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"We should get going."
Vash sighs at Wolfwood's words. "Yes, I'll be done in just a few minutes. Promise!"
Wolfwood grumbles something under his breath before Vash turns to Jess, an aspiring Plant engineer, to answer her question.
Vash has been busy these days. After the Earth Federation's arrival and towns and cities booming, there's a demand to understand Plants, not just the flora popping up in places. Chronica asked if he could help train some engineers since she's too busy and there was no one else available. Who's better to help out than him?
While visiting the orphanage, Wolfwood was suspicious about his new "job" when he brought it up, saying he would be putting himself in danger if anyone had any funny thoughts even without the appealing bounty. He offered to join him, claiming he'll do a better job at keeping him company and keeping him safe than whoever Chronica signed up to be Vash's chaperone.
So, here he is, helping a group of engineers, with Wolfwood grumbling about him working overtime. More often than not, Vash stays longer than he should helping out the engineers and answering any questions they have. He doesn't mind it, but Wolfwood says he can continue his conversation the next day since they're here for about a month compared to the last town they were in, which they were there for only a few days.
Wolfwood is right that he should have some boundaries and not overextend his kindness, but he's happy to help, especially when he can leave his sisters in good hands.
The group of engineers he's training are Jess, Jeremy, Maria, and Frankie, a diverse bunch with various personalities. Jess is confident, not afraid to ask questions and eager to learn everything he has to offer. Maria is the shiest of the group, but curious, and she is long time friends with Jess. Frankie is laid back and knows his stuff with all the tech. Jeremy is the most intelligent of them all, already well versed in how Plants work, likely from an affluent upbringing that he claims. His knowledge has piqued even Wolfwood's attention, which Vash recognizes as suspicion.
Vash hurries up answering lingering questions everyone has before Wolfwood decides to drag him out. Waving goodbye, he leaves and follows Wolfwood out of the building.
Vash rolls his neck. "I'm beat."
"You need mandated breaks." Wolfwood rolls his eyes. "Anyways, food?" he asks
Vash bounces on his feet. "Yes, I'm starving."
They grab a bite to eat for the evening at the diner next to their hotel, their usual dining spot. Vash drops an elbow on the table and rests his head on his hand, glancing at the menu on the table.
"The usual?" Wolfwood asks.
"Yeah," Vash answers. "I'm too tired to choose anything else." He can't be bothered to consider other options on the menu and defaults to the one he likes: a cheeseburger with fries.
Wolfwood orders their meals. Vash thanks him after the waitress leaves.
"How do you feel about this group?" Wolfwood asks, referring to the engineers. "It seems like they still have a lot to learn."
Vash hums. "They're smart, but they're young for this responsibility." He goes on about leaving them as much knowledge as he can before the conversation shifts to Wolfwood.
Wolfwood does most of the talking, which is becoming more common when Vash is left tired in the evening, drained from teaching the engineers. He appreciates Wolfwood filling the silence for him until their food comes, chatting about picking up a few things he learned from overhearing. The food gives Vash some energy to respond so that Wolfwood doesn't feel like he's being ignored.
They often find some of the engineers eating at the same diner. Jess and Maria are here regularly. Sometimes, they drag Frankie along. The three are currently on the other end of the diner. They never see Jeremy.
After dinner, both men head to their hotel room. It's a nice room with two separate big beds, one of the perks given by Chronica.
Vash starts to unfasten his coat. "Do you need to shower?"
Wolfwood shakes his head. "Go for it."
Vash drapes his coat over the dresser and grabs his sleepwear. Entering the bathroom, Vash goes through the routine of taking off all his gear before hopping into the tub and turning on the showerhead. By the end of his shower, he's tired enough to pass out. He leaves the bathroom dressed in his pajamas and leaves his clothes on top of his coat.
"Your turn," Vash says to Wolfwood, climbing on his bed.
After Wolfwood walks into the bathroom, Vash turns on the dusty TV and watches a comedy show while the sink runs in the background. He tries to keep his eyes open until Wolfwood is done, but the show is not funny enough to keep him entertained. The sound of the door opening shakes him awake.
