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Wolfwood quickly discovered that traveling with Vash the Stampede had it’s ups and downs. Probably more downs than ups if he was being honest. Trouble seemed to follow them no matter if they were visiting a small village or just moving through the vast, baren desert that covered most of the planet. It was like Vash was a magnet for bad luck. Which was incredibly ironic due to the man’s pacifist nature. So, it was not a surprise when the first town they’d stopped at in days gave them issues.
It was an almost unbearably hot day. No clouds littered the sky so the sun beat down on the land with no restriction. They didn’t have much water remaining from their last refill so they all had been drinking from the same canteen of sun-warmed water. It was enough to keep them somewhat hydrated but it wasn’t exceptionally refreshing. Meryl complained of the drink tasting vaguely of nicotine which could easily be attributed to two of her companion’s nasty habits. Wolfwood did feel bad for her especially because it was mostly his fault, but he didn’t comment on it. Vash didn’t complain even though Wolfwood expected the taste bothered him too, even if not as much. Actually, it was pretty obvious that the blonde hadn’t been drinking as much as he should have. He mostly left it for the others and only took when it was offered to him. It was kinda sad but Wolfwood found it to be not worth arguing over since they were so close to a new town. Which meant the water would be replenished very soon.
The sun hadn’t started to set yet when they arrived, but it was probably about to. All of them were pretty tired as they stepped into a small diner they had found. The long car ride across the bumpy desert had left them all sore and more then willing to stretch their legs. The rustic diner only housed a few patrons scattered around at wobbly, wooden tables. Some looked up as the group walked in but most didn’t seem to notice or care. That was a good sign. It made Wolfwood incorrectly assume that maybe this town wouldn’t be such a bad stop.
The diner food was bland and sort of gritty in texture which made them all a bit suspicious that one of the ingredients was sand. They didn’t chat much as they ate only exchanging a few words about the inn they had seen when driving into town and how much money was in the budget to spend on rooms. Unless the inn was pretty cheap Roberto broke the news, they’d probably be sharing a room. They’d all shared the same room before and even though it was kind of annoying and cramped Nicholas did find it was much easier to keep an eye on everyone.
It wasn’t until after they’d finished their slightly sandy meals and left the diner that Wolfwood noticed they were being followed. Their little group had started on foot back toward the inn they’d decided to stay at. The sun was low on the horizon casting long shadows over the uneven ground. Everyone was dragging their feet and Meryl was busy complaining about the heat and how she was too sweaty to get a good night’s sleep. Wolfwood didn’t listen to her to much, instead hanging back a bit to quietly observe four men who had left the diner right after them and continued to stay a small distance behind them.
When the inn came into view Wolfwood grabbed Vash’s shoulder making the taller man stumble as he pulled him back. And a noise of surprise, that Wolfwood couldn’t stop himself finding cute, left his mouth.
“Hey,” He whispered to the other, “Lets walk past the motel.”
“Hmm?” Vash gave him a questioning look and tilted his head sort of like a puppy. Wolfwood almost facepalmed. Had Vash not noticed that they were so obviously being followed? He had expected him especially to be a bit more vigilant than that.
“Are you being serious right now? We’re being followed.”
Vash turned around his face scanning behind them. It wasn’t very subtle.
Wolfwood sped up slightly, putting both hands around Roberto and Meryl and guiding them away from the inn and toward the open desert.
“Umm… where are we going?” Meryl shot the undertaker an unamused look.
“Just a slight detour,” Wolfwood explained, giving her a slightly cocky smile and a pat on the back.
“But the motel is right there,” She looked exasperated as she pointed out the wooden building with the words “INN” painted on the side.
“Rookie, you still need to learn how to be perceptive,” Roberto scolded her. Earning himself a confused “excuse me?” from his young colleague.
“There’s a group of four men following us.”
“What!?” She exclaimed, looking around similarly to what Vash had done earlier.
