manga/anime cross notes :
1) Between the usual Trigun manga and Trigun Maximum (i.e. right after the fifth moon incident), Vash's hair changes colours. It goes from the usual blonde to half blonde (in the front) and half black/brown (in the back). This is included because the reason for this change is really freaking nifty, imo, though it's also a giant manga spoiler. (the reason won't be mentioned in the fic, but if you're interested, either get the manga or give me an e-mail and I'll explain it to the best of my ability)
Tongari = Wolfwood's little nickname for Vash. In the anime subs, it's translated as "needle noggin" though I've heard it also as "broom head" or "brush head". It's basically a reference to Vash's hair ^_^;
---
The smoke drifted up around his head, heading towards the ceiling. Or Heaven, Wolfwood thought, if you felt like being poetic about it. He hoped he wasn't causing too many little angels coughing fits up there.
Wolfwood was brought back down to reality as a warm weight suddenly made itself known against his side. He grinned at the drunken blonde in red who was leaning against him for support, stubbing out his cigarette into an ash tray. He patted his drinking companion on the back lightly, earning a slurred murmur in response, before propping the girl more against the bar than himself and slipping away. Wolfwood knew he was starting to develop a weakness for blondes, though part of him suspected he'd always had it; it wasn't his usual style to buy a girl five drinks and not even think about taking her back to the hotel room. He could take her back anyways, he supposed, but he didn't like to share.
And anyone with any sense of beauty at all would have immediately forgotten all about their priestly host the moment they laid eyes on that man in red waiting for him.
Wolfwood stopped by a small store -- thanking God that they were open this time of night as he did so -- and picked up some donuts to appease the whines and complaints he was sure would be coming to him. He'd promised Vash that he'd bring back either a drink or a girl and since he had neither.... well, donuts would do. Vash would probably like those better anyways. Then again, maybe not better than the girl -- and dammit, he really was going to go broke on blondes!
Cursing a little to himself, Wolfwood entered the small hotel, heading to his shared room with the Humanoid Typhoon. At least, he thought, he wasn't paying for the rooms. The two men had gotten on their knees -- he was almost positive Vash kissed Meryl's feet at least once -- and begged for the girls to pay for the rooms. Milly had been a pretty easy sell; she had a good heart. Meryl, however, tended to be a tightwad and Wolfwood thought she'd probably rather dance naked on a table top than lend them that much cash again. Least she'd finally caved when Vash rolled over and begged. Literally.
"Yo Tongari!" he greeted brightly, giving the other man a grin and nod as he entered the room, closing the door with his foot behind him. Vash looked up from the complimentary newspaper he'd been reading and opened his mouth to protest about the lack of booze and bimbos before shutting it immediately, noticing the box of donuts.
"Hey Wolfwood! Those for me?" Vash got up and circled the priest, eyes lit up like a child's at Christmas. Wolfwood chuckled inwardly, watching the tall blonde fidget and drool.
"I forgot about the drink," Wolfwood explained as he handed the box over to Vash, who let out something of a squeal of glee and began to devour them, "And I'm afraid none of the girls where interested in a 'tall, dark and dangerous goofball'."
Vash frowned at him and made a muffled sound that Wolfwood was pretty sure would have been 'Cruel!' if not for the amount of baked goods current stuffed in Vash's cheeks. The dark haired man laughed and made his way over to the small table Vash had been sitting at a moment earlier, leaning back into one of the chairs with a sigh and a stretch. Vash followed him over, chewing down some more donuts -- really, the guy inhaled those like most people did air, Wolfwood thought -- and sat in the chair next to him. "Slow night then?"
"What do you mean?"
Vash waved absently at the window, the five moons hanging pale and silent in the sky. "I mean it's not even midnight yet! And you're not even drunk! .... are you coming down with something maybe?" Wolfwood sweatdropped as a gloved hand was placed against his forehead.
"I'm fine," he said, smacking Vash's hand away lightly, "There just wasn't much to do." Vash made a soft noise of understanding.
"So.... What should we do? I'm not even tired!" Vash sulked, arms crossed over his chest.
Wolfwood shrugged a bit. He of course had a few ideas on how to pass the time, but wasn't sure if his companion would appreciate them. "We could always head back out."
Vash shook his head mournfully. "No way. You remember what the insurance girls said."
