Chapter Text
Vash woke slowly to the feeling of a cold leg.
{He lives!}
Did he? Vash wasn’t sure about that just yet, blinking groggily at the brightly lit infirmary ceiling. Ugh, couldn’t they dim the lights or something?
[If you have enough energy to complain, you’re fine.]
{Yeah! Eyes wide open and you’ll get used to the light in no time!}
Meanies. Bullies. Banes of his existence.
[I cannot possibly have been this dramatic at your age.]
{You’re talking like an old man~}
[I AM old, you menace. So are you for that matter!]
{Excuse you! I’m the perfect picture of youth and innocence!}
[Youth and innocence my a-]
Vash tuned them out as they bickered in the back of his head, focusing back on his cold leg now that he could keep his eyes open. Straining his neck, he looked at his blanket covered body and the single leg poking out from beneath.
It was wrapped in a string of knives.
His head went silent as he followed the knives to the foot of the bed, where they disappeared into a curled up lump of plant boy.
{Oh, they’re blunt.}
[...that’s kind of adorable.]
Vash was assaulted with an image of a white kitten wrapping its tail around a fuzzy yellow chick. He cheeks reddened in mortification.
“Would you stop that?”
[No.]
“Whuh th’ ‘ell wuz tha’?” came a mumbled query from a slowly uncurling Nai, blinking blearily, “ ‘m not a cat.”
{Holy crap.}
[I’m having cute aggression.]
Vash felt his left hand twitch. He glared it into submission.
Nai grunted in annoyance, “I’m not cute . Vash, your others are stupid.”
Vash felt torn between agreeing and defending them, and Nai snorted.
[I’m 140 years older than you, Nai, I get to find my little brothers adorable.]
Vash retorted with something he’d heard Brad say once to one of the older nurses (and which had earned him a lightning quick cuff over the head), “Ok boomer.”
{AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!}
[...you cheeky lil shit-]
“Swear jar!” he exclaimed smugly. His blond self wheezed in his head, even though he had no need to breathe to keep laughing.
[...]
Vash went to share a smug smile with his brother, but found him staring into nothing with a complex expression on his face.
“Nai…?”
“...you spell it N-A-I?”
“Um, what?”
“My name. You spell it N-A-I?”
Vash blinked, “Oh! You could hear that? Ah, yeah, hehe. Kinda always have.”
Nai nodded thoughtfully, “I did too. In my head at least. It kind of surprised me when-” he frowned, “...when Rem wrote it for me for the first time.”
His brother laughed sheepishly, “I know, right? Who would even think of spelling it K-N-I?”
Nai clenched his fist and stared at it, “Yeah…”
{Well, Kni is at least close to Knives.}
The paler brother blinked, “How did you know about that?”
{Huh?}
“How did you know about Millions Knives? That I was planning to call myself that?”
{...I was talking about my brother.}
Nai flushed in embarrassment. Oh, yeah, obviously he was talking about his brother. He’d mentioned him before, even.
[Wait, you CHOSE that name???]
The blush grew darker, as he muttered, “It sounds cool…”
{...you really ARE three, huh?}
Vash laughed as Nai sputtered in outrage, uncurling his metallic tendril from Vash’s leg before his twin grabbed it with one last huff. “I didn’t know you could make, like, blade limbs.”
Nai still refused to look at him, but untensed just a tad, “It came out while I was sleeping. I don't remember making it.”
Vash smiled, “Your powers are always so interesting.”
Nai frowned, “Speaking of, that man-”
“Brad?”
“Um, yes sure. He told me you’ve been naming the plants.”
Vash’s face lit up at once, “Oh, yes! It was Luida’s idea! She’s been naming them after different flowers we have on the database. I asked every plant if they like their name too, because, y'know, they can decide that. I feel like it's nice to give them small things they can decide on even if I can't give them big things yet. Anyway yeah, they're all okay with it, some even really like their names! Individual names are kinda of a novelty so I think they're having fun with it. A few weeks ago one wanted to hear a bunch of names and then chose one herself! That's Marigold, she’s a bit adventurous, hehe. And- and-"
[Breathe, chick.]
Vash took a deep breath, "Ah, oops." he smiled sheepishly and Nai almost smiled back, slightly overwhelmed by his brother's sheer enthusiasm.
"So you can… talk to them?" he asked hesitantly.
Vash blinked, "Of course! Even if I have no other powers I can at least do that!"
Nai looked down at his hands, which were fidgeting with the threadbare hem of his borrowed shirt.
"...Nai? What's the matter?"
He bit his lip, a bad habit he thought he'd left behind on ship 5, but then again, there were a lot of things he thought he'd left behind, starting with his childish fantasies of inter-species cooperation.
"I can't..." he muttered something.
"What?"
"I can't… talk to them. I… didn't know it was possible."
[{!...}]
Vash stared at him, eyes wide with incredulity. Silence lay thick and heavy between them until Nai couldn't take it anymore, exclaiming in frustration.
"I- I can hear when they call for help! I can hear their screams, the whimpers, but- I've never…"
[That's a broadcast.]