“Eye’s forward newbie,” Roberto corrected her and she snapped her head back around to face ahead.
“Ughh, this is so not cool!” She groaned. “I’m tired.”
They walked a small ways outside of town before turning around to face the men who were still on their trail. It was getting dark out now and a slight breeze started to roll in cooling off the landscape. Wolfwood held close the large cross he carried with him inspecting the four men as they got closer. These guys had to be amateurs. No way any respectable bounty hunter would be this easy to lure out.
“What do you want?” Wolfwood called out, stepping forward.
One of the men uncrumpled a sheet of dirty paper that he had at his side and held it out. Showing them a Wanted poster with Vash’s face plastered on it. Along with the message of the 60 billion double dollar reward. Another man held a rope and two more reached for their guns.
“We want him,” The man with the poster said pointing to the Humanoid Typhoon himself.
A fight against them was easy. They didn’t seem like professionals and were pretty sloppy. Still, Vash’s strict no kill rule was really irritating. He’d put a hand on Wolfwood’s massive gun and told him not to use it against them. He was way too nice, these idiots wanted to attack and capture him and he was trying to make sure they didn’t get badly wounded.
Stupidly Wolfwood had listened to him and not uncovered the weapon a mistake he’d come to regret later.
Vash easily evaded the gunman’s bullets even pushing Meryl out of the way when one got too close. All while trying to talk the guys down and reason with them to no avail. The guy with the rope kept on swinging it around, trying to catch Vash in an absolutely stupid show as he seemed to have almost no real clue how to lasso. It wasn’t until the guy who’d held out the poster realized they had an advantage if they went for the others that things took a turn for the worse.
He slipped out of Vash’s direct line of sight even catching Wolfwood off guard when he didn’t have eyes on him. Pulling out a concealed knife he got close and pitched it as hard as he could at Roberto and Meryl, who were just trying to stay mostly out of the way of the fight. Vash of course being the absolute selfless idiot he is reacted with no regard for himself and jumped in the way before Wolfwood could even try to act. Meryl let out a horrified gasp and Nicholas looked on stunned as they watched the knife lodge itself hard on the side of Vash’s chest and into his ribcage.
Wolfwood jerked around to face the men who practically salivated as they realized they’d actually hit the humanoid typhoon. Immediately he ripped the cover off the cross in his arms revealing the oversized gun underneath. Pointing it straight at the four bounty hunters who all shrieked out in surprise upon viewing the weapon.
“Wolfwood don’t!” Vash yelled to him holding out his mechanical arm, which was on the opposite side he’d been stabbed, in an attempt to stop him from shooting them.
He didn’t exactly listen and fired into the sand right at the bounty hunters feet making them scream and scatter before turning tail and running away. They must have realized just how outmatched they were and seeing such a massive weapon discovered they didn’t want to get shot by that thing today. Nicholas cursed to himself as he watched them escape, kind of wishing he had shot them if for no other reason then to teach them a lesson.
As he turned around and saw Meryl and Roberto already crowding Vash, surveying the damage, he felt his heart squeeze in his chest. Even after being stabbed the blonde haired man had a smile on his face, trying to comfort the two who were so obviously very concerned for him.
“Don’t pull it out!” He called making them all turn toward him. “Let’s get back to the inn, we can get a room and patch you up in there.” He looked directly at Vash as he spoke making it clear who he was talking to.
As Meryl and Roberto helped him walk forward and Nicholas saw a pained expression cross his face his chest tightened up. Damn it why did he have to care so much about that spikey haired idiot?
When they got to the motel Roberto went up to the front desk to pay and the rest of them hung back. Not wanting to get kicked out for bringing in an injured person, especially the infamous humanoid typhoon, they pulled Vash’s long red coat over the wound. Even with a dark black turtleneck that easily hid the blood seeping into the fabric it was pretty easy to see the handle of a dagger sticking out of someone’s ribcage. It was kind of obvious that wasn’t supposed to be there.