"Ah, right...." He'd forgotten about that. Meryl had demanded that Vash stay in the hotel room _at all times_ after 8pm -- unless outside circumstances like him being blown out the window by a new group of bounty hunters resulted. Vash had tried to sneak out earlier, only to be confronted by a literally hissing dark haired girl, and he'd promptly scuttled back up the wall and into the room. Wolfwood thought the insurance girl was definitely over reacting at first.... until he remembered all of the trouble a genuine drunk-off-his-ass Vash(tm) brought. They'd almost been hung at the last town when the Stampede decided to glomp the Mayor's daughter.
"We could play a game."
Vash blinked over at his friend. "A game? Like a board game?"
Wolfwood grinned and shook his head as he reached into his suit jacket, pulling out a well-worn pack of cards. "Not quite."
"But I'm almost broke!" The gunman complained, looking at the cards with trepidation. Wolfwood couldn't blame him; the guy really did seem to have the worst luck of anyone on the planet. Which made him a bad traveling companion but a damn good fellow to gamble with.
"So am I!" That was Vash's fault. And that other blonde's, he supposed, but she wasn't here to pay up so his friend would have to do. Wolfwood wondered absently if there was a patch for blondes like there was for nicotine. Of course, Vash's hair wasn't quite perfectly sun coloured anymore....
"But...."
"Listen, do you want to play or stare at the moons all night until we pass out due to boredom?"
There was a pause. "I think I'll stare at the moons," Vash said as he got up. Wolfwood almost fell out of his chair.
"T-Tongari...."
"What? It was your suggestion! And besides, they're really pretty on clear nights like these," Vash said, settling down in a cross legged position under the window, the box of donuts in his lap. Wolfwood sighed a little before putting his cards away and moving across the room to sit on the floor next to the outlaw. He watched Vash out of the corner of his eye for a long moment, wondering at the sudden almost sad look in the other's eyes and followed his gaze to -- ah. The fifth moon stared back down at the two, it's otherwise almost spotless surface marred by a massive crater.
That entire incident was still strange. The entire city of Augusta engulfed in that unholy light.... a man who had the power to pull a hole in the moon iles and iles away..... It was even more bizarre that the man who'd done it, the 'monster' as some called him, was sitting right next to him with sorrow barely tangible -- but _there_ -- under his usual mask with a mostly empty box of donuts in his lap.
It really was strange.
And it was starting to hurt to watch Vash's expression. Well, there was a way to fix that....
"Hey, pass me a donut."
"What?!" Vash's gaze snapped away from the moons to Wolfwood. "No way! These are mine!" He clutched the box protectively to his chest, glaring.
Wolfwood frowned. "I'm the one that paid for them!"
"And then you gave them to me!"
"Ch', this is what I get for giving free food to an outlaw like you."
"What's me being an outlaw got to do with anything?!"
"Just give me a damn donut!" Wolfwood lunged for the other man who let out a yelp and scrambled out of the way -- almost. Wolfwood caught hold of Vash's right wrist -- the donut box was being held precariously in the left -- and lunged for him again. He connected this time, seeing as how it was difficult to dodge someone when they had a hold on you, and the two wrestled, a flurry of red and black tumbling across the hard wooden floor. Next door, two insurance girls blinked sleepily before exchanging a knowing glance and curling up against each other in their own tangle of limbs.
Wolfwood grinned in victory as he finally managed to pin the blonde gunman. It was no easy task; Nicholas might be a little stronger from carrying around the cross all the time, but Vash was quick and slippery enough to dodge bullets so getting and maintaining a decent hold on the man wasn't exactly a simple stroll through the sand dunes. Vash squirmed a little, trying to break free of the grip on his arms, but Wolfwood continued to sit on the small of the other's back, waiting for him to tire himself out. After another few minutes of cursing and struggling, Vash finally stilled.
"Alright, you can have a donut," Vash said grudgingly, pointing towards the box with his chin. It had gotten tossed during their scuffle and was now sitting a bit away from them, a little crinkled but none of the worse for wear, considering.
"Changed my mind," the priest said cheerfully. He wondered if the alcohol was starting to effect him.... no, it would have kicked in a long time ago. Besides, he hadn't had that much to drink. That wouldn't keep him from using it as an excuse if he needed to in the morning though.
"YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND?!" Vash yelled and Wolfwood grimaced a bit, hoping he wouldn't bring the girls running in.
"Will you be quiet?! And I decided I wanted something else."
