Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Daily Special ❯ Daily Special ( Chapter 1 )

Meryl glanced at the neon bar clock as she rushed past it and sighed. Only nine-thirty and she was already longing for home. The job was decent enough for now, and the customers were friendly and respectful to her, especially after she'd bent a tray or two over their heads. They still flirted with her, but at a distance. Meryl didn't mind that, though she never responded to their overtures. She had someone better waiting for her at home.

Someone she wouldn't see for hours at this rate. Meryl's boss had come to trust her enough to give her extra duties, which was good for her paycheck but bad for getting home at a decent hour. She crossed her fingers and hoped that tonight would be quicker. Between work and exhaustion, she and Vash hadn't been able to squeeze in more than a few kisses lately, and Meryl was growing frustrated. She had needs, after all.

"Hello, everybody! What's on the menu?" A loud, familiar voice rose over the crowd, and Meryl almost dropped her tray. What the hell was he doing here? "I'm hungry! Hey, waitress?"

That spiky-headed pain in the ass… Meryl looked over, and sure enough, there was Vash, lolling back at a table with a smug grin on his face. Any other time, she would have beaten the tar out of him for dropping in on her like this. But, the boss was watching, and the boss didn't know that they were on such intimate terms, and if she was rude... She smiled sweetly over her shoulder, and made a motion that to any other customer meant, "I'll be there soon."

"Soon" was subjective. There were beers to be served to table seven, and a plate of nachos and rings for table ten, and as she worked, Meryl put an extra swish in her walk because she knew Vash was watching.

"Aw, come on!" Meryl winced - Vash sure did know how to project his voice when he felt like it. "What do I have to do to get some SERVICE around here?" I'll show you service, she thought, annoyed. Resisting the urge to stalk over, she made her face reflect only perfect cheeriness, and took the bait.

"Yes, sir? What can I get you?" she fluted through gritted teeth. "We have a special tonight, chicken-fried steak and potatoes, with a complimentary sundae. Or, an appetizer sampler..."

"Can I just take the waitress?" Vash interrupted, and Meryl turned scarlet. A smattering of laughter and knee-slapping arose from the other regular male patrons, some of whom had taken Meryl's tray over their head more than once.

"Better watch it, sonny boy," one of the older ones called out. "She's a firecracker, that one!"

Meryl narrowed her eyes but kept her expression steady. There was more than one way to handle this. Besides, if she hit him, Vash would pout later. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid my boyfriend wouldn't be very happy about that." A wicked thought occurred to her and she continued with a smirk. "But you know, he's not that great after all. What do you have to offer?"

Vash looked stunned for a moment before recovering some of his natural aplomb. "Surely I'm much more handsome than this fellow."

Meryl shrugged. "That's not hard." Again, Vash hesitated. "May I take your order, sir?"

"Oh, right. Just some wings and a beer."

"Small or large?"

Vash looked her up and down. "Well, I do like the small ones," he drawled. "But you know... I'm feeling big tonight."

Meryl tried not to roll her eyes. "Right. I'll get on that."

As she brushed past Vash towards the kitchen, she felt a hand squeeze her rear. She whipped around but Vash had already withdrawn his arm and affected an innocent expression. She glared, but turned around and continued on her way. It was unfair for Vash to behave this way when he knew he was the only one she'd hesitate to smack, and even then only because of his puppy-dog eyes and his bedroom generosity. Meryl sighed. It wasn't as if she'd have minded if they were alone.

Back in the bar, the other patrons were regarding Vash with new respect. "Boy, you've got some balls on ya," one old grizzled geezer said. "Most of the guys here'd try that and lose a hand."

Vash shrugged. "You just have to know how to handle women."

Another man, younger and drunker, barked a laugh. "I'd sure like to handle that one. It's a damn shame for her to wear that tight uniform and then not share anything with us."

"What'd you want her to do, Joe, take it off so it's not a bother?"

"Maybe. I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that - shit!" The table he was sitting at suddenly toppled, spilling the man's mug of beer on his lap. Vash slowly removed the leg that had surreptitiously tilted it so as not to attract attention.

