Archive of Our Own ^beta

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It was a peaceful day at the bakery Noé worked at. He works diligently all day long helping his teacher, the owner, and co-worker bake all kinds of bread and setting them out nicely on display for the customers. It was a quiet day at the store so the boy read a book about a vampire named Vanitas called “The Vampire of the Blue Moon” all the while petting the owner’s cat, Murr. Murr of course would interrupt his time reading by getting on top of Noé’s book to get his attention.

     “Murr, no. Stop.” He said, annoyed and pushing the fluffy white Parisian cat away.

     The front door opened, a bell alerting Noé that a customer had come to shop.

     “Hello, how may I-” Noé began, closing his book when suddenly the customer had jumped up onto the display counter. “!?”

     The dark haired customer smirked.

     “I WILL EAT YOU ALL!!”

     “M-mosier, would you please get down from there? I’ll get in trouble if the owner finds you-”

     “I’ll take every last bread you’ve got!”

     “Huh?”

     The mysterious customer jumped back down and walked to the register desk where Noé stood dumbfounded.

     “Are you… sure about that order?”

     “Oui~”

     “Will you be able to carry that much back to your home?”

     “… Oh, you know what? I probably can’t…” The customer suddenly realized. “H-hey, would it be too much to ask of you to help me carry half of my order?”

Getting permission from the owner, Noé helped carry his customer’s bread all the way back to his home.

     “Would you like to stay for a cup of tea? It’s the least I could do for your help.”

     “… Sure.” Noé said accepting his offer.

Noé had stayed longer than he anticipated for. He learned his customer shared the same name as Vanitas in his book; they had been discussing about the tale. Without knowing, Noé’s inner fanboy had been opened up by a complete stranger.

     Vanitas chuckled.

     “You’re quite funny, Noé. I like you. We should become friends and meet up more often on your days off. What’d ya’ say?”

     “But… We just met.”

     “Pfft, silly!” Vanitas laughed, ruffling Noé’s snow white hair. “That’s how friendship works! You meet someone new and become friends with them.” He pulled out his phone. “Here, give me your phone so I can add myself into your contacts and you add yours into mine. We can start out as texting buddies.”

     Noé was hesitant at first. Thinking it over, he didn’t see the harm in becoming texting buddies with Vanitas.

     “Sure.”                  

     Vanitas hummed happily.

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This was a bad idea. This was a really, really bad idea. Noé thought that being Vanitas’s texting buddy wouldn’t be a bad idea. How wrong he was. Vanitas would send a text to the poor boy every ten minutes while he was working at the bakery. He wished the text would stop coming. And then, it did. For an hour anyway when he was sent a long spam of texts messages.

   Noé decided he’d go on a lunch break, leaving his co-worker to fill in for him for a bit while he got some fresh air. Noé’s phone buzzed. It was a picture message this time. Vanitas had sent a selfie of himself at a coffee shop. The text read: Hey, Noé! Come meet me at this coffee shop when you’re on your lunch break, let’s hang out in person today what’d ‘ya say?

     Contemplating on whether to decline the offer and go somewhere else or to join the extroverted young man, the thought of being relieved of spams of text messages won Noé over.

     “Hey! Glad you could come! Shortcake?” Vanitas greeted, offering Noé a bite of his strawberry shortcake.

     “… No thanks.” Noé declined.

     “I insist.” Vanitas persisted, not taking no for an answer, holding out the fork with the small slice of cake.

     Noé, defeated, sat down next to Vanitas and was fed a piece of the already half eaten cake.

     “Is it good?” Vanitas asked, eyes twinkling.

     “Mmm!” Noé hummed with his poker faced expression. “Good.” He gave him a thumbs up.

     “Yay~!” Vanitas cheered, nearly falling back in his chair. “I made this cake this morning, I’d hoped to share it with you today. I’m glad I could see you, my dear Noé.” He took another bite into his cake. “I wanted to surprise you with something I made.”

     “Did that… have anything to do with the hour pause of texts?”

     “Oh, you’ve caught me! You’re so smart, Noé~ <3” Vanitas giggled.

A week later a young woman who wore flower pattern dresses and accessories came by the bakery quite often to buy flower decorated cakes. She became a regular and Noé learned her name was Amelia Ruth and that she ran a flower shop not too far from the bakery.

     “Feel free to stop by any time.” She’d offer.

     “I will.” Noé promised with a smile.

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Vanitas had taken himself out on a coffee date to Starbucks and was taking a selfie of himself with his Frappuccino to post onto his Instagram account. He captioned it: Out with the bae #number1bae #frappielove #coffeedate. Smiling to himself he posted it, his phone immediately buzzing with notifications.