Vash sweatdropped. "I don't have any money." A pause. "And you can't have my gun."
Wolfwood made a face and shifted enough to give Vash a light kick in the side with his heel. "It's not that!"
"But I don't have anything else!"
He couldn't be this dense, Wolfwood thought. Despite his incredibly bizarre and idiotic antics -- striking weird poses and laughing maniacally suddenly become almost an art form with him around -- Vash was quick. He was blindly, stupidly, naive sometimes about human nature, yes, but the man wasn't the moron he liked to pretend he was.
Wolfwood sighed a little to himself. If he was going to play the bumbling idiot role, then fine. He'd just have to be a little more obvious then.
Vash blinked as Wolfwood moved against his back again instead of saying anything or showing any sign of letting him go, glancing over a shoulder to look at the minister in black. "Wolfwood?" He shifted in an effort to free his arms, but Wolfwood silently kept his grip on Vash firm. Vash sighed a bit to himself and relaxed completely under his friend, waiting to hear whatever, likely bizarre, demand the priest would have.
He jumped then a bit at the feel of Wolfwood's warm breath fanning out over the back of his neck. "H-Hey, Wolfwood?"
Wolfwood planted a soft kiss just under the streak of dark hair on the back of Vash's neck. "That's the weirdest thing...."
"H-Huh?" Vash was wrenched his attention away from the shrieking, panicked little voice that was screaming 'He just kissed me!' and back to Wolfwood's words, hoping maybe it would be an explanation.
He just....
"How your hair changed colour like that.... I thought you dyed it at first."
What....? He.... what.... what the hell was going on in that guy's head?! Vash shook his head slowly, still watching Wolfwood the best he could without turning his head around a full 180 degrees. "No.... it happened after Augusta...."
"Do you know why?" Wolfwood pressed his face into the odd, dark strands. They almost didn't seem to fit the gentle man underneath him. Something so black and striking on something so pure.... It seemed almost a worse mark than the scars.... It really was weird.
"I.... don't have a clue," Vash said, swallowing nervously. "Um.... Nick.... can I ask what you think you're doing?"
"Don't call me that." Wolfwood's voice was harsh, surprising the gunman for a moment. Still, he didn't press. He knew, better than some, that everyone had their secrets and their weird habits and what they would and would not talk about for a reason.
"Will you at least tell me what you're doing then?" Vash squirmed a little in another effort to get free as Wolfwood's lips touched the back of his neck again.
The corner's of Wolfwood's mouth quirked upwards slightly. "Something I've wanted to do for a long time."
Vash gasped softly as the other man softly kissed his earring, the silver winking and flicking slightly in the lamp light. "Wolfwood...." This wasn't right, Vash decided suddenly. He needed to know _why_ -- why they had gone from talking and fighting like usual to Wolfwood having him pinned and kissing down the side of his jaw. And he needed to know _now_. "Wolfwood, knock it off," he said firmly.
There was a pause. Vash tried not to shiver at the feel Wolfwood's warm breath over his now slightly damp skin. "What if I don't?"
He did shiver then at the implication. ".... you wouldn't," Vash said lowly after another pause. He knew. Wolfwood wouldn't hurt him.
".... you're right," Wolfwood said with a long sigh. Vash blinked as his arms were finally released and Wolfwood moved off of him, heading back over to sit at the table. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and stretched out his right arm, working the blood back into his hand, and watched Wolfwood who was lighting up a cigarette in the edge of his vision.
He'd had lovers before, in his long life time, of both gender but.... He didn't really like it. No, that wasn't it, Vash decided. He adored the soft touches, the whispers and the feeling of warm arms surrounding him. It was.... It wasn't fair to them. Vash gave a little piece of himself to each of them, but none of them ever truly _had_ him. None of them ever knew the entire story and the entire person of Vash the Stampede. And none of them ever would. He couldn't bear to tell anyone.... about each hurt he'd suffered on this sad excuse of a planet, about how he hated and loved his twisted brother, about how much he missed Rem every single day, about himself. They'd all found out pieces, little bits of himself that he chose to give, just to them; but even if each of his past lovers had all gotten together and put their pieces together they'd only have half of the puzzle solved.