When Roberto came back, they all hurried up the stairs to the rooms. Trying not to get caught and kicked out. Once they were alone, they finally spoke freely.
“Surprisingly we could afford two rooms,” Roberto held out his hand revealing two slightly rusty keys. “I don’t think they get many guests in this dump, seemed happy we were paying anything at all.”
“That’s awesome!” Meryl exclaimed as she reached out and quickly plucked a key from Roberto’s open hand. Then a solemn expression returned over her features as she looked over at Vash. He’d swore he could walk on his own but Wolfwood was still standing as close as possible ready to help him if he stumbled.
Before she could say whatever was on her mind Wolfwood snatched the other key from Roberto dangling it in front of them.
“You two can take that room, me and Needle Noggin over here will take the other.” Meryl immediately started protesting and gave Wolfwood a look that said even though they’d been traveling together for some time now she still didn’t trust him. She also was clearly deeply worried for Vash’s well being right now. It wasn’t just Nicholas’s heart that had instantly been captured by the tall man’s gentle and trusting nature.
Roberto put up a hand to silence Meryl’s objections, “Let them go, he can probably patch that idiot up better than either of us can.” A pout came over her face but, in the end, she agreed recognizing her senior was right about this one.
They all wished each other goodnight and Vash promised the two of them that he’d be fine. Meryl’s expression was still filled with apprehension but it had gotten pretty late so she seemed to let it go until morning, waving to them before her and Roberto disappeared into another room for the night.
Their was no bathroom connected to the inn’s rooms so they had to go all the way to the end of the hall to find a communal one where Nick could clean up the injury. The bathroom was small, it didn’t have a shower, only an old toilet and a sink. The tiles were chipped and it wasn’t the cleanest but at least it had running water.
He helped Vash down to the floor and opened up his bag to pull out their first aid kit. Vash sighed as he finally sat down and it made Wolfwood feel bad that he’d been standing for so long after getting injured. As he got what he expected he’d need out of the first aid kit he looked over at Vash’s expression trying to gouge his pain level. Vash was a difficult person to read. His eyes looked distant like he was deep in thought and he worried his bottom lip between his teeth slightly. His hair fell over his face and stuck to the pale skin of his forehead. He looked nervous. Maybe he was worried about how much it would hurt when Nicholas pulled the knife out.
“You’re going to need to take that jacket and shirt off,” Nick warned him as he moved over to the sink to wash his hands.
“Huh?” It seemed he’d caught the other off guard.
“Dude, I can’t patch you up with your clothes on,” Wolfwood gave him a questioning look. He was still trying to assess what was going through the blonde’s mind. But maybe that was hopeless.
“Oh right…” Vash started to strip off his coat and flinched when the movement bumped the knife that protruded from his ribs.
Nick let out an exasperated sigh as he finished washing his hands and sat down in front of his spiky haired friend. He reached over and started to pull off the coat for him. Careful as to not pull to hard and to get it over his prosthetic without tugging uncomfortably. After getting the oversized jacket off and pushing it to the side he took a second to examine the handle of the blade that currently stuck out of the side of his friend’s ribs. He didn’t see any glint of metal so that meant the whole thing was lodged in. Even with the dark colored shirt he could tell how saturated with blood the material was around the wound.
Wolfwood looked up at his companion and saw him as well staring down at the dagger with an unreadable expression. He then reached down and grabbed the bottom of the black turtleneck to pull it up and get it out of the way too. It was tight so he knew had to be careful as he pulled it over the knife’s handle. While pulling up the shirt he noticed as it exposed a plethora of scars that littered Vash’s entire stomach and chest. It was honestly really surprising and he paused a second, some type of emotion he didn’t recognize wavering in him. He tried not to stare as he continued to take off the garment. Every millimeter of skin he unveiled had even more scars appearing before his eyes.
