#Noe angst

[imreallyonthishellsite]

idk abt the rest of yall but I want more angst around noes memory ability. And not just the "ohh noe can see into memories and can never drink vanitas' blood and the moment he does vani will never trust him again 😱😥" No!! I want to see noe having trouble remembering what memories are his and which are the ones he took from another person. I want to see him begin to tell a story of something he randomly remembered only to be reminded that its not his memory. I want to see him feeling another person emotions from sharing memories and struggle to disconnect from it because it never even happend to him. Or feeling guilty over another's action that they did in the memory and having to told that he doesn't have to feel guilty bc it wasn't him and struggling to explain his feelings about why does anyway.

Just give me more of noe struggling with his powers.

[svtellify]

okay but what if vanitas dying simply means that noe kills the monicker "vanitas" and vani leaves on as his true name, free from the blue moon altogether,,,

[briebysabs]

“It’s no use.....your hand won’t reach that fellow. You can’t save anybody, all you do is lose them.”

“But......I love him.”

“If you really love him.....you’d let him go.”

[qiqinal]

bleh

Jesterban and secret angst bc they will never leave the damn facility where they're destined to rot.

[vermilionsun]

Rating: General Audiences Fandom: Vanitas No Carte Categories: M/M Relationships: Noe Archiviste/Vanitas Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Love confessions, Crying, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, both are in love but neither want to admit it (spoiler: they end up doing exactly that).

As the semester at college went on, the tension between Noé and Vanitas only seemed to grow. They danced around each other, their feelings bubbling just beneath the surface. Noé would catch Vanitas staring at him at random, only to quickly look away when their eyes met. And Noé would go out of his way to help Vanitas with his assignments, his touch lingering just a little too long. Their actions spoke louder than words, it was clear to everyone around them that they were in love, but neither wanted to be the first to admit it.

The tension finally reached its breaking point during a late-night study session in their shared dorm.

As they sat across from each other, books and papers strewn about the table, the air crackled with unspoken words. Noé finally mustered up the courage to break the silence. "Vanitas, I… I feel we must discuss this."

Vanitas looked up, his eyes barely wide with surprise but with a hint of hope. "About what, Noé?" he replied, his voice equally soft.

Noé took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest. "About us. About how we feel about each other." The words hung in the air, heavy and full of emotion.

Calmly, Vanitas got up and walked away, his small smile never fluttering. "Non," he replied. "I don't think we need to talk about it."

He turned his back to Noé, his shoulders tense. Panic surged through Noé's heart, his mind filled with doubts about whether he had erred by voicing his feelings. But he couldn't let this moment pass without clarity, without understanding where they stood with each other. Taking a step forward, he reached out to grab Vanitas's arm, barely missing. "Vanitas… don't shut me out. I need to know how you feel."

Vanitas turned to face him, his expression unreadable. "Noé, you know I care for you. But this… this is too complicated."

Noé felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, but he refused to give up. "Complicated or not, we need to address it. We can't keep ignoring our feelings."

Vanitas let out a heavy sigh, frustration evident in the way his fingers raked through his dark, disheveled hair, a mix of emotions clouding his expression. "Will you cut it out already?"

"I can't just ignore everything that's happened between us." Noé insisted, his voice tinged with desperation.

"There's nothing to address," Vanitas repeated after a moment as he took another step away, his hands curling into fists as he clenched his eyes shut. "I feel nothing."

Noé felt a punch to his gut, and his throat ached as he struggled to breathe. "You can't honestly tell me that," Noé said, his voice quaking a little. "You must be kidding, right?"

"You think I can't tell?" Noé spoke up. "You're standing here acting as if you don't have a care in the world, but I know that's not true."

"How would you know?" Vanitas asked, his tone curt as he kept his hands clasped together.

"Because I've seen the way you look at me when you think no one is watching," Noé replied, his voice filled with a mixture of hurt and frustration. "I've seen the way your eyes light up and the way your smile reaches your eyes. You may try to hide it, but you can't fool me, Vanitas. I know you feel something. So don't tell me there's nothing to address."

Vanitas fell silent, his back turned to Noé, a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts racing through his mind as he struggled to find the right words. Noé could see his shoulders tremble ever so slightly.

"You know very well that I'm not like you," he said in an even tone, his voice seemingly lacking emotion. Noé could hear a slight quiver in the man's voice, though he still refused to turn around to face him. "I have my reasons for keeping my distance, Noé. It's better this way," Vanitas finally whispered, his voice cracking slightly, betraying the vulnerability he tried to conceal.

