bountyfull | IC INBOX

Oh. [ hm. maybe it's just knives that has complicated feelings for his brother, then.

he taps his mouth, head tilting. ] Perhaps I was seeing a bit too much of Abel and I in you two. [ wishful thinking, in a way. still, he's a little surprised by just how shocked vash seems. (maybe it's more of a case of the lady doth protest too much..) ] You do know that Knives is entirely smitten with you, though?

Vash.
I need your help.

( it's a desperate cry for help, really, considering he's asking at all. )

You're much more well-acquainted with Cain than I am.
What sort of things does he like?

( is he currently wandering around the markets trying to think of something himself because cain gave him a potted plant and he can't not give him something in return?

yes.

shut up. )

[ No, no. There's definitely something going on but Vash is never really one to be honest with himself about things. He's pretty sure that's not the right wording, dating. They're just... who they are? ]

I don't know about smitten. He's always cared. T[ here's a bashful way about how he shrugs his shoulders. ]

It's...complicated.[ He pauses and watches Cain for a moment. Like he's trying to figure out what exactly he's saying means. ] We remind you of you and your brother?

[ One morning, as your character steps out of their home, they are greeted by an owl messenger, bearing a letter. The letter tells them that they have been selected to participate in a gift exchange, and they are to deliver a gift to Essek Thelyss by the end of the month. The letter says nothing more, and once the letter is read, the owl will fly away. ]

Cain...?
You want to give Cain a gift?

[ He doesn't mean this to sound the way that it probably does, but well. He is kind of surprised. He does, however actually sit back and think about it. ]

He likes to garden, and he's a vegetarian.
I think he must like to read, but I'm more unsure about that.

[ he pauses in his messages, thinking. ]

We could set up a plot outside the castle for him to grow things.

Edited 2023-12-19 03:57 (UTC)

( look, it's surprising to him too, all right? he's so unused to thinking like this in the slightest that of course he's going to come running to you for any measure of advice. you have friends. he doesn't know how to handle the idea of them. )

He gave me something.
I thought it only considerate to return the gesture.

( he gets that last message and contemplates it for a moment, all kinds of thoughts whirling around in his head until he can manage to grab hold of a couple of keep them in one place. )

He did say he would teach me.
How to garden, that is.
A specified place to do it might be beneficial for everyone involved.

[ He probably shouldn't be (maybe unintentionally) riling his brother up while trying to coax him into bed to actually sleep but Vash has never really been one to make a lot of plans before falling into the heat of things. This is no different, even though he'd at least had some semblance of an idea on how to get his brother to come to his room and sleep with him.

The growl gets nothing from Vash other than one of those light, throaty laughs he does. He doesn't look back at his brother, but does take a moment to tangle their fingers together instead, tugging lightly as he ambles down the hallway and back towards the end of it where the double doors lead into the little alcove that separate Vash's room and the stairwell towards Nai's own. Instead of dragging Nai up the curved stairs decorated with books and plants in inlaid bookshelves, Vash pulls him into the room that's mostly windows that he uses as his bedroom. He turns when they reach his bed, tugging Nai in close again to nose against the cheek decorated with his own beautymark. ]

Sorry, couldn't help it. Bed's warm. [ It's an implied meaning, one that has no heat behind it, not tonight. The pattering of rain starts to hit the windows that arch into the ceiling and Vash lifts a hand to brush over the back of his brother's neck. ]I'll stay with you.

[ Cain gave his brother a gift? That makes something warm settle in his stomach and he grins at his device. ]

Did he? That sounds like him.
It's cold so things probably can't grow outside right now, but...
Getting a layout figured out would be a good first step.

[ He thinks for a minute. ]

We can invite him to join us, too.

[And here Katsuki thought Todoroki was the hardest motherfucker to gift, but no. At least the half and half bastard has some likes that Katsuki can go off of - Vash is a total enigma and the poor Hero spends almost the entire goddamn day just trying to puzzle what to shove in a box or bag that might make this jackass not toss it in a closet somewhere.

In the end, he opts to just go with the easiest thing that most people love to receive: food.

