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his tears that day came from the same heart (the same feelings) that very first smile had, and perhaps, if you were more like your brother, that would have been a small balm on the pain in your heart. but instead, in that moment, they terrified and disgusted you. he had seen you at your peak and now he saw you at your nadir. how could he still feel that awe towards you? (it couldn’t be that there was something beyond your power that kept him by your side)
that day, under an endless blue summer sky, he gave all of himself to you. he was no idealist, had no more hopes for this world, but there was a sweet softness reserved for you alone. after a time, he emulated you in dress and in bearing. he made sure your every creature comfort was satisfied, no matter where you were. he seemed to know what you wanted, what question you had before you even opened your mouth. even if you could barely stand to meet his eyes (for fear that what you had once seen would be gone) you could always feel the warmth in his gaze. it crawled along your skin at times, but you never cursed its presence.
in the years you slept, that sweetness had festered into a cavity of rage at legato’s core. he had clearly kept it in check, only letting it loose to keep your pawns and plans running smoothly. it was only after your brother resurfaced that the rot had started to seep out. after legato was…after you broke him though, it could do nothing but spread and spread and spread. (his gaze wasn’t warm anymore, it was clammy and desperate but you still didn’t curse it) he didn’t know quite what would please you anymore and you refused to admit to yourself that you didn’t know either, hadn’t known since you were waking up as a bloody smear across july. you couldn’t even rein him in yourself. you had to use crimsonnail to bring him back to your side. at the very end, legato could only do what he thought you wanted.
it’s true that legato made his choice, but how many choices did you give him?
during one of vash’s more lucid waking moments, he tells you about their final dance. he knew, somehow, that you wanted to know legato’s end but didn’t know how to ask. he cries just enough for the both of you, not that you tell him that. there’s really nothing for vash to apologize for. legato had given you his life long, long ago and he believed your plans required he be snuffed out and you hadn’t done anything to disabuse him of the notion. (you always knew he would die, but it would be after your work was finished) even before july, whenever you discussed your vision with legato, it was always clear he would be exiting the stage, albeit as the last player of humanity.
it’s funny, though. you, who had carefully orchestrated an interstellar extinction event, who had gone nose-to-nose with intergalactic battleships, who left as few things to chance as possible…
you had never really thought about just how legato would die, had you?