[ Why are you making HIM be the "heI asked for no pickles" guy?! True to his word though he's jogging up the path, in the middle of tucking his phone back into a pocket somewhere in the inside of his coat. ]
[ no this is kind of the risk you run when you're dealing with vash the stampede. He just managed a humored, light laugh though, it's hard to do much else because the way Bakugo speaks is so blunt and forward and frankly hilarious what else is he supposed to do? There's probably even an ink of truth to it. ]
Oh is it just the two that you're taking care of? Your list seemed longer than that.
[Vash, he doesn't like the tone of your texting...]
I'm not *taking care of* those other losers, just checking in on them. I know they can handle themselves, but it's part of my job. Believe me, they don't me or anyone else babying them... Aurora and Jasmine can take care of themselves just fine, and I'd feel sorry for the asshole that looked at them wrong.
[He says that with utmost sincerity, too. Jasmine is a firecracker just like he is, and Katsuki would bet money she has the same piss and vinegar to knock someone out if pushed that far, and Aurora is sweet, but she's got her own fierceness that is...actually kind of scary. Reminds him of a weird mix of Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, actually. Graceful, kind, sweet...but still tough as steel.
Alice is his major concern, but only because she's seven and too curious for her own good. She gets in trouble way too much for his liking, but Katsuki also knows pretty much everyone including himself ae looking out for her.]
[ Oh. Erh... Vash lifts a hand to rub it through the short part of his undercut, something sheepish floating over his features. He's thankful for his sunglasses, hiding the dust of color on his cheeks. ]
Sorry, I can stick with Wolfood. [ He turns to drag his hand over Dune's back and up to scratch the spot on his neck that always seems to be his favorite. ]
Hey buddy. Mind walking slow for us little guys here?
[ wolfwood tells him after a moment, sans gruffness. somehow vash's kind of sort of earned it, hasn't he? and he likes the way his name rolls off his tongue. nick. it sounds more like them. he comes up beside him, scratching his head. ]
So, uh. I've been thinking, since we're stuck here and all...
[ It's fine? Vash turns from where he's watching Dune to turn his attention to Wolfwood, a serene little expression filtering on his face as soon as he does. Okay. Nick it is. He's about to reply when Wolfwood continues, and there's something a little uncertain about the way he's speaking. Vash's brow creases, the tilt to his head turning his expression quizzical. ]
Since we're stuck here...?
[ He could make a joke if he wanted to, but he waits. ]
Uh. We could do this more regularly. Like breakfast. On purpose.
[ he scratches his chin, shifting on his feet because how does he tell him that maybe he has feelings too, and he wants to see him more often, but deliberately, you know? like a... meeting but not in a platonic way.
he's really not great at this, but he totally stuck the landing, right...
[ Vash watches the way Wolfwood moves, and it's hard to miss the way he shuffles a little. He blinks once though, somewhat wide eyed. The confusion melts away though as Dune goes and snorts in Wolfwood's face. THAT alone gets him to laugh easy. ]
Sure. We can go out for breakfast if you want.
[ He reaches over and claps Wolfwood on the back once, then twice. ...He's clearly missed the point. ]
[ ok so nicholas is not the most romantic of men, he also isn't the most informed on how things like these go, but he's absolutely really pretty sure that this ain't it, chief.
he blinks at him when he claps his hand on his shoulder after enduring dune's scorn. ]
What -- wait, no --
[ and dune, clearly witnessing the whole thing and running out of patience, pushes wolfwood right onto vash. hard. so that he's tumbling onto him. and knocking him off balance? ]
[ Between the two of them they've got a cotton swab, ten cents, a button, and no braincells. ]
No...? No wh—OOF
[ There's something to be said for a juvenile dragon's strength, especially when annoyed and trying to make a point. There's another thing to be said for just how HEAVY Wolfwood is, when his body weight is being shoved in Vash's direction unexpectedly. Vash's hands grapple at Wolfwood's arms in an attempt to steady him, but Vash's feet are what betray him. Instead of keeping himself vertical Vash finds himself tripping over his own idiot body and ... well down they go.
Vash's ass hits the ground first, and somewhere along the way his forehead connects with Wolfwood's with a dull conk. He manages to at least prevent himself from hitting the BACK side of his head, but his grip on Wolfwood's shirt only assures that he's been dragged down with him. ]
Ow ow ow.... [ He's still wincing as he mutters, cracking his eyes open after a moment to realize his glasses have been knocked clear off his face, the shades hanging barely on by the curve of them hooked over one ear -- and Wolfwood's face only inches from his own. Suddenly, he's finding it harder to catch his winded breath. ]
[ oh, oh, definitely. the lack of braincell is apparent, especially since it's dune that actually has it.
but even when they're toppling over, with vash unfortunately bearing the brunt of the weight, wolfwood has the presence of mind to grasp the back of vash's head to cushion the impact when he's dragged down with him. gravity, thou art a heartless bitch.
but anyway, he's straddling vash, looming above him with thighs on either side, and he's looking into the prettiest eyes he's ever seen in his whole life with the glasses knocked off. and this time, this time wolfwood's the one with the courage, his memories swimming with that last kiss.