"Goddamn rickety tables, cheap no-good..." The drunk's voice trailed off as he scrubbed his pants legs with a napkin. "Hey! Another beer over here! Better make it a free one because of yer stupid table!"

Another harried waitress hurried over with another pint. "Here you are, sir."

"Thanks, good-lookin'." The drunk man leered and turned his attention to his drink. As the waitress passed by, Vash passed her a few double-dollars, and she looked down in surprise.

"What's this for?" she asked. Vash jerked his head towards the drunk, who was singing into his beer. Comprehension dawned on her face, and she grinned. "Thanks a lot!"

Meryl was stacking chicken wings on trays when Kimberly took a place beside her on the line. "Hey, Meryl, watch out for the big tipper," she said. "He's at one of your tables."

Meryl glanced sidelong at her compatriot. "Big tipper? One of those guys?"

"Mmhm." Kimberly nodded. "The blonde guy, hair kind of spiky? He tipped me and I didn't even do anything for him." She grinned. "Actually, if you don't mind, we could switch tables. He was kind of sweet. Flirting with this one might not be so bad."

Meryl's jaw dropped. "Um... ah..." An unhappy vision flashed through her mind: Kimberly fawning over Vash, pressing her cleavage against his side as she brought his food and offered to serve him in more ways than one. "No thanks, Kimberly. I can take care of him by myself."

Kimberly blinked. "Okay, no problem. What are you getting so upset about?"

"I'm sorry, do I seem upset? Not at all." Meryl affected naïveté and left the kitchen, Vash's chicken wings in hand. Outside, she muttered, "Don't you even think about it, Kimmy."

She strolled across the crowded restaurant, making deliberate eye contact with Vash. He grinned, slowly, as she put the tray down in front of him. "Anything else?" Meryl purred, brushing his arm with her breasts.

"My beer," Vash said, unable to keep a smirk off his face. "Make it quick, would you?"

"The bar is backed up tonight. It could be a while before you get anything."

Vash heaved a sigh. "And here I was, hoping for a cold one. Oh well, I'll take something even if it's warm, as long as it's wet."

Don't blush, Meryl told herself. She turned away. "I'll see what I can do, sir." As she started to leave, she felt his fingers trail up the inside of her leg. How did he do that? she thought, trying to shrug off the pleasant tingle the touch brought. Then again, no one ever beat Vash for sleight of hand.

A flurry of new arrivals to the bar meant that Meryl barely had time to get Vash his beer before rushing off to help the other customers - no time for flirting. The irony was not lost on her. When he'd shown up, Meryl had wanted to kick him out, but now she wanted to continue their little game. A minor collision with Kimberly made things worse, covering Meryl's apron with nacho cheese. She swore under her breath as she stomped through the back hallway to the laundry room.

A tall figure was silhouetted in the hallway when she came back with a clean apron. Meryl squinted through the dimness. "Can I help you? Customers aren't supposed to be back he - mmfff." She was cut off when the figure swooped towards her, pressing her against the wall and kissing her. Meryl stiffened before the man's tongue parted her lips and she relaxed - only Vash kissed like that.

"When do you get off tonight?" he whispered into her ear, leaning down to press soft, quick kisses on her neck.

How about right now? Meryl bit back the immodest reply. "Not until eleven, and then I have to do the books." Vash didn't seem to hear her; one hand slid down to cup her ass and his leg pressed between hers.

"That's not fair," he murmured, moving his hand up further under her skirt. "You look so good in this waitress thing, and you're going to make me wait until you get home." Meryl shivered and tilted her head back as Vash's tongue flicked over her neck. "In fact," he continued, "right on the bar would work for me. How about you?"

Only the presence of about fifty noisy customers kept Meryl from agreeing to it right then and there. She bit down hard on a loud gasp as the hand up under her skirt slid around and began to tease her lightly. "Damn it, Vash…" she growled, her breath speeding up, "I'm going to kill you."

"I've heard that before," Vash replied, pressing harder. Meryl closed her eyes.

"Meryl? MERYL!" Kimberley's voice echoed in from the main room. "Where are you, Meryl?"

"Shit." The mood broken, Meryl shooed Vash's hands away. "I had better go."