On the evening of Christmas day (yes, it took that long, fuck you), the mail mic will deliver several wrapped gifts and bags to Vash's residence. How they carried some of this shit is a mystery, but whatever. We're not asking those questions. Anyway, the largest present is a fairly large, colorful tin of gourmet popcorn in four flavors - caramel, white cheddar, regular buttered, and white and milk chocolate drizzle. There's also a full orange cranberry bundt cake, peppermint bark, and some festive cake pops decorated to look like little snowmen.

Katsuki also included a festive sweater that perfectly encompasses his mood while trying to think up this shit, and finally the one nice thing way the fuck at the bottom of the boxes/bags...a painted glass ornament that is wrapped dutifully and Vash better not break before the next holiday. 8| So help him god.

Out of everyone else, Vash is the only one to get a card, which is simple in design and just has the usual "Merry Christmas" on one side with a lighted tree and Santa's sleigh and stuff. But written on the back in smudged, red ink...blotted and looking almost like a crime scene, reads:

NEVER AGAIN.

- 💣]

( it's only just this side of easy to get him riled up because it's vash, and his brother is always going to be able to pull that sort of reaction from him regardless of his intent; he knows what he's trying to do, or at least he thinks he does, and yes it would be a bit too simple to fall into the fairly new habit of seeking to kiss him breathless before moving on to anything else, but. in this instance, he's pretty sure that isn't what he's gunning for.

even if it would be a nice detour, he's not about to spurn his twin's good intentions by turning them into something else entirely.

there's comfort in this, in being led by the hand of the one person he would trust with anything, and he keeps that feeling close to his heart as he's ushered into the space that is the other's bedroom. allows himself to be pulled close again and held, returning the nuzzle to his cheek with one of his own.

when he gives over those words, nai lifts his head slightly, expression imploring without really meaning to be. )

You will?

( it's just as surprising to you as it is him -- maybe more so on his end, really, because you know him better -- but it's a step in the right direction for making more friends like you want him to, isn't it? )

Wouldn't that ruin the surprise?

( having him join in, that is, but that doesn't mean he's opposed to the idea. he likes it, but he also likes the idea of the whole thing catching him off-guard. dilemma. )

It wouldn't do to have something in mind where he doesn't want it, though.
He'd probably enjoy having a hand in where his plot goes, after all.

[ dolph has been getting used to the castle. space doesn't bother him, but being around these many people makes him twitchy so he's been making himself busy by working in the kitchen or chopping firewood. generally, he's not too far from livio,

he does pause to do maintenance on his arm though. extreme weather takes its toll as he seems to running an oil cloth over it with a grimace. ]

What a pain.

[ All the extra guests is a bit much, but really, whatever helps keep people warm. Vash won't complain. He's got his own space he can retreat to when it's too much. Generally speaking though, he's okay with people. He likes listening, watching.

Which is what he's doing from his little corner while Dolph is going through the motions of trying to clean(?) his arm. He considers offering to help but hesitates, instead walking closer under the guise of getting something to drink. Water probably. That's never not going to be novel and great. To just have water whenever. ]

Everything alright?

[ Casual. ]

[ dolph glances at him. there's a few panels open with wiring displayed and something vaguely bataranged shaped that is seemingly tucked away. he nods at vash's query. ]

It's fine. Long dips in temperature makes the arm a bit stiff.

All the time, lately... [ Distracting. It's infuriating and flustering when he thinks too hard about it. He grumbles this to himself mostly, his cheeks puffy for a moment before that peck lands at the corner of his mouth. It's like a bomb is diffused almost immediately and instead Vash soaks up the positive attention like a plant that's being watered for the first time in a hundred years. ]

Mm, guess it's hard to forget. But I'll need to practice before we can play together. [ He'd just wind up holding his brother back, or ruining the duet. It's a half spoken promise though, a commitment to share something that can only really be shared with him, and him only. ] You'll tutor me right?

Yeah. C'mon.

[ He tugs at Nai again, stepping back so he's crawling backward onto his own bed, one knee at a time. Luckily, he'd been barefooted before so there's no extra work to pull off shoes or change into sleeping clothes. The sheets on his bed are unmade, but he pushes them aside with his free hand as he tugs. ]

Just you and me and some sleep. Like when we were kids.