It was a little tricky but he did get the shirt over the knife and off of Vash’s body. Tossing it out of the way on top of the red coat he’d discarded there earlier. He felt awkward as he realized it had been a very long time since he’d said anything.
“You… umm, have quite the array of battle wounds spiky,” He finally said, breaking the silence. He punctuated the comment with a chuckle to try to make it sound lighthearted.
Vash let out a breathy laugh that made it clear he had been holding in his breath. An anxious smile tugging at his lips. “Ya, I guess so. Kinda repulsive, huh?”
Nick’s face twisted into what had to be the most bewildered expression he’d ever made. He didn’t think he’d heard him right for a moment. There was zero chance that the most stunningly attractive person he’d ever met just referred to himself as repulsive.
“No way in hell!” He exclaimed. “I cannot believe you just said that. You are in no way repulsive!”
Vash seemed absolutely taken aback by the others outburst. Tensing up somewhat before relaxing again and saying, “Right, sorry…” Something about the way he said it proved he really didn’t believe what Wolfwood had just told him. This was a whole new layer of self-deprecation Nick had just uncovered in his friend.
He gave him a curious side eye before deciding now was not really the time to argue about this and going back to focus on the most pressing matter at hand. While still remembering to slot this conversation away for later. There was no way he was going to let this go and not bring it up again. The knife was definitely stuck in their real good. It would most likely hurt and bleed like a son of a bitch when he pulled it out.
“Okay,” He looked right into the other’s piercing blue eyes as he spoke in a cautionary tone, “I’m gonna pull this thing out now and it’s going to hurt, probably very bad, so get ready, alright?”
Vash stared back with a determined look and gave him a nod with his head to show he was ready. As Wolfwood looked back at the knife he got a bit uneasy. This was not going to be very fun.
He firmly took hold of the end of the dagger and waited a second to make sure they were both prepared. He heard Vash suck in a breath to steady himself and did the same. Then with one swift move he drew the blade out freeing it from the side of the others chest. He heard him let out a noise somewhere between a grunt and a whimper and tried not to think about how in other circumstances he might have liked to hear a sound like that coming from the blonde. The dagger was short but one side had a jagged edge that certainly made the pull out much less smooth.
He didn’t waste anymore time picking up some thick gauze and packing it against the now open wound. As he held it in place for a moment he looked up to check on his friend to make sure he was alright. Why did he feel so protective over him all of a sudden? He watched a drop of sweat roll down his pale skin and how his eyes took in the sight as he gazed at the injury. Almost like he was mesmerized as the blood slowly started to appear on the puffy material of the gauze. Wolfwood felt it reach his fingers through the thinnest parts of the fabric and it felt warm and slick against his skin. He tried not to think about it as he replaced the soaked through gauze with some clean ones and then picked up a roll of bandages to wrap the gauze in place.
He didn’t want to make it to tight or to lose as he started to roll the bandages around Vash’s thin but muscular body. He kept looking up at him to try to tell if the bandage was feeling alright or not. No signs of discomfort crossed his features so Wolfwood figured the pressure was alright for him. His hand brushed against the others waist while he wrapped the dressings and he swallowed thickly as he felt the muscles beneath Vash’s skin twitch slightly under his touch.
After he finished securing the dressings in place Wolfwood put on a smile, that he knew wasn’t exactly all that convincing, and looked up only to find Vash already had his eyes on him. Realizing he’d been watching him, it made Wolfwood faulter for a second before speaking.
“Well, you’re all fixed up spikey!” He patted his shoulder wary not to jostle him around too much. “I guess it’s time to turn in for the night. It’s way past your bedtime you know.”
Vash’s gaze didn’t leave his eyes and instead a soft smile settled on his face. It made Nick turn away quickly, feeling his face get warm. He couldn’t believe that he was blushing right now; he was so mad at himself. He hurried to get up and started packing away the first aid kit again. He knew he was going to need it again in the morning to redo Vash’s bandages.
