A/N: More fun for me and more torture for Knives. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, especially Ajd262!!!
Family
Vash was given the honors of naming the feline, and he spared no amount of thought to what he came up with. He made the announcement later that day, during dinner.
"His name will be LouisNicholasDonovanSamuelTheodosiusMichelangelo the second."
Both Erica and Knives stared at him, mouths open in surprise. Their utensils were positioned in midair, forgotten for the moment. Both were stunned that he could say such a long name in one breath.
"Vash, was sort of stupid name is that?" Knives asked, once more surprised by his brother's idiocy.
Vash's face turned into a pout, but Erica patted him on the back. "It's, um, definitely an interesting name." He perked up at her attempted compliment, jumping up to help with the dishes.
Pussy, as Erica fondly nicknamed the feline, quickly made himself a permanent resident of the ship. Since there were no rodents to busy himself with, the cat was free to live the life of a lounger. So during the first days of Pussy's transition to domestic life, he mostly roamed the ship. Unfortunately for Knives, that meant Pussy would show up everywhere. Including his computer chair.
Exploring the more personal areas of the ship got him into trouble with Knives, particularly when he found the beast sleeping on his bed. Of course, any time he attempted to shove the cat aside, Pussy would leave a long gash across Knives' hand. The feline seemed intent on making his life as difficult as possible. Which, luckily, kept the psycho plant from doing his work, thereby doing a favor to humanity. The paranoid plant began to suspect that Erica purposefully had made him a target for the feline.
More than once Knives wished he could just shoot the animal and be done with it, but Vash or Erica always came to the feline's defense. It seemed he was slowly losing control of his ship to the three visitors. Something needed to be done before they started redecorating everything.
Searching out his brother, Knives found Vash sitting idly at the kitchen table. The setting sun could be seen through the sky light in the ceiling, giving natural light. He settled down opposite him, consciously wondering if the furry beast were lying in wait for him.
Watching Knives settle himself across from him, Vash knew what his brother had come to talk to him about. He was as easy to read as a book. He was well aware how Knives loved having total control over everything, and the arrival and subsequent adoption of the cat had gone against his wishes. A sudden thought struck him, one that could maybe create enough of a distraction to avoid the confrontation.
Knives watched with amazement as Vash pulled out from under the table a large, weather beaten bag, looking almost as old as them. His eyes narrowed as he watched his brother spill the contents onto the table. A box of donuts and a large bottle of alcohol appeared, two human creations he passionately hated.
"Vash, what are you planning?" Knives asked suspiciously. He knew his brother wasn't a complete idiot, and believed Vash knew more than what he let on. Knives also suspected the incident in the cargo bay was his brother's doing, but couldn't prove anything. The records in the computer told him nothing. Possibly because the angels had erased all the proof of their conspiracy.
Vash quickly stuffed the donuts back into the bag, not willing to part with them, and held up the bottle instead. Knives then realized what he planned and began objecting at once.
"No, Vash. I will not drink any of that vile liquid. It's humiliating enough to see you intoxicated without joining in the imbecilic action."
"Come on, Knives. A few drinks won't hurt." His pleading eyes with their cuteness almost made Knives puke.
"Fine, Vash. I'll have a few. But later, we have to talk." He agreed only to make his brother stop looking so disgusting.
Vash nodded his head rapidly, only too glad to distract his unstable brother. Standing up and retrieving two glasses from the cupboard, he set them down on the kitchen table. They both looked up when Erica entered the room.
"Hey Vash, what are you doing?" she asked innocently, not noticing the glares coming from the sadistic plant. However, his stare wasn't aimed at Erica, but the cat she held in her arms. Knives scowled at the beast snuggled against the abomination, receiving a similar expression from the feline.
"Um, am I interrupting something?" she asked, noticing for the first time the bottle of alcohol and glasses on the table.
"No, wanna join us?" Vash asked enthusiastically, trying to catch his brother's eye away from the offending feline.
"Sure, I'll have some" she answered hesitantly, not sure if having a few drinks with mankind's destroyer and mankind's first natural disaster was the smartest thing to do. But she sat at the table, sitting between the two polar opposite brothers. Pussy slipped off her lap and left the room, as if leaving them to their fate.
Vash grabbed the bottle and poured a glass for each of them, having retrieved another for Erica. After everyone had received their mug, he raised his in a toast.
"Cheers" he yelled, and proceeded to drink his glass quickly, while the other two joined in rather reluctantly.
Several hours later, the two plant brothers were pasted beyond imagination, having drained the first bottle and dived into several others Vash had miraculously produced from his bag. But somehow they were both still sitting up, with refilled glasses before them.
"Come on, Erica, wanna try some more" Vash said, his speech being so slurred she was having trouble understanding him.
Erica looked at him doubtfully, realizing she had been wise to drink her refreshment slowly.
"I think not, Vash. You two need someone to watch over you. Especially Knives" she stated, watching him down an entire glass in less than ten seconds.
The aforementioned plant would have been insulted with the insinuation, had he been sober enough to notice it. Vash shrugged and went back to draining his own mug as quickly as he could.
Erica sighed, and watched with resignation as the two drank dallon after dallon of alcohol.
Late the next morning, Knives groggily awoke with the largest headache he could remember ever having. His last memory was of sitting at the table with what seemed like the thirtieth glass of beer in front of him. Now he was lying in his bed, with the sun shining through the open window. The bright light burned his eyes with its intensity, so he threw the covers over himself and mentally berated himself for his foolishness.
He heard the door creak open and carefully peaked his over the bed sheets, careful to avoid direct exposure from the sunlight. He saw Erica's head, peering shyly into the room.
Finding he was conscious, she walked cautiously into the room. "I heard some groaning, so I thought you might be awake. Sorry you're not in your own bed" she said, her arms sweeping about the quarters. "I, um, I didn't know where your bedroom was." She failed miserably to hide her blushing cheeks, knowing her words could be taken for something else.
At her words, Knives for the first time noticed that the bed room he was in really wasn't his. Turning his head he saw a twin bed situated next to his. He could see a lump under the covers, and assumed that Vash hadn't yet risen either.
"What happened?" he muttered, clutching his pounding head.
"You two passed out after the fifty-sixth game of strip poker" she said, still wondering from where Vash had produced the pack of cards. "I managed to drag both of you to Vash's room. You're both heavier then you look, you know that? Well, I better make you two some breakfast, and some strong coffee."
Erica walked toward the door, but suddenly stopped after she grabbed the knob. "Oh, and Knives" he looked up at her through clouded eyes. "You have no luck at cards."
Knives' eyes widened with shock, and Erica smiled wickedly as she shut the door behind her, leaving the plant with more information then he cared to remember. That is, if he could remember last night.
Walking down the hall toward the kitchen, Erica recalled all the fun she'd had last night. Vash throwing up in the corner, Knives passed out on the kitchen table with Pussy using his back as a scratching post, and she acting like the older sister by putting them to bed. For the first time in a long while, she felt like part of a family. It seemed like so long ago when her grandmother had died, leaving her all alone. It was a strange family she was now with, but that didn't bother her one bit.