’t, I don’t think. They’re very forgiving.” Vanitas tugs Naminé against his side by her waist. “And, y’know, I like this dark little secret of yours,” he says, lips to her ear, “tell me more.”

43. Clean.

Vanitas doesn’t need his helmet anymore, or at least not in the foreseeable future. It sits on a shelf in his room across from his bed where he can stare at it every night until he falls asleep. He’s taken to wiping down the front plate with his t-shirts whenever it gathers a little dust or he leaves finger marks over it. Naminé brings him some cleaning spray and a towel after she catches him doing it. “Here, this can clean that up for you.” Vanitas doesn’t it want to be a serious thing, but he accepts the items anyway.

44. Dirty.

31. Friends.

“I’m sick of him trying to act like we can just be “friends” and that’s it!” Vanitas growls, stomping out of the Land of Departure castle and across the courtyard. “We’re something more, why can’t he see that?” “...Do you want to be a family?” Naminé suggests. Vanitas scoffs. “He’s already my brother.” Naminé sighs. “Yes but...hm. I don’t know how to explain it.” “...I want...damn it, what you and Kairi have.” Vanitas curses again and looks away from Naminé. Naminé’s chest feels warm; she hasn’t spoken to Kairi in so long but she understands Vanitas’ feelings now.

32. Enemies

Naminé knew getting her friends to accept her relationship with Vanitas would be a little tricky even if they were a forgiving bunch. Riku, no stranger to the struggle Vanitas would face, was the quickest to give his approval. The others weren’t as easy; Lea has a hard time letting go of Vanitas as one of the enemies until Isa steps in to take him aside to talk. “Probably getting angsty over there,” Roxas teases them. He and Xion seem apprehensive but willing to give Vanitas a chance. “Nice to meet you on this side,” Xion says with a smile.

33. Black

Vanitas whistles. “So you can summon portals, too? You?” Naminé’s hand curls into a loose fist at her chest. “I...yes, I am--was a Nobody after all.” Vanitas smirks and puts his hand around Naminé’s little shoulder. He’s always excited by the times Naminé isn’t the beacon of light people treat her as. “What about those black coats? Do you need one of those?” “...I don’t think so.” Naminé is obviously about as troubled by her powers as Vanitas is delighted by them. He squeezes her shoulder. He leans into her ear. “Then let’s go somewhere, just you and me.”

34. White.

26. Life.

Vanitas never puts thought into what he wants out of his chance at life. He does what comes to him and sits back until he reacts for the rest of it. Since his original, pre-replica plan to fuse with Ventus didn’t work out he has to do something else. He was tired of island life until he got closer to Naminé. She was patient with him and found ways to make existing more interesting, even worthwhile. His world used to only be him and Ventus. “Hey, how’s life today?” Riku asks when he comes into the kitchen. Vanitas shrugs. “Where’s Naminé?”

27. Death.

Naminé hasn’t thought about death in a real way before this moment, crouching next to a seagull who must have starved from a broken wing. The people she knew in the Organization didn’t really die...did they? They were fine now, at least, but it didn’t cross her mind much back then. Did she inherently know as a Nobody that they could return to life as easily as they were brought to death? She looks up at Vanitas, brought back from the dead and currently bored, and cocks her head. “I feel sorry for it...what a cruel fate.”

28. Win.

“Oh, Riku! Would you like to play with us?” she asks, perking up. Riku looks between chipper Naminé, pouting Vanitas, and their playing card game. “Um...maybe I shouldn’t. You two look like you’re having fun.” “Come on, man, she keeps winning,” Vanitas growls. “Maybe you can beat her.” Naminé smiles as if Vanitas speaking casually to Riku and asking for help--in a way--wasn’t a new development. Riku chuckles and sits. “Well, if that’s the case then count me in.” “Hear that, Nami? Your winning streak is over.” And now nicknames. What has Riku been missing?

