Chapter Text
Vash winced as the sound of the rifle firing blasted through his ears, only dulled by the sound of bulky noise canceling headphones. He curled in on himself, sitting against the large fir tree and staring at his knees. He shivered, his thin jacket not doing much to protect him from the chilled autumn air, signaling winter’s approach. While he preferred the outdoors over the cabin, he wouldn't have minded being shut indoors at that moment.
“Damn it,” Brad loudly cursed above him, “It got away.” Vash was unsure if Brad was speaking about their potential dinner or something else. He heard Brad speak, but couldn’t make out what it was over the headphones, so he just ignored Brad’s irritated ranting the best he could. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to go home. Maybe acting like a lazy, uninterested shooting partner would be enough for Brad to ask for Luida’s help instead.
The headphones were ripped from Vash’s head abruptly, and Vash looked up to see Brad staring down at him with immense disapproval and frustration. Vash returned the glare.
“Would you pay attention to what’s going on here, for once?!” Brad shouted, gesturing to the forest around them.
Vash frowned, “You’re being too loud. You’ll scare all the deer.” And attract unwanted attention.
Brad’s eyes widened and his eyes darted around the two of them into the eerily quiet woods. He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair before letting out a sigh, “Look, I just really need your help here. This isn’t a one-person job, you know that. If two people enter the woods then two –”
“Two people will come out, I know, I know.” Vash finished the mantra like he’d heard it a million times, which he likely had. The two sat in silence for a beat longer before Vash stood up, grabbing his abandoned rifle next to him and the bag of supplies.
“You’re a good shot, you know. I’m not taking you on these trips for shits ‘n giggles.” Vash didn’t know how to respond to the praise. It’s not like he was happy about being good with a gun. It just felt natural to him. Just because he was good at it, didn’t mean he wanted to shoot anyone (or anything, for that matter), despite how “useful” he was with it.
Brad sighed at Vash’s lack of response, “C’mon. Let’s check the traps and set some more bait in’em.” Vash grunted, standing up and grabbing the bag as they both made their way to the first set of traps they set out yesterday.
After walking east for about fifteen minutes, with Vash navigating using a compass and their intricately marked map, they found the traps laid yesterday. Brad cursed under his breath as soon as he saw them. No animal had touched them, and the only thing inside was the bait left from before, covered in ants and far more decayed than either hunter had expected.
“What a waste.” Brad grumbled, tossing the rotten food out of the first cage. “We’ll be eating these ants if we don’t catch something soon.”
“The garden isn’t doing that bad…” Vash said, even if he knew he was being optimistic. The ground almost seemed sucked of its nutritious minerals ever since the fall started, and the only thing close to thriving was a few winter squashes and some potatoes. They had much better luck when the weather was warmer, but with the weather getting colder each night, it was getting difficult to consistently feed a family of three. Luida often joked that the trees were taking up all the good nutrients from the soil from their little garden.
Vash reached into the bag to grab a smaller container filled with today’s bait, setting it up in a trap as Brad cleaned the second one. “Do you really think this is gonna work?” Setting up traps for small animals had only been a new trick in their routine, now desperate enough to eat rabbits, squirrels, or even raccoons that crossed their path.
Brad nodded, “It will, we just have to give it time.” He fished out the remaining bait from the bag and set up the last trap, “Winter is coming, so all the animals will be getting their last minute fill when they can, getting nice and fat.” He finished setting the bait and gave the traps one more look over before signaling to Vash to start covering them with leaves.
“And then the weather will warm up after their nice long sleep, and they’ll start breeding. The forest will be littered with fawn and rabbits.” Brad finished explaining, seemingly satisfied with the job the two had done there. “So they’ll need to stockpile as much food as they can now before it’s too late. It’s just the nature of things.”
“Kind of like us.” Vash whispered, stomach aching from hunger.
“All right,” Brad dusted off his hands and started walking, “Let’s check the others we set out yesterday. Maybe we had better luck there.”
Vash nodded, grabbing the bag and following close behind.
Two squirrels and one rabbit.
It wasn’t much, but it was better than coming home empty handed. And finding the other set of traps with animals was a much needed pick-me-up that both men needed after their disastrous hunting trip. Still, Vash felt uneasy about their bounty even if Brad was uncharacteristically cautiously optimistic about it. After returning to the cabin, Brad went around the back to prep the meat, while Vash wandered inside.