Wolfwood eyes him as he walks across the room while patting his face dry. "Already zonking out?"
"Yeah." Vash yawns. "Sorry."
"I keep telling you not to overdo it."
"I know, I know," Vash says offhand.
Wolfwood huffs. "You should get a vacation once you're done with this."
"Maybe." Vash gets comfortable on his bed, turning to lay on his side. He falls asleep to the noise of the TV and Wolfwood humming in the background.
Wolfwood becomes more persistent with him about not overstaying or pushing himself. Vash sometimes listens, but there is still a lot to get through. He thinks that the sooner he's finished with the group, the more free time they'll have afterwards. Some days though, Wolfwood's frustration rubs off on him, but he promises the other that he's almost done.
Vash does go on the defensive on the second last day of teaching the engineers when the exhaustion gets the better of him.
"We should get going, you have tomorrow to finish up." Wolfwood whispers to him after pulling him to the side.
"It'll just be a little longer."
"Spikey, c'mon, I can see you're tired," Wolfwood argues.
Vash sighs, frustrated. "I'm fine."
"Stop being so stubborn." Wolfwood gives him a hard look. "You look like you're gonna fall over."
Vash doesn't have the energy to argue. "You don't have to stay. I don't need a babysitter."
"You're gonna complain like a big baby later."
"You're more than welcome to go back home," Vash huffs. "I can take care of myself."
Vash immediately feels regret after the words leave his mouth when a hurt look passes through Wolfwood's face for a second. Then, his expression hardens.
Wolfwood is always there to look after him when he's dead on his feet, pushing him to go shower after a long day or bring him food when he's too tired or mentally and socially drained to go out to eat. He doesn't have the same resilience as he used to.
"Fine, whatever." Wolfwood scowls. He turns. "Don't stay too long."
Vash watches Wolfwood leave. His frustration from seconds ago is replaced with exhaustion. He sighs before turning to join the engineers. His thoughts and exhaustion cloud his mind and cause him to slip up his words around the group. When Jess pulls him to the side and asks if he's okay, he quickly decides to call it a day and head out.
Vash finds Wolfwood at the diner, reading the newspaper.
"Hey," Vash greets him when he's within earshot. He sits across from Wolfwood.
Wolfwood glances up at him. Vash gives him a small smile.
Wolfwood looks back down. "Hey."
"Sorry about earlier…"
"Don't worry about it." Wolfwood replies, almost on instinct.
Vash's shoulders droop. He guesses it'll be a quiet evening.
No words are exchanged between the two until they head to their hotel room when Wolfwood lets him take the bathroom first. When it's Wolfwood's turn, Vash is asleep before the other walks out. In the morning, the mood between the two is the same. Vash wrings his hands while thinking of a way to lighten the mood. He can't think of anything that won't have Wolfwood brushing him off before meeting up with the engineers.
It's another long day, but it's the last. He leaves as much information as he can for the engineers and gives them tips to help them. Frankie is the first to leave before Wolfwood taps him on the shoulder.
"I'm gonna go on ahead. I'll stock up on some stuff."
Vash smiles. "Okay. I'll see you later?"
Wolfwood nods. "I'll be at the usual spot."
Vash watches Wolfwood leave before turning to the remaining engineers. He's eager to leave when Jess and Maria thank him and are ready to go, but he's stopped by Jeremy.
"Mr. Vash, sorry to hold you back. I just have a few things I want to go over with you," Jeremy asks, ever so politely.
Vash gives him a smile. "Sure thing."
He stays over an hour later talking with Jeremy.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Jeremy says, gathering his papers. "You're probably tired."
"I'm okay," Vash replies with a smile. "It was great working with everyone."
Jeremy nods in agreement. "I do have one last question before I leave."
"Go ahead."
Jeremy gazes at him. "I'm curious if you know how similar human DNA is to Plants."
