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Wolfwood would have driven all night to get to the next town, just to avoid having to sleep in a tent again. But Vash had said that was “dangerous” and he “needed to rest” and had given Wolfwood such a stern I’m worried for you look that Wolfwood had relented.
“Could be sleeping in a nice hotel right now,” Wolfwood complained, as the fire burned low.
“Could be stuck in a sand dune because you fell asleep at the wheel and crashed your precious bike,” Vash shot back. There was no heat to it. They were just complaining for the sake of making conversation.
“Do we even have enough money for a nice hotel?” Vash said. “The last one was…”
“Sketchy,” Wolfwood finished for him.
“It was definitely a front for something,” Vash frowned. “I told you we should have stuck around and investigated.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Wolfwood said, even though it definitely had been. “Besides, we have places to be, can’t get caught up in every single problem in every town.”
Vash looked like he very much wanted to argue that point. But Wolfwood cut him off, “At least the hotel was warm, it’s fucking freezing out here.”
“Oh it’s not that bad,” Vash said. “Just three hours ago you were complaining about how hot it was.”
“Yeah it’s too hot in the day and too cold at night, it’s shit.”
Vash laughed. “That’s just how a desert planet is.”
“Planet’s shit.”
Vash shoved Wolfwood playfully, though it nearly knocked him off his seat. Wolfwood sometimes caught himself wondering about how much stronger Vash was than a normal person. Not that he had any right to pry, not being a “normal person” himself.
“Wanna turn in, since you’re freezing to death?” Vash gave him a teasing, crooked smile.
“Maybe I’ll just steal your big-ass coat,” Wolfwood grumbled. But he got up.
After putting out the fire and securing their campsite they headed into the tent. It was barely big enough for two people and they both had a tendency to toss and turn in their sleep which left the blankets a tangled mess in the morning, but it was what they had.
Wolfwood didn’t really mind the sleeping arrangements as much as he said. It was just nice to be able to complain to someone for once.
It was fucking freezing though.
He briefly weighed the discomfort of wearing his suit to bed against the discomfort of the cold and decided to just strip to his boxers and tshirt anyway. He huddled up immediately under the thin blankets and sleeping bag, curling up like a child despite himself.
Wolfwood glanced up to see Vash looking down at him, a faint amused smile on his face. Vash hurried to lie down and huddle up under the blankets himself when Wolfwood noticed, and to Wolfwood’s surprise draped his red coat over the both of them.
“There,” Vash said. “It’s really not that warm though, I do wear it in the blazing sun you know.”
“Yeah yeah,” Wolfwood mumbled in place of thanks. It may not have added much warmth, but there was something oddly comforting about the slight extra weight.
He was still convincing himself it was comforting just because of added weight and for no other reason when Vash said. “Good night. Try not to kick me in my sleep this time.”
“No promises.” Wolfwood realized he was still facing Vash and promptly rolled over to face the other way.
Wolfwood was not a peaceful sleeper. Neither was Vash, and they did so well at sharing rooms (and beds, and tents) because they were both good at not mentioning it. Wolfwood was prone to waking up at the slightest sound, alert and ready for a fight before he realized it was just the wind or some other nonsense. He was also prone to waking up from nightmares, and waking up in the middle of the night because his body decided it was time for nicotine.
This time, however, he woke up shivering from the cold. Though it might as well have been a nightmare, the way it put him in mind of being on the floor of a cold cell, dreading the moment the door would open and-
He gave a strangled cry when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Wolfwood elbowed back- hard- and came into contact with something soft.
“ Oof - shit-” He was brought abruptly back to reality when he heard Vash’s pained voice.
“Sorry-” Wolfwood scrambled up hastily.
“It’s fine,” Vash said. He was rubbing his stomach a bit. “I shouldn’t have startled you.”
There was too much understanding in his eyes, and Wolfwood felt his cheeks grow warm from embarrassment. He flopped back down onto his pillow.
“You were just shivering really hard,” Vash said.
Wolfwood turned away from Vash again. “Yeah, because it’s fucking cold,” he said tersely.
“I’m offering to warm you up, asshole,” Vash said with a laugh. “Is it okay for me to touch you?”
His voice was so soft. Like he was trying not to startle a wild animal.
“Sure,” Wolfwood said nonchalantly, as though the thought didn’t make him nervous for reasons he refused to examine.
Wolfwood felt Vash’s hand wrap gently around his waist. Pulling Wolfwood in close to his chest.
