you, ironically, always love the best friends to all my favourite characters. you’re one of the most wonderful people i know and i will always have your back ;; ilysm! happy bday b
im excited for “what is love” scene to be animated because im really curious if the show is going to make it ambiguous or obvious that noé has a crush on either vanitas or jeanne
Little Domi and Noé fic @phmonth2021’s vnc countdown day 7: the de Sades. And also this prompt over on my ph & vnc blog!
*Aggressively spams the Domi needs appreciation button*
Noé’s brow was creased, his hand to his chin,
“If you keep thinking that hard, your thoughts might decide to start walking out of your head.”
“Sorry, Teacher.”
“No need to apologize,” his teacher laughed, more than anything at Noés mundane reaction at such a strange statement, “I just thought your head might appreciate a little relief. Come now, let’s look at the options over here!“ He beckoned him to the next part of the store. “What do you think?”
Noé observed the dresses towering above him, trying not to think too hard this time. He didn’t want to say he didn’t like them till he gave them a proper think over.
Then he turned to the side…and saw it.
A dress of brilliant gold, with flowers, butterflies and bows—though nothing too terribly lavish, just perfect little accents.
Noé’s eyes became stars, and his hands became triumphant fists at his sides.
“That one.” He pointed like an explorer who’d found land.
His Teacher raised an eyebrow, lifting his head to find the object of fascination. “Ah! You have taste, my dear Noé! A fine piece!”—He called for assistance—“Our dear Dominique will look lovely in that.”
He agreed. Even with her hair like that, and her eyes all sad, she would look beautiful in this. He could only hope she would be able to see it too.
*
Noé sat in a chair in Dominique’s room, swinging his legs back and forth, waiting patiently, but determinedly.
Domi came in what might have been minutes, but felt like hours later. It still made him sad to see her hair so short, and her eyes ever glazed. Gold looked better when it was allowed to shine.
She was still wearing Louis’ waistcoat.
Noé shot up at her arrival and Domi’s eyes widened upon seeing him there.
“I have—!“ He fumbled with the box, almost dropping it, but managed to regain composure, holding it out to her. “I have something for you!”
Domi didn’t say anything. The curiosity in her eyes was almost imperceptible beneath that glaze, but it was there. She took the lid off the box and observed the article within. Her eyes widened, and she looked from it to Noé.
“Domi, would you please join me for dinner tonight?”
“Huh? We always have dinner together.” Her voice was low and soft.
He smiled, though there was something sad in his eyes at hearing her voice. “Yes, but tonight’s special! I know this request might seem a little strange, but I would like you to meet me in the woods later!” He pulled a badly drawn map of the forest out of his pocket and pointed at an over-exaggerated X on it. “At this location!” He looked up at her, and the look in his eyes told her she couldn’t refuse. “Will you?”
Domi’s brow furrowed. “You haven’t lost it have you, Noé?”
“Please let me know if I have! Teacher says if I think too hard my thoughts might walk right out of my head!”
“He was just saying that.”
“We can only hope, but I still don’t want to chance it.”
*
Domi’s thoughts frayed as she looked at herself in that golden dress. Like a rope that isn’t quite sure it can hold onto anything.
It was Louis. It was supposed to be Louis.
Why did they pick her? Why? Why was he cursed, and she blessed? It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair they had to choose. Choices were for ice cream flavors, and what book you wanted to read, not for brothers and sisters.
Not for twins.
That word gummed up her mouth, even when she didn’t say it aloud.
Twins. She and Louis, twins. Part of her still couldn’t believe it, and the other part of her could only believe it.
That word had one benefit. With her hair cut, and wearing his clothes, she could pass for him.
Which was surely what everyone wanted. All as it should have been.
She could pretend to be Louis. And pretending to be Louis was…better that truly being Domi…wasn’t it?
So…why did Noé want her to wear this dress? Didn’t Noé prefer her looking like Louis?
“I like it when you have your hair long too. It feels so much like you’re Domi, then, and…I really like it.”
Or perhaps…
Would he like that? Would he really?
She looked at herself in this dress and she thought in some far-off part of her brain that, perhaps she was beautiful. And perhaps he picked this dress because he knew she would like it, and he knew she would look nice in it.
But she would have looked better in it if her hair were longer.
*
Noé was so glad to have Domi.
He missed Louis, and he wanted Louis back, certainly. But he was glad to have Domi, and he wanted Domi to be, well, Domi. She was no pale imitation of her brother, and didn’t deserve to be treated as such.
It made him so sad to see her cut her hair, and put herself in Louis’ clothes. It made him so sad that she thought that’s what she was, what they all wanted.
He had to show her he appreciated her.