he's pulling the glasses off fully, and leaning down to kiss him, his heart racing wildly in his chest. it's now or never. absolutely. ]
[ It's better him than Wolfwood, if he's asked. He can take a little bit of extra weight, even in a place like this that's taken everything that separates him from being human and locked it away. It's okay if he gets hurt, he can take it. He knows Wolfwood can, too, but in the end, the instinct is still there. ]
Wolfw—
[ Oh. Vash's attempt at snatching his glasses back is halfhearted at best, the movement halted the moment Wolfwood's face is in his space and their lips meet. Selfishly, he shifts his weight up to settle a hand to the side of Wolfwood's face, fingers clutching at the stem of Wolfwood's own sunglasses in an effort to push them back and away, tangled in dark strands of hair.
He's less bold this time, a thrum of worry and doubt curling through his chest as his heart practically tries to beat through his ribcage. He wants this, more than perhaps he realized, and that is terrifying. He hasn't let himself want anything in ... a long time.
Still, it doesn't stop him from reciprocating. His lips part against Wolfwood's, not quite biting but the hint is there, as Vash uses his upper body strength to push up, his hands settling at the sides of Wolfwood's face, then sliding down to grapple at the front of his stupid, sloppy, shirt. ]
at first, wolfwood thinks that vash is going to push him away -- he's braced himself for it, too, just in case that first time had been a fluke, and this is his own wishful thinking. but then he's pressing his lips to his, taking off his sunglasses, hands on his face and all he can think of is how soft vash's lips feel and how his pulse feels like it's going to race right out of his body.
it's exhilarating, like falling and flying at the same time, when vash kisses him back and wolfwood deepens the kiss after a few moments, tongue lightly touching against his. he's barely aware of the way vash's hands are grappling the front of his shirt; right now he's more interested in the taste of him. ah, fuck, he's wanted to do this for so, so long. ]
[ He'd put that moment away, to be honest. He'd locked it away and buried it deep, with the intention to hold it dear but also to keep it to himself. It wasn't that Wolfwood had made it feel unreciprocated, but instead, Vash himself felt as though he was the one taking things too far in a direction he didn't deserve.
He's still not so sure he deserves what's happening now, even as his lips work against Wolfwood's and their tongues meet in a kiss that feels more heated than the one before tried to touch on. One kiss becomes two though as Vash pulls back just to touch another to Wolfwood's lips, their breath ghosting together as he makes an attempt to still the heart beating in his throat. ]
...Are you okay? [ Because they did totally just take a tumble. ]
[ really? because wolfwood was starting to think that vash had regretted that when there hadn't been a follow up. it's still new to him, this entire thing -- it remains a revelation that someone actually wants to put their mouth on him. someone who knows him, sees him for who he is (someone not entirely likeable), and then kisses him anyway.
and more importantly, that someone is vash. vash, who sees the good in people all the goddamn time, who needs protecting even as he protects others; vash, who doesn't see how special he is.
the kiss is overwhelming, it tilts his world on its axis because vash feels like everything that wolfwood's trained himself not to want. he can almost feel vash's pounding heart. almost; his own is roaring in his ears. ]
Yeah, uh -- I'm fine. I'm --
[ should he get up? does vash want him to get up? for the first time, wolfwood looks a little uncertain. but he's shifting. ] Are you? I'm --
[ and dune puts a foot lightly on the centre of his back to keep him there.
[ Dune??? Vash stares at the adolescent dragon for a moment, startled. He would have let Nick leave, it certainly seemed to be something he was trying to do, but well...
He can't help it, he laughs. It's real, despite the nerves alight everywhere. It's not nervous though, not at all. Instead, even as Nick struggles with finding his words and figuring out what he wants to do, Vash lifts a hand up to settle against the side of his face, his bare thumb brushing over Nick's cheek before he leans up, using the advantage Dune is offering in order to press their lips together again.
It's languid this time, less tentative and just a little more certain, like he's gotten the message, finally, and thinks that it's okay if he lets himself have just a moment. He presses another to the bridge of Nick's nose afterwards, blue eyes crinkled at the corners. ]
I'm okay, Nick. Don't go. I don't think Dune is planning on letting you anyway.
( now before you go thinking anything with that blond head of yours, this is not an apology for having bitten you over a scrap involving a honey bun when he'd first arrived; it may not be on the day of, because let's be completely honest here, at this point he's still trying to get his bearings but when vash comes out of his bedroom one morning around their birthday he's going to find something for him. and him only.
there will be a small package from one of the shops in the market that sells pastries, and inside that package will be a familiar, round shape with a hole in the middle absolutely drenched in thick, sweet-smelling frosting. there will be another, smaller package wrapped in twine resting next to it, and inside that will be a singular, silver hoop earring. very much like this, except the gemstone has a bit of a shine to it.
next to these two little boxes is a neatly-handwritten note, short and sweet:
Happy birthday, Vash.
how did he manage to afford this? don't worry about it. )
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