taint the page.

“Tsukasa.. a little to the left.” Rui instructed the blond while sitting on his shoulders, arms up in the ceiling of their stage.

“To the left…” Tsukasa repeated under his breath, scooting over. The troupe’s Valentine’s day show had gone spectacularly, but another show had been planned for two days after this one. As such, a problem arose in their lighting; it would need color adjustments and the cover would need to be switched out for their next performance. However, somewhere else in PXL their ladder was needed, and so Tsukasa gladly handed it over. Of course, only an hour after the interaction, Rui had needed to access the ceiling. Since Tsukasa was the one who’d given it away, he naturally arose to the challenge and offered to help.

Rui’s tongue poked from between his lips slightly, fingertips pressing against cords and bolts. Tsukasa’s shoulders were a bit too small for him, but it would hopefully work just long enough. “Hand me the combination wrench, please.” He lowered his hand to meet Tsukasa’s, only that hand never came.

“This wrench? Or this one..?” He fumbled between the tools in his hand, simply handing his director one that he assumed was correct.

“Not quite, sta—“

Suddenly a heavy box slid from the ceiling and out of Rui’s hand, and as soon as the purple haired boy looked up at the sound, it had been too late. The box fell with a clunk onto his face, and it fell hard. The sudden shift spooked Tsukasa, his voice exclaiming through Rui’s suddenly fluffy hearing. “Rui-!! Are you okay? What was that?!” His grip around his legs loosened, and soon both boys fell backwards.

Tsukasa’s fall had been slightly cushioned by his director, however Rui wasn’t so lucky. His hands had been covering his bleeding nose, so when he fell backwards his head lacked the protection. From above Rui, Tsukasa called out and held his hands to his cheeks. “Rui! Rui I’m so sorry!! A-Are you bleeding—?!”

“Aah.. That hurt.. fufu..” Rui sat up, holding his nose still with hands thinly coated in blood. “Rui.. Let me take you to a doctor!” Before Tsukasa could insist, Rui shook his aching head. “It’s alright, Tsukasa. It doesn’t hurt too bad..” His lidded eyes opened just a bit more, now staring at Tsukasa’s suspiciously pained expression. “Did you get hurt?” He moved his hand to touch the blonds cheek, but pulled away as it was stained with some blood.

“R-Rui..” His eyes widened at the sight: Tears ran down Rui’s pale cheeks, thin and lacking any sobs.

Finally he reached up to touch his own cheeks, wiping the tears away. “Ouch.”

Emu and Nene’s voices echoed slightly as they neared the two boys, Nene stopping to notice the predicament before Emu did. “Rui..?” Her hair bounced slightly as she sped up to observe the scene for herself. “What happened?” Her soft voice held more firmly, eyeing Tsukasa now.

“Ah, Tsukasa and I tried fixing the lights.. Only I got clumsy and let go of the electrical box.” He pointed to the result of his mistake, then Tsukasa’s louder voice took over. “I didn’t know what had happened and- and I stumbled and dropped Rui!!” He admitted this with a heat guilt, even heavier under Nene’s gaze. “Why didn’t you both just wait until I’d found the ladder..?” She sighed and looked back to an unusually quiet Emu. The pink haired girl had been digging in her bag, eventually pulling out a sparkly, pink bandaid. “This can help, Rui!!” She kneeled beside him and placed the bandaid over the small cut on his nose, patting it better with her fingertip. “All better?”

“It’s getting there, Emu.” He smiled to her, standing. Tsukasa followed suit, still a bit worried for his friend.

“Anyway, me and Emu finished up, so we should rehearse now right?” Nene pointed the question at Tsukasa but flashed a gaze towards Rui, concerned. “We weren’t able to fix the lights.. and the ceilings open, I don’t want any other accidents happening so…” Tsukasa trailed off in thought, interrupted by Rui. “Why don’t we just practice our lines then? I wouldn’t want this day to go to waste because of a little accident. We need all of the practice we can get.” With that he smirked, grabbing his script off of a nearby chair. “We haven’t practiced Act 2 Scene 4 yet.” The girls followed his lead and grabbed their scripts, Nene taking a seat and Emu clearing her throat excitedly.

“Well that isn’t a terrible idea, alright then!!” Tsukasa started his lines first as the narrator, his hand on his chest. “Lady Corietta and her crystal minions stormed the halls and left trails of rose silk, their fury and passion beaming from them as they did so.” His eyes darted to Nene’s.

“mm.. Minions, where is the renowned hero? He was meant to be here already, how am I supposed to be all powerful when there is no hero to defeat?” Her voice dripped with irritation and rulership that was unbecoming of her small stature, yet impressive also because of it.

