Chapter Text
There were a lot of things Vash found unpleasant, including most people, places and things, and unfortunately, his classmate Roderich was fulfilling all of those conditions by standing in Vash's place, shoes neatly beside him, on the other side of the railing. His eyes were empty, but the redness underneath them suggested he'd just been crying. His hand was only barely holding onto the railing, like he was moments away from letting go.
This was pissing Vash off.
He'd had the misfortune of knowing Roderich since he was a kid, and the uptight stuffy Austrian seemed to know all the right things to do to piss him off. Even as kids, the idiot had insisted on standing up to Vash's bullies, even to the point where he got beaten instead, which was just stupid considering how weak he was, then Vash would have to drag his injured ass home and bandage his wounds. Nowadays, Roderich liked to buy fancy foods and eat them in front of Vash to pretend he was somehow richer than Vash, despite the fact both of them knew that they had the same bank account issues, having grown up in the same poor neighbourhood.
Now, Roderich was really taking things to the next level. Ideally, Vash would have preferred to curse him out for standing there at the edge of the roof, like he had more reason to be there than Vash did. Instead, what came out of his mouth was different.
"Don't do it, please."
Please? Why'd he say that? It's not like he cared either way! If anything, he was pissed that he had to waste this opportunity on this idiot! He added another reason to the "list of things Roderich does to piss him off".
Roderich flinched at his words, and half turned to speak to him, which was a mistake because there was no ground under his foot. Vash lunged forwards grabbed his arm before he had a chance to think about it. It was easy to haul to weak ass Austrian over the fence, and let him fall heavily on the floor. It was harder to deal with the tears that started once he did. It gave Vash a feeling in his chest that he really didn't like and absolutely did not want to identify.
Realizing that it didn't seem like the tears were going to stop soon, and that if he left this moron as is, he'd probably end up here again, which would really piss him off, Vash sighed in irritation and leaned against the rail.
"What happened?"
He demanded somewhat harshly, but this time, Roderich didn't snap back. Instead he poured out his heart in a way that Vash found disgusting. He didn't want to hear this! Even so, he ended up hearing about how Roderich's girlfriend Elizabeta, who was pretty much famous for being Roderich's other half, had broken up with him. Apparently she had burst into tears and admitted she'd falled in love with some other idiot, Gilbert, who Vash had made a point not to get to know.
It really was a terrible story that left a bad taste in his mouth. Maybe if it was someone else, they could have comforted Roderich, but Vash wasn't that person. The feeling in his chest was making him uneasy, and he responded to this feeling in the way he faced anything negative: by getting angry.
"Mein Gott! Seriously? You've got to be kidding me!"
Vash aimed a spiteful kick at the sobbing Austrian, and Roderich made no move to avoid it, taking the light blow with an "oof" sound.
"I can't believe you got here before me because of something so stupid!"
Vash internally seethed. Roderich was staring at his with large eyes from behind his glasses, still red and wet with tears, and Vash clicked his tongue and looked away. Still, as much as he hated to admit it, he understood. He'd felt pretty much the same way when Roderich stopped spending time with him and started spending time with Elizabeta. He'd been the one suddenly left alone. Maybe that's why the harsh words he spat next came out in a gentler tone than he'd intended.
"So you're sulking cause you couldn't get what you wanted? It's not like you were robbed, you still have plenty. Just look around you, you idiot."
Roderich flinched, and Vash knew he'd understood. Growing up in the same poor life style, scraping by every day, no money for food or heat or new clothes, having nothing to call your own- in his opinion, this was much worse than a break up. Elizabeta wasn't the only thing Roderich had. He had other friends, he had a warm home, he had books he could bury himself in to forget the world, and though he was still a penny-pincher, the truth was he had a lot more money than he used to and could definitely spare enough to treat himself if he wanted to.
So why on earth would he give everything away for one girl? Vash glared at Roderich, and was surprised to see the usual fierce look returning. Roderich helped himself up, dusting of his clothes in that prissy way that reminded Vash how annoying he was, then reached for his shoes and started slipping them back on. Roderich adjusted his glasses and blew his nose into a handkerchief, and Vash almost relaxed. Then Roderich offered him a tentative smile - the nerve! Like he hadn't just wasted Vash's time- and said meekly.
"Thanks for listening. I feel a bit better."
Vash bristled. "Yeah, then get lost!"
Roderich's lips turned up like he found something funny about Vash's comment, but he obediently made himself scarce. Vash sunk down on his heals after Roderich left, feeling something cold and heavy in his stomach. That bastard! Did he think his only job in life was to get hurt for other people's sakes? If Vash left him alone would he just end up here again tomorrow? He couldn't have that. This was Vash's place. He'd have to make sure that stupid Austrian stayed out of trouble for a while.
Vash sighed as he got to his feet and headed back inside. He could wait another month.