Chapter Text
Noé was far from an expert in understanding his overly complicated human roommate. He knew some things, of course, not intimate details but small things. Like the way Vanitas sat inside to read when he felt comfortable, or how he hates any sort of mess in their shared space.
But the sight of Vanitas still curled up in his cocoon of blankets at one in the afternoon could only mean disaster.
Noé blinked, staring at the lump in the sheets, Vanitas's sweet scent seemed somewhat stronger as well. “Are you awake?” Noé asked with concern as he knelt on the bedside with one knee, he pressed his only functioning hand against the sheets and bounced the mattress.
“Hey, Vanitas. Vanitas!” He started shaking the lump of blankets before ripping them off to make sure his roommate wasn't dying.
The sight he was met with wasn't good, Vanitas was curled in on himself, clenching his sides. The man's eyes were closed as he lay there panting, sweat beading on his forehead, causing his bangs to stick.
“You're sick..” Noé mumbled while he reached out a hand to touch the man's forehead and to his surprise, Vanitas didn't try to pull away. That was also a bad sign, and Vanitas felt so warm to the touch, that it had to be a fever.
He heard a whimper, and it sounded so wrong coming from Vanitas, it was a sound the human would never make if he could help it. Noé stared into those glossy half-lidded blue eyes, unfocused and blurry. The vampire tilted his head enough so he was directly in the other's line of sight.
They remained unmoving for a few seconds before they settled on him, meeting his gaze while Vanitas's chest continued to rise and fall under his blanket cocoon.
“Vanitas your lips..” Noé commented, noticing how chapped the man's lips were, it was as if he hadn't drunk anything in days.
Had he?
Noé got out of bed and walked to their bathroom, filling up a small cup with water before hurrying back to the doctor's side. “Can you hear me?”
No response.
He didn't know if he was crossing a line, but the man wasn't responding, and that only made Noé even more worried. Was the fever that bad? Even if Vanitas wasn't responding, he was going to continue talking to him anyway.
“Sorry about this, I need you to sit up.” He said after a moment, Vanitas had made no indication he was going to sit up and drink the water, so Noé supported his back and helped him up.
Vanitas’s eyebrows furrowed, he looked dazed more than anything, but he offered no complaint.
Where was the Vanitas he knew? He was still in there right? Noé brought the cup of water to the unwell man's mouth and tilted it. Vanitas gulped it down. He must be so thirsty. Noé watched as the other finished drinking the cup, and he debated getting him another. But if Vanitas hadn't even drank water, was it possible he hadn't eaten too?
Noé looked at his upper body, like always he looked extremely thin, so it was hard to say if he'd lost any extra weight.
“Have you eaten..?” Noé asked a little awkwardly, he hadn't gotten any responses so far, so he shouldn't be expecting it at this point.
And just like he suspected, Vanitas just continued staring at him with those big blue glossy eyes. Noé laid him back down and set the glass down on the night table by Vanitas's bed. “I'll be right back.”
He opened the door and walked down the stairs, the worry increasing with each step. What was wrong with him? Should he bring him to an actual doctor? No, considering he had two marks already it might not be the best idea to involve a human without consulting Count Orlock first.
Alright, Noé held his head high and steeled his resolve. He could nurse Vanitas back to coherency and then he'd ask the actual doctor for his input. He poked his head around the front desk, looking for Amelia.
“Oh, monsieur Noé. You're back! How is your hand?” She asked with a warm smile. Honestly, it was just what Noé needed right now as his shoulders sagged with concern.
“They've been monitoring it, but that's not.. Actually, I was looking for you” Noé admitted as he helped her pick up some papers from the floor on instinct.
“Is everything alright?” She asked as she put down the small stack of sheets she'd been carrying on the counter.
Noé shook his head. “No, Vanitas is sick. I don't know with what but he does have a fever. Do you have any medicine?”
“Oh my.. I had no idea, I assumed Vanitas was out of town too since I hadn't seen him in the kitchen.” The woman brought a hand to her mouth and scurried off towards the kitchen, motioning for Noé to follow.
“I'll prepare some tea and bring up something light for his stomach.” She said as she started boiling the water, the woman pointed towards the back. “If we have any medicine, it would be on that shelf.”
