Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The desert is hot and endless. All Rollo can see is sand for miles. His eyes are dry, and the thirst is getting unbearable. What’s the point?

His lips are cracked, and his head feels light. He doesn’t even bother wiping the sweat from his face anymore, it just comes back anyway.

Still, this must beat getting eaten by a god he doesn’t believe in, right?

The wind shifts, stinging his eyes and Rollo stops walking. What’s the point? There’s nothing ahead. Just sand and wind and… nothing.

The dizziness hits hard, and when his legs give out, he doesn’t fight it. He just collapses.

Why did he run away again? He’s going to die anyway. Just that out here it’ll be alone. In Windmill his death might have meant something. Might have saved other people’s lives. Might have saved his mother.

Out here, no one will even notice he died.

He lies back, closes his eyes, and the world goes dark… until the crackle of a fire wakes him.

Fire? But that means…?

Instantly, Rollo’s eyes snap open. He blinks, disoriented, realizing it’s night now—and that he isn’t alone anymore.

A blonde man sits beside him, humming an odd melody that drifts through the night air, soft and unfamiliar, like nothing Rollo has ever heard before.

The man pokes at the fire with a stick, its warm glow lighting up his face. When Rollo sits up, the stranger looks to the side and smiles brightly. It’s a different smile from the ones Rollo has seen so often in the last weeks from the villagers of Windmill. There’s no underlying pity or shame, just honest warmth.

“Hey little man, you want a bobbit beetle leg?”, the man asks and holds out a thick, hairy beetle limb.

“Uh… No, thank you”, Rollo says. When he sits up there’s a red coat falling off him.

The stranger tilts his head. “You sure? They don’t taste as bad as they look, I swear.”

Rollo doesn’t answer and only stares.

“Then at least drink something”, the man says and holds out a water bottle for him. To this Rollo can’t say no.

The man laughs when Rollo starts to greedily chug the water. “Hey, don’t drink too fast, you’ll make yourself sick!”

Rollo ignores him. When he sits it down the bottle is empty. Guilt twists in his stomach. He hadn’t even thought to leave any for the blonde.

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” the stranger answers. Still smiling so softly, that it almost makes Rollo forget he’s sitting in the middle of nowhere with a man he doesn’t know.

Rollo shivers before he can stop himself. Concern flashes across the man’s face. “Are you cold?”

Seeing no point in lying, Rollo nods. The stranger picks up the coat that had slipped off when Rollo sat up. When he wraps the coat around Rollo, his right arm catches the firelight. It’s a gleaming, artificial limb. It looks like nothing Rollo has ever seen before. It makes Rollo remember that he still has no idea who’s sitting in front of him.

“Uhh…”, he begins softly, “I don’t want to be rude… but who are you?”

The man’s eyes widen, and he chuckles, obviously embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry! I completely forgot to introduce myself!” He holds out his metallic arm, grinning sheepishly. “I’m Vash. And you?”

Rollo takes the offered hand and shakes it cautiously. It’s warmer than he’d thought.

“I’m Rollo.”

The man’s – Vash’s – grin widens. “What a coincidence, then you’re just who I’ve been looking for!”

Rollo blinks. “You were looking for me?”

“Yup”, Vash says, “your mother sent me. She was worried.”

A strange mix of emotions churns in Rollo’s chest. His mother is worried. She still loves him. He shouldn’t be surprised. He knows that.
But she still wanted to sacrifice him. Does she still want that? Why even bother sending someone out to save him if they are gonna kill him anyway?

“I don’t wanna go back”, he states.

“No?”, Vash asks, “why not?”

Rollo only shrugs. “I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

Vash doesn’t press, but he looks at Rollo in deep thought.

“Are you still cold?”, he asks when Rollo shivers again.

Rollo nods softly and Vash lifts an arm. “Come here. I run warm.”

Rollo shuffles over to him and the man really isn’t lying, he’s almost too warm to be comfortable.

“Do you have a fever?”

Vash chuckles softly. “No, that’s just me.”

They sit in silence for a while and Rollo watches as Vash starts poking at the fire again.

“I’m sick”, he finally says.

Vash turns to him. “Do you have a fever?”

Rollo shakes his head.

“I’m going to die soon. I’m going to be sacrificed to god so the wind will comes back to Windmill.”

Something dark flickers in Vash’s eyes, and he goes still, the stick frozen above the fire.
Rollo presses his face into the man’s arm and sniffles.

“I don’t want to die”, he confesses, “even if I get to heaven I don’t want to die.”

His words are muffled by the fabric of Vash’s shirt but Rollo’s sure the man can understand what he’s saying.

He’s finally said what he’s been thinking since his mother told him about his honor. The honor of being a sacrifice. The honor of going to heaven. And he said it to some man he’s known for all of two hours.

Rollo feels the metallic arm close around him as Vash pulls him forward into a hug.

“Then you’re not going to die, Rollo”, Vash says.

When Rollo looks up Vash’s face has hardened but his eyes are soft and warm and Rollo wants nothing more than to believe him.

“I’m going to save you. I promise.”

When he drifts off, for the first time in weeks, Rollo feels himself hoping for the future. Hoping that he might actually have a future.

The next day they don’t go back to Windmill. They head north, to where Vash promises there’s a hospital.

Rollo is not quite sure why he believes him, but he does.

This has to be better than being sacrificed to a god he doesn’t even believe in, right?

Chapter Text

The first time Meryl meets Vash the Stampede, he’s hanging upside down from the rusted arm of an old crane, being lectured by a teenage boy.

“Couldn’t you, just for once, let it be?” the boy snaps, his hands working at the rope with practiced frustration. “Those guys you saved were bad lads, wouldn’t have been a loss to just let them die.”

“No matter who they were, they didn’t deserve to die, they-“

Before the blonde can finish the sentence, the boy cuts the rope and he falls gracelessly into the sand.

He sits up and whines: “Couldn’t you be a bit nicer? I’ve been hanging there for at least three hours!”

The boy ignores him: “I’m serious! You could have died? What if I hadn’t found you? What would you have done without me?”