     “Are you Vanitas?” A kid’s voice asked from behind.

     Vanitas turned on his heels seeing a small brown haired little boy accompanied by a female adult. His mother or sister perhaps?

     “Aww, what a cute kid.” He said. “… Wait, how do you know my name?”

     “I follow you on Instagram.” The little boy clarified.

     “Oh~ I see~” Vanitas pat the boy’s shoulder. The woman glared daggers at Vanitas with a murderous aura surrounding her. “Er, ehm… Wh-what can I help you with?”

     “My name is Luca. This is my friend Jeanne.” Luca introduced. “I was wondering if… If I could… take a picture with you.”

     “Aw~ Sure thing, Luca.” Vanitas smiled. Luca’s cheeks flushed and he pulled out his phone and stood next to Vanitas, the two taking a couple of selfies. “Hey, do you mind if I take some with my phone too?”

     “S-sure.” Luca said, blushing.

     “Oh my gosh, you would not believe how cute he was, Noé.” Vanitas had stopped by the bakery to see Noé while he was on his on his break. “He was so brave to come up to me and ask for a picture, here, look at this,” he showed Noé a picture he took with Luca.

     “That’s great.” Was all Noé had been able to contributed into the conversation thus far. Murr came over and rubbed himself against Vanitas’s legs, meowing at him for attention.

     “And the girl he was with was a beauty. I managed to sneak a picture of her.” Vanitas swiped to the right with a side view picture of the girl Jeanne and Luca leaving. It was a little blurry.

     “Mmm… Oh, I know her.” Noé said after staring hard.

     “YOU DO!?” Vanitas asked in shock.

     “She comes by sometimes to buy our cakes. She’s a regular here.”

     “No way. Are you serious? I’ve been coming here a lot lately though, why have I never seen her before today?”

     “She usually comes when you’re not here. Although, she hasn’t stopped by here for a while now. I’m glad to know she’s doing okay.” Noé smiled with relief.

     Something tickled in Vanitas’s chest.

     “……… Noé, do you-”

     “Mrooooow.” Murr meowed loudly, interrupting Vanitas, upset he was being ignored. Noé scooped the grumpy cat into his arms, petting his fluffy fur.

     “Sorry, what were you going to say?” He apologized on Murr’s behalf.

     “Heh, it’s nothing.” Vanitas chuckled, scratching Murr’s head.

That night Vanitas was in his bed, wide awake. He couldn’t sleep when thinking about how Noé had sincerely smiled upon hearing that Jeanne was doing okay. Why does this bother me? Why do I feel jealous? He thought over and over, trying to figure out why his chest hurt so much.

     “I admit she is quite the beauty… Has Noé become taken with that beauty of hers?” Saying those words aloud just now hurt more than he thought. “Is it quite possible that I… Am developing feelings for Noé?”

     Vanitas quickly sat up, grabbed his phone and texting one of his friends to meet him in the next couple of days to discuss about what he is feeling.

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Vanitas sat at a table in the lonely café shop, his Frappuccino left untouched. So many things had gone through his mind the last few days that he had hardly gotten any sleep at all. He would make up excuses not to see Noé. He couldn’t face him with these feelings for him beginning to take form.

     “Why the sad expression?”

     “Dante…!” Vanitas snapped his head up to find his friend, Dante. He hadn’t realized he zoned out.

     Dante sat down in the empty chair adjacent to Vanitas.

     “So, what is it you wanted to talk about?” Dante asked.

     “Well, uhm, I want to ask Noé out, or better yet, ask for his hand in marriage-” Vanitas began.

     “MARRIAGE!?” Dante exclaimed. “How long have you known him for!?”

     “About four months. And I was joking about marring him, Mister Baldy.”

     “Can it, Quack, I’m not bald. How often do the two of you talk to each other?”

     “Every day, but it’s usually by text. Sometimes we meet up on Noé’s days off for some homemade cake I bring.” Vanitas’s aura seemed to radiate sparkles as he tried to ignore Dante’s rude comment. Dante slumped back in his chair.

     “No.”

     “No?”

     “You’re on your own with this.”

     “Whaa? Are you serious!?”

    “Dead serious.”

     “Well you were no help at all then. Fine, I’ll ask Johann to-”

     “FINE.” Dante blurted. “Fine. I’ll help ya’.”

Noé was visiting Mill. Amelia at her flower shop. When he asked what meaning a flower had, Amelia told Noé all about it, Noé seeming very interested.

     “I think I’ll buy a single yellow rose then.”

     “Splendid~” Amelia sang, clapping her hands together and picked Noé his single rose. “So, is this a gift for anyone in particular?”

     “Yeah. A regular of mine at the Bakery.” Noé smiled as he handed the shopkeeper his money.