“Thank you, I truly appreciate it. I wasn't sure what I should do” He finally found himself able to offer some sort of smile, it felt reassuring that he wasn't responsible for the humans' well-being on his own and handed a friend's help.
He managed to find something on the shelf for relieving fevers and made his way back upstairs with haste. Noé opened the door to find Vanitas right where he'd left him, except he'd recovered himself in the blanket again.
He must be cold.
Noé refilled the empty glass, grabbed the sheets from his own bed, and sat down next to Vanitas. “Here, you can use mine” he prepared to tuck the edges of the blanket around Vanitas, but instead the man's hands shot out from underneath, pulling the blankets into the dark bundle to hold close.
Did Vanitas need something to hug? As someone who could not sleep without hugging something, he understood. Noé grabbed his pillow off of his own bed and brought them to Vanitas. “Do you want these too?” He offered before setting them down. Vanitas shifted under the sheets and then reached out to grab it too. The white pillow wiggled its way into the ever-growing lump under the sheets.
Oh, that's right the medicine! Noé pulled out a pill from the bottle and lifted the top of Vanitas's sheet cocoon. The human had his face buried in Noé's blankets and was cuddling his pillow.
He tilted his head and blinked, perhaps it was the first indication that something was off about this fever. “Vanitas, you need to take this, probably..” Noé continued on rambling, mostly to himself. “I'm not a doctor like you so I don't really know. But the symptoms on the bottle matched some of yours so…” He trailed off before shaking his head and helping the man sit back up again.
“Please drink it.” Noé held the pill out on his hand, while Vanitas continued staring at it with that vacant look. He brought it up to the other's lips, hoping the human would understand.
Vanitas stared at it for a few moments. Did he want Noé to feed it to him himself, he didn't know but he needed Vanitas to take it. His fingers brushed against those soft lips, the moisture already replenished back into it. He pushed the pill into his mouth, his finger just briefly touching the human's wet tongue causing him to shiver. Noé pulled his hand away from his face and gave Vanitas the water which he eagerly gulped down.
He let out a sigh of relief, hopefully the medicine would do its job well enough to bring Vanitas back to some level of coherency.
After that he helped Vanitas lie back down in bed, watching the human carefully. How long until it kicked in? Should he wait here? Leave? No, Noé didn't want to leave Vanitas alone in this state.
It was around then a knock was heard at the door, “Come in.” Noé gave permission, knowing full well it was his friend.
The woman peeked her head in, warm light flooding in from the hallway as she carried the tray into the room. Her worried expression softened when she saw the human in such a dazed state.
“Oh my…” She placed it down on the table, while Noé's pout took on a helpless demeanor.
“I don't know what to do… I've never seen him like this.. He won't even answer me.” The concern dripped from his voice as he looked to the woman for comfort, any sort of reassurance that things would be okay. He sniffled, his violet eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Is he dying?”
Amelia looked worried and set the tea down. “Monsieur Vanitas is strong, I'm certain he will be alright.” She smiled although her brows were etched with concern as if it were only to reassure him. "Perhaps we should ask Count Orlock? He might know a doctor who can help him. Is it just a fever?”
Noé dried his eyes before the tears could fall, his nose dusted pink as his lip quivered. “I don't know, I've never studied medicine…” He just knew humans were fragile. Noé knew that all too well, he'd lost his human family far too young and had been helpless to stop it.
He didn't want to lose Vanitas too.
Amelia stayed quiet and placed the cup of tea into Noé's good hand. “Hold this please.” She said with a soft voice.
The moment the warmth touched his skin, it seemed to snap him out of the dark thoughts he'd been in, Noé held the glass up to his cheek, seeking more of that warmth. “Thank you..”
He didn't look up to see her expression, but the woman smiled sadly at him. “I'll see if anyone is in his office.” She reassured him once more before heading out the door, it creaked as she closed it behind her.
After a moment Noé set the cup down and placed his hand on Vanitas’s forehead again. For a brief moment, Noé was filled with relief. The medicine was working fast! Vanitas's fever was down, he no longer felt warm! Then his shoulders slumped as he realized his hand was simply warmer than Vanitas due to the drink. Noé pulled it away from the humans skin and sighed. He'd just get Vanitas a wet towel to lower his temperature. He at least knew that much about fevers.