He looked up into his brother's torn gaze, but the voice continued calmly.
[What you hear, that's a broadcast. Plants use it mainly for emergencies.]
"Then how…"
Vash took a deep breath, "Plants don't really… talk."
{They dream, mostly, together. But when they talk to us, it's through, uh…}
[Impressions, feelings, images. Stuff like that.]
Nai's lips pressed into a thin line, "Then how come I can't..."
Vash frowned, "That can't be. Let's go talk to them right now!" he huffed as he tried to get out of bed, much to Nai's consternation.
"Vash! Wait, you just woke up from surgery!" he called out, half panicked, especially as the boy in question winced when he jostled his arm.
"Ahh, I’m sure it’s fine.” he laughed it off.
{At least wear the sling.}
“Sling? Oh!” he reached out towards the bedside table with his good hand, throwing it over his head and carefully moving his arm into it, “Oh, it doesn’t pull at it this way!”
“Vash, you really don’t-”
“It’s fine! Let’s go!” The boy giggled as he stood up, already heading for the door, “We just have to make sure nobody catches us! Like spies from that movie you like!”
Nai pursed his lips but gave in with a sigh, “You mean that movie you like.”
“Ehehehe~”
0 0 0
Fifteen minutes later (and too many ridiculous ‘sneaking’ manoeuvres to count), Nai was back at the plant hall, this time with his brother. Vash seemed to have a specific plant in mind as he headed straight for a bulb towards the middle, so Nai simply followed silently, anxiety churning in his gut.
Vash approached the tank with no hesitation, as if he’d done it a million times, knowing exactly what the outcome would be every time, he seemed so sure of his actions. Nai could barely even remember the last time he’d seen his brother so self-assured, perfectly content in the role and purpose he’d carved out for himself. His free hand reached out to touch the glass and almost immediately, the plant within began to unfurl.
Then he was looking back at Nai, beckoning him forward to place his own hands on the glass. Nai did so hesitantly, wary of somehow spooking his newly awoken sister.
Slowly, she approached them. She stared as she pressed a long, delicate hand against Vash’s on the glass, holding perfectly still for a moment before she turned to look at Nai, her other hand reaching towards his. He suppressed the urge to flee in anxiety and watched as she made contact with the glass.
Nothing happened.
A hollow feeling of disappointment made itself at home in his sternum, familiar in its weight. He made to remove his hand, but his twin’s was suddenly on top of it, pressing it back onto the glass.
“Hey, it’s fine. Don’t- dont give up yet.” Vash said softly, mouth curling into a concerned frown.
Nai looked away, “It never worked before, I don’t see why it would work now.” he muttered bitterly.
{Maybe you just need a little help.}
[Let us help.]
“Please, Nai?” he wasn’t looking at those big, pleading eyes but he could feel them searing into his profile nonetheless. Nai sighed.
“Alright.”
The smile he got in return was almost worth the hollow feeling in his chest.
[Close your eyes.]
“Sometimes I put my forehead against the glass. You can try that.”
{And try to open up.}
“It’s just me.”
[It’s just us.]
{You're safe.}
Nai exhaled shakily and willed his jaw to relax, delving into the feeling of his brother’s minds brushing against his own, their melodies harmonising to soothe him. And then, tentatively, a new melody joined in from behind theirs.
(Wonder. New. Greeting.)
Nai inhaled sharply.
(Question.)
(Brother.) Vash answered, and Nai clumsily followed his example, pushing an impression through the connection. (Talk. Hello.)
(Brother? Sister? Brother! Greeting!)
A wave of foreign excitement rolled over him and he could hear Vash giggle beside him, “The concept of a brother is still new to them, so they can get confused sometimes. But Marigold likes new things.”
At that Nai wouldn’t help the wave of (Awe. Wonder. Curious.) that he released.
(Brother. Grateful. Brother. Happy. Love.)
Oh.
(Love. Love. Love.)
He felt breathless.
(Love of a hundred sisters.)
His throat closed up.
(Love of ten thousand sisters.)
Tears gathered behind his eyelids.
Beside the embracing, loving clamour of his sister, echoed by the background noise of thousands of minds dreaming of loving him, he heard a quiet, distinct murmur flaring up in agreement.
(Love.)
It sounded like Vash.
{[(Love.)]}
It sounded like Vash three times over, and he felt the hand that grasped his own hold on tighter just as something achingly soft and tender caressed his wrist. Warmth and love filled his lungs and limbs and heart and head until he grew almost dizzy from it and he choked on a sob.
How could he have possibly believed his sisters to be empty husks, devoid of feeling or identity? He’d berated Vash for believing what humans said, and yet hadn’t he done the same? What would they know of plants? Of gates and four-dimensional shapes and the love of ten thousand sisters?
(Regret. Penance. Awe… love.)
(Confusion. Understanding. Acceptance. Love. Love. Love.)
Nai slid down to his knees, keeping his hand on the glass, and – for the first time in three years – he wept.
Wrapped in the soft embrace of a glowing, feathered, petaled cocoon, it felt like relief.
{[(Love.)]}