Tempest Wind (Vash x F!Reader)

Sign of Appreciation

"Would you mind staying here?" Vash asks you carefully as he finishes his breakfast. "I mean, at the inn, you can go back to our room."

"What? Why?" Your eyebrows move into a frown.

"Don't ask me that! Just... stay put for like half an hour!" He blinks his puppy-dog eyes at you.

"Every time I let you out of my sight, you end up getting shot at." You don't give in.

"I won't, I promise!" His voice is still pleading, and his hands gently squeeze yours under the table. His eyes are nailed to yours; they are so expressive and full of hope.

"No!" you say firmly, not falling for his tricks.

"Pleaseeeee! Do it for me? I promise, I'll start screaming really loudly if I get shot at, so you can come and rescue me!" His face creeps closer to yours, as if to make sure you don't miss the act he's putting on.

"Argh, fine!" You turn your face away, acting angry, but he sees right through it and places a light kiss on your cheek. "But I won't patch you up this time!"

He lets out a light laugh as he stands up. He can't contain his excitement; he looks like he'll start jumping around any second. He helps you up too and gives your hand another squeeze.

"I'll go to our room. Half an hour! If you're late, I'll come and haul your ass back myself!" You point your finger at him. You really don't feel comfortable being separated; it feels like something horrible is lurking around the corner every time you don't have tabs on him. You're convinced he could get himself killed at any moment between his self-sacrificing personality and inability to stay out of trouble.

He smiles brightly at you as an answer and gives you a light wave of his left hand before leaving the inn. You leave the money for the food and go upstairs into the dingy little room you share with Vash. The house is small, so to make sure they can house as many guests as possible, the rooms themselves are tiny too. As a result, it is less popular than the bigger hotel in town, but you don't mind; it's more secluded here, and you feel like you can keep an eye on everything.

You open the window to let in some air and lay on the bed. Your body feels heavy and tired, a very strange sensation for you to have. Sure, you haven't slept much as of late since you've been in the desert; the voices kept you up the last two nights in the inn too, even in Vash's arms. But none of it matters; you don't need sleep just like you don't need other human things like food, water, or even air. You stretch out and realize it's all coming from your head. Your mind is tired; the relentless voices haunt you day in and day out. The headaches have also become more frequent, but you try to brave through them; you don't want to burden Vash with something he can't do anything about. Days spent in hotels or inns are easier; there are more distractions to keep you occupied, and Vash has more things to talk about. The empty desert makes it very hard for your mind to stay with you and it keeps wandering off.

"Don't panic, love! I'm back!" Vash storms through the door. "Sorry, I'm late!"

You look over to him; he has only just left. He is out of breath and is leaning against the door he closed. You sit up on the bed, your legs criss-crossed. As you lean forward, you look at him, confused. What has he gone out to do, and how is he already back? You notice a lump under his jacket, and you stare at it. His hand goes onto his chest, covering the lump.

"Hey now! My eyes are up here!" He exclaims, and you see him pointing to his eyes with his free hand.

You chuckle, curiosity taking hold of you. You lean further, trying to catch a peek of whatever he's hiding. He pushes himself off the door and comes closer. His free hand reaches out to you.