I'm not normally a fanfic writer, buuuuuuuut... I wrote this a while back. Because I'm a nerd.
Lip balm - A Trigun Stampede fanfic
“Are you serious?! You don't have any at all?!” Meryl snapped, dabbing at the blood on Vash with her handkerchief.
Vash sheepishly ruffled the hair at the back of his head.
“Heh heh, I guess I just haven't paid much attention to it. I'm so used to the dry conditions, I kind of quit worrying abou- Ouch!” he winced, hissing through his teeth. He gingerly touched the pads of his index and middle fingers to the massive split in his lip that was now bleeding everywhere.
“In that gaping maw of a duffel, you don't have a single tube of lip balm? And you practically live in the desert going from town to town?” she asked incredulously.
Vash only gave his typical smile; the one keeping secrets and stuffing every emotion under a mountain of others.
“Unbelievable!” Meryl huffed with annoyance. Despite her state of disapproval for lack of preparation, she was still incredibly gentle towards the humanoid typhoon.
”I knew she couldn't be all sand between your teeth like Wolfwood seems to believe,” he thought to himself. He watched quietly as her indigo eyes tended to a wound so small with such careful intent. Her eyes flicked up to his and he felt his face flush for a split second.
“Wait right here,” she commanded as she stood up.
The diminutive reporter lightly stomped with purpose to the back of the truck she and her mentor had shared with them these past several weeks. They had now been traveling together long enough that they were naturally oscillating between times of genuine concern for each other to obnoxious roaring laughter to absolute indignation for bad habits and annoying ticks. Despite the occasional bickering and the endless sea of sand they traversed, Vash found himself growing more and more curious about the petite and fierce woman that made up Meryl Stryfe, but he also grew more concerned. He felt a pit begin to form in his stomach as he watched her at the front of the truck digging through her bag.
She was so young and too inexperienced to be in a place like this. The deserts of No Man's Land were dangerous and unforgiving. It was far more likely to take what little you had than to ever give anything in return; especially for a young, smart, pretty girl like Meryl. He felt guilt creeping in like vines around him yet again.
“She'll be another victim if I don't find a way to leave them before we reach Julai,” he thought.
It was hard to sneak off though with Wolfwood seemingly always on watch. He hadn't figured out why Nick was with them yet, but he had a hunch it involved his brother. That made his stomach twist as he turned his gaze to Wolfwood. Nick was casually sharing a smoke break with Roberto and checking the map again to make sure they got to Julai as fast as possible.
“There's only one reason he'd be in such a hur—”
“Found it,” Meryl said, reappearing out of his peripheral and interrupting the swarm of dark thoughts that threatened to take over.
“Found what?” Vash asked.
“My lip balm,” she said crouching down into the sand in front of him. She held out her hand and in it was a small, thin, yellow cylinder and a tiny silver canister. “Oh and some ointment to help the cut heal faster. You let it get pretty bad, but at least it looks like the bleeding stopped. You'll want to apply some any time it starts to feel dry until it's healed completely. Then you can just use the lip balm whenever your lips feel chapped. Otherwise it'll just keep splitting, and I don't think you want to hear Roberto complain anymore about you getting blood on the seats,” she said with a smirk.
He let out a small chuckle at the attempted joke. Vash felt uncertain about borrowing what looked to be valuable goods, and he started to feel guilty all over again. He was just a waste of space and another drain on resources. He began to protest,
“Meryl, no, I can't take these! They're yours and they look expensive and —”
“Vash.”
He stopped dead in his tracks, and looked up from the tiny tube and canister in his hands to see her face. Even though she had said his name firmly, he caught the softness in her gaze and felt a tenderness radiate from her unlike anything he'd remotely known in his long lifespan. She smiled warmly at him.
“Wait… she… wants… me to have these?” he questioned to himself.
“You know,” she started, “if you need something, you can always ask, right? It's okay to have needs. Everyone does. Just…” she hesitated and looked down at her hands resting on her thighs, hands clenched into fists.
She had his full attention. She was giving him something, and not expecting anything in return. It was a gift. How long had it been since anyone had given him anything?
She looked up and met him with a purposeful look, eyes deep with intent and cheeks ever so slightly flushed - whether from the desert heat or something else, he wasn't sure.
“Just…” she continued, “…let a friend take care of you for once. Okay?”
Resolve settled in his heart, and he swallowed down an ache that hadn't been present in decades. Maybe longer.
“Okay,” he whispered.
Meryl breathed a sigh of relief as her shoulders and fists relaxed.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Psh! Thank you!” Vash said with a playful smile as he waved his hand across the air. “Meryl Stryfe saves the Humanoid Typhoon from despairingly chapped lips! Ha! I can see the headline now!”
“No one would read that!” she retorted, and let out a small chuckle herself. “But thank you. I'm still getting the biggest scoop here getting you to Julai. It's going to make me famous!” she said with triumph as she held her chin high, hands resting confidently on her hips.
“Maybe,” Vash said. “If I help one person out in this wasteland, it'll all be worth it. Even better if it's you.”
“Wait what did I just say?!” he reprimanded himself.
Meryl's face turned a bashful pink, and she giggled nervously.
“Ummm, heh heh yeah, well…” she continued, “um anyways!… Oh! It's a fruity flavor by the way. I think it's supposed to be strawberry? I've never had a real strawberry, so I assume it's pretty close to the real thing. Hope you like it. It's my favorite. And I have an extra one, so you don't have to worry about me going without.”
“Of course you have a backup. You always do,” Vash remarked while feeling a little silly about being so worried. Of course Meryl was prepared. “Thank you. I promise to use it well.”
“Good” she smiled.
“HEY! ARE YOU TWO FINISHED PUTTING BAND-AIDS ON THE TYPHOON’S BOO BOOS YET?!” Roberto yelled from the front of the truck. “We need to get moving again and quit losing daylight if we want to make the next town before sundown!”
“Yeah yeah we're coming you old smoky grouch!” Meryl yelled back.
Vash laughed at her. Maybe Meryl was more resilient than he thought. Maybe she would be okay. Whatever happened, he knew he had to protect her. He'd do whatever it took to make sure she was safe. She was the kind of person he knew humanity was capable of being. If he could save one, it would be worth all the grains of sand in No Man’s Land.
They loaded back up into the truck and started off. Vash pulled out the ointment and applied a little to the cut, then he applied the balm. Sure enough, it tasted exactly like a real strawberry - or at least what he remembered from the last strawberry he'd had ages ago. Sweet, slightly tart, with a hint of acidity. He tucked them into his coat pocket and looked up towards the front of the truck. To his surprise, he caught Meryl smiling at seeing him use it. He smiled back with gratitude, and she turned her eyes back towards the sea of sand before them.
He caught the flavor on his lips again and wondered for a fleeting moment if a kiss from Meryl would taste the same - or better.