“I’m sure our two friends over there would have helped me!” the man says, waving at Meryl and Roberto, who are just making their way over the dune into his line of sight.

“Nope”, Roberto says and turns around to walk away again.

Meryl stops him. They’ve been walking through the desert for hours now, there’s no way they’ll go back to doing that before at least asking for directions.

“Hello”, she says and walks towards the two strangers.

The blonde man smiles brightly while the teenager scolds at her.

“Can you maybe help us?”, she asks, “we’re lost. Can you tell us where we’ll find the next bit of civilization?”

“Sure”, the blonde man says, “we were just going there anyway, we can walk together!”

“That would be wonderful!”, Meryl says.

“No, it wouldn’t be”, Roberto grumbles behind her. She steps on his foot.

“I’m Meryl by the way. I’m a journalist. And the grumpy guy beside me is my partner.”

Roberto doesn’t even lift his hand as a greeting and just keeps on smoking.

“I’m Vash,” the man says, seemingly unfazed by Roberto’s attitude. “And that’s Rollo!” he adds brightly, ruffling the boy’s hair as if he weren’t still glaring daggers at everyone.

Meryl blinks. Vash isn’t exactly a common name and the only Vash she’s ever heard of is Vash the Stampede. Roberto’s and her reason to be out here in the desert, slowly dying from dehydration.

As he chats about something she can’t follow, Meryl studies him. He has the red coat and spiky hair, though he doesn’t look exactly like the exaggerated caricatures of Vash the humanoid typhoon she’s seen. He’s actually pretty cute, she thinks, hoping the light blush on her cheeks can be passed off as a reaction to the sun.

Her eyes flicker over to Roberto who has the same thoughtful expression on his face.

“Hey are you coming?”, Vash asks looking back with a smile to where they are still standing.

He seems way too nice to be a serial-killing terrorist. Then again, Meryl hasn’t met many serial killers yet.

//

Arriving in Jenora Rock and finding more accurate wanted posters confirms Meryl’s hunch: the man they found is the Vash the Stampede.

It also makes things more confusing. Everyone in Jenora Rock loves Vash. When they sit down in the bar, he’s led them to, their table is instantly swarmed with people vying for his attention.

The owner of the bar, a woman named Rosa, explains why. Vash saved the town in the past. Not exactly what you’d expect from a wacky outlaw causing chaos wherever he goes.

While Vash readily engages with everyone, something else catches Meryl’s eye. Rollo sits quietly, glaring in disdain no matter who tries to start a conversation with him.

Later, when Rosa takes them to the dying plant - because apparently, Vash is also a plant engineer - Meryl starts to understand why.

“And Vash saved us all for free!” Rosa says proudly.

“It was nothing!” Vash replies, just as Rollo scoffs: “Yeah, and if he helps again, maybe you could actually compensate us this time instead of just handing dad a meaningless thanks.”

Vash chuckles awkwardly, clapping a hand over the boy’s mouth. “He doesn’t mean that!”

Meryl stops dead in track on the staircase leading to the plant. Her head snaps between Rollo and Vash. “Dad?! He’s your dad?!”

She stares at Rollo, then at Vash. There’s no way Vash is old enough to have a kid Rollo’s age. He looks like he’s in his mid-twenties at most.

“Uh...” Vash starts, scratching the back of his head. “I’m not his real dad. I adopted him!”

“You... adopted him?” Meryl repeats, turning to Roberto. He doesn’t look surprised in the slightest.

Rollo crosses his arms, his glare now fixed on her. “You got a problem with that?”

Before Meryl can answer, Vash waves his hands nervously. “Let’s just focus on the plant, okay?”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Roberto grumbles, his eyes narrowing as he looks at the glass capsule. “It’s not looking all that good, huh?”

Vash steps closer, his playful demeanor softening as his gaze locks onto the capsule.

“No, it isn’t,” he says quietly, laying his hands on the glass. Inside, the Plant is glowing in a dark red instead of the vibrant blue of a healthy one.

“It’s dying,” Vash says softly. His eyes flick to Rosa, who stands stiffly beside him, her shoulders slumped. She doesn’t look surprised.

Meryl glances at Rollo. For the first time, his contempt is gone. Instead, he seems worried. But, to her surprise, he’s not looking at Rosa or even the Plant. He’s looking at Vash, his brow furrowed as if he’s afraid of what this might mean for the man.

“Is there nothing you can do?”, Rosa asks.

Hesitation flashes in Vash’s eyes when he opens his mouth to answer and Meryl really wants to know if he can actually heal that plant. Because that would be revolutionary! No one can heal a plant when it’s already this red. But before she can hear the answer, the door to the plant room slams open.

There’s sharp clatter of boots against the metal floor as four men clothed in all black, with weapons and armor storm in. The military police.

“Well, well, if you aren’t just who we were looking for”, the leader says, holding up one of Vash’s wanted posters.

His gaze flickers from Vash to the plant and then to Rosa. “Looks like this town’s problems just solved themselves. You knew his bounty is six million dollars? Just enough to get a new plant. So, if you’d kindly hand him over?”

“Six million?” Rosa whispers, her voice incredulous. Her wide eyes dart between the poster and Vash, who’s already raising his hands in surrender.

“Hey, hey,” Vash says, his tone light. “I don’t want to fight. Let’s resolve this peacefully, okay?”

Beside him, Rollo snarls, but Vash just sighs and gently pushes the boy behind him.

“Stay back,” he murmurs, holding Rollo easily in place when he tries to lunge forward.

“You take him?” Vash tilts his head toward Rosa, flashing her a small, apologetic smile.

The woman hesitates for a moment before nodding. When she grabs Rollo by the arms, he immediately fights her grip, thrashing with all his strength. “Let me go, you bitch!”

“Stop it, kid,” Rosa mutters through gritted teeth, struggling to keep hold of him. “He’s trying to protect you.”

But Rollo isn’t listening. “Don’t touch him!” he screams. “He didn’t fucking do anything, you spineless wimps!”

Vash steps forward, his hands raised in surrender, that same infuriatingly calm smile plastered across his face.

“Oh, you’re really going to make it that easy for us, huh?” the officer sneers.