"Language! You'd kiss me with that mouth?" Vash teased.

"Oh, shut up, you're no innocent. And go wash your hands." Meryl dashed off, hoping that her blush would go unnoticed.

The next couple of hours were filled with longing glances at Vash when she thought he wasn't looking, and suggestive comments from him when he thought no one else was listening. When her fifteen-minute break came up, Meryl was tempted to pull him into the back room to make out like teenagers, but there was no way to be sure that they would be no interruption and she didn't relish the prospect of being the topic of diner gossip for the next week.

Damn him for showing up like this. If she'd been able to concentrate on work, Meryl wouldn't be so bothered by the fact that all she wanted to do was push him down and have her way with him. Despite his words, he'd be asleep by the time she got home. Just a snoring lump beside her after hours of serving drunks and being lonely as s he balanced the books.

As she stood up to get back to the floor, her eyes fell upon the key rack on the opposite wall. A dangerous idea blossomed. Enough was enough. How much longer was she expected to wait?

When his waitress came to hand him his check, Vash was surprised to feel something cool and hard beneath the scrap of paper. "I hope we've pleased you tonight, sir," Meryl said, her eyes sparkling in an interesting way. "Do come again soon."

There were too many people watching, so Vash bit back a comment about who could please who later. Instead he picked up his check, palming whatever Meryl had left under the slip of paper. He paid his bill, leaving a generous tip - it was all the same money, but it would make Meryl happy - and sauntered off into the street.

Under a nearby streetlamp, Vash lounged back against the pole and took out whatever Meryl had given him. In the flickering light, the serrated edge of a key winked at him like a promise. His gaze traveled to the back of the restaurant, where a battered tin door was half-hidden by an assortment of trash cans. Grinning, Vash tossed the key in the air and caught it again, then settled down to wait.

Inside, Meryl impatiently watched the patrons filter out one by one, or get thrown out into the street by the barkeeper. The minutes ticked by, one flicker at a time over the wall clock, and she fiddled with her pen. Turning receipts over one by one, she added to the previous rows of neat entries, and managed to lose track of time for as long as five minutes. Every sense was attuned to the expectation of hearing the rusty old door in the back start to open, and shivers of anticipation fluttered in her stomach.

She closed her eyes, imagining what Vash would do when he arrived. It hadn't been that long since he'd touched her intimately, but Meryl felt starved for it nonetheless. She couldn't help but grin at her own impulsiveness, sneaking Vash the spare key like that. It wasn't like her to mix business with pleasure.

Meryl ended up so lost in thought that she almost missed the creak of the door - almost. It seemed quieter than usual, but Vash had a lot of practice at being stealthy. A shot of anticipation went straight to her core, but she managed to feign interest in her work even as she heard his footsteps draw nearer.

He ran his fingers down her bare arms from behind when he reached her. Meryl grinned and kept writing until Vash yanked the pen out of her grasp with one hand and lifted her chin with the other, pressing his lips to hers in a hot open-mouthed kiss that made her gasp.

"You shouldn't be here alone," Vash murmured, between kisses that traveled down her neck. "Someone might come in and try to take advantage of you."

Meryl twined her fingers in his pale hair and purred, arching her head back. "Should I call for help now that someone's here?"

"Not if I can help it." Vash started to lift her to her feet, and her knee bumped the table, almost upsetting it. With a yelp, Meryl tore herself away and smacked her hands down on her piles of receipts before they could scatter.

"Sorry," she said, firmly trapping the piles inside the restaurant's heavy ledger. "That would have been a heck of a mess."

Vash gave an aggrieved sigh. "Are you done with that stuff now?"

"This is my job, idiot."

"Whatever." Vash gave the ledger a cursory inspection and then shoved it to the side. "Where were we?" Strong hands closed around Meryl's waist, and she squeaked as Vash picked her up and set her down right on the table.

"You love doing that, don't you," she complained, leaning back under the relentless assault of his mouth.

"Doing what?" Vash nibbled at her earlobe and started to work a hand down her shirt.

"Showing me what a big strong man you are." She let out a gasp as his questing fingertips slid over a nipple.

