Work Text:
“I’m still alive.”
The thought surfaced first, faint but unmistakable, as consciousness slowly returned to Nicholas Wolfwood.
His eyes opened to a ceiling he knew by heart. For a moment he simply stared, letting the world come back into focus. The walls were familiar—worn wood, pale with age, marked by years of small hands and quiet repairs. Even after all this time, he recognized them instantly.
Hopeland Orphanage.
Someone had placed him on a thin mattress in one of the spare rooms. The setup was simple—no decorations, no comforts beyond what was necessary. But that was nothing unusual here.
"How long was I out?"
The last thing he remembered was lying outside beside Livio, the sky fading into night. Sunset had barely passed then. Now the light slanting through the window was golden and low, drifting lazily across the floorboards.
Late afternoon.
Which meant he’d been unconscious for nearly 24 hours.
Wolfwood groaned softly and pushed himself upright. His body protested the movement, stiff and sore. As he rubbed his face, something beside the mattress caught his eye.
Vash.
The blond gunman was sprawled on the floor beside the mattress, fast asleep.
Wolfwood dragged both hands down his face, exasperation washing over him.
“Don’t tell me…” he muttered under his breath. “Has he been sleeping there this whole time?”
He leaned over and gently nudged Vash’s shoulder.
“Hey, needle-noggin,” he murmured.
Vash stirred. His head lifted slowly, eyes half-lidded and unfocused. He squinted up at Wolfwood, blinking through a curtain of messy blond hair.
"Did they not give you a bed?" Wolfwood said in a joking manner. There was no way that Miss Melanie wouldn't have offered him a proper place to sleep, even if beds were scarce.
“No… they did,” Vash mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. “I just… wanted to stay here. In case your condition got worse overnight.”
He rubbed his eyes clumsily.
“I must have dozed off. I’m sorry.”
“Of course you dozed off, you—”
Wolfwood stopped himself mid-sentence. The irritation fizzled before it could turn into a full scolding. He scratched the back of his head instead, sighing.
Truth was, Vash looked exhausted.
Months trapped on the Ark would do that to anyone. Expecting him to stay awake all night was ridiculous. The idiot probably needed sleep even more than he did.
“Ah, hell,” Wolfwood muttered.
He lifted the edge of the bedsheet.
“Get over here.”
Vash didn’t question it. Without a word—or even a change in expression—he climbed onto the mattress like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Wolfwood shifted over to make space while Vash settled beside him. The moment he lay down, the tension seemed to drain from his body. He exhaled a long, quiet sigh.
“Better?” Wolfwood asked.
Vash hummed softly in response.
Within seconds, he was asleep again.
---
When Vash woke the next time, morning sunlight was pouring into the room.
He rolled his head slightly—and froze.
The space beside him was empty.
Vash shot upright.
---
Livio was sitting alone in the dining hall when he heard rapid footsteps racing down the hallway. A moment later, Vash burst into the room.
Livio blinked at him, startled.
“Where is Nicholas?” Vash asked breathlessly.
“Here,” came a voice from the kitchen, calm and casual—like someone answering roll call.
Wolfwood was toiling away at the stove in the attached kitchen. With his back facing Vash, he
could see a cute apron bow tied around his waist. His body moved with such speed and certainty
as if he had made this meal hundreds of times. He spun around with both his hands full of a
heaping plate of spaghetti.
In that moment, Vash wondered...
In all his 150+ years of being alive, was the most beautiful sight he had ever laid his eyes upon?
“The kids already ate earlier,” Wolfwood said as he set the plate on the table. “So this is aaaall ours.”
He gestured broadly toward the food.
“Better dig in. We’ve got a lotta work to do.”
Vash remained frozen in the doorway.
His mouth hung slightly open, and the corners of his eyes shimmered faintly with tears.
Wolfwood noticed and grinned—wide and bright in a way that was almost uncharacteristic.
“C’mon,” he called.
“Come eat!”
That snapped Vash out of it. He hurried forward and eagerly joined them at the table.