A/N: This is just a little something I thought up. I thought it was a cute story for that night before the quick draw tournament. Slightly AU. Hope you like it. Revised recently to fix a few errors here and there, though I'm sure I missed some.
It was pitch black outside, which was to be expected since it was around one in the morning and everyone was asleep. Aside from the moons and the plant in the distance, there were no sources of light anywhere. Except for one window in a rundown hotel.
Meryl sighed at the sight before her. All three of them were a drunken mess at the small table. Especially Vash. He was leaning back in the chair, collar undone, with his head cocked all the way back at what she thought would've been a very uncomfortable angle. After the whole fiasco earlier she couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated. Milly had finally been convinced to put her clothes back on (with absolutely no help from the guys) and was now splayed out on the table face-first. She was snoring lightly in her sleep and, despite the annoyance she still felt at her drunken antics from earlier, she couldn't help but smile lightly. If only Vash could be like that instead of becoming an even more obnoxious, loud-mouthed, perverted, vomiting, aggravating-
"Need air," Vash mumbled. It was so quiet she almost didn't catch it.
"What?" she asked. Surely he didn't forget how to breathe.
"Is too stuvy in here..." Meryl face palmed. Maybe he didn't forget how to breathe but he did forget how to speak English, she thought.
"Why don't you just open a window then?" The response she received was an unintelligible grumble that she assumed meant he didn't want to.
"If the man needs some air, then let him get some air." Wolfwood glanced at her and then at Vash, clearly understanding his need for clean oxygen. It was pretty stuffy in there, not to mention that he was itching for a cigarette and was already pulling one out.
"Alright, alright. Fine. Go outside and get some fresh air. But don't you dare get into any trouble, you hear? You've done enough damage to last a lifetime already." Vash lifted his head up and pushed himself out the chair. As he stumbled to the door Meryl stopped him to give one final warning.
"Dun worry, I'll be juss fi-mmph!" He brought a hand to his mouth before rushing out the door. As his footsteps faded down the hall Meryl sighed heavily. Of all the things she could've been doing right now, why did watching Vash have to be one of them? She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, thinking of nothing but all the different ways the red-clad man could cause trouble. She wouldn't be surprised if he ended up passed out by some donut shop or something.
Eventually her mind went to less stressing matters. Like why Wolfwood was acting so strangely. He'd been awfully quiet after Milly passed out. Aside from his comment about Vash he hadn't said a word which, despite not really being unusual, was still unsettling. He was fairly talkative during their previous encounters so why was he suddenly dead quiet? She debated asking but decided not to after seeing how he was staring at the table with a look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. Was he... worried?
Wolfwood put out his cigarette and went for another, his second. As he took a drag he noticed the insurance girl staring at him. "Something the matter?" he asked around the cancer stick.
"O-oh! Um, nothing. It's nothing." She shook her head in embarrassment at being caught. Wolfwood merely chuckled in response. Meryl gave a nervous chuckle of her own and continued to wait for the Humanoid Typhoon to return. Any minute now he'd come in through that door and she'd give him a good talking-to about being such a drunken dumbass.
Any minute now.
Any minute.
Any... minute...
Thirty minutes later and Vash still hadn't returned. Meryl had flopped back on the bed and was starting to doze when she suddenly jolted upright, remembering why she had to stay awake. "What in the world is taking that moron so long? He should've been back by now."
"Maybe he's passed out in the gutter somewhere. You should probably go check on him," Wolfwood said casually.
"You're right. He's probably off puking on people's property or womanizing or something," she said, fist clenched in visible frustration. "I'll be back." With that, she left to go on her Vash hunt.
Wolfwood sighed. He was on his fourth cigarette and wasn't feeling any better. The dishwasher in this place would probably be pretty pissed too, seeing as how he was using one of the glasses as an ashtray. It was a third of the way full with ashes and cigarette butts and honestly, he wouldn't blame them for being angry. After all, it would have to be scrubbed out. Soap and clean water was a bit hard to come by and what was available had to be carefully managed or else it would be gone in an instant on a planet like this. People preferred to use what they did have for themselves rather than dishes.
"Heh. Maybe offering a free confessional will get me out of trouble." He smiled at the thought of the reaction he was likely to get.
"Don't worry. I know how to handle it," Milly mumbled.
Wolfwood started a bit when he was reminded of the source of his discomfort. She was still sound asleep on the table, but now she was starting to talk. He found it amusing how she'd just spout out random things like that. It was weird, but at the same time he thought it funny. Cute even. Still, this was the same girl who always seemed to cause him some kind of grief every time they met. Even so, somehow...
No. It wasn't right. It couldn't be right. Still, it couldn't hurt. All he was doing right now was sitting around wasting time and cigarettes. Putting out the one he was smoking he stood up and stretched before walking over to the sleeping insurance girl. Reaching out he nudged her shoulder slightly.
