It's been hours since his first contraction.
They started yesterday afternoon, to be exact. Vash was napping on the couch, head resting on Wolfwood's shoulder, when his body seized up from the pain. Ten minutes later, his water broke. Wolfwood quickly cleaned him and got him ready to go to the ship where Luida and a medical team are expecting them. He made a quick call to Luida, saying it's happening, and they both hopped in Meryl's truck to make the long trek with the girls to the ship.
The contractions came and went throughout the ride and increased in intensity. Vash focused on the breathing exercises Milly taught him to help fight the pain and anxiety. He can handle it. He went through far worse shit in his life, the scars mapping his body as proof.
Vash knows childbirth was the most excruciating experience one could go through. He also knows he's not going to have a typical human childbirth experience, if the occasional feathers sprouting from his skin due to haywire hormones is anything to go by.
Before arriving at the ship, Vash heard his sisters' voices, loud and anxious, as they sense everything that's happening and wait for a new Plant to enter the world. The noises fed into his stress, which he attempted to bury away as he was escorted inside the ship. Wolfwood flanked his side as they followed Luida and the doctors to a room prepped for him.
It has been hours since then, hours of mild contractions. Vash rides them well enough for someone who has a high pain tolerance, doing some deep breathing until the next one comes. The medicine given to him through the IV attached to his hand does nothing against the pain. Wolfwood, who's been beside him the entire time in a plastic chair, wipes the sweat off his forehead and feeds him juice and ice chips to keep his energy up, while the doctor and nurses check him every half hour. The doctor says it'll be a while before his baby is born. She said before dawn, give or take.
Vash slips in and out of sleep through the contractions as he waits. He tells himself it'll be over in a couple of hours.
Before sunrise, things start to get messy.
Feathers sprout all over his body just as his contractions increase in their frequency. He lets out a gasp when a nasty one leaves him dizzy. His sisters whine in his head, much louder than when he arrived yesterday when he could ignore them. What was once a low hum in the back of his mind has turned into a loud chorus.
While staring at the ceiling and catching his breath, Wolfwood's face blocks his view.
"Are you still with me, angel?" Wolfwood asks with barely disguised worry. His voice sounds distant.
Vash's gaze flickers towards him, seeing Wolfwood's pinched expression. He turns away when a strong contraction hits him and causes him to writhe on the bed, preventing him from answering Wolfwood's question. Wolfwood's concern increases.
"How much longer does he have?" Wolfwood asks the doctor at the foot of the bed.
What was once a calm expression on the doctor's face hours earlier has been replaced with a troubled one as Vash's condition worsens. "He has five centimetres left," she replies.
Wolfwood bites his lip to keep himself from cursing. His only job is to keep Vash calm and distracted, but he doesn't know how long he can keep him sane from all the pain. Wolfwood sits and continues running his fingers through his black strands that are matted with sweat. Vash squirms in pain under him, letting out a rough exhale. Wolfwood swallows his frustration at feeling useless and unable to help or take some of the pain Vash is feeling.
Wolfwood tilts Vash's head so he can look at him instead of staring dully at the white ceiling. Vash's expression is one of extreme exhaustion as he blankly stares with unshed tears. Wolfwood thumbs the feathers on his cheek. "Is there anything you want me to do?" Wolfwood whispers.
"It hurts," Vash mumbles. He shudders from a contraction.
"I know." Wolfwood slides his thumb up the bridge of Vash's nose to his forehead. Vash's eyelashes flutter. "Have you thought of any names yet?" They talked about some potential names for their baby, their daughter, but nothing seemed to stick. Vash settled on waiting until he gave birth, telling him a name will surely pop into his mind.
Vash's eyes squint in thought rather than in pain. "Not yet. It's kinda hard to think right now." He closes his eyes. "They're so loud," he complains, referring to his sisters.
"Maybe they can suggest a name," Wolfwood offers.
Vash huffs before he wheezes in pain again
Wolfwood cleans the sweat from Vash's face. "Just a little longer, okay? She'll be in your arms before you know it."
Vash focuses on seeing their daughter soon, thinking all of this will be worth it once he sees her face. It gets him through another hour before he can't focus on anything besides the burning pain. Wolfwood continues to ramble on about anything he can think of to keep Vash distracted. Vash tries listening through the chaos inside his head. The symphony of his sisters' voices makes it difficult to keep his mind present, let alone hear Wolfwood's voice.
There's movement on the other side of the room when the head doctor speaks with Luida and two nurses.
"Wolfwood," Luida calls.
Wolfwood looks up to see Luida's serious expression. He glances back at Vash, who looks so exhausted that it makes his heart ache. Wolfwood kisses his forehead. "I'll be away for only a minute, okay angel? Think about what she'll look like."
