Archive of Our Own ^beta

“ What's your brilliant plan now, needle noggin, “ Wolfwood asks, looking down into the sandy abyss just two steps back and a couple hundred feet down. 

“ I made the plan last time it's your turn, “ Vash jokes, calculating an escape route. Forwards includes going through 4 armed men who all want them dead. Sideways means off the cliff, and backwards does too. They could always surrender but there's no guarantee they'll live, but the chance of survival there is higher than fighting back or diving off the cliff face. 

All Vash was trying to do this morning was look for a birthday present for Meryl. The town they had arrived in happened to be hosting a market for all the traveling merchants, so it was a perfect place for Vash to look. Wolfwood insisted on coming with saying that ‘ you attract trouble, your whole face just screams bad news. ‘

Saying the town was busy would be an understatement. There were sandsteamers from all over, hundreds of people milling throughout the countless shops set up in the streets of the town. Hotels and inns were all booked out and people had set up makeshift campsites in the outskirts of the city. It was lively. Vash loved it. So many people to talk to, so many stories to overhear. Nicholas however was on edge, because there were so many people. 

“ Hurry up already, “ Nick said for the umpteenth time that day. 

“ How am I supposed to find the right gift if you rush me, “ Vash complained. 

“ How are you supposed to find anything if you're talking to every person you make eye contact with, “ Nick retorts, dragging him away from the booth to move onto the next. Vash huffs in response. Vash begins to make conversation with the owner of the next booth so Nick leans against the wall and lights a cigarette. He blows out a ring of smoke and analyzes the crowd around him and for the most part everyone seems cheery and peaceful. But the shifty eyes of the man at the booth across the road tell him otherwise. He follows the man's gaze to a pair of burly men, probably bounty hunters, who are definitely trying to look at Vash without being caught. Nick pulls his glasses down below his eyes with one hand, looking at them straight on. They catch his gaze and quickly shuffle out of sight. 

Nick sighs and slides his glasses back up. He drops the cigarette butt on the ground, snuffing it out with the heel of his shoe. 

“ Time to go, “ he says, grabbing Vash by the shoulder. 

“ Perfect timing, I think I found the right gift. Look, it's a pair of earrings that match her eye color,” Vash says excitedly. 

“ Yeah yeah very nice, let's go, “ Nick says, pushing Vash away from the stall. He grabs his wrist and pulls him through the crowd and decides to turn down a small sidestreet. He sees the heel of a boot round the corner as he turns his head and a small glint of metal about waist level, just barely peeking out from the building wall.

“ Shit, “ Nick curses, pulling Vash into the crowd once more. 

“ What's going on? “ Vash asks quietly in Nicks ear. 

“ Bounty hunters, we need to get out of here now, “ he responds. 

“ Really? Here? '' Vash whines. “ Here follow me. I know a quick way out, they're going to follow us though so what are we gonna do once we're out of the city? “

“ I'll figure it out, “ Nick says. 

And here they are now, cornered out in the middle of nowhere. 

“ Why don't we just talk this out? No need for all the guns and angry words, right guys, “ Vash laughs. 

“ We only need the blonde one, “ one of the bounty hunters says. 

“ Now, is this really the place to talk about such things? Why don't we all head back to town and grab a few drinks? '' Vash reasons. 

Two of the men raise their guns in response, aimed straight towards Nick. As their fingers inch towards the triggers Vash unholsters his own gun, and expertly shoots the weapons out of the men's hands, then keeps his gun at the ready. At the same time Nick had released the cloth binding the Punisher, and now has it at the ready as well. 

“ What now, “ he says through his teeth. 

“ I told you that's your job to figure out, “ Vash says. “ No killing though, “ he adds. 

They all stand there, guns aimed, fingers on the trigger, waiting for a chance to act. The bounty hunters act first, one aimed at Nick. The bullet only missed its mark because Vash hit the gun with his own bullet causing it to hit the Punisher and ricochet straight into the ground. The force of it creates a crack that spreads the length of the small ledge the two stand on. 

They both look at each other, worried, and the bounty hunters take advantage of their distraction, lodging a bullet straight through Nick's upper arm, knocking him off balance. He steps back, hard, and the ground below them collapses. 