Meryl can only watch in horror as Vash doubles over when the man’s knee drives into his stomach, and the other three move in to beat him down, even though he makes no attempt to fight back.

“Stop it!” Rollo’s voice cracks as he fights against Rosa with renewed fury. “Don’t hurt him!”

Meryl knows she shouldn’t be on the side of a known fugitive but this just seems wrong, especially with Rollo, the man’s son crying out in desperation.

“Alright, alright,” Roberto says, stepping forward with a weary sigh. “You’ve had your fun, boys. But how about you make this a little more interesting? How about a duel? Fair fight. No gang beatdowns.”

The leader pauses, his grin widening. “A duel, huh? Fine. Let’s see what the Humanoid Typhoon’s really made of.”

Meryl glances at Vash, still coughing on the ground. A duel doesn’t seem like much of an improvement.

//

Half an hour later, they are standing at the outskirts of Jenora Rock, looking up at a cliff where Vash is having a standoff with the leader of the military police team.

Meryl can’t help but chew her lip anxiously. From the top of the cliff, Vash waves at them with his usual easygoing smile.

Though what’s even stranger than Vash’s carefree attitude is Rollo’s behavior. While Rosa and the other residents of Jenora Rock watch with a mix of anxiety and excitement, the boy leans casually against a wall, his arms crossed. After seeing his earlier reaction to the police detaining Vash, Meryl had expected him to be seething with nervous energy. Instead, he seems almost bored.

“Aren’t you worried at all?” Meryl asks, her eyes still fixed on Vash.

Rollo shrugs. “Nah. Dad’s got this. The only way he’d lose to that snobbish shitbag is if he forgot to load his gun. And I’ve been in charge of that for a while now, so we’re good.”

As it turns out, Rollo is completely right, and Meryl is worrying over nothing. Even when his opponent uses a cluster bomb, risking not only his and Vash’s lives but also those of everyone in the town, the blonde dismantles it with nothing but a stone and a single bullet. It’s almost pathetic how easily Vash takes the policeman down as soon as he endangers anyone other than him.

As they watch the military police retreat on their Thomases, Rollo punches Vash in the arm.

“Couldn’t you have done that from the beginning?” he snaps.

“Ow!” Vash pouts, rubbing his arm. “What was I supposed to do from the beginning?”

“Fight back! There was no need to hold back against those dimwits!”

Vash shrugs. “No one got hurt, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

Rollo hits him again, harder this time. “You got hurt!”

“Yeah, by you!” Vash protests, still rubbing his arm.

Rollo growls in frustration, and Meryl can’t help but think he’s right. There was no need for Vash to be this nice to the military police.

//

Back in Rosa’s bar, Vash tells them a story about an evil twin who’s stealing plants and killing people all around the world. The story is a bit too convenient in Meryl’s opinion.

“If you don’t believe him, why do you even ask?” Rollo spits out when Roberto asks for proof.

“We’re not saying he’s a liar,” Meryl intervenes, “we just need a bit more. Maybe a motive? Does he want money? Or is it about honor?”

“Nothing spurs people like revenge,” Roberto mutters.

Vash, who’s head is resting on the table in mock surrender, flinches. Meryl narrows her eyes. So that’s it. Revenge. Interesting…

Before Meryl can probe further, Rosa’s son comes to their table and sets a cage that’s almost as tall as himself down on the table. Meryl cringes as she sees what’s in the cage: bugs as big as her fist.

Vash has no such bias when he ruffles the boy’s head.

“Are those for me, Tonis?”

The boy nods, his eyes bright at Vash’s attention. It makes Meryl wonder if Vash is just a natural with kids or if he’s learned how to act around them through Rollo.

“Thanks so much! I’ll keep your little buddies safe,” Vash promises, holding out a pinky for Tonis to seal the deal.

It would be a really heartwarming scene if there weren’t bugs in Meryl’s direct line of vision. To her relief, Tonis gets scolded by his mother and runs off with his bugs before the woman can take them away.

The relief is very short-lived when the woman takes out a shotgun and levels it at Vash.

“Sorry, Vash,” she says, “it’s the cash, not you.”

Rosa sounds earnestly apologetic especially when her gaze lands on Rollo, who has jumped to his feet, standing protectively in front of Vash.

“No, I understand, Rosa," Vash says, still smiling, even as the very people who just called him their town’s savior are now pointing guns at him.

Meryl begins to understand why Rollo always seems so fed up with the blonde.

“I promise we’re going to take care of your kid, but please don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Rosa continues.

“Thank you. That’s very kind,” Vash replies, his voice as light as ever. But from where Meryl is standing, she catches the subtle tug he gives Rollo’s sleeve. A slight nod from the boy follows.

“It was nice meeting you,” Vash says suddenly, turning to Meryl and Roberto. “But I think it’s time for us to scram!”

Before anyone can react, Vash effortlessly lifts Rollo and leaps through the window, the glass shattering around them.

Roberto sighs as he looks down into his whiskey and finds little shards of glass in it.

//

From the roof they climbed onto - at Meryl’s insistence and much to Roberto’s displeasure - they can see Vash and Rollo jumping from building to building in a strange mix of elegance and clumsiness. It’s undeniably evident that Rollo learned every move from Vash.

The men chasing them are slower but far less hesitant to use their weapons. While Meryl knows both Vash and Rollo are armed, neither makes any attempt to aim at their pursuers. Rollo has clearly learned more than just his jumping skills from Vash.

Even without Rollo in the picture, Meryl would already feel disdain for the townsfolk, trying to arrest someone they called their friend. But with a teenage boy out there, someone they’re shooting at without the slightest restraint, she can’t bring herself to feel even a shred of understanding.

“Catch!” Meryl calls out, throwing down a rope for Vash and Rollo when they get cornered by a group of people pointing guns at them.

With practiced ease, Vash catches the rope and scoops up Rollo. On Meryl’s signal, Roberto flips a switch, activating the winch attached to the rope. It tightens and begins pulling them up. When they reach the roof and land beside the two journalists, Vash hits the surface first, his back slamming against the tiles as he wraps himself around Rollo. The boy bounces lightly against Vash’s chest, completely shielded from the impact - a move Meryl can tell wasn’t luck, but pure instinct.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, thanks to you we are!” Vash says, ruffling Rollo’s hair as he sits up.