With that, Vanitas turned and walked out the door, heading first into the pouring rain.

Noé stood frozen in the doorway, watching as the rain poured down on Vanitas, his heart aching at the sight of the person he cared for so deeply in pain. Without a second thought, he ran out into the rain after him, calling out his name as he tried to catch up. Vanitas didn't stop; he didn't even turn around, but Noé could see the tears mingling with the rain on his face, and it broke his heart even more. He reached out and grabbed Vanitas' arm, forcing him to turn and face him, the emotions swirling in both of their eyes as they stood there, drenched and vulnerable.

"You're wrong," Noé said softly. Noé held his gaze for a few more moments, before pulling Vanitas into a tight embrace.

"What are you doing?” Vanitas' arms went limp at his sides as he tensed up, not used to physical contact. "Let…go," he murmured, his voice coming through a tight throat as he struggled to free himself from Noé’s grip. Noé, however, stayed put, and in return, Vanitas gripped at the collar of the other man's shirt. Vanitas' body began to tremble, despite his efforts to remain calm.

"You are bad-tempered. You always do whatever you want, arbitrarily. You don’t care whether you get hurt, but you can’t bear others getting hurt for your sake, and you try to isolate yourself by pushing everyone away. You are not like me; that much is true, but you're just as foolish!" Noé whispered, feeling Vanitas tremble in his arms.

Vanitas knew he couldn’t push him away. No, he didn’t want to push him away. His mind screamed at him, telling him how foolish he was, while his heart craved for more.

They stood frozen, the only sound being the quiet rhythm of their breaths. The rain continued to pour down around them, but in that moment, all that mattered was the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between them. Vanitas finally broke the silence, his voice strained and barely above a whisper.

"Why…" He swallowed and tried to compose himself, "Why do you continue to be so persistent?"

"Because I love you, damn it!"

"W-what…?" He managed to sputter out, even as his own arms wrapped around the other man, gripping tightly at his shoulders. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths, inhaling Noé's prominent vanila and amber perfume. "Love.. Me…?"

"Yes, I love you," Noé repeated, his voice steady and sure. The rain cascaded around them, its gentle patter blending with the thundering beats of their hearts, creating a symphony of emotions in the downpour. A warmth engulfed Vanitas's chest, shattering the walls around his buried emotions, unleashing a flood of realization he had suppressed for so long. Tears welled up in his eyes as he finally allowed himself to believe in the possibility of love.

"Damn it…" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the rain and filled with raw emotion that Noé had never heard before. And in that moment, as they stood there in the downpour, their hearts finally spoke the words that had been left unspoken for far too long.

Noé reached out and gently wiped away Vanitas's tears, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I've been wanting to tell you how I feel for so long, but I was afraid of losing you." Noé said softly, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I'm not going anywhere," Vanitas whispered, taking Noé's hand in his own. "I love you too." And in that moment, as they stood there in the rain, their hearts finally united in a bond that could never be broken.

[reigenismyhusband]

10 5 4 for the S/I asks :3

THANK UUUU these are so fun to do thank u!!!!!!!! ask game post here!

also i answered 5 here but i answered it again bc i thought of something else hehe. TY NOEE

4 – Which of the elements best represents your S/I? Which of their aspects does it resonate with? (e.g.: their personality, astrology sign, powers, etc)

OOOOOH this one is so cool, im assuming it means like..elements like fire water etc? ace is definitely more of an earth guy; hes stubborn, hes set in his ways, and he strives to be the best he can. it really relates to his powers too, hes really good at making barriers and defending himself, but when it comes to offense, he gets really scared of hurting people and doesnt like to fight back! hed much rather stand his ground or run away.

5 – Is there any symbolism within your S/I's design that usually goes unnoticed? (e.g. colors in their outfit that reflect their personalities, their favorite flower and it's meaning, etc)

i wanted to answer this again BCCC i think his favorite flowers would be forget me nots, theyre really pretty (and also my favorite irl) but i think itd be a nice symbol of how he feels forgotten in everyday life (ie at school or at home) but reigen and mob help him feel like hes got people that actually care and wont forget him :')

10 – What was the scariest moment of your S/I's life? Did it change any aspect of their being or were they just emotional for a brief period of time over it?