"But you're so little. I can't help it."

"You can help being an overly macho jerk - ah!"

Vash nipped at her neck in a teasing bite. "You want me to restrain myself?" he murmured, his breath hot against her cheek.

"Do it and I turn you in for the bounty."

"You missed me, didn't you?" Vash asked between kisses.

"Hmm, maybe." Vash removed his hand from Meryl's blouse and ran it under her skirt and between her legs. "Ahh!" She clutched his shoulders when he edged her panties to the side and rubbed her with his fingers.

"Feels like you missed me," he said. Meryl bit her lip rather than answer in the enthusiastic affirmative. Her hips didn't seem to get the message, grinding against his hand. "I missed you." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close for a deep kiss.

Meryl could feel his arousal pressing against her leg. "I hope you weren't walking around in public like that."

"No." Vash kissed her again. "Just seeing you like this is enough. Only you can do this to me." He rubbed up against her and Meryl closed her eyes, imagining what else they could do to each other. "Do you have any idea what it was like, having to watch those slobs watch you all evening, wanting to tell them I'm the only one you want?" He squeezed her ass with one hand. "Am I?"

"You have to ask?" she managed to reply, as he pulled at the ties of her apron. With a quick tug, it was up and over her head.

"I like to know." Nimble fingers went to work on the buttons of her dress. "And here's another thing," Vash continued, pushing her shirt open. "If any one of those morons touches you again, I'll make sure they regret it."

Meryl allowed herself a moment of self-satisfied smugness at the image of one of the tiresome louts she served every night meeting a very pissed-off Vash the Stampede in a dark alleyway. Don't mess with my boyfriend, she told the unfortunate victim, and smiled.

She placed a fingertip on Vash's nose and traced down over his lips. "You are," she began, pulling her finger away from the delightful tease of lips and tongue and moving lower, "…the only man…" Her touch dipped lower, lingering at the junction of shirt and chest. "…That has ever made me feel quite like this." The slow, pinpoint caress traveled over the hardness between his legs, and Vash shuddered. Meryl started to stroke him through his pants, and continued. "And you've certainly ruined me for anyone else, so you have to finish what you've started."

"I'm only just getting started," Vash whispered, and pushed her blouse aside to let his lips close over her breast. Meryl purred and ran her fingers through his hair as he sucked and teased first one nipple and then the other to a stiff peak.

"I did miss you," she murmured. "I missed having you touch me like this. I miss-" Her words were cut off by a groan as Vash reached between her legs, rubbing lightly at her again. "I miss that."

"Me, too." Vash licked at her throat, then pulled back. "But..."

Meryl glared. "But what?"

"Are you sure you want to do this here?" Vash hesitated. "I mean... you do work here, and this isn't the most equipped place..."

Meryl thought about it. If she had heard about any of her co-workers doing the same thing, she would have been appalled. All she knew right now was that Vash was here and she wanted him very badly. And in all fairness, she probably wasn't the first employee of the restaurant to engage in after-hours shenanigans.

"No," she said decisively, pulling him into her arms for another kiss. "I want you, Vash. Right now. If this damned desk is all we have, then we'll use it."

Vash chuckled low in his throat and laid her down on the surface, boosting himself up on one knee to follow her. Right on cue, the desk creaked dangerously in a long, drawn-out groan, indicating that any more weight would result in imminent structural collapse. "I don't think this is a good idea," he said, backing down. Meryl growled.

"Where else, then?" she asked, and then a wicked smile spread over her face. "You did have a good idea earlier, you know."

"Earlier? What do you - oh." Remembering, Vash scooped her up in his arms, and Meryl wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her into the main bar. "Naughty girl. What would your boss say?"

"The same thing he'd say if he knew we did it on his desk," she replied, tartly. "Probably, 'you're fired.'"

Vash snickered. "That's your boss's desk?" The grin on Meryl's face got wider, and he laughed outright. "Who would ever have thought you'd do that?"

"I had a good teacher in terms of getting in trouble." Meryl squeaked a little as Vash set her down on the polished tin surface of the bar. "Cold!"

