#i hope you're still okay with being tagged even 84 years later

[shenzhiheng]

―You Better Be Lightning, Andrea Gibson

↳ @userdramas event 17: plot twist — shan gudao's resentment for li xiangyi

[greetingfromthedead]

C11: Laundry Day

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Series Rating: 18+ / Explicit

Chapter: 11/84

Words: 1.9k

No particular warnings for this chapter.

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It's been a week since the two of you escaped the town. You hadn't come across any other settlements, but now you have reached a bigger town where everything seems calm. You reach it late in the afternoon and book a guestroom at the local inn. You take a slightly bigger room than last time and agree that since you don't really need sleep, there's not much point in taking two rooms. Vash agrees with sharing a room but still occasionally insists that you should sleep. Over the last week, you gave into his demand once after keeping watch five nights in a row and allowing him to have peaceful rests. He felt so guilty over it, no matter what you had told him, that on the sixth night he couldn't even fall asleep and told you that he would keep watch. You had argued back for a bit, but then gave up, thinking maybe sleep would help you calm down the voices in your head that had surfaced once more and don't seem to be soothed completely even by Vash's presence. You had woken up in the middle of the night to swap with Vash and had to admit that while sleeping felt nice, the voices in your head were just as loud.

The week has gone by quietly, just the two of you and the tomas tracking through the desert; neither of you really revealed much of your lore to the other. Instead, you spent more time talking about No Man's Land. You told Vash what you had seen 100 years ago, and he told you what had become of those places now. He told you about towns that were erected after you went to sleep and his adventures in them. Every time you wonder how he has seen so much and gotten out of it alive, especially since you have seen how he is, but you didn't touch that subject, too afraid to push him away, you were willing to wait forever for him to truly open up as long as he would put up with you, his presence removing the loneliness you had always felt.

The bathroom door opens, and you turn your gaze away from the window as you sit on the wide bed, your legs pulled against your chest. You see Vash exiting the small room, his hair still damp, but he wears a clean change of clothes. You can see a pile of dirty laundry on the floor behind him. He looks a bit more cheered up from the refreshing shower.

"Okay, your turn. I'll deal with my laundry later. I hope you don't mind it being on the floor." He smiles awkwardly.

"Only under one condition... You have to do me a favor." You feel weird for what you're about to ask him.

"Anything," he assures with a neutral expression.

"Uhm. I... I need a change of clothes, and I... I don't... well, you know... I don't want to go speak to people... on my own." You add the last part solely because you don't want to sound like a complete wimp.

"Oh, no problem!" He sounds like a cheerful puppy. "Well, one problem. I saw the place where they trade clothes, and the woman has already closed shop. I was thinking that you might need some extra stuff, so I kept my eyes open."

"Oh well, guess I'll just be nude then while my clothes dry," you say quietly, knowing what reaction this would get out of him. And you are completely right: he turns bright red in the face.

"While I have nothing against it at all, I think I have a spare shirt in my bag that I kept clean for emergencies." He mumbles out. Too much of a goody two shoes to leave you in a situation where your options were to wear dirty and torn clothes or to be naked. He digs through his bag, throwing more dirty clothes into the bathroom, and finally pulls out another black turtleneck. He gives it a sniff and then throws it at you. "No pants, though; not that they would fit you well anyway."

"Thank you." You catch the shirt and smile at him. You know his shirt is big and long enough for you to wear it as a short dress. You keep it against your chest like a treasure when you get up and grab the other stuff the hotel provides for your wash. As you pass Vash, he gives you a gentle smile, and you see it in his eyes too.

You lock the bathroom door and throw off your dirty clothes. The wounds in your stomach and chest are all gone; there are not even any scars pointing at where they used to be. You get into the shower and turn on the water. You try noticing the temperature, but it barely registers with you. Something deep inside you wants to feel the cold, but as you change the temperature, it leaves you unsatisfied; even the lowest setting doesn't give you the sensation you seem to yearn for. You let out a sigh and start to clean off the dirt and dried blood that is left on your skin in one form or another. It feels nice to be clean, and your hair detangled and free of debris. With the towel still around you, you see that the shower pan is quite deep, and you find a plug for it. You throw all the dirty clothes into the pan and fill it with water before drying yourself off completely and pulling Vash's turtleneck on. Everything is too big on you, and it makes you chuckle. Vash doesn't look like a large person under his coat, but he has wide shoulders and a muscular physique, not to mention he is tall with long limbs. You roll up the sleeves to your elbows and pull down the shirt a bit more; this way, it's halfway to your knees. You feel the thick fabric against your skin and smell the collar. It is clean, but it still has a faint scent that you are used to smelling on Vash; it brings you peace and calms the raising voices in your head. It gets harder every day to ignore the screaming and buzzing; the voice is so familiar, and the memory is so close.

