He let him lean, the arm around his waist brushing his fingers up and down his side in soothing little circles, and just let him talk. After Nico and Wolfwood had found Vash at Lina's house, he'd never really felt comfortable asking about what had happened, had simply taken what Nico had seen as enough to know that whatever it was, it had been very different from the event that resulted in the hole in the moon back home. And Vash hadn't ever seemed like he wanted to talk about it, which was fine by him. Especially given the guilt he'd still been living with over what had transpired in December, and over the fact that he'd been dropped into Vash's lap against his will, forced on him when he already had his own problems to deal with.
In some ways, this...sounded worse than what had happened during the Fifth Moon incident, and it made the anger he felt over the atrocities Knives had committed even stronger. At the same time, he wanted to take the little bits and pieces of his life that were being offered, the little explanations, and hold them in his hand, protect them, especially knowing that it sounded as if there had been a real possibility that he'd almost lost something so precious to him.
It...also made him realize that the date held more significance for Nicholas, too, than he'd initially realized, and the thought hadn't occurred to him until just that moment, too unimportant when put against the weight of everything else.
"I hadn't noticed, either, but July had the same date back home, too. I never knew what yours...or what Needle-Noggin's birthday was. Never really celebrated them when I was little, don't know what mine is, so it just...never occurred to me. I'm sorry, Vash. I really am. That's a level of cruelty that nobody deserves, especially not you." He turned his head, pressing a small kiss to his temple before settling his chin back on his shoulder where they'd been resting before. "Sometimes when he was asleep, Needle-Noggin would mumble things. Lots of times, it was just gibberish, but...if he was havin' a bad enough nightmare, he'd say this name. I never asked, it wasn't my place to pry if he wasn't comfortable talkin' about it, but it was obvious this Rem was important to 'im. I just always thought maybe it was a girl he'd lost over the years."
And oh, in a lot of ways, that almost felt like it would have been a kinder answer.
"You were so young. I knew it had to have been when you were small, just doin' the math, but...that really puts it into perspective, honestly. So...you call her by her name, but...I'm guessin' she was like your mom? Was she another Plant, like the two of you, or-...?" He rubbed his thumb reassuringly against his side again, thinking quietly for a moment after the question trailed off. "It's alright if it's too much for you to process right now. Somethin' that bad happening when you were so young is...that's big." Honestly, it certainly went a long way to explain some of Vash's particular quirks, both of them. He'd grown up seeing enough kids go through severe trauma at very early ages to know that it didn't go away easy, if ever. They always seemed broken, somehow, even when they were able to begin the process of rebuilding their lives in the aftermath. "Just...give yourself time. We don't have to rush into anything right now. We can focus on what we're here to do, and then once we've found Needle-Noggin, and Nai, and...little Vash, and Nico...we can go lookin' for her. Or between, maybe. Whenever you're ready."
At this point, they were going to end up having a little army of themselves and those closest to them, once they found everyone. It was a strange thought, but...he couldn't help but smile a little at it.
"At the very least, from what I'm hearin', she deserves a bit of my thanks for helpin' so many of us out. You think a "thank you" card is good enough for somethin' that big? Oh, and...um...I mean...I get why you might not feel like celebratin' it too much, but...if I'm remembering the dates right...this is the same day I met you. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse, but..." He shrugged, smirking a little, hoping the tiny bit of levity would help pull him out of his head, just a bit. "At the very least, you've made my life a bit better. So thank you, too."
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In some ways, this...sounded worse than what had happened during the Fifth Moon incident, and it made the anger he felt over the atrocities Knives had committed even stronger. At the same time, he wanted to take the little bits and pieces of his life that were being offered, the little explanations, and hold them in his hand, protect them, especially knowing that it sounded as if there had been a real possibility that he'd almost lost something so precious to him.
It...also made him realize that the date held more significance for Nicholas, too, than he'd initially realized, and the thought hadn't occurred to him until just that moment, too unimportant when put against the weight of everything else.
"I hadn't noticed, either, but July had the same date back home, too. I never knew what yours...or what Needle-Noggin's birthday was. Never really celebrated them when I was little, don't know what mine is, so it just...never occurred to me. I'm sorry, Vash. I really am. That's a level of cruelty that nobody deserves, especially not you." He turned his head, pressing a small kiss to his temple before settling his chin back on his shoulder where they'd been resting before. "Sometimes when he was asleep, Needle-Noggin would mumble things. Lots of times, it was just gibberish, but...if he was havin' a bad enough nightmare, he'd say this name. I never asked, it wasn't my place to pry if he wasn't comfortable talkin' about it, but it was obvious this Rem was important to 'im. I just always thought maybe it was a girl he'd lost over the years."
And oh, in a lot of ways, that almost felt like it would have been a kinder answer.
"You were so young. I knew it had to have been when you were small, just doin' the math, but...that really puts it into perspective, honestly. So...you call her by her name, but...I'm guessin' she was like your mom? Was she another Plant, like the two of you, or-...?" He rubbed his thumb reassuringly against his side again, thinking quietly for a moment after the question trailed off. "It's alright if it's too much for you to process right now. Somethin' that bad happening when you were so young is...that's big." Honestly, it certainly went a long way to explain some of Vash's particular quirks, both of them. He'd grown up seeing enough kids go through severe trauma at very early ages to know that it didn't go away easy, if ever. They always seemed broken, somehow, even when they were able to begin the process of rebuilding their lives in the aftermath. "Just...give yourself time. We don't have to rush into anything right now. We can focus on what we're here to do, and then once we've found Needle-Noggin, and Nai, and...little Vash, and Nico...we can go lookin' for her. Or between, maybe. Whenever you're ready."
At this point, they were going to end up having a little army of themselves and those closest to them, once they found everyone. It was a strange thought, but...he couldn't help but smile a little at it.
"At the very least, from what I'm hearin', she deserves a bit of my thanks for helpin' so many of us out. You think a "thank you" card is good enough for somethin' that big? Oh, and...um...I mean...I get why you might not feel like celebratin' it too much, but...if I'm remembering the dates right...this is the same day I met you. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse, but..." He shrugged, smirking a little, hoping the tiny bit of levity would help pull him out of his head, just a bit. "At the very least, you've made my life a bit better. So thank you, too."