“ NICK! “ Vash shouts, grabbing hold of him as they fall together. Nick grabs Vash’s forearm back tightly, and pulls him close. With his other arm he wields the Punisher, aiming it towards the ground in hopes of somewhat shielding their fall. Nick doesn't get to find out if it worked or not because the second he hit the ground everything went dark. 

“ Owie, “ Vash groans, blinking his eyes open slowly. He's met with an orange sky above him, indicating that night is coming. Which meant it's been a few hours since they fell. Oh wait, they fell. Nick .

Vash shoots up despite the protests from his pounding head. He sees Nick lying a few feet away from him, seemingly still unconscious, the Punisher still grasped in his hand. Vash stands up and rushes over to Nick, but collapses on his first step. He groans in pain and looks down to find the reason why. His ankle is swollen and bruised and the throbbing in his knee tells him it doesn't look much better. Steeling himself, Vash half crawls half stumbles over to Nick, immediately checking for a pulse and sighing in relief when he finds one. The bullet wound in his bicep is still bleeding and his dark hair is matted with blood. Vash rips a few strips of cloth off his pant leg and wraps Nick's arm, then secures his own ankle the most he can. After ensuring they aren’t both going to immediately die, Vash looks around and scans his surroundings. From the looks of it they've fallen into a hole. A very deep hole, surrounded by steep cliff faces at least a hundred feet tall, the tops blurring due to the distance, or perhaps the concussion. 

The only way out is up, Vash decides. He looks over to Nick again, who's still completely out of it. 

“ Hey man you've never been out for this long you're starting to worry me, “ Vash says, poking him in the cheek. Not getting the response he wanted he sighs. The binding cloth that goes around the Punisher seems to have fallen with them, so Vash sets to work. Due to the wound on Nick's head he doesn't anticipate him waking up anytime soon, but they have to get out of this hole sooner rather than later. So Vash rolls Nick over as gently as he can, and secures the cross to his back with the bindings. Then he maneuvers himself next to Nick on the ground, looping the other man's arms around his neck and legs around his waist. In this position he ties himself to Nick with the rest of the bindings that are meant for the Punisher. After ensuring he's secure, Vash rolls using as much momentum as possible to stand with the weight now attached to him. He's successful in standing but his leg wishes that wasn't so. 

He takes a wobbly step forward, and again, and again, slowly but surely making his way to the cliff. Once he's there, he's already out of breath. He looks up at the cliffside once more, wondering if he will even be able to make it. 

I have to, there's no if, he decides, then grabs hold of the rocky wall in front of him. Climbing isn't all too bad, he's able to use his metal arm to bear most of the weight and he uses his injured leg only when he needs to steady himself. It's slow going, but it works. 

“ You're gonna owe me big time Nick, “ Vash grunts. 

Nick feels warm. His head is throbbing, and so is the rest of his body. The reason why hasn't quite caught up to him yet he decides that it's a problem for later. He moves to stretch his limbs only to find that he can't. He begins to struggle against the restraints, fighting to open his heavy eyes. 

“ Ah! Nick stop please! “ he hears a voice pleading. 

“ Vash? “ he asks, still trying to squirm out of whatevers holding him down. He still isn't able to open his eyes despite his efforts. 

“ Yes, now stop moving! Or we’re both really gonna die this time, “ Vash pleads once more. 

The urgency in his voice makes Nick freeze completely. 

“ Thank you, “ Vash says, sounding out of breath yet relieved. 

“ What happened? “ Nick asks.

“ You don't remember? “ Vash responds with a grunt. Finally Nick wills his eyes to open and he's met with a cliff face taking up half his vision and a dark abyss taking up the rest. 

“ What the hell? “ He asks. 

“ We fell, “ Vash says, unhelpfully.

“ And what, you decided to climb up like some freaking monkey? “ he exclaims, tightening his hold around Vash’s neck. 

“ We couldn't stay down there, “ Vash reasons. Nick looks at Vash’s hands, his fingertips are raw and bloody, and his hand trembles as he moves it from one grip to another. There's blood trailing down his forearm, dripping off his elbow. His metal arm isn't much better, one of the fingers is completely gone and the rest are worn and scratched up. 

“ How long have you been climbing? “ Nick asks softly. 

“ Um, I don't really know. I think the sun was setting when I started, “ Vash responds.

“ You think? “ Nick laughs.

“ I wasn't really focused on what time it was sorry, “ Vash bites back. 

“ You should take a break, “ Nick says. 

