Chapter Text
When the key clicked in the lock, she was so lost in the music, she didn't even hear them. Head thrown back, belting the chorus at the top of her lungs, Ruby flitted around the kitchen, stirring a pot of vegetarian chili. As she twirled in place, she caught a glimpse of the twins as they set down their bags, grinding to a halt with a shriek.
“Oh, God, Vash!” she cried, catching herself. “Hey. Oh, hi, Nai,” she added, turning the music down.
“Hey,” Vash replied, walking over to give her a kiss. “Whatcha… listening to?”
She gave him a quick peck, then stirred the chili again. “Oh,” she mused, “my cousin sent me a link to this indie band the other day. Their music's all I've been listening to.”
His brows shot up. “An indie band,” he repeated, leaning against the refrigerator, crossing his arms. Nai came up behind him, resting his hand on his shoulder. “What's their name?”
She picked up her phone, showing him the paused track. “Maximum,” she beamed. “They've been trying to get me to listen to them for years. They're Eli's favorite band.”
With a smirk, Nai remarked, “You don't say.”
Turning back to the chili, Ruby continued, “They're kinda… numetal? They only did a demo EP, but it's so good.” She hit play, but cranked down the volume to a tolerable level for conversation. She put her phone down on the counter, then grabbed three bowls from the cabinet. “You both staying for dinner?”
Neither of them answered, so she glanced over at them. Vash had a blank stare on his face, his gaze distant. Nai was chuckling and shaking his head.
“What?” she asked, holding out two bowls. “I thought you liked my chili.”
Nai just rolled his eyes, took a bowl, and gladly accepted the ladled portion. “I'm not about to turn down free food,” he smirked, sitting at the table. “Vash, you wouldn't normally, either.”
“Yeah,” he muttered, snapping back to reality. “Um, yeah, I guess we're both staying.”
Smiling, she passed him his own bowl. “Go ahead,” she told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I wanna put some dishes away before I sit down.”
Wordless, he nodded, then joined his brother at the table.
In the kitchen, Ruby started singing along to the track again, her voice accompanied by the clinking of dishes as she unloaded the dishwasher. The twins ate in silence, Vash shooting nervous glances at Nai as they ate.
“She's really getting into it, isn't she,” Nai mused.
Vash could only swallow, taking another spoonful of chili in his mouth.
She stopped mid-chorus, apologizing. “Sorry,” Ruby laughed, “you're probably not in the mood for dinner and a show.”
“No, it's fine,” Nai encouraged. “It's your apartment, we're just in it.”
Vash kicked him under the table, his eyes flaring. “ Nai, ” he begged. Unshed tears were obscuring his vision behind his favorite orange sunglasses.
“Yo, Ruby,” Nai continued.
“Yeah? Oh, shit,” she exclaimed, glass clinking together. “What's up?”
“You know anything about this band?”
She turned the music down further, then poked her head out from the kitchen. “No,” she replied, “like I said, my cousin sent me the link a few days ago. I didn't really look them up or anything. Why?”
He shot her a smirk. “Just wondering.”
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly, then looked at Vash. His back was to her, his head dipping down low, and there was a subtle shake to his breathing. Her heart dropped, and she walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” she breathed, “something wrong, honey?”
A shiver ran down his spine, and he turned to look up at her. A single tear rolled down his cheek, trailing over the beauty mark beneath his eye. His voice was strained as he said, “I'm--I'm fine, really.”
“Babe,” Ruby gasped, wrapping him in a hug. “You know you can tell me what's wrong.”
He sniffled, his face buried in her shoulder. He said something she couldn't quite make out, so she relaxed her grip. This time, his words were clear. “Nothing's wrong , really.”
She kissed the top of his head, then went back into the kitchen, returning with her phone and a bowl of chili. She took the seat next to him, rubbing his shoulder and then lacing her fingers through his prosthetic hand.
His fingers twitched, then settled, squeezing three times. With his free hand, he pulled off his sunglasses, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. “I take it you really like their music, huh?”
She couldn't help but grin. “Hell, yeah.”
“You should look ‘em up,” Nai smirked, earning him a kick from Vash. “Ow, goddammit, Vash, stop doing that!”
Her eyebrow raised, she grabbed her phone, and after a few taps, she was looking at a very sparse wiki page for Maximum.
