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In many ways, Vash has fully adapted to human culture. He eats, drinks, and sleeps as much as humans do despite only truly needing about half as much to survive. He has learned to slow down, pacing himself so humans can keep up with his actions, doing his best to never run just a little too fast, to pause for an extra beat before he figures out a solution to a problem. Humans look at him and think he is a silly but talented adult male in his mid twenties, and he does his best to play to those expectations.
He never before felt like he was losing anything by this. It wasn’t as straightforward as putting on an act, so much as simply putting forth a side of himself that would be more easily accepted. And he truly, honestly, loves humans. Sure, they were not perfect, but synching up to them, blending in, was what let him experience their kindness, their creativity, their passion. Instead of feeling like he is lowering himself, he truly feels that this practice is helping him enrich his life.
In contrast, Knives has always disdained these human practices. Never wanted to be “infected” by them. Easily dismissing the good with the bad. This was true to the point where while he studied human history and behaviour in order to conquer and manipulate, he remained actively ignorant of many basic practices. He wouldn’t know to leave a tip for the server if he ever went to a restaurant, would not know to stay on the right when going up stairs in order to not bump into someone coming down. He had never needed this knowledge as he had never participated in any of the acts that required it.
This, Vash is determined to fix. It has been three months since their reunion. Knives finally seeing that no amount of force would ever bring Vash to his side, that Vash would rather die than become an enemy to the humans. And if Knives continued down this path to take down the humans, Vash would throw himself in harm’s way over and over again until his death would become inevitable. The only way Knives would ever be able to protect Vash, from humans and from himself, would be by staying by his side, inefficiently taking down threats only as they came instead of fixing the problem permanently all at once. And nonlethally at that, lest he risk Vash hurling himself into his blades, carelessly using his body as a meat shield for the undeserving humans. And so, while vicious arguments over what they should do about the humans continued, they now happened with Vash and Knives travelling the world side by side.
Vash wants Knives to experience more human culture, to see it more as a monolith of bad. He knows his arguments will never be given any weight by Knives until Knives can see even a fraction of humanity’s value. Begrudgingly, Knives agrees to interact more with humans, albeit more with the purpose of gaining enough understanding of humanity in order to rip them apart in order to rebuild them into something even slightly tolerable. Vash is an essential part of the Paradise Knives is still determined to build, and lamentably, humanity comes hand in hand with Vash.
As they head to the local clothing store to replace Knives’ gate-made cloak with something that will allow him to blend in, Knives reminds Vash sternly once again that while he will be making it less obvious he is a plant at a single glance, he is in no way going to give up any part of himself just to make humans comfortable. He will not allow humans to make him lower himself as Vash has, and makes it clear that he thinks Vash should learn to do the same.
With one last haughty look in Vash’s direction, Knives grabs an armful of clothes from random racks, and stalks off to the changerooms. After about 20 minutes of trying on various outfits, Knives leaves the change room in the most tolerable outfit he could find.
Upon his exit, Vash chokes at the sight of his brother. Knives is dressed in an ankle length light grey dress, the colour reminiscent of Knives’ preferred bodysuits. As he goes to walk past Vash, Vash sees how the back of the dress swoops low to reveal most of his back. Finally, Vash stutters out, “You can’t wear that Nai! You must have been in the wrong section, those are women’s clothes!”
Knives levels a glare at him. “There is no wrong section. I could argue this whole store is wrong as it is meant for humans. This simply works best as it is closest to what I am used to. The back needs to be open anyways, as this inferior material does not allow for me to materialize my knife tendrils without ripping something. Besides, this is the only style of clothing that does not feel too heavy and claustrophobic on my skin”.
As if to punctuate his point, Knives’ dress swooshes dramatically around his heels as he pivots away from Vash. Vash has to admit, the dress does fit his brother’s sense of drama, emphasizing his movements in a way Knives has always enjoyed in his clothing.
Staring at Knives as he marches proudly out of the store, never once flinching at the doubletakes from the other customers surrounding him, Vash feels something weird in his chest. In that dress, Knives looks both more human than ever before, and yet somehow even more otherworldly, untouched by human concerns and conventions. And for the first time, he wonders. Maybe, he truly has lost something in his rush to conform to human expectations. Maybe, just maybe, some of Knives’ stubborn disdain for what he called “stifling useless human conventions” could be more than blind hatred and instead an opportunity to help both plants and humanity to grow and improve. Maybe these lessons could be more of a two-way street.
Letting his eyes linger for the first time since he understood what it meant to be considered male, Vash looked over at a rack of dresses. Eyes catching on a red dress covered in buckles that looked as if it would flare out satisfyingly as he ran, he let himself wonder as he began to follow Knives out of the store.
A call interrupts him, “Hey, your friend there better pay for that dress, hey!”
Belatedly realizing Knives had sauntered out without paying despite being the one between the two of them who was rich, he starts desperately stammering platitudes at the storekeeper while hysterically calling for Nai.
Yes, it was clear the road ahead would be a long one, with a lot of learning to be had.