“But we’ll only keep being okay if we start moving,” Roberto says, nodding at the angry mob gathering below the roof they’re standing on.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Rollo says as he sidesteps a stray bullet.

Meryl screeches when Vash grabs her arm and pulls her forward, sprinting toward the next building, Rollo and Roberto following close behind.

They keep running until Meryl feels as if she physically can’t move even her little finger anymore. Exhausted, she flops down beside Rollo, who has stopped and is peering down onto the street.

“I think we’re safe for now,” he whispers.

“You know they’ll be after us too now, right, newbie?” Roberto says, taking a sip from his flask.

Meryl can’t bring herself to reprimand or even answer him.

“And that’s why we don’t save lost puppies,” Roberto continues with a sigh.

“Hey, who are you calling a puppy!” Rollo snaps, taking a menacing step toward Roberto.

Unimpressed, Roberto raises an eyebrow. “Calm down, kid. I didn’t mean you.”

Both of them turn to look at Vash, who chuckles awkwardly.

Meryl drops her head into her hands. “And what are we going to do now?”

“Dumb question,” Rollo says. “Obviously, we’re getting out of town.”

“Hey, be nice,” Vash scolds, pulling him into a playful headlock and giving him a noogie. “They just saved us!”

Rollo scowls some more before grumbling, “Sorry.”

Even though he looks annoyed, he doesn’t resist when Vash ruffles his hair. “See? Is it so hard to be nice?”

Rollo crosses his arms and says nothing.

Beside Meryl, Roberto clears his throat. “While this is all very cute, let’s focus on the important stuff. Do we even know how to get out of this town?”

Vash blinks as if he’s just remembered the situation. “Oh, yeah, that’s no problem! I know a way!”

The blonde’s nonchalant expression does little to reassure Meryl.

//

Meryl wishes she could be more surprised when her doubts turn out to be right.

While they manage to get out of town, they don’t make it far before Rosa and two of her friends catch up to them.

“I told you not to make this harder than it has to be,” Rosa says, her finger hovering on the trigger aimed at Vash.

Vash responds with one of his infinite lopsided smiles. “You couldn’t really expect me to just roll over and die, could you?”

“How can you do this?” Rollo hisses, glaring at the gun leveled at him. “Dad saved your ungrateful asses not once but twice, and this is how you repay him?”

“Don’t you think we know that?” Rosa asks, her voice tight. “If it were just us, we wouldn’t. But we have to think about our kids. Our babies deserve to live.”

“And me?” Rollo demands, his voice cracking. “Am I not a child? Don’t I deserve to have a dad?”

Rosa’s hand trembles, a faint quiver in her grip. The mischievous side glance Vash gives Rollo tells Meryl that no matter what happens, Vash is not going to die today.

She thinks Rollo knows that too and wonders how many of the tears he cries are just for show.

While Meryl is still scrutinizing Rollo, a soft gasp draws her attention, and behind Rosa, Tonis stumbles through the gateway of Jenora Rock. Meryl can’t help but question why this child is wandering outside the safety of town, especially with a mother as doting as Rosa. Clutching his oversized bug cage, the confusion and fear in his wide eyes tug at her heart.

“Mom? What are you doing? Why are you holding a gun to Mr. Vash’s head? You shouldn’t hurt him, he’s my friend!”

The shotgun in Rosa’s hand trembles even harder.

Before she has to explain herself to her son, Vash beams at him. “Don’t worry, Tonis. They don’t want to hurt me, we’re just playing catch!”

“Oh, okay.” Tonis’s eyes lighten up. “Can I play too?”

“Sure, just hide somewhere in the town,” Vash winks, “and don’t make it too easy for us!”

Then, as if to confirm Meryl’s earlier thoughts about the danger of Tonis wandering outside the safety of town, the ground trembles slightly, followed by a rumbling sound that grows louder with each passing second. When Meryl turns around, a giant truck is barreling straight toward them - directly at the spot where Tonis is standing.

Rosa sprints toward her son, but Meryl can see she’s not going to make it in time. Her heart pounds as she instinctively shields Rollo’s eyes, the boy frozen in place on the sandy ground beside her.

At the last moment, Vash springs into action. He pushes both Tonis and Rosa out of the truck’s path, just barely managing to get them clear of the danger. The vehicle slams into the gateway of Jenora Rock, sending sand and debris flying through the air.

A voice distorted through a mic says: “Power is justice! Power is truth! There’s no future for those who can’t fight! Get out here, Vash the Stampede! We, the Hard Puncher Nebraskas, challenge you to a duel! Where are you, Vash the Stampede?!”

Besides Meryl Roberto groans. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Meryl can’t react, before Rollo slips out from under the hand she’s still holding over his eyes. When the dust clears, she spots a Thomas galloping away into the vast desert, with Vash and Rollo riding it.

The truck follows them, faster than any Thomas can run and Meryl makes a decision.

“We’re going to follow them.”

“We’re so not going to do that, we’re lucky we survived until now”, Roberto says.

Meryl glares at her partner. Roberto sighs, long and deep, and mutters, “Fine.” Before he follows her to their van.

//

As it turns out, there is a future for those who don’t fight.

It doesn’t even take Vash and Rollo five minutes to outrun the Hard Puncher Nebraskas, who might just be the craziest father-son pair Meryl has ever met - which is saying something, considering she met Vash and Rollo.

Vash skillfully steers the Thomas through a rock-strewn path, not even breaking a sweat. The only time the bird falters is when Vash lets go of the reins to give Meryl a thumbs-up, to show he has everything under control.

Rollo immediately takes over, but not without cussing out the blonde, who only chuckles sheepishly.

There’s no fighting whatsoever; the most aggressive part of the chase comes from the insults hurled by the elder Nebraska, who proudly refers to himself as Professor Nebraska.

By the time Vash stops the Thomas, the Nebraskas broken down truck isn’t visible anymore. But though no one got hurt, Meryl can’t help feeling disappointed as she parks the van beside the bird.