Maximum is an indie numetal band from November City , she read. Founded by twin brothers and fronted by their childhood friend, they have released one demo EP, having since retired after guitarist and co-founder Vash Saverem lost his arm to Ewing's sarcoma.
“Oh my God,” she breathed, her phone falling from her grip. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilating as she looked from Vash to Nai.
Vash swallowed thickly. “Um,” he said, his face flushing crimson.
Grabbing her phone, she looked again, scanning the page. Drums, Nai Saverem. Guitar, Vash Saverem. Bass, Legato Bluesummers. Lead vocals, Nicholas Wolfwood, she read. Her jaw dropped. Eyes narrowing, she tried to compose herself, but the words were still a hiss. “Why didn't you tell me you guys had a fucking band?”
“It was really more of a hobby,” Vash chuckled nervously, earning him a kick from Nai. “Ow.”
“We're even,” he said to his brother. To Ruby, he chipped in, “He made me swear not to tell you.”
“Why?”
Biting his knuckle, Vash took a deep breath. “It was… between my arm, and Nico… I didn't really wanna get into it.”
Her grip on him was fierce as she beamed, “Well, now's the perfect time to take it back up!”
“What,” he deadpanned, looking at her like she'd grown a second head.
Rubbing her hand up and down his arm, she pointed out, “With your new prosthetic, you've got the necessary control to play again, don't you?”
His brows knit together, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. His chest was tight as he said, “Yeah, well, it's not that easy, Roo.”
Tilting her head to the side, she offered him an understanding smile. “Yeah, well, Nico aside, do you still talk to the bassist?”
He smacked his palm to his forehead. “ That's what you're thinking?”
Snickering, Nai chimed in, “Oh, yeah, I still talk to Legato. He kinda moved to fuckin’ Europe, though.”
She laughed, that high, tinkling laugh that reminded Vash of bells. “That might be a problem,” she admitted, bumping her shoulder against his. “But I'm sure you could find somebody else.”
“Probably,” Nai agreed.
Rolling his eyes, Vash sighed at his twin. “You're not helping, Nai.”
With a shrug, he replied, “She's got a point, brother. It's been two years. You've had plenty of time to get used to the new arm.”
Looking away, Vash was quiet.
Standing, Ruby slipped her hand from his. “I'm gonna get more chili,” she said, changing the subject. “Nai, you want some?”
He hefted his bowl toward her. “If you please,” he answered.
With a light touch on his shoulder, she roused Vash from his stupor. “Babe? You want more chili?”
“No, thanks,” he answered. “I'm… I'm full.”
She kissed the top of his head, and disappeared back into the kitchen, humming a few bars of one of their songs under her breath.
Nai's hand closed over his forearm as he stared at the table. “Think about it, Vash,” he said. “We could bring it back as a hobby band.”
“I thought you were too busy with law school,” Vash pointed out.
Running his hand through his ash-blond hair, Nai laughed. “Even lawyers gotta blow off some steam, brother. I can only memorize so many concertos before I go insane.”
Just then, Ruby returned with a second helping, sliding it onto the table in front of Nai. She stepped behind Vash, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on his right shoulder. Her breath tickled his ear, frosting the metal of his industrial and sending a chill down his spine.
“Just think about it,” she whispered, kissing the corner of his jaw.
After a few moments, he conceded. “Alright,” he sighed, nudging her head with his own. “I guess I can see how much I remember, test if this arm is any good.
“Only if you agree to do the vocals,” he added, nosing at her cheek.
A squeak escaped her lips. “Sorry, what?”
Nai's brows shot up, his eyes flaring wide. She wanted to reach over and slap the grin off his face as he exclaimed, “Oh, absolutely . You're actually decent, and there's no way in hell we're bringing Nico back.”
She couldn't help blushing. “Thanks, Nai.”
“Besides,” he added, “if you can't manage the chords, Vash, we can either get you a bass, or you can try playing lefty.”
Vash was already shaking his head no. “I am not going to flip the guitar around,” he replied. “It was hard enough to learn the first time.”
Giggling, she nuzzled his ear, careful to be gentle against his piercing. It was almost two years old, but she'd managed to snag it a few times since he'd gotten it, especially during a romp in the sheets. The long bar of the industrial contrasted nicely with the single hoop in the opposite lobe, and she'd been delighted when he first approached her with the idea.
