Wolfwood wakes up when the sunlight coming through the window hits his eyes. He groans from his sleep being disturbed and turns to lie on his other side, throwing his arm around the body beside him. It earns him a whine in response as he tries pulling the body closer.
The pain in Vash's panting next to him alerts him awake to see the other's face is damp with sweat, a common sight the past couple of weeks. The past week has been the worst though, with finding Vash sick over the toilet. Wolfwood thinks Vash ate spoiled food that made him vomit, or at least that's what he thinks is the problem here. Glancing at the other's black hair, he chalks up Vash's strange ailment as being tired.
Wolfwood reaches over to push back the bangs sticking to Vash's forehead. "Feeling awful?" he asks.
Vash mumbles something as his face twists from the discomfort he's in. He lets out another whine when Wolfwood gets up from bed to grab a cloth from the bathroom and dampen it with cold water, leaving the cloth on Vash's forehead before climbing back into bed. They both stay in bed until late in the morning when Vash is feeling better.
It's not until days later that Wolfwood's suspicion rises.
It's a calm morning when they head to the nearest diner for food. They're staying on the outskirts in one of the big cities, after Vash agreed to meet with some Plant engineers to offer some advice. The street is busy with people going about their day and pays no mind to them.
When they enter the diner, Vash noticeably cringes. Wolfwood looks over at him, "You good, spikey?"
Vash nods, but his face says otherwise with the way it looks like he's going to be sick as they find a table in the far corner. Wolfwood keeps a watchful eye out, seeing the other have the same expression the entire time. Vash orders something light—a salad.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Wolfwood asks again once they have ordered.
Vash plasters a smile on his face. "Yeah, I just don't feel like eating a lot right now."
Wolfwood doesn't believe it for one second, but he decides to keep his comments to himself for now as he watches Vash eat. Vash tries to reassure him that he's fine when he notices he's been scrutinized. His concern over the other doesn't ease until they leave the diner when Vash doesn't look sick anymore.
They're browsing the town market when someone spots them, spots Vash despite his black hair and starts shooting despite the crowd of people. Wolfwood groans as he blocks the bullet with his massive gun and pushes Vash to start running through the commotion. Sometimes folks recognize Vash, both fans and hunters alike, but with his bounty being shelved by the Earth's Feds, no one tries to fuck with them, except for a small few. Those few try to cash in on the bounties placed on Vash by anarchic troublemakers.
They're running away when Wolfwood slows, seeing Vash lagging behind him until he stops to rest by the wall, panting and looking pale.
"Look alive spikey, we gotta get moving!"
He looks behind when they hear cackling, seeing the gunmen gaining on them. Wolfwood grabs Vash's arm and pulls him, but loses his grip when Vash yanks it back, making him curse and stand between the men and Vash, using the Punisher as a shield. He glares at the men behind his gun while they sneer, pointing their guns.
That's when Vash vomits in the middle of a standoff.
No one moves as they listen to Vash retching by the wall. Wolfwood is more concerned than ever now. This can't be food poisoning again.
One of the men laughs. "Had too much to drink?"
Wolfwood tsks. With Vash likely out of commission to do any sort of running, he quickly unwraps the Punisher. His big gun should do the trick of gaining attention and intimidation. It hasn't seen much action these days, but he'll use it if he needs to. He successfully gets the men's attention and starts shooting an inch away from their feet without warning. They yelp and return some fire as they run away, which Wolfwood doesn't need to dodge given the awful aim. He keeps shooting until he can barely see them in the distance.
Wolfwood turns to Vash and sees the other panting and looking pale. He grabs Vash's arm like he did moments ago. "Let's head back."
Vash doesn't fight him on it. Instead, he's silent while they walk back to their hotel room. He does grumble when Wolfwood drags him to bed, but he's knocked out the next hour. Wolfwood loiters in their room while he sleeps, grabbing a chair and turning on the vintage TV to watch a show on mute until evening when his stomach rumbles. Vash is still sleeping so he grabs food from the corner store nearby. When he comes back, Vash stirs and blinks at him.
"Up for food?" Wolfwood asks, showing off the wrapped sandwiches he bought.
Vash scrunches his nose. "Maybe later."
Wolfwood stares at him. "Are you okay?"
Vash tenses at the question. "I'm fine, really, I'm—" He rubs his neck as he glances away. "Maybe I'm running out of steam."
Wolfwood glances at Vash's black hair. He knows what he means. "After you're done with your little trip we're getting that checked out."
Vash's shoulders droop at the finality of his tone.
