scads: (HW69K0A)
𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚π₯ 𝐬𝐚π₯𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐀𝐬. ([personal profile] scads) wrote2023-06-26 09:40 am

( ic contact );



Don't bother unless you have something important to say.

β†’ sms ← mms β†’ voice ← video β†’ action ← plans to end humanity β†’ unreasonable tantrums regarding one's twin brother ←
bountyfull: ponponpon (twohundredseventyfive)

a fight to the DEATH

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-06-27 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ Nai has been here at least a day or two, and one way or another Vash has convinced both Wolfwood and his brother that it's a good idea to have him stay in the little mushroom house Wolfwood and he call home with their little dragon. Vash has made it a point to bug his brother about eating and drinking as much as he can, to no real effect thusfar.

Why he thinks the two bags full of snacks and drinks is going to make any difference is a mystery to likely anyone who knows the situation. It doesn't stop him though, because like Nai, Vash is just as stubborn and unwilling to deviate from his chosen path. Said path just happens to be to keep his brother alive by feeding him.

He steps inside, ducking through the door to settle his gaze on a sight that's still strange but not unwelcome.
]

...Nai, I brought some things for you to try. [ He holds up the bags, full of convenient snacks, sweet and salty. ] There's got to be something here you'll like.

[ It's gentle prodding but there's something very steely and stubborn in Vash's voice as he holds out one bag for Nai to investigate. ]
bountyfull: (fortysix)

9,999 years later

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-08-27 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
No.

[ No, he's not. Not so long as they're stuck here, together, with the need to eat, drink and sleep. Vash has adjusted easily enough, he's always tended to do those things just because he wanted to. He knew this was going to be rough for Nai, one way or another.

He watches his brother in all his hooded, hermity glory, his lips set in a almost neutral frown. He looks down at the bag and lifts it up to fish through it, trying to find something that might suit his brother's tastes.

Not that he has the first clue what that might be.

So what he fishes out is something that looks suspiciously like some kind of honey bun. He opens up the package, the plastic crinkling a little as he does so. He plops down the bag and moves to climb onto the couch, crawling into Nai's personal space like some sort of uncoordinated gazelle. He holds out the package as he leans in, one hand on the back of the couch while the other holds the treat out.

Like he's trying to feed a feral dog.
]

So. Eat. [ he pauses, waggling the honeybun. ]please
bountyfull: malagraphic (fortythree)

fight fight fight

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-15 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
Nai. You HAVE to eat! Why do you have to be so stubborn? You're not going to survive if you don't eat! This place MAKES you different!

[ He's not in Nai's lap, not yet, his reach still awkward. He looks down and back though despite not moving the honeybun any further away, almost like he's contemplating it to get closer. ]

I don't want to make you eat it, Nai but I will if I have to.

[ A bold statement, but a little bit of brotherly violence is worth keeping Knives alive, if that's what it'll take. As he says this he swings one long leg over Knive's waist, however that works, fully intending on settling his full weight on wherever he's managing to sit. ]

One bite. Try it.

[ No please this time. He is clearly not taking even a polite no. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfourteen)

no kiss only EAT

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-23 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
It's for your own good. [ Doesn't this sound familiar? ] You'll die if you don't eat, Nai!

For once, just listen to me! [ There's an edge of panic in his voice, just faintly there at the outer reaches of what he says, despite the way the words are practically growled out of him.

He doesn't want to shove the thing in his brother's face, and he's pretty sure it's not going to get into Nai's mouth unless he makes a point of helping things along. So, with his left hand he reaches down to try and pry his brother's mouth open. Stupidly, likely, considering it's the more vulnerable one of his appendages.

He probably should have used his prosthetic for this.
]
bountyfull: (twohundredfiftynine)

you say that NOW but wait

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-01 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
Not yet but I can tell something's wrong! You've got bags under your eyes.

[ He sets the honeybun down on his brother's chest because why not, and lifts both hands up to try and pry open his mouth. It's really not working out for him despite his best efforts so.... the prosthetic hand lifts and he presses his brother's nostrils closed.

Knives may be able to deny that he has to eat, but there's only so much time he can manage to hold his breath for before he's going to realize he has to do something gross like breathing.
]

Just open up and EAT IT! [ The end of the sentence is growled low, much in the way he's spoken to at least one or two people before when his temper has really just been peeled away. ]
bountyfull: (twohundredsixty)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-09 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Vash isn't quick enough to move his hand out of the way. Nai's teeth sink into skin not once, but twice and it's all Vash can do to pull his hand out of his brother's mouth with nothing more than a shout. It doesn't look like Nai's broken the skin, but that's definitely going to leave a mark. ]

You BIT me?!

[ He hooks one arm slightly and slugs Nai in the side with his fist, just below the ribs. This stupid asshole just doesn't GET IT. He's going to DIE if he doesn't eat, or at least drink something. Vash glances from the honeybun to the bag and then to his brother again, the scowl on his face pretty severe for him. ]

What's WRONG with you Nai?! It's not going to kill you to try!! You're already weak!
bountyfull: malagraphic (thirtyone)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-22 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Op, there they go, clear over the couch, and onto the floor. The couch comes WITH them, toppling over to slam onto the ground as the brothers roll away, Vash landing on top with his hips straddling Nai, and somehow, the honeybun STILL in one of his hands. If he wants his brother to eat it, he's not going to let it get nasty on the floor.

Vash doesn't even seem bothered by the tumble, despite being no more or less human than his brother right now in this moment. His expression is angry though, angry simmering full of concern and frustration. After all of this THAT'S what he's concerned about?