She’d spent hours imagining Vash the Humanoid Typhoon since she got her assignment. She’d imagined someone who would face danger head-on, not someone who fled from it with no trace of shame.

“Why didn’t you fight back?!” she demands. “Do you think just running away makes you a better person? It’s cowardly!”

Vash looks up at her from where he’s flopped on the ground, holding out water for the Thomas to drink. He shrugs.

“Why should I fight if I don’t have to? I’d rather not hurt anyone.”

Rollo throws Meryl an angry glare. “And why the fuck do you think this is your business? How many fights have you been in, huh?”

“Calm down,” Vash says, lying down onto the sandy ground and closing his eyes.

Roberto lays a hand on Meryl’s shoulder. “The kid’s right, newbie. Not your circus, not your monkeys.”

Rollo plops down beside Vash and sticks his tongue out at her.

“Very mature,” Meryl grumbles, crossing her arms. “...So, what are we going to do now?”

“We’re going to the next city. What you’re going to do, I don’t care,” Rollo retorts.

“We’re not going anywhere before I get my story!” Meryl snaps back.

“Why’d you even follow us out here?!”

Without opening his eyes or sitting up, Vash says, “You really shouldn’t have done that. It could’ve been dangerous.”

“We wanted to help!”

“Yeah, you were such a great help,” Rollo scoffs.

“Let it go, newbie,” Roberto advises as Vash reaches over to pat Rollo’s head. Or tries to - his eyes are still closed, so he misses and pats him on the nose instead. “Calm down, Rollo.”

Rollo wrinkles his nose in irritation, and for the first time, Meryl thinks, yeah, Vash is actually the adult.

It’s silent for some time as Rollo and Meryl continue their stare-down and Roberto lights a cigarette.

Then the quiet is broken by the van's radio suddenly springing to life. There’s the sound of gunshots and then a voice saying, “Intruders at the factory! We need backup now!”

Immediately, Vash sits up, his eyes wide open and locked on Rollo.

“No,” the boy states firmly, “we’re not going back to help! They tried to arrest you!”

Vash makes puppy-dog eyes at the boy, and Meryl instantly forgets about thinking he’s an adult.

“They only did what they had to survive,” Vash protests. “They might get hurt or worse if we don’t help!”

“I don’t care! I don’t give a fuck about them! I care about you!”

Vash’s lip starts to quiver, and even though Rollo must know it’s fake - even Meryl can see it - he falters.

“I hate you,” he whines.

“Aw, love you too,” Vash says and gives Rollo a brief hug before jumping back onto the Thomas.

Before Meryl can comprehend what’s going on, they are back on their way to Jenora Rock at full speed.

//

Back in Jenora Rock, as Vash confronts Professor Nebraska and his son, Gofsef, Meryl feels she’s finally catching a glimpse of Vash the Stampede’s true power.

Even though Gofsef’s enhanced body is clearly built for combat and his father wields a grenade launcher, Vash seems almost playful as he light-footedly dodges every attack. It’s obvious that it would be easy for him to take them down, but no matter how many openings he has, Vash never once tries to retaliate. Instead, he focuses on talking them down.

If not for the occasional glances he throws back at them and the other onlookers from Jenora Rock - to check if no one got hurt by a stray bullet - Meryl would think he wasn’t even taking the fight seriously.

When the professor accuses Vash of running away earlier to draw attention away from the plant, a pang of guilt hits Meryl for calling him a coward. She doesn’t even want to imagine how horrible the residents must feel when the professor brands them as worse than villains for betraying Vash after calling him their friend.

Vash’s answer to why he still wants to save them is that they were nice to him and Meryl can’t help but think he seriously needs to raise his standards.

Judging by the murderous glare Rollo is directing at the people from Jenora Rock, she’s pretty sure he agrees.

When the fight slows to a halt, Vash declares he doesn’t just want to save the townsfolk, but also the Nebraskas. Rollo groans like he expected nothing less.

Beside Meryl, Roberto mutters, “Whose side are you even on, puppy?”

Meryl doesn’t think Vash is on anyone’s side. He just genuinely wants to help. That belief is only reinforced when he not only saves the plant the Nebraskas wanted to steal but also Gofsef.

For a moment, it seems Gofsef won’t make it. Just after he returned the plant, the bridge beneath him collapses.

He clings to the edge as the structure crumbles, and the only thing keeping him from falling is Vash, gripping his arm tightly.

“Rollo! Help me!” the blonde calls out, though needlessly, as the teenager is already on his way before can even start yelling.

The professor is held back by the angry townsfolk, and Meryl can’t entirely blame them for it.

“My son! Let me save my son!” he cries out, and before Meryl can think, she’s running over to Vash and Rollo.

The fleeting look of gratitude Vash gives her almost makes up for putting her life in danger for random outlaws. Again.

She can’t see what’s happening behind them anymore, but just when they’re about to lose their grip on the giant man, the professor and then Rosa and the other people of Jenora Rock jump in. Together, they manage to pull Gofsef up.

The professor is crying and whimpering thanks to no one in particular. If he hadn’t just tried to kill people, it might have been a heartwarming scene.

Beside where the Nebraskas are hugging, Vash and Rollo are lying next to each other, trying to catch their breath. Meryl wonders, for a second, if Vash had wanted to help because the professor was calling out for his son. But she dismisses the thought just as quickly. She might have only known Vash for a day, but she’s certain he would have done the same for anyone.

Chapter Text

For the third time that day, they end up back at Rosa’s bar, sitting at the exact same table as before. Everyone around them acts as if nothing has happened.

Even the Nebraskas join in on a drinking contest started by a beetle farmer, welcomed with open arms despite the earlier chaos.

As soon as Vash sits down, he’s pulled into a conversation about Rosa’s neighbor’s baby twins. He listens readily and smiles, but not a single person who tried to arrest him earlier apologizes or thanks him for saving them.

Meryl can’t help but feel upset about this. Rollo seems to feel the same way, sitting beside his dad, seething silently, and only participating in the conversation when directly addressed by the blonde.

However, it’s not really Meryl’s problem. She’s got her perfect story - complete with a misunderstood hero, family feels, and a happy ending. If this doesn’t earn her a promotion, she doesn’t know what will.