[ Innocent, warm, and safe. Like the bed they shared then (and now) is impenetrable, safe from worries and bad moods. The window of their room open to the darkness of space and bright pinpoint stars. Here it may just be the sky, and there's no rumbling of an engine in the background, time and space separating then and now with hundreds of years and millions of miles. ]

We'll talk till you get tired again. I'll hold your hand.

( all the time, lately.

he hears that even if vash mostly grumbles it to himself, and nai doesn't really mean to be a distraction, especially when he really had wanted to see what his brother still retained from their playing together as children. of course he doesn't think he'd kept up with it after the ships had crashed — maybe because it had always been nai that had been practicing on his own when his twin had joined in, unbidden, but had it only been because he'd known it made his brother happy?

he doesn't linger on that thought for long, because it makes something in the very center of his chest ache, and he doesn't want this to end up being soured on his end by thoughts he has no control over. not that he thinks it could, but.

just going to leave that where it is.

regardless of whether or not vash thinks he's going to hold him back before he practices properly, nai doesn't think he will. he's always had faith in his brother's ability when it comes to the keys, to being able to pick out the notes for himself and follow them up without a single thought to anything else, because vash was always a natural like he was. their notes coming together had always been the highlight of their playing together.

he doesn't answer immediately, but when he does: ) Of course I will, as long as you have an interest in it. But I really don't think you're going to need as much tutoring as you assume you will.

( he feels a little lost — much like he had when he'd first woken up in this place — but vash's hand is warm in his own, the promise of closeness until he manages to find some measure of solace in sleep again weighing heavy in the air between them and he. of course he likes the thought of it, of course he wants that closeness because he always does. he just never knows how to ask for it, because he still doesn't feel like it's something he can ask for in the first place.

he follows him, quietly and slowly until both of his knees are amidst the unmade sheets; they smell like his brother, a wave of calm and comfort soothing over him like a balm to his very soul, his heart, and if he … near-immediately folds himself down into that unmade mess to bury his face against a pillow or something else, just to breathe him in and hold it in the center of his chest. well. don't comment on it, okay?

this is not one of his finer moments.

he settles, curling up just a little bit, looking up at his brother just this side of expectantly. )

What would you like to talk about?

[ To Vash's credit, his only reaction to Nai's moment of weakness is to tilt his head to the side a little, a smile on his face as he lowers himself down so he's laying down facing his brother, one hand pulling sheets and blankets up over them both as he shimmies in closer, their noses almost touching. ]

Mm... I'm not picky. [ He thinks for a moment though as he lifts a hand up to drag fingers through the white-blonde hair on his brother's head, blue eyes fixed on the action as he thinks. ]

The stars here are different than what I memorized at home, but I'm starting to remember the constellations I've learned about. I think my favorite is the Compass Fish.

[ He's just babbling about astronomy here, at little, little tales that apparently accompany the constellations. He keeps stroking his fingers through his brother's hair, down the nape of his neck and back, slow and methodical. ]

( this is a lot like their first ( and only ) year on the ship, when they really only had each other despite how well rem had cared for them, how well she'd looked after them from the very first moment of their birth; there is always going to be a part of nai that insists this is all they need. just the two of them, nothing and no one else infringing on their personal bubble and everything and everyone leaving them to their own devices.

he doesn't care much that he would rather do anything sleep right now, as long as he can have this kind of closeness with his brother.

his eyes close for a brief moment as those fingers comb through his hair, a pleased and content noise filtering up to the surface without much thought to giving it at all. he's never going to openly admit that he's just this side of touch-starved and soaks up all the attention vash gives him like a proverbial sponge, but there is no denying it when he reacts like this, and if that sound ends up morphing into something that sounds suspiciously like a purr, it's the closest it can actually get when he's this human.

don't worry about it.

he hums quietly during a lull in the other's rambling, brows briefly creasing in thought. ) You always liked those stories, didn't you? The lore behind them … ( gods and goddesses, the stories of heroes from all different sources of mythology, and there is one more thing nai is never going to admit openly, because he's always been so serious about the media he consumed, apart from all those old westerns.

he likes them, too. perhaps the romantic ones the most. ) Do you remember what your favorite was?