OH BOY. angst time! (short summary for those unfamiliar with mob psycho) so in canon there's an evil spirit that used to be a very powerful psychic that is possessing a young girl. this man's name is mogami, and tldr is he wants to hurt and kill people for reasons that happened in his life. the best psychics in the land are called to try and get him to stop possessing this girl by her dad, but none are successful. ace decides the only way to get him to stop is to send his own spirit into the girls head to psychically drive him out from the inside. while in there, he falls victim to mogami's powerful abilities; mogami traps him in an alternate dimension where he has no powers, no abilities, no friends. for six months ace is trapped in this hell, bullied and abused every day, slowly wearing him down. he has no one; he never meets reigen or mob, his parents are gone, his sister wont talk to him. he gets relentelessly bullied everyday, far more than he even does in real life. mogami's aim is to show him "how the world really works", how people are cruel and how he wants him to be hateful too. ace is able to keep his humanity and kindness even through all of this, but after six months after hes getting beat up Again, he finally snaps and fights back, killing one of his attackers. but before mogami can get ace more in his claws, (either dimple's spirit or mob's, depending on if mob is there) someone finally is able to enter the land ace has been living in and talk him back to reality, reminding him of the people who care about and love him, and hes able to overpower mogami and get out of there.

But. ace remembers those six months like they happened in reality; his time in there really changed him, and hes affected badly by it for a long time. he doesnt talk about the full extent of it for a while, but to the people around him who care, its evident hes changed by it. reigen pats him on the back a little hard once and it sends him into a panic attack, and he finally spills about all the horrible shit he went through, and reigen comforts him. he has flashbacks often, even years later. angst my beloved…

THANK YOUUUU FOR ASKING!!!!! THIS WAS SO MUCH FUNNN

[cheemken]

PLEASE I wanna hear about the Drayton angst fr there's so many layers to him!

Drayton angst it is ouo

Idk he gives off Dave Strider vibes hahah like, idk if you know homestuck but yeah, Dave is like, the coolkid of their session/group, but he's also really insecure w a lot of stuff and as stuff progressed he realized how messed up everything was, especially w his bro and how he treated Dave

And not to say Drayton was mistreated, not in that way ofc, but y'know hahah

It's just the vibes y'know, he acts all laid back and cool, being one of the strongest trainers of their school and being trained by a Champion too, he has a lot going on. Tho it's also the fact that he's so shit when it comes to class, I wanna say academics really isn't his thing, and he's trying so so hard to understand his lessons, but no matter how hard he tries he just couldn't, so somewhere down the line he gave up, and became lazy when it comes to class

And sometimes it gets him y'know, sometimes during class hours while he's at the club room, his thoughts would often drift off to Iris. Iris struggled with classes too, he knew that, she struggled so much but she persisted, and she passed, while not with flying colours, she still passed her classes. Why can't he do the same?

And, y'know, it's his pride, he wants to ask Iris for help, but he also kinda,, resents her a bit now y'know. As the years went by, Iris became so so busy w Champion duties, especially w all the meetings w the Champions, sometimes Iris doesn't have the time to be home for dinner, and he misses her. Sometimes he gets jealous of the other Champions too, how Diantha and Lance and Cynthia are all so close w Iris, the former two treating her like their own daughter, while the latter treating her like her sister. And it sucks for him y'know. Why can she find the time to be w the other Champions but not w her actual family?

It got to the point that one time when he's talking abt Iris, while he still looks up to her, he'd have biting words too; talking to Florian and Nemona, and how sometimes they often forget to visit their home again w how busy they are w class, their journey, and even their own champion duties, and he's just "well, guess that's the job of a champion, huh? Not being able to visit family. I'm sure my sis knows that, wonder how she's doin' right now," all w that smile, that forced af smile, but somehow people still see it as him being laid back

But he misses her, y'know. He just misses her. He eats dinner late, alone, waiting for her. His family thought he was just that lazy that he wouldn't even eat, but he was waiting for her, he's always waiting for her

Oughgh imagine one night Iris got home late too, and she saw Drayton there on the table fast asleep, and augh,,, your honour, that breaking Iris' heart, she forgot she promised they'd train together today, but w the League duties, and w Hilbert out of the region for a bit, she couldn't find the time. Imagine her either waking him up or carrying him to his room, and she notices how light he was. Has he been eating well? But like, she's there kinda kicking herself too, bc she forgot abt her bro y'know, and she wants to make up for it

Also omf bc this was my initial concept for my lil comic, that when he was a bit younger, around 14 and she was 17, when Iris gave him the jacket, it was actually supposed to be after a training session w Drayden, and how Drayton lost to him. Iris tried to cheer him up by getting him the jacket, and ofc that made him happy. But also, before Iris left, she told him that "whenever I think of the day I finally lose to someone, I always think I'd lose to you. I couldn't imagine anyone else be Unova's next Champion but you, Drayton. I can't wait for that battle."