Instead of lingering on the discomfort in your brain, you unlock the door and step out. The room is lit by the sunshine coming in from the window; the brightest spot is the table underneath it. Vash is sitting there and has taken apart his gun to give it a clean. His supplies are scattered around the work surface. He turns to look at you when you step into the bedroom and lets out a whistle, starting with a high note and lowering it quickly.

"I'd have offered you my clothes a lot sooner had I realized how well they suit you." Vash's voice is joyous and almost too innocent. He stands up to come closer. You don't move and only look at him with curiosity. As he stands toe to toe with you, he looks at you for a moment longer before taking off his sunglasses and turning them around to place them on the bridge of your nose. "Great, you're only missing my coat, and then you can go off and be Vash the Stampede."

"Funny man," you reply, voice neutral, "I'm missing a few key characteristics... like the desire to get shot."

"Your words sting, woman!" he says with a hurt expression and a condescending tone, but you feel the chuckle behind them.

"Even so, I'm sure "Vash the Stampede spotted running around with no pants on!" would be a catchy headline." You look at him through the orange glasses. He and the whole room appear sunnier, happier, and filled with warmth.

"No, don't think so; it didn't turn many heads last time, but with you, things might be different." He laughs with a genuine smile on his face, and it makes your heart lighter. It feels good to see him like this; every moment he seems happy makes you proud, and you want to squeeze him tight as a sign of it. He hasn't told you much about his past, and he doesn't need to. You know he has suffered a lot and still does; the pain of it is painted on his face when he thinks you can't see it.

"You are a ladies' man, aren't you? A womanizer, a skirt chaser if you will," you say while looking up at him like you blame him for something.

"What makes you say that? Are my charms working on you?" He seems almost too proud of it, and you slowly shake your head with a sigh, a smile lingering on your lips. "What? Are you too embarrassed to admit I have game?"

"You are a tease. Probably the most un-serious person I've ever come across." You look him in the eyes, "And somehow, also the most serious, unshakable soul. You are an intriguing contradiction."

"Is it so hard to admit a simple truth?" He has a very playful expression on his face as he leans closer; you don't think you have seen him like this before.

"I'd rather die than admit something like that." You joke, not shying away from him.

"You were dead when I found you."

"Yeah, that shows how far I'm willing to go." Your arms yearn to reach out to him, to pull him closer, but instead you step around him, one of your arms nudging his as you pass, and go to sit at the table to look at the weapon on it. You haven't seen it this closely before. You pick a piece of it up; you aren't even sure where it would go. Never before have you held a gun in any form; they make you feel uneasy, how they are able to take a life from afar.

"You call me unshakable? You're more stubborn than a tomas." Vash says quietly right behind you, his breath moving your hair and sending a shiver up your back. He lets out a laugh as you turn around, one hand over the spot where his air had tickled.

"You're so annoying," you blurt out, still looking at him through the orange glasses. His face is so close to yours, even though you are leaning back a bit.

"Yet you still stick around," he laughs, a glimmer in him making your heart burst. "I'm not complaining, Sweet Pea."

"Outrageous. Do confined spaces always make you like this? I don't remember you acting up under the open desert sky. You were very civil." You reply calmly, still teasing him.

"It's not the confined space that makes me like this. No, no, it's probably you wearing my shirt that's slowly creeping up."

That comment brings heat to your cheeks. Quickly, you put the piece of the gun back onto the table, and then both your hands pull the shirt down more and keep it on your lap. You were still completely covered, and you realize he only said it to rile you up. Apparently, he is just as good at teasing you as you are at making fun of him. He laughs and takes half a step back.

"Only joking, Sweet Pea, don't worry. Well, maybe part of what I said was true." He shrugs and reaches out over you to pick up pieces of his gun and starts to put it back together. You are blocked in, and he doesn't look like he will let you get away.

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[mrvdocks]

Plus One

“That’s a straight no.”

“What? Why?”

“Come on,” You laugh. “I can hear the sirens coming for you now. She looks like she’s a junior in high school.”

He cocks his brow, “You do too and I still live with you.”

You playfully smack him. “That’s different.”