Vash is surprised by this question. He knows some…experiments were conducted to investigate the compatibility between Plant and human genes, but he doesn't know the results of those experiments beyond the gruesome side effects of injecting humans with Plant cells.
"Personally, I don't know," Vash answers carefully. "I leave it to the biologists to figure that out."
"I see." Jeremy nods with a hand on his chin. "It would be nice if we're compatible. Plants are truly fascinating in what they do." He smiles. "Thank you for indulging my curiosity."
Vash smiles back. "No problem."
With the conversation ending there, and Jeremy cleaning up and putting his papers away in his bag, Vash turns to look at one of his sisters and puts his hands on the glass. She unfurls, tendril coming away to reveal herself to him.
He can't wait to take a nice shower when he gets back to the hotel. Sleeping sounds nice too when he's so tired. Wolfwood is likely stewing away while waiting for him, and he doesn't want to hold him up any longer.
Vash watches his sister move to reach out with her hand to mimic him, but stops when something catches her gaze behind him. Then, he hears a snap sound and a sharp prick on his shoulder, making him flinch. He looks over his shoulder to find a dart piercing through his coat. Dread crawls through his nerves as he looks up at Jeremy lowering his pistol.
"Sorry Mr. Vash, but I can't let this opportunity go to waste. It was nice to get to know you."
Shit, Vash thinks. He stumbles backwards, already feeling the effects of whatever was in the dart as he presses his back against the glass of the tank.
"You might be the key I was looking for."
Wings force their way out of his skin and coat. He needs to get away, but he can't move. Taking a step leaves him buckling under his weight. He should have seen this coming, should've left earlier. Jeremy must have sneaked under Chronica's vetting. Vash slides down to the floor as his body grows weaker. He can't keep his eyes open any longer.
His last thought before he loses consciousness is he hopes Wolfwood finds him soon.
Wolfwood taps his fingers on the table. Vash is late.
He's sitting at the diner, nursing a glass of alcohol. It's past dinner, past the time Vash should be here. Wolfwood sighs in frustration. He guesses Vash is still being held back by the engineers. It's the last day, maybe he wants to stay way longer than usual.
Wolfwood gulps the rest of his drinks and heads to the hotel room. He waits. He reads the newspaper, cleans up the room, and takes a quick shower. Still no Vash. Wolfwood lays on the bed and turns on the TV. The show on the screen is boring enough to make him close his eyes.
Wolfwood startles awake. He looks across the room to find Vash still missing. It's nighttime, still early for night owls to go to sleep, but late for Vash who should be back hours ago. Warning bells are ringing inside Wolfwood's head, causing him to move and rush out of the room. He heads for the diner next door, hoping to find a spikey head of hair. He doesn't. Instead, he finds the engineers Vash was working with, minus one.
Jess, Maria, and Frankie are sitting at a table. Jess is laughing while Maria is smiling. Frankie looks unimpressed at the other two, looking like he got dragged into staying with them. When Wolfwood walks over to them, Jess spots him first.
"Heya, Mr. Wolfwood!" She looks around. "Is Vash not with you?"
"I could ask you the same thing," he answers. "He hasn't come back."
Jess and Maria frown.
"He stayed behind with Jeremy when we left," Maria says.
Frankie rolls his eyes. "Maybe Jeremy is asking him a hundred questions."
"Yeah, but it's late!" Jess protests. "He should be back by now unless something happened" Then, she puts a hand on her chin. "There was something off about Jeremy, but I don't think he'd do anything…"
"He totally would," Frankie argues. "Some of his questions had nothing to do with what we're doing. Vash is too nice not to answer them."
Wolfwood has heard enough. Vash might be in trouble. Vash is in trouble. He turns around, ready to head for the door.
"Wait!"
Wolfwood turns to see Jess standing.
"Where are you going?" she asks.
"To find Vash."
"We'll come!" Jess exclaims. Maria nods in agreement.
Wolfwood narrows his eyes. "I'm not going to let a bunch of kids come."
"We're not kids!"
Wolfwood sniffs. "Knock yourselves out."
