"And what about you? What are you doing now?" Roderich asked to his brother.
"This and that... I met a girl" Francis smiled and looked at Vash" She is the most perfect girl in the world! She's pretty and sophisticated..."
"Really?" The skeptical and usual answer of Roderich to the usual story of Francis.
"Yes, really... Although I'm currently dating someone else" Francis smiled even more. Mrs. Edelstein used this change on the conversation to get closer to Vash without he even noticing... and took him by the arm, naturally.
"No, only two at the same time? Are you losing your touch?"
"You certainly don't want me to talk about the third, mon frere"
Roderich laughed and Vash blushed and instantly got nervous.
"What about you, huh? A fishy story again?" Francis kept going.
"So... Vash, you want to be a doctor too, don't you?" Mrs Edelstein asked.
"Fishy? Nothing fishy."
"I do, yes" Vash nodded relaxing a bit. This was a simple conversation.
"Why? Do you want to understand the ways that people think, like Roro?"
"With you eeeeverything is very, very fishy. I have Ludwig as a witness..." joked Francis.
"There was nothing fishy was between Ludwig and me except for your crazy stories."
"My father is a doctor. My mother a nurse... And I'm good at this, I've been helping father since I can remember..." explained Vash.
"Oh! So, it's vocational then... I think... that Roro explain us some of this on his letters..."
"Everything was fishy, love, especially your meetings. But ok, tell me, are you dating... Someone?" Francis asked.
"No, I'm here studying... but we have a girl as a classmate. Maybe you want to meet her." Roderich proposed, knowing his brother.
"I would also like to specialize in psychiatry, but I'll have to see what my father says about it." Vash answered.
"A girl! Is she pretty?" Francis raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, how could your father be against of that?" Mrs. Edelstein asked.
"She... is noisy." Roderich described her.
"He is more into practical medicine... I don't agree with him, but he is my father... And he's kindly paying my studies."
"Noisy... How charming. Can you tell me anything else about her? Would you marry her?"
"But this is your life! My husband thinks in a similar way and it's a bit sad"
"No, I'm still thinking that a girl studying medicine is a natural abomination" How cute, Roderich...
"Roderich has told me a few things about him. Although I'm not sure of what he does..."
"An abomination..." Francis repeated rolling his eyes. "Let me guess, Vash is a better companion"
"It's because is difficult to him to explain. My husband is a military, honey."
"He actually is" Nodded Roderich.
"A military... Difficult career in this times. Aren't you afraid..."
"Every single day" She sighed.
"And don't look at me that way" Roderich added without looking at his brother. "It doesn't mean anything. He has a sister and I promised to go to meet her and his parents on summer holidays."
"Can I go?" Francis smiled. "Someone will have to pay attention to her and comfort her once you break her little heart."
"Are you forgetting that you are the heartbreaker?"
"Roderich tells me he works abroad and travels a lot... Is he stationed on the border with Germany? I have read that the area is risky lately" Vash asked trying to think that Roderich's father is indeed a FRENCH soldier... Right? Mrs. Edelstein looked at Vash with a worried expression.
"To be honest, I prefer not to know."
"You may actually be right this time, you don't even get to know the girls that much to break her hearts, however... I'm sure Ludwig will not agree with you o the idea of me being the heartbreaker. He looks quite sad." Francis answered.
"So funny, Francis" Roderich rolled his eyes.
"I'm not joking, Roddie, really" Francis took his brother's hand. "Papa looks bored and worried lately when he is at home, I think he misses talking to you... But Ludwig just talks about you, ALL the time."
"Well, I miss them and what they do much more than they miss me."
"I guess that's the sad part of having a military husband" Vash nodded not knowing what to say but weirdly enough, wanting to comfort her.
"Thank you, dear." She smiled.
"Do you REALLY miss what they do? I mean... You are safer here and it's nice and I'm sure no one is yelling all the time and you can really do whatever you want!"
"I can really do whatever I want at home, not here."