“Why? Because you can't handle seeing me with someone else?” He says smugly.

@mochminnie and anyone else that would like to get tagged :)) 

(Chapter one) 

Morning of Nancy & Jonathan’s Wedding

The daylight shines on his face when he wakes up. He looks down to see you’ve disappeared and instantly thinks yesterday was a dream. He’s almost disappointed.

“You snore too loud.” You say as a matter of factly, coming out in a robe and towel. 

It wasn’t a dream. He smiles.

“You hog the blanket too much.” He retorts, flipping the covers over and getting up to stretch. 

"It's like thirteen degrees outside of course I'm going to take it."

"There's layers to this, you know that right?" 

“Alright, alright Casanova, do you want to stay here sparring with me or go find the love of your life?”

He stretches his arms, then sighs. “Not sure if I’ll meet the one if I’m half-naked.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised.” You wink, going back inside the bathroom to get ready.

Only an hour later and you two were nearly late because he decided to play hideaway with your heels. You didn’t protest as much but they were the only fancy shoe you’d brought to match the nuptial’s dress code. 

You rushed into the elevator, counting down to at least ten minutes. It should be enough time to walk over to the chapel. 

You glance at Steve, seeing him look out of it. 

“Hey,” You tug at his arm. He straightens up. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just been a while.”

Part of him wondered if they would remember him after so long.

“Well if they’re not talking about you, they’ll be talking about how messy and out of place you look. Here, let me fix you.” You fix his Windsor knot stay in place and then move his floppy hair, letting a single curl of hair rest on his forehead.

“Is this really how you styled it?” You lift yourself on your toes to get more of it but he moves aside.

“Hey, hey, don’t damage the goods.” 

“Is that - hold on, ” You take a whiff of his hair. “Oh my god.”

He rolls his eyes. “Alright, laugh it up.”

“You smell like my mom!” You chortle. 

He pushes you playfully as the elevator doors open and he walks out with you hysterically laughing. He smiles nervously at the passing guests as they file out to the chapel.

“That’s so cute. Listen, if you don’t end up with anyone our age here, you can definitely bag one of the aunts. I’m sure they’d love you.” 

“It was my go-to in high school, alright? Girls loved it.”

He can see the subtle upward quirk of your mouth as you smothered a laugh. 

“C’mon, before we become those people who hog all the attention.” You interlinked your arms and made your way past the field of green and a big brown chapel. 

You both sat in the middle row on Nancy’s side, meeting all of her family and being introduced to her sister Holly, brother Mike and his girlfriend Jane. You couldn’t stop staring as Mike and Jane sat and goofed with each other. 

“Been together since ‘84, and they still can’t get enough of each other,” Steve tells you in a hushed voice as he leans to you and begins giving you the dirt on everyone there.

Jonathan’s mother, Joyce sits at the front with a gruff looking man who kept trying to take out a pack of cigarettes. She’s pretty, and definitely doesn’t look as old as Steve says she is. She has a timeless beauty to her. Steve tells you that the man she’s with is Hopper, the same man whose wedding you would be attending later in March. Jonathan’s brother, Will sits to his mother's left and is in deep conversation with a man Steve doesn’t recognize. 

Steve goes on a tangent on how different and grown-up everyone looks. He goes into details about things they used to do back in Indiana, some things crazy and others unbelievable. He almost sounds sad for not being able to see their growth for himself but that’s not a story he’ll tell you anytime soon.

You’re conversing with Jane when everyone quiets down and music starts playing. You stand and watch as Jonathan marches right up to one step to meet his brother and hug him momentarily. Holly enters, picking petals out of the basket and dropping them as she passes. Nancy enters soon after slowly, keeping tempo with the music. Her dad is older, more filled out, and grey-haired than Steve originally remembers him. Her mother, however, is stunning in a way that doesn’t overshadow her daughter. Her blonde hair is pulled into a half updo, she smiles warmly to guests as she carries the tail of Nancy’s beautiful cream dress. It's an eye-catching tulle gown with floral accents and lace sleeves that move comfortably with her. 

Nancy’s brown hair is long and curls at the end, decorated with a pearl headband, her slender nude manicured fingers holding onto the bouquet gracefully as if she was a princess. She’s naturally gorgeous, with touches of blush on her cheekbones. She takes your breath away. 

You’re almost a little jealous Steve got to date her. 

“Please be seated.” The priest says.