Wolfwood knew more than most. He knew about Knives, he knew more about Vash's personality than Vash himself seemed to sometimes -- he was oddly reminded of Rem at that -- and he knew about how possibly and incredibly destructive Vash could be. The only people on the planet who possibly knew Vash better than Wolfwood were Knives -- maybe Legato, Vash wasn't sure how much information Knives had given his 'pet' -- and of course Vash himself. Wolfwood seemed to accept most of it; he didn't agree with Vash's love and peace and 'stupid pacifist ideals', but he accepted it as a part of the whole.
Would it be worth it? Would it be worth losing another love to the sound of a gun or to the ticking clock of time? No matter how happy he was, no matter how tightly he clung to that joy and that person, he always lost them. Could he take it again? That feeling of utter loss, that feeling of forever losing another piece of himself.... Was it really worth it?
"You wanna stop staring at me?"
Yes, Vash decided firmly, it was.
"I have a right to stare! You've been acting weird all night," Vash declared, standing up and brushing off the front of his jacket.
Wolfwood shrugged a little, exhaling a puff of cigarette smoke into the air. "Maybe I had too much to drink."
"Now that's a stupid excuse," Vash said, making a face, "You're not even wobbly!" Wolfwood shrugged again and let out a squawk of protest as Vash strode over and snatched the cigarette out of Wolfwood's fingers and stubbed out into an ashtray on the table top.
"Hey Tongari! What's the big idea--" Wolfwood froze in shock as Vash's lips claimed his own. When Vash had told him to knock it off, to stop, earlier he'd thought.... Not to mention that expression that had formed on his features the moment Nicholas' lips had brushed over his skin.... That worried, almost afraid look.... He didn't like it. He didn't like that he had been the person to cause that half-fear to manifest in the depths of blue-green eyes.
Vash broke the kiss slowly and almost laughed at Wolfwood's surprised expression. Mustering up as much innocence as he could -- and trying not to resembling Milly in the process -- Vash questioned, "I'm sorry, wasn't that what you wanted?"
"Actually, I wanted a little more than _that_," Wolfwood said after a moment of staring, trying to figure out for a brief second if the skirt-chasing, donut-hogging idiot in red had suddenly been replaced by a pod person. After deciding Vash wasn't a pod person, a predatory grin spreading out slowly over the priest's features.
"..... ah?"
Vash only had time to blink before he found himself tackled back down to the floor. He didn't bother to fight back this time; this was something they both wanted anyways.
1) Between the usual Trigun manga and Trigun Maximum (i.e. right after the fifth moon incident), Vash's hair changes colours. It goes from the usual blonde to half blonde (in the front) and half black/brown (in the back). This is included because the reason for this change is really freaking nifty, imo, though it's also a giant manga spoiler. (the reason won't be mentioned in the fic, but if you're interested, either get the manga or give me an e-mail and I'll explain it to the best of my ability)
Tongari = Wolfwood's little nickname for Vash. In the anime subs, it's translated as "needle noggin" though I've heard it also as "broom head" or "brush head". It's basically a reference to Vash's hair ^_^;
---
The smoke drifted up around his head, heading towards the ceiling. Or Heaven, Wolfwood thought, if you felt like being poetic about it. He hoped he wasn't causing too many little angels coughing fits up there.
Wolfwood was brought back down to reality as a warm weight suddenly made itself known against his side. He grinned at the drunken blonde in red who was leaning against him for support, stubbing out his cigarette into an ash tray. He patted his drinking companion on the back lightly, earning a slurred murmur in response, before propping the girl more against the bar than himself and slipping away. Wolfwood knew he was starting to develop a weakness for blondes, though part of him suspected he'd always had it; it wasn't his usual style to buy a girl five drinks and not even think about taking her back to the hotel room. He could take her back anyways, he supposed, but he didn't like to share.
And anyone with any sense of beauty at all would have immediately forgotten all about their priestly host the moment they laid eyes on that man in red waiting for him.
Wolfwood stopped by a small store -- thanking God that they were open this time of night as he did so -- and picked up some donuts to appease the whines and complaints he was sure would be coming to him. He'd promised Vash that he'd bring back either a drink or a girl and since he had neither.... well, donuts would do. Vash would probably like those better anyways. Then again, maybe not better than the girl -- and dammit, he really was going to go broke on blondes!
Cursing a little to himself, Wolfwood entered the small hotel, heading to his shared room with the Humanoid Typhoon. At least, he thought, he wasn't paying for the rooms. The two men had gotten on their knees -- he was almost positive Vash kissed Meryl's feet at least once -- and begged for the girls to pay for the rooms. Milly had been a pretty easy sell; she had a good heart. Meryl, however, tended to be a tightwad and Wolfwood thought she'd probably rather dance naked on a table top than lend them that much cash again. Least she'd finally caved when Vash rolled over and begged. Literally.