"You only say it because here you cannot plan to conquer the world and say that you are better than everyone" Francis smiled. "What does Vash say about that?"
"Nothing because nobody knows anything of this here." He scolded.
"Not even your best friend?" Francis looked at him astounded.
"Ehm... I'm sorry... I-I don't know what e-else to say, I'm very bad with people" Vash stuttered, nervously.
"Nobody, Francis. So... enough."
"Why don't you tell me about the life here in the university? How do you see my kid?" Mrs Edelstein asked.
"Aren't you worried that he might be a bit... scared and maybe disgusted if he knows that your ideas are so... radical?" Francis whispered.
"Y-Your... kid. He... he is nice." Babbled Vash again.
"My ideas aren't so radical" Roderich glared at him.
"Yes? Are you a good friends?" Mrs Edelstein smiled.
"Compared to whom? Hitler?" Francis rolled his eyes and decided to change the subject. "Have you been practicing violin?"
"He is my best friend... Ever. Yes." answered Vash.
"Yes, everybody thinks that a ghost corpse plays in the morgue." Roderich smiled a little.
"The morgue? Lovely... Does Vash know about that or it is a secret?"
"The morgue was his idea."
"So you got creepy friends too! I knew you would!"
"Your best friend ever? Did you knew him before coming here? He never talked of you." She explained.
"No, I met him here... Actually thanks to him we have other friends."
"Really? What about you friends of the school?"
"I'm bad with people..."
"But... if you are so sweet, how could that be possible?" Mrs. Edelstein asked.
"Which creepy friends, Francis?" Roderich rolled eyes.
"I'm not sweet, I... I'm just not good with people." answered Vash.
"Ludwig IS creepy, Roddie, and makes YOU creepy" Francis said, looking him on the eye.
"Of course you are sweet, you seem it to me"
Vash blushed.
"Aww, and very cute."
"Just because he doesn't like to be stalked by you, it doesn't make him creepy."
"His ideas and his actions are creepy... He likes to hunt birds and do weird things to them just to see what happens! And talks weird stuff about inferior people... That's weird!"
"The things with the birds are just cientifical research."
"I'm not cute... If my father hears you say that I'm cute he would probably never talk to me again"
"Well, that will be a secret between us" Mrs. Edelstein winked. Vash blushed even more and looked at his feet instead.
"Science research my ass, he wants to see the birds bleed and cry to death. We all know that."
"Why don't you talk with Vater about that, then?"
"I talk with papa about enough things... I just wonder... is Vash really different?"
"I don't know and neither do you" that sounded more like an threat than a fact. Francis looked askance at his brother.
"I'm sure we will all know by tomorrow..." that also sounded like a threat.
Roderich glared Francis, and, as usually, went straight to talk with his mother. She looked at her son and took him by the arm.
Vash blushed even more with the presence of Roderich.
"Heil" Roderich smiled to Vash, and he smiled just a bit to Roderich
"Hey..."
"Then... mutti, this is our university."
"My father studied here" said Vash.
"Oooh! It's bigger than I imagined" exclamed Mrs. Edelstein so impressed. "Francis, do you see this?"
"Its smaller than anything we have at home" said hers young son.
"Yes, exactly for that reason I imagined something smaller" she said.
"Your home in..." started Vash still suspicious about the precedence of the family.
"Would you like to see the inside? "asked Roderich ignoring that Vash's question and she nodded, srtanting to walk
"I would like to see the morgue, where all the interesting action happens..." added Francis taking a cigarette and offering one to the rest.
"The things that really interest you, Francis, happen in our bedroom" said Roderich without pay attention.
Francis smiled and glanced his mother, who raised his eyebrows looking at him too with specially attention to Vash reaction.
Vash opened his mouth and blushed completely. Their... bedroom? Was he... telling them about them both sleeping together and... all that?
"Good point, honey" Mrs. Edelstein kissed his sons' cheek.
"Vash, I have to admit this is progress..." said Francis smiling. Roderich rolled his eyes because that was sarcastic.
"Well, straight to the bedrooms then" said Mrs. Edelstein.