“So you are going to try and pick it back up,” she thought aloud, fluffing his hair.
“Um,” he started, his mind going blank. “I didn't… say that.” Leaning down, she blew a raspberry against the side of his neck, earning her a yelp. “Ruby! Mercy! Mercy! ”
She was laughing, and he twisted in his seat, grabbing her and pulling her onto his lap. He tipped her head back, blowing raspberries of his own against her throat, making her laugh harder. “No!” she wailed, kicking her legs out in vain. “Aah, staaaaahp!”
Nai groaned, shielding his eyes. “Is this payback for that time she saw me in my underwear?!”
“Which time?” Vash asked, the words muffled against her skin.
“Jesus,” Nai groaned, “get a room.”
In reply, he stood, cradling her in his arms.
“Don't you dare drop me!” she exclaimed.
“Then stop kicking!” He was belly-laughing, too.
Nai stood, almost upending his seat in the process. “I'm taking the rest of this to-go,” he remarked. “Ruby, thanks for the food.”
As Vash carried her upstairs, she was still giggling uncontrollably. She offered him a little wave, singing, “Bye, Nai!”
Before he winked out of sight, she caught a glimpse of the dark look in his eyes. She swallowed, worry creeping in as she realized it echoed the way he'd looked at her over two years prior. Like he wanted her, too. Or at least, like he wanted what his brother had with her.
She tried to push the thought from her mind as Vash nudged the bedroom door open with his foot, then shut it with his hip. Instead of setting her down on the bed like he usually did, he sat on the edge, cradling her in his lap.
He cupped her face in his hand, thumbing her cheek. “How was work?” he asked.
“Good,” she answered. “You?”
Instead of answering, he ducked his head to kiss her neck. He hummed against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. She shifted in his lap to face him, her legs on either side of him, and his hands wormed their way under her shirt.
Her brows furrowed as she asked, “Are you alright, Vash?”
His hands splayed across her back, one warming the skin, the other cool. He pressed her closer, drawing her against his chest with a deep sigh. He finally answered her, saying, “Customer tried to throw their latte at me.”
“Oh my God,” she frowned. “What the fuck?”
“They were probably just having a bad day,” he reasoned.
She bumped her head against his, retorting, “People who're having bad days act rude, Vash, they don't try to physically assault you .”
He lifted his head, allowing her to press her forehead against his. “It was fine,” he insisted. “It hit my arm. It wasn't gonna hurt me or anything.”
Her hand found his shoulder, then smoothed down the fabric of his sleeve. She could feel the hard planes of the prosthetic beneath the thin cotton. “That's still not okay, babe,” she reiterated.
“Yeah, well,” he explained, “this girl stepped in and almost beat them to death. She probably would have, if I hadn't intervened.”
She shot him an unbelieving glance.
“She was taller than me!” he balked. “She had to be six two. Picked them up by the collar and threw them out of the café, then apologized to me and introduced herself. I think her name was Milly?”
“You're serious.” She lifted an eyebrow at him.
Bumping his forehead gently against hers, he nodded. “Dead serious. It was pretty surreal.”
Ruby bit her lower lip, then nodded, letting the subject drop. “Was the rest of the day okay after that?”
He nodded, then buried his face in her neck. “Much better now that I'm here with you, actually.”
“You're such a ham,” she smirked, her heart fluttering in her chest as his lips traced over her skin.
“I'm your ham,” he replied, his breath tickling her skin.
“Wouldn't have it any other way.”
His hands were wandering, now, the cool metal of his prosthetic pressed against her back, trailing up and down in lazy strokes. His flesh hand found its way into her hair, lacing through the strands at the base of her neck. Her breath hitched as his tongue flicked against her skin in a silent invitation.
“Speaking of–” she cut herself off as the hand tracing her back anchored on her waist, his hips grinding up against hers. His voice rumbled against her skin, too low to register as words, but what she felt between his legs spoke volumes. Swallowing, she opened her mouth to continue, but her mind was blank.
He pulled away to give her a teasing smirk. “Oh, did I make you forget what you were about to say?”
She kissed him, hard, pushing him down onto the bed. “No,” she retorted, but the blush in her cheeks revealed the lie. “Though I was just thinking about that little secret you kept from me.”