It's fine, he'll finish that unfinished sentence for him.
]

Because you're as good as human?

[ The words are practically growled, a tone of voice he doesn't use often. Only when he's frustrated, desperate, and determined. ]

I'm not going to let you wither away because you're too stubborn to see that you're wrong!
bountyfull: malagraphic (onehundredeightythree)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-24 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe Knives hadn't meant it the way Vash takes it (or maybe he did.) But Vash softens a little, his expression shifting to something far less desperate and angry. It's something worried in a different way, something gentle and quick to rebut. But there's something else too, like an old wound has had its scab scratched off and reopened. He's quick to look away, his hands settling on his brother's shoulders as he fixes his gaze somewhere else while he makes a grand effort to hide the turmoil in his chest. ]

I guess I wouldn't know what it's like to be perfect. [ It's basically muttered under his breath, aimed away from Knives as he sets his shoulders stubbornly. When he looks back, he's managed to shove the hurt he's caused himself back into the deepest reaches of his mind. Instead, he leans down towards his brother, his hands lifting to settle at either side of his head, fingers curling over his ears as he presses his forehead to Knives' own, like he's done so many times with the tanks their sisters are in. ]

You're still you, Nai. You're still my brother. You're still...

[ Perfect. ]
bountyfull: malagraphic (fortynine)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-25 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's hard to swallow the shock of an apology coming from his brother, let alone the gentle way he's touching him now when they were just bickering and flailing and fighting a moment ago. It makes Vash's breath catch in his throat, his frame stilling almost like a deer caught in headlights.

It's like a spell, the way their noses brush together and Knives repeats words that had worked to soothe his anxieties about not being good enough from their childhood. It's hard not to turn into the touch, the nuzzling.
]

You're not any different than you were, Nai. You're still my brother.

[ THAT'S what matters, isn't it? ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (twohundredsixtyfive)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-30 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't have a hand on his brother's pulse point, but he can swear he can hear Nai's heart slow down with his own now that they aren't wrestling for control or dominance or to make a point. Vash exhales a breath through his nose. What's said though, almost makes Vash's own heart stop.

It's so bitter, and—he thinks— scared, that he turns his head to return the nuzzle from before. Just a small, comforting touch, his hands shifting to drag through the shorn short portion of his brother's hair. It's probably too much, this kind of affection, and he stops soon after he does it.
]

I wouldn't let it happen, Nai. No one.
bountyfull: malagraphic (twentyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-11-09 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ If Vash notices the whine (he does) he doesn't say anything about it. Instead he watches his brother with a likely unervingly hard to read expression, the lines of his face flat as he stares down at Knives with almost uncharacteristic intensity. It seems to soften as his brother's fingers brush over the features of his face, and eventually Vash lets out a sigh that's almost like an inflatable pool toy being deflated. ]

I don't want to lose you either, you know. It's not like I wanted anything like that.

[ He clenches his fists a little, the action repeated again and again, like he's looking for something to do with his hands. ]

That's why I'm trying to help. But you're so stubborn and you never listen to me.

[ It's practically petulant. Sure he probably could have gone about this in a better way, but it's the thought that counts right? ... honestly, the both of them could do to learn that the method of getting somewhere does, in fact, matter. ]
bountyfull: (threehundredseventytwo)

slides in late all sorts of sheepish

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-12-10 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That's the problem isn't it. That both of them talk but neither of them listen, too wrapped up in their own perspectives and trauma to really hear what the other is saying. To understand each other. ]

I guess that's something we need to work on. [ There's a frown on his features and if his eyes look a little wet, they don't. That's no one's business. His gaze is fixed on the thumbs dragging over his knuckles and Vash thinks distantly that it's been such a long time since he and his brother had shared gentle touches like this, like the ones to his face only a little while ago. It's a little lopsided, Knives being the one to offer the soothing touches while Vash had been the one to practically send them tumbling over the ground with desperate aggression and something akin to guilt tugs at the deepest point of his stomach.

Until Knives speaks again and he blinks, looking up from their hands to look for the sack of snacks with a straightened back like a meerkat looking out for predators.
]

Table.
bountyfull: brokiloen (onehundredfiftyone)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-12-23 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's USUALLY called family therapy, Nai.

Vash isn't looking at Nai when he touches his thumbs to his face, but he does freeze in the moment, muscles slowly relaxing as the pads of his brothers thumbs try to wipe away tears that only really threatened to fall, but never did. It's weirdly familiar and somehow makes his chest ache a little, his gaze flicking to look back down at Knives with an awed confusion.

It might take him a long time to get used to touches like this, gentle and intimate in a way that's only between two people who have known each other all their lives. He almost misses the tap to his hip or the request one would toss casually at a pet rather than a sibling—but he doesn't complain, and instead he moves as asked, pulling himself up to his feet to right the couch before doing anything else.

Like he's still processing what his brother's said. Once he DOES however, he blinks at Knives, his expression carefully neutral.
]

Really?
bountyfull: brokiloen (seventyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-01 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Anyone else might have been bothered or weirded out by the strange way Nai manages to stand, but Vash pays it no mind, it's just normal Nai things. He's always been graceful (when he's not slamming through windows). ]

It's mostly junk food, actually. Sorry. [ He lifts a hand to brush through his hair, frowning as he reaches over to grab the bag with one hand. The other is quick to start rooting around, his lower lip jutting out in an exaggerated pout. In hindsight, if he wanted his brother to eat, maybe he shouldn't have bought things with his own tastes in mind. ]

I should have looked for better options.