Emu spoke up, “My lady! The hero is near, he stopped to camp for the night. My chocolate quadrant is watching him currently!” She delivers her line with a devious tone, making a fist in the air. Where Rui should have cut in, there was silence. The three troupe members looked up to see what the hold up could be, and all were equally concerned.

Rui blinked hazily over his paper, squinting and holding his head while slightly wobbling. “..M..my…” Still wearing his shit eating grin, Rui began to wobble more, his knees buckling under him.

“Rui-!” Tsukasa dove to the rescue, catching his lanky friend before he fell to the floor. Rui went limp into the blond’s arms, unable to feel his arms run cold with fear.

“Rui? Are you okay?” Nene stood beside him and shook gently, but no response was given. “We have to get him to a hospital.” She instructed, quickly grabbing Emu who was packing everyone’s things up. Tsukasa stared down at Rui, protectively holding him with rising guilt. “Rui…”

—.•° ☆ °•.—

Tsukasa sat alone with an all too familiar feeling, watching Rui’s pale skin blend in with the white sheets of the hospital bed. If he’d handed Rui the right wrench, or maybe not given away the ladder at all, this could’ve been avoided. He’d even insisted on putting Rui on his shoulders, it was all his fault. And, why did Rui fail to mention that to Nene? He hadn’t caught it in the moment, but Rui made it sound as though it were his fault.

The two girls had to leave, so did he, but he insisted on staying and fixing his mistake whether Rui recognized it as that or not. Soon enough, sometime later when Tsukasa had fallen asleep, Rui stirred awake; he sat up and immediately winced, a headache from the back of his head ringing through his ears. His first thought was one of confusion, how did he end up here? His second was the weight on his lap, and what he saw there did not disappoint. The blond had fallen asleep there, arms tucked under his head and all. Softly Rui smiled, eyes fixed on the starlike shine in Tsukasa’s hair even in the dark. As much as he didn’t want the moment to end, he shook Tsukasa gently. The blond remained asleep, and it made sense with how hard he’d been working to prepare for the two back-to-back shows. “Tsukasa..” Rui hummed, caressing his tanned cheek. His skin was soft, softer than he’d ever been able to notice before with gloves on.

“Saki.. five more minutes…”

“Tsukasa, it’s Rui.”

“Rui..? Just.. a bit longer..”

Rui couldn’t argue with that, he couldn’t argue with the eye bags under Tsukasa’s eyes, and he couldn’t argue with his exhausted voice. He too needed the rest, so why not? He closed his eyes and fell back, hand still fondly holding Tsukasa’s cheek.

Of course, Tsukasa had realized who he was talking to just a bit too late. He opened his eyes and sat up, Rui’s slender hand still upon his skin. “R-Rui-? Are you feeling any better?… What are you doing?” Blushing, he peeled the hand off of him, holding it. “Rui? Were you just awake? Rui..?” He had a feeling his director had been teasing, but with the injury from earlier he couldn’t be too sure.

Rui, on the other hand, was entirely sure. Teasing Tsukasa couldn’t wait even when in a hospital bed. The blond stared, pouting. After his nap, guilt once more washed over him, blanketing his conscious in a pool of pity and self punishment. Next time, he’ll be more careful planning shows, he’ll be more knowledgeable about tools, and he won’t give away their property in the first place. None of this could fix this predicament, however, none of it at all.

“I’m here, Tsukasa. No need to frown,” Rui grinned, gently squeezing Tsukasa’s hand with his eyes still closed.

“How could you even tell I was-..”

“I just know. I hope you’re not feeling too guilty about what happened.”

“I.. You made it sound like you made a mistake, when it was really all me.. I’m sorry you ended up hurt.”

“I got up on your shoulders and I took my eyes off of the ceiling, this isnt your fault. It was a mistake.. simple as that, my star.”

“You probably had Valentine’s day plans and everything, but you’re stuck here.”

Rui finally opened his eyes, his fingers intertwining with Tsukasa’s. “Actually, I think being here is better than anything else I could’ve done.”

His cheeks flushed, gaze faltering. “H-How..?”

“Because you’re here with me, Kasa.”

“You’re so..—“ Before he could scold Rui, the shuffle of a plastic bag reminded him of something. “I brought you some sweets.. but I also brought you veggie pasta. You’ve got to eat the pasta first.” He opened the bag, pulling out its contents.

“Veggie pasta..? What do you take me for…” He looked away, already showing signs of rejection even with a grin. “Rui…”

“You brought me sweets? Can I assume that it’s chocolate?” He faced Tsukasa once more, hand dipping into the bag to inspect. “Yes, actually! There was a lot on sale.” He declared, somehow getting an eery feeling from Rui’s grin. That meant he was about to get teased…

“Fufufu..~ So, is this your way of asking me to be your valentine, Tsukasa?”

