[The sound of his name made him snap his attention up, eyes leaving the kid and returning to Vash's back and the redirection helped center him and pull him out of the loop he'd found himself in. And oh. Didn't those words just hit home. Nico was still missing. And damn him, but this little shit was Vash's only real family. He knew how important people were to Vash, he knew how every fucking death was as painful as a personal attack to him, even when they weren't someone he cared about.
He couldn't. He couldn't be the reason Vash was left alone like that. Because even if he was willing to accept the the consequences of doing the one thing that might very well finally make Vash hate him for the monster he really was, he couldn't accept being the one that took away one of the only things he had left.]
Fuck.
[When he pulled his hand out of his coat, it was to open one of his cigar tubes, and he used the process of cutting it and lighting it to disguise how rattled he was. He'd gone through two of these in as many days. He'd need to buy more, soon, unless he wanted to start smoking three cigarettes at once every time he really needed the nic-fix to calm his nerves.
He hung onto every single word the two of them exchanged, and when the kid mentioned Vash, a different Vash, he let out a cloud of smoke from the corner of his mouth, away from them, and stood to his feet. Every step was slow, deliberate and careful, and when he was just outside of arm's reach of the little monster, he crouched back down, feeling mildly annoyed that he hadn't taken up carrying suckers like Nico had, because at least those helped get him some kind of brownie points with kids. Nicholas didn't have anything like that.]
That's what we're here for, right? [He steeled his face into something neutral before lifting his sunglasses into his hair and then put on his most charming, disarming smile. At least he was practiced with that.] Your bro's a softie, you know? He's been tryin' t'find you for a while, now. An' hey, sorry if I was bein' rude just now, I was thinkin' we'd find someone our age. [Alright, Vash's age, but he could pretend he didn't know any better for now.] I'm glad we found you, though. We lost one'a your brother's friends a few days ago, an' things've been kinda hard on him. You know how attached he gets, he just wants everyone to be his friend. I haven't seen him lose one person without it really upsettin' 'im. S'why it's good you're safe. We can help 'im better as a team, right? Hopefully he doesn't have t'worry about losin' anyone else.
[And not a word of it was a lie. Well. The part about finding Knives, maybe. But not any of the rest of it.]
The other Vash, too...honest, kid, I...[Oh, and now he was actually thinking about the implications of what he was about to say, and it was like a knife in his heart.] That may be the Vash I know. Me an' him...we got separated a while back, an' if it's the same Vash, I know he's just as sweet as your brother, here, an' I'm kinda worried about him, too. I didn't think I'd ever find 'im again, an' I know that he's probably just as upset as this guy.
[He didn't notice it, but the look on his face softened, went a little "gooey" around the edges, as it were. He shifted, resting an elbow on his knee so he could rest his chin in his hand in what was as nonchalant a facade as he could make at the moment.]
What'd you mean when you say different? Is it his hair? Kinda likes to spike it up? An' his coat's got buttons instead'a zippers, and great big boots with belts on 'em? That's my Vash. He was lookin' for his brother, too, when I...got lost.
[God. If his Vash was here...what...what was he even going to do with that??? He never, in a million years, thought he would ever see him again. He'd told himself two years ago that he had come to terms with that. But the thought was making him feel some sort of way all of a sudden, and not least of which was a worry that it had been him the call for aid had gone out for when this whole mess had started up a few days ago.]
You know where he is, now? Maybe if we keep 'em together, they'll both be safer, yeah? I just wanna make sure they're both ok, you know?
no subject
He couldn't. He couldn't be the reason Vash was left alone like that. Because even if he was willing to accept the the consequences of doing the one thing that might very well finally make Vash hate him for the monster he really was, he couldn't accept being the one that took away one of the only things he had left.]
Fuck.
[When he pulled his hand out of his coat, it was to open one of his cigar tubes, and he used the process of cutting it and lighting it to disguise how rattled he was. He'd gone through two of these in as many days. He'd need to buy more, soon, unless he wanted to start smoking three cigarettes at once every time he really needed the nic-fix to calm his nerves.
He hung onto every single word the two of them exchanged, and when the kid mentioned Vash, a different Vash, he let out a cloud of smoke from the corner of his mouth, away from them, and stood to his feet. Every step was slow, deliberate and careful, and when he was just outside of arm's reach of the little monster, he crouched back down, feeling mildly annoyed that he hadn't taken up carrying suckers like Nico had, because at least those helped get him some kind of brownie points with kids. Nicholas didn't have anything like that.]
That's what we're here for, right? [He steeled his face into something neutral before lifting his sunglasses into his hair and then put on his most charming, disarming smile. At least he was practiced with that.] Your bro's a softie, you know? He's been tryin' t'find you for a while, now. An' hey, sorry if I was bein' rude just now, I was thinkin' we'd find someone our age. [Alright, Vash's age, but he could pretend he didn't know any better for now.] I'm glad we found you, though. We lost one'a your brother's friends a few days ago, an' things've been kinda hard on him. You know how attached he gets, he just wants everyone to be his friend. I haven't seen him lose one person without it really upsettin' 'im. S'why it's good you're safe. We can help 'im better as a team, right? Hopefully he doesn't have t'worry about losin' anyone else.
[And not a word of it was a lie. Well. The part about finding Knives, maybe. But not any of the rest of it.]
The other Vash, too...honest, kid, I...[Oh, and now he was actually thinking about the implications of what he was about to say, and it was like a knife in his heart.] That may be the Vash I know. Me an' him...we got separated a while back, an' if it's the same Vash, I know he's just as sweet as your brother, here, an' I'm kinda worried about him, too. I didn't think I'd ever find 'im again, an' I know that he's probably just as upset as this guy.
[He didn't notice it, but the look on his face softened, went a little "gooey" around the edges, as it were. He shifted, resting an elbow on his knee so he could rest his chin in his hand in what was as nonchalant a facade as he could make at the moment.]
What'd you mean when you say different? Is it his hair? Kinda likes to spike it up? An' his coat's got buttons instead'a zippers, and great big boots with belts on 'em? That's my Vash. He was lookin' for his brother, too, when I...got lost.
[God. If his Vash was here...what...what was he even going to do with that??? He never, in a million years, thought he would ever see him again. He'd told himself two years ago that he had come to terms with that. But the thought was making him feel some sort of way all of a sudden, and not least of which was a worry that it had been him the call for aid had gone out for when this whole mess had started up a few days ago.]
You know where he is, now? Maybe if we keep 'em together, they'll both be safer, yeah? I just wanna make sure they're both ok, you know?