Wolfwood rushes out with the engineers in tow, including Frankie who Jess dragged out. They head for the Plant facility. There, they're stopped at the front gate by the nightshift guard.
"I can't let you through," the guard grunts.
Wolfwood stares him down. "I'm looking for a guy in a big red coat. He's still in there."
The guard narrows his eyes. "I didn't see anyone."
Wolfwood glares. For all he knows, he could be lying.
Jess steps between them. "We're looking for Vash! He might be in trouble!"
"Oh, Vash. And you're the guy he's always with." The guy raises a brow. "The guy before me said everyone left."
"Yeah, well—" Wolfwood waves him off. "Listen, since you know who I am, you'll have no problem letting me in."
The guard narrows his eyes before relenting. "Fine." He opens the gate and guides them inside.
"I'm going to take a look around," Wolfwood says, marching down the hall.
"We'll check the camera!" Jess yells behind him before the guard protests.
Wolfwood heads straight to the Plant room to find nothing out of the sort, except for one of the Plants is awake and looking at him. Walking up to the tank, the Plant's expression is a bit odd. She doesn't have the ability to express a wide range of expressions like humans, but Wolfwood can tell she looks worried. Her gaze flickers down. Following her gaze, Wolfwood finds a piece of red cloth on the floor. He picks it up. Its texture is the same as Vash's coat.
Wolfwood searches every room in the building and finds nothing. Vash isn't here.
When he heads back to the entrance, he's stopped by a voice in one of the rooms he passes by.
"Mr. Wolfwood, wait!"
He turns to find Maria at the doorway, then Jess and Frankie. They all look worried.
"There's no video recording of today," Jess tells him. "Someone must have turned off the cameras."
"That checks out." Wolfwood holds up the piece of fabric from Vash's coat. "That bastard is after Vash," he grits. He turns and strides for the entrance. "I'm finding him. He shouldn't be too far."
He hears footsteps chasing after him. "Hold on!" Jess yells. The three engineers are behind him. "We'll help!"
Wolfwood squints at them. "It's dangerous for you squirts. Go home."
"What? You're going to search every building in this town? By yourself?" Jess asks, peeved.
He would, and he will.
Maria nods. "We'll search with you."
Frankie pulls something out of his pocket. A tablet. "We can search some buildings that are empty," he says while tapping on the screen. He shows a map of the town. "He must be taken in one of them."
Wolfwood sighs. "Fine, but I don't want any of you getting into trouble."
They make a plan to search the buildings Frankie identifies in groups of three. Wolfwood and Frankie will search alone while Jess and Maria search together.
"Jeremy will likely move early in the morning so we got all night to search," Frankie says before they set off.
Wolfwood hopes he can find Vash before then.
Vash's eyes open to bright light, and his body cold. He blinks, trying to force his eyes open, but he can't. A heavy fog clouds his mind, beckoning him back to sleep as he fights to stay conscious. While attempting to move his heavy limbs, he notices he's missing his left arm, causing him to suck in a shaky breath. Something pinches his right arm.
A blurry head appears in his vision. "Oh, you're awake."
Vash tries to remember how he ended up like this, but he knows he's in trouble.
The head moves away. "I'll give you another dose."
Not only is his body heavy, he's strapped to a table.
Vash tries moving again, weakly pulling at the straps around him. He tugs on something embedded in his skin on his right arm. "What…"
"It'll only take a few seconds." There's a prick on his arm.
Fear creeps into his mind amongst the fog. "Please…stop." He attempts to break free, struggles to use any strength he has to get out of here, his wings, anything. It's not enough. Whatever drug he's injected with causes him to flop down on the table and blacks.
Wolfwood is ready to wreak havoc on this town to find Vash.
It's been hours of searching every building the group can find that looks vaguely suspicious or like a hideout. It's one hour until sunrise, and they're running out of time.
"Maybe we should ask for help…" Maria says when they regroup.
"We don't have time," Jess argues while Frankie frantically looks at the map on his tablet.