Wolfwood leaves Vash's sandwich on the nightstand and goes back to watching TV while devouring his sandwich. Eventually, Vash eats his sandwich, which puts Wolfwood's mind at ease for a bit. Vash passes out again and Wolfwood hits the hay not long after when the twin suns set.
In the morning, Wolfwood wakes up to a cold, empty bed. He sits up in a flash, scanning the room before finding a note next to him on the table. Grabbing the paper, he reads Vash's writing.
Hi Wolfwood! I woke up early and saw you were sound asleep, so I thought I'd go ahead and meet up with the engineers! I should be back by this afternoon, which should be in a few hours when you read this!
There's a small heart at the bottom of the note with a sentence next to it that reads: PS, you're cute when you sleep.
Wolfwood reads the note one more time while running his hand through his hair. Looks like he's got time to kill.
While freshening himself up before grabbing a bite to eat, he finds Vash's bag still in the room which confirms the other is going to be back soon. He has a quiet morning without Vash prattling nearby despite the town being busy with locals walking around. He grabs breakfast at a small bakery, the same one where got his sandwich yesterday that he enjoyed. While eating his food, he kills time by strolling through the market for anything interesting. Some of the stalls he stops at have the salesperson trying to sell him something, claiming it's a great gift for someone special. Wolfwood almost falls for the bait. He continues strolling, passing by a group excitedly chatting about something they read in the newspaper.
Finding nothing interesting at the market, Wolfwood decides to kill time at a bar and get a refresher. The bar isn't crowded when he walks in. There are a couple of tables filled, and some folks fill the bar who had the same idea as him. Wolfwood picks a spot at the end of the bar and flags the bartender to order a glass of bourbon.
There's rowdy chatter behind him as he takes a sip of his drink, the nutty flavour hitting his tongue. He ignores it to focus on savouring his drink in solitude. It becomes harder to ignore when the group behind him piques his curiosity as they utter exclamations: There's no way! I never saw this coming. This must be fake!
He takes a glance behind him to see what's going on. He finds a woman holding a newspaper as she chats wildly with her two friends who harbour expressions of disbelief. "That must be the reason why he was seen sick!" she says to her friends.
Wolfwood turns back to his drink. Nothing but gossip.
He doesn't keep himself informed on what's in the news, the little details on what's happening on the planet. Most of it is junk with reporters trying to get eyes on their latest scoops—no shade to the reporter girls. He gets updates from Vash anyway. The other telling him about the planet becoming less like a wasteland is the only thing he cares about, not some petty gossip about a celebrity he doesn't care about.
Sometimes he forgets that Vash is some sort of celebrity in his own right. Mid-sip, Wolfwood can't believe what he hears next.
"I don't know, the Humanoid Typhoon being pregnant is kinda hard to believe."
Wolfwood chokes on his drink. He misses the look he gets from the bartender as he agrees with the friend that yeah, that's hard to believe.
Although, it's not hard to believe when he witnessed Vash being sick for unexplained reasons. He tries to remember if he noticed any changes to Vash's abdomen, which he realizes he hasn't seen the other's midriff in a while, whether from Vash sneakily hiding or from his own ignorance. Vash had worn a t-shirt the last couple of times they had sex, which Wolfwood didn't pay attention to because he wasn't focused on that.
All of a sudden, Vash's recent ailment makes sense. And Vash didn't tell him shit. He has to learn about this over bartalk. Wolfwood rubs his face and groans. He needs to find Vash to confirm this piece of news, who should be coming back soon.
Wolfwood downs his drink and gets up. Before leaving the bar, he takes a peek at one of the leftover newspapers sitting on the counter to see that, yep, the front page says: Is the Humanoid Typhoon pregnant?
When he enters the hotel, there's no sign of Vash, making him sigh. Leaning the Punisher on the wall, he jumps when something rings, coming from one of his pockets. He fishes it out, holding a radio. It's a gift from Meryl. She scolded the two men to carry something that she can contact them with. Meryl is the only one who'd be calling him.
Because he's still mystified by the news he heard, he answers with a, "Hi, you've reached Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Please leave a message."
"Really? Now of all time?" Meryl huffs on the other side. "I heard that Vash is hiding a little secret, and you guys didn't think to tell us?"
"News travels fast, huh?"
"Wolfwood, I'm serious!"
Wolfwood sobers up. "How credible are the sources?"
"Credible? I'm asking you! Unless—" Meryl pauses. "Oh my god, don't tell me he didn't tell you." He hears Milly gasp in the background.