Vash thought that... well, their bedroom was as organized as always, none one book was out of place. Roderich's violin was on his bed... but that didn't mean they needed to know that they slept TOGETHER.
"And tell me... What are you studiying now?"
"N-Now? Ehm..." hestiated Vash.
"Yesterday we had such an interesting class on physiology"
"R-Roderich..."
Roderich looked at Vash
"I don't think your mother and brother would like to hear about our boring classes..."
"Don't worry, darling, I asked" said Mrs. Edelstein.
Vash blushed more because... he didn't want Roderich to say they were studying him being aroused.
"It's about the human sexual arousal... I won't give you more details if you wouldn't like to hear about our boring classes."
"You have classes on human sexual arousal?" Francis laughed a bit.
"Of course, Francis, don't be immature. It's an important part of the human physiology." scolded Roderich
"Of course it is an important part of the human physiology... I guess now you will say that you are doing experiments... with Vash on the bedroom, just for the scientific value of the knowledge."
Roderich rolled the eyes. Vash ooooopened his eyes looking at Francis completely impressed... and guilty.
"We are not doing experiments!"
"Actually I'm studying with a real case" answered Roderich ignoring Vash.
"Are you?" asked Mrs. Edelstein looking at Vash with surprise.
"No! I'm not!"
"Yes. And Vash is helping me with that. We are studying a case of satiriasis."
"What's that?" asked Francis, Vash seemed lost.
"You is that, my dearest brother."
"You are studying... me?"
"Yes. And our teacher would like to meet you at last."
"But... what's satiriasis, honey? "asked his mother.
"Like nymphomania, but for men."
"For sure is a pervert condition or whatever Roddie claims I have... See?"
"You are a diagnosed case, Francis."
"Am I? You are also a diagnosed case of jealousy..."
He roooolled his eyes again and looked askance to Vash, who looked at him with a thankful look. At least now they were not thinking that it was him the case to review.
Roderich smiled a little to him again and then, looked his mother.
"That door is our bedroom."
Vash... blushed again with the idea of it being "our bedroom"... Vash you pervert.
Mrs. Edelstein smiled and opened to go inside the first, followed closely by Francis.
"Thank you..." whispered Vash to Roderich before holding the door to let him enter and he tried to wink Vash secretly.
Vash blushed but smiled... you wanted to look even more guilty? Galia thinks that he is so cuteeee .
"Ohh... it is... quite different than your room... and I do not see anything posted on the wall" your beloved swastika, for example.
"No, it's because we need to focus." answered Roderich.
"Of course, who could focus... or sleep with such an awful thing in your wall..."
"What thing? "asked Vash
"Drawings of naked men" responded Francis smiling.
"We don't need to study so much anatomy." Roderich shruggered.
"Wh-What?!" vash blinked.
"Don't lie, you prefer to study with real models, not drawings" Francis went to one of the beds (Roderich's...) and lied down occupying it all.
"I'm not like you." the brown-haired crossed his arms.
"No, you are like you. And we love you."
"Some more than others" answered him looking for his violin.
"How very overdramatic... I'm sure Vash is among the ones that love you the most."
"You hide your violin here? "asked her mother when noticed.
Vash closed his eyes hating the whole family... what the hell was that of him loving Roderich the most?!
"Of course he is" answered Roderich and nodded to his mother.
"Oh, dear... "Vash whispered because Roderich wasn't helping, and he looked because obviously, he heard it.
Vash tried to become canadian... meaning, he tried to become invisible.
"What?" asked him anyways.
"N-Nothing.. I just... play the violin, that's a great idea"
"Now? No, anyone could listen it."
"So what?" asked Francis.
"They could hear and accuse me"
"Accuse you of what? This is not home, is not that anyone could ACCUSE you of things!"
"Of having a forbidden thing!"
"Is Music a forbidden thing? "asked Mrs. Edelstein.
"No, but someone could hear it, like a teacher, and then write home, to Vater. And then yes. It's forbidden."