“We’re home.” Vash greeted, albeit not very cheerfully. His flat affect didn’t seem to bother Luida, who popped out from the kitchen with a wide grin on her face.
“Welcome home! Any luck out there?”
Vash took off his jacket and hung it by the door, “Just a rabbit and a couple squirrels.”
“Hey! Well, it’s better than nothing.” Vash could hear the anxiety in her voice beneath the forceful cheer. “More luck than I had with the garden, buuut I think if we give it another week or so, we’ll have a nice little harvest.”
Vash smiled. Luida tried her best to keep both he and Brad optimistic about their life in the wild, and Vash truly did appreciate it. The least he could do for her is play along. He entered the kitchen and spotted an open package. “What’s this?” It was rare for them to get packages. Not many other people knew where they lived and those that did were usually also far and away from the deserted cities.
“Oh, it’s from the Thompson family! You remember them, right? They had a girl around your age.”
Vash did. They had met them while escaping Julai, and the large, loud Thompson family became a quick traveling partner to Vash’s little family. It was only for a couple days, but making allies and watching each others’ backs was a new necessity in this world. The girl around his age, Milly, had a sunny demeanor that Vash really appreciated in the short time they were together. She was fun, bright, and a pleasant distraction to the hellscape they just left.
He reached into the box and pulled out a jar. Inside was a shiny, reddish brown substance. “Is this…marmalade? Or jam?”
Luida walked over, taking the jar from Vash’s hands. She picked up a letter that Vash had somehow missed and skimmed over it, “It’s a jam. I think. Martha said it’s freshly jarred, but didn’t say what it was. She was too busy talking about the boys they adopted.” She handed the letter to Vash to read and walked away to place the jar in the pantry.
“Wow, that’s a lot of mouths to feed.” Vash skimmed the letter himself, reading about the two teenage boys that just “showed up” on their little farm.
We couldn’t turn them away, Martha wrote, They were practically skin and bones! But they’ve been a big help around the place, even finding a fruit tree in the woods with a few fruits still on its branches. Livio jarred them himself, and both he and Nicholas have become awfully attached to Milly. Oh, to be young again.
Anyway, we had so many jars after Liv got done, I figured the neighborly thing to do would be to send you one. Hope all is well with your family. Tell Vash that Milly says hi.
The letter continued on with updates about the other five Thompson children, which Vash politely read before setting it back down. He heard the sound of Brad walking up the basement stairs, having finished cleaning the meat and placing it in cold storage. Luida filled him in on the note and gift.
Brad let out a frustrated sigh, “They shouldn’t have taken in those boys. They got too many kids to worry about as it is.”
“Brad!” Luida scolded, “It was a nice thing to do. And what were they supposed to do, just close their doors on them.”
“Yeah.”
Luida rolled her eyes, “Ugh.”
Brad grabbed a few slices of jerky from the pantry, handing one to Luida and one to Vash, before taking a bite of his own. “It’s weird that two kids would just be hanging out in these woods anyway.”
He had a bit of a point, Vash thought.
“They probably just ran away from Julai or wherever like everyone else did. They didn’t get lucky in getting a place secured since they’re young.”
She also had a point, Vash thought.
Brad pulled out a chair from under the kitchen table and took a seat, loudly swallowing his jerky. Luida had yet to take a bite and Vash suspected she’d put it back in the pantry later, despite Brad’s attempts to feed her. It hadn’t escaped Vash’s eye that she’d been losing weight recently, skipping meals while always making sure he and Brad were fed. Vash figured Brad was noticing it as well.
“Well, none of us would be in this situation if it weren’t for those freaks. Those monsters.” Brad ripped into his jerky particularly violently.
“Brad, they’re not –” Luida glanced at Vash, looking concerned, “They’re not monsters. They’re aliens. Probably.”
Brad rolled his eyes, “Monsters, aliens, the undead, underground mole people, it doesn’t really matter what they are. The only important thing is that they’ve made our life hell. They’re indiscriminate killers.”
Again, Luida looked awkwardly at Vash. “Um, Vash, honey…why don’t you go check on the garden? See how it’s doing?”