He considered. "Wait a moment." A few minutes later, he came back with a handful of seat cushions from the spare chairs in the back. "How's this?"

"Perfect." Meryl arranged the cushions behind her while Vash climbed up after her.

"Now, where were we?" he murmured, leaning over her.

"About here." Meryl took his right hand and placed it back between her legs. He slipped his hand under her panties and sank one finger into the warm wetness, and she gasped, closing her eyes.

"Do you like that?" Vash asked softly, slowly moving his finger over her and adding another. "I love feeling you like this," he added, kissing her exposed belly. "Knowing that you want me... it gets me hard like nothing else."

Meryl moaned and ran her hands down his shoulders. "Vash, please... I need more..."

Hold on." Vash moved off her and Meryl was ready to sit up and smack him one out of frustration when she felt his hands move up under her skirt and expertly undo the snaps on the tops of her stockings. One tantalizing inch at a time, he rolled her stockings down her legs, letting his fingers trail down the inside of her thigh. Once both of them were off, Vash turned his attention to her panties, pulling them away and sliding them down. "That's much better," he murmured, pushing her skirt and petticoats up around her hips. "Much, much better." His last words were part of a caress as he lowered his mouth between Meryl's legs, kissing up one thigh until he reached the junction.

A small part of Meryl's mind scolded her, telling her that lying panty-less on a bar while receiving oral gratification from her lover was cheap and trashy. She told the voice to shut the hell up, and when Vash's tongue darted out to taste her she couldn't think in words at all. She gasped and arched her back, trying to resist the urge to press harder against him.

Encouraged by her response, Vash probed deeper with his tongue, parting her folds with his hands to expose the tiny nub of swollen flesh inside. He made warm wet circles around it, breaking rhythm every so often to tease the hidden point under the hood. Meryl whimpered helplessly, her hips rocking slowly on the bar.

"Oh god, Vash, please," she moaned, "please..."

Raising his head for a better angle, Vash wound his arms around her legs to hold her in place, and began to stroke more firmly, his tongue moving in short hard strokes over her. Her cries echoed in the open room, more desperate with every passing moment, and Vash redoubled his efforts.

Meryl shook under his expert ministrations, mindful of the drop to the floor but unable to restrain the bucking of her hips. The pleasure washing up from her groin was intense, all-consuming - but then, Vash was special like that, and damn but she hadn't even liked this kind of thing before him - and then any coherent thought scattered under the sudden surge of an orgasm that lifted her hips right off the bar. There was a time when she might have been ashamed of the sounds coming from her throat, but it felt so good that she didn't care if the whole town heard. Shaking, she collapsed onto the cushions, one arm across her eyes.

A lightening of the pressure on her legs told her that Vash had sat up, and when she could manage it, Meryl cracked one eye open to see him perched on the bar, still ready and very pleased with himself. "That sounded like a good one," he teased, running a hand over her lower belly.

"It was," she whispered, and shut her eyes again. After hearing a thump, she opened her eyes to see that Vash had hopped off the bar and was looking with interest at the neatly-lined up rows of bottles.

"Don't think this is an open bar," Meryl warned him. "I'll have to pay for it if the boss notices the inventory loss."

"Just a little nip." Vash snagged a glass and poured himself a shot, downing it quickly. "I think I've earned that. But just this one - gotta keep the waitress satisfied."

Meryl smirked. "As long as that's all. You wouldn't want to hinder your performance." She glanced downwards and couldn't hold in a giggle. "Do you have any idea how silly you look?"

Vash glanced down at his pants, which displayed a sizeable bulge. "Don't make fun of me," he whined. "You're the one who's tormenting me."

"And whatever could I do to remedy that?"

He came closer. "I can think of one or two things."

When he came near enough, Meryl reached out to touch him through his pants. Vash made an encouraging noise in his throat and she undid the button of his jeans, sliding the zipper down. She resisted the urge to have another giggle at his ducky boxers.

"I know what you're thinking," he grumbled, as Meryl pushed his jeans down off his hips. "Why do you think my underwear is so funny?"

She couldn't suppress a smile. "Because there are very few people on this planet who would believe that Vash the Stampede wears ducky boxers."