“This okay?”
“Yeah,” Wolfwood said. He was trying to sound like his heart wasn’t beating out of his chest. “You’re probably just doing this because you’re the one who’s cold.”
“Mmm,” Vash said gently. He was rubbing his thumb in soothing circles on Wolfwood’s waist. And that was just not fair.
“If you ever bring up that we spooned I’m going to deny it,” Wolfwood said.
“Noted.”
Vash was so warm. And solid. It felt safe. But feeling safe was dangerous, with the life he lived.
“Stop thinking and go to sleep.” Vash said sternly.
Rich for Vash to say, with the amount of times he had caught Vash staring off into space in the middle of the night, unable to sleep-
Wolfwood’s eyes felt heavy. He allowed himself to close them.
He was warm and he had been having a dreamless sleep, for once. He had woken up because he needed a smoke, but judging by the light he could see even through his closed eyelids it was getting light anyway.
That… was weird. Vash was still pulling him in close. And he always woke up at the crack of dawn, before Wolfwood.
He opened his eyes to see soft blue light. But it wasn’t coming from outside, it was coming from within the tent.
That should have set off some alarm bells, but Wolfwood wasn’t sensing anything wrong. He managed to maneuver himself to turn and look at Vash without jostling him too much.
Wolfwood had only seen the Plant markings on Vash once. And they had never discussed it. He remembered when Vash had woken up on “Home” and asked Wolfwood “ Did you- see it ?” and there was no wondering what he meant. Wolfwood had just nodded, and he recognized the look of shame and quiet devastation on Vash’s face enough to never bring it up again.
Wolfwood had never thought it was something to be ashamed of. Especially now, looking at him sleeping peacefully, the faint lines on every inch of his skin that Wolfwood could see (he did not allow himself to think of how the patterns must be on parts of Vash Wolfwood couldn’t see). They were on the back of his closed eyelids, on his hand which was still wrapped around Wolfwood’s waist.
The light seemed to pulse, almost like a heartbeat. Though it was out of sync with a human heart.
Wolfwood tentatively covered Vash’s hand with his own, wanting to see if the lines felt any different. He had to withdraw almost immediately when Vash twitched at the contact, the light dimming suddenly.
Wolfwood remained still until Vash’s breathing returned to normal. The light returned as he fell back into deeper sleep.
Goddamnit, he sure as hell couldn’t get up for a cigarette now. Not that he really wanted to. He wanted to lie here enveloped in Vash’s warmth, in his light.
So he closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.
-----
The next day was normal. Vash was annoyingly chipper, as usual. Wolfwood had been a bit disappointed when he woke up and Vash was already up. Though he was less disappointed when crawled out of the tent to see Vash was already making breakfast and some coffee.
Vash had left his jacket on Wolfwood, and he walked out with it draped over his shoulders.
Raising his eyebrows, Vash said, “Are you going to give that back?”
Wolfwood bundled it up and tossed it at him. “Colour doesn’t suit me anyway.”
Vash shrugged. “I think it looks good on you.”
Wolfwood groaned. “I cannot deal with you being all chipper at seven in the morning.”
“I’m being normal.”
Wolfwood finally pulled out a cigarette. Vash shook his head but he was smiling gently as he poured Wolfwood a coffee.
Lighting his cigarette, Wolfwood sat down. They sat in amicable silence while Wolfwood contemplated whether he should ask about what happened last night. But how did you bring it up? “Hey, you were all glowy while we were snuggling last night, what was that all about?”
The very thought of it made Wolfwood want to jump into the campfire Vash started.
Besides… he didn’t think Vash even knew it had happened. Surely Vash would have been acting more awkward if he had known. It was a part of him he generally kept hidden. Despite Wolfwood’s complaints, Vash was acting normal. Normal for Vash, anyway.
He didn’t want to bring it up. It had been sort of… nice. He didn’t want to ruin it by making Vash feel weird about it.
“You okay?”
“Huh?” Wolfwood snapped to attention.
“You seem a bit distracted.”
“Not caffeinated enough yet.
Vash seemed to accept his answer and as they ate breakfast he moved the conversation to talking about where they should head that day.
They drove across the desert, the sun beating down on them. Wolfwood wondered if last night had been normal for Vash. He hadn’t noticed it any other time he had woken up in the middle of the night…
Mercifully, they made it to the town just in time for dinner. And Vash managed to get a discount on their room by volunteering them to wash dishes.