So Noé shifted, ready to slip out of the bed, his unbroken hand sliding on the sheets as he got ready to push himself up. And then he heard a rustle and felt something soft. As if Vanitas had been seeking warmth, the human had now shifted and a gloved hand rested over his own while Vanitas's warm cheek nuzzled against the back of his palm.
Huh?
Noé stared down at the extremely out-of-character sight, something must be really wrong with Vanitas.
“Jeanne…” Vanitas opened his mouth and muttered the first-word Noé had heard all night.
Noé didn't know whether to be relieved by that or annoyed, honestly, it bothered him. He couldn't really explain why but he wanted Vanitas to look and see him.
“Look again” Noé used his one good hand to tilt Vanitas's chin so he was staring right into his eyes. That dazed gaze struggled to zero in on his own, even now Noé wasn't sure if Vanitas was truly looking at him.
The human tugged weakly at his arm, his eyes falling shut again as he nuzzled into Noé's touch, causing the vampire's cheeks to flush. He stared for a moment, he knew it wasn't a good idea. He could catch whatever virus Vanitas was sick with, he also knew the human would never approve of this. But no one should be alone while sick. So against Noé's better judgment, he laid down in bed with Vanitas.
The reaction was instantaneous. Vanitas wiggled, loosening the cocoon he'd been wrapped in, and extended the blanket just a little more, as if he were offering for Noé to join him under it. For some reason the delicious scent Vanitas emitted seemed even sweeter than usual, more enticing.
It wouldn't hurt to get a little closer. Had this been Louis or Domi, Noé would have already cuddled up to them without hesitation. So he shifted and left himself into the sheets, his heart racing.
Vanitas snuggled up to him first, and Noé could only wonder if he was searching for body heat. That's the only explanation he had to offer the clingy behavior. As thin legs wrapped around his own, he brought his good arm over Vanitas, petting his back experimentally. The dazed human let out a content sigh, which honestly brought a bit of a smile to Noé's lips. This was nice, it had been a while since he'd cuddled with anyone, and Vanitas couldn't blame him since he was the one who started it.
Noé was going to selfishly enjoy this a bit more. He got comfortable, hugging the human's smaller body as if he were a pillow, resting his head on the other's soft hair. Something was poking him, so he just shifted a bit not thinking much of it, although Vanitas let out an odd sort of noise when he did. Just smelling Vanitas’s scent like this was soothing in a way Noé had never experienced. “You smell incredible…”
The comfort was short-lived, something wet was seeping into his pant leg, it was warm, slimy and Noé paled feeling instantly grossed out.
Did… Vanitas have an accident? Well obviously, what else could it be? He grimaced at the thought of having to clean the human's mess. But it was odd, he didn't smell the scent of urine, the only thing he could smell was Vanitas's incredibly delicious scent.
But still, Noé couldn't just leave Vanitas in a mess like this. Whether he liked it or not, Noé was going to have to clean it. So he sighed and sat up, causing the human to let out a strained sound that Noé couldn't quite understand. He tilted his head to the side, watching Vanitas's flushed face closely before shaking his head and pulling the sheets off of him.
The blankets fell away revealing Vanitas's weak form, clinging to Noé's body. And it was at this point Noé realized just what had been poking him earlier. Vanitas was fully erect, the distinct tent in his pants unmistakable.
“Huh?”
Noé stared down with an odd sort of curiosity. Vanitas has said Jeanne's name earlier… While Noé was innocent, he did receive an education and was taught basic knowledge of the male and female reproductive systems.
And Vanitas was in love with Jeanne… This shouldn't be so surprising or shocking but it felt like a slap to the face. Shouldn't marriage come before this? Well, it's not like he knew much about these sorts of relationships outside of the old stories he'd read. The more he thought about it, the more it hurt, what was this feeling in his chest? Noé placed a hand over his heart that ached at the thought.
For now, he wouldn't think more of it, but he couldn't exactly tear his sight away. After all, it didn't make sense, if Vanitas had soiled himself wouldn't the front of his pants be soaked through? He rolled Vanitas to the side, seeing the slick, clear, and sweet-smelling substance soaking through his bottoms.
Noé had absolutely no idea what to make of it.
First off, what was it? It lacked the acidic smell of bile, stomach acid, or anything else that might escape someone's lower half. Perhaps this was a normal human thing? He'd need to ask someone later, for now, Noé saw Vanitas struggle, the human grasped at the edges of the blanket in discomfort, struggling to swaddle himself in blankets, gaining Noé's sympathy. Well, since it smelled nice, maybe it was fine.