"You ever notice how the sand moves before a storm? It’s the gods sending their angels, stirring the winds to remind us who's in charge," an older woman tells Vash, leaning forward conspiratorially, as if sharing a well-guarded secret.

Vash tilts his head thoughtfully, sipping his drink. "Or it could be thermal currents. Heat rising off the dunes can cause-"

The woman waves him off with a laugh. "Thermal currents, bah! Always ruining the magic. Don’t tell me you don’t believe shooting stars are wishes, either?"

Vash chuckles, scratching the back of his head. "Well, they’re just debris burning up in the atmosphere, but… I think believing in wishes doesn’t hurt."

“You better believe it! I mean, what’s left for you in No Man’s Land if not believing?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Vash agrees, though Meryl can tell his heart isn’t in it.

The woman launches into a story about two angels sent to save humanity, but Meryl quickly tunes out.

She sighs, leaning back to take a sip of her well-earned gin. While there’s no official clocking out in this job, now definitely feels like after hours.

Beside her, Roberto closed his eyes. She’s not even sure if he’s still awake. He seems like the kind of guy who would fall asleep in a loud bar bursting with people.

She debates whether it would be rude to ask Rosa for a place to sleep. After all, they’ve only been here for thirty minutes, but after everything that’s happened today, a mattress and some quiet time alone sound like heaven.

Just as she decides it’s perfectly fine to turn in for the night, a scream pierces the air. Meryl’s reaction is slightly dulled by the haze of alcohol as she slowly lifts her head, watching the crowd scatter and part to make way for Gofsef. He’s covered in red, glowing metallic spiders that look unlike anything Meryl has ever seen before.

The man is sprinting for the exit, his jaw clenched and his eyes darted wildly. The professor is close behind him but is stopped by Vash. He’s struggling against the blonde’s hold on him but Vash doesn’t let go.

“Lost Tech,” Roberto whispers.

Meryl glances at him, confused. She knows about lost tech - advanced relics created long before humans arrived on No Man’s Land, from a time far beyond anything they understand. But why would lost tech be in an underdeveloped town like Jenora Rock? And what purpose could it possibly serve?

A loud bang cuts through her thoughts. Chunks of flesh fly through the air, and Meryl screams. Her mind races as she realizes the purpose of that tech. Around her, people are panicking, the professor is wailing, and Meryl can’t stop screaming.

They’d just had their happy ending. Why wouldn’t today finally end?

Rollo bolts toward his dad, who is now holding the trembling professor in his arms. Through the chaos, Meryl can’t hear what they’re saying, but the devastation on Vash’s face is unmistakable.

Roberto yanks Meryl’s arm, jolting her back to reality. The bar is swarming with mechanical spider bombs, skittering under tables and latching onto anything in their path. People run for the exit. Somewhere in the chaos, Rosa’s voice rings out, calling for Tonis, while the old woman who had spoken of angels fights hopelessly against a bomb.

Somehow, Meryl stumbles outside the bar, but the sight is no better. The streets crawl with spider bombs, clinging to helpless townspeople.

“What are those things?!” she screams at Vash, who’s standing with Rollo at the edge of the street, swatting bombs away to clear a path for people to flee the town.

“I don’t know!” he yells back helplessly.

“I do,” Roberto says grimly. “This is the work of the E.G. Bomber.”

"E.G. Bomber? Who’s that?" Vash asks as he kicks a bomb away just before it explodes.

“Ethan Gilbert Hamilton,” Roberto says, voice grim. “A sick freak who thrives on chaos - and likes to watch it up close.”

Vash’s expression hardens. “Then he must be close by.”

Meryl isn’t sure if it’s through insane skill or dumb luck when Vash spots the bomber almost instantly. Perched above them, the man is cackling hysterically before turning and running, leading them out of Jenora Rock and straight into a minefield.

An explosion detonates beside Meryl. Something warm and wet splashes across her cheek. She blinks, stunned, before her gaze drifts downward. Her stomach lurches as the splatter of blood and flesh clings to her clothes. She freezes, unable to move. She wants to scream, to throw up, but shock nails her in place, her eyes locked on the remains of the woman who had stood beside her just moments ago.

At the center of the explosions stands a gaunt figure, his sickly skin wrapped in tattered bandages.

“E.G. Bomber,” Vash whispers.

The man grins, shaking his head. “No, no! That man is long gone! I’ve been reborn, blessed by my god, my angel. Now, I am E.G. the Mine! Don’t you think it’s much more fitting?”

With that, he climbs into an armored vehicle - a tank fused with a bomb factory. Its jagged plating and blinking lights make it look almost alive.

“I heard you got a treasure for me?”, he sneers.

The bomber’s vehicle roars to life, barreling forward. Vash throws Meryl and Rollo out of its path just in time. Behind them, a sickening crunch echoes. Meryl doesn’t have to look to know that someone else wasn’t as lucky.

“Are you okay?” Vash asks as he helps her and Rollo up. His eyes narrow as they flick to the bomb attached his son’s chest.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Rollo says, though his trembling hands and pale face say otherwise.

Vash gives him a small, reassuring smile before turning to the direction the bomber disappeared in. “He’s after the Plant.”

He pats both Rollo and Meryl on the head. “Stay here. I’ll handle him, okay?”

“No way!” Rollo yells, but Vash is already disappearing into the dust kicked up by the vehicle.

It doesn’t even feel like a hard decision anymore to follow when Rollo runs after Vash.
They sprint through the chaos, but they’re too slow. By the time they reach the Plant factory, the bomber’s vehicle barrels past them again, leaving destruction in its wake.

Rollo screams for his dad as Vash and the bomber fall from the tallest building of the town. And they’re running - running again - always toward the danger instead of away from it.

When they finally catch up, Vash and the bomber stand face to face. For the first time, Vash has his gun raised and aimed directly at someone.

The bomber giggles. “I’ve been watching you all day. You’re not going to shoot. You’re too much of a coward for that!”

Vash’s eyes flick toward Rollo, then back to the bomber. The bomb on Rollo’s chest glows red, and something cold and unyielding hardens in Vash’s gaze. Meryl’s breath catches.