One look at the shower told them this was the kind of place that would run out of hot water quickly. One aggressive rock-paper-scissors battle later and Vash claimed the first shower.
“Don’t you dare offer it to me instead,” Wolfwood said. “That undermines the sanctity of rock-paper-scissors.”
Vash rolled his eyes but took his turn.
Wolfwood sat on the small wooden chair, as much as he wanted to just sink into the bed, Vash would kill him for sitting on it with his dirty clothes. He nearly nodded off despite how hard and uncomfortable the chair was. The sound of the running water was oddly soothing.
He woke up when Vash turned off the water with a horrible screeching of the pipes. He heard the sound of rummaging as Vash got changed, heard Vash swear as he knocked something over.
Vash finally came out, wearing a long sleeved shirt with one sleeve pinned up and some pajama pants that hung loosely around his waist. His hair was still damp and slightly tousled and Wolfwood suddenly had the mad urge to run his hands through it.
Wolfwood kept his hands firmly where they were as Vash flopped down onto the bed with a sigh. Vash’s shirt lifted up a little, exposing some of his stomach.
He went into the shower before Vash could catch his staring. There was actually some hot water left, enough that he got two minutes of warmth before the shower turned freezing and he rushed his way through the rest.
When he came back to the room Vash was lying spread-eagled on the bed. His eyes were closed and he was clearly on the verge of falling asleep.
“Oi, Spikey,” Wolfwood said, sitting down hard on the edge of the bed and jostling Vash awake. “Move.”
“Mmm but I’m comfy,” Vash said, though he obligingly turned onto his right side and curled up.
“Under the covers!”
“Not cold,” Vash whined.
“You will be and then you’ll steal my blankets in the middle of the night. Get!”
Vash groaned and moved slightly as Wolfwood roughly pulled the blankets from under him and threw them over them both. Though he curled up again immediately after.
“At least we don’t have to huddle together for warmth,” Vash said.
“Yeah.” Wolfwood suddenly felt weird. He wanted to say “I didn’t mind it actually” but that would be an insane thing to say, what was wrong with him?
Don’t make it weird . He told himself firmly.
Or he won’t do it again. Oh, he was shutting that thought down immediately.
“Good night, Wolfwood.”
“Don’t steal my blankets.”
Inevitably, Wolfwood woke up in the middle of the night.
He kept his eyes screwed shut for a moment as he became conscious. Hoping to see the same blue light he had seen the night before.
Nothing. Wolfwood opened his eyes and saw that Vash was still lying curled up on his side. Stubbornly not glowing.
He began to wonder if he had hallucinated the damn thing. It had been a weird sort of night. And why would Vash do it once when he never had before?
Besides, it was weird that he wanted to see it anyway. He didn’t even know why he wanted that. Vash would hate it ( him ) if he knew he wanted to see something that he kept so private.
And Wolfwood should, and did know better. And he was going the fuck back to sleep before he could dwell on this anymore.
-----
It was rare that they stopped over in towns without many problems. There was always something going wrong on this shithole of a planet. But aside from Vash bustling around and making himself useful to a bunch of elderly people who needed some house repairs, there really wasn’t much going on here.
Which meant Vash insisted they headed off. Wolfwood never much cared one way or the other. But it sucked every time to see Vash get attached to people so quickly and then have to leave. Not even twenty four hours here and some little kid was wrapped around Vash’s leg begging him not to go.
-he was leaving for the eye of michael some of the younger kids were crying and asking why big brother Nico had to leave and he didn’t want to either he wanted to stay here-
“Time to go, Needle-noggin’,” Wolfwood snapped.
“Sorry, I have to leave,” Vash said, his voice as gentle as his hands as he pried the crying child off of him.
Wolfwood caught some resentful looks from the small crowd gathered to see Vash off. That was fine. Better, actually, if they could blame him instead of Vash. Not that Vash would feel any less guilty. But Vash would feel guilty if they stayed too.
They drove off together, Wolfwood wishing Vash would just give himself a break sometimes.
Wolfwood cooked over the fire as Vash set up the tent. They were just eating canned soup, but it was free because the townspeople had given it to them, so Wolfwood wasn’t going to complain.
“Let’s go to bed,” Vash said. “I want to get up early tomorrow.”
“When do you ever not want to get up early,” Wolfwood grumbled, knowing better than to argue. “What’s the big rush this time?”
Vash shrugged. “Just wanna get to the next town.”
Wolfwood grinned. “Getting restless because we haven’t run into any towns that need our help lately, aren’t you?”