29. Draw.

Vanitas was thrilled in his own way when he and Naminé discovered the Struggle tournament happening on their visit to Twilight Town. With Roxas’ endorsement he was allowed to enter despite never playing before. They end up against each other in the final match and Naminé has to cheer for them both--Lea teases her about it. The match ends in a draw when the timer runs out and their scores are the same. Vanitas looks more upset about it than Roxas does, but Roxas has always been a good sport. “Could’ve had him if there was more time,” he grumbles.

30. Lose.

22. Brief.

Vanitas doesn’t kiss her in front of other people. Naminé doesn’t really mind, she’s probably just as private as he is so it’s not something that she thinks much of. So it catches her off guard when, after breakfast with Riku, he kisses her cheek briefly, mumbles something she can’t understand, and rushes out of the house. Riku raises his eyebrows and finishes his sip of coffee. “That happened,” he comments. Naminé blushes. “Oh, yes...it did.” She tries to drink her tea normally but ends up letting the cup sit on her lips for a long moment before drinking.

23. Forever.

“How long do you think we’re stuck here?” Naminé frowns in Vanitas’ direction. “Hm? What do you mean?” Vanitas is glaring out at the horizon. “We can’t stay here forever, right? How boring would that be?” “Well...where would you go?” “I dunno, and you’re coming with me wherever that is.” Naminé, flustered, looks down at her fidgeting hands. “I am?” “Uh, yeah?” Vanitas sounds a tinge bashful as he tries to act confidently like this was something they discussed. “We have to move on at some point.” “Then...we can talk about it when the time comes.”

24. Emotional.

Vanitas isn’t emotional in the same way Naminé is; Naminé is more gentle and her more intense emotions lead to her crying even when she’s happy. Vanitas has only seen her do this a few times, and has teased her at least once about it. He might be just as emotional as her, though; he reacts to everything in myriad ways and most of the time is more expressive than Naminé. He has ten more ways to smirk than she does to smile. Vanitas definitely has strong emotions when something he does causes Naminé tear up and giggle at once.

25. Blank.

17. Past.

Naminé’s past doesn’t come up that often. She knows more about Vanitas than most people but she keeps her history locked tight. “It’s not like you did anything bad,” Vanitas says, waving his hand dismissively, “so what’s the deal?” Naminé withdraws and her silence is loud enough to cause Vanitas to look up at her on her paopu tree perch. He smirks. “Well then. What could you have done?” Naminé opens then immediately closes her mouth; she can’t bring herself to tell him about her lonely days as a witch and the way she used her powers to hurt others.

18. Present.

“It’s hard to go back to normal life,” Riku muses, “that’s why I chose to not live with my parents.” Vanitas doesn’t really know what a parent is and he doesn’t really care about this conversation. “Okay, and?” “He’s answering your question,” Naminé explains softly. Riku turns his cup around on the table. “I can’t mix how things are presently with who I was years ago. So we live on our own.” Vanitas rocks back in his chair, arms crossed. “Right. Everyone else doesn’t know anything.” Naminé sighs. “No one can understand us...can they?” “...Not ever again,” Riku says.

19. Future.

It took a long time for Naminé to convince Vanitas to accompany her to talk to Kairi. He always goes with her and Riku to Radiant Garden when they visit Kairi’s sleeping form but he never went into the lab with them. Naminé is holding Vanitas’ hand with both of hers, gently cradling him as she speaks softly to Kairi. “I hope you won’t be alarmed when you wake up someday,” she says, “he’s good.” Vanitas tries not to scowl the whole time; he’s so uncomfortable he wants to speed time up so they can stop waiting for the future.

20. Awake.

Naminé is so lost in her drawing she doesn’t notice the sun go down. She’s switching between colored pencils, holding one or two between every couple of fingers. Her artwork isn’t big but she’s been putting details into every inch she can. “--mi. Nami!” Naminé jumps, dropping some of her pencils onto her desk. She looks toward the door and sees Vanitas leaning against it. “What are you doing still awake?” he asks, sounding a tad more annoyed than concerned. “You need to sleep.” Naminé looks down at her piece and hums. “Oh, I just got caught up in this.”

21. Sleep.