"Well that's a good point" admits Francis nodding, knowing his father.
And just like a present to be nice... Someone knocked the door then. Vash jumped out of the chair where he was sitting, glad to have an activity to do.
"It's Arthur, I think "said Roderich before Vash opened the door. Vash smiled to Arthur, relieved.
"Ehm... hi!"
"Hi! Come on in..."
"Are you... I mean, yesterday you said..." he whispered.
"I know, they are here."
"And is everything ok?"
"Yes... Well... They are stressful"
"And do you want me to stay with you?"
"Why don't you meet them and then you can decide if you want to stay or not."
"I mean... I could say that we need you in... some other place."
"It's everything Ok, boys?" Mrs. Edelstein got closer to the door and come in the conversation.
"No, no... I want to stay, I just probably need some c..." Vash stopped hearing his mother in la... Stop thinking of her like that!
Arhur opened his mouth as if he wanted to park airplanes on his tongue.
"Why don't you introduce us your friend, Vash?"
"O-Of course, yes. Come one in, Arthur... Mrs. Edelstein, this is Arthur, a friend of us... Arthur, this is Roderich's mother."
Ok, Vash, that's the correct way to be ridiculous around Mrs. Edelstein, because, according to Arthur, if you are looking her like your mother in law, you could look to him as if you wanted him to be your father in law. He hestiated and made such a different and strange noise like if he tried to say something or maybe to regurgitate a hair ball, nobody could be sure.
"Arthur?"
He did a sound like answer. A human sound, I'm sure. Like a 80... 70% sure. But he didn't stop to stare Mrs. Edelstein like an idiot.
"Arthur?"
"He is our friend Arthur... he study pharmacology or something like that" Roderich had no idea. "Everybody knows him as the Lord of the drugs."
Vash looked at Roderich and Francis sat up to see this lord of the drugs.
"No! It's forensic medicine!" Arthur felt the need to yell, because it was more impressive than pharmacology and he wanted to impress Mrs. Edelstein. (And that's the problem, Francis... go ahead)
"Whatever..." whispered Roderich rolling his eyes without interest.
"Oh, forensic medicine it's about... death people? "asked Mrs. Edelstein a little leary but, anyway putting her hand to get her kiss.
Arthur took the hand with the naturality that she wanted, feeling himself like an expert lover, and gave her a kiss, blushing.
"That means that... if someone kills you, you could be relax because... I mean, it doesn't mean that someone wants really kill you, it's an hypothetical case..." he was more and more nervous with every single word that he said. "W-what I'm trying to say is that you don't have anything to worry if you die... well, of course, you would be relaxed because you would be death and the death people don't feel relaxed... or worried, or something... the point here is..." Could someone stop him, please?
Francis laughed and Arthur blinked twice.
"Ehm... Well..." Vash hesitated on what to do.
"It's ok, sweety, I won't be worried" assured Mrs. Edelstein, smiling.
Arthur looked Mrs. Edelstein, and then, looked to Francis, because he just notice that someone more is here.
Francis smiled a bit with a mocking smile, winked and then lies down again with his arms behind his head.
"Ehm... well, the point it's I would be here to solve the crime like a true detective" finished the english one.
"It's reassuring to see that if someone kills our maman we will have someone to blush on her corpse... "mocked Francis.
"W-What? "he turned arround to the french boy because he don't believe that someone could really notice his blush. He wasn't blushed anyways!
The french boy still smiled, although he closed his eyes.
"W-What?" he imitated Arthur, who hestiated like if he were going to say something, but closed his mouth in the last moment, frowning. And scanned Francis from his feet to his face, crossing his arms.
Francis smiled, being able to feel his eyes over him... he always knew. Even if Francis shoes were used, they seemed to be new (even the shoe sole was even an quite clean, which was a bit odd). He was wearing slacks, a dress shirt, a tie and a vest with a visible small golden chain indicating clearly that he was wearing a pocket watch (even if he usually forgot to wind it, so the watch was useless... but fancy). He also had a stubble that gave the general impression of being unkempt... although it was perfectly cut. The hair was long(-ish) blond and wavy which was certainly not common at all. Since his arms were behind his head, he looked thinner, and taller than he was.