Of course. “What—?? No! This is just- it was just for sale!!” He noticed the various heart decor and love symbols on the box, the shades of pink and red matching his cheeks.

“Ouch, such a strong rejection. Here I was thinking we’d get to spend this special day together.” He popped a chocolate heart into his mouth, enjoying Tsukasa’s flustered reactions. “I-..I didn’t mean it like that-. and we practically are, we’ve been together all day.” He huffed, completely forgetting about the dinner arrangement. “Did Nene and Emu make it home safely?” He picked another chocolate from Tsukasa’s box, it smudging his fingers. “They did, and they were concerned for you too. They would have stayed but they got busy.”

Rui hummed, eyeing the chocolate. “Did you have plans for today as well?” His catlike eyes shot towards theirs. Tsukasa stopped to think. “Saki was going to be at a friend’s house today, so besides the show, I didn’t have any special plans..” Rui seemed happy to hear that, though Tsukasa could only assume it was because of concern for his personal time. Rui felt the chocolate melting between the warmth of his fingertips, and suddenly another bright idea filled his head. “In that case, Tsukasa, can I be your valentine?”

“..What.” His eyes widened after a moment, still faintly gleaming. “RUI!! Why do you tease me like this!!?”

Rui couldn’t contain his laughter, though behind it lay a thick headache. “Tsu, answer my question.” He softly persisted. “I— I.. You didn’t even ask right! It’s supposed to be, ‘Will you be my valentine?’, n-not that..!” Rui shrugged, then pressed the sweet to Tsukasa’s lips. “Will you be my valentine?”

Tsukasa could hardly think. His sultry voice, the warm chocolate to his lips, their sudden closeness, from his director it was far too much to handle. “…R-Rui.” A small plea was all that would come out, quiet and genuine, and far more successful than he’d meant for it to be. Rui’s smile dropped, for once, he was flustered by the star. His cheeks matched Tsu’s, and verbally he seemed to retreat. “…”

The blond closed his eyes with a firm resolution in his knit brows and leaned forward, taking the chocolate in one go. “Thank you, Rui. I will be your valentine.” He struck a less dramatic pose, picking up a chocolate himself. This time, it was placed towards Rui’s lips. “C-Could you be mine..?” He took up Rui’s courage and adopted it as his own, even as it slightly faltered under the heat of embarrassment.

“Mm..” Rui stopped to think.

“WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT-??”

“Sorry, sorry.. I suppose it’s a deal, my star.” With that, he bit down into Tsukasa’s chocolate, lips folding over his fingertips for a moment before he pulled away.

“Deal? What is with you huh? I swear, this is the last time…” He faced everywhere but Rui, overcome with embarrassment.

“Fufu.. Happy valentine’s day, Kasa.”

Kel and Sunny sat on top of the roof of Sunny’s house. “I’m sorry about today Sunny.” Kel pulled his knees up and held them in his arms. He cradled himself whilst looking at his shoes. “I wanted today to be perfect but everything just went wrong.” Sunny looked at Kel with shock. He’d never known him to be sullen when something went wrong. “I had fun today. Did you not?” Sunny questioned. Kel looked at him and admired Sunny’s features. “I guess not really. I was just trying to make sure you enjoy yourself really.” Kel chuckled. “I enjoy all the time we spend together.” Sunny reassured. “Thanks Sunny. There was something I wanted to tell you though…” Kel trailed off. “Nevermind, it wasn’t anything really.” Kel felt Sunny’s hand m com the wind out of his back. “Tell me what it is.” Sunny stared at Kel and then at his face. Kel had tears forming in the corners of his auburn eyes, and his skin was moist with nervous sweat. His brown hair frames his tanned face well. His skin was clear and slightly visible freckles would appear the longer you searched. Sunny inches closer and stopped when he got to Kel’s side. “Well, it’s just that, today I, um.” Kel kept stuttering and picking with his shirt. Kel and Sunny shared a comfortable silence. Kel admired Sunny’s features while Sunny observed the moon. “I.. Can I see your hand?” Sunny lifted his hand and in return, “Sunny, I think I, no, I know I—“ Kel was interrupted when a pebble hit his head. “Kel! You son of a bitch, you promised you’d confess before the day ended! Get down here so I can-“

“So you’re me, but not me?”

Vash the Stampede lowered his orange glasses, taking a long but friendly gander at what was supposed to be his Stampede counterpart.

“Ahh.. Yes! I believe so haha..” Vash, lowering his guard around himself, put out his hand for the other to shake.

“Ain’t this weird..” Wolfwood spoke under his breath, a cloud of smoke accompanying it. “Can’t be the weirdest thing happening in this place.” Stampede Wolfwood muttered back, clearly irritated at the situation unlike his counterpart.

“Well we should all stay together! We can drink and have a good time, nothing beats having yourself as company right?” Maximum Vash immediately wrapped his arm around the other’s shoulder, both of them puppy-like and excited to hang out.

Smirking, Maximum Wolfwood copied this, both arms wrapping around both Vash’s whilst he stood behind them. “Hell yeah, now we’re talking a party.”

“I’m getting my own room,” Stampede Wolfwood turned on his heels, leaving to go do so with impatience in his voice. “Is that guy always a dick?” Wolfwood turned to the shorter Vash, his face closer than anything the plant had experienced from his Wolfwood. “Oh-.. Nico isn’t that bad, he’s a nice guy I promise, I can tell.” The blond smiled at both Maximum men, those two looking at eachother then at him. “Whatever you say needle-junior.” Wolfwood followed his counterpart but stayed close to Vash, his hands relaxed in his pockets while the two blonds yapped away to one another.

Eventually the four men made it to the hotel, and just as they planned to convince Wolfwood to join them in a room, they’d found out he already got one for himself. “Man that guys troublesome.”

“That guy’s you!” Maximum Vash didn’t forget to remind his Wolfwood of that, laughing while doing so. “Let’s gettt this room next to him, yeah?” Stampede Vash agreed to this with a nod, and Wolfwood had no objections while the taller plant grabbed the key and led the way.

The three of them settled down into their room, with both plants on the edge of the bed and Wolfwood in a chair near them. They’d already opened their bottles and had been chatting away, that was until Stampede Vash decided to call it a night and shower. “I usually don’t have anyone to stay up this late with, I’ve gotta head to bed,” flushed and slumped, he wobbled his way to the bathroom, “You guys keep it going- I’m covered in dirt ahahahaha.!”

Vash and Wolfwood waved the shorter blond off, still having a good time despite the lack of a third member. Wolfwood took his spot next to Vash now, grunting as he got up and sat down. “Tongari I don’t think there’s any way in hell I could fabricate meeting you and me all over again hah’,”

He leaned closer to the plant out of habit, and Vash had no objections to his personal space being invaded by Wolfwood. “I honestly didn’t think they were telling the truth at first, but that guy knows almost everything about me! I guess he’s from a different period of my life- like the past!” Vash continued to snicker and giggle as he said this, leaning right back into Wolfwood. “Since the kid’s in the shower,” Started Nicholas, his intentions now clear with his lips hovering just above Vash’s, “Nico..”.

Within seconds they were both pulled into a drunk, hot kiss; Vash’s eyes closed and Wolfwood’s lidded. He gripped at the back of the plant’s neck, pulling him closer and tilting his head. The kiss deepened, hardly a few seconds of pulling away between them as Wolfwood claimed every part of Vash’s mouth with just his tongue. The plant was pinned to the bed, Wolfwood’s hand holding both of Vash’s above his head; the other unbuttoned his long red coat, being able to do so with speed now because of practice. With every kiss, Vash’s face got just a bit hotter, his eternally slow heartbeat speeding up almost to that of normal human pace, “aAh..- mmfh- Nico.~ ..Nico, mmore..” Vash purred into Nicholas’ mouth, drool dripping down both of their chins and connecting them when they pulled apart. Wolfwood pulled Vash’s jacket off swiftly and his pants followed, the sleeveless turtleneck now being the only thing on the plant. “Shhh, I’ve got you Vash, I’ll give it to you angel.” The priest growled lowly, his forefinger and middle pressing down on Vash’s petals until they bloomed with a pale blue nectar that seeped into the sheets. His stamens were rubbed along and carefully arranged, revealing his same blue colored stigma; Wolfwood prodded and rubbed circles about the pearl, Vash’s noises now pouring out of him as he whimpered and begged. “p-please Nico- hAhhh ♡!~ uuhhf- Hhhah.. mmah.. aah- hhAh-!..~” His hips rolled into the priest’s hand, feathers lifting off of his cheeks until in a flurry, a set of wings poofed up from his temples. “wWolfwood..~ wolfwoodd..!~”

“Angel..” Nicholas had gotten what he was looking for and now ruffled his lips and nose into the feathery mass, kissing and licking the base of the wing while with his clean hand massaging the other. “aAaHH—!!~ nnO- Wof..- Nico..!! ♡~ hhf- aah- i-icant ..~ nniCo—!” The plant melted into the sheets, his gaze lidded before then turning to a blushing and shirtless Vash behind them.

“..mmh-! Nico- Nico, turn..~”

“..?” Wolfwood took a moment to do as told, but when he had, his gaze was sharp and focused on the figure behind them.

“I- Oh gosh I’m sorry.. I can go to Nico’s room if..” His voice lowered to silence, Wolfwood approaching him seeming to intimidate him while he took a step back. “um.”