"Yo Tongari!" he greeted brightly, giving the other man a grin and nod as he entered the room, closing the door with his foot behind him. Vash looked up from the complimentary newspaper he'd been reading and opened his mouth to protest about the lack of booze and bimbos before shutting it immediately, noticing the box of donuts.
"Hey Wolfwood! Those for me?" Vash got up and circled the priest, eyes lit up like a child's at Christmas. Wolfwood chuckled inwardly, watching the tall blonde fidget and drool.
"I forgot about the drink," Wolfwood explained as he handed the box over to Vash, who let out something of a squeal of glee and began to devour them, "And I'm afraid none of the girls where interested in a 'tall, dark and dangerous goofball'."
Vash frowned at him and made a muffled sound that Wolfwood was pretty sure would have been 'Cruel!' if not for the amount of baked goods current stuffed in Vash's cheeks. The dark haired man laughed and made his way over to the small table Vash had been sitting at a moment earlier, leaning back into one of the chairs with a sigh and a stretch. Vash followed him over, chewing down some more donuts -- really, the guy inhaled those like most people did air, Wolfwood thought -- and sat in the chair next to him. "Slow night then?"
"What do you mean?"
Vash waved absently at the window, the five moons hanging pale and silent in the sky. "I mean it's not even midnight yet! And you're not even drunk! .... are you coming down with something maybe?" Wolfwood sweatdropped as a gloved hand was placed against his forehead.
"I'm fine," he said, smacking Vash's hand away lightly, "There just wasn't much to do." Vash made a soft noise of understanding.
"So.... What should we do? I'm not even tired!" Vash sulked, arms crossed over his chest.
Wolfwood shrugged a bit. He of course had a few ideas on how to pass the time, but wasn't sure if his companion would appreciate them. "We could always head back out."
Vash shook his head mournfully. "No way. You remember what the insurance girls said."
"Ah, right...." He'd forgotten about that. Meryl had demanded that Vash stay in the hotel room _at all times_ after 8pm -- unless outside circumstances like him being blown out the window by a new group of bounty hunters resulted. Vash had tried to sneak out earlier, only to be confronted by a literally hissing dark haired girl, and he'd promptly scuttled back up the wall and into the room. Wolfwood thought the insurance girl was definitely over reacting at first.... until he remembered all of the trouble a genuine drunk-off-his-ass Vash(tm) brought. They'd almost been hung at the last town when the Stampede decided to glomp the Mayor's daughter.
"We could play a game."
Vash blinked over at his friend. "A game? Like a board game?"
Wolfwood grinned and shook his head as he reached into his suit jacket, pulling out a well-worn pack of cards. "Not quite."
"But I'm almost broke!" The gunman complained, looking at the cards with trepidation. Wolfwood couldn't blame him; the guy really did seem to have the worst luck of anyone on the planet. Which made him a bad traveling companion but a damn good fellow to gamble with.
"So am I!" That was Vash's fault. And that other blonde's, he supposed, but she wasn't here to pay up so his friend would have to do. Wolfwood wondered absently if there was a patch for blondes like there was for nicotine. Of course, Vash's hair wasn't quite perfectly sun coloured anymore....
"But...."
"Listen, do you want to play or stare at the moons all night until we pass out due to boredom?"
There was a pause. "I think I'll stare at the moons," Vash said as he got up. Wolfwood almost fell out of his chair.
"T-Tongari...."
"What? It was your suggestion! And besides, they're really pretty on clear nights like these," Vash said, settling down in a cross legged position under the window, the box of donuts in his lap. Wolfwood sighed a little before putting his cards away and moving across the room to sit on the floor next to the outlaw. He watched Vash out of the corner of his eye for a long moment, wondering at the sudden almost sad look in the other's eyes and followed his gaze to -- ah. The fifth moon stared back down at the two, it's otherwise almost spotless surface marred by a massive crater.
That entire incident was still strange. The entire city of Augusta engulfed in that unholy light.... a man who had the power to pull a hole in the moon iles and iles away..... It was even more bizarre that the man who'd done it, the 'monster' as some called him, was sitting right next to him with sorrow barely tangible -- but _there_ -- under his usual mask with a mostly empty box of donuts in his lap.