Wolfwood's frustration grows at being left in the dark. He's going to give Vash an earful. "Guilty."
Meryl groans. "Are you with him? I need to yell at him."
"You and me, both. And no. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"
Meryl shuffles papers in the background. "There was a report today that said where he was spotted. If you're still in the city that you mentioned to me the other day, he's not far." She finds the report and tells him where Vash was spotted. "After the news dropped, he was jumped by reporters before disappearing."
Wolfwood chews on his lip. "He's stuck."
"Yeah," Meryl agrees, knowing what he's thinking. "Just a warning, everyone has caught wind of this and is swarming the area. And someone doubled his bounty." Wolfwood snorts at that. "So, don't cause a huge commotion, alright?"
"I'm going to be a rich man."
Meryl groans while Milly shouts on the line, "Tell Mr. Vash we're happy for him!"
"Good luck," Meryl says.
Wolfwood sighs. "Thanks." He ends the call.
Deciding to leave the Punisher behind and hoping he doesn't run into trouble, he heads out to find his motorcycle parked near the hotel. He revs up the engine and drives to the city's core where Vash was stopped. When he parks and steps off his bike, he scans the busy area, seeing folks walking up and down the avenue. He spots a couple of people with cameras. They must be looking for Vash too, wanting to get more information from the man himself. They look like a pack of vultures as they search for him.
Wolfwood walks down the street, passing by someone asking another if they have seen Vash the Stampede. Knowing Vash like he does, the other will make it hard for people to find him. Luckily, he personally knows him. If he were Vash, where would he hide? Wolfwood scans the rooftops. The buildings are higher than the one where the hotel is, making them good hiding spots. Vash should be hiding on the roof on one of them. Walking further down the street, he spots something on top of one of the buildings: a familiar mop of black hair and a flash of red. Vash is already looking directly at him as he peeks over the rooftop ledge. The other gives a small wave.
Wolfwood scurries into an alleyway to find a fire escape leading up to the roof. He scales the stairs. When he reaches the top, he's greeted with Vash in all of his glory. Vash hugs him when he kneels to his level.
"My hero!" Vash cries.
Wolfwood snorts, patting vash's head. "If you didn't leave me back at the hotel, you wouldn't be stuck here."
Vash leans back to give him a teary-eyed look. "I thought I could wrap up before noon and have the day to ourselves. Why must I be so popular?"
"Alright Mr. Popular, we need you to look less like Vash the Stampede. Everyone is looking for you and I can't hold back dozens of paparazzi. Well, I could, but someone is gonna get hurt."
Vash sighs. "Do your worst."
Wolfwood looks him over before taking off his suit jacket. "Take off the coat."
Vash pouts but listens, unbuttoning his red coat and passing it over to Wolfwood, discreetly hiding his midriff as he takes Wolfwood's jacket and buttons it up. Wolfwood bundles up Vash's coat and tucks it under his arm.
Wolfwood takes off his own sunglasses and hands them to Vash. "Hand over your shades."
They switch sunglasses. Wolfwood tucks Vash's in his shirt collar while Vash wears the black sunglasses.
"Anything else?" Vash asks, looking like a kicked puppy without his usual get-up.
Wolfwood takes a couple of seconds admiring Vash wearing his own attire. Vash raises a brow at him before Wolfwood reaches over to mess up the other's gelled-up hair, for good measure. The other gives him an unimpressed look as his hair-do falls apart, leaving his fringe in front of his eyes.
Wolfwood grins at him. "Looking good."
Vash huffs. "Are you done?"
"Yep, let's get out of here."
Vash follows him as they climb down the fire escape and head to where he parked his bike. They ignore a flock of reporters passing by them, unaware of Vash's disguise.
"Who would've thought looking like a nobody in a suit would work," Vash says while glancing at the reporters behind them.
"Ha ha," Wolfwood replies dryly to Vash's jab. "Yeah, because they're looking for your flashy red ass." He points to the offending coat he's carrying under his arm.
"Not my fault red looks good on me."
"Black looks good on you."
"You're biased."
"Am not—"
"Excuse me!"
Both men freeze. They turn to see a reporter run up to them. Wolfwood slides Vash's coat to hide it behind his back.
The reporter gasps as she catches her breath. "Have you gentlemen seen Vash the Stampede anywhere?"
Vash opens his mouth. "Uh—"
Wolfwood cuts him off. "I heard someone down the street say they spotted him."
"Really?!" The reporter. "Where?"
Wolfwood makes up a lie on the spot. "He was spotted on the roof." He points to the building they were on just minutes ago.