"What about you, poor french farmer?" he asked, lifting his nose, Arthur obviously couldn't know this with only one sight, but he was sure that he was so proud of his elegance like a rich boy.. however but he remembered to read the archive of Roderich, stolen from the headmaster's office, just because they (Vash and Roderich) were buying him drugs and preferred to be sure with his customers.
"Farmer... that's certainly a new one."
"It's obvious although you try to hide it."
"Farmer as in... a worker of the land?" Francis' smiled lopsided.
"Are you so ignorant?"
"Are you SO confused?"
"I'm not confused."
"You seem to be confusing me with one of your farmer friends... unless farming for you is a different thing."
"I don't have any farmer friend, just a good sense of the smell."
"Do I smell like a farmer?"
"More like a pig!"
"Excuse me?" Francis finally opened his eyes with that, surprised, raising his eyebrows. Arthur turned around, smiling, without answering. "What are you? A Nazi?"
"What are you? A jew?"
"What if I am a jew?" Francis frowned, clearly forgetting at all that his mother, and particularly his brother were there.
"What if I am a nazi?" Arthur looked at him again.
"If you are a nazi..." Francis started, sitting up on the bed again, still frowning. Roderich stared Francis intensity. "Then I'm a filthy little farmer... from a filthy and disgusting french family" Francis stood up, ignoring his brother and looking Arthur intently.
"Or just a rude boy."
"If you think I'm just "rude", and I am not rude... you are then not a Nazi" Francis got closer to him, and kissed him in the cheek.
"You are rude!" he protested giving a step back. Francis smiled and winked.
Arthur blinked without understanding what was happening.
"I'm Francis, lord of the drugs... do you have a cigarette?"
"Y-Yes "he scanned again., stopping himself of asking "What the hell?"
"Merci" Francis waited and looked around re-discovering the rest of the people in the room.
"I'm not saying that I'm going to give you one!" Arthur tried to make eye contact again.
"Mjm?" Francis didn't pay much attention for the next seconds, however he looked at him again and smiled, raising his hand to obviously, get the cigarette.
Arthur hit the hand and went straight to Vash. Francis raised his eyebrows again, and followed Arthur with the eyes... Smiling again and thinking that he is... different.
Arthur looked at Vash thinking that Francis was such an IDIOT and he didn't standed him.
Francis smiled thinking that at least he was not going to get bored during his trip, taking out a cigarette himself.
Roderich rolled his eyes knowing what Francis was doing... Mrs. Edelstein smiled for the same reason. Vash looked at Arthur quote worried because, well, Arthur was his friend and Francis was a weird fellow doing weird things
"I think I'm not going to deal with this" whispered Arthur to Vash.
"What do you want to see now, mutti?" asked Roderich to his mother.
"I'm sorry, I... I know, you don't have to deal with this, go... "Vash nodded
"But I understand you need some moral support" Arthur glanced to Mrs. Edelstein.
"Maybe we could see the classroom, couldn't we? "asked she to his son.
Vash sighed because he indeed needed all possible support.
"Yes, please, I want to see the classrooms" commented Francis clearly sarcastically.
"We can visit the morgue before" answered Roderich
"Ah, well the morgue is indeed a good idea. Let's go, then..." Francis nodded smiling again
Arthur looked askance at Francis "freak" he whispered. So ironical if we think in the fact that Arthur wants to be a forensic.
Francis smiled and roles his eyes, paying Arthur more attention than to anyone else, going directly to the door.
Roderich got closer to Vash while they went out, and Vash blushed again.
"Are you OK?"
"Y-Yes... Well..."
"You seem a little nervous."
"A little only?"
"What do you think of my family?" Roderich smiled.
"They are..." he struggled finding a word that described them other than "completely crazy".
"I know, don't put yourself into trouble. Do you think you will survive?"