It really was strange.
And it was starting to hurt to watch Vash's expression. Well, there was a way to fix that....
"Hey, pass me a donut."
"What?!" Vash's gaze snapped away from the moons to Wolfwood. "No way! These are mine!" He clutched the box protectively to his chest, glaring.
Wolfwood frowned. "I'm the one that paid for them!"
"And then you gave them to me!"
"Ch', this is what I get for giving free food to an outlaw like you."
"What's me being an outlaw got to do with anything?!"
"Just give me a damn donut!" Wolfwood lunged for the other man who let out a yelp and scrambled out of the way -- almost. Wolfwood caught hold of Vash's right wrist -- the donut box was being held precariously in the left -- and lunged for him again. He connected this time, seeing as how it was difficult to dodge someone when they had a hold on you, and the two wrestled, a flurry of red and black tumbling across the hard wooden floor. Next door, two insurance girls blinked sleepily before exchanging a knowing glance and curling up against each other in their own tangle of limbs.
Wolfwood grinned in victory as he finally managed to pin the blonde gunman. It was no easy task; Nicholas might be a little stronger from carrying around the cross all the time, but Vash was quick and slippery enough to dodge bullets so getting and maintaining a decent hold on the man wasn't exactly a simple stroll through the sand dunes. Vash squirmed a little, trying to break free of the grip on his arms, but Wolfwood continued to sit on the small of the other's back, waiting for him to tire himself out. After another few minutes of cursing and struggling, Vash finally stilled.
"Alright, you can have a donut," Vash said grudgingly, pointing towards the box with his chin. It had gotten tossed during their scuffle and was now sitting a bit away from them, a little crinkled but none of the worse for wear, considering.
"Changed my mind," the priest said cheerfully. He wondered if the alcohol was starting to effect him.... no, it would have kicked in a long time ago. Besides, he hadn't had that much to drink. That wouldn't keep him from using it as an excuse if he needed to in the morning though.
"YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND?!" Vash yelled and Wolfwood grimaced a bit, hoping he wouldn't bring the girls running in.
"Will you be quiet?! And I decided I wanted something else."
Vash sweatdropped. "I don't have any money." A pause. "And you can't have my gun."
Wolfwood made a face and shifted enough to give Vash a light kick in the side with his heel. "It's not that!"
"But I don't have anything else!"
He couldn't be this dense, Wolfwood thought. Despite his incredibly bizarre and idiotic antics -- striking weird poses and laughing maniacally suddenly become almost an art form with him around -- Vash was quick. He was blindly, stupidly, naive sometimes about human nature, yes, but the man wasn't the moron he liked to pretend he was.
Wolfwood sighed a little to himself. If he was going to play the bumbling idiot role, then fine. He'd just have to be a little more obvious then.
Vash blinked as Wolfwood moved against his back again instead of saying anything or showing any sign of letting him go, glancing over a shoulder to look at the minister in black. "Wolfwood?" He shifted in an effort to free his arms, but Wolfwood silently kept his grip on Vash firm. Vash sighed a bit to himself and relaxed completely under his friend, waiting to hear whatever, likely bizarre, demand the priest would have.
He jumped then a bit at the feel of Wolfwood's warm breath fanning out over the back of his neck. "H-Hey, Wolfwood?"
Wolfwood planted a soft kiss just under the streak of dark hair on the back of Vash's neck. "That's the weirdest thing...."
"H-Huh?" Vash was wrenched his attention away from the shrieking, panicked little voice that was screaming 'He just kissed me!' and back to Wolfwood's words, hoping maybe it would be an explanation.
He just....
"How your hair changed colour like that.... I thought you dyed it at first."
What....? He.... what.... what the hell was going on in that guy's head?! Vash shook his head slowly, still watching Wolfwood the best he could without turning his head around a full 180 degrees. "No.... it happened after Augusta...."
"Do you know why?" Wolfwood pressed his face into the odd, dark strands. They almost didn't seem to fit the gentle man underneath him. Something so black and striking on something so pure.... It seemed almost a worse mark than the scars.... It really was weird.
"I.... don't have a clue," Vash said, swallowing nervously. "Um.... Nick.... can I ask what you think you're doing?"
"Don't call me that." Wolfwood's voice was harsh, surprising the gunman for a moment. Still, he didn't press. He knew, better than some, that everyone had their secrets and their weird habits and what they would and would not talk about for a reason.