Noé was just going to tell himself that as he helped Vanitas cover his body. The moment the blankets were back on, Vanitas's legs entwined with his own again. Noé flinched as he felt the clothed manhood pressed against his own pants. His heart was racing again, he could feel the warmth radiating off the protrusion.
Vanitas settled back down once they were covered, his black hair tickling the bottom of Noé's chin as he nuzzled the sensitive skin on the vampire's neck. He burst out into a fit of laughter. “W-wait Vanitas” Even the warmth of Vanitas's breath elicited more giggles from him as he placed his hand in Vanitas's hair.
And then his eyes shot open wide. The unmistakable roughness of a tongue trailed against his throat, giving it a kitten lick followed by another.
“Huh!?!” Part of Noé was urging him to put an end to this, conflict settled on his face as he allowed it. Partially because he was stunned, and also because it felt really really good… He stayed still, as the man continued assaulting his skin, after a moment he craned his neck back, giving Vanitas better access to the skin.
And the human took full advantage of that, his mouth closing around certain spots, sucking lightly on his skin before moving to another. It was as if he was searching for the perfect spot. Noé had no idea why, had it been another vampire he would have understood.
But just as Noé had been contemplating that, he heard a small inhale followed by the sharp sting of a singular fang piercing his flesh.
“Ah!?” Noé tensed up, the suddenness of it too much of a shock. There was an initial burst of pain similar to all bites as the skin was pierced, which was almost instantaneously numbed.
What?
Rather than blood being sucked out of him, it was as if something was being injected, like a venom. Something that Noé already knew was impossible for a human. “V-vanitas?! What are you doing!” He screeched out and tried to pull away but the human let out a whimper and clung to him for dear life.
With each passing second, Noé felt his will to pull away diminishing, rather it was starting to feel good. Very good in fact. His breaths started coming out in small pants as he felt his entire body heating up, it was like a tingling sensation, it was exciting, enthralling.
He didn’t know being bit could feel this way. It was such an intense pleasure that coursed through his whole body, his blood wasn't even being drained either. And Noé had never felt such an intense urge to bite anyone back in his life.
He didn't even hear the sound of knocking at the door, his body coursing through with desire and urges that had remained rather dormant until this moment.
“Monsieur Noé?” Amelia peered her head back into the room, vaguely he heard her gasp but quite frankly he didn't care. He just needed to be as physically close to Vanitas right now as possible.
“What the…” There was the sound of another man's voice, Noé recognized it. He looked up and saw Amelia and Dante in the doorway, staring at the two in bed and Vanitas's fang piercing his neck. The woman's face was a crimson red as if she'd walked in on some scandalous affair. Dante looked like a malfunctioning automaton.
The ginger took a deep breath before opening the door and tapping Amelia on the shoulder. “Hey, miss. I'll handle it from here, I'm telling you to leave.”
She averted her gaze to the floor and quickly scurried out of the room. Dante kicked it shut behind her. The loud noise snapped Noé out of the odd state he'd been in just enough. Vanitas's mouth lifted off the bite, his singular fang drenched in the vampire's blood.
“Dante…?”
The Dham crossed his arms, glaring at him. “You, get out of his bed.”
Noé did not want to get out of bed, honestly, he couldn't think of anything less appealing. “I don't want to.”
Dante tched. “You wanna catch whatever that lying quack has?”
Ah, that's right… Noé looked down at Vanitas’s face, the blood trickling down his jaw finally registering for Noé.
“He bit me!” Noé exclaimed, slapping his good hand over the bite. It had felt so blissfully good… Even now Noé wanted nothing more than to press his body closer to the human and sink his own fangs into that delicious heat..
‘If you ever try to suck my blood, I will kill you.’ Vanitas's words from right before Gevuadon echoed in his ears. He paled, what was he doing? Even though every fiber of his being was begging him not to leave the bed, Noé forced himself up and out of the bed, earning a whimper from feverish Vanitas.
Noé had gotten to his feet and stood up, but Dante looked anything but pleased. His jaw dropped as those orange eyes scanned him from top to bottom before squeezing them shut and pinching the bridge of his nose like he had a headache.
