Vanitas x OC : The Moon's curse

Mark of possession

Luca's mood seemed to sour immediately if the glare he sent to the man beside me wasn't clear enough to tell.

"...Of course...
...I'm aware of that. The fact that no curse-bearers were beheaded was most certainly thanks to him."

Vanitas smirked smugly at the young boy's words making me sigh internally.

"However, Vanitas ! Before I express my thanks... ...I want you to apologize for the other day !"

"Apologize ? For what ?" He asked, mocking Luca again in my opinion since he was playing with the fork in his mouth.

"The first time we met ! You, um... Jeanne...
You forced yourself on Jeanne !!" The young vampire explained, flustered and angry.

"Oh, you mean the kiss ?" Vanitas recalled innocently, putting emphasis on the word "kiss".

~~~

The atmosphere of the room immediately changed. Noé stopped eating his tarte tatin, Jeanne flinched with an exasperated face, Cyndelle stopped moving too just as she was about to have her first bite of the dessert.

"...That's right ! Apologize for that first, if you would ! Properly !" Luca kept on, looking as if he didn't notice the others's reactions.

"Sorry." Vanitas apologized as told but his face wasn't matching with the word, clearly showing he wasn't genuine.

"No ! Not like that !!" Luca exploded. "That wasn't nearly ! Sincere ! Enough !!"

"You're rather a lot of trouble, aren't you ?" The man complained, not noticing the girl beside him putting her fork back on her plate and huffing at his antics. "Anyway, who am I making this apology to ? Jeanne or you ?"

"Jeanne ! Of course !" The young boy exclaimed like it was obvious.

"I see. In that case, I don't need to apologize.
Jeanne and I are in love with each other." He said with a wink.

"Save the sleep-talking for when you're asleep." The woman coldly stated.

"Doesn't look like she loves you very much..." Cyndelle muttered, looking to the side through the window with her face propped on her fist, looking almost like she was pouting. Jeanne was the only one to notice because she was sitting at the other side of the table.

Vanitas laughed, not having heard Cyndelle's word. "I'm not talking in my sleep." He began to undo his ribbon and pushed his collar away. "Here. Take a good look.
Jeanne and I are already... ...in this sort of relationship." He put emphasis on the end of his sentence as he showed to almost everyone the rose mark on him. Cyndelle didn't understand the shocked expression on everyone's faces so she tried to lean toward the table to have a glimpse of what Vanitas was showing without much luck as she wasn't really at a good place to see.

"A mark of possession...!!" Luca exclaimed in shock.

Cyndelle stopped moving around in her seat, now understanding a little more everyone's shock but then went to lean again. She was curious to see the mark because she didn't have much knowledge about it, as she never marked anyone nor met someone marked before.

"That's a lie !!" Jeanne stood up from her seat, slamming her hands in the table. "I didn't intend to leave anything like that !!"

"Come, now. You must know your own mark." Vanitas said pouting. "Well, you were quite rough that night ! I wouldn't be surprised if your own memories of it were patchy." He went on, nodding at himself. "You were so... greedy, so enthusiastic... Was my blood that delicious ? So much that you unconsciously marked me ?"

'Poor Jeanne...' Cyndelle thought when she saw her face explode in red at Vanitas's teasing.

"Jeanne... You really drank his blood !?" Luca asked her. "That's the type of fellow you like !?" He went on.

"Huh ? How did we get from that topic to this ?" Jeanne wondered, Cyndelle agreed mentally as she tilted her head looking at the young boy in confusion.

"But that's how it is, isn't it !? Going out of your way to mark him, someone who's kin to the vampire of the blue moon... It's as if you're claiming him as your own !" The little now looked like in a panic as he went on.

Jeanne didn't know what to say, she looked down slightly trembling with Noé, Vanitas and Cyndelle staring at her then Vanitas smiled.

"Sorry. Sorry ! I see I took the joke too far." The only human at the table said in a lighthearted tone, laughing along. Cyndelle sighed hearing him.

"What...?" Luca's tone was darkening, threatening.

"Luca. Jeanne did indeed leave this mark... ...but not because she wished to." Vanitas started to explain surprising Jeanne and getting Cyndelle's attention.

"Are you telling me... you forced her ??"

'Now he looked really menacing there...' Cyndelle thought as she looked at the little boy with wide eyes, not expecting to ever see him like that.

"Listen to me. Listen. Calm down." Vanitas tried to appease the little vampire. "You're scary." He added, talking more to himself. "She wasn't in her right mind at the time." He went back to his explanation. "You must have hears them yourselves... ...the curse-bearers' voices."

Luca's face changed, remembering the moment.

"Just like the other vampires, Jeanne forgot herself for a moment, and she attacked me." Vanitas finished recalling the events.

"Jeanne ? Is that true ?" The little boy asked, turning to her.

"...Yes... ...Master Luca. I'm terribly sorry I... failed to report it." She told him in a small voice.

"...I see ! So that's how it was !" Luca beamed, his mood seemingly improving. "What a relief ! Yes, of course that was it ! You'd never have left your mark on a selfish, extremely insolent man like him if you hadn't been temporarily insane !!"

"What's this, Luca ? I do believe you don't like me very much." Vanitas reacted at the words.

'Can you really blame him thought ?' Cyndelle thought sarcastically as she took back her fork of tarte before having an idea and turning towards Vanitas, tapping his shoulder with her other hand. "Hey, Vanitas."

The man turned towards her and was surprised by the sight he was greeted with.

"Here. Say "Aaah~"." She asked of him, smiling sweetly at him with the fork in front of his face and a hand under it if it were to fall.

His eyes widened as he seemed to blank. "Eh ? Why ?"

"Well, I've never had tarte tatin before so I woul like to get your opinion before trying it." She explained, still smiling at him.

Vanitas was wondering if she was alright, how could she have not noticed that he wasn't fond of the sweet tarte but also, how was he supposed to decline when she was looking at him like that and being so innocent... And he might never have a chance like that again...

He sighed before opening his mouth to take the bite, leaning towards Cyndelle. She now could clearly looked at the mark that Jeanne left on him.

But right before Vanitas took the treat, Jeanne grabbed him and went towards the window, surprising everyone but even more so Cyndelle and Vanitas.

"Let me borrow this man for a bit !" Jeanne said towards Luca before leaving.

Cyndelle stared at the window, confused before putting her fork back for the umpteenth time to dash after the two. "I'll look after them !" She called over to the others vampires, seconds before Noé followed, leaving only Dominique and Luca at the table.