     “I’m sure your customer will be happy to receive this rose then.” She handed Noé his left over change and the rose. “Feel free to stop by here again anytime, Noé.”

     With a nod and a hum, Noé returned to the shop to see Vanitas at the counter.

     “Vanitas.” There was a sense of surprise in Noé’s voice.

     “Huh? My dear Noé, what took you so long?”

     “Uh-” Noé’s hands fidgeted making the wrapper the flower was held in crinkle.

     “Oh? What’s that you’ve got there? Is it for me?” Vanitas skipped over to Noé but before he could talk any further with the young man, the doorbell jingled and a customer had walked in. It was Jeanne.

     “Oh! Mlle. Jeanne. Is there anything I can help you with?” Noé completely ignored Vanitas so he could attend to his customer. This annoyed Vanitas, but at the same time the beauty from the other day was standing right in front of him. He straightened himself up. Something about her allured him.

     “Master Luca has asked for the usual cake.” Jeanne said.

     “Ah yes, I’ll ring you up.” Noé went behind the counter, boxing up Jeanne’s cake and ringing her up. “Ah, here, I’d like to give you this.” While giving Jeanne her change, Noé had also handed her the rose.

     “Oh.” Her cheeks flushed a light pink.

     “She comes by sometimes to buy our cakes. She’s a regular here.”

     “No way. Are you serious? I’ve been coming here a lot lately though, why have I never seen her before today?”

     “She usually comes when you’re not here. Although, she hasn’t stopped by here for a while now. I’m glad to know she’s doing okay.” Noé smiled with relief.

     Something tickled in Vanitas’s chest.

     “……… Noé, do you-”

     “Thank you.” She continued and left.

     “Did you need anything Vanitas? … Vanitas?”

     Vanitas had left.

Chapter Text

Noé hadn’t heard from Vanitas for a couple of weeks. He had no idea how lonely he truly was before meeting the energetic man. Strangely, he missed him.

     “Mon Chéri, what’s troubling you?” A woman with long dark hair asked, bringing in freshly baked bread. “Don’t tell me you lost your wallet again.”

     “No, it’s not that.” Noé said. He looked at the cover of his storybook and let out a sigh.

     “It’s that Vanitas fellow, isn’t it?”

     Noé turned to face his co-worker, their eyes meeting.

     “… Go. I’ll cover for you.”

     “Thank you, Domi.” Noé raced out in a flash, headed to Vanitas’s home.

     “No one named Vanitas lives here!” Vanitas answered behind closed doors.

     “Vanitas, I know that’s you…” Noé said, exasperated. “I wanna talk.”

     There was a long silence and then the clicking sound of the locks were heard and Vanitas had opened his door.

     “What do you want, Noé?” He asked.

     “Well… I hadn’t heard from you in a while and you haven’t answered any of my texts so I was wondering if you were doing okay?”

     “Aww~ My dear Noé, were you worried about me?” Vanitas’s grumpy act became replaced with happiness. Playing hard to get all this time worked, didn’t it?

     “Well of course. I thought something might have happened to you.” Noé said. “You just left abruptly that day.”

     “Hm? What day was that?”

     “When Mill. Jeanne--”

     “Oh yes! That day! Sorry about that, I hadn’t realized how late it was and had to hurry to work.” He wasn’t technically lying, nor was he telling the truth.

     “Oh, I understand. But then, what about you ignoring my texts?”

     “Drat, you know what? I dropped my phone and the screen cracked so I had to get an upgrade. I was due for a new one anyhow.”

     “So, then I take it you never got around to meeting me in person to get my phone number?”

     “Yes, my dear sweet Noé,” Vanitas cupped Noé’s hands in his, “I am very sorry I could not meet with you. My manager wouldn’t allow me to go anywhere, so, as an apology, let’s go on a date, my treat.”

     “Eh? Da--?”

     “--A-AS FRIENDS.” Vanitas quickly added, blushing madly and chuckling nervously after having let the “d” word slip.

     “Uhm… sure? I guess--”

     “TERIFFIC!” Vanitas cheered. “We’ll go to Starbucks!”

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Hello everyone! I've been gone for a few years. I think what happened was that while I was working on the Bakery AU, I had planned to update every time there was a new chapter of the main story, but then I got to a point where I decided to put it on an indefinite hiatus so I could know more about the characters. I'm wanting to come back and write more The Case Study of Vanitas fics because I've been missing writing for the fandom terribly. I actually plan to revamp the Bakery AU fic with an actual idea for a plot in mind and have a real title, so be patient for it's re-release a little longer :)

I'll be leaving this version up, so no need to worry about it being gone forever ^v^