( he's gotten an idea, and it may or may not have something to do with a certain holiday he's heard others talking about recently, hustling and bustling about gathering gifts and things for the people they hold most dear, and when it all comes down to it, who is the one person that always comes to mind first when it comes to those he cares about?

it's always, always going to be vash, and if there's a chance that he can do something that conveys just a little bit of how he cares about him in a physical sense ~~outside of what they already know along that vein, eheh~~ he's going to do it.

he's got all the ingredients he needs, to his knowledge, and when vash next comes into the kitchen he turns and makes an inquisitive noise in his general direction. just to get his attention. )

Hey. Would you like to help me make something?

[ Vash is halfway into a cabinet looking for something or other, so when he hears his brother make a noise in his direction his reaction is to poke back up from behind the cabinet door kind of like a meerkat who's just heard something to pay attention to. He's even got a pack of something in his mouth, plastic and all.

There's a moment where he stares a little, blue eyes wide and barely blinking until he opens his mouth to drop the packaged food into his flesh hand. ]

Make something? What are you making??

[ He peeks a little at the counter in front of his brother, like he's trying to sus out what Nai is up to. He recognizes the ingredients, but he's never been much of a cook despite being someone who is more than happy to shove something (anything) sweet into his mouth. The cabinet he was behind gets shut as he wanders over and peeks over his brother's shoulder at what he's doing.

Definitely sweets but...? ]

A favorite? Mm... I don't know if I could pick a favorite. Maybe Andromeda and Perseus. The story was that he rescued her from Medusa. They're right next to each other in the sky...

[ There's a pause as he turns his attention to watching the way Nai's hair parts around his fingers as he drags his fingers through the soft strands. It's hard to miss the purr and though it's likely nothing like they could do were they not locked away from half or more of what they are, there's a small reciprocated echo of noise Vash answers back with, especially when he makes an effort to press a kiss through strands of blonde hair. ]

Did you know humans assign people constellations based on when they're born, Nai? [ He speaks this in such a soft tone, the timbre and pace of his words quiet and low. It almost makes himself feel a little sleepy, but he exhales a long breath as he pulls blankets around them again, tucking fabric here and there. ]

We were born under Cancer, but there's a constellation that's twins too. Gemini. It's kind of a shame we can't see these in the sky here or at home. [ He would love the chance to stargaze with his brother, pointing out the ones with stories. Falling asleep in grass understarlight.

Not that this is bad, besides the circumstances that brought it about. ]

[Nostalgia and longing for comforts of home have never suited him. It's easy to bury under long sessions on Sleepr or investigations around town, but-

Far be it from Akechi Goro to not invite his bizarre roommates with him to one such outing to it. A strange compulsion to give into a sliver of nostalgic, sentimental shit - the moon pissing him off enough to fuel memories of Tokyo. It doesn't matter both worlds have puppet masters making them writhe and dance in tangled string - only one has his ultimate goal and-

He misses it.

And it's a part to play. An image to maintain. Be kind, thoughtful and invite others. It's suspicious to do otherwise.

With a smile - relaxed and content, he slides into the piping hot water.]

I'm shocked this town has a place like this and such a well maintained one at that. It's fortunate the whole building wasn't completely destroyed by those vines or warped animals.

[ How he was convinced to do this with the two stray (mostly) adult men he's adopted is anyone's guess. He's never been one to go to public baths on purpose, but here he is. Unlike Akechi, Vash has padded over to a bench near the large bath, and is currently tinkering with his prosthetic, pressing several points with his flesh and bone hand to release the device from its attachment with a wince. ]

Mm... It's funny how this place works sometimes. With magic and everything else, things can wind up back to normal sooner than you would think.

[ He sits there, still donning clothes at this point like some kind of unhinged weirdo. At least he's not wearing shoes. The prosthetic is set on the bench, wrapped in one of the spare towels he's brought with himself as he falls quiet again. ]

I would have been more worried the water was strange. Like the lava in the lake.

[ But no, no bath house lava. Vash laughs a little as he stands, minus one appendage. ]

Edited 2024-05-15 01:53 (UTC)

IC INBOX - LABYRINTHUM

no subject

text;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Christmas Gift Delivery!! | 12/25

no subject

no subject

( action, jan )

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

backdated to 2 / 14ish;

no subject

no subject

💣BATHOUSE. HEAVEN. NOW. 💣[MAY]

why BOMBS?