And god did that just cbmdbd that gave him hope yknow, ofc, he was fourteen, he had so much hopes and dreams, but w how he is w class now, how he repeated his second year three times now maybe, how he gave up down the line, he thinks that maybe that battle w Iris won't ever happen. And he's starting to think if he becomes Champion, like, the real deal Champion, he'd bear those responsibilities too, and honestly, he doesn't really like that kinda responsibility. Maybe that's why their grandpa didn't make him Gym Leader despite his strength, unlike Iris, he wasn't good w his duties. He didn't even really call himself the BB League's champ bc he doesn't like responsibilities too lmfao

But yeah, in a nutshell, he's that cool kid that's like, one small problem away from crying but he doesn't cry bc he thinks it's not cool lmfaooo and he's like, Iris' number one fan, he'd always show off how his sis is the champion one way or another I bet that when he was much younger he also pulled the "my sis is the champion and she can beat your ass!" Card whenever he can I just know it hahah

[soothingsoftness]

vanitas no carte month 2022 - noe and vanitas week

day 3 - revenge

@i-prefer-the-term-antihero @phmonth2022

[compaculaaa]

Is Lockdown not part of the ninjabot fam? I think he'd be the problem child always fighting his brothers gsfkdhkdhlg

WARNING : implied rape YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Lockdown is…

No longer in the picture…

[azapofinspiration]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: ヴァ二タスの手記 - 望月淳 | Vanitas no Carte | The Case Study of Vanitas - Mochizuki Jun (Manga), ヴァニタスの手記 | Vanitas no Carte | The Case Study of Vanitas (Anime) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Noé Archiviste/Vanitas, Noé Archiviste & Dominique de Sade, Noé Archiviste & Jeanne, Dante & Noé Archiviste Characters: Noé Archiviste, Vanitas (Vanitas no Carte), Lord August Ruthven (Vanitas no Carte), Jeanne (Vanitas no Carte), Dominique de Sade, Roland Fortis, Dante (Vanitas no Carte), Naenia (Vanitas no Carte) Additional Tags: Violence, Non-Graphic Violence, Blood, Blood Drinking, Curse Bearer!Noé, Unhinged Noé, Vanitas Is Bad At Feelings (Vanitas No Carte), Noé Archiviste Is Bad At Feelings, Desperation, True Names, Abandonment Issues, Dissociation, Villain Arc (in a way), Mentioned Vanitas/Jeanne - Freeform, VaNoé, based on multiple theories, Combined Theories, Kissing, some moaning, nothing more than that, Someone steals a kiss but not who you think, Don't copy to another site, happy birthday noé, Angst Summary:

“Well?” Naenia’s shadowy form had completely engulfed him, though Noé hadn’t noticed. “What will it be? Will you let me grant your wish?”

Noé took a deep breath.

“Please…”

A grin spread across her face.

“Please help me get him back.” Noé pleaded.

Naenia laughed, her claws digging into his skin painfully. The prey had been successfully captured. “Then give me your name!”

Naenia’s lips met Noé’s, stealing his first kiss and his name.

When Noé doesn't grab Vanitas's hand — when he loses Vanitas — Noé will do anything to get him back.

Even give up his True Name and become a curse bearer.

[vanoeangstweek]

Vanoé Angst Week Prompts

"We're strangers. If the other stops being useful, cut him loose. If he gets in the way, kill him. That's all we are, and you know it." - Vanitas, chapter 50 The prompts for Exposure Therapy: a vanoé angst week are here! The week will run November 7th-13th, using the hashtag #VanoeAngstWeek2022.

There are 3 prompts for each day: a theme, a trope, and dialogue. Day 7 is a free day but prompts are there for anyone who wants them.