“You’re wrong,” Vash says, his voice low and steady. He steps closer to the bomber. “I might be a coward. But you’re threatening my son’s life. If you kill him, I have literally nothing left to lose. I’m gonna die and I’m going to take you with me.”

Vash stands directly in front of the other man now, completely calm. For the first time, Meryl realizes how dangerous he is. She’s seen him perform inhuman miracles all day long, and not once had she been afraid of him. But now, the danger radiating from him is suddenly, glaringly obvious.

The bomber seems to feel the change too. His eyes dart between Vash, Rollo and the gun, his crazed grin fading slightly before it widens again.

"So, you just kill when you can hide behind the excuse of doing it for others. You're worse than a coward - you're someone who thinks they’re a good person!"

To Meryl’s shock, Vash starts to laugh too, one single breathless laugh.

“No. I don’t,” he shakes his head. “I really, really don’t.”

The bomber's grin falters again when he tilts his head. Inspecting Vash as if he’s an especially interesting test subject he doesn’t understand at all.

“Hm. Maybe you don’t”, he says, his laugh turning mocking, “makes me feel almost sorry for you…”

Then the man shrugs. “Well, I don’t feel like dying today. The button on my belt. Press it, and it’ll defuse the bombs."

“You do it”, Vash replies, waving his gun impatiently.

The bomber obeys. He presses the button, and the spider bombs flash one last time before falling lifelessly to the ground.

Alongside his inventions E.G. the Mine collapses when Vash strikes him on the head with the dull end of his gun. He crumples to the ground, unconscious.

When Vash turns to them, all traces of the cold edge he’d carried moments before are gone. His expression is sheepish, and Meryl can almost convince herself she’d imagined the sheer weight of his presence earlier. Almost.

“Is everyone alright?” Vash asks softly. Meryl can only nod, still trembling.

Rollo rushes forward, and for a moment, Meryl thinks he’s going to hug his dad. Instead, he smacks Vash on the arm. “Stop running off alone, asshole!”

“Ow!” Vash yelps, clutching his arm dramatically. “I was saving you!”

“You were being an idiot, that’s what you were!”

Meryl feels the last shadows of the situation fade. She lets out a sharp, high laugh before she can stop herself. Her shoulders shake as Vash whines.

“You’re so mean to me, Rollo!”

“Yeah, and you deserve it,” Rollo shoots back, crossing his arms. “You’re the worst.”

Even Roberto, who’s arrived shortly after Rollo and Meryl, doesn’t seem to be able to hold back a snort. He takes a drink of his flask, muttering: "I agree with the kid. One day with you and I already have thirty more gray hairs.”

Vash turns to him and pouts.

“Get over it, Puppy,” Roberto grumbles.

Meryl looks down at E.G. the mine. He looks pathetic lying there, too skinny and too sick.

“What are we going to do with him?”

Vash shrugs. “The townspeople can decide. Maybe he also has a bounty on his head, and they can get a new plant after all.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” Rollo grumbles, obviously still not feeling very forgiving.

Vash chuckles and gives the boy a fond look. “Don’t be so hard on them. Like I said, they are just people trying to survive.”

Rollo rolls his eyes.

Vash puts an arm around the boy’s shoulders and opens his mouth to say something else, but before he can speak, a raindrop hits him. Suddenly, just as it appeared, the easy atmosphere vanishes.

With the rain comes a faint noise that Meryl can’t place at first. Then it becomes a melody.

“…Is that a piano?” she asks. Who the hell is playing music at a moment like this, with half of Jenora Rock lying in ruins?

“You have to run. Now,” Vash breathes, “and get the townspeople. You have to leave. All of you.”

When Meryl turns to him in confusion, his face is ashen. Seeing him angry for the first time, as she did ten minutes ago, was scary. Seeing him scared is terrifying.

“What-?” she starts, but the blond isn’t listening.

“Get the people out of here, and don’t follow me,” Vash says to Rollo, his tone pleading.

“Is it-”

“Yes, it is.”

For the first time since she met him, Rollo doesn’t have anything to say. He does nothing but stare as he watches Vash head back to the town they’ve just left behind.

“Who is he talking about?” Meryl asks, even though she’s sure she already knows.

Rollo only shakes his head. When he finally speaks, his voice is trembling. “We have to get the townsfolk, now.”

“I thought you didn’t care about them?” Roberto asks, but Rollo ignores him.

Once more, they race through the ruined streets, calling out names and guiding panicked residents toward safety. The town groans beneath their feet, half-collapsed buildings creaking.

Meryl can’t help noticing how Rollo keeps glancing toward where the piano music is coming from.

“Why didn’t you follow him?” Meryl asks as they make their way out of town again, the townsfolk they’d found following behind.

“Didn’t you listen? He didn’t want me to follow,” Rollo snaps. He’s holding Tonis in his arms, the boy clinging to him. They have no idea where Rosa is, or where Roberto is. They lost him somewhere. Meryl hopes he’s all right.

“Yeah? And you normally listen?” Meryl raises an eyebrow.

Behind them, they hear an explosion, but when they turn around there’s nothing to see - just more dust and sand. Maybe another building has collapsed, but Meryl isn’t sure.

“This is different.”

“It’s his brother, right?” Meryl asks carefully. “Million Knives?”

Rollo nods stiffly. “I can’t help Dad with him. I’ve met him before. He’s going to kill me as soon as he sees me.”

“But not Vash?”

“No,” Rollo says, with a certainty that takes Meryl aback. “He doesn’t want to kill him. He wants him to join him. That’s why he wants to kill me.”

Another explosion rattles the ground. Meryl clenches her teeth and refuses to turn around this time.

Beside her, as they press forward, Rollo’s voice trembles: “He thinks I’m what’s stopping Dad from coming back to him.”

As she stumbles when the ground shakes, Meryl realizes this is the most Rollo has ever said to her in one go without insulting her - and it’s about something she’s not even sure she wants to know.

Still, she can’t stop herself from pressing on. “Do you think he’s right?”