The engineers are starting to freak out.
Wolfwood crosses his arms. He was stupid to leave Vash by himself. Jeremy bidded his time and waited until Vash was tired and alone. He tries to think why the bastard would want Vash anyway…
He recalls a joke Vash said about Jeremy.
"He asked if I could produce any electricity or water like my sisters," Vash said while biting into a sandwich. "I said I'm not as cool as my sisters." Then, after swallowing, he said, "He has the curiosity of a scientist more than an engineer."
"Where would you stay if you were a scientist?" Wolfwood asks.
"A lab? Hospital?" Frankie slides his finger across the screen. "There are a few nearby, not empty though." He pinches his fingers to zoom out. "There's also one here, all the way at the other end of the city. The place shut down months ago after the doctor there moved away, and it has been boarded up since." His eyes light up. "He might be here."
"Bingo."
All of them head in the direction where Vash could be held. There's light peaking over the horizon when they find it. Standing around the corner, true to Frankie's word, it's boarded up with planks of wood.
"I don't think he's here," Jess whispers.
"Oh he's here," Wolfwood says. It's far away from the city center where rarely anyone would come here. Also, the looks of it are unassuming to the average person. Walking closer, his sensitive ears can hear a faint motor coming from the other side. "You guys stay here." He unwraps the Punisher and strides over to scout the perimeter.
"Whoa, hey, that's a gun?!" Frankie whispers loudly behind him.
Wolfwood stays close to the wall of the building as he reaches the back, hearing the noise of an engine grow louder. Poking his head around the corner, he finds a few men—Wolfwood counts five—loading boxes into a truck. Near the truck, he spots Jeremy, watching them load the truck.
Wolfwood pulls out a pistol tucked away under his jacket. Eyes glancing over to each man, he quickly fires two rounds, hitting the legs of two of them. Chaos ensues with everyone yelling, especially the two guys who fall to the group. All of them pull out their pistols and turn to face him while Jeremy hides behind one of them. Wolfwood snorts before he blocks dozens of shots with the Punisher. He fires a few more shots at the other two men, and they go tumbling to the ground with their injured legs. The guy in front of Jeremy manages to fire a shot close enough to leave a scratch on his arm. Wolfwood easily brushes it off.
The men on the ground still want to pick a fight, still firing their guns at him, so Wolfwood gives it to them. He shifts gears on the Punisher, kicks up the barrel, and fires lightning rounds. Of course he tries avoiding any lethal hits, hitting their arms and firing some warning shots at their feet. The last guy goes to the ground when his bullets reach his legs. Jeremy is the last man standing, looking like a coward.
Wolfwood sets the Punisher back on the ground. "Are we done?" Wolfwood asks.
With everyone having given up and nursing their wounds, Wolfwood marches up to Jeremy. He quickly grabs the collar of the guy's shirt as he spots him trying to reach a gun in his back pocket with a shaky hand.
"Where is he?" Wolfwood spits.
"Where is who?" Jeremy responds, looking scared as hell.
"Don't play stupid." Wolfwood scans the area, eyes landing on the open shipping container on the truck. He spots something red in the darkest.
"Lights out for you." Wolfwood smacks his pistol against the side of Jeremy's head and knocks him out. With Jeremy crumpling on the ground, he drops the Punisher and climbs on the back of the truck. There, he finds Vash's red coat and the guy himself next to it, passed out. He grits his teeth when he sees Vash's prosthetic on the floor too.
Wolfwood gathers Vash in his arms and lifts his upper body, brushing away the hair on the other's forehead. Vash's head lolls to the side. Before he can try waking Vash up, he finds the other's arm is bruised in different places, particularly in his inner elbow.
"What the hell…" Wolfwood looks at Vash's face. "Hey, Spikey, wake up." He gently pats Vash's cheek.
Vash's eyes flicker before groaning and rolling his head away from him. He doesn't wake up.
"Is he there?" He lifts his head to see Jess standing in front of the truck.
"Yeah, passed out. You kids shouldn't be here."