“I am not!” Vash said.
Wolfwood glanced down to where Vash was bouncing his leg in a manner he would call “restless”.
Vash looked down, clearly unaware that he was even doing it, and stopped abruptly.
Wolfwood’s grin widened.
“Shut up!” Vash said.
“I didn’t say anything.”
Wolfwood and Vash settled down in the tent. They lay side by side in the tent, like normal.
“Not cold tonight?” Vash said.
“Huh?”
“Last time you were freezing,” Vash said. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
“I’m fine!” Wolfwood said. The only light in the tent was from the little flashlight he was using to organize his bag so he’d be ready to get up at the asscrack of dawn. He swore he could feel Vash’s gaze on his back.
He zipped up his bag and used the flashlight to figure out where to crawl into his sleeping bag. He settled in, Vash was watching him the whole time and Wolfwood had no idea what on earth he was thinking about.
Wolfwood fumbled with his flashlight for a second trying to find the button, it slipped in his grip for a second and he ended up shining it directly in Vash’s face.
“Ouch!” Vash said, covering his eyes.
“Sorry!” Wolfwood said as he found the button and plunged them into darkness.
“Damn, trying to blind me, Wolfwood?” Wolfwood’s own eyes adjusted to the darkness to see Vash rubbing at his eyes for a second before blinking them open.
They glowed.
Vash was looking at him, and his eyes were glowing with the same patterns he had seen on Vash’s skin the other night. He knew they did that, of course, he had seen it a long time ago. But that gaze had never been fixed on him.
“Sorry,” Wolfwood said again, voice hoarse.
“It’s fine.” Vash chuckled lightly. “What about you? Apologizing twice in a row, you feeling okay, Wolfwood?”
Saying his name while fixing him with that gaze was just not fair.
He could not allow himself to think of Vash as beautiful. He didn’t have the right to think of him that way.
And there was no way Vash knew what Wolfwood was seeing right now. If he had any idea he would be lying with his back to Wolfwood, trying to hide it, to pretend it wasn’t happening and apologizing over and over…
“I’m fine,” Wolfwood said. He hoped his voice sounded even.
“Hmm,” Vash said. “Good night, then. I guess?”
“Yeah.” Wolfwood said. He was the first one to lie back down, the first one to turn his back on the other (something he would never do with anyone but Vash).
He felt Vash’s gaze on him for a moment longer. He wondered if Vash’s eyes were still glowing.
-----
The town they went to next was certainly a cure for Vash’s restlessness.
It was the same story as always. Town overrun by shitty gangsters. Shitty gangsters heard Vash the Stampede was nearby. Gangsters were ready and waiting for them.
It ended with them chasing the gangsters out of town of course. Wolfwood had wanted to leave this town immediately but they were invited to a big dinner where they’d be the guests of honor and Vash was giving him those damn puppy dog eyes.
The dinner was held in the tavern. Creatively named “The Tavern” because it was the only one in town. Despite its grungy appearance, the food was amazing. Vash was eating more than usual. Wolfwood was glad he was enjoying himself.
Wolfwood wished he could enjoy it as much as Vash was. But he was currently gritting his teeth because he had been fucking shot.
He was running way too low on his serum to use it for something so small. (He was going to have to discreetly get them to the next town with an Eye of Michael outpost, even though the thought made him feel slightly ill).
His accelerated healing had stopped the bleeding and he was, technically, fine. But he didn’t even have a chance to inconspicuously dig the bullet out of his side and let the healing take its course. He’d at least managed to hastily put some gauze on it and now he was just keeping his jacket buttoned up to cover any blood stains.
The dinner had turned into drinking and music and Wolfwood was trying to lean against the wall in a way that gave off “do not ask me to dance” energy. Judging by the few people who had given him eyes and then abruptly walked away it was working.
Vash, meanwhile, was trying to extricate himself from a woman who had her hands on his jacket. Wolfwood knew Vash didn’t need his help but Wolfwood found himself tempted to walk over and grab him anyway, for some reason.
He was still glowering when Vash caught his eye from across the room, and grinned at him. It made Wolfwood’s stomach flip. He watched as Vash excused himself and left a very disappointed-looking woman behind, and made his way towards him.
Vash had to lean in way too close to Wolfwood to be heard over the music. He was basically whispering in his ear. “Ready to call it a night?”
Wolfwood felt Vash’s breath against his face. He got goosebumps.
