a conversation about scars
[ID: A Trigun comic. Vash is shirtless with his back to the viewer, showing off his many scars and metal implants. He complains, “Oh, c’mon… The shirt got stuck… Argh.” Wolfwood’s finger pokes him at the base of his neck, and Vash exclaims, “Ack! Wolfwood!?”
Wolfwood, looking down, asks, “Does it ever hurt?” Vash’s eyes go wide with surprise, and he looks down and says, “No– Sometimes they ache, but nothing unbearable.” Wolfwood kisses the back of his neck and then leans against Vash, silent as Vash cheerfully laughs, “Got it! It’s free, finally!”
Wolfwood still looks sad, and Vash turns back and smiles nervously to ask, “What is it?” Hand over the grate over Vash’s heart, Wolfwood says, “… I was just thinking it would’ve been better had I met you sooner.” He hugs Vash from behind, and the background goes dark.
“If I were with you earlier, I’d been able to stop you from making dumb decisions. And protect you when you do.” Wolfwood’s expression is heavy as he looks down Vash’s back and says, “Then you’d at least have less of these.” He puts his face against Vash’s back, and Vash, mouth tight, thinks, “.. When he puts it like that… It’s so embarrassing somehow…”
Vash moves away and says forcefully, “But– I don’t want you to protect me. Because then– you’d get hurt.” Wolfwood angrily replies, “Huh? Are you forgetting– Scars don’t last on me!” Vash angrily exclaims “Idiot!” and grabs Wolfwood’s collar.
Wolfwood, irate, goes, “Idiot!?” but Vash pulls down Wolfwood’s shirt as he leans their foreheads together. He exclaims, “I meant up here!” Vash looks upset and says, “Just because your body won’t leave anything– doesn’t mean nothing every happened!”
Wolfwood grits his teeth as Vash continues, “So don’t say that– I can take care of myself and I… wouldn’t want you to be burdened any– mh?!” He breaks off with a loud sound of surprise when Wolfwood pulls him forward to kiss him.
Scowling very fiercely, Wolfwood demands, “Don’t call yourself my burden. That’s up to me!” Vash, flushed and scowling back with one hand raised to his mouth, shouts, “That’s what you’re upset about?!” For a second, they stay in the same positions, Vash braced over Wolfwood as they glare at each other, both labeled “upset.”
Then Vash turns somber and says, “These scars don’t bother me at all and I own responsibility for them… And… at least, I can count mines.” Wolfwood looks away as Vash touches his hair and says, “What about you?”
They lie down, Vash on top of Wolfwood as he says sadly, “I’m never going to know how many times you’ve been shot, how many times you had to drink that potion. (You won’t even tell me how it works…).” There’s a close up panel of Wolfwood’s eyes, tired and guilty, and Vash continues, “Don’t focus on me now… Please just protect yourself first.” Wolfwood responds, “You have to consider yourself first too.” Vash says, “This isn’t about me,” and Wolfwood argues, “Yes it is.” Vash says, “Nuh uh.”
There’s a final cartoony panel of them against white space: Vash pouting with annoyance at a ticked Wolfwood. Their next speech bubbles hover in white. Wolfwood aggravatedly shouts, “Listen to your own advice!”, and Vash exclaims, “Ack–! Don’t get mad, Wolfwood!!” “Fin” is written next to a donut and lollipop.
At the very bottom of the page is a cartoony sketch titled “Alt to p.4″. Vash presses their heads together and shouts, “I meant up here!” Wolfwood looks down with confusion at his bare chest. Vash looks down too, sweating. Wolfwood, squinting, says, “My ch–” but Vash cuts him off with a shrieked, “NO!!” End ID]
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