You accidentally sit on Steve’s hand, making him jerk quickly but fast enough to avoid attention. You're locked in the entire time, entranced by every little detail from the soft brown tones of Jonathan's suit to the camera pin he wears to the embroidery on Nancy's heels. 

The ceremony is beautiful, you even catch Steve tearing up at Jonathan’s thoughtfully written vows for Nancy. 

“You may now kiss the bride.” 

The crowd goes wild, cheers and whistles all around as Nancy and Jonathan kiss and he twirls her in a circle. She’s smiling shyly as Jonathan peppers her with kisses. Will steps in and takes a couple of photos before whispering something into Jonathan’s ear and making him laugh. The bride and groom rush outside hand in hand, rice and flowers being thrown as they disappear past the golden-brown of the chapel. 

You and Steve give each other a look, thinking this wedding plan might not be so bad after all. You’re seeing love in its purest form. 

The reception is held in a small banquet hall, music is being played by a band of fine instruments led by people Steve tells you are part of Nancy’s family. The whole place is decorated to bring out the snow and natural elements outside. Windows wide open, the brown of the hall illuminated by fairy lights hanging from above, a cute photo booth with a retro moon to pose with, and a DJ soon after the band leaves. 

“Come,” Steve says, intertwining your hand in his and leading you over to where Nancy and Jonathan are. 

Jonathan notices him first and immediately hugs him. Steve hugs him tighter, letting them sway for a moment while you introduce yourself to Nancy.

“Hi, I’m -”

“You must be the one Steve talks so much! I've heard a lot about you!” She giggles. My god, even her laugh was beautiful.

“Beautiful wedding! I am in love with you - your dress, I’m sorry.” You say, flustered. Nancy takes no offense and instead envelopes you in a hug. 

“Thank you! It was a lot of stress but I'm glad we could finally get it to come to fruition. Steve never told me you were this lovely.”

You wave her comment away, feeling shyer than ever. “Please, I’m just so glad I finally get to meet THE Nancy Wheeler.” 

“I hope you’re not trying to steal my wife,” Jonathan beams, bear-hugging you. 

"I would never." You grin. “You’re a lucky man, Mr. Byers.” 

“Mr. Byers was my dad, please call me Jonathan.”

You nod, feeling the warmth and love that Jonathan and Nancy were giving off.

"So? How are you two? How's New York?" Nancy asks.

You and Steve glance at each other to see who goes first.

"Good! So good." You say in unison. 

“So what’s going on with you two, huh? Any crazy stories?” Steve asks, eager to get the attention off of him for once. 

“Well,” Nancy looks at Jonathan. “Jonathan was a freelancing photographer for a while but he was just hired for a two-year contract by Life magazine!”

You and Steve look at Jonathan wide-eyed and with jaws dropped. Jonathan smiles shyly.

“Jon, oh my god congratulations!” Steve says, pulling Jonathan into another hug. 

“It was just a split-second decision, he almost didn’t send the photos in time but I convinced him.” Nancy smiles. "They want to send him to Amsterdam next week."

"Europe for the honeymoon? That's amazing." You gush, thinking about the canals and all the great food.

“And that’s not all,” Jonathan rubs at Nancy’s back with his other hand. “Nancy’s accepted a job up in New York as a journalist.”

“No way!” You feel your excitement skyrocket.

“We’re moving into the East Village in March, just after my mom’s wedding.” 

“That’s amazing you guys, I’m so happy for you.” Steve is absolutely over the moon. 

“Thank you and please help yourselves!” Jonathan’s eyes crinkle as he smiles.

“Hope to see you guys soon!” Nancy exclaimed, before being met with more family to greet. You and Steve say goodbye and gush over them. 

“I can’t believe you got to date her.” You remark, sipping more of the champagne.

“Yeah well, I was lucky to even kiss her. Looking back, I think they had it for each other all the time. I was just in the way.”

Projecting onto her, he thinks.

You frown. “Personally, I’m glad to see it all worked out in the end. To the happy couple!” 

You bring your glasses to toast and snicker when some of it spills onto Steve’s lap. He tries to get you back but you evade him.

The orchestra ends and the DJ begins his set. He starts off with some lovey-dovey tunes you remember your mother playing from her childhood.

“Come on, let’s dance!” You exclaim, taking Steve’s hand and pulling him up and away from the table. 

The dance floor is decently packed, The Del-Viking’s “Come Go With Me” echoing through the walls of the banquet hall.

Steve makes a fool of himself, flailing and dancing exaggeratedly while you move side to side to the dum dum dum, occasionally doubling over when Steve stumbles back into someone.  