[ He does, however pull out a bottle of water. That much, at least, he was sure to get. He holds that out, the food items inside the bag a jumbled mess. ]
bountyfull: brokiloen (sixtyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-17 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ Water isn't food, but it's a step up from nothing. So Vash does his best to school the hint of disappointment from his face. Nai maintains eye contact but Vash doesn't, his head turning to the side.

He should give his brother credit. Instead of being a little shit he offers Nai a softer expression, silent gratitude. In the same breath he makes his next suggestion:
]

We can go now. [ There's got to be something at one of the shops that you'll eat. He turns, stepping to look around the both of them for a moment. He grimaces at the mess they've made and immediately starts to straighten things up a little. Maybe it's nervous energy or something else that he's working off but he doesn't want to stare at his brother while he waits for his answer. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (twohundredseventythree)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-17 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't want to talk. He STILL doesn't want to think. It would have been so much easier if Nai had just accepted the apology without clarification. Vash wouldn't have to try and untangle the threads of thought and emotions currently doing their best to knot together indecipherably. Vash swallows back words, his head shaking in the negative just a little as his arms tighten again and he pulls just that much closer like if he lets go he's going to wake up on the floor alone. ]

Everything. [ The chasm that's been put between the two of them for so many years, every choice that's helped push them both further apart. This, right now. Tentative and terrifying and rocketing over boundaries and lines that he's not so sure should have been crossed for more reasons than his thoughts can sort. And yet, he makes no effort to move, to disengage from the hold they have on each other. Instead, he's pressed so close that the word is spoken against the skin of Nai's neck, his nose buried against skin like he's seeking to overwhelm his senses with the scent of citrus and aloe, something so familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time.

Nai's hands drag over the curve of his spine and Vash exhales a rough breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in. It's almost a sob, but not quite, just a rough exhale that ends with his mouth mirroring the kiss placed to his own neck. When those hands climb up higher, Vash finally finds the strength to push himself up, his own hands moving to settle on his brother's shoulders as he lifts his gaze to level a careful glance his way, searching, looking, seeking out something but not being able to ask, not wanting to ask.
]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfiftyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-17 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He's almost certain he would never have heard an apology from Nai. He's never thought he was wrong, not once. To hear it come from his brother's lips gets a shocked exhale punched from Vash's lungs, and an all new set of tears threaten to well up in the corners of his eyes.

It doesn't fix anything, it doesn't take back what was done, or the pain and lives that were lost. But it's like a door without a handle in the wall between them suddenly has something to grip. It's a starting line, and Vash is certain because its Nai he can forgive him, he already has, he's willing to do whatever it takes if it means that maybe they can find some common ground. Maybe they can start to mend the gap between them.

I missed you.

There's an air of confusion on his face when that thumb brushes over his lip, but he only has a moment before Nai leans in with that tentative kiss. Maybe it's the uncertainty of it that has Vash lift a hand up to touch the side of Nai's face, to brush his thumb over the curve of his cheek. There's a moment, then two as Vash's thoughts tumble through his stupid addled brain and he exhales again.

Okay. The way he nods his head is subtle, the barest movement as he leans into the kiss, their lips pressing together again, half-lidded eyes slipping fully shut. He's the one who pushes for more this time, parting his lips to swipe his tongue past Nai's, even as he rises up on his knees to get a little bit of height.
]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredthirty)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-17 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's hard to maintain his self-deprecating when every time the mask slips in front of anyone and it shows he gets called out relentlessly. By Nicholas, by the friends he's managed to gather despite himself. It's harder still now that he's been given a moment to relax, a chance to think about things he wants for himself, despite still struggling with allowing any of it. Maybe this is one of those times where he's desperately clawing towards something he wants but doesn't really know what to do or where to go with it.

Right now, though, he's ok with it. This feels so much better than fighting with Nai, better than arguing and talking in circles or watching people around them die because of squabbling and his own inability to act. Vash's thoughts race, almost losing focus on the feeling of his mouth on Nai, up until the teeth on his tongue pull him back from his thoughts and the fingers in his hair yank a hum past his lips, nearly lost in the way he immediately tugs the kiss deeper. There's no blood but he's quick to retaliate given the chance, teeth catching on Nai's lower lip and biting down.

Another kiss is quickly peppered thereafter, almost like an immediate apology, a walking back of the pain he's just inflicted.
]

Nai.

[ It's muttered, hummed a little, a gentle chiding almost. Again, neither one of them has ever been good at words, at least when it comes to talking to each other, so now isn't going to be any different, especially when Vash isn't sure he trusts himself to use his words the right way. Instead, he follows up with a small smile and a brush of his nose against Nai's own. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredthirtyfive)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-18 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
You're blushing.

[ It's a statement of awe, but the lopsided grin that flickers over his lips is definitely a little more shit-eating than he means to let slip. As if that wasn't enough one of his prosthetic fingers is lifted to trace over the shell of Nai's ear, over the pale and blushed skin, following the color over Nai's cheek. He's certainly taking his time to point it out, taking any new opportunity to be playful in a way he's not been able to be since they were children.

And oh, its so easy to sink right back into heated kisses that increasingly leave him breathless, the beat of his heart racing in a way that he's only recently, rarely, experienced. But then—
]

Wait. [ A wave of panic rises from his stomach, washing out the warmth that had been tentatively swirling there moments before. It pulls Vash out of the most recent kiss, his own cheeks dusted red even though his expression is now an alarmed grimace. ]

...You don't want to. [ Fingers twitch at Nai's shoulder for a moment before they move, his hand flicking down to tug at the hem of his shirt. He sinks back down, the first step in retreating as he turns his head away, the angle of it making it hard to see where he's looking thanks to the weird semi-reflective properties of his glasses.] I'm not...

