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ARACHNOPHOBIA	By : Lances Category: +S to Z > Trigun Views: 4859 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
ARACHNOPHOBIA

pathological fear or loathing of spiders

Chapter 6: Tension
--
Vash the Stampede scanned
his reflection from the mirror that was hanging on the bathroom wall. He had
just shaved. Granted, it hadn�t made much difference to his outer appearance.
He still looked worn out and tired, and he noticed a couple of ink black wisps
of hair falling down his temple. When had those emerged? Vash sighed. He had
presumably been so worried about his twin that he had completely forgotten to
take care of himself. Knives needed constant attention, after all. In all the
meanings of the word.
Vash turned his gaze away
from his troubled face, and met his brother�s eyes through the mirror. Knives
was glaring at him devilishly, his black eyelashes casting broken shadows over
his cheeks in the bathroom�s yellowish lamplight. He
was sitting on the toilet seat, supporting his posture
from the nearby rickety babycare table with great difficulty. His both
shoulders, his chest, his both thighs and his right calf were all wrapped in
white bandages.
�You look terrible, Vash.�
Making a face at his
brother, Vash glanced back at his own reflection again. He was sweaty, there
was gore and sand attached to his skin, and his hair was a complete mess. And,
when all of his numerous scars and old injuries were added into that picture,
along with his prosthetic left arm, Vash really couldn�t blame his brother from
being slightly disgusted with the current scenery.
�How could you let those
worthless humans do this to you?� Knives was looking feverish, almost wild in
his anger. �Vash... You were once so very beautiful. How could you let them do
this? And why didn�t you come to me when they did? I could�ve healed you... I
could�ve made everything all right again. You know this.�
Vash allowed his brother
to talk. He understood that his malformed appearance was quite a shock to
Knives. Hell, it was a shock to himself occasionally, when he really
took the time and looked at himself. Usually he just covered his defects as
quickly as possible after showering, and thought about them no more. Now,
however, he simply couldn�t forget. After allowing his eyes roam over his
brother�s flawless form, he couldn�t forget that he had once been just as
perfect, himself. Smooth and soft ivory skin seamlessly embracing the strong
muscles underneath... The simple beauty of a lithe, agile body of a young man.
�Vash... What the hell are
all those various nuts and screws for?� Knives seemed to be examining the
metallic implements on his shoulderblades.
Vash ignored him, and
grabbed a roll of strong adhesive tape from the nearby table. �Let�s get your
wounds covered. We don�t want them get wet and consequently infected, now do
we? Then we can take the shower.�
Knives looked irritated.
�You�re avoiding the subject.�
�Look, I don�t have the
energy to talk about it right now.� Vash sighed. �If you want the god damn
shower, you will take it now and keep your mouth shut. Otherwise I�m going to
take it alone.�
Knives gave him a hostile
glare, but surprisingly didn�t argue. He also allowed Vash to roll the strong,
waterproof tape around his injuries without much protest, of which Vash was
secretly grateful. Five minutes later, they were both standing underneath a
steaming, refreshing spray of water. Or, at least Vash was standing;
Knives was more accurately leaning his whole weight against Vash and being sort
of embraced.
Vash reached for the soap
and poured a liberal amount of the apple-scenting liquid on his palm, trying to
maintain his strong hold of his brother at the same time with his prosthetic
arm. Then he began to rub it on Knives� back.
�What is that?� Knives was
instantly suspicious, and tensed in Vash�s arms.
�Apple soap.� Vash
massaged the sweet substance over his twin�s sides and lower back. �They have
only recently started to make this fantastic product in January. Meryl told
me.�
Knives was silent for a
long moment, feeling Vash�s right hand go lower and lower. Then he looked up,
meeting his brother�s eyes. �This doesn�t bother you?�
Vash was genuinely
confused. �What are you talking about?�
Knives glanced down at
their naked, intertwined bodies. �Well. This.�
�Oh.� Vash blinked. �I�m
sorry if the, er, metal patches on my chest irritate you. I can�t really take
them out, you know. Would you like to sit down on the floor instead? That might
be a better idea...�
Knives rolled his eyes. �I
wasn�t talking about your stupid metal rib cage Vash. And don�t you dare put me down on the floor. I�m not
bloody sitting in all that filth.�
�Okay.� Vash shrugged, and
adjusted Knives in his arms so that his brother�s back was now against his
chest. �What were you talking about, then?�
Knives heaved a long sigh,
and leaned his head backwards, so that it was resting on Vash�s shoulder. The
gentle droplets of water hammered against his face, and he quite enjoyed the
feeling. Especially when Vash�s right hand began to massage the soap across his
lower abdomen. He was almost starting to forget the constant ache of his deep
injuries in his growing euphoria, which was saying something.
�I was talking about us,
Vash," he finally said. "Doesn�t it bother you to... to touch
me? Like this?�
�I suppose not,� Vash
replied. �You�re my brother.�
Knives looked a little bit
troubled. �Exactly.�
Vash�s breathing felt hot
against Knives� throat as he turned to speak. �Would you like to finish the
washing, yourself? I mean... Well. You know what I mean.�
Knives grimaced, feeling
more than slightly aroused. He hoped Vash wouldn�t notice this. �Yes, thank
you."
--

