Tuesday Afternoon

Chapter 10

Sorry in advance if this is bad. I had a plan for it but then started writing and the outline kinda went out the window. Either way, I hope its at least enjoyable! 

ALSO I'm on winter break rn, so hopefully I can get at least two more chapters out before I go back for the spring semester. No promises, but that's what I'm aiming for!

I Thought They Looked Familiar

You gave Milly a deadpan stare as she sobbed. You watched Meryl sigh and Vash giving the dirty blonde a pitiful, but slightly annoyed, look.

"Milly," you called as you gently rubbed her back (she was too damn tall to set your hand on her shoulder). "I'll pay your bus fare, just.. Please don't cry."

She peered down at you with big fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Really?" She asked with a hiccup.

You nodded and gave her a light smile, "Of course. You're my friend, and I don't like seeing my friend cry."

Immediately, she stops crying and a bright grin overtakes her features. Her eyes are still puffy, and the tear lines remain, but it does make you feel better that she's smiling again. She enveloped you in a breathtaking hug (seriously, she squeezed you so hard you couldn't breathe!), thanking you over and over while Meryl tried to pry her off so you could actually pay for them.

A grimace blooms once you are released from the hug and moved to pay for the four bus tickets. Four of the damn things are so expensive! Never mind just one. You face away from them to not let Milly see it and regret taking up your offer.

When the bus arrives, the four of you pile on. Vash tried to get a seat far away from the girls but to no avail; at the last possible second, the man sitting across from you remembered that this was his stop and rushed off in a hurry, leaving it open for Meryl and Milly to take. You didn't mind it, but - if the expression on his face was anything to go by - Vash just wanted one moment of peace.

Luckily for him, the two were quiet. Well, Meryl insisted Milly take a nap and also ended up falling asleep, so they were out cold for a while. You and Vash shared earbuds while listening to your playlist. "Space Cowboy" had barely started when you, too, fell asleep.

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

You woke up to Vash talking loudly with Milly, followed promptly by a WAP when Meryl punched the back of his head.

"..Huah..?" You blinked your eyes, groggy from the impromptu nap. You could feel your brain jiggling around in your skull like the beans in a maraca. Oh, you were leaning against the window, that makes a little more sense.

"What is it this time?" Meryl asked after punching him in the head again.

"That..." Vash pointed past you, out the window, where something metal glared against the plain desert landscape. There wasn't supposed to be anything around for miles, so that begged the question:

What the hell is that? You squinted out the window, trying to discern what it could be. Something tugged at the back of your mind like this was familiar. Oh fuck, don't tell me this is the spider episode...

When the bus pulled over to take a look, and a bystander said "That's a well-prepared dead guy," you knew it was. Maybe you should hang back with the girls? Let those two deal with the robot spiders instead?

With a deadpan expression and your hand firmly situated on your hips, you kicked Wolfwood's foot.

"Wake up, shithead," you loudly said.