He heard rustling as Vash picked up his shirt and jacket but he didn’t put either on. He just stood their waiting for Nicholas to be finished. Wolfwood ran the sink water again to wash away the blood that got on his hands. It fell away from his skin easily and was diluted from the dark red color to an almost pink when it hit the sink basin. When he was done he dried his hands on a dirty washcloth that hung over the top of the faucet. Then he picked up the bag along with the first aid kit and turned to exit the small bathroom along with Vash.
The hallway was empty and dead quiet. A faint glow came from the dim overhead lights but otherwise it was dark as night in the tight corridor. They went back to find their room and Wolfwood struggled for a moment to open the old creaky door. It finally gave away when he pushed on it with his shoulder and they both entered feeling pretty spent from all the happenings of the day. When Nick flicked on the light and caught sight of the bed, he felt even more drained than he had only seconds ago as if his body recognized it was finally time to sleep.
It took a minute for his brain to start turning its wheels and recognize something he hadn’t first noticed. The room only had one double bed. Not the two twins he’d expected. Just one bed. He felt himself tense up as he peered over at Vash to gauge his reaction. He was standing a short distance away also looking at the bed. His clothes from the waist up still held loosely in his arms. He must have felt eyes on him because he turned back to Wolfwood.
A reassuring smile came onto his face when he saw the others expression, “Oh well, let’s just go to bed.”
“Ya… right,” Nicholas mentally kicked himself. Why was he acting weird? He’s an adult not an anxious teenager. He shouldn’t feel strange about sharing a bed with his friend. But he did feel kind of strange about it. Like some peculiar feeling was gnawing at his stomach.
The blonde dropped his clothes he’d been carrying onto a desk in the corner of the room before pulling up his long legs to tug off his boots. Nick took that as a sign to do the same. He didn’t really care if his shit was on the floor or not so he just put their bags and his cross against the wall before kicking off his shoes and peeling off his jacket as well.
When he turned around, he saw Vash had already gotten into the bed. He was facing the wall with the blankets pulled up over him. His spikey blonde hair spilling over the pillow. Wolfwood stayed where he was. Hesitating to move forward and to get into the bed. It wasn’t really that he felt uncomfortable being this close to Vash. If anything, it was the opposite. He felt too comfortable. It actually kind of scared him how easy it was to be around the tall, pacifist, fool. He'd never enjoyed someone’s company this much. It wasn’t normal for him.
He tried to push the conflicting feelings he felt away. He needed to sleep; not to stand around interrogating his own thoughts to figure out why his heart beat a little too fast when he thought about sharing a bed with his best friend.
He marched over to the light switch and flipped it off. Darkness coming rushing into the room as fast as the ocean tide during a violent storm. He waited in place for his eyes to adjust before pulling up the blanket and slipping into the bed. The sheets smelled musty and were not made of the most soft or smooth fabric he’d ever felt, but he couldn’t really be too picky since the room was dirt cheap. The covers were thin but it wasn’t cold. He could feel Vash’s warmth near him. They were close. He figured, if they were both laying on their backs they’d be close enough for their shoulders to be touching. But they weren’t on their backs they were both on their sides, facing away from each other. It shouldn’t have made Wolfwood feel as lonely as it did.
“Goodnight Nick,” Vash’s voice reached him in the darkness, surprising him by its sudden softness.
“Goodnight, Needle Noggin,” He replied. His chest tightened and he smiled to himself. Vash let out a small laugh at the nickname before going quiet again.
That was the last time he’d speak that night.
Nick tried to sleep but even though he was exhausted and hadn’t slept in a real bed for days his thoughts kept him awake. He hated how much he was thinking about his relationship with that stupid pacifist lately. He noticed Vash’s breathing steady out into a pattern he recognized as sleep. That was good, he deserved to finally get some rest….
This was going to be a long night.