The garden that you just checked on? “Sure.” He was getting sick of the pointless banter between his two guardians anyway. He quickly left the kitchen and grabbed his jacket by the door.
“Don’t go too far!”
“Stay on prem!”
Both Luida and Brad yelled at the same time. Vash rolled his eyes. He wasn’t a kid, he knew the rules. Don’t go in the woods alone. That was, after all, where the Plants hid.
Vash had never actually seen a Plant himself and never wanted to. Or at least, he didn’t remember ever seeing one. He’d witnessed enough of the destruction their arrival had caused, he didn’t need to meet one himself, and his own life had already been permanently changed because of them. He knew they existed, he wasn’t one of those conspiracy theorists who thought it was just a con by the government. But that didn’t mean he wanted to spend the rest of his days locked indoors, only leaving to hunt or forage for food. That was no way to live.
He shuddered, pulling his jacket closer. It was old, but he’d have to make due with what he had. It’s not like he could run to the nearby mall anymore and get a new one. It had been destroyed years ago, after all. He never thought he’d miss the taste of greasy pizza slices with rubbery cheese, the sound of the same five pop songs playing nonstop in every store, or the sight of shabby Santa events with endless lines of parents and children until he was stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees.
It had been a few days since Vash last went hunting with Brad. The meat from their hunt had been enough, barely, to get them through a couple days, but their rations were low, including the preserved meats and vegetables. They hadn’t opened the jar of jam the Thompsons gave them, as Luida wanted to save it for “a special occasion”. Vash wasn’t sure if there would ever be such a thing anymore.
Brad and Luida had gone out hunting, leaving Vash alone at home, but he couldn’t complain. After tending to the garden, Vash sat on the edge of where their property line met the woods, staring into the leafy abyss. The forest was taunting him, begging him to explore the unknown. Sometimes he felt like a bird in a cage with the door wide open, but he didn’t know how to fly.
Vash glared at the scenery for a moment longer before standing up and walking into the trees. It wasn’t like he hadn’t explored a woodsy area in childhood, he knew all the tricks and could get around the neighborhood woods just fine. And he had explored the forest right outside the house plenty of times on his own, just not with Brad and Luida knowing. He glanced at the sky. It was still plenty bright. They wouldn’t be home for a few more hours, unless they just happened across a bounty of animals, which Vash severely doubted. They had only been gone for about half an hour.
There was a clearing, about a five minute walk from his house in this direction, that Vash could escape to during the few times Brad and Luida left him alone. While Vash knew it wasn’t that different from the clearing their house was located at, it still felt different enough that Vash enjoyed spending time there. He tried his best to not go behind Luida and Brad’s backs too often, but it was hard to pass up the opportunity when it was so easily handed to him. When he sat in the clearing away from the reminders of home, he could close his eyes and imagine sitting with a friend in silence. For those moments, he could force himself to feel less alone.
He loved the company that Brad and Luida provided him, but he still felt alone. They were so focused on surviving, that Vash longed for someone he could just vibe with. Someone he could talk to about anything that wasn’t “Will we make it til the end of the month?”
The walk was no different than it had been. It was quiet, the occasional bird chirping was the only sound, save for his footsteps crunching on fallen leaves and sticks. Brad always hated how quiet the woods were, making comments about how it used to be much noisier when he was a kid, but Vash somehow doubted that. And even if that were true, Vash had come to love the quiet peacefulness the forest provided, if only Brad would let him enjoy it when they were out hunting, instead of hurrying him along to the next trap or deer sighting. Without Brad’s distractions, however, it was easy for Vash to get lost in thought, sometimes even walking right past the clearing when Vash was heading towards it.
But he was never so distracted that he would miss another person in the clearing. An individual who wasn’t Brad or Luida or even one of the Thompsons. A stranger.
Vash couldn’t make out his face, as the person was turned away from Vash, sitting on a felled tree near the otherside of the clearing. He (Vash assumed) didn’t look like he was doing much, other than just sitting there. Of course, that was much different than what Vash had planned for himself, but something about seeing an unexpected person there really set off the alarm bells in Vash’s head.