Prompts: Day 1: Selfish/Selfless • Forbidden Love • "I couldn't stop myself" Day 2: Scars • Hurt/Comfort • "What did I do to deserve this?" Day 3: Jealousy/Yearning • Fake/Secret Dating • "I need you" Day 4: Goodbyes • Unrequited Love • "I can't do this anymore" Day 5: Memories • Lovers to Strangers/Enemies • "You promised" Day 6 : Sickness • Amnesia • "I'm tired" Day 7 [Free Day]: Blood • Major Character Death • "Please don't leave"

[elymansss]

Noé having a shit ton of vampire bites all over himself all the time and everyone around him just thinks that his blood is like valuable cause Archiviste stuff or whatever

Oh how wrong they are. Only Dominique and Jeanne know why he truly has all those wounds and it hurts them more then anything.

Those are wounds he inflicted onto himself. He bites himself every day. Every day without ever forgetting to do so, he bites and bites and bites, to not forget Vanitas. The memories flow from his bloodstream into his brain and for a moment, it's like Vanitas never left. It's like Noé never killed him, never saw him die and never became free.

[missroseweb]

here's a vanoé fic i wrote a while back on ao3!! :)

[briebysabs]

I don’t like thinking about future Noé it haunts me every time. I don’t think Noé will be as stable as Gil was at the end of PH. I feel like he’s going to have the Leo mental breakdown but much worse.

Because we look at the series and the shit Noé has gone through before meeting Vanitas, before Louis got beheaded. Whatever tf happened to his eye when he was KIDNAPPED after his human adopted grandparents DIED. The story kinda brushed this aside like hold on????

Everything keeps building and building, he lost Louis and all his friends except Domi and entered a coma.

Like...

We see Noé keep these things to himself, sharing them with Domi maybe and even then it’s not the full picture. I doubt he’s even processed how horrible it was because he represses so much.

And we need to remember, Vanitas is not the only person in this story who dies. Look at the cast of characters we have. Most of them could die. And Noé is likely gonna watch it happen. There is a possibility he is the only one left. You never know with mochijun and that’s before we get to him killing Vanitas.

So it’s the accumulation of all of this that is going to shatter him. It’s a gradual process of slowly chipping away at him bc the Noé we are seeing and the one writing these memoirs are two different people.

Which is why he is possibly mochijun’s most unluckiest character. And depending on how his character ends, best written too.

[bookdragonquotes]

[lady-wallace]

Poison the the Blood: Whumptober Day 22 (Case Study of Vanitas)

My first official Vanitas fic for @whumptober today!

Prompt: “Pick Your Poison” (toxic)

Fandom: Case Study of Vanitas

Character: Vanitas

~~~~~~~

Read on Ao3

Read on FF.net

Masterpost

~~~~~~~

Noé panted in the aftermath of the fight, taking a moment to get his breath back. That curse-bearer had been a lot more violent than they had expected when they'd originally headed out on the mission.

The vampire cringed as he peeled blood-soaked gloves off his hands. The leather had been soaked and was probably ruined now. He pressed his hand to the claw marks across his upper arm with a wince. The wound wasn't bad, but it did sting and meant that he would have to mend his coat and shirt. Again. They certainly hadn't expected a hoard of zombie-like wildlife to have been utilized by the cursed vampire to go after them.

It had been tales of a beast hiding in the woods that had sent him and Vanitas out here on their latest hunt. And yet, of course, it could never be that simple. Vanitas just had the habit of finding trouble.

Speaking of which…

"Vanitas?" Noé called, looking around. He'd been separated from the dark-haired man during the fight that had broken out, but with the forest so quiet now, he could only come to the conclusion that Vanitas had been able to cure the vampire of the curse.

He pushed his way through the underbrush, passing several more bodies of the corrupted animals until he got to a clearing.

That's where he found Vanitas, bent over a figure on the ground, his back to Noé.

"Vanitas?" he called again, stepping closer.

The man didn't look at him, simply shifted slightly and said. "He didn't make it."

Noé frowned as he came to stand beside Vanitas, glancing down at the figure lying on the ground. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the dark veins running through the vampire's pale body, eyes staring vacant up at the sky, bloodshot and glazed over.

"What is this?" Noé asked.

Vanitas shook his head. "The curse had gotten it's claws too far into him." His lip twisted. "But I think he was already sick." He pushed himself to his feet, almost dismissively, but Noé caught the slight waver in his step, the way Vanitas quickly turned his eyes away.

"I'm sorry," Noé told him quietly as he crouched and reached out to close the dead vampire's eyes.

Vanitas snorted. "Apologize to him, he's the one who's dead. We came out here to make sure no one else died by his hand. Our mission has been accomplished."

