Chapter Text
Vash was back to “normal” in the morning. Neither he nor Wolfwood talked about the night before. Not about Vash crying, not about Wolfwood caring for him. They never did. They did, however, meet up with the girls for breakfast. Played with the kids in town for the afternoon. And when the sun started to set, the two of them found themselves back at the bar.
The bar was oddly quiet today, especially without the presence of Milly and Meryl. They had gone to their own shared room. So, the two men sat together, idly sipping at cups full of cheap alcohol. The quiet had been accepted by both. Each seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Wolfwood’s were becoming close to unbearable. He took a sip from his glass and exhaled a sigh louder than intended. Vash looked at him then, brow raised as if asking what was up. Wolfwood simply looked away.
How could Wolfwood tell him? I love you. His own voice echoed in his head. It’s not like he hadn’t realized it before. It was just kept unspoken, deep in his heart, away from Vash. There was no good reason to tell him as far as Wolfwood was aware. But he wanted to. Wanted it to be known, wanted it to be accepted. Wolfwood wanted Vash to know how much love he had for him, why he cared for him and protected him the way he does. Looking back at Vash, Wolfwood’s heart pounded harshly in his chest.
“What is it?” Vash made his question heard since Wolfwood had dismissed the look he gave him before.
“Nothin’. You don’t gotta worry about it.”
“Well here I am, worrying.”
Wolfwood let out another sigh as he looked down at the glass in his hand.
“Ya sure act awfully worried for someone who makes me wait in line for a proper evening with you.” His words had more hurt in them than intended.
“Wha- we spent the whole day together!”
“It’s not the same and you know that.”
Vash let out a nervous laugh as his hold on his own glass tightened.
“Don’t be silly Wolfwood, we spend so much time together…”
“We do, don’t we?” Wolfwood’s words tasted bitter as he remembered the night before. He remembered how he bathed Vash, and those three words he ached to say aloud once more. His eyes searched Vash’s, looking for some sort of recognition or acknowledgment to the fact that they stayed silent about so much of their time together- but the man’s expression had become hardened and unreadable. Wolfwood grit his teeth and turned back to his drink.
“Yeah. So forget about it.” There was no doubt that Vash had caught on. It pissed Wolfwood off that the man wouldn’t say anything about it even now. How long were they going to do this? Dancing around each other, spending nights caring for each other only to pretend like it never happened the next day. Wolfwood didn’t mind it much at first- that was, until his feelings for Vash had started to feel so close to unbearable. Those feelings were suffocating him now, so heavy in his chest and dragging him down by the throat. He didn’t dare to look back at Vash, knowing that he’d burst if he did.
A thought crossed his mind. Should he… tell him? Confess to him, take the weight off his chest? Would Vash understand then, realize how much it all meant to Wolfwood? Surely it meant something to him too, right? Swallowing thickly, Wolfwood’s eyes slowly peeked up at the blond man- and instant regret washed over him. Vash was watching him. His expression had not changed. And as soon as the two made eye contact, Vash abruptly stood.
“I’m going to bed.” He announced it in such an odd emotionless way that took Wolfwood off guard. Wolfwood turned in his seat, looking at the taller with surprise.
“I’ll- I’ll come with you.” Vash tensed at Wolfwood’s words, and opened his mouth to deny him- but Wolfwood got up just as abruptly and took one last swig of his beverage before harshly slamming it onto the counter. He left some amount of cash on the counter as well, then turned to Vash. A flicker of emotion appeared on Vash’s face, maybe of annoyance, before it was unreadable once more. This ticked Wolfwood off even more, but he wasn’t going to let Vash run away from him. Vash seemed to accept this as he silently turned around and made his way out of the building with Wolfwood following closely behind.
The walk was short and quiet. Neither seemed to have any intention of speaking to the other just yet. Cool evening air entering his lungs helped Wolfwood cool down and collect himself some, to which he was grateful for. It seemed to have the same effect on Vash, because he seemed a lot looser by the time they made it to their hotel room. Still tense and hard to read, but not so rigid and cold. When inside, Wolfwood sighed and plopped himself onto the bed.
Vash seemed to frown at Wolfwood before looking away and making his way towards the big window on the other side of the bed. Wolfwood watched him, eyes drawn to the stars when Vash opened the curtains to reveal that the evening had turned to night. Swallowing down that ever so persistent feeling in his chest, Wolfwood stood up and walked around to stand behind his partner- who had crossed his arms and refused to look back at him.
Despite being ignored, Wolfwood’s full attention was on the man in front of him. His strong arms snaked around Vash’s strong figure to hug him from behind, making the other tense up. But he did not get pushed away. Instead, Vash finally spoke.
“Won’t you get tired of this?”
“Of what?”
“You know. This. Me.” The repeated worry hung in the air for a moment.
“Ya know I’d never. Been dealing with your ass for this long Spikey, and I don’t mind dealing with it for however much longer.”
“Why?”
Wolfwood looked up at the blue night sky. His arms tightened around Vash, scared of losing him at any moment. Scared that he wouldn’t come back if he left. That heaviness in his chest became overwhelming in the pause, the silence feeling just as suffocating. Trying to stay together, Wolfwood took a deep breath.
“‘Cause I love you.”
The words were as soft and quiet as the night before. His heart was pounding in his chest that felt oh so tight and heavy. He had said it again. To his face.. sort of. And Vash… stayed still. Let Wolfwood keep him there. Wolfwood had rested his head on Vash’s shoulder as he tried to stay composed and ready for whatever he did in response. But nothing happened. A moment or two passed before Wolfwood decided to shakily speak up.
“Vash-?”
“I know. I… heard you last night. I just… I don’t know what to say.” His tone was uneasy, and as he finished he pushed Wolfwood away. Wolfwood’s heart sank. Vash had heard him. Twice now, confessing his feelings. And he didn’t seem happy about it.
“It’s true,” Wolfwood managed to say, voice straining with emotion, “I’ve never felt somethin’ so right before.” He felt so exposed now, and so desperate for Vash to understand. Watching Vash turn around, Wolfwood swallowed thickly. At last Vash dropped the facade, and he looked… sad. And yet, he still tried to smile.
“You don’t… you don’t mean that, Wolfwood.”
“But I do.” Wolfwood gently grabbed both of Vash’s hands, stepping closer and pulling the man closer simultaneously. “Why would I just say that?” His voice was hushed.
“I don’t know, I don’t know…”
“How many times do I have to show you I care before you believe it?” Squeezing Vash’s hands just slightly, Wolfwood searched Vash’s glossy eyes for an answer.
“I don’t know,” Vash repeated before he looked down and furrowed his brow, “I thought… things would stay as they were. Quiet. But now it’s out in the air. And I think…” As Vash trailed off, he looked back at Wolfwood.
“I think I love you too.”
And finally, Wolfwood felt the weight in his chest fully dissipate. A smile crept up on his face, and his heart felt warm. Because of course Vash felt the same. He had been dumb to not be sure of it. And now he knew, and he took one more step forward, and their lips met for the first time. And he was sure everything would be okay.