His eyes went wide, and he cast his gaze to the side. “I wasn't trying to keep it from you, per se.”
She leaned down, letting her torso drop onto his. Her voice was low, gravelly even, as she said, “Your hand seems to work just fine playing me. I don't see what makes a fretboard so much more difficult.”
He gasped, crying out in shock. “R--Roo!” he exclaimed. “What are you–” Eyes wide, he looked at her, and his pupils dilated, his face and ears flushing a deep crimson. He couldn't stand to look her in the eye, screwing his eyes shut and shaking his head. “That's… you don't…”
She laced her fingers through his metal ones, drawing his hand up to her face. “If they can tease sweet music from my lips, darling, as you are oh so wont to say, then this–”
“It's different,” he insisted, his brows furrowed. “It's not about if I can .”
She ground her hips down onto his, and he groaned. “Then what is it about, Vash?”
He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down from the effort of trying to compose himself. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes, looking up at her, and he flipped her onto her back with ease, pinning her under his weight. She let out a small squeak of surprise, stilling as she saw the glimmer of something behind his eyes.
Those gorgeous baby blues were strained, an intensity in them that she hadn't seen in a long time.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He blinked as he closed his jaw, biting his lip and pushing himself up off the bed, off her.
She watched as he stepped back, pumping both fists. His prosthetic had done exactly as advertised, though it had taken him almost two years to get there: connecting directly to the nerves in his residual limb, it received the electrical signals directly from his brain, translating them into movement. It functioned exactly as his original arm did, moving in identical ways, only with exceptional strength and no sensation whatsoever.
It had been a long, clunky, painful road to reach the point at which using it felt totally, completely natural.
“If this is about not wanting to break it–”
He shook his head. “No, I'm long past that fear.”
Some of the tension melted away; she hadn't even realized it had been there in the first place.
His gaze was trained on the floor, his voice quiet as he said, “It's about if I should. ”
She pushed herself up into a sitting position, patting the bed.
He sat down next to her, leaning his elbows on his knees, his head hanging down. She rubbed soothing circles on his back. He cleared his throat, then confessed, “I guess I just have, like… I dunno, survivor's guilt about it.”
Ruby tilted her head, waiting patiently for him to continue. He always did, if she only gave him the space.
He pushed on his knees, arching his back with a satisfying pop. Raising his hand, his gaze trailed over the teal appendage, so similar yet so much better than his previous arm. Flexing the fingers, they curled with the same fluidity as those of flesh and bone.
“I got lucky,” he finally said, “even though I lost my arm, it's almost like I never really lost it. Even just my last one… not to mention how naturally this one moves. It almost feels like I'm not really…” He trailed off completely.
Catching on, she reminded him, “If anyone should feel like they're ex-disabled, it's me. You have a fucking
metal arm
, Vash. Nothing's gonna change the fact you're an amputee.” Lacing her fingers through his flesh hand, she squeezed three times. “I think you have the right to take advantage of what you've been given. Flowers can only bloom because of rain.”
A shiver ran down his spine, and the words were tumbling out of his mouth faster than his brain could process. “Mom said the same thing when I got the old one.”
She kissed his cheek. “She was a really smart woman,” she smiled.
He looked from their entwined hands to his prosthetic, fingers closing into a loose fist. He let out a long, deep breath, melting back down onto the bed as he exhaled. “Yeah,” he agreed, running his hand through his hair. “She really was.”
Ruby stood, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she spoke. “I won't push you more,” she told him. “I… I understand why you'd be hesitant. But please, Vash, don't let survivor's guilt stop you. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
He watched her walk over to the closet, eyes widening as she started stripping off her work clothes. “H--hey,” he stammered, “what are you…”
She paused in the middle of lifting her shirt over her head; her bra peeked out from beneath the fabric, arms crossed and partially obscuring his view. She gave him a playful smirk, said, “I really need a shower,” and pulled it the rest of the way off, tossing it into the hamper. As his eyes widened into saucers, she laughed. “You're acting like you've never seen me naked before.”
Bolting upright, he whined, “I thought we were having a moment!”
The towel hit him straight in the face, and he pulled it down into his lap as she kept undressing. “Aaaand,” she replied, dragging out the vowel, “I figured you could use a bit of a distraction.”
As her pants hit the floor, he gulped loudly. “Call me distracted.”