Knives was in the holo.
He didn't look up from where he was sitting under the tree when Vash stumbled in, breathless and excited. He merely wriggled his fingers hello, and kept concentrating on the portable console in front of him.
Undeterred, Vash hurried right up, dropping to his knees next to Knives in the grass. "Guess what!"
Knives was used to hearing this kind of pointless question from his brother and was patient. "What is it, Vash?"
Vash took Knives's face in both his hands, turned it away from the console and toward his own, and pressed his lips to Knives's cheek, just to the right of his mouth.
The consol toppled into the grass with a dull, metal noise.
Vash pulled back with a half-giggle, satisfied with the result. "It means love," he explained, smiling brilliantly.
Knives blinked, licked at the corner of his mouth closest to where Vash had kissed him. His eyes were the clearest, sharpest blue.
"I think you're doing it wrong," said Knives.
Smile abating, Vash cocked his head to one side, confused. "I am? Rem said—"
"What I mean is," said Knives, in a clinical, impatient voice, as if Vash hadn't said anything, "it's probably the right way to do it with…people like Rem. But we're special."
"'Special?'" Knives had known what kissing was already! And he hadn't told Vash!
Knives nodded. "We're special," he repeated, stressing it. "With us, you don't kiss here," pointing to his cheek where Vash had kissed him. "We kiss here," and Knives laid a slender, smooth finger against Vash's lips.
Vash pursed his mouth against the touch, frowning. "Are you sure?"
Knives gave him such a look that Vash had to laugh. "Okay, okay!" Without hesitating—because Knives always knew what was what—Vash leaned forward and kissed Knives on the mouth.
And it was…different.
Kissing Rem hadn't felt like this—that had been kind of soft and dry, with a kind of squishy warm feeling in his stomach. He remembered smelling flowers on her skin, in her hair.
But, Knives—Knives kissed differently. His eyes were open, and he looked straight into Vash's as they kissed. Harder, slower, a lot wetter, and the sharp, heavy feeling that Vash got from his brother, a perplexing, hot, exciting feeling that was making it hard to hear himself think, that was drowning him out in his own mind, the connection for just a second so, so strong that Vash couldn't help but gasp—and then there was Knives's tongue in his mouth, touching his own tongue, and hands were stroking his face, grabbing harshly—possessively?—into his hair, and teeth scraping against his lower lip—the blue that was burning him, so blue, everything is blue—
Vash fell backwards, lungs struggling for air.
Knives stared at him. His face was pale, his eyes bright, and he was licking his lips like he'd done before when Rem had made ice cream and they'd both sat there, trying to lick every last taste off their skin—
"A-are you sure?" asked Vash again in a small, small, small voice.
Knives nodded.
"But don't tell anyone," said Knives. One hand came up and pressed tightly against his mouth.
"Why?"
"Because," said Knives, now a hint impatiently, "they wouldn't be able to understand."
This was news to Vash. "Not even Rem?"
"Especially not," said Knives. He took Vash by the shoulders, pulling him close enough that their noses touched. "This is just for us. It's not for anyone else, just us. Do you hear me, Vash?"
Of course, Vash nodded.
The expression on Knives's face was so clear and happy that Vash was instantly convinced. "I promise, Knives," he said. "I won't tell anyone. It's ours."
Knives smiled.
But when Vash turned to go, fingers dug into his flesh, held him still. The blue of Knives's eyes were pieces of steel when he met them again.
"Oh, and Vash," said Knives dispassionately, casually, "I'd be really, really upset if you ever kissed anyone else like this."
Vash laughed. "But why would I?"
Knives let him go then with a smile and a whirl of pale hair, and Vash, leaving his brother smiling and standing under a tree and a blue sky next to a cracked console, just couldn't understand why his hands were shaking as he keyed the door open.