[ He spares a quick glance out of the corner of his eyes at his brother, his perfect, pale, ideal example of what an Independent can be. There's not a single scar, wound, patch of marred skin that Vash regrets, but he knows what they look like. He's seen the reaction people have had to his body the rare instances that he's let someone see. But Nai? Maybe it's better if he never sees, better if it's left as an uncomfortable partial unknown. ]
bountyfull: brokiloen (onehundredsixtysix)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-18 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's so much to be said about the way Nai looks at him, the expression on his face something so new and different and startling that Vash is motionless when his proverbial safety blanket is pulled away from his face. He blinks once, then twice, so unused to looking at the world without his sunglasses. The hands on his face do a little to quell the panic swirling in his stomach.

Any protest he had ready is lost immediately the moment Nai's lips are back on his. Vash hesitates, hands settled on his brother's chest for a moment like he's going to push away, going to retreat and escape back to his room— but he doesn't. It takes a moment, but as the kiss lingers and Vash slips into it his tense posture relaxes, the palms of his hands sliding up over muscle and the line of Nai's clavicle, and over his shoulders to loop together. His body leans in, arching against Nai's lap, the upset crease of his brow slowly unpinching.

When he takes a moment to breathe, lips barely parted enough to do so, his eyes stay half lidded. It might have been wordless, but maybe between the two of them it's almost second nature to understand the meaning in wordless gestures.
]

Okay. [ Tenative as it is, he'll give Nai the trust he seems to be pleading for. ]
bountyfull: malagraphic (onehundrednintyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-18 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ When they were younger, barely a year or so old, Nai was ever-present in his life, in a way that even Rem wasn't. It's undeniable that Vash loved...LOVES Rem, but Nai was a grounding presence, a presence that he constantly gravitated towards no matter what. He learned piano for Nai on some level back then, an unconscious effort to deepen the bond that he would ever have with one other person in the universe. He realizes as he sits where he is, pressed to his brother's body, that perhaps they'd rubberband back together no matter what they did, inevitable.

It had been painful to run. Terrifying to sever a connection that ran so deep. But he'd done it, and he'd done it to protect people he knew would wind up hurt because of them. Because of the anger he'd seen in his brother's eyes. But as he looks now, he sees none of that, only a face that looks far more similar to a boy he remembers all too clearly from those days on the ship, the stars in the background.

It makes his chest warm in a completely different way than the Nai is touching him warms him. Wandering hands feel scalding -- a sensation that Vash is certain is his own reaction to touch rather than the temperature of Nai's hands. It's a one-two punch when nails dig into skin and another hand drags over his ass and it's all that he can do to temper the moan that tumbles into Nai's mouth as a result.

Mismatched hands shoot up to tangle in bright blond hair, and this time they pull, and they pull hard, yanking at the roots of the strands. His hips roll forward into that possessive hold, seeking out the sting of it but also the warmth and friction of the body (his brother's body) underneath him. It's almost too much, for someone like Vash, still yet unused to gentle touch or the way it makes his heart races to hammer in his ears.
]
bountyfull: brokiloen (twohundredthirteen)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-18 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ What? Like he can do it on command? Something about the tone of Nai’s words however, has Vash's mouth run dry anyway even as a breathy laugh almost ALMOST leaves his mouth. He might have even had something to say about it but the sharp, painful sensation of teeth digging into his neck aborts his ability to form cohesive words. Instead, he gasps in a sharp breath of air, the grip on his brother's hair tightening, tugging but not in an attempt to pull him away.

He bites down on his own lip hard enough to draw blood, arching his neck to give Nai room where he is. It's frustrating almost, the way he's held still and made to feel the press of Nai's hips instead of seek it out himself. It's not on command, but another whine escapes from his mouth and this time its uttered right into his brother’s ear. The welts at his hips sting, highlighting the path his brother's hands have taken over his skin where his shirt has certainly been pushed up and over scars and wounds long healed. Earlier, Vash had a mind to be self conscious about the state of his body being exposed but now he feels all too hot in the confines of his turtleneck.

Greedy. Selfish. Don’t want so much. That ugly little voice doesn’t seem to shut up despite his stubborn determination to ignore it. It wiggles around in the back of his thoughts, pushing and pressing against the heated swirls driving his actions right now. Is it selfish to want this, right now? To want it ever? To seek out these kind of indulgent, intimate touches, to feel a little smug that he’s had such a clear effect on the brother that up until now always seemed collected and determined and in control?

He shifts his flesh and bone hand from its grip in Nai’s hair, smoothing fingers over the curve at the back of his skull and down the back of his neck. He skims his hand over the line of that stupid body suit and back down over his shoulders to press his palm against the swell of his brother’s chest, feeling the muscle there for one self indulgent moment before his touch continues to travel, down an arm, over his wrist and finally where Nai’s grip rests, pushing into skin that’s already red from the drag of short nails. He doesn’t hesitate this time, gently guiding Nai’s hand up beyond the cloth of his top and over the expanse of skin underneath.
]
bountyfull: ponponpon (twohundredsixtyeight)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-19 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's no helping it, a hushed laugh is punched out of his lungs the moment his vision is blocked off by the removal of his turtleneck up over his head. He moves his arms to make it just a little bit easier, and once the cool air of the little mushroom hits his skin he almost immediately shivers. Skin prickles up his spine and over his shoulders, the sensation ricocheting all the way back down his arms to his hands where they hold their positions over Nai's wandering ones.