“What do I do…” Vash mumbled. He knew between Plants and humans, the humans were the safer option, but that didn’t mean all humans were kind people. Brad and Luida would probably tell Vash to leave and report back to them. But if Rem were around —
“Who’s there?”
Shit , Vash thought, realizing that he must’ve spoken too loudly or stepped on a particularly crunchy leaf. The thought of hiding or running away crossed his mind for a moment, but in the end, Vash chose the less cowardly option. He slowly revealed himself from behind the tree he was hiding.
“Uhh, hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to creep up on you like that.” Now that the stranger turned around to face Vash, he could tell that he looked to be around Vash’s age, also blond, “I didn’t think there was anyone else who knew about this place.”
The stranger smiled. It looked well-practiced, “I don’t live far from here.”
“You do?” Vash was genuinely surprised. He didn’t remember Brad saying anything about neighbors when they moved here, but it’s possible Vash just didn’t pay attention. Still, it was odd. He could’ve sworn the Thompsons were the closest thing they had to a neighbor, and they were still miles away. The stranger just patted a spot next to him, still smiling.
Vash hesitated, checking to make sure he didn’t have a gun or other weapon on him before slowly walking towards him, staying alert just in case he was jumped.
“I won’t bite.” The boy smirked. Vash bristled, both embarrassed and annoyed at being teased, and hurried up to sit next to him. Vash stuck out his hand for a handshake.
“I’m Vash.” The boy stared at the hand and Vash hoped this guy didn’t think he was too cool for a handshake. But after a few seconds, he grabbed it, “Nai.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Vash.”
“Umm, you too.”
The two sat in silence, with Nai just staring at Vash. Vash had expected Nai to say something, since he was the one who called him over, yet he seemed content to just sit there and observe Vash. This introduction happened so fast and Vash didn’t know what to do. But he couldn't pass up the opportunity for companionship.
“Sooo…” Vash trailed off. He noticed that Nai didn’t seem to have much on him, other than a metal thermos, “How long have you been here?”
“About 34 minutes.”
“No, I mean…” Vash gestured to the woods around them, “I meant, how long have you lived here? In the area.”
Nai didn’t seem phased by answering wrong, and Vash couldn’t help but envy that confidence, “Almost my entire life.”
Vash couldn’t imagine spending his whole life out in the middle of nowhere, not when he longed to be back in the city, where his friends are. Where the people are. Or at least, where they used to be, before the Plants showed up.
“Is that a long time?” Nai asked, as if reading Vash’s thoughts.
“Oh, no, I mean…I guess? I couldn’t do it. I’m only here cause we had to move. Due to, y’know.” Vash assumed Nai knew about the Plants. There’s no way he couldn’t, even if he lived like a hermit all his life in the middle of nowhere.
“Hmm…” Nai turned away, and grabbed his thermos. “I prefer it out here and so does my family. We like not being around all the… people. ” Vash detected some disdain in his voice as he finished his sentence, but he knew that not everyone loved the presence of others as much as Vash did. He wondered if he should head back and let Nai have his space.
Nai twisted the top off of his thermos, “But it’s alright if you stick around. I don’t mind.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind heading back, I don’t want to bother you. And we just met…”
Nai laughed, “It’s fine, really. You seem like a nice guy.” He poured out a thick, rust colored soup into the lid of the thermos. It was warm and Vash could smell it from his seat. It smelled delicious.
gurgleurgle
Vash grabbed his stomach, as if holding it would help it stop grumbling. It seemed like such a faux pas to be so obviously hungry, when Nai was likely just wanting to eat his lunch by himself, but good food was so, so hard to come by now. He wasn’t that selfish, honest!
Nai laughed again, and Vash’s heart fluttered, although he wasn’t sure if it was out of shame or not. Vash had to admit that Nai was attractive, and his natural laugh accentuated his handsome features in a way that his practiced smile didn’t. But instead of teasing Vash, Nai offered him the cup.
“Here, you can have it.”
“Uhh…” As hungry as Vash was, it still didn’t seem wise to take food from a person he just met. “I’m good. My family’s out hunting right now, so I’m sure we’ll have a big dinner.” He hoped, but he severely doubted it. He might regret turning down Nai’s offer later that night, when the hunger pangs were keeping him from sleeping.