The reporter squints to where he's pointing before her eyes widen. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that!"
She glances at Vash. The other stands straight and gives her a nervous smile that looks more like a grimace.
"Well, I'll be off, thank you!" She leaves before they get a chance to say anything else.
"Good luck!" Wolfwood shouts after her. He turns to Vash. "Let's get the hell out of here before you give yourself away."
They soon find his motorcycle. Vash sits behind him, hugging him from behind, and they head back to their hotel across the city.
When they arrive at their room, Vash asks a question. "By the way, how did you know where I was?"
"Meryl called."
"Did she? I gotta thank her." Vash sits on the bed and takes off Wolfwood's shades, throwing them on the nightstand, and stretches his arms. "Glad that's over with. I gotta lay low for a couple of days…" Vash's sentence trails off when Wolfwood stands in front of him, arms crossed.
"So, is this when you're gonna tell me that you're pregnant?" Wolfwood asks.
Vash stills, long enough for Wolfwood to know that the claim is true, and too late for Vash to make an excuse. The other deflates and looks away. "So, you heard?"
"I had to hear it over bartalk."
Vash looks even more guilty. "I was going to…but I kept chickening out," he says while looking down and twiddling his thumbs.
"Is that why you've been sick?"
Vash nods slowly.
"Vash," Wolfwood presses.
Vash hugs himself. "Sorry, I didn't know it was possible. I should've told you sooner, but there wasn't a good time. And then I got sick, and now—"
Wolfwood's eyes widen when tears collect in Vash's eyes.
"I didn't know what to do." Vash wipes the tears away in a rush, but they don't stop flowing. "You didn't sign up for this. Neither did I, but…I know it's a lot of responsibility and change, and I don't know anything about being a parent, let alone being a good one, but I was happy." Vash ends his rant in a whisper. He looks up at Wolfwood with something akin to fear. "I was happy that I could have this. With you."
Wolfwood sucks in a breath at Vash's words. "Hey," he rasps, kneeling in front of Vash. He holds the other's hands, rubbing the knuckles of his flesh hand. "I'd be happy to have a baby with you."
More tears fill Vash's eyes as his bottom lip wobbles. He grips Wolfwood's hands. "Really?"
Wolfwood smiles and nods. "C'here."
He wraps his arms around Vash and sits next to him on the bed. Vash clings to him and cries into his shoulder. Wolfwood holds him, petting his hair and rubbing his back. He drops a kiss on top of the other's head while Vash shakes.
"What're you crying so much for?" Wolfwood says. He holds Vash's face and drags him away from his wet shoulder. Vash's face is red and wet from crying and there's a bit of snot leaking from his nose. Wolfwood wipes the snot away with his sleeve. Seeing Vash's face has him growing misty-eyed.
"Sorry," Vash hiccups. "They're happy tears."
"Crybaby." Wolfwood pulls Vash into a sweet kiss, tasting the saltiness of his tears. It starts off chaste until Vash whines into the kiss that pushes Wolfwood to part the other's lips with his tongue. He drags his fingers into Vash's hair as he dives his tongue into his mouth. Vash pants against him as meets his tongue with his own before pulling away.
"Love me," Vash demands with eyes blown wide.
Wolfwood pecks him and takes him up on his demand. "Of course, angel."
He undresses Vash, removing his own jacket from the other and the underarmour, dropping a kiss on Vash's bare shoulder. Vash falls back onto the mattress as he continues kissing bare skin, dragging his lips up his neck to the back of his ear and nuzzling the sensitive skin there with his nose. He moves back down to press his lips against Vash's clavicle while he fiddles with the other's pants to get them off. Vash clutches his shirt as he lifts his hips to help remove the rest of his clothing. With the fabric off, Wolfwood rubs Vash's thighs, feeling the ridges of his scars that decorate them.
Wolfwood continues to press kisses down Vash's body until he reaches his belly. He stops to rest his cheek against the small bump there. Vash cards his fingers through his hair, making a sniveling sound above him.
"I wonder what they're gonna look like," Wolfwood whispers, looking up at Vash who still has a weepy look on his face.
Vash drags a thumb over Wolfwood's eye. "Me too."
Wolfwood drops a kiss to his stomach before moving down to where Vash is dripping for attention that never fails to make him cock twitch for attention too. He ignores the cunt beckoning him for a taste to turn his gaze to the thighs next to him, giving them some attention by leaving love bites on the unmarred skin. Vash wiggles in his grasp and whines when he makes a hard bite. Wolfwood soothes the skin with a lick as an apology.