It's funny how he can feel so exposed and cold, but everywhere Nai touches feels like it's being undone, like it's being set aflame despite all logic. It's all he can do to hold still underneath his brother's piercing gaze, the intensity of it making Vash squirm a little where he's seated. But it doesn't stop there and even as Nai leans in and kisses him again, worrying that split lip in a way that makes him a little dizzy he starts talking, compliments and praise and claim

He can't take it. If the staring wasn't enough, the words that tumble out of Nai's mouth definitely are, spilling over into too much, too embarrassing, words he doesn't deserve. Not from his brother, not from ... anyone. Vash lifts his flesh and bone hand up to press over Nai's mouth even as he shrinks back, his face flush from his ears and clear down his neck.
]

Stop, Nai that's enough. [ He pauses, taking in a deep breath and focusing on the feeling of Nai's fingers on his skin, resting over scars and ribs. He manages the smallest smile as he leans in, pressing kiss-swollen lips to the back of his own hand, ghosting where Nai's mouth should be beyond that. ] It's embarrassing.

[ He'd be a liar if he didn't admit a small part of him reveled in the praise, though. But that's his secret. Since he has the moment, however, Vash takes the opportunity to lift one of Nai's hands up with his free hand and he presses a kiss to the wrist, a little splotch left in the wake of the affection as he fits another at the heel of his palm and again further in. ]
bountyfull: malagraphic (three)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-20 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
Haha, Nai, what book of pickup lines have you been reading? [ It's a playful deflection, one that utilizes one of those smiles Vash is so quick to slap on his face. ] No. No one's ever said anything like that before.

[ Nai doesn't have to try very hard to reach his goal, really. Vash yields easily enough, keeping their tangled fingers together in favor of dropping his hold on Nai's other hand to settle one back on the back of his neck again. The touch of lips to skin that's usually covered gets the hair on the back of his neck to stand up on end, and a sigh to slip past parted lips.

This isn't nearly as heated as things seemed to have been tumbling towards just a few moments earlier, but it's nice. It's gentle, it's comforting. It feels a little like he's having some wish fulfillment dream, and it's so, so easy to relax and lean into it, to crane his neck just enough to make room for Nai to exist there. The pads of his fingers press into the muscle of Nai's neck, rubbing small circles there at the base of his skull and then down lower in slow, deliberately affectionate touches. He stops after a moment though, his fingers toying with something hard and small that feels attached to the strange bodysuit he's literally never seen his brother remove.

He pulls at it, only vaguely surprised when it gives and he realizes what he's found. He should have figured, considering the state of this place, that Nai's clothes were much more simple(?) than he'd thought they'd be. But, discovery aside, Vash pulls the little zipper latch down and once he can he slips bare fingers underneath the cloth to brush calloused fingers over skin he's certain he's never even seen before.
]
bountyfull: brokiloen (seventyone)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-20 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's an attempt to shoot his brother an exasperated look, but it honestly withers in the face of the attention he's given. At this rate, that little cut is going to leave the smallest, lightest of scars. If he thinks about it too much, the idea of that isn't necessarily a bad one, but perhaps a little embarrassing. ]

You don't have to... [ The thought of it though, lights a blush renewed across Vash's ears, his imagination running a little with the sound of his brother's voice in his ear, whispering ridiculous, embarrassing words right at the curve of it. It's not something that he would have dreamed of imagining before, but after today, after he's experienced such a gentle, soft side of his twin, it's all too easy to get caught carried away in his thoughts.

But reality is much sweeter, as it turns out. Vash would have been all too happy to focus on the sensation of lips against skin, but it's the sound that Nai makes, so startled and a little vulnerable and soft. It's something he'd never really considered when his brother came to mind, even less so when in conjunction with himself. He turns his head to press a kiss to his brother's temple, or his hair, whatever it is he can reach. Something in his chest aches a little bit, the heat of it rekindling something from before they'd taken a pause to actually talk a little.

The way Vash twists his hand free from their tangled grasp is a little hurried in hindsight, but it's followed up with a suddenly very breathy, very interested apology. Sorry, brother, holding your hand is nice but— he pulls the zipper down over where it rests over Nai's spine and ends somewhere around his mid-back. Vash doesn't check to see if it's pulled all the way down, instead, he's busy sliding his hands beyond the fabric to touch cool, pale skin with the palms of his hands.

He's so acutely aware of the imbalance of their current clothing situation as he feels the sensation of Nai worrying a bruise to his collarbone, so he curls his fingers inward, dragging his blunt nails up over freshly exposed skin back to where the body suit is now loose around Nai's shoulders. When he speaks this time, the tone of it is different. It's softer somehow, but maybe a little breathless.
]

Nai, off. Please. I want to see.
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfiftythree)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-21 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Vash is content to chase after the kiss he's given, but the moment his brother leans back and flicks that smarmy, shit-eating grin over his face, Vash's own expression purses into something that's akin to an annoyed pout. It's a shame because he'd been rather curious about the sight in front of him. ]

What's that look for? Don't be annoying.

[ It's funny how easy it is to slip back into a back-and-forth that is so eerily reminiscent of how they interacted as kids. Vash leans back a little as he very blatantly takes an eyeful of the sight in front of him. He's folded his arms across his chest, fingers drumming against the skin and metal of his arms as he exhales a hum. It'd give Nai too much satisfaction to admit just how dry his mouth goes at the sight, or just how badly he wants to touch, fingers clenching against his arms in an effort to hold up his annoyed front.