Rollo hesitates as they keep running, the other townspeople beside and behind them sounding just as breathless as Meryl.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think so. I think it would make dad hate him and if he does... I’m unsure where that hate would end.”

Meryl gets it. After today, she can’t picture Vash truly hating anyone - let alone hurting them. Would he stop with his brother, or would that hate spread to others?

Screams rise behind them and a metallic clicking noise drifts through the air. This time Meryl turns around against her better judgment. She wishes she hadn’t. Behind them, Jenora Rock is surrounded by a cloud of knives. It looks like millions of knives, and now Meryl understands the strange name.

The knives cut through everything in their path, and the town crumbles. The earth shakes, stones fall from where they’re standing. Beside Meryl, an older man falls to the ground, choking on the debris in the air.

Next to her, Rollo covers Tonis’s eyes while the boy screams for his mother, and Meryl is losing her balance.

The only thing that keeps her from falling is Rollo’s grip on her arm. Then another rockslide barrels toward them, and Meryl is screaming too, maybe even for her mother.

She still feels Rollo’s arm around her when something hits her on the head, and everything goes black.

//

When Meryl regains consciousness, she’s lying on the ground in the middle of a group of people. Even from a quick glance, she can tell that only half of the people living in Jenora Rock have made it out. Beside her, a little girl is crying, and a man is clutching the spot where his arm had been only a few hours ago.

Some people are still looking for their families or friends, running around heedlessly, while others only stare at the remains of their town.

“Hey, newbie,” a rough voice says. “Glad to see you made it.”

Next to her sits Roberto, with his flask in hand. A smile that doesn’t reach his eyes tugs at his lips when she looks up at him.

“Is it… over?” Meryl croaks, her voice hoarse, as she blinks, trying to make sense of everything around her.

“I really hope so, newbie.” Roberto hands her his flask, and she takes it.

“Where’s Rollo?” she asks. She doesn’t remember everything, but she knows the boy saved her. “And Vash?”

Roberto nods to the side. “Over there.”

Vash and Rollo are standing a bit outside the crowd of townsfolk. This time, they are actually hugging, and there are tears running down Rollo’s face, leaving clean lines on his dirt- and debris-covered face.

Vash runs his hand soothingly through Rollo’s hair, but his eyes are scanning the townspeople of Jenora Rock.

A few feet in front of him, Rosa and Tonis sit on the ground. Meryl exhales in relief when she sees that neither are hurt. Rollo must have been able to save not only her, but also Tonis.

When a voice breaks the eerie silence, it isn’t Vash’s, who opens his mouth more than once without any words coming out, but Rosa’s.

“So, that monster was your brother?” the woman says slowly. Meryl can’t see her face, but from the tone of her voice, she’s sure it’s filled with disgust.

“You’re the reason our homes got destroyed? Why our children got hurt?”

Vash’s face falls, his eyes flickering with guilt. It’s obvious that he believes what she’s saying.

His voice is barely a whisper, “I’m sorry. I... I’m going to-”

“You’re going to do nothing. You’re going to leave, never come back, and hope we’ll never cross paths again,” Rosa murmurs, clutching Tonis in her arms. The boy is crying in his sleep.

Vash doesn’t say anything. He smiles again, and God, does Meryl hate his smile. It’s so fake and hopeless, and she wishes he would just cry. He tugs at Rollo’s sleeve when he turns around. “Come.”

Rollo mutters, his voice cold, “You go ahead.”

When the boy turns toward Rosa, she flinches. Where disgust had been in her voice, there’s now pure hatred on his face.

Vash frowns. “Why-“

“Just a second, okay?”, Rollo interrupts him, “…please?”

The blonde’s frown deepens but he still nods. Trusting without having to know the reason for Rollo’s request. “Okay.”

He hesitates, looking over the people of Jenora Rock as though wanting to say something, but then seems to think better of it. He gives Meryl and Roberto a nod and turns around, not before ruffling Rollo’s hair. “Don’t take too long.”

Once Vash is out of earshot, Rollo spits, his voice raw with fury, “You disgust me.”

Meryl isn’t sure if he’s addressing Rosa or everyone around them.

“Knives wasn’t even here because of Dad. He came for your fucking plant. But it’s easier to blame someone who’ll just take it, right? Someone who saved your asses even though you tried to sell him out for money. I hope you never get another plant. I hope you rot in hell.”

Rollo’s gaze hardens as he locks eyes with Rosa. “And if we ever cross paths again? You’ll learn that I’m not my dad. I’m not nearly as forgiving.”

With every word, Rosa shrinks back, her face paling, and the sleeping Tonis trembling in her arms. Even though the woman has just lost everything, Meryl doesn’t feel sorry for her.

With one last hateful glance at the mangled crowd sitting scattered on the ground, Rollo turns around and runs after his dad.

Roberto raises his brows. “I guess that means it’s time for us to go, too?”

“I still want to get my story,” Meryl says.

Her partner rolls his eyes. “Sure, that’s why you want to follow them.”

They don’t say goodbye when they get to their van and drive off. As the town and its people slowly fade behind them, Meryl wonders if she’ll ever really leave this place behind.

//

When they catch up to them, Vash is carrying Rollo on his back, the boy fast asleep, snoring lightly.

Meryl thinks it’s quite impressive that, after the day he’s had, Vash can still carry at least 120 pounds of grumpy teenager around - especially with how thin he is under his bulky red coat.

"What are you doing here?" Vash asks when he sees them, his expression light again as if nothing happened.

“Why the hell are you smiling?” Meryl blurts out, before she can think better of it.

Vash shrugs. “Well, I don’t really think I deserve to cry, huh?”

“That’s some bullshit right there, kid,” Roberto grunts. “You deserve to cry just as much as anyone else. Maybe even more after what I’ve seen today. Now get in before newbie throws a scene.”

Meryl turns to Roberto, surprised. When did he get so protective of the 'puppy you shouldn’t help'?

“Ah, I couldn’t-” Vash starts.

“Yes, you can,” Meryl interrupts him. “At least let us take you to the next city.”

Vash glances at Rollo, whose head is lolling on his shoulder. His face softens, and he shrugs.

“Yeah, okay.”