“ Where do you supposed I do that? Its sheer cliff all the way up, I haven't found any ledges yet. Plus it's too dark to see anything but what's directly in front of me, “ Vash snaps. 

Nick sighs in response, knowing he's right, but still wanting to do something to help despite the fact. 

“ Im sorry im just, i'm just tired and my head hurts, “ Vash apologizes. 

“ Stop apologizing. Why don't you untie me? We can take turns or something “ Nick offers. 

“ No. Even if I could untie you from this angle I wouldn't. The punisher would fall off and I'm not going back down there to get it. Plus you got shot in the arm, you can't climb like that,“ Vash explains. 

“ Why would you bring the punisher? “ Nick asks, incredulous. He didn't even notice the cross strapped against him. 

“ Why would I leave it? “ Vash responds. 

“ You're an idiot, you know that? “ Nick says, resting his head against Vash’s neck. 

“ I know, “ he laughs. 

“ Are you okay? “ Nick asks.

“ It's fine, “ Vash responds.

He lets Vash work in silence after that, his head screaming at him to sleep. But Nick feels like if he's going to be deadweight he may as well try and be conscious. 

“ I'm gonna owe you big time won't I? Dragging my ass all the way up this cliff, “ Nick mumbles into Vash’s shoulder. 

“ Dont worry about it, “ Vash breathes. 

“ Typical, “ he sighs.

“ No, really. If anything I owe you. You are the reason why we survived that fall. I'm only able to be doing this now because you protected me when we hit the ground, so thank you, “ Vash explains. 

“ I'd never do something like that on purpose, “ Nick retorts, grateful Vash isn't able to see the redness spreading across his cheeks. 

Vash laughs lightly. 

Finally the sun begins to rise, and they are able to see the top. 

“ You're almost there blondie, just a bit longer, “ Nick encourages. 

Vash whines in exhaustion but continues on with the steady pace he's had the whole time. Within the hour they reach the top, Vash takes one last heave and pushes himself up with his leg, onto the ledge. He collapses onto his side, breathing heavily. 

“ Hey man we gotta get away from the edge unless you wanna do this again, “ Nick says softly. 

Vash groans loudly then pulls them forward a few feet with his arm, then collapses onto his side once more. 

“ Okay now you've got to untie me, I can't do anything if I'm latched onto you, “ Nick urges. 

Vash wordlessly feels for the knots and begins to untie them one at a time, until Nick is detached from Vash. Nick then unties the Punisher from his back then looks him over.

“ Christ Vash, “ he says. The man's ankle is wrapped and swollen, his pant leg is torn up to his knee, revealing a mass of bruises around the joint. His hand is shaking violently, fingers and palm ripped to bits by the harsh, jagged rocks. His hair is matted and discolored by thick blood, which runs down his skull, into his ear and down his neck. His eyes are half open and he's breathing heavily. His sunglasses are still on, one of the lenses is missing completely and the other is cracked beyond repair. 

“ Alright my turn, “ Nick says, standing up.

“ No you're hurt, it's fine I can do it, “ Vash argues, moving to try and sit up. 

“ You've done enough you idiot. Let me take it from here. You can't walk with that leg of yours anyways. Let me help you, “ Nick says, kneeling down to meet Vash at eye level. 

“ Why? “ Vash asks. Nick watches as his eyes squint with confusion, liquid pooling slightly at the edges. His face is streaked with dirt and sweat, and his hair is all tangled. His lips are cracked and bloody, parted slightly as he breathes unevenly. Nick reaches out, softly wiping the tears away with his thumb. Moving his hand down, swiping his finger over his lips, then holds his chin softly making him look up with the pull of his index finger. Nick brings his own lips to Vash’s, softly and slowly pulls away as he hears the other man's breath come out shaky.

“ Does that answer your question? “ he smiles. 

“ I'm not quite sure I understood. You're gonna have to do that again, “ Vash teases. 

“ Oh really, “ Nick laughs. “ Don't worry, I'll make you understand. “ His lips crash into Vash’s once more, but this time it's rough and desperate. This time Vash kisses back. Finally Nick pulls back with a smirk, and pulls Vash up into a sitting position. He straps the Punisher onto Vash just like Vash had done to him, then pulls him up onto his back, draping his hands over his shoulders and grabbing under his thighs to hold him up. 

“ You aren't going to tie me on? “ Vash wonders aloud, drooping his head into Nick's neck. 