He shifts in his spot, not relinquishing his spot on Nai's lap as his gaze lingers on one particular cluster of freckles that he's pretty sure he could trace into the shape of a cat's face. He's still grumpy though, so instead of anything gentle, he unfolds his arms from over his own chest to reach out towards his brother. Unceremoniously, he claps both hands against his ridiculously unmarred chest and shoves with his full strength, tipping the both of them forward and hopefully ending up with Nai sprawled on his back and Vash? On his knees, still straddling his brother's hips.
]

I don't think I have to get up at all.

[ Without moving where he's so firmly planted his hands, Vash leans in, pressing a slow but brief kiss to his twin's lips. Maybe it's an apology for the way Nai's head likely cracked against the floor of the mushroom house, but it's also a bit of a distraction as Vash shifts his body weight to slide lower, lips moving away from Nai's mouth to press another kiss to that strangely feline smattering of freckles. He flicks his eyes back up towards where he's left his brother's gaze, but painfully slowly drags his lips lower, over the curve of his pecs and pale skin. Maybe it's an intrusive thought or an attempt at making a point but it isn't long after he dusts gentle attention over what he can reach that he leans in and bites, teeth pinching skin with a laugh. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredsixteen)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-21 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Later, maybe, when he has time to think through the events of the afternoon that lead to this, the events that this is all leading to, he might give thought to just how different things between the two of them seem to be unraveling already. He's not certain when the last time he felt comfort around his brother rather than a tense thrum of foreboding. He much prefers this, even if it almost feels too good to be true.

Like he's going to wake up back on Noman's Land, with the dust and the heat and he's going to scream. But he very purposefully tears his thoughts away from that, his expression dropping only momentarily before it's replaced again with something for Now.

The chuckle Nai's reaction gets out of him is definitely impish, the sound colored by the way he tilts his head to one side, the mess of blond locks on his head flopping with the motion. The expression on his face makes the corners of his eyes crinkle, the finest of lines dusting across the bridge of his nose in the same way. It's little things like these that those sunglasses so easily tuck away and keep private, little micro-expressions that he's so prone to having.
]

Mm. Maybe. [ He's never had this kind of advantage before over his brother. He thinks for a moment, letting his hands slide lower over the taught muscles that make up his brother's torso, and lower still over the ones that lead down over his abdomen. This way, his hands are practically resting where his legs straddle Nai, the half-discarded body suit already tangled there too. ] You started it.

[ As if to make a point he very carefully, pointedly arches his neck to expose the bite mark that's bloomed over his neck (even though he hasn't seen it, he knows it's there), the purple splotch at his collarbone only a short distance away. It's only fair, if he gets to make his own mark. He'll even be generous and keep it to one (for now) considering that Nai's skin is so pristine. But what he does do is shift down, possibly not quite as gracefully as one could, but close enough— and he presses another kiss to his brother's stomach, above his navel, just where the muscles swell then dip down.

It's his hands that are mischievous this time, gliding over the lines of Nai's hips, fingers curling into and tugging at that stupid, half-unzipped body suit. His lips find soft skin just above fabric and he presses a very pointed kiss there, teeth dragging over the spot like he's trying to see what kind of new, exciting reaction he can garner.
]
bountyfull: ponponpon (twohundredninetyfive)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-22 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's something so, so satisfying about dragging a sound like that out of his brother, to hear the breathless tone of his voice and to know that he is the reason Nai's struggling to maintain the composure he so often has. He pushes back at that upward motion of his brother's body, watching the way muscles tense beneath perfect, unmarred skin (well, unmarred save for where he'd bit earlier at least) It makes him feel a little smug, a little proud, and a little pleased with himself. Is he teasing? Yes, but really, unintentionally. Mostly.

Okay.

So maybe he's teasing on purpose. Who can blame him? It's thrilling to have the upper hand, even for just a moment. Especially for something like this. Especially with someone like Nai. It makes his heart beat a little faster to know he's getting this kind of reaction out of his twin brother, the thrill of it enough to override the rumble of nerves he's been pointedly ignoring.
]

Sorry. [ He's not sorry. He does a show of ducking his face to the line of Nai's hip, almost meant to be bashful but it's just an attempt to hide the grin stretching over his mouth. He makes a point to nose over the dip of Nai's hip, peppering kisses and nips over the line that disappears behind that increasingly infuriating fabric.

Eventually, Vash has to shift his body lower, settling his body in between his brother's legs after basically almost bullying a spot for himself there. If he'd had plausible deniability before, with the way he settles where he is, there's little he could do or say to hide what his intentions are while he's down here. His hands slide down to settle at Nai's hips as he ghosts a warm breath right over the shape of what he knows is still hidden underneath that mottled jump suit.

Vash's eyes flick up from where he is, from where they're focused and fixes a heated gaze on his brother. Nai had been feeling playful before, but Vash wonders what thoughts are running through his head now. It's the lightest touch when his mouth drags over that skin tight suit and his eyes only briefly (shyly) glance away from where he keeps it locked on what he can see of Nai's face. There's a lot of confidence in his posture and actions, but it isn't as though this is something he's done before. It's still new, unexplored territory.
]
bountyfull: malagraphic (onehundrednintyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-22 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He hasn't forgotten who he's dealing with, but maybe, somehow the sharpness and fear that seemed to surround his brother has been blunted. The yank of his hair lifts Vash's head ever so slightly and a muttered "Oh" slips past his lips. Awful huh? Vash laughs, the sound a little more breathy than the one before it, some kind of amusement twinkling in his bright blue eyes. Nai isn't wrong. He's never been a good liar, never really wanted to be either. It was a lot easier to just not say anything, to avoid an answer that was too complicated or too dangerous.

