The Typhoon ~Vash x OC AU~

Chapter 18: Talk About Something Else Pt 1

Leilani

The room is quiet. Peaceful, even.

I sit, my body weight sinking into the mattress's cushion as the cool hum of the AC grazes my warm skin. The walls, cold and metal, are blushed by Ship 3's tech throwing artificial gleams from the suns.

Silence envelopes, swallowing me until I sink into its void. It is a void. Long and stretching, going as deep as it does far. I could lose myself in it. I have lost myself in it.

Worry, stress, anxiety – it all fills my lungs, burning with agony as my stomach knots. Bile threatens my throat, but I swallow, trying to silence my thoughts.

The scanners are still firing off, their signals scouring across the surface, searching for Jonas, the cause of my dread. My mind whirls, spiraling with fear and uncertainty, imagining all the worst-case scenarios. The worst of them all...

I shudder, not wanting to feed into it.

I wrap my arms around myself. Deep down, I know Nicholas is right about what he had said earlier. Stressing and worrying do nothing. It doesn't speed up progress. It doesn't help us find answers. It does nothing. I know that.

Still...

I can't quiet my mind.

I can't quiet my heart.

I can't quiet my soul.

They are all too loud and chaotic. They are too untamed and feral. They are more than I can handle.

My eyes squeeze closed, the empty lullaby of the AC humming when the door glides open. I jolt up, watching as Vash walks into the room. Instantly, my heart sputters, jumping into my throat as I gaze at the man.

He walks steadily, taking long and elegant strides. His shoulders, broad and strong, are relaxed, and the fabric of his black shirt clings to his torso. I bite my lip, knowing what hides under that shirt; a hard, solid body with muscles etched into it. And across that hot flesh are scars and hardware, all that my fingers have touched and felt.

I want to touch them now. I want to feel them. I want to experience his body pressed against mine, our breaths exchanging. I want the heat and the burning and the smoldering touch that is him.

But we haven't touched each other like that since early on in my pregnancy. Not a touch fueled by lust. And right now, imagining that fiery touch makes me feel squirmy.

"Hey," Vash smiles. "I was wondering where you were. I went to the atrium, and you weren't there."

He turns, angling himself. My eyes study his stance, falling down his height. Heat pools at the bottom of my belly. I want him.

He knits his brows. "Are you okay?" He takes a step closer, tilting his head. "Wolfwood told me about your worries with Jonas and the scanner. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Concern fills this man's eyes, warming my heart. He cares so much. Not just for me but for everyone he knows. For the Stampede. For those on Ship 3. For the citizens of Stoneburry. Everyone.

He kneels, placing his warm palm over my hand, squeezing. "Lei? Lei, you're scaring me. Are you okay?"

I blink, clearing my throat. "Sorry. Sorry, I'm okay. I'm fine." I place my other hand over his, stroking my thumb along his hot skin. "Sorry... I didn't mean to worry you. I was...just thinking."

His features soften, the brief panic melting away as he smiles warmly. "It's okay. Do you...want to talk about it?"

I think about it for a moment. I could. I could talk about it. I could spill everything swirling around in my head, but I would only be regurgitating everything that I've already said, and that will solve nothing. It will fix nothing.

Because they're all right; what will be will be.

I shake my head. "No, I think I'm all talked out."

He frowns. "Are you sure? It's okay if you need to. I rather you talk than keep it all to yourself."

"I know and, I'm sure. I think I've said all that I had to say. Anything else will just be a repeat."

"And that's okay," he says. "If you have to say it again, then say it again. Whatever it is."

His blue eyes, bright and deep, look up at me, boring into my very soul. A flurry of emotions drifts at their surface, each tugging at me. He means well – I know he does. He always does, but I don't feel like talking. I don't feel like feeding into this dread swarming me.

Instead, I feel like feeding something else.

Slowly, I lean down, pressing my lips to his. He tastes soft and sweet, like sunshine and hope. Like dreams. When I pull back, our eyes lock, and the world becomes small.

It is only us. Just the two of us – him and me, me and him. No one else. Just us in this world.

I cup the side of his face, stroking my thumb pad against his cheek, breathing, "I don't want to talk. At least, not about that. Not about Jonas or the scanner. Not about the chaos on the surface. None of that."

His eyes, soft and warm, search mine. He cuffs my wrist, pressing a gentle kiss against the palm of my hand. Chills run down my spine at the hot humidity of his breath against my skin.

"What would you like to talk about then?" he asks, his tone breathy.

I smile, "How much I love you. How much you love me. While we make love."

His smile grows dark as he kisses my palm again. "It sounds more like there will be less talking than anything else."

"Oh? Is that how you take it?"

He kisses my palm, up my arm, and to my neck. I tilt my head back, squeezing my eyes closed as my breath hitches.

"Just a bit," he breathes. "But if you screaming my name counts, then we can talk all you want."

I grin, threading my fingers in his hair. I pull gently, unlatching him from my neck. His chest is rising and falling heavily, his eyes half-lidded as a soft pink blushes his cheeks. My Vash. My sweet, sweet Vash.

"You will be screaming my name as well," I whisper, the darkness filling me.

My darkness slithers across my skin and bleeds onto him, darkening his smile. "Oh, I already had the intention. Your name is my favorite prayer."

Chills dart down my spine, making my nipples taut and my belly flip. The air between us grows stronger and stronger, filling my lungs with desire. I want this man. I need this man, like air.

He is my air.

My oxygen.

My everything.

I kiss his lips softly. "Show me. Show me how much you love me, Vash the Stampede." I kiss him again. "And I'll show you how much I love you."

His gaze darkens, but still, his eyes sparkle, gleaming like stars. I lose myself in them. He presses up, his lips softly meeting mine.

"As you wish."

**Hello, lovelies! Well, looks like there's gonna be a spicy scene! You've been warned lol. Could Lani be using this moment as a distraction? Possibly, but don't worry, we'll revisit the whole Jonas bit. We'll get there. We'll get there. Oof. Finally finished this chapter. Ya girl has been busy and not at her laptop a whole lot but here we are...finally. Well, we'll call it here. As always, thank y'all oh, so freakin' much for everything! Y'all are the bee's knees! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross