#plant! reader

Word count: 2,910

Series Masterlist

Vash the Stampede x Independent Plant! Reader

Three Years Post-Fall

You couldn’t really remember the Big Fall, but you would never forget the fear of hiding in the desert afterward. You always got a sickening feeling when you saw the humans, traveling between settlements armed to the teeth. Every instinct you had told you to run, to hide, to make sure no one and nothing could hurt you. 

For a time, that worked out. You watched from the dunes as Plants were discovered and used for their power, helping the humans scrounge up some kind of living. The Worms were your friends for a time; they seemed to enjoy the way you sat in silence most days, occasionally humming a song as old as your soul. If pressed, you could never say where it came from, but it was seared into your mind forever, so you taught it to the Worms and let the deserts of Noman’s Land sing like your people. 

The first time you allowed yourself true curiosity with the humans was when you spotted a pair riding tomas in the fading daylight. Something in you reached out, almost calling to them. For just a moment, one of the figures reacted, pulling their mount to a short stop as their head swiveled every which way. You ducked down behind the dunes, one hand over your chest as if to calm your racing heart. 

Despite your better judgment, you peeked back out at them after a minute, finding them moving once more, albeit at a slower pace. You followed for hours, brushing off the bugs that tried to shuffle you away. You’d made up your mind and you intended to find out what these humans were doing. 

As the stars lit up the sky and the desert wind grew cold, you focused in on the increasingly loud song of another Plant. How the humans had figured out how to follow one, you had no clue. But that was exactly where they were headed. You hopped along from dune to dune, ducking down whenever one of the humans looked around. Eventually, you took a chance and got close enough to catch a few words exchanged between them. 

“Kid, you’re freaking me out again. Quit doing that.”

“I’m telling you Brad, there’s something out there.”

“Yeah. Worms. And if we keep stopping every time you think you feel something, they’ll eat us.”

You scoffed softly despite yourself. The Worms just wanted food, same as anyone. Except you, which you supposed you were grateful for. Food was hard to come by out here, especially when hiding between slowly growing towns. It was a lonely existence, but not a starving one at least. 

The ‘kid’ whirled around to look in your direction and you dropped down to the sand once more. You cursed yourself for being so brazen and prayed that he’d just keep moving. After a few moments of silence, you slowly got to your feet and started moving again. If these humans were headed for a Plant, you wanted to know exactly what they intended to do with it. So you focused your mind on the voice and followed as quickly and discreetly as you could manage. 

The Plant you found was alone. There was no town, no bustling settlement. Just a few chunks of a fallen ship half buried in the sand. You crept in, your bare feet sliding silently across the unfamiliar, smooth metal. The old signs of humans felt wrong somehow, a broken reminder of what your people had been through in the Big Fall. It made your heart ache, even though you still couldn’t remember a thing about your own experience. 

When you reached the Plant, you dropped to your knees and pressed your forehead to the glass. Everything in you sang with joy at seeing one of your own kind for the first time you could actually remember. Your hands pressed to the glass as well and you couldn’t have fought off the tears if you’d tried. Your blurred vision lit up blue as your own Plant lines appeared in response to the Plant inside. 

You weren’t sure how long you’d been there when the humans arrived. Brad led the way, keeping a sharp eye out for any danger. His charge followed with a furrowed brow, trying to sort out what the strange feeling here was. He was about to mention it to Brad again when they reached you and the Plant. 

Vash was quick to grab Brad’s gun and lower it when he pointed it at you. While he usually deferred to Brad, he gave a firm shake of his head this time and stepped forward. His clunky boots gave him away as he watched your shoulders tense up. 

“If you’re here to hurt them, I won’t let you.”

He raised his hands slowly and Brad grudgingly stepped back. 

“The last thing we want is to hurt a Plant.”

You slowly rose to your feet, your lines lighting up the space around you. Vash, had he not known any better, could have sworn you were an angel. He was sure his lines never looked quite like that. He kept his hands up and offered his most well meaning smile. 

“We’re here to catalog them, then try to get them somewhere safer.”

You tilted your head and waited for him to explain. 

“They… they won’t make it much longer alone. You can hear it too, can’t you?” You nodded just slightly. “There’s a settlement nearby that could use another Plant.. and this one could clearly use some humans.”

His words rang true to you, though you weren’t entirely sure why. As far as you knew, you didn’t need humans. You’d never even been this close to them in what you could remember of your life. So why did other Plants need them?

“... You’re a Plant too… aren’t you?”

He obviously knew the answer, but he was trying to gauge if you knew it. You didn’t seem to realize he was, despite his clear connection to the other Plants. When you took half a step back and pressed your back to the glass, he motioned for Brad to give you a little extra space as he circled around to reach another side of the glass. Once he was close enough, he reached out a hand and felt his own lines begin to glow. 

Your eyes widened in surprise, shimmering with more tears as your lines grew brighter. The Worms spoke to you in their own way, telling you stories of the humans, but they’d never told you there were others like you. You’d never let yourself dream that there could be. 

“You…”

“I’m what’s called an Independent. That’s what you are, too. Why don’t you come with us? You can help us take this Plant to their new home.”

Brad tried to protest, then thought better of it. If Luida’s stray wanted to pick up his own stray, there was little he could do about that right now. 

“What will happen to them?”

“They’ll live longer than if we don’t move them. They’ll be with another Plant too, so they won’t have to be alone anymore. And the humans will take good care of them.”

You’d never allowed yourself to get too close to the humans for fear of them attacking what they wouldn’t understand, but if this other Plant- this Independent- trusted them, then maybe you could too. Just when Vash worried you might put up a fight or run off, you nodded softly and locked eyes with him. 

“I will accompany the Plant, Independent.”

He smiled sweetly and scratched the back of his neck. 

“You can just call me Vash.”

You nodded firmly and looked over to Brad.

“And the human?”

“That’s Brad. He’s safe, you can trust him.”

“I will trust you, Vash.”

With that, you helped take hold of the Plant and rig it to be pulled by the tomas. You declined the offer to ride with Vash, opting instead to run alongside the Plant itself. Dozens of bugs fluttered along with you, bobbing up and down and circling around your new companions as well. 

It took more than an hour to reach the town, but you were only a bit winded when you all arrived. Brad led the way, the tomas moving at a much slower pace as the handful of townspeople awake at such an hour parted to make space. You trailed behind, watching your surroundings with a critical eye. Vash nearly veered of course as he continuously looked back at you, taking in your bare feet and tattered clothing. Brad had to lean over and lightly smack his arm to get his attention. 

“Quit staring at them, kid. Someone might get the impression you’re interested in them.”

Vash looked at him with one brow raised. 

“I am interested in them. Since the crash, I haven’t seen another Independent. They’re the first one in five years. Who wouldn’t be interested?”

Brad chuckled despite himself and shook his head. Leave it to the plant boy to misunderstand him. He eased the tomas to a stop when they reached the plant room and dismounted. You kept a hand on the Plant as Vash removed the ropes keeping it in place and Brad talked with another man. You ignored the conversation and opted to stare at Vash instead. 

You weren’t entirely sure why you hadn’t understood immediately what he was when you first saw him. As you studied his features in the starlight and scarce lamps in town, you felt the same pull to him that you’d always felt when you neared Plants. Though he could hide it from humans, you could faintly see his Plant lines regardless of his current focus. 

His hands were calloused, a worker’s hands. You could appreciate that, finding another similarity between you. The clothing he wore looked a bit large on him; not that you were one to talk. You quickly figured you would have an easier time hiding in the sand if you had clothing to match, so you’d dug around a few crash sites in your time. It saddened you to steal from corpses, but they weren’t using anything anymore. So you’d adopted loose tan pants, a dirty -possibly once white- tank top, and a piece of rope to act as a belt when your first one wore out. 

Vash couldn’t focus properly on his work with you looking at him like that. Brad, in their earlier days together, had made comments about the Independent seeming creepy. Luida always told him Brad was just being rude for no reason, but if he looked the way you did, then Vash could understand where the man was coming from. 

Your eyes were large, almost unsettlingly so. You didn’t seem to blink as often as the humans did, allowing you to focus more intently on things that caught your interest. Like Vash. While he worked, you stood stock still, almost like a predator watching its prey. Your chest didn’t even seem to move as you breathed, not that he was observing you that closely on purpose. 

None of the humans moved to approach you, having been told firmly by Brad not to do so. He didn’t know exactly where you’d come from or how long you might have been with this Plant, so he wasn’t in the mood to risk anyone getting hurt. Vash motioned for you to follow them all inside, which you slowly did. Brad and the humans got to work preparing the Plant to be set up properly while you and Vash both placed a hand on the glass and appeared to… connect with it. He’d never quite get used to seeing that. 

By morning light, you were ready to go. You unabashedly cried when you had to say goodbye to the Plants. Brad would have been content enough to let you stay there if you were so fond of them, but Vash spared him a pleading look and invited you to join them at their ship without waiting for an answer from him. 

You thought about it at the edge of town, bugs fluttering around you as you dug one heel into the sand. With a spark of something Brad considered dangerous and Vash considered exciting, you agreed. After some convincing, you let Vash hoist you up onto his toma before settling behind you. His arms were slow to move on either side of you, extra conscious of your personal space, but you didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. 

Brad led the way back to Ship Three. It was a bit of a long journey, but he didn’t mind the silence that settled when you fell asleep. Vash was a bit panicked when it happened, trying to keep you from sliding off the toma without waking you as he wrapped his arms tighter around you. Your head rolled back and rested on one of his shoulders, leaving him as tense as he’d been in months. You stayed that way for nearly an hour before Brad brought the little troop to a stop and helped Vash rearrange you. He ended up dealing with you himself, making a simple little harness to keep you at his back so Vash could relax again. 

You slept for nearly an entire day, waking up halfway to Ship Three. When you blinked your eyes open and looked around, Brad stopped again for a short meal break. Something flashed in Vash’s eyes when you declined the food they offered, explaining that you didn’t need to eat. You were engrossed enough in talking to Brad that you missed the mourning in his gaze. 

When you finally reached the ship, Brad led the way in and straight to Luida. He grumbled at the look in her eyes, wishing he hadn’t let you come along with them if it meant her treating him like a softie. She offered you the room beside Vash’s and a cleaner set of clothes. You looked so out of place there, among metal and humans and artificial light. 

That first night, as Vash lay in his bed trying to sleep, he heard your voice. At first, it was a faint murmuring. Then it grew, slow and steady, to a song. He shot upright, his heart seizing in recognition. Vash carefully got to his feet and slipped through his door to stand in front of yours. After a moment of hesitation, he opened it, only to find your bed empty. He listened closer and turned, moving down the halls. 

You were standing in the Plant room, your hands pressed to the glass. Your lines were glowing again, making your messy hair look ethereal in his eyes. He slowly approached, feeling his own lines activate as he came within a few feet of you. When you spoke to him, the song seemed to continue, and it occurred to him later that it wasn’t coming from you, but from your very soul.

“Good evening, Independent Vash.”

“You should probably get some rest. It’s really late.”

“My sister was calling. I wanted to see her.”

You lowered to your knees, then sat cross legged. Your hands slowly withdrew from the glass, but your lines didn’t even dim. 

“How long have you been with these humans?”

“About three years. Brad and I spend a lot of time away though, finding the Plants.”

You digested that and let your eyes flicker to him for just a moment. 

“You are fond of them? The humans?”

“...I am. They help our kind live, just as much as we help them.”

“I haven’t met a live human before… I’ve always kept my distance.”

“You were on another ship, right? Do you remember which one?”

“The oldest thing I can remember is waking up in the dunes surrounded by the Worms. They taught me how to survive, helped me find a few wrecks to search for clothing. I don’t even know how I know I’m not human.”

Vash wasn’t quite sure what to do with you. You deserved to have people who loved you. You deserved a safe place to call home. But you didn’t even have childhood memories to look back on like he did. 

“We should really go to bed.”

“I don’t like my room. It’s too quiet. And empty.”

Right. You lived with the worms. Wherever you went, there were thousands of them you could connect with. It’s likely you’d never been this alone before.

Vash offered you a hand, which you took with a quizzical expression. He led you back to your rooms, then went into his without a word. Just when you were ready to turn and go back to the Plants, he returned with his blanket and pillow.

“Let’s have a sleepover. I can sleep on the floor in your room. If it helps, then we can take turns moving forward.”

You followed him into your room, completely barren and sterile. No wonder you weren’t comfortable there. To Vash’s surprise, you swiftly grabbed your blanket and pillow, then flopped down on the floor where your old clothes rested and made yourself a little nest. 

“You take the bed. I like the ground.”