- eight -
"You mean... right now?!"
She nodded, and he knew it to be true. They sped through the wedding like a sandstorm through town, hardly doing any of the traditional mumbo-jumbo, just going for a quick, legal ceremony. They kissed, and it wasn't anything particularly special, but the smile she gave him afterward made up for it all, and he felt good.
Later on, they had their share of fun, to be truthful, and fell asleep in each other's arms. All was right in the world.
Well, until morning. They woke up screaming bloody murder at the top of their lungs.
- nine -
It would have been really nice, Vash decided, if there had been a breeze blowing that morning. But no, of course not... No breeze.
And he didn't really like to exercise in front of everyone as well. But that's what happened, when you got stuck in a one-room shack in the middle of nowhere. That had two beds, thankfully, so he was grateful for something.
Self-consciously doing his push-ups in his poor cotton pants, he felt a pair of eyes on his back.
"Senpai, what are you looking at?"
Wolfwood chuckled.
Meryl coughed and said, "Just enjoying the view, Milly."
- ten -
"That's a fruity color you're wearing, mister."
Midvalley ruffled at the comment. That was really uncalled for, especially from this punk priest with an attitude, that had only been in the group for a few hours now. He had half a mind to blast that idiot's brains away with a good wail from Sylvia, but he had to be patient. He could put up with whatever the minister in black could throw.
"Yeah, what about it?"
Wolfwood shrugged. "I'm just saying, it's strange, that's all."
Midvalley grumbled. "Well, you'd wear it too, if you grew up with six older sisters."
- eleven -
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"...Are we there yet?"
"No."
"...Are we there yet?"
"No!" Meryl threw her book, hitting him on the forehead.
"Stupid, idiotic... Wolfwood! How much longer?!"
The priest mumbled a curse and said, "Just a few more minutes of torture."
After a while, they finally arrived. Oh, what a blessed event it was. Yet, Meryl reflected, it really wasn't for the best. When they got there, Vash had immediately jumped out of the car, giggling like a schoolgirl.
Milly goggled. "It's so big..."
Wolfwood nodded; Meryl muttered.
Vash merely tried to eat the World's Largest Donut.
- twelve -
She always gave in, he knew, and for his trouble, she tried desperately to give back a little bit of what he had given her. Each and every time, but it was never enough, she knew. He knew too.
She just couldn't win, could she? She couldn't have him, or his brother. She wanted his brother more, but she would settle for what was available. How pathetic.
When she was still under him, he would chuckle, soft and low, and trace a finger across her chest. Write out a word, a sacred word, known only to him, and his brother.
- thirteen -
She never questioned the name he called out in the dark of the night. She could pretend all she liked that it was really her name, that it was disguised, that she was hearing things, but she just didn't want to face the truth of things.
But she did the same thing too. She never said his name; it was always the other's name. His connection. His foil. The one he adored.
He'd be above her, so very warm, and they'd exchange names with no fuss involved.
Amazing, really, that they could both be swayed to take only second best.
- fourteen -
Vash fumbled at the cloth around his legs aimlessly, plucking and yanking at it nervously as Wolfwood looked on. Grinning, and smoking a damn cigarette.
"Why are you making me do this?" he whined. And it wasn't fair, it really wasn't! This... request came totally out of nowhere, and how he got talked into it, he wasn't sure... but it wasn't right!
Wolfwood merely smiled. "Just sit down."
Vash obligingly sat, blowing air up into his scant bangs and watching as Wolfwood knelt before him, the cigarette gone.
Before he lifted Vash's skirt, he said, "It's just fun like this."