--
Knives was sitting on the
toilet seat, shivering inside of a fluffy white towel, while it was Vash�s turn
to shower. Vash was casting him curious looks every now and then, wondering
what had made his twin so quiet suddenly. It wasn�t like Knives to just sit
silently in place, doing nothing but staring at the mirror in front of him. Not
that Vash actually knew what kind of behaviour was typical of Knives,
though; he hadn�t spent much time in his brother�s company, recently. However,
thus far, Knives had been nothing but moody, angry and continuously rude, and
quite determined to make Vash�s life a living hell. Therefore, this current,
placid state of his mind was unnerving to say the least. Perhaps his brother
was plotting something against him?
�Knives?� he asked.
�Huh?� Knives actually was
startled. �What?�
�You�re not occupying your
thoughts with plans to escape, are you?�
Knives sneered. �Of course
not. Why would I think about something like that? It�s so fucking nice to be
here with you that I�m almost puking with happiness.�
Vash grinned. Knives was
his usual self, again. �Good.�
Vash stepped out of the
shower, and was lucky to find a pile of unused towels in the bathroom closet.
He had namely forgotten to take another towel from the ward after wrapping
Knives in his own. He began to dry his hair, wishing that the black streaks
would soon become golden, again. �Knives?�
�What?�
Vash�s voice sounded like
a muffled mumble, since he was currently drying his face. �In case you�re
feeling better in a few days, we�re leaving.�
Knives narrowed his eyes,
looking at Vash sharply. �Where, exactly?�
�Warrens City.�
�Warrens City?� Knives looked disgusted. �That
dingy old rat hole. Whatever for?�
�To meet an old friend.�
Vash smiled, his eyes shining brightly at the thought.
�Do I even want to know?�
�I guess not.� Vash
smirked. He brushed his fingers through his hair, and tried to make himself
look a bit more representable. He didn�t have any hair care products with him,
so he couldn�t make his coiffure stand the way it always used to. Instead, he
found a random piece of ribbon and made himself a ponytail.
Knives had only one, dry
comment: �You look fucking ridiculous.�
Vash pouted, ripping the
fuchsia red ribbon out of his hair. �Spoilsport.�
--