Vash wriggled, and there was a soft heavy thump as his pants fell off the bar. "If you'd hurry up, Vash the Stampede wouldn't be wearing ducky boxers any more."

"So impatient," she teased, but her hands were already sliding down his stomach to dip below the waistline of his shorts. Vash's eyes fluttered closed, and he sighed happily when Meryl's fingers closed around him and began to touch.

"This would be better if you took these off," he complained, pressing against her.

She traced the head of his erection with one fingertip. "You did say I was tormenting you. I'm living up to your expectations." He growled in response, and Meryl laughed. "All right, all right."

Once the boxers had joined Vash's pants and Meryl's stockings on the floor, Vash crawled over her, pushing her back onto the cushions. Meryl turned her attention to the buttons down the front of his shirt, letting them fall open one by one. "You really are all man," she murmured, caressing the hard muscles of his chest and back. "And, you have a great ass." An appreciative squeeze accompanied her statement.

Vash kissed her deeply as he used his hands to position her hips, letting her legs fall open. "Did I ever tell you nailing a waitress on a bar was a fantasy of mine?" he asked, stroking her with his fingertips.

Meryl wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Any particular waitress?"

"A short, sexy one," Vash replied. "You know, you're still wearing too much."

Meryl held him tight. "Don't you dare stop," she admonished. "I want you, Vash. Right now."

Vash didn't waste any more words. After double-checking his balance, he entered her slowly. He paused before sliding out again and Meryl sighed, relishing the feeling of them together like this. She always savored his moment, just after he was inside her. Nothing else mattered and no one else existed. It was just him, just her, and the pleasure they created together.

Meryl moaned as Vash moved again and he leaned in, his lips against her ear. "Do you like this, Meryl?" he murmured. "How does this make you feel?"

"I don't know," she said, trying to maintain a seductive tone even as the pleasure between her legs started to make it hard to think. "How does it make you feel? It's probably about the same."

Vash leaned down and nipped her on the neck. "You know what you are to me, insurance girl," he said. "But damn, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love to do this with you. Sometimes, you're all I can think about."

She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. "They did warn me that you were a pervert, Mr. Vash the Stampede."

Vash thrust forward, forcing a moan out of Meryl's throat. "Who would have thought that you were one too?"

"I'll get you for that," Meryl whispered, and wrapped her legs around his back. Any further threats were cut off when he kissed her, hard, and they started to rock together in earnest.

It was a dingy old bar, and it was a crappy place to work, but Meryl was sure that the sex couldn't have been any better if they had been in the poshest thomasdown bed in December City. It always surprised her how compatible they were, considering the differences in height and age and all the rest of it, but there was no question that her lover was talented. And, she thought, the best part was that Vash reciprocated the feeling.

Meryl pressed her hips against Vash as he thrust into her and the bar creaked ominously. "Careful," she breathed as he continued his motions. "Don't... wanna fall..."

Vash grinned from above her, his sweaty palms pressed against the bar top. "Don't worry," he murmured. "We're just... fine..."

The movement of his hips took on a greater urgency and Meryl closed her eyes, lost in the sensation. Nothing else mattered but the feeling of him deep inside her. There was no scandalous behavior, no peril of falling, just male and female joining together in the most primal way.

With every motion, the pillows underneath them shifted towards one end of the bar, the sound of fabric on wood keeping time with Vash's hard breathing and her soft cries. Meryl reached out and closed one shaking hand over the brass rail on the bar, as much to give herself some focus as to keep them from moving all the way to the wall. Their loving had so many personalities - sometimes sweet and slow, sometimes intense, sometimes a fun quickie on the lunch break at home - but it was the complete loss of self into the other that she liked the best. Whether it was Vash's naughtiness or the forced deprivation or both that was causing it tonight, she didn't know, but the feeling of oneness engulfed her while his rapid thrusts pushed her body towards orgasm.

Meryl opened her eyes to see her lover again before the wave could take her, and fell in love with Vash all over again at what she could see in his face. Perfect love, perfect pleasure - and that wonderful gold hair falling over half-lidded green eyes, stray locks darkened with sweat. There was enough sense left in her to wonder again who could ever have thought this was possible before the world contracted to a single point of desire, and then the movement of him inside her brought her climax crashing down, her arms around his neck, and her head tossing helplessly on the scruffy corduroy cushion.