Jess scoffs, "We're not kids." She climbs on the truck to take a look at Vash. "Frankie called the sheriff. They should be here soon." Jess examines the bruise on Vash's arm before looking at the boxes around them. "What happened?"
"No clue." He recognizes the bruises on Vash's arms.
Wolfwood grabs Vash's prosthetic and coat and puts them on him, mindful of his bruised arm. Next to him, Jess crouches next to one of the boxes and opens it. "Syringes?"
Wolfwood bites his lip, now getting a better idea on what happened. He lifts Vash up and jumps down from the truck with Jess behind him. He finds Frankie looking around and Maria missing. Frankie is relieved to see them.
"Great that we made it on time. We found some interesting things inside."
Wolfwood raises a brow as he picks up the Punisher after settling Vash over his shoulder "Oh?"
"Well, a bunch of IV bags for starters. I saw some syringes in the garbage before Maria kicked me out."
Wolfwood grimaces before Maria appears out of the building looking troubled.
"Anything inside?" Jess asks her.
Maria bites her lip before responding, "I found vials of blood."
Wolfwood face hardens. "I'm going to destroy them." He gently puts Vash on the ground. "Watch him," he instructs the other two.
He follows Maria inside the building. Inside, he finds an operating table and a fridge Maria points at. Opening it, he finds the vials of blood. Not only that, he also finds transparent lidded dishes with a dash of fluid inside them. All the evidence of what Jeremy did makes Wolfwood sick.
He finds a bin and dumps everything that's in the fridge in it. Grabbing a bottle of alcohol in one of the cabinets, he hauls the bin outside. He fishes for a cigarette and his trusty lighter in his pocket.
"What're you doing?" Jess asks.
"Destroying all this crap." Wolfwood pours the alcohol into the bin and lights his cigarette. He throws it inside the bin and watches a small fire erupt inside. He lights another cigarette and takes a drag as he watches the fire before turning away to grab Vash.
"Well, it was fun, kids," Wolfwood says, ready to leave.
"Shouldn't we bring him to the hospital?" Jess asks, pointing at Vash.
Wolfwood makes a face. "I'd rather not have more things poking him."
Jess opens her mouth to protests, but Maria stops her. "He should be okay." She looks at Wolfwood. "Mr. Vash was likely given one of the sedatives I saw. He should wake up in an hour or so depending on the dose, but I don't know what side effects he'll have."
Wolfwood nods. So, nothing poisonous. "Thanks."
"Come find us if you need help!" Jess shouts while the three of them wave at him.
Wolfwood waves at them over his shoulder.
Vash wakes up to his body feeling stiff. He peels his eyes open, finding that he's not under a bright light.
"Where am I?" he slurs.
A head appears in his vision. Despite the blurriness, he can make out Wolfwood's silhouette. Is he dreaming?
Vash tries to say something, but he can't keep his eyes open or get his mouth wokring before falling unconscious again.
The next time he wakes up, Vash can finally stay awake longer than a minute. He tries to remember what happened before freezing. Vash sits up in a rush, noticing he's not strapped to a table. A wave of dizziness and nausea hit him.
"Hey, hey, you're okay."
Vash holds his aching head and lies back down before turning towards the voice. Wolfwood is sitting next to the bed. They're in the hotel room. "Wolfwood?"
"Hey."
"How…" Vash looks around the room. He gazes down at the loose clothing he's wearing.
Wolfwood furrows his brows. "Got you out of there. I had some help from the kids."
"The engineers?" Vash gapes.
Wolfwood nods. "Looked all night for ya."
Vash looks down at the bandages around his right arm. "Thanks…I gotta thank them."
Wolfwood waves off his thanks. "How're you feeling?"
Vash closes his eyes. "Like I've been drugged." He knows he has. The tenderness in his arm, the faint recollection of waking up under a bright light on a table, and the feeling of helplessness when he couldn't do anything but black out from the cold sedative in his veins tell him he has. "What happened? Did he take any of my…?"