— . • ° • . • ☆

Stampede Vash whimpered, huffing quietly with a cross tied to his mouth as a gag. Both of his hands were tied above his head, chest exposed with all of its scars and plant-markings glowing. “hh—fh.. mh-.. nmmf..-“

The plant whimpered from behind his gag, drooling and flushed at all of his plump areas while two men looked on hungrily.

“So cute.. I call first dibs.” Cooed Vash, hovering over his counterpart before slapping his exposed heat with three fingers repeatedly, slick connecting the digits to the flower-like cunt. “Is that good, puppy?” Vash smirked, every little flick of his wrist earning a whine and jolt out of the writhing blond.

Wolfwood stepped up, thumb tracing down Vash’s adam’s apple while his other traced about his hardened nipple. “Really, he’s so cute.” Concurred Nicholas, playing the plant just right while desperate and muffled bodies poured out from that gag.

All three men jumped however, quickly turning around only to be met by Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Stampede.

“What the Fuck is going on in here—?..” wide eyed, Nicholas stepped aside, eyes fixated on the flowering plant bound to the bed.

“N-Nico..?—“ Vash’s face really lit up then, red as wine while his blue eyes widened.

“…Vash…” Nicholas replied, paying no mind to both of the perpetrators that stared him down.

“Uh ohh…” Started Maximum Vash, flicking his hand clean while holding onto his Wolfwood’s arm. “We’ll go stay in your room, good luck!” The two snaked their way out of the bedroom and into the one next door, closing their door while they were at it.

Wolfwood stood there baffled; the scene in front of him was one he wasn’t sure he was allowed to see. Knowing Vash’s brother, he would be extremely displeased to find this out; however, Nicholas didn’t really give a shit when he stopped to think about it. Vash, the clingy blond immortal who he’s been resisting all this time, was now tied up, gagged, exposed, and whimpering his name, what kind of fool would he be to resist?

“Vash.. what was happening in-..” he pauses short of seeing the gag, stepping between their legs and swiping his thumb across his lower lip. “Tch. Do you want this?” Wolfwood’s gravelly but high voice fell unusually flat, a result of his self control. He knew that Vash could easily leave the situation had he wanted to, but he also knew how Vash was too pacifistic to do such a thing by force.

Vash stared up at Nicholas, not entirely against the idea while also being too uncertain to outright say it. Instead, he opened his thighs more, cheek pressing against the sheets while his plant markings shined brighter. A gentle hum compelled Nicholas, his rough and tanned hands running up Vash’s pale, cold skin tauntingly. He found Vash’s petals, running fingertips along the translucent blue slick before pressing further, unfurling each tightly bound stamen before prodding at two things: Vash’s stigma with his thumb, and his slicked entrance with his index finger. Vash lamented unto the gag lewd and erotic whines, his breath hitching while his scarred chest heaved. “mmn— hhAh—.. ♡ ~ hh—nngh..—~ nniCo-!.. hAahh- nico..-!” Even when muffled by the gag Nicholas could discern Vash calling his name, and it excited him.

The same humming from before compelled Wolfwood to dip his fingers into the body of divinity below him, finger pads immediately meeting and touching familiar marks.

“…The marks are.. on the inside too..?” Thought Wolfwood, pushing and curling his digits into the angelic mass.

Sad puppy eyes looked up at the priest, tears lining the lower lashes; his thighs trembled while his hips rolled forward, meeting the base of Wolfwood’s fingers repeatedly. He spread his fingers and scissored, spreading Vash in the process.

The plant’s back arched slightly with this, pathetic groans pouring out of him.

— ☆ —

Maximum Vash and Wolfwood both leaned against the thin walls, hearing just about everything that was going on.

“Good thing he finally came in.. we would’ve had to finish the job.”

“Agreed.” Hummed Nicholas, groping Vash’s ass roughly.

The blond looked up at him, both unimpressed and mildly entertained. “Welp, we should probably stop listening like some sand worms!” He plopped down onto the bed, dragging Nicholas down with him. “Come ‘ere..” muttered the blond, arms wrapped around his partner while he kissed and nudged at his tanned, prickly throat.

— ☆ —

Meanwhile, Vash bounced with every thrust into his body, Wolfwood’s length filling him from rim to hilt. “n—Nico-!! hhf- aah-! aAa— hh..- NicO!..~” rhythmic moans poured out of Vash as the gag was now removed, his hands gripping the sheets under him tightly though still bound.

Nicholas on the other hand, thrusted forward with as much power as he could, the restraint he had to have for those weeks of traveling together now fizzling away like bubbles in opened soda.

The markings tightened around his length, his heart rapidly beating and breath inconsistent; tufts of black, sandy hair bounced with his thrusts, framing his scruffy face coated with a thin layer of sweat.

The plant imitated orgasm, his body heating and throbbing, “Nicholas..— Aaa-h..!~” His eyes fluttered to a close, mind fogged over with an indescribable high with shaking, jerking hips.

Wolfwood, despite the lack of words, could tell from the increase in Vash’s noises that something different was happening. Both boys were virgins with opposing life spans, yet with unfamiliar feelings they were able to read each other’s bodies well enough to work wordlessly.

Nicholas’s body had reached that point around the same time as Vash, both men releasing unto eachother their—in Vash’s case—secretions. As it touched and surrounded Wolfwood’s manhood, his tire had suddenly gone away, nearly instantaneously the constant pain ailing his body had left him. He was healed.

“Vash.. “ Started Nicholas, lowering his voice upon seeing the spent blond however. He would have asked what the goop and the flower thing was about, but all that mattered was the soft, priceless expression latent on the plant’s face.

“Nico…” breathed Vash, chest heaving and glowing; weakly he rolled onto his side, arms still bound and now asking for freedom. Wolfwood complied, untying his wrists and getting rid of the rope about his bare body. Immediately his hands were navigated to Nicholas’s shoulders, pulling the brawny priest into bed beside him. Nicholas complied to this as well, nervous but tired, laying his hands at Vash’s hips comfortably. Nearly instinctually.

Vash had no words for Nicholas yet, cheeks flushed and eyes fluttering closed with enough passing minutes. Once more his heartbeat returned to once but a few minutes, and his markings had dimmed. Nicholas pressed a kiss into the blond fluff, pulling a blanket over his naked body before spotting a towel so graciously left behind by their counterparts. “Of course…” Groaned Nicholas, eyeing the wall with a feeling of being listened to. Ignoring that however, he wiped down Vash’s inner thighs, cleaning up his own soon after. The light was shut off, and Vash’s markings had now unfortunately been seen once more. Nicholas didn’t mind, rather he was fond of the hum by now, crawling into the bed beside Vash before closing his eyes for the rest of the night.

— ☆ —

Beneath the cover of a luminous deep sky were two cookies, sharing the forest with one another as though they both owned the scenery. In a way, they both did.

Black sapphire claimed a large portion of the dark forest for his own benefits, releasing lies and dreadful creatures into the shadows of the faerie kingdom;

Silverbell cookie on the other hand took care of the forest as it surrounded his kingdom, keeping watch for the beings his partner released. Somewhere down the split of the area they began to meet, and however it happened their relationship bloomed.

Silverbell picked a leaf from Black sapphires coat, giggling quietly to himself. “The forest clings onto you quite often, Sapphire.” His hand rested above Saphhire’s, the leaf gently pressed between.

“Tch.. i don’t see why, clearly the feelings aren’t reciprocated. It dims my splendor, really.” his wrist rolled as he explained, long lashes batting sarcastically.

“Oh, nothing could ever dim your splendor, you’re as shiny and breathtaking as you’ve always been..” softly the faerie cookie reassured, palm stroking his cheek thoughtfully.

Black sapphire leaned into his touch, raising his own hand over silverbells and pressing. “Perhaps you’re right.. a leaf or two wouldn’t shatter my appearance after all.” The sly cookie peppered kisses to his counterparts palm, gentle suction applied between pecks.

This brought color to the faeries cheeks, his brows furrowed upward. “You have to go soon, don’t you Sapphire?” Silverbell knew it had to be this way, if the deceitful beast ever found out about them it could end terribly for the both of them. “I do. however.. I’ve been meaning to try something with you, Bell.” With that, the stylish cookie stood. Silverbell followed, tilting his head in confusion. “Hm..? What could that be?”

holding off-white hands, Black sapphire began to explain his unique proposition. “I can hover in this form, but flying is out of the question for me. If we flew together, could that possibly work?” Black sapphire never asked for something so preposterous, so whimsical and desperate, that thought alone pleased Silverbell. “Of course we can try! Please, hold onto me tightly.” Black sapphire did just that, taking Silverbell’s waist into his arm and his hand into the other. Slowly but surely the two cookies began to lift, both sets of wings fluttering carefully. In time, Black sapphire had risen higher than he ever had before, and both cookies shared a place up in the sky belonging to only the two of them.

“How is this, Sapphire?”

“It’s.. interesting.”

The sun shone a glimmer to the faeries wings, one that Sapphire would always miss until now. Silverbell was so close, so delicate and warm. Without hesitation, he pressed a kiss to the soft cookie, prolonging the affection with closed eyes. Silverbell focused on not dropping the both of them yet still made effort to kiss his lover back, gently squeezing Black sapphires hand. The two cookies pulled away for air, staring at each other with lidded eyes. “I love you sapphire.”

Words the spreader of deceit thought he’d never hear were uttered for him, prompting the words he thought he’d never get to say.

“I love you, Silverbell.”

—— ⏱️

The two beings fluttered down, moreso Silverbell fluttering down while Black sapphire held onto him.

“How was that Sapphire?” the silver haired faerie smiled, holding Black sapphire’s waist warmly.

“Different.. the cold air was uninviting, but I quite enjoyed that my love.” Sapphire leaned in, gently pecking the faerie’s lips before pulling away entirely. “It’s getting late, isn’t it. Unfortunately I will have to return soon.” His deep obsidian eyes scanned the area, thinking of his master watching them at any second.

Understanding, Silverbell let him go, shy but fond. “Would you like me to walk you further?” he offered.

“Any further would be dangerous for you, don’t worry Bell, I’ll see you soon. Thank you again.” Black sapphire bowed, winking at his partner while lifting a tail coat before stepping away into the darkness.

Silverbell watched, inclined to follow but bound by duty. Smiling, he walked back into his side of the forest, cheeks flushed and his wings folded back against his body.

“Until next time Sapphire,”

Eriks only had one job; one responsibility; stay as low profiled and as little trouble for everyone as he could be. Though it wasn’t difficult enough to be a job, for Eriks, the covers he needed to slide out from under were as heavy as bricks. The sunlight that usually healed him had now became too hot and too bright, like lava on his scarred skin. His right and only hand ran through dirty blond streaks, jet black ones hiding underneath. His breath was undetectable, heartbeat even moreso. Still the dirty blond sat up in his borrowed bed, as still and unwavering as a statue. Silence greeted him without any consolation, an uninvited guest that Eriks couldn’t find himself to kick out.

That was, until a certain someone decided to do it for him.

“In here? Ok, thank you doll.”

Mummers of voices were being held outside of the door, a voice that didn’t belong there caught Eriks attention. From behind the orange lenses he peered, the wooden plate being pushed open and then slammed closed out of pure strength and not aggression. “..Eriks, huh?” The grainy voice broke through silence, along with unnecessary shuffling done by large objects and stuff garments. “So this is where you’ve been hiding.” The voice didn’t greet Eriks with excitement or warmth, no, the voice greeted Eriks as if he should have known it would be coming.

“…”

“After all this time you’ve nothing you want to say to me? That’s surprising, hah.” The figure that the voice belonged to shuffled about the room until finally landing at Eriks bed, sitting promptly beside him. With this, the man’s face leaned closer, comfortably close, hardly a few inches away from Eriks’. “You can’t hide here forever, y’know if i found you there’s no doubt what you’re hiding from will.” His breath reeked of nicotine, but unlike the sun it was affectionately warm, enveloping Eriks almost immediately. Eriks did not back away; if anything the blond grew closer to the ravenette. “Wolfwood.. I don’t want them to hurt anyone else.”

“Then protect them tongari.” Wolfwood advised this as if it was obvious, his eyes never once leaving Eriks. “They don’t want to be protected, it should never have come to them to begin with..”

“If it hadn’t, they wouldn’t be here to begin with. Isn’t that right?”

Eriks could feel his heartbeat slow to a stop, though no body else could. No body but Wolfwood. The smoke that the ravenette blew rolled gently onto Eriks’ lips. When he next opened his mouth to speak, he choked on it, pulling away and covering his mouth. Wolfwood grinned, a few snickers rolling out of him just as easily as the smoke had. He hadn’t noticed before but the blond had been missing an arm, a very important one. “Hey, where’d this go?” He lifted the shoulder belonging to the missing arm, as if looking would help him better understand why it was that way.

“It’s here. I put it away.” Eriks was able to reply quietly, still wiping the tears from choking out of his tired eyes. Wolfwood lowered his sunglasses before completely taking them off, and suddenly the distance between them had been forcefully closed; the blond’s collar was gripped at tightly, pulling him even closer as they ate away at eachother softly. Eriks had simply melted into the motions, eyes closed without another thought behind them, his hand found their shoulder and so that’s where it stayed. Meanwhile Wolfwood had gripped at the blond’s hip and the back of their head, sweaty black hair sticking to his fingers. Eriks had felt Wolfwoods snaggle-tooth poke at his lower lip, both of their stubbles prodding and sticking the other. Chapped lips on nicotine stained ones overlapped eachother with fervor, growing never tired. Wolfwood was the first to pull away as he needed oxygen more easily than the other did, a thin bridge of saliva connecting them to each other. “So Vash, this is where you’ve been hiding..” breathed Wolfwood, never taking his sights off of Vash lest he attempts to run away again.

“Wolfwood..” This time, the ravenette’s name was muttered with certainty, as if Vash had found home; however, it was home that had found him. “You found me.” smirked the plant, sliding his hand to Wolfwood’s gruff cheek.