Noé pressed his lips together firmly. Despite Vanitas's ambivalent attitude, he knew how much it bothered his friend when he failed to save those he set out to cure. He called himself a doctor, but he allowed himself to carry too many burdens.

Noé stood and turned, catching Vanitas favoring an arm, a pulled expression on his face before he tucked it against his ribs, letting his coat fall back around it.

Noé frowned. Now that he was looking for it, he could smell the all-too-familiar sweetness of Vanitas's blood. But there was something else along with it. Was it from the dead vampire? Perhaps the animals.

"Vanitas, are you injured?" he asked.

"Nothing to worry about." Vanitas waved him off as he bent to pick up his blade that he appeared to have lost at some point during the fight. As he straightened back up, however, he wavered, pressing a hand briefly to his head as if dizzy.

Noé stepped forward, one hand held out cautiously as if to steady him. "At least let me look at it."

"It's fine, barely bleeding!" Vanitas snapped at him, pointedly shifting out of reach. "Let's just get back to Paris, shall we?"

Noé pressed his lips together again, but nodded reluctantly, having little other choice but to follow Vanitas as he made his way off through the woods. He was probably right anyway. It's not like Vanitas was a stranger to injury. He had indeed had worse.

That's what he told himself anyway until he watched Vanitas stumble and catch himself on the trunk of a tree.

Noé hurried the few steps toward him and plainly saw the distressed expression on Vanitas's face before he was quick to hide it, breathing heavily.

"Vanitas," Noé tried.

The dark-haired man clenched his jaw and pushed himself upright, reaching up to wipe a bead of sweat off his forehead. "I'm fine, let's just…let's—"

A gasp escaped his throat and he gripped his arm tightly, propping himself against the tree.

"What is it?" Noé demanded, stepping forward to grip Vanitas's shoulder.

He cringed and tried to pull away. "S-something's wrong," he gritted out from between clenched teeth. And just the admission alone terrified Noé, not to mention the pain and fear plainly marking Vanitas's face.

"What do you mean something's wrong?" he demanded. "Is it the wound?"

He reached for Vanitas's coat, yanking it to one side and revealing the bloodstains on Vanitas's sleeve right above the spot where his glove ended. He'd tied a kerchief around it, but was already tugging at it, pulling the cloth free to reveal the tears in the sleeve.

The scent of Vanitas's blood hit Noé more potently now, but it was…wrong. There was an underlying scent of bitterness. His nostrils flared in protest, but that wasn't the only issue, he realized as he caught sight off Vanitas's arm.

Dark veins had started to crawl up his arm from the wound, just like the ones they had seen covering the dead vampire.

"Vanitas," he breathed as the man could obviously see the issue now as well, paling further.

"Damn," Vanitas swore under his breath. "I guess that curse was more potent than I realized."

"I don't understand, I was injured too…" Noé said, glancing briefly toward his shoulder.

Vanitas shook his head. "Not by the curse itself. Besides, it might not affect you the same way." He swayed slightly then and Noé reached out to grip his shoulder, feeling Vanitas shaking.

"We need to get back to Paris quickly. Someone must know what to do about this," Noé said quickly, trying to provide some form of comfort to Vanitas, all while he himself was trying not to panic. "If we get to the road we might be able to catch a ride with someone…"

Vanitas didn't reply, simply moving forward again.

He didn't get far before he swayed again and this time did make it to his knees, breathing heavily and clutching his arm to his chest.

"Vanitas," Noé breathed, feeling helpless as he reached down to pull his friend back to his feet. "At least let me help you."

Vanitas, white as a sheet, allowed Noé to try and get him to his feet, but a small cry finally escaped his mouth and he doubled over, hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"Hurts, dammit," Vanitas croaked.

Noé instead helped Vanitas over to sit against a tree where he collapsed gratefully. Noé crouched in front of him and opened his coat before pulling up the ruined sleeve of Vanitas's shirt.

Even in just those few minutes, the poison had spread, creeping up his shoulder and threatening to start crawling over his chest—toward his heart.

Vanitas swallowed and looked away, leaning his head back against the tree trunk. He was sweating pretty badly, and Noé pressed the back of his hand to the dark-haired man's forehead as Vanitas's brow furrowed in an exhausted annoyance.

"You're fevered too," Noé informed him, growing more and more worried by the second. "Vanitas…this is spreading fast. I don't know if we'll be able to make it back in time."