Nai offered him the cup again, “It’s fine, really. We have a lot at home. It’s kind of a staple at our house.”
It really was tempting…
Vash shook his head, “Maybe next time. I bet I could scrounge up something for you to try too.”
Nai looked disappointed at the final rejection, but didn’t protest, setting the cup aside. “That’s very kind of you, but I promise our family has more than enough sustenance.” Vash was about to ask Nai what their secret was, but Nai switched topics, “So you want to meet up again?”
“Ah…” Vash scratched the back of his head, “Sorry, was that presumptuous?”
Nai shook his head, “Not at all. I know we just met, but you seem like a nice person, Vash.”
“Thank you, um, you seem like a nice person too.” Vash wanted to hit himself at how weird he sounded. Had half a year in the woods really killed his social skills that badly?
If Nai noticed the awkward atmosphere, he didn’t comment on it, instead choosing to ask more about Vash. “You said you moved here with your family?”
“Yeah, they’re like my aunt and uncle.”
“ Like ?”
Vash shifted on the log, twiddling his fingers. “Yeah, family friends, that kind of thing.”
“So you don’t have any real family with you?”
Vash bristled at the comment, “They are my real family.” Granted, he had always been a little sensitive about it, “Rem — my mom, died awhile back. From the Plants.” He’s not sure why he mentioned that so freely to a near stranger. He didn’t like talking about her death.
Nai nodded, “I’m sorry.” Vash wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for his rude remark or sympathizing with Vash. Vash didn’t feel the need to ask. Nai could be his one true shot at friendship, and he didn’t want to ruin it by being overly sensitive.
“S’fine…” Vash kicked the dirt, “You have family here too?”
“My mothers.” Nai replied. Vash thought about asking about them, just to be polite, when Nai once again switched topics, “Tell me about your life in the city, before you came here.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I want to know what you did and what kind of life you lived before your life changed.”
The way Nai worded that didn’t sit well with Vash, but it’s not like he was wrong in how he worded it.
“Well…I had entered my first year of highschool before the Plants showed up…”
Nai was nothing but an attentive listener, asking a lot of questions and seeming genuinely interested in what Vash had to say. Vash tried to get more information about Nai’s life, but Nai expertly continued to turn the conversation back to Vash’s. It didn’t bother Vash too much, but he still wished he could have gotten to know his new friend a little better.
Friend. Maybe it was presumptuous of Vash to think that, but despite Nai’s eccentricities, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and Vash wanted to be friends with him.
“Nai…” Vash started, trying to choose his words carefully. Nai patiently waited for Vash to continue before saying anything, “If it’s not too much trouble, do you think we could meet up again here? If you’re not too busy helping your family or anything.”
Nai smiled and Vash could have sworn it would light up a room, “Yes! I’d love to see you again.” Vash knew the topic was broached earlier with a positive reception, but he was so relieved that Nai’s interest in their friendship seemed to only have grown.
Vash grinned from ear to ear, feeling butterflies in his stomach from the excitement, “Yeah, same! I probably can’t meet with you all the time, but I’ll definitely try.”
“Well, don’t get in trouble on my account. You said something about your family not wanting you to be here, right?”
Vash nodded. He did mention that in passing, “Yeah, I’m sure you know the rule, the buddy system and whatever. But don’t worry, I’m really good at sneaking out and I’ve been here a lot.”
“Good to hear. And speaking of sneaking out from your family…” Nai stood up and brushed off his pants. He pointed to the sky, which Vash now realized was slowly turning dark, “The sun is starting to set. Shouldn’t you get back?”
“Aaah, crap!” Vash lept out of his seat. He didn’t hear any desperate shouts of his name coming from the direction of the house, so he figured Brad and Luida hadn’t made it home just yet. “I’m sorry, I gotta get back before my family gets back.” He rolled his eyes, “If the Plants didn’t kill me, I’m sure they would instead.”
Nai sighed and shook his head, “You’ll be fine, trust me. And I’ve got to get back too, I’m sure it’s just about dinner time. I’ll see you later.”
Vash waved goodbye as Nai left, walking the opposite direction. Vash himself only made it about thirty seconds away from the clearing when he suddenly turned back.