The music shifts after you two are completely tired out, changing to The Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”. Definitely Jonathan’s choice.

You and Steve pair up, dancing slowly with your head on his shoulder.

It’s a nice feeling, to be like this with someone. You didn’t know how you felt about Steve, besides the fact that he could be annoying as all hell and a bummer. But he wasn't so unpleasant to have around. He just needed to let loose. He wasn’t going to be twenty-eight forever. 

Maybe it was too early, you saw how he’d freaked about Danny. 

“Hey, five o’clock.” He whispers in your ear, ripping you away from your thoughts.

“What?”

“What about the girl at five o’clock? She seems nice.” 

“Spin me.” 

He spins you out to see a girl in a nice pastel blue colored dress and bouffant talking to Jonathan. He spun you back in.

“That’s a straight no.”

“What? Why?”

“Come on,” You laugh. “I can hear the sirens coming for you now. She looks like she’s a junior in high school.”

He cocks his brow, “You do too and I still live with you.”

You playfully smack him. “That’s different.” 

“Why? Because you can't handle seeing me with someone else?” He says smugly.

“Pfft. She’s got babyface. Just trust me.”

The music shifts throughout the night, some electronic, another alternative, or more classical and then back to lovey-dovey. 

At the end of “Earth Angel,” you’re just about ready to leave and kick off the heels that just won’t quit squeezing your feet. 

“I’m starving.” You whisper into his ear.

“There’s food here.”

“Yes, and I’m still hungry. I need to severely gorge on something big right now.”

Steve chuckles lowly, about to make the joke you feared once the words ‘something big’ left your lips.

“Don’t you dare.” 

“Yes, dear.” He snickers. 

Once you’re away from the view of family and friends, you unbuckle the straps of your heels and breath in relief at your chains being taken off. Steve walks past you but you whistle to him to catch his attention. 

“Well? Come on.” He motions for you. 

You throw your head back and whine. “I can’t walk. These things have worn me down.” 

He chuckles to himself shaking his head. “Alright, hop on.” 

He turns and bends to your level, letting you climb onto his back like a monkey. You wrap your arms around his neck, him holding you up by your thighs. 

You nestle comfortably into his shoulder, letting out an audible sigh. 

“Don’t get too comfortable up there, you have the keys to the room.” He warns, but you’re fast asleep by the end of the sentence. "So much for being hungry."

He gets soft looks and compliments of ‘being a great boyfriend’ from different guests but he doesn’t have the energy to correct them. The dancing tired him out. 

He uses the pointy end of your heel to click the elevator button and is careful with you when entering. Your soft sighs and deep breaths comfort him in some way. Your fingers twitch around his now loosened tie, softly scratching at the nape of his neck. It gives him goosebumps, but he relaxes into it, letting the warmth creep up to his cheeks.

He’s too lost in the feeling to notice when the doors open, the elevator dings to alert him. When he’s out, he shakes you slowly to wake you up. You stir and hum but stay asleep. He maneuvers your bag to face him, getting the key painfully slow. The door hinges creaking don’t wake you at all. 

He lays you down onto the side where he sleeps, careful with your shoes and your bag. Putting them aside, he makes a move to close the door but your hand grabs at his wrist and pulls him back. 

He glances down at you, still asleep but still holding on. “I have to close the door.” He whispers.

“Steve.” You murmur. 

“Yeah?” He brings himself to ask, entranced by you. 

You mumble incoherently, letting go of his wrist and turning your side to get comfortable.

He sighs. 

"It was a nice wedding." He says, getting the suitcases out of the cab while you tip the driver. 

"It really was. Plus I'm glad I got to take one of these suckers home too." You dig through your bag, pulling out the towel teddy bear that had previously been on your hotel bed. It looked a little deformed now but you could fix it.

Steve makes a surprised noise, "We steal things now?"

"It's not stealing if they were just going to put another one back."  

"Well, I wish could've taken some of that shampoo. It made my hair smell great." 

"Oh don't worry I got a couple of them in my suitcase. You can have them."

He looks at you with intrigue. 

"What? We can't live fancy?"

He shakes his head, his shoulders shaking as you head into the apartments.

"Hey, sorry I ruined your shot looking for someone at the reception."

He shrugs, feeling it wasn't a big deal. "That's why we have the other three, right? Plus, I had fun. I wouldn't have wanted to be in my head the entire time." 

The answer satisfies you but you promise yourself to aim higher at the next wedding.