He waited in his chair at the table with equally determined, yet barely simmering excitement.
Noé had once read a book Teacher brought from the human world in which a group of mad characters had tea in the forest. Noé thought it was rather fantastic idea, and asked Teacher if they could accomplish such a thing. The table had to be long, and the tea had to be all over it, with lots of cakes too. Teacher laughed, saidWhat an amusing notion, and that he was sure he could set something up.
Noé wasn’t sure exactly how, but when he and Murr entered the forest, was delighted to find it almost exactly as he’d pictured. (Okay, not exactly. There was more substantial dinner food than tea, and not nearly enough desserts, but still.)
When Domi came through the forest Noé stood up, like she was a princess who deserved respect. And he wouldn’t say she didn’t look like it; he had made the right choice. The short hair looked kind of nice with it.
“You look great!” He pumped his fist at his side again.
Domi looked at the ground, but brushed her hair behind her ear.
“Why are we doing this?” She asked, but her eyes scanned the table and the dishes with that barely perceptible curiosity.
“It’s for you!”
“I mean what are we celebrating?”
“Uhh, we’re celebrating you, then, I guess!” Noé continued determinedly, pulling out a chair for Domi, as Teacher poured some blood into her goblet.
“But it’s not my birthday.” She continued looking at the setup as she sat down.
“Why does it have to be for us to want to celebrate you?” Noé sat down in another chair next to hers.
Domi’s eyes widened, and her eyes changed as she observed the table, becoming more awed, with an almost tearful shimmer to them.
When she turned back to look at Noé, for the first time since Louis’ death, he thought he really was really seeing Domi.
Little ficlet for @phmonth2021’s VNC anime countdown, day 8: Noé and/or Murr
Noé found the cat wandering through the woods by the manor. His fluffy white fur was matted, dirty and disheveled, and the look in his multicolored eyes was one of great disgruntlement.
And he did not want a bath.
Noé had always been rather good with animals. Well, not so much good, just that he thought he was good with them, and that was enough. Once he found a wild raccoon, said “Look Teacher, a cat burglar!” and ran up with hands outstretched so it could receive its helping of pets.
This cat, however, was less keen on pettings than the raccoon.
He did not want to be petted or stroked, he did not want to come inside for a bath, or be otherwise relieved of his dishevelment.
Noé was determined, and did not halt in his pursuit. “Giving up” was never really in his word bank.
After Noé spent far more time than most children would chasing him, this cat came to realize that he was not going to win such a battle against a determinedly kind and loving vampire—(who had become extra fond over the course of the chase)—and so ultimately found himself (much to his chagrin) arriving at the front door of a manor in the little vampire’s arms, his legs flopping down, revealing his fluffy belly.
How humiliating.
Noé grinned, and asked Teacher if he could keep him. Teacher, leaning down to observe the cats expression—(he made a noise at him that sounded like a warning; not a growl, not a meow, and not a purr, something in between)—said that the question was indeed could.If he couldkeep him, then he may as well.
Both Teacher and Louis—(“Look, Louis! Look what I found in the woods today!” “Mmm. You really are so weird.” Louis folded his arms and looked away, determined not to betray the fact that he rather liked cats)—leaned against either side of the bathroom’s doorframe as Noé tried to wrangle the creature into bathing. He’d recruited Dominique to help, but even together, and even though the cat knew he wasn’t escaping, they made little progress, and received a lot of scratches.
After a good half-hour of scratches and struggling, (and Teacher and Louis chuckling in the background), Louis sighed, abandoned his post at the doorframe, and walked up to the trio. The cat stared at him, sizing him up, making that grumbling meow-growl-purr sound—(meow-purr…‘Murr,’ perhaps it could be called?)—once again.
“You are going to have a bath, or you’re going to [REDACTED] [REDACTED]. So, which’ll it be?”
Noé and Domi bristled in horror at this, too stunned to even berate him.
The cat seemed to have somehow understood him, for when Louis calmly and brusquely reached out to wash him, (however reluctant), he sat and let him do so.
Domi and Noé collapsed onto the bathroom floor, feeling exhausted and betrayed—(by the cat, or by Louis, they weren’t quite sure).
As Teacher wrapped bandages around his scratches, he looked into Noé’s face and asked gently,
“Are you really sure you want to keep him, after all this?”
But Noé nodded, looking towards the cat and Louis. He had decided the moment he saw the cat in the woods—wild and stubborn yes, but also lost and abandoned, (and furthermore he knew that there really was a little prince in there)—that he belonged to him.
“Well if you’re going to keep him you ought to give him a name.”
Noé smiled like he was hiding food in his cheeks. He already had a name picked out.