“Wait, Nai!” Vash jogged back, only to find that Nai was nowhere in sight. He sighed and put his hands on his hips, “We didn’t talk about when we’d meet next…” Vash grumbled, looking to see if he could spot Nai’s bright blue jacket in the edge of the woods, but to no avail. He did, however, spot the silver thermos that Nai left. He walked over and picked it up. So Nai was the forgetful type, huh…
He unscrewed the lid and stared at the leftovers in the thermos. It was still a little warm. His stomach grumbled again at the sight of the soup. It looked like Nai had barely touched it, the thermos still brimming with the heavenly smelling stew. He hadn’t eaten in hours and who knew how much of a meal he’d get this evening.
“Uuugh,” he grimaced, debating on whether or not to eat it. It’s not like Nai was coming back for it at this point, and he did offer it to Vash. But it had been sitting out wide open for much too long and Luida would probably get suspicious if he came home with a full stomach. He knew what he had to do.
He poured out the stew, watching it glop out of the container with loud wet smacks as it fell onto the ground. There was a part of Vash that hated seeing food waste, but it was no big deal. It would be a waste of precious energy to get mad about it. He gave the thermos one last good shake before twisting the lid back on. He hoped he could sneak into the kitchen and rinse it out without Brad or Luida noticing, and maybe he could return it to Nai next time.
Not wanting to linger a second longer, Vash quickly ran towards the home, begging to any god listening that he’d beat his guardians home. Vash would have been more nervous at facing their wrath, if it weren’t for the excitement he felt at the possibility of meeting again with Nai.
Crash!
“Damn it!”
Vash jumped, dropping the magazine he’s read for the fifth time that week at the sudden sound of glass shattering from the kitchen. He hurriedly walked to the adjacent room, peeking around the corner to see a large mess on the kitchen floor. It looked like the remnants of the jar of jam the Thompson’s sent them. Brad was grabbing a washcloth while Luida scurried over with a broom.
“What happened?” Vash asked.
Luida sighed, “Martha sent another letter where she said that Milly and a few of the oldest kids had gotten sick. They think it’s food poisoning.” Luida began slowly and carefully sweeping away the glass. “She didnt’ say it was from the jam, but I thought we should toss this just in case. I figured better safe than sorry.”
Brad looked sheepish as he wiped up the red jelly, “I dropped it.”
“It’s all right.” Luida didn’t sound upset at all, “We weren’t going to eat it anyway.”
Vash frowned, “But that seems like such a waste of food.” He was looking forward to eating it. He had been craving a sweet treat, and sugar was so hard to come by. A burst of irritation flared through him, uncharacteristic for such a minor infraction. He tried to push it down, remembering how Rem would have scolded him for being too quick to anger.
“I really don’t want to even attempt to go to the hospital if any of us got really sick,” A shard of broken glass clinked against one another as Vash mourned the loss, “Who even knows if the hospital is still running?” Luida sighed, “So yeah, better safe than sorry — hey!! No!”
Brad froze, caught red handed (literally) with his index dipped in jam, headed straight for his mouth. He snapped his mouth shut.
“You better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
Brad quickly wiped away the evidence with his rag, “Uh, nope.”
Luida pointed the handle of the broom threateningly at Brad, “We could handle a couple cases of food poisoning if we absolutely had to, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin if you accidentally swallowed a piece of glass.” She reached over and poked him in the shoulder with the handle, “Eviscerated from the inside, is that how you want to go?”
Both Vash and Brad cringed at the mental image, “No…” Brad said dejectedly, but he looked almost as disappointed as Vash did at the loss of the jam.
Luida turned and pointed her broom at Vash, who took a step back, “Don’t think I didn’t see the way you looked at it too. Don’t get any ideas.”
Vash laughed nervously, “I wouldn’t dare.” Luida seemed satisfied with his answer, turning back to finish sweeping. He tuned out the chatter between Brad and Luida as he stared at Brad wipe up the remaining jam. The kitchen lights bounced off of the ruined jam’s surface, reminding Vash of the surface of a sweet, delectable apple. He imagined what it would be like to bite into a crisp apple, its juice dripping down his chin. He could practically feel the supple fruity flesh give way under his teeth.
His stomach grumbled.
He was so hungry.