Vanitas let out a long exhale. "Then I suppose it's pointless. It's not like there's a cure. At least none that I know of." His face scrunched up again with pain and he curled into himself.

Noé thought frantically for some solution. He was not about to leave Vanitas here to give up and die. There had to be some way.

He caught the scent of Vanitas's corrupted blood again, and cringed before his eyes widened with a sudden thought.

"Vanitas," he called, and the man's eyes opened briefly, a slit of blue underneath dark bangs. He swallowed hard. "I—I have an idea."

"What? Did you think of some miracle cure that quickly?" Vanitas murmured sarcastically.

Noé shook his head. He knew Vanitas wasn't going to like this but it seemed like their only option.

"I'll suck the poison out," he said firmly.

Vanitas stared at him for a long moment then simply said, "No."

"But Vanitas—"

"You'll be drinking my blood too," Vanitas cut in, already pulling his coat back around him with clumsy fingers. "I refuse."

"You'll die if we don't do something!"

"That's yet to be seen," Vanitas said as he started to push himself back up. "Now help me up and let's get back to Paris."

Noé put his foot down. "You're poisoned, Vanitas!"

"I said no!"

His voice was surprisingly strong that time, and Noé clenched his jaw, deciding that protesting at this point wasn't going to get them anywhere. He silently helped Vanitas back to his feet. His friend leaned heavily on him as they started off again and Noé kept a firm grip on Vanitas to keep him on his feet.

They had only been walking for a few more minutes, before Vanitas suddenly cried out and reached up to clutch at his chest.

"Vanitas…" Noé called, wishing he could do more than simply hold his friend up on his feet.

"It's…like fire," Vanitas choked out, doubling over as he started to tear clumsily at his necktie. Noé reached out to help and when it was free, he could clearly see the veins crawling up Vanitas's neck through the open collar of his shirt.

Vanitas was panting, barely conscious for the pain he was clearly suffering. Sweat dripped down his forehead, sticking his bangs to his skin, his hand clawed briefly at his chest before falling to his side, head lolling with a pained exhale.

"Vanitas?" Noé demanded, gripping his shoulders more firmly, but the dark-haired man seemed to be unconscious now or at least too delirious to answer.

Trying to push aside the panic, Noé grabbed him under the arms and carried him over to prop against a tree. His fever was burning, concentrating particularly around the areas the poison had spread.

Noé pulled Vanitas's shirt down his shoulder seeing how worryingly close the poison was getting to his heart. He swallowed hard.

They really were out of options right about now. Without a certain cure, the only thing Noé could think to do was to suck the poison from the wound.

He knew Vanitas didn't want him to drink his blood, but it could very possibly save his life right now.

Decided, Noé reached out to peel off Vanitas's glove, rolling up his sleeve as he took his limp arm in both hands, staring down at it.

To think that once he had longed for even a taste of his friend's blood—it had always smelled so good. Now, forced to do it against Vanitas's will, accompanied by the suppurating smell of the poison made him sick to his stomach.

But he steeled himself and bent toward the wound.

"Forgive me, Vanitas," he whispered to his unconscious friend before he sunk his teeth into Vanitas's arm.

Bitter blood filled his mouth, and Noé forced himself not to instantly pull away, reminding himself why he was doing this.

It was after the first mouthful that the memories began to form and Noé felt himself dragged away from reality, pulled into the depths of the corrupted blood…

Flashes of dead bodies lying on the ground, a small boy, Vanitas, crying over a man stained in blood.

Taken in the dark of night, dragged to some sort of lab. Needles, knives, pain, constant pain.

Noé gasped and drew back, spitting the blood onto the ground, gagging slightly, dizzy from the swirl of horrible memories that had assaulted his head. Vanitas's memories. He shook, glancing down at his friend who had slid down to lay on his side, looking like death as Noé clutched his arm tightly. The dark veins of poison were still there. He wasn't done yet.

With renewed sense of duty, Noé closed his eyes and set his teeth into Vanitas's arm again, drawing out more of the poison.

The cries of a young boy, so much pain in the sound. Vanitas giving himself up, dragged away to endure more torment. Too many horrible experiments to count, meted out on his young body, changing, corrupting…

Noé choked, reeling back again and spitting more blood from his mouth. His stomach rolled, wanting to rebel, but he forced the nausea back down. Noé reached for Vanitas's shirt and pulled it open again, seeing that the dark veins had finally started to disperse, now only concentrated on his arm. It was working, he realized with relief. Only a little more now.