"Well... SURVIVE yes, but... do you hear what they say? And... do you realize that they... KNOW."
"They think that they know. They don't really know anything."
"Well for thinking that they know, they guess pretty accurately... They knew about you making experiments with me... and he was lying in our bed as if we... and you told him that things happened here and..."
"Yes, because it's easier on that way, I hope that doesn't mind to you."
"Easier? I... I think they know... they think that we are... are... are..."
"No, no, don't worry, it was the same with Ludwig."
"Was it?" Vash looked at Roderich in the eye... And frowned. "Tell me about him."
"He is my best friend of the school and... my brother has fun making jokes about us being closer than friends only because he is... extremly open minded to be dencent. In the begining it annoyed me, but now I learned that paying attention to it is worse than making some jokes to shut up him."
"And... well... is he like me? I mean, Ludwig... did he take your hand to go to class and those things?"
"Mmm... yes, he did it."
"Oh..." Vash frowned even more, thinking. "And how is this Ludwig? You don't talk about him a lot... what was Francis saying about him?"
"He is my friend, I write him once a week."
"Hmmm... And you like him more than you like me?"
"What?"
"I don't know... if you had to chose between him and me..."
"You are my friend too."
The thing is... Vash had never been jealous in his life. Never... and the feeling hit him like a running horse.
Roderich looked at him without understanding exactly, but... feeling something was wrong.
"And your family told you all the time that you were more than friends with him..." the swiss wishpered.
"Yes... but don't pay attention."
"A-And.. here is where... we take the teorical lessons" explained Arthur to Mrs. Edelstein, nervous
"But... did you make an experiment with him?"
"Yes, a lot."
Vash looked at him just one more second, then he crossed his arms, feeling weird and angry, even if he was not sure of why.
"Why?" asked Roderich. Vash shrugged, suddenly in a very bad mood.
"It doesn't matter. Go with your mother."
"Why are you upset?"
"Because... because!" Vash crossed his arms even tighter. Roderich raised an eyebrow. "It's... you are... I hate you."
"What?"
"You... You are an idiot."
Roderich frowned. Vash looked at him sideways, and blushed.
"You are... you.. I... Why do you do this, huh?" the blonde asked again.
"Do what?"
"This... Tell me all that about Ludwig, your best friend."
"You asked me..."
"I know! But you... You! Why is he taking your hand?! That's my job!"
"Because I didn't know you when I was a kid..."
"But... But!" he knew he was being irrational, but he was scared and jealous. "What did he say in your letter?"
"This is nothing that concerns you."
"Why?" Vash frowned even more.
"Because it's about me and my friend, and you have to respect it."
Vash looked at him angry... but the anger turned to sadness after a few seconds.
"Ok."
"I didn't ask you about the letters you write to home."
"I... know..." why couldn't Roderich see the stupid problem?
"So?"
"So nothing, do whatever you want."
"Why are you angry?"
"I... I... I don't know!" he confessed. "But I'm VERY angry with you"
"Are you... jealous?"
"Je-Jealous?"
"You seem jealous."
"I have never been... Jealous "he hesitated realizing that, indeed, this was something weird and new. He blushed.
"No? But you have a sister."
"And?"
"Do have you never been jealous of her? When your mother buys her a present or your father smiles to her and not to you because he prefers her... or something like this."
"No, we all love Lily very much and I'm glad she gets presents... Although we don't get many presents besides Christmas and our birthdays and father doesn't smile that much now that I think about it."
"But... when your mother was pregnant... didn't you think that your parents could prefer your sister and not you? And maybe not love you any more."
"I-I... No, I... I don't remember. I was worried about my mother when Lily was born, but she was fine afterwards and I just needed to help her and take care of her... And we got a new baby goat for her that I had to take care for" He smiled a bit
Roderich raised an eyebrow because all of this was strange.
"What?"
"Sounds strange..."
"Maybe I have been before but... This is different" Vash blushed because his sister and Roderich played very different roles in his life.
"Well, anyways, Ludwig is not here."
Vash sighed.