“What makes you think that?” Wolfwood said, despite the fact he had been ready to call it a night at about three that afternoon.
“You look kind of miserable,” Vash said.
Shit. Wolfwood was suddenly awash in guilt. Vash was having a good time for once and he was ruining it by being a mess in the corner. He should have just taken the serum and tried not to get too badly injured for a while…
“Hey,” Vash’s voice was so soft and understanding. “You okay?”
“Just tired,” Wolfwood said. “You don’t have to stop on my account.”
Vash gave him a look. “Let’s head upstairs, okay?”
He didn’t have it in him to argue anymore, especially not with the look Vash was giving him right now.
He shrugged, trying to look like he wasn’t desperate to just get away from all this. “Sure, if you want.”
While they were walking up the stairs, Wolfwood stumbled.
“Woah- Wolfwood?!” Vash said, wrapping his arm around Wolfwood’s shoulders to steady him.
“S-sorry,” Wolfwood mumbled.
“Hold on, we’re almost there,” Vash said. He was so gentle. Wolfwood didn’t deserve it from him.
He held onto Wolfwood in front of the door to their room. Wolfwood had the key and Vash rifled through his jacket pocket to get it. It was his prosthetic hand, so he didn’t feel it, but he certainly saw the blood on his hand when he withdrew it from the pocket.
“ Wolfwood !” Vash said incredulously. “Have you been injured all day?”
“Uh…not all day.”
Vash glared at him.
“Only since I was, you know, shot.” Wolfwood gave Vash what he liked to think was a charming smile.
Letting out a groan of frustration, Vash hastily opened the door and dragged Wolfwood into the room. He dragged him straight into the bathroom and sat him on the edge of the tub.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Vash demanded as he took Wolfwood’s jacket off him and saw the blood seeping through his shirt.
“I’m fine!” Wolfwood said.
Vash gave him a scathing look.
“I was fine until the wound reopened,” Wolfwood amended.
“Doubt that,” Vash mumbled. “Take off your shirt.”
Wolfwood’s hands automatically went to his buttons when Vash told him to take off his shirt in that tone.
Vash went to their luggage to grab their first aid kit. He was back in a moment and made a strangled cry when he saw the state Wolfwood was in.
“ The bullet is still in you ?”
“Uh,” Wolfwood said again.
“You should have taken care of it right away! What if it gets infected?” Vash sat down awkwardly on the edge of the tub beside Wolfwood.
“It won’t,” Wolfwood said. “You know I heal fast.”
“That’s no excuse,” Vash said.
“You’re one to talk,” Wolfwood said. It came out harsher than he intended, and Vash gave him a reproachful look.
Choosing to ignore him, Wolfwood continued “I can do this myself, you know.”
Now it was Vash’s turn to ignore Wolfwood.
“This is going to hurt,” Vash said apologetically. Wolfwood turned away so he didn’t have to look as Vash quickly and expertly got the bullet out.
“You’re worryingly good at staying quiet while in pain,” Vash said softly.
“I guess,” Wolfwood said. He hissed as Vash disinfected the wound.
Vash had him patched up in record time. Wolfwood’s injury was cleaned and bandaged and bullet free.
“Damn, I’m not gonna go to a doctor the next time I get hurt. You do it faster and for free.”
“Who said it was free?” Vash demanded.
“The guy who drives you everywhere.”
“Fair point.” Vash was giving him a look, and Wolfwood knew he wasn’t going to get out of this so easily.
“Why did you actually not say anything?” Vash demanded.
Wolfwood had to fix his gaze somewhere over Vash’s shoulder, it was too hard to look directly at him. “Didn’t want to spoil the party, I guess.”
Vash sighed and brushed his hand through his hair. “Next time when you’re hurt just… tell me. I don’t care if you can heal quickly or whatever. You don’t have to just sit there in pain just because you’re technically fine .”
He was tempted to point out Vash’s hypocrisy, but the words died in his throat when Vash was looking at him like that. After Vash had taken care of him like that.
“Yeah, yeah… okay.”
Vash looked at him for a long moment before smiling, a little sadly. “Good enough for now, I guess. Let’s get you to bed?”
Wolfwood was fine to get up on his own. But Vash insisted on holding onto him and guiding him to bed. He stopped short of helping Wolfwood put on his pajamas, and Wolfwood was furious at himself for feeling a bit disappointed at that.
He did, however, help settle Wolfwood into bed. “Can’t have you tearing the wound open again,” Vash answered Wolfwood’s questioning look with a sheepish smile.