Vanitas stirred, face scrunched in pain. A moan escaped his parted lips as he tugged weakly on his arm.

"Just a little bit more," Noé told him—and himself if he were being honest.

He steeled himself and went in for, hopefully, the last time, bracing as more memories assaulted him.

The ethereal Vampire of the Blue Moon corrupted beyond help. Vanitas stoically ending the being, putting them to rest before more horror.

The pain, the fear, the pure loneliness. Swirling, swirling, mixed with blood and darkness…

Noé reeled backward, gasping. The last mouthful had been sweet, no longer corrupted. He had done it.

He glanced at the pale arm he held in his trembling hands, woozily blinking at it until he registered nothing but blood dripping from the wound and the new marks he'd put there. No more lines of poison.

Noé felt relief fill him at the same time his stomach rebelled and he turned to the side, vomiting up any blood he had accidently swallowed.

His eyes and nose streamed as he wiped his mouth, reaching up to clutch his aching head.

He glanced back toward Vanitas who still shook, but seemed to be breathing easier now.

Noé fumbled his coat off, spreading it over his unconscious friend, head still swirling with all those things he'd seen.

But he was honestly too exhausted himself to think about it anymore. He lay down in the underbrush and tried to will his mind to rest as his eyes fluttered shut.

XXX

Noé woke with a start, blinking in confusion as he stared up at the sun-dappled branches above him.

He glanced around and saw Vanitas sitting up against the tree beside him, playing with a bandage around his arm.

Noé shot up instantly. "Vanitas!"

The man glanced over briefly. "You're finally awake," he said before turning back to his arm.

Noé glanced at it too and saw that Vanitas had pulled the bandage down, looking at the fang marks in his flesh before he yanked the bandage back in place. Noé flushed slightly, realizing Vanitas knew what he had done now.

"Are…how are you feeling?" he asked cautiously.

Vanitas finally turned back to him and shocked Noé by slapping him across the face.

"You bastard," Vanitas said too quietly.

Noé placed a hand over the stinging spot on his cheek. "You were dying," is all he said.

"I told you not to," Vanitas growled.

"I won't apologize for saving your life," Noé told him firmly, returning his hands to his lap.

Vanitas made a scoffing sound before lowering his head. "Good. I guess I won't have to say thanks then," he mumbled.

Noé stared for a long moment, before he had to fight back a smile. "I suppose that's fair."

Vanitas continued playing with the bandage before he bitterly asked, "What did you see, then? Because you might as well tell me. I know you'll want to ask about it anyway."

Noé pressed his lips together, considering. On the one hand, he could bring up the topic, allow Vanitas the opportunity to talk about his past if he wished. But on the other hand, Noé knew how his friend was. That he would rather discuss those things when he was ready—if he ever was.

So instead, Noé sighed. "Honestly? It wasn't much of anything. Snatches of memories that I couldn't really grasp. I think it might have had something to do with the poison."

Vanitas watched him for a long moment, and Noé was sure that he had seen through his lies.

But Vanitas only grunted and pushed himself a bit stiffly to his feet. "We really do need to be getting back now though.

Noé scrambled to his feet, swinging his coat back on. Vanitas must have placed it over him after he had woken up because it had been draped over his chest. He could still smell the faint waft of Vanitas's blood, but it was back to normal. No underlying bitterness.

Everything he had seen in the other man's memories suddenly washed over him with a sickening dizziness, and Noé watched his friend stretch his back out with a wince for a second, before he impulsively stepped forward.

"Vanitas," he said.

"What?" Vanitas turned around, a cautious frown between his brows.

Noé pulled him into a firm embrace, holding him tight as Vanitas froze against him.

"Huh—Oi!" Vanitas finally shifted, trying to wriggle free, but Noé simply held on tighter, resting his chin on Vanitas's shoulder.

Vanitas huffed a sigh, then finally relaxed. He didn't hug back, but he allowed Noé to squeeze him tightly for a few more seconds before he pulled away.

"What the hell was that about?" Vanitas demanded, straightening his clothes and refusing to look Noé in the face.

Noé just smiled at him and started off through the trees.

"Aren't we heading back to Paris?" he asked.

Vanitas grumbled and trudged after him, but he seemed to be back to himself, and that was really all that Noé asked for.

~~~~~~~

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