But oh, does the sound that he manages to wrangle out of his brother does something to him. His heart beats a little faster, a little harder, the feeling of it making him a little lightheaded. They're both as human as anyone else here is right now, so perhaps it's with a little earned dexterity and determination that he's able to pull the rest of that fabric down and over his brother's hips, shuffling a little to discard that stupid bodysuit off somewhere else in the tiny main room of the mushroom house with much less care than his own glasses had been given.

There's a moment where he just stares, eyes darkening with unhidden want and desire he hadn't really given a second thought before today. Perhaps it was something else entirely before a little while ago, before their lips had been on each other and Vash had felt something with in him tug him sharply towards the one person in the world he was already forever tied to. But that doesn't matter right now, not when they've so clearly stumbled into this together. Vash finds what he wants to focus on is right in front of him. What he sees in front of him is just as familiar as it isn't, they're twins, and while so much is different it's also the same.

When Vash settles back where he was he turns his face to press a kiss to more pale skin, this time along the inside of his brother's thigh.
]

Nai?

[ It's permission but also Vash feels like pressing for a little more, needling, angling for Nai to voice what he wants. Another kiss is pressed further up, one of Vash's hands settling against Nai's leg while the other drags the backs of his knuckles over the hard length of his twin's cock. More teasing, more flirtatious touches—but Vash has never really been mean and especially not to his brother. He can't really, truly keep it up for too terribly long. Flesh and bone fingers finally finally slip lower, gliding over where Knives is already wet.

Vash finds himself biting down on that same abused spot on his lower lip, absently splitting the angry flesh again as he strokes fingers over folds and spreads that wetness up and over the rest of him to make it easier for his hand to slide up over the (frankly intimidatingly large) size of him and back down. The touch of it is deliberate and purposeful as he watches Nai from his higher vantage point, to drink in the reactions he so desperately wants to see.
]
bountyfull: malagraphic (onehundrednintytwo)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-23 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's so little experience between the two of them, though Vash is almost certain he somehow has more than his "elder" brother. Nights with his hands between his own legs were so few and far between, but enough to give him a little guidance now that he's found himself in this absolutely improbable situation. His brother all but begs for more and that shoots heat straight down to what's already straining in his own pants, soaking his underwear almost uncomfortably. But he's so quick to push all that aside and give instead; a habit that he's not easily pulled out of, clearly. Especially when Knives looks at him like that. Especially when Knives sounds like that.

He turns into the press of Nai's thumb to his lip, pressing a soft kiss to the pad of it before he leans away and in one smooth motion gives Nai what he's asking for. His mouth finally finds the core of his heat, the flat of his tongue swiping up over the folds of his pussy.

Like this, gaze focused on what he's doing, Vash's nose bumps against the base of Knives' cock, grinding over the sensitive skin as Vash does his best to pay attention to the rest of him, wastes no time in letting one touch of his tongue glide up higher, his mouth gone again just as quickly as he dives back towards his original goal. He's quick to avoid letting any part of his brother feel neglected, the fingers of one hand wrapping around him and dragging up over the size of him and back down in a motion he's found works for him at the very least.

He has to come up for air eventually, though.
]

Blue, huh...? [ It's a little funny he'd be remarking on the color, especially considering that as he does he drags his lips against Knives again, his hand still languidly stroking over him. Honestly, considering the pleased cat-caught-the-canary look on his face, there's a couple of pegs he needs to be knocked down from. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredtwentynine)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-23 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha, maybe just a little. You're amazing. [ Beautiful. Perfect. A much better array of words for someone like Knives than someone like him. It goes unsaid though as Vash drinks in each sound, each subtle movement, parting of his thighs, each gasp he's able to coax from his brother.

Someone who isn't as familiar with Knives might find the state he's currently in strange, alarmingly vulnerable and unlike him. But Vash knows better. Even after over a century of being separated, pushed to opposite sides of a moral question, Vash feels as though he can read his brother better than he ever could before. Perhaps it's just for him that Knives is easy like this, he's always been different with him than with anyone else. Perhaps it had been why Vash never really wanted to give up, wanted so desperately to get him to see things from his perspective.
]

You will. [ But not yet. Is the simple answer, though the way Vash watches his brother is intense in a way that is deeply observant, even as nails drag down over his scalp and neck. He's like a cat, arching into the touch and the pain of it, a breath exhaled past his lips. He doesn't move to leave where he is though, despite the implication in words left unsaid by his twin. Instead, his mouth finds the head of his cock, previously intense gaze drooping to something half-lidded as he swirls his tongue over the tip and slides more of him into the warmth of his mouth.

One hand rests against the inside of Knives' thigh, the thumb of it pressing soothing circles into the skin there as he takes a minute to breathe in deep through his nose. Maybe in a way, the touch is meant to soothe his own nerves as much as it's meant to for his brother, the way his stomach rumbles with butterflies and electric zings. He's heard the sounds Knives is making, he's almost certain that what he's doing is being enjoyed, but there's that little bit of uncertainty. It has him lifting his gaze to watch again as he finally starts to bob his head in achingly slow motions.