"I won't explode. I've got separate stomachs for cake and ice cream and I can handle my pudding. Vanilla and all..." Wolfwood's face turned to surprise for a moment at the oddball remark. She really was a special one.
"C'mon, Milly. Why don't you take that to bed?" he tried.
Lifting an arm up and pointing to the ceiling she said, "But Mr. Thomas says he wants more ice cream. It helps his stomach when he's eaten too much pudding." Wolfwood sweat dropped. How does Meryl handle this 24/7?
"Milly," he tried again. "Why don't you lie down in a bed instead of sleeping in a chair with your face on the table?" She cracked an eye open and yawned.
"Oh hey, Mr. Priest. Where's Mr. Vash and Meryl?" she asked, noticing their absence.
"They... went out for a bit," he said.
"Oh. Okay. I'm gonna go lie down." She stood up, walked over to the bed, and flopped down on it.
"Uh... When I said go to bed I meant yours. In your room..."
"Cover me up," she mumbled, already falling asleep. Wolfwood sighed and shook his head. However, he couldn't help but smile despite himself. Needle Noggin was gonna be upset about this arrangement.
He walked over and brought the covers up to her shoulders for her as she rolled onto her side. She looked so sweet and innocent. Should he really? It was dangerous, not to mention it could never work out in the long run. They were two totally different people and to make things more difficult, he was a priest. Would this really be right?
Aw, heck. What did he have to lose? Throwing all caution to the wind, he leant down and kissed her.
Milly shot her eyes open the instant she felt a warm pressure on her lips and found none other than Nicholas D. Wolfwood kissing her. He broke away just as suddenly as he made contact and stayed long enough to see the blush spread across her face-not from the alcohol, but from him. Before she had the chance to say anything he had already straightened up and was making his way to the door which swung open revealing an angered Meryl Stryfe and a very upset Humanoid Typhoon.
"Well, it's pretty late and we do have that tournament tomorrow so I'll be on my way. Later!" He waved before walking out. Just as he stepped out into the hall he glanced back at Milly and met her eyes for the briefest of moments. Then he looked away and shut the door.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause any trouble. Honest," Vash whined.
"I don't want to hear another word of it, you disgusting slob," Meryl scolded as she pulled him over to the table and sat him down in the chair Milly had been in. "Just be glad I don't shoot you for this. Hm?" While Vash was busy pouting she noticed Milly lying on her side staring wide-eyed at the door. "Is something wrong, Milly?"
"Huh? Oh nothing's wrong, Meryl. Nothing at all. Ha ha ha. Wow I'm so tired," she said nervously before rolling over and pulling the covers close. For added measure she gave a loud yawn.
"Hey, isn't that my bed?" The response Vash got was snoring. Sighing he turned around in the chair and rested his arms and chin on the table.
"I told you not to let her have so much. Really, this is all your fault." Meryl folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the table.
"I don't suppose I could sleep in your room?" he tried.
Smack!
"Don't even think about it. You would think that after the beating you got from the hotel manager's daughter you would've learned you lesson about talking to women like that."
"I'm sorry," he mumbled into the wood, feeling his head throb.
"I'll stay here with Milly. You go take our room, okay? You've got a big day tomorrow."
"Really? You mean it?" he asked, lifting his head up.
"Yes. Now get going before I change my mind."
"Okay!" Vash shot up and darted out the room to go lay on a comfy bed instead of a table. Meryl just sighed and sat down where he'd been. Looking at Milly's sleeping form she couldn't help but wonder what had caused her strange behavior. Maybe it was just the alcohol.
As the door shut behind him Wolfwood pumped his arms in the air as a sign of his accomplishment. Folding them behind his head he smiled as he walked down the hall to his own room. It had taken a lot of nerve, half his cigarettes, too much alcohol and some drunken antics for him to do that. It was worth it though.
He sighed. It didn't matter all that much, did it? They all drank a lot of liquor. Come tomorrow she probably wouldn't remember a thing. Alcohol didn't always agree with certain people, even those as sharp as Milly. His only salvation was that she didn't seem to realize her intelligence.
Milly wasn't actually asleep when Vash and Meryl were talking. She only pretended because she didn't want to be pestered about what happened with Wolfwood. She was a bad liar and Meryl was far too persistent. Not to mention Vash and his impeccable ability to see right through people. So she laid there and waited until she heard him leave. Even then she still remained silent. Even after Meryl turned out the light, mumbled goodnight and she heard the creaking of a chair as the weight of a body was placed in it, she still said nothing. She was too lost in her thoughts about Wolfwood. Why had he done that? Surely he didn't... couldn't...
Eventually, the haze of alcohol re-clouded her mind and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep, only remembering the feel of his lips for a short while.