Deep groans escaped Vash's throat as he continued his thrusting. He was moving within her, still seeking his release. Meryl wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her and encouraging him with murmurs. The movement of his hips was fast and shallow, and the body moving against hers was taut with tension. Meryl moved with him, urging him on, and then - "Meryl," he whispered once, twice, and her name was lost to moans as he came, surging into her, his mouth pressed against her neck.

They held each other for long minutes as their breathing slowed, and the empty room was once again silent enough that the only noise was the steady dripping of the faucet behind the bar.

After a while, Vash lifted himself up and gave her a soft kiss before pulling out, and she was a little sorry at the loss of their most intimate connection. A warm rush spilled out in his absence, and Meryl sat up and put a hand over the trouble area.

"Um... Vash?"

"Hm?" He glanced over at her, preoccupied with recovering his pants.

"Give me a handful of those cocktail napkins, please?"

"What do you need those for... oh." Vash looked both embarrassed and pleased with himself. "Here."

"Thanks." She cleaned herself up, amazed as always at how much mess sex made when everything was said and done. "Do you want some?"

"Whiskey?" Vash asked, hopefully.

"No, idiot, napkins." He took them with a snort, and then fished for his boxers and clothes. Meryl followed his lead but didn't bother with her stockings.

"That was wonderful," Vash purred, sidling up to her and sliding his arms around her waist.

"Mmm." Meryl leaned into his snuggle before pulling away and walking around the bar to a small cabinet in the corner.

"What are you doing?" Vash asked, mystified.

Meryl held up a rag and a small spray bottle. "Cleaning." She removed the cushions they'd lain on and began scrubbing the varnished surface.

Vash stared. "After... that... you want to clean?"

Meryl shot him a look. "I'm not about to leave it for the morning crew. Having sex on a bar without cleaning up afterwards is impolite, you should know that."

He shrugged. "Never bothered me before."

"VASH!" Meryl whirled around, almost dropping the bottle. "You didn't!"

"Kidding!" He held his hands up in mock surrender. "I agree, it's definitely gross. Do you want some help?" In answer, she tossed him another tattered rag.

They cleaned most of the bar and sprayed disinfectant on the cushions before Meryl was satisfied with the result and pronounced them finished. The neon light in the bar clock illuminated a time that was far closer to one in the morning than she had expected, but the old adage about time flying held true. Vash closed the door to the cabinet of cleaning supplies with a flourish and made a mock-pained face at her.

"My knees already hurt, and you made it worse with all that scrubbing," he complained, folding her into an embrace.

Meryl sputtered. "Your knees hurt? What about my back, you insensitive clod?"

Vash pouted. "At least you had pillows! Now I'm going to be stiff in the morning."

She snorted. "How is that different from every other day? Don't whine. It's not like you were doing hard work."

"You're one to talk. You got to lie there and enjoy it. A lot, if I remember correctly." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "I think I worked you hard."

She rolled her eyes. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"But you love it." Before Meryl could refute this assertion, he tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply, his other hand straying again to the hem of her skirt.

"All right, there's only one way to settle this," Meryl said when the kiss ended.

"And that is?"

"We go home right now," she said. "And we do it in a nice, soft bed that won't hurt your knees or my back." She sniffed. "It's only fair."

An enormous grin spread across Vash's face. "I like compromise."

"Shall we?" Meryl asked, after tidying up the ledger and shoving it back onto its shelf. "Oh, the key, too." Vash tossed it to her and she put it back on its peg. "Don't want anyone to notice anything unusual."

"And what's so unusual about what we're doing?" Vash replied, sliding one hand over her rear. "We could do something at home that's unusual, if you want."

"Stop it." She chased his hands away, but a little smile remained in the corner of her mouth. "Vash. why did you come to the bar tonight, anyway?"

"Why do you think?" he teased, sweeping Meryl up into his arms. "To check out the daily special, of course."

Neatly evading the incoming smack, Vash carried her home.



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