Wolfwood didn’t bother to say that the wound was already knitting itself closed now that the bullet was out, just as he knew it would.
It was kind of nice to be taken care of-
Don’t even think about that .
Vash pulled the covers over Wolfwood, before turning out the lights and crawling into bed beside him. Wolfwood was lying on the side that wasn’t injured, and Vash laid down facing him. Wolfwood almost wanted to call him out on it, but he didn’t.
“I’m fine,” Wolfwood repeated instead. “You don’t have to baby me.”
“It’s not babying,” Vash said. “I just don’t like seeing you hurt.”
Vash was clearly in a weird mood. He’d seen Wolfwood hurt so many times, and so much worse. Maybe the fact that Wolfwood had hidden it while Vash partied had made him feel guilty. Even though he shouldn’t.
Wolfwood froze when Vash reached for his hand.
“Sorry-!” Vash said. “It that… okay?”
Wolfwood should say no. “Yeah… it’s- it’s fine.”
Even in the darkness, he could see enough of Vash to see his small smile. Vash’s hand enveloped his. He rubbed his thumb in soothing circles on the back of Wolfwood’s hand and it was so gentle and so much more than he deserved that it made Wolfwood want to to cry.
“Don’t tell me I don’t have to again,” Vash said.
“I wasn’t gonna,” Wolfwood nearly pouted.
Vash chuckled lightly, he shifted his head a little bit closer to Wolfwood’s. There was too little space between them right now. Wolfwood wanted to move away. He wanted desperately to close the gap.
As though reading his mind ( God, could he do that? ), Vash rested his forehead against Wolfwood’s. It was more intimate than Wolfwood could have believed possible. Vash was so warm. And it was easy to let his own breathing fall into sync with Vash’s-
A sudden, nearly-blinding light assaulted Wolfwood’s vision. He jerked back on instinct and regretted it as Vash wrenched himself off of him. Flying out of bed as though he was burned.
Wolfwood blinked the afterimage from his eyes. As his vision cleared he saw Vash, a soft blue light shone from the patterns on his skin. Wolfwood had caught glimpses of it the last few days, but this was the first time he could get a real look. The swirls covered Vash’s arm, up his neck and face and eyes and Wolfwood knew he was looking at something precious, something ancient and beautiful that almost no one alive had seen.
“Ah- ah,” Vash said in a strangled voice. “Sorry.”
“What the hell are you sorry for?” Wolfwood said. He hated that he couldn’t be more patient, like Vash was with him. But he spoke without thinking. He made a move to get up and Vash stumbled back, knocking over the chair behind him.
“Just- I don’t know-” Vash was struggling to get words out. He wrapped his arm around himself and Wolfwood thought that if his prosthetic had been on he’d be trying to hug himself. “Don’t- don’t look-”
“I’ve already seen it!’ Wolfwood said.
“It’s not like… on the sand steamer that was different-”
“I saw it the other night!” Wolfwood got up, and his words shocked Vash enough that he stopped talking and he didn’t try to back away.
“Wh-what?”
Wolfwood suddenly felt ashamed that he hadn’t told Vash about it. He looked so…pained.
“I…” Wolfwood said in a softer voice. “The other night, in your sleep in the tent.”
Vash blinked. “Why… why didn’t you say anything?” An edge of anger crept into his voice. That was good, better. Wolfwood could deal with anger.
“I didn’t want you to freak out!”
“Do I do that all the time?” Vash demanded. “How could you not tell me!” He was raising his voice.
“You’ve only done it once-!”
Vash gave him a skeptical look.
“I promise! Why are you so-”
“Because-” Vash ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “If- if I can’t control it… I can’t let people see me like this, Wolfwood.”
Wolfwood tentatively took a step closer. Vash didn’t back away. “It’s just me.”
Vash shook his head. “I don’t want you to see me like this either.”
Wolfwood was almost offended. Was he just lumped in with everyone else, after everything? But Vash just looked so goddamn sad.
“I’ve seen you do weirder shit, to be fair.”
Vash let out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob.
“Like hitting a sketchy guy with a car in the middle of a desert and insisting he was a good guy after knowing him for like… an hour.”
He could see Vash relax just a little, dropping his arm from holding himself.
Wolfwood added, “It wasn’t even a good hour.”
Finally, Vash laughed. Just a little, but it was genuine and it was enough.
“I’m being serious, Wolfwood,” Vash said.