"No," Wolfwood says firmly. "I destroyed whatever he had. I should've knocked his teeth out after what I saw."
"Thanks." Vash opens his eyes, avoiding Wolfwood's gaze. "I…he caught me by surprise. I was tired and let my guard down…" He sighs. "I was really looking forward to taking a nice shower."
Wolfwood snorts. "We'll give you a bath instead."
"Yes, please. That sounds really good." Vash attempts to sit up. He struggles from the lingering effects of the sedative. "I might need some help."
Wolfwood loops an arm around his waist and helps him stand. A wave of nausea tugs on his throat as Wolfwood helps him walk to the bathroom.
I think I'm going to be sick," Vash mumbles.
Wolfwood sets him on the ground next to the toilet. Vash sweats as he swallows back the nausea and waits for it to subside. He hears Wolfwood turn on the faucet on the tub, diverting his attention to listen to the water to distract him from his stomach rolling. A hand pushes back his sweaty bangs.
"Any better?" Wolfwood asks.
He's still queasy, but he can move now. "Yeah, I gotta take it slow."
Vash carefully undresses while Wolfwood hovers close by. Wolfwood holds his arm as he dips his foot into the tub. Vash exhales when his body fully submerges into the warm water, all the tension leaving his muscles as he leans his head back against the wall.
Vash speaks when he hears Wolfwood steps away. "I'm sorry."
Wolfwood waves over his shoulder. "Don't worry about it."
"No. I mean—I'm sorry for the trouble I caused, but I'm sorry about what I said to you."
Wolfwood looks at him and blinks, furrowing his brows.
Vash chews on his lip. "About telling you to leave."
"Oh." Recollection fills Wolfwood's features. "Don't worry about that either."
Vash frowns, not happy with the way Wolfwood is brushing off his apology.
Wolfwood sighs at his expression and sits down on the edge of the tub. "Alright, let it out."
"I'm sorry for what I said." Vash's gaze jumps from Wolfwood to the ripples in the water. "I appreciate you being here with me. I don't want you to feel obligated or…indebted to stay." He knows he's a pain in the ass and trouble still finds him like always. Wolfwood has a home that's across the desert, not here.
"Is that what this is about?"
Vash lifts his gaze.
"For the record, I signed up for this, so don't think I'm being forced to stick around." Wolfwood fiddles with the cuff of his sleeve before looking at him. "Plus, someone's gotta make sure you're not working yourself over, so stop pouting."
Vash pouts some more and gives Wolfwood a pleading look. "Wolfwood…" Knowing that Wolfwood wants to be with him makes him happy.
Wolfwood turns away when he sees that look. "I'm going to get some rest. Call me when you want to get out."
Vash huffs as Wolfwood leaves him alone in the bathroom. He soaks in the warm water until it cools to room temperature. Instead of calling for the other, Vash attempts to get out, but he's still shaky. He calls for Wolfwood who's next to him within seconds.
When Vash is fully dressed and resting in bed, he lies on his side and gazes at Wolfwood's back from the other side of the room. Wolfwood is napping after getting no sleep from searching all night for him. Vash climbs out of bed and tries to walk over with shaky limbs, cursing when he has to drop to his knees when blood drains away from his head. Despite not making a lot of noise, Wolfwood still wakes up and turns around, spotting him. Wolfwood sits up in alarm.
"Hey, what're you doing?" Wolfwood helps Vash up.
"Sorry," Vash says. "I wanted to, uhm, lie down next to you." His face is warm, feeling a little silly for disturbing Wolfwood over a silly want.
"You—" Wolfwood's shoulders drop. "Okay."
Wolfwood brings him over to his bed, and they both settle into it. Like earlier, Vash watches Wolfwood's back as the other (finally) falls asleep. He leans his head between Wolfwood's shoulders. It's comforting to know that Wolfwood is with him. It gets harder and harder to not say anything stupid like exposing his feelings that he refuses to give the time of day.
Stopping his runaway thoughts, Vash settles against Wolfwood and dozes off.