Chapter Text
Do you think that humans will ever be kind?
Of course, Nai. It’s just harder for some people.
He hummed.
It seems it’s hard for everyone except you.
~~~
Nicholas turned and slapped himself. Why would he say that? Of course he wouldn’t want to be his friend. It would be ludicrous, insane even, to become friends with someone who was like him. An outcast. A bully. A good-for-nothing bully.
In the glare of his sunglasses, he sees a wave, up and down at the forehead, the ASL sign for ‘hey!’ He turns back around to face Vash and watches as he signs with a small, disingenuous smile on his face.
[I have fish-feeding duty tomorrow. Do you want to join?]
Nicholas’s eyes widened and he smiled shakily. He signs slowly with shaking hands. [Yeah, that’d be… if it’s okay with you.]
Vash nodded and smiled. He was always smiling. It used to piss Nicholas off so much, and, if he were to tell the truth, it still did, but in a different way now.
[Great, see you then.]
~~~
A second chance? Do You really think he deserves a second chance?
Doesn’t everyone?
~~~
“Hah, you’re so slow! How stupid are you?”
“Zazie, that’s mean! Don’t say that.”
Nicholas watched from his perch on his desk as Zazie sneered at Vash. They wrote something in his notebook and handed it back to him. Nicholas squinted. Do you have a nickname?: it read. Vash nodded. He tried to say the word that he wrote down.
“Tihoon,” he said while running his finger over the word.
Dominique, who was standing near Zazie, tilted her head. “Typhoon? That’s a strange one.”
“Hah, like a humanoid typhoon? What a weirdo!” Nicholas laughed.
Zazie pouted. “Not much better than yours, Nico.”
Nicholas huffed. “Shut up, Beast.”
Zazie huffs and walks to the blackboard at the front of the classroom. They doodle on the board and leave.
“See you around, suckers.”
~~~
“Hey, Blondie!” Nicholas calls after Vash as he dragged a squirting water-hose with him. Vash, obviously, does nothing, not noticing him. Nicholas lifted the hose and laughs as the water blasts the back of Vash’s head. He stumbles with the pressure to the back of his head and glances at Nicholas.
Nicholas was ready for an annoyed look or an outright furious one, but all he got was a smile, a small one that looked fake. His nose scrunched up and his lip curled. What was with this guy?
The other kids around the playground laughed and chased each other in a game of tag, and stopped to watch as the water from the hose hit Vash in the face as he turned around. He tried to block the water with his hands and then sparks flew.
Vash’s mechanical arm whirred and stalled in the spray. Vash’s eyes widened and he turned his body away, the water now soaking his back and streaming down into his shoes. Nicholas grinned. This guy was such a coward.
~~~
The next day, Nicholas meets the next strangest person he’s ever met. She’s a strong one, and her smile is genuine most of the time. Milly Tompson. A real sweet girl, but she could lower her voice sometimes, if Nicholas had any say.
They met when some guy was trying to steal her bike. She created quite the fuss, nearly burst Nicholas’s eardrums. He couldn’t stop himself from helping her out. He couldn’t ignore her like that, not when she was so loud. She would clearly remember him when she grew louder as she saw him pass.
“Hello, I could really use some help! Anyone!”
He stepped up and tapped the guy on the shoulder. He turned to him with an annoyed curled lip and narrowed eyes.
“You can use my bike.”
“Oh, for real? Thanks, you’re a life-saver!”
And that’s how he lost his bike and gained a friend, or, he thinks he gained a friend.
He and Milly met up for lunch that day, or Milly dragged him to lunch with her. She sat with this other girl, Meryl, who kept glaring at him. He didn’t know what her deal was, but he didn’t blame her. He vaguely wondered if she knows him from somewhere down the line of rumors from earlier years of school.
“Hey, Milly? Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead, Nick!”
Huh. Nick. No one’s called him that before. He kind of liked it.
“Well, what makes people friends?”
Her answer was quick, like she didn’t give much thought about it. That, or she had thought about it and had found an answer.
“Friends are people who are kind to each other!”
Or she just thought it was just that simple.
Nick pretends to not hear Meryl whisper under her breath, “So, not something you’d understand.”
He’s inclined to agree with her.
~~~
He walked along the country road, wishing he had his bike. Should he even come to the bridge where Vash would be? Was the missing bike a sign to not go? He sighed.
So, it’s not something you’d understand.
Yeah, that sounded about right. All his old friends left, if they even were his friends to begin with. What even made him think he could ever be friends with Vash of all people? The person he bullied?
Then he saw something flitter in the corner of his eye. He reached for it and grabbed it. It was a coupon for bread. Bread that he could bring to the bridge and feed the fish with. He smiled. Maybe he should go.
~~~
The baguette in his arms was a nice, comforting weight as he walked down to the bridge. When he got there, Vash was already standing by the edge with a package of sliced bread. Nick waved to get his attention. Vash glanced over and sent him one of his fake smiles.
Why couldn’t he just say he hated him?
[I brought some bread.] he tried to sign as he raised the baguette up to show. He hadn’t signed one-handed before. He ended up using the paper bag the bread was resting in as his second hand and jostled it around. That got Vash to giggle and sign back, correcting Nick’s stumbled signing.
[You brought some bread!]
A grin was on Vash’s face for a moment, and then it disappeared. Then he smiled again. [I bet the fish will like it.] he signed after placing his package of bread down on the railing. Nick smiled.
[Yeah, I bet they will.]
Time lasted an eternity between them. Vash looked down as he gently held the crumbs of the bread over the water and let it drop. Fish gathered in a large group. It looked like they were fighting over the crumbs. When Vash pulled back his hand, he paused before going to grab another slice. Nick watched as he hesitantly signed.
[I wasn’t sure I should meet you today.]
Nick nodded. [Yeah, I wasn’t sure either.]
Vash looked away for a moment and chuckled and then sighed.
[I asked Nai. He said “Hell no!”]
Nick didn’t blame him.
[But I came anyway.]
Nick mimicked the signs. [But you came anyway.]
[I wanted to see if you really were different.] Vash smiled, a genuine, wide one this time, and Nick was sure he wanted to see more of them because his swore he felt his heart skip a beat. [And it looks like you really did change.]
Vash’s hands pointed to himself and then, with flat, closed hands, rotated upward around his chest and belly. His face held a wide grin, a genuine smile that Nick wanted to see even more of.
[I’m so glad.]
~~~
People can change after all.