“So am I,” Wolfwood raised his eyebrows. “I’ve seen you do so much weirder than whatever this is.”
“It’s just.. I don’t usually get a good reaction when people see me like this…”
He could hear the crack in Vash’s voice. He was sure there were way too many sad stories there. Stories Wolfwood would probably never know but made him want to kick someone’s ass.
“Well I’m not people ,” Wolfwood said. “I’m just me.” Before Vash could argue Wolfwood added “Now can you come back to bed? It’s cold in here and you’re making me nervous cowering over there.”
“Not cowering ,” Vash pouted. Wolfwood plopped down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him. Vash sat down beside him. The bed sank a bit, making Wolfwood’s shoulder brush against Vash’s.
Still, Vash was illuminated. Wolfwood could so easily reach out and touch-
“I can’t turn it off,” Vash said.
“That’s fine.”
Vash looked like he wanted to shrink in on himself.
“I mean it,” Wolfwood said. “I didn’t mind it when you did it in your sleep and I don’t mind it now. If anything you’re like the world’s best night light.”
Vash elbowed Wolfwood halfheartedly. “I don’t even know why this is happening right now.”
That made Wolfwood pause. “Why does it usually happen?”
Looking like he would rather be anywhere but here, having any conversation but this one, Vash said “When I… resonate with my sisters. Usually.”
He wasn’t looking Wolfwood in the eye.
“Hmm,” Wolfwood reached for the pack of cigarettes on his nightstand, to help him think.
Vash smacked his hand. “The lady at the front desk said no smoking in the rooms!”
Wolfwood put up his hands in surrender. “So… what usually happens when you resonate with them?”
“Um, I can help heal them. If something is wrong.”
Wolfwood hadn’t known that. He felt a sudden surge of affection for Vash. It suited him, to be able to heal.
“Hmm so this is something different?”
“I’m… not so sure about that,” Vash grimaced. He looked… embarrassed. “What night did I do this in my sleep, exactly?”
Wolfwood paused. “Like… a couple nights ago. The one that was fucking freezing cold.”
Vash looked really embarrassed now. Wolfwood wasn’t sure why at first. But he thought about how he had started glowing like this after taking care of him that night, after Vash pressed his forehead against his-”
“Vash,” Wolfwood said slowly, his face breaking out in a grin. “Have you been trying to heal me?”
Vash groaned and buried his face in his hand again.
“That’s it, isn’t it?”
Vash made a strangled sound. “I guess… not consciously though. Like, subconsciously? Oh god that’s worse, isn’t it?”
“It’s sort of adorable,” Wolfwood said. Vash dropped his hand and looked at Wolfwood.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call something adorable.”
“Well… treasure it because it won’t happen again any time soon. I mean it, though.”
Vash gave him an odd sort of look. “I don’t think I’ve heard anyone call this -” he gestured down at himself “-anything good.”
“What have people said about it?” Wolfwood asked. When Vash went quiet he prompted him “Vash?”
Vash just shrugged. “You know… freak, monster. That sort of thing. You know how it goes.”
Wolfwood did, indeed, know how it went. He clenched his fists in the sheets. He wanted to find every person who had called Vash something like that and introduce them to the Punisher. Let them see what a real monster looked like.
“Wolfwood?” Vash asked.
He took a steadying breath. “Anyone who would call you a monster over this is a fucking idiot, Vash.”
He felt Vash start to tense up again. “No, listen. I mean it. This is the… farthest thing from monstrous.” Wolfwood didn’t like getting sappy like this, but he pushed through it because Vash clearly needed to hear this. “I just barely saw it on the sand steamer before you passed out, but when I saw it that night in the tent I… really wanted to see it again.”
“I-” Vash started. But he choked up.
“It’s- it’s comforting,” Wolfwood said weakly. Vash was still avoiding his eyes. He had run out of words to make Vash understand him. He reached down and grabbed Vash’s hand. Vash startled but Wolfwood kept him in his grip and Vash relaxed. He was giving Wolfwood a wide-eyed look, like he didn’t quite understand what he was doing.
Wolfwood ran his thumb over the back of Vash’s hand just like Vash had done for him mere moments ago, tracing the lines there. He finally had his answer for how the marks felt on Vash’s skin. He felt just a little bit warmer than normal, there was an odd buzzing sensation- like a hum- under his skin. Like there was a lot of energy just beneath the surface.
It was comforting. Everything about Vash was comforting.