"Wolfwood," Vash rasps above him, carding his fingers into Wolfwood's hair. "Don't tease."
Wolfwood huffs into his skin before obliging by sliding two fingers into Vash's warm cunt. As predicted, Vash lets out a happy sigh and stops fussing, making him chuckle as he plants kisses over his cunt. Wolfwood curls his fingers, causing Vash to shiver and squeeze. He trails his lips back up Vash's front as he fucks him. Vash's own fingers dig into his shoulder while thrusting his hips to the movement.
"I said don't tease," Vash mumbles.
Wolfwood pulls away to look down at him, seeing Vash's eyes shining with unshed tears, looking at him with too much trust than he bargained for but has grown to accept. The cute look has him unable to resist leaning in to peck Vash's cheek. "Okay." He removes his fingers from Vash's cunt, making the other start fussing again by wrapping his limbs around him when he pulls away. Wolfwood pecks Vash on the lips. "I got you, just sit tight for me, okay? Be good for me."
Vash sniffles in response and lets go as he leans away to remove his clothes. Wolfwood sighs in relief when his cock springs free, ignoring the tightness in his pants since he got to taste Vash's bare skin and see his pretty cunt. He shuffles back to Vash who reaches for him to wrap his arms around his shoulders. "Ok angel, I'm ready," he says with a kiss at Vash's temple.
Vash lifts his hips as Wolfwood lines up with his entrance. While pushing the tip inside, Wolfwood buries his face into Vash's neck, busying himself with leaving marks on his skin to distract himself from the tightness of Vash's cunt around his length. Vash whines next to him as he presses further inside until he bottoms out. Wolfwood squeezes Vash's waist to make him stop fidgeting, already excited and raring to go, and gets a protest in the form of a whine.
"Easy," Wolfwood coaxes before leaning back. He grinds his cock into Vash before starting at a slow pace. Vash lets out a satisfied purr, getting what he wants. Wolfwood watches him hold a half-lidded expression while being fucked. He shivers when Vash rakes his nails over his skin before dragging them up his neck to cup his face.
"C'mon, fuck me like you're putting a baby inside me," Vash eggs him on with a cheeky smile.
Heat runs through Wolfwood's nerves as Vash's words itch something inside his brain, making his cock twitch. Vash's smile turns into a grin from his reaction, leaving him to huff with embarrassment. He gives him a hard thrust in retaliation and earns himself a groan.
Wolfwood leans in to rest his forehead on Vash's and presses a palm on his abdomen, over the small bump, going along with this little game. "I'll give you a baby."
It makes Vash's cunt pulse as the man whines at his words. Wolfwood picks up the pace and thrusts harder, making Vash's moan below him. He kisses Vash's panting mouth. "So good for me," he whispers into his mouth. He grinds his cock hard into Vash. "Gonna knock you up."
Vash nods, writhing underneath as he meets his thrusts. "Please!"
A few more thrusts and the scrape of Vash's fingers on his back pushes him over the edge and fills Vash with his come. Vash follows him soon after with a cry, spilling slick between their bodies. Wolfwood nuzzles the side of Vash's face as he trembles through his high. Once Vash settles down, Wolfwood leans back to watch him sport a bliss expression with eyes closed. He hears a low rumbling sound that makes him smile.
"Already falling asleep on me?" Wolfwood chuckles, petting away Vash's sweaty hair that's sticking to his forehead.
Vash hums. "Stay with me."
Wolfwood pulls out of Vash's cunt, making the other wiggle his hips when fluids drip down on the bed. When he moves away to clean the mess, Vash tugs his arm to get him to lie down next to him. He goes along willingly. He can clean the mess later.
Shuffling closer, Wolfwood rests his hand on Vash's small baby bump, gently tapping the tip of his fingers on it. Vash purrs louder next to him.
"We have to do something about your popularity problem," Wolfwood says.
"You're ruining the mood."
Wolfwood presses his face into Vash's hair. "What I meant to say is, we need a place to stay soon."
Vash is quiet for a moment before responding. "Yeah."
Wolfwood rubs Vash's stomach when a thought pops into his head. "Can stay at the orphanage for a while." He feels Vash inhale at the suggestion.
"Are you sure?"
"'course."
Vash turns to him, burying his face into his neck. "Okay, that sounds good," he whispers.
Wolfwood senses Vash is getting emotional again and rubs his back. "Crybaby."
Vash huffs into his skin before relaxing. His purrs pick up again and fill the silence.
In a week's time, and a few close calls with running into reporters, they make their way to their destination.