The priest had taken his gunman into another rough kiss, planting Vash’s body into the mattress as kisses were peppered messily onto his lips. Their hands intertwined, as did their lips and souls, the sunlight seeming just a bit cooler as Wolfwood was around.

A few hard knocks at the wooden door had startled the two, Wolfwood being the first to pull away once more and sit upright onto the bed. Vash, too lost and weary to have noticed until later, simply stared up at Wolfwoods exposed chest, realizing just how long it had been since he’s seen it.

“Is everything alright in there?” a younger voice called into the room, Wolfwood being the one to respond after a glance to Vash. “Yeah, just catching up with Eriks.”

“Everything is alright, Lina.” Eriks replied to the child, sitting up under Wolfwood. His voice quieter now, he explained this to his company. “She grew particularly protective over me, haha.. She’s a good kid, a bit rough but good.”

“Breakfast is ready Eriks!” she finally announced before turning around and audibly hopping away.

“Breakfast is ready Wolfwood.” Eriks smiled to the priest, comfortably leaning onto his suit’s shoulder. Wolfwood grunted, flicking Vash’s forehead. “Not hungry yet. You needa start packing.” He closed his eyes in thought, considering lighting another cigarette. “Packing?” Vash repeated, shoulders lowering in confusion.

“Well yeah, I need yer help with somethin. You’re not staying here forever, anyway.” Wolfwood stood finally and allowed Vash

time to do just that, until the blond had gripped onto his suit sleeve. “Nico I-.. I don’t know if I can.. 2 years is just a blink for me but for everyone else.. I don’t know if I can…” Vash trailed off, his eyes following in dejection.

If Wolfwood hadn’t been a seasoned professional in plant-ism, then he wouldn’t have known about a weakness that even the alias Eriks couldn’t hide. Vash’s chin was grabbed by rough fingers, resting in an equally rough, tanned palm.

“mmnnh.. Nico..” the plant purred under Wolfwood’s attention, blush suddenly flooding the pale cheeks in like water color. His resolve had weakened in the span of a few seconds, not even a drop of resistance left in the blond.

“Still the same, Tongari. Here’s your gun.” Wolfwood handed the weapon to the weakened plant carefully, their hands holding one another as the cool metal separated them.

“There’s another thing, Nicholas.”

“I know.”

For a moment the two share their thoughts through only eye contact, the brushes of Wolfwood’s hands on Vash, and the silence of No Man’s Land. “I’m sorry I hadn’t told you sooner.”

“Don’t be Nico. I already figured as much..” With a smile not much different than the one he held before, Vash pecked Wolfwood’s jaw softly, slowly. With that he could feel his heartbeat, he could feel how fast the priest’s heartbeat was since the beginning, but now that the truth had come out solemnly between them it was even quicker.

“I knew you couldn’t find it in yourself to hate, not even after something like this.”

“I knew that Nai would do all he could to deliver unto me pain, and this was.. only the most sensible thing he could do, yeah?” Vash was uncertain but trusting of Wolfwood, despite knowing his affiliation with his own brother and the purpose of their meeting. Wolfwood lowered himself back onto the blond, regaining his lips and tongue as if to say sorry. Their kiss was prolonged and grew hotter, the warmth that entangled them both once more into eachothers grasp now blazing hot; that heat was loving and hungry, overwhelming but so much so that they had to face it. That heat couldn’t be held back anymore. Wolfwood’s tongue danced with Vash’s, rubbing and prodding at his teeth and mouth whilst his grip on his collar tightened. Vash held on to Wolfwood’s cheek and chest, the passionate flush returning to their cheeks as it had done years before.

“Eriks!!! Your breakfast is getting cold!!” Lina shouted, her grandmother behind her clearly scolding but quietly.

The two jumped and pulled away, deciding finally that it was time to leave this home. “Go eat your breakfast…” muttered Nicholas, wiping his mouth clean with the dorsal side of his hand. “Of course of course haha..! I just have a few things to do and we can be on the road..” Vash awkwardly made his way to the door, opening it to see a rowdy Lina in the distance and her grandmother, holding her back from the door and shouting something about respecting adults. “Sorry to keep you guys waiting, let’s eat!”

Wolfwood listened carefully to the voice he missed, listening as its warmth and goofiness fizzled out into the other room. Maybe Vash would have been happier here where he couldn’t hurt anyone, but Wolfwood knew that it wouldn’t have lasted for long. He gathered a final glimpse of the room before picking up his Mercy and leaving, the door slightly ajar behind him. Heavy footsteps made way to the kitchen, and upon getting there he spotted Eriks with grain and something else all over his face, and a pouty Lina. “What in the..”

“Nico!! Thank god!”