--
The afternoon was dead
boring for Vash. Meryl and Milly were the only ones to keep him company, since
Knives spent most of the time sleeping after lunch. However, even the insurance
girls didn�t seem to give him much attention, anymore. As soon as Meryl started
to type her latest report to the Bernadelli Insurance Agency and Milly
discovered a bucket of pudding in the hospital�s kitchen, Vash was left on his
own. The doctors came to check his wounds a couple of times, changing his
bandages and making him swallow some icky tasting sticky medicine, but this
small show of affection naturally didn�t make him feel any more loved than
before. Therefore, when the evening arrived and Knives showed signs of finally
waking up, Vash almost wanted to dance with joy.
The hospital was full of
merry faces and leisurely bustle. The twin suns had began to set, and three of
the five moons were already shining brightly in the sky. The weather report had
promised a freezing cold desert night, and Vash had already drawn curtains
before the window in their room. Knives was making an independent effort to sit
up, and Vash couldn�t ignore how his abdominal muscles were rippling underneath
the white shirt he was wearing. Knives truly was in perfect shape. Vash felt
the stab of jealousy in his chest, again, and looked away at the trash can that
contained the discarded wrappings of waterproof tape. Knives had yelled a lot
when Vash had ripped it off.
There was a gentle knock
on the door, and Meryl stepped in, carrying a tray of sandwiches and Ceylon
tea. Milly was tailing her, dragging a collapsible table and a couple of chairs
into the room.
�Good evening, Mr. Vash
and Mr. Vash�s brother!� Milly beamed. �We brought you some supper!�
Vash glanced at his
brother worriedly, wondering if Knives would try anything to hurt his friends.
He was surprised to find Knives looking at the girls with curiosity rather than
outright hostility, even though he did have a displeased frown on his face.
Knives had probably figured out that hurting the insurance girls wouldn�t
anyhow work for his own benefit at the moment, and was therefore trying his
best to accept the situation.
�Here you go!� Milly
actually went to his brother and gave him a steaming mug of hot tea.
Vash tensed in his chair
and found himself thinking that she had absolutely no instinct of self-preservation
whatsoever. He waited for the evident explosion that would soon follow, ready
to beat the living daylights out of his twin if necessary. Even Meryl, who
always seemed to put up a brave front, was clearly a bit timorous around
Knives, and looked horrified at Milly�s daring antics. But Milly did not seem
to sense the danger of her actions at all. She just smiled down at the feared
Millions Knives, and tittered stupidly. Vash�s fingers tightened around his
fist as he was ready to leap out of his chair.
Then Milly closed her eyes
and laughed. �Would you like a sandwich, too, Mr. Vash�s brother?�
Vash blinked his eyes
several times in confusion. He had just witnessed his brother accept a drink
from Milly Thompson. Even though he sniffed it first, as if it would have
contained crude oil instead of tea leaves from January, he did accept it.
Without killing anyone.
A flood of warm feelings
towards his brother filled Vash�s heart, and he found himself wanting to give
Knives a hug.
�Don�t even think about
it, Vashu.� Knives�
amused thoughts echoed in his head. �I�m doing this only because I�m saving
my energy, and because I happen to be thirsty.�
Vash couldn�t help
grinning, still. �I�m glad you�re behaving yourself. Even if it�s only
because of selfish motives.�
Meryl sat down next to
Vash, arranging the rest of the food on the table that was now set up before
them. �I wrote to my boss today. I think, now that you seem to have abandoned
your career as the Humanoid Typhoon, we must return to January. We�re out of
job, here.�
�Nah, don�t feel so
melancholy about it.� Vash was munching his sandwich with great appetite.
�Wolfwood always said I was a trouble magnet. Even if I�m not wearing my red
coat any longer, the greediest bounty hunters will still recognize me and try
to capture me. I�m a walking disaster, you know.�
�Do you think so?� Milly
looked excited. �I�d much rather follow you than wash the windows of the
Bernadelli Insurance Agency five days a week.�
Meryl slapped her,
blushing. �Don�t be ridiculous, Milly. We can't follow him, anymore. We have no
reason!�
�She is so much in love
with you, Vash. Can�t you see?�
Vash gritted his teeth. �Stop
it, Knives.�
�So much fun! Can I
play with her a little?�
Vash saw Meryl�s hand move
on its own. Soon, Meryl was involuntarily fondling her breasts and starting to
spread her legs, and she was terrified. Milly was looking at the sight almost
as horrified as Vash.
�Madam, what are you
doing?� Milly�s light blue eyes were huge.
�I... I can�t help it,
Milly!�
Vash growled, jumped up
from his seat and turned his left arm into a weapon. He jumped Knives and
pushed the gun�s pipe against his twin�s head. �I will shoot!�
�Come now!� Knives
laughed. �Your threats work almost as well as your gun.�
Vash narrowed his eyes.
�That�s why we�re going to Warrens City, remember? Maybe, after that, my
threats will work as well as my gun. Maybe, after that, I will shoot.�
Meryl looked frightened,
viciously buttoning up her jacket. �What do you mean?�
Vash pulled back and
replaced the gun with five leather-covered metallic fingers. �Knives and I are
going to Warrens City to meet Frank Marlon. My arm isn�t functioning properly,
anymore, you know. I can�t truly shoot with it.�
�Oh.� Meryl frowned.
�Well. Do you think it�s wise to let your brother near so many guns? I hear
Marlon has started his old business anew.�
�Excuse me, you horrid,
know-it-all witch, but I�m still in the room.� Knives spoke directly to Meryl
for the first time. �And I don�t approve of being treated as if I weren�t.�
Meryl looked both angry
and embarrassed at the same time. �You're one to talk, you vile creature!
Besides, even you must admit it�s not a good idea to let you anywhere
near all those Marlon guns!�
Knives only looked bored.
�Whatever would I do with some rusty old Marlon pistol? The idea is pathetic!
There are only two guns I�ll ever be willing to use, and they're both currently
laying somewhere in the middle of the desert, covered by dunes of sand.�
�Don�t get so sentimental
about it, Knives.� Vash snapped. �Anyway, I think you�d better go now, girls.
Let�s call it an early night.�
Meryl and Milly exchanged
looks, and obviously understood the meaning behind Vash�s words. Knives was
turning hostile, again. They left the room, Meryl giving Vash one last longing
glance from the door.
--

�To Be Continued...
- 5
- 6
- 7
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ARACHNOPHOBIA