It was odd, so Noé looked down only to realize he was stiff, straining against the fabric of his pants.
Huh?
Noé had not expected this in the slightest. Vanitas caused this? He aroused Noé enough to cause an erection? Noé was in disbelief at the thought. His heartbeat quickened as the implications ran through his dense brain.
Noé looked down at Vanitas's flushed face, those incredibly blue eyes opening dazed again.
‘But teacher, to my eye… That moon seems quite beautiful.’ An old memory returned to mind, the sight of a blue moon was a gorgeous one to behold. He'd always thought that…The same gorgeous light in this human's eyes. But that wasn't sexual arousal right?
Was it?
“What is this feeling?” He asked as he knelt back on the bed, giving in to the urge to get closer to him. Vanitas was also a man too, he hadn't read anything in the textbooks about this happening between two men. Yet again, the sexual education section in his old textbook had seemed somewhat lacking or glazed over compared to other topics. It's not like he had anyone to ask in the estate either during his teenage years.
No one's ever made him feel aroused like this.
He'd woken up in the morning stiff when he was a teen, he'd dealt with his own bodily functions before. But he'd never experienced anything so enticing, so instantly desirable. Vanitas had elicted a reaction from him physically in a way no one else had. Quite honestly he hadn't given lust or arousal much thought up until this moment. But now it was fascinating and nerve-wracking at the same time, like he was exploring uncharted territory, or perhaps learning something new about himself.
Dante let out a loud sigh and paced back. “Are you an idiot? What, did you grow up in the middle of nowhere or something?” the man stared into Noé’s innocent lilac eyes.
The vampire blushed and nodded sheepishly in response.
Dante groaned and turned away from him. “You’ve got to be pulling my leg, I'm not getting paid enough to have that talk with you, actually I'm not getting paid at all right now. I'm leaving”
No. Dante couldn't leave he needed his help! “Wait! But what about Vanitas?” Noé followed after Dante, the man had his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave.
“Listen, I was going to bring him to a Dham doctor 'cause he's good with halves and family members of them so he knows a thing or two about humans.”
Noé tilted his head, was? Why not anymore? Was it because of his current state? Noé was suddenly feeling a lot more self-conscious than he had a moment ago.
“But it looks like the quacks had us all fooled. You're better off bringing him to Altus, they know more about treating vampires.” Dante spat the words out bitterly, and it was then that Noé could see the anger in his eyes. Treating vampires? Did he think Vanitas was a vampire? Is that why? Does Dante feel lied to?
Noé didn't have an explanation himself, he closed his eyes and tried to think. Vanitas had bitten him but he knew Vanitas was a human. He'd trained to be a chasseur, he…
Oh.
Noé clenched his fist, remembering that awful doctor who even now only referred to him as a number. The same doctor who was obsessed with trying to turn humans into vampires.
“Dante, Vanitas didn't lie to you. He is human.” Noé assured the man in a calm voice, although thinking about the implications of what might have been done to Vanitas made his heart sink. Was it right to share that information with Dante? Vanitas was such a private person, Noé doubted he'd want his past with Dr. Moreau and the church to be shared.
“Buddy, I saw the guy sink a fang into your neck. Look at you, you're marked.” Dante opened the door and shook his head. “Just take him to Altus and leave me out of it.”
Huh? Marked? There wasn’t a mirror for him to look in real fast, but that wasn't important. Right now he needed to make sure Vanitas got the care he needed. Noé used his hand to shut the door, Dante looked up at the vampire towering over him with annoyance.
“I'll pay you, please.” Noé pleaded with him, he'd even be willing to dip into his savings if he had to. “I can't betray Vanitas's privacy and tell you more. It’s alright if you don’t believe me but he needs to see a human doctor.” Vampires are less prone to illness compared to humans, if he brought him to Altus the chances of Vanitas actually getting the care he needed were slim.
Dante groaned dramatically and sighed. “Alright, fine, fine okay? If you're that stubborn. Meet me outside when you're ready.”
Noé blinked, all too ready to scoop Vanitas up and carry him there. “I'm ready now.”
“No buddy, you're not.” The dham opened the window and shut it, not elaborating further.
He was ready though? He was already dressed and- oh. His cheeks tinged red as he remembered his current predicament. Noé rushed into the bathroom and took a quick cold shower.