Vash whimpers in response before Wolfwood leaves him to walk over to where Luida stands.
"What's wrong?" Wolfwood asks. He knows it's serious when it's been nearly a day since they got here.
"We're going to call an emergency surgery," she tells him. "Vash's life and the baby are at risk if this continues."
Wolfwood's heart drops. "But—"
A cry interrupts him, one filled with agony. Wolfwood looks at Vash to find more feathers erupting from his skin and standing sharp. Vash's mouth hangs open in a silent scream, and his eyes have gone white.
"Vash!" Wolfwood rushes over to him and grabs his hand. He can't lose Vash like this—
The touch sends Wolfwood's mind into Vash's consciousness. Wolfwood is overwhelmed with emotions and noise—anxiety, exhaustion, fear—goes rigid from the pain that isn't his own. And not only that, he hears the Plants, incoherent harmonies that leave him nauseated and his head throbbing. Vash wasn't kidding about them being loud. It takes a lot of effort to pull out of Vash's hand and remove his mind from Vash's. Wolfwood stumbles back into his chair.
With Wolfwood exiting his mind, Vash is pulled out of his daze. His feathers soften now that the pain isn't trying to consume him.
"Shouldn't have done that," Vash wheezes.
Wolfwood catches his breath after the whirlwind he experienced. Before he can ask if Vash is okay or break the news about the possible surgery, there's a flurry of movement.
"There's one centimetre left!" the doctor shouts.
Wolfwood's eyes widen before he springs into action. He foregoes touching Vash's hand and instead goes for his forehead. "You're almost there, angel."
Vash groans in response. There's another instance of Vash seizing up from a horrible contraction, but this time, he doesn't go berserk. One of his white tendrils wraps around Wolfwood's arm and holds on as the pain rushes through his body.
The doctor checks on Vash. "He's ready!"
Wolfwood exhales. "She's ready, angel. Go slow."
Vash begins to push, letting out pants when he stops to breathe. More feathers wrap around Wolfwood's limbs. One push has Vash crying out, and Wolfwood grasps his hand. The force of Vash's grip will leave bruises, but Wolfwood doesn't care. There's one more push until Vash slumps, along with the feathers around Wolfwood's body. The doctor and nurses move in a hurry as they look after their daughter to ensure everything is okay.
Wolfwood looks down at Vash. He's breathing is shallow, and his expression looks too peaceful. Panic floods Wolfwood. "Angel?"
Vash's lack of response has Wolfwood going hysterical as he pushes the black strands away from his face in a rush. "Vash—shit. I'll get someone to help." He glances at the nurses to see them busy physically examining their daughter. He opens his mouth to grab their attention, but a tug on his hand stops him. Wolfwood looks back at Vash to see his eyes open.
"Sorry, it's just so quiet now," Vash slurs. "I'm not going anywhere."
Wolfwood lets out a breath of relief. He leans down to touch Vash's forehead with his own. "Don't scare me like that."
Vash soaks up the physical contact by nuzzling his face against Wolfwood. The contact breaks when one of the nurses calls Wolfwood's name. When he turns, Wolfwood is presented with his newborn daughter in the nurse's arms, wrapped in a blanket. The nurse passes the baby into Wolfwood's shaking arms.
Wolfwood stares at his daughter while she blinks back at him. She has his features—curved nose, sharp eye shape, and dark hair. Vash's genes put up enough of a fight to give her bright blue eyes. Tiny white feathers adorn her chubby cheeks. Wolfwood thumbs the white specks.
"Hey there, little angel." His daughter leans into his touch and reaches out, wrapping her tiny hand around his finger. Wolfwood's heart melts.
Wolfwood shows off their daughter to Vash, laying her down on his chest. Vash looks at her with tears in his eyes as he holds her. He plays with the short black strands on her head.
"She's adorable," Vash says with a sniffle. He lifts her to lean his forehead against her tiny one, connecting to her consciousness. There are no words or thoughts shared except for one thing—love. "You took a while to leave my belly, didn't you?"
His daughter coos as she reaches to touch his face. Vash nuzzles her palms while Wolfwood looks at the scene with fondness.
Vash lets his daughter rest on his chest, close to his breast, and encourages her to feed. She latches on easily and suckles.
"I thought of a name," Vash says.
Wolfwood brushes his fingers over their daughter's hair. "Oh yeah?"
Vash hums, "Angelica."
Wolfwood kisses Angelica's head before doing the same to Vash's. "Our little angel."
They stay on the ship for a few days to allow Vash to rest and check for complications. Both of them are attached to Angelica the entire time, listening to her make little noises and watching her nap. Once Vash recovers, they bring their daughter to the orphanage and introduce her to everyone.
The start of a new life with their daughter.