Without even thinking about what he was doing, Wolfwood raised their clasped hands, and kissed Vash on the wrist.
Vash squeaked. Wolfwood smiled against his skin.
“ Wolfwood !” Vash said in a very high-pitched voice. Wolfwood lowered their hands but he didn’t let go.
“I’ve always wanted to know how it felt to touch them,” Wolfwood admitted, quietly.
“You’re…" Wolfwood couldn’t read Vash’s expression at all. “You’re… so weird.”
He wanted to come up with something witty, about how he wasn’t the weird one here. But he didn’t have a chance when Vash tore his hand out of Wolfwood’s.
For a split second, Wolfwood thought he had fucked up. But then Vash grabbed the front of Wolfwood’s shirt and kissed him.
He made a strangled sound of surprise. At first, Wolfwood didn’t know what to do with his mouth, with his hands. But he melted into the kiss, let Vash take the lead. He wrapped his arms around Vash, pulled him in close. Vash dropped his hand from Wolfwood’s shirt to his side.
Ah, fuck it . Wolfwood thought, and slipped his hands under Vash’s shirt. Vash gasped a little into Wolfwood’s mouth, but he pushed closer to him, and Wolfwood ran his hands up Vash’s back. He felt the scars, but he felt the same hum of energy too. His hands felt warm against Vash’s skin, and it was almost like the energy was spreading through Vash to him.
It was not an unwelcome feeling.
They pulled apart, needing to breathe. Wolfwood pulled his hands back and they just looked at each other for a moment.
“You’re… always full of surprises aren’t you,” Wolfwood said.
Vash grinned sheepishly. Then all of a sudden his smile fell.
“What?” Wolfwood said, alarmed.
“I just grabbed at you and you’re injured!” Vash said. “Oh my god, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Wolfwood rolled his eyes. “It’s like you forget you’re not the only weirdo here.” Wolfwood pulled up his shirt and lifted a bit of the bandage (despite Vash’s shout of horror) to show the skin underneath was knitted together and looked like it had been healing well over a week already.
Vash sighed. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Takes a lot more than one bullet to stop me,” Wolfwood said. When Vash still looked worried, Wolfwood leaned forward and rested his forehead against Vash’s.
Vash closed his eyes. Maybe it was a trick his eyes were playing on him, but Wolfwood swore he glowed brighter. They sat like that for a moment, Vash kept his eyes closed, but Wolfwood kept his open. The light went from being steady to pulsing in time with their breaths.
Finally, the light went dim, before fading completely.
Wolfwood would have thought he would feel the loss. But, even though the feeling of warmth and energy was gone, Wolfwood was overcome with a sense of calm.
Blinking his eyes open, Vash looked up at him. “Thank you, Wolfwood.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
Vash just shook his head. “I don’t know for not… thinking it’s weird. For thinking it’s nice, I guess.”
“You don’t have to thank me for something like that,” Wolfwood said. He couldn’t bear to be thanked for baseline kindness. Not from Vash.
“I’m gonna anyway.”
“Stubborn bastard.”
“You love that about me.”
“I really don’t.”
They were both smiling. Wolfwood’s smile turned a bit wicked as he said “So… we gonna talk about that kiss?”
Vash flopped back on the bed. “Nope.”
“Oh come on,” Wolfwood was grinning.
“Nope!” Vash was trying to crawl past Wolfwood to get under the covers but Wolfwood was not going to let that happen. He tackled Vash and Vash burst out laughing as he struggled to get away.
Vash managed to wriggle away and grab a pillow, smacking Wolfwood in the face.
“Okay, okay I surrender!” Wolfwood laughed. “You’re not getting out of this one so easily, though.”
“We can talk later!” Vash said. “It’s time for bed!”
“Uh huh,” Wolfwood said. He watched as Vash crawled under the covers. “Not gonna tuck me back in?”
“That was because you were injured,” Vash said, yawning and closing his eyes. “You’re all good now, do it yourself.”
“Some bedside manner you have,” Wolfwood said, getting under the covers himself. Vash seemed really tired all of a sudden. He wondered how much energy all that had used.
Wolfwood and Vash faced each other in bed again. Vash didn’t open his eyes, but he slid his hand into the space between them, offering. Wolfwood took his hand in his, accepting it.
“Goodnight, Wolfwood,” Vash said quietly.
There was a lot Wolfwood wanted to say. Thank you for taking care of me even though I don’t need it and I don’t deserve it. Thank you for being here.
You’re beautiful .
“Good night.”