"Will you at least tell me what you're doing then?" Vash squirmed a little in another effort to get free as Wolfwood's lips touched the back of his neck again.
The corner's of Wolfwood's mouth quirked upwards slightly. "Something I've wanted to do for a long time."
Vash gasped softly as the other man softly kissed his earring, the silver winking and flicking slightly in the lamp light. "Wolfwood...." This wasn't right, Vash decided suddenly. He needed to know _why_ -- why they had gone from talking and fighting like usual to Wolfwood having him pinned and kissing down the side of his jaw. And he needed to know _now_. "Wolfwood, knock it off," he said firmly.
There was a pause. Vash tried not to shiver at the feel Wolfwood's warm breath over his now slightly damp skin. "What if I don't?"
He did shiver then at the implication. ".... you wouldn't," Vash said lowly after another pause. He knew. Wolfwood wouldn't hurt him.
".... you're right," Wolfwood said with a long sigh. Vash blinked as his arms were finally released and Wolfwood moved off of him, heading back over to sit at the table. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and stretched out his right arm, working the blood back into his hand, and watched Wolfwood who was lighting up a cigarette in the edge of his vision.
He'd had lovers before, in his long life time, of both gender but.... He didn't really like it. No, that wasn't it, Vash decided. He adored the soft touches, the whispers and the feeling of warm arms surrounding him. It was.... It wasn't fair to them. Vash gave a little piece of himself to each of them, but none of them ever truly _had_ him. None of them ever knew the entire story and the entire person of Vash the Stampede. And none of them ever would. He couldn't bear to tell anyone.... about each hurt he'd suffered on this sad excuse of a planet, about how he hated and loved his twisted brother, about how much he missed Rem every single day, about himself. They'd all found out pieces, little bits of himself that he chose to give, just to them; but even if each of his past lovers had all gotten together and put their pieces together they'd only have half of the puzzle solved.
Wolfwood knew more than most. He knew about Knives, he knew more about Vash's personality than Vash himself seemed to sometimes -- he was oddly reminded of Rem at that -- and he knew about how possibly and incredibly destructive Vash could be. The only people on the planet who possibly knew Vash better than Wolfwood were Knives -- maybe Legato, Vash wasn't sure how much information Knives had given his 'pet' -- and of course Vash himself. Wolfwood seemed to accept most of it; he didn't agree with Vash's love and peace and 'stupid pacifist ideals', but he accepted it as a part of the whole.
Would it be worth it? Would it be worth losing another love to the sound of a gun or to the ticking clock of time? No matter how happy he was, no matter how tightly he clung to that joy and that person, he always lost them. Could he take it again? That feeling of utter loss, that feeling of forever losing another piece of himself.... Was it really worth it?
"You wanna stop staring at me?"
Yes, Vash decided firmly, it was.
"I have a right to stare! You've been acting weird all night," Vash declared, standing up and brushing off the front of his jacket.
Wolfwood shrugged a little, exhaling a puff of cigarette smoke into the air. "Maybe I had too much to drink."
"Now that's a stupid excuse," Vash said, making a face, "You're not even wobbly!" Wolfwood shrugged again and let out a squawk of protest as Vash strode over and snatched the cigarette out of Wolfwood's fingers and stubbed out into an ashtray on the table top.
"Hey Tongari! What's the big idea--" Wolfwood froze in shock as Vash's lips claimed his own. When Vash had told him to knock it off, to stop, earlier he'd thought.... Not to mention that expression that had formed on his features the moment Nicholas' lips had brushed over his skin.... That worried, almost afraid look.... He didn't like it. He didn't like that he had been the person to cause that half-fear to manifest in the depths of blue-green eyes.
Vash broke the kiss slowly and almost laughed at Wolfwood's surprised expression. Mustering up as much innocence as he could -- and trying not to resembling Milly in the process -- Vash questioned, "I'm sorry, wasn't that what you wanted?"
"Actually, I wanted a little more than _that_," Wolfwood said after a moment of staring, trying to figure out for a brief second if the skirt-chasing, donut-hogging idiot in red had suddenly been replaced by a pod person. After deciding Vash wasn't a pod person, a predatory grin spreading out slowly over the priest's features.
"..... ah?"
Vash only had time to blink before he found himself tackled back down to the floor. He didn't bother to fight back this time; this was something they both wanted anyways.