“ Why are you afraid I'm gonna drop you? “ Nick says, walking forward in the direction he thinks the town is. 

“ You'd never drop me, “ Vash mumbles. 

Nick has been walking for maybe an hour, with Vash out cold against his back, when he sees the tell tale dust cloud of a car, heading straight towards them. 

Can't catch a break, he thinks, setting Vash down gently. He grabs one of his hand guns and readies it, willing to fight off anyone in their way. Vash wasn't awake to tell him not to kill anyone, so there was nothing stopping him from ensuring they would absolutely make it back to town, no matter what. However as the car gets closer, he begins to recognize the green frame of the buggy, the tell tale satellite dish bouncing around on the back trailer. 

He laughs to himself, not believing his luck. 

The car drifts to a stop in front of him, and out jumps Meryl and Roberto. 

“ Are you two okay? “ Meryl asks, running over to them. She trips and falls to her knees at Vash’s side, looking to Nick for answers. 

“ Ran into some bounty hunters, “ Nick sums up. 

“ Let's get you guys out of here, “ Roberto suggests, tossing Nick a cigarette as he walks past him. He barely catches it and nods to him gratefully. 

“ Vash, wake up, “ Meryl says, trying to shake him awake. Nick moves to stop her but Vash's eyes flutter open. They look at her, unfocused, till they slowly clear up. His eyes widen in recognition. 

“ Meryl? “ he asks, confused. 

“ Hi, “ she laughs happily. Roberto walks up and takes Vash by the hand, pulling him to his feet. Looping his arm around his back to hold up steady. 

“ You can fill us in later, let's get you fixed up for now, ‘’ he says. 

“ Yeah that sounds great. Thank you, “ Vash says with relief. 

They walk a few slow steps before Vash halts completely. Roberto turns to ask what's wrong but can’t seem to get the words out when he sees Vash frantically searching his pockets. 

“ No no no no. You can't be serious, “ he mumbles. 

“ What is it? “ Nick asks. 

“ They're not here, “ Vash says, defeated. 

“ What aren't? “ Meryl asks.

“ We have to go back, “ Vash breathes out, frantic. 

“ What are you looking for, Needle Noggin? “ Nick asks, confused. 

“ The e- thing I got at the market, “ Vash says under his breath. 

“ You're kidding, “ Nick deadpans. 

“ I'm serious! “ Vash argues. 

“ Is it that thing over there? “ Meryl asks, pointing to a small box over in the sand. 

Vash slumps in relief and Nick stomps over to pick it up. 

“ You're a lifesaver Meryl, “ Vash says, smiling big. 

“ What is it? “ She asks curiously. 

“ Oh uh, nothing. Nothing important, “ he lies. 

“ Let me see it, “ she threatens, grabbing the box out of Nick's hands. 

“ No no wait! “ Vash protests, but it's too late. She's already opening the box. She examines the contents, confused, then looks at Vash for an explanation. 

“ They were supposed to be a surprise, “ he pouts. 

“ Birthday present, “ Nicks adds, trying to be helpful. 

“ For me? “ Meryl gasps, placing a hand over her mouth dramatically.

Vash nods sadly. Meryl runs over and bear hugs Vash, making grunt in pain and surprise. 

“ Oh thank you Vash I love them! But my birthday isn't for another 5 months, “ She laughs. 

“ What? “ Nick asks. 

“ I know I just wanted to make sure I had time to find the right thing, and today seemed like a great opportunity, “ Vash explains.

“ We went through all of that, for you to get a birthday present for a birthday that isnt for another 5 months… “ Nick asks, anger rising in his voice. 

Vash laughs nervously, slightly raising his hands in peaceful surrender. 

“ Alright kids get in the car, we can argue all we want somewhere that has an air conditioner, “ Roberto laughs. 

Nick stomps to the car hoping in the back seat, flopping down in the chair. Meryl opens the door for Vash and Roberto helps him get in, instead of sitting down like a normal person, Vash lays down and rests his head against Nick's leg, closing his eyes and falling asleep almost instantly. Nick doesn't register the way his hand naturally moves to Vash’s hair, moving his hands through the tangles and petting it gently. He doesn't notice Meryl or Roberto get in, and he doesnt remember when he rested his head against the window. And he certainly doesn't notice when Meryl takes out her camera and takes a picture of the two sleeping together so soundly.