Vash slides cool prosthetic digits lower, circling around his hole but not quite pushing in, not at first. Not yet. He figures it might be a little overwhelming, a little too much. But even as he watches Knives carefully, there's a wordless question in his gaze, mouth clearly too occupied to voice it.
]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-09-27 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's incredibly self satisfying to know he's the reason his brother is coming to pieces right now. If Vash were the type, he'd probably feel smug knowing the fact that it's his mouth and his hands that have his brother nearly begging in front of him, legs spread open in a way that Vash KNOWS no one else has had him. It's what has him racing down this path to pull whatever sound he can manage from Knives' throat, and he's only rewarded for his efforts by every little gasp or whimper or moan. The best part, though, is the praise. It makes sense that that seems to be something that the both of them enjoy.

To be honest, it's the small touches that are the most encouraging, the soothing presence of familiar fingers at his pulse, the encouraging sensation of fingers carding through his hair. Vash exhales a hum around where his mouth is currently busy, each slide of his lips overheated skin getting more and more bold, a little more of him disappearing into his mouth before he slides up again. He feels Knives' dick hit the back of his throat, and for a moment it takes effort not to gag around him. It certainly puts a stutter in his rhythm as he takes a moment to breathe and another to look up at his brother like some kind of check-in.

He's absolutely certain that the look he sees on Knives' face is one he wants to see again, if he's let to.

He's not going to tease Knives forever, either. Though he doesn't directly ask for it, it's almost like Vash understands anyway. Maybe it's because they're twins, in tune with one another in a way literally no one else in the universe is. Or maybe it's because from where Vash is, where his fingers are currently playing, there's no denying the reaction that he's getting from is dear "elder" brother. He slips two fingers in where Knives' body is busy clenching around nothing, prosthetic digits pressing against hot, wet walls as Vash makes an effort to curl them in just the way he knows feels the best when he's done it to himself.

Distantly, he wonders if he can get his brother to come while they're like this, his mouth and hands doing their best to wring Knives dry. It would be worth it to try, to give at LEAST that much. It gives him a goal to reach before he might give in to Nai's earlier request.
]
bountyfull: brokiloen (twohundredthirtyone)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-01 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ He knows. Maybe he always has known. But that's a secret he's going to carry to the grave, selfishly keeping that knowledge to himself for use whenever he wants it. It's so addicting, sitting where he is, with the view he has. The way his brother clenches around his fingers and strains to keep his hips still more than enough to make Vash ache in his pants.

It's a need he's pretty sure he hasn't felt before, a want to drive his brother past that last thread of control... He's certain he's nearly there when Knives almost doubles over, his pants turning into hitched moans. It's really all the encouragement he needs to double his efforts, fingers gliding over that same spot again and again. He's so wet that the sound of it is practically obscene.

But as determined as he is there's only so much ignoring he can do when it comes to the pressure and pain of having his hair pulled like that, especially when it's coupled with a press of fingers into his throat that make him a little light headed. Even with the buck of Knives' hips Vash eventually decides to relent, shifting a little to give in to what's being practically growled at him. He drags his tongue and lips over Knives one last time before his lips part from his dick with a wet sound, his hand following the motion with careful strokes.

This direction of events might be what Nai wants, but the amused expression on his face makes it clear that He can tell just what kind of effect he's had on Knives' body. Maybe it's a little shit eating, the heated, blown eyed expression he fits on Nai now that he's no longer making an attempt to swallow his older brother whole.
]

Nai...? [ A question he doesn't really need an answer to because he already knows. His voice is hushed, a little rough, and practically rumbling with interest as he breathes in a deep breath. He smooths both hands over Nai's inner thighs, thumbs pressing into muscle in what should hopefully be a little soothing. ]
bountyfull: (threehundredfiftyeight)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-04 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's just a little startled, honestly, by being hauled up by the hem of his pants. It leaves him scrambling just a little bit, his hands flying up to clap down onto the floor on either side of his brother's head to avoid knocking their foreheads together uncomfortably.

He's barely registering what's happening to his pants before Knives' hand is down them.
]

Nai, Wai— [ His voice catches sharply in his throat, the words choked back in favor of a strangled gasp that melts into a moan uttered into Knives' mouth. It's overwhelming, too much, way too much all at once. He's barely adjusted to the feeling of Nai's hands on him, the feeling of their cocks sliding together before his own handiwork comes back to haunt him. If he'd been standing, his knees might have buckled. As it is, one hand slides between them to settle overtop the one pressing into him.

Wanted to feel him? Vash distantly thinks that he's more than accomplished that as another sound is practically panted into Nai's mouth, his body arching to rock his hips back onto those intruding fingers. If he wasn't so certain his gaze was full of his brother's own intense stare, he'd be sure he was seeing stars. He'd ignored the ache between his legs rather well in favor of focusing on his brother's pleasure, but now that the tables have turned and those hands are wringing sounds out of him it's like the carefully maintained and watched fire in his belly has raged into an entire forest fire. It's so so much but Vash realizes as he tries to figure out how best to meet his brother's touch, it's also not enough. Not nearly enough.
]

Nai, please...right there- it's— [ He can barely think to form a full sentence, so instead he leans in to claim his brother's lips in a hungry, heated kiss that's all teeth and tongue if he's granted permission. It's another way of pleading, begging, encouraging Knives to do more, press harder. ]
bountyfull: malagraphic (onehundrednintyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-08 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ This isn't the first time Vash has felt his body race towards this particular finish line, but it is the first time anyone or anything but himself and his own hands have done it. It's also been a while—years maybe, since he'd felt the inclination or desire to. Maybe that's why he feels so sensitive now? It's certainly a question on his mind as he focuses on the heated ache curling low in his stomach. To think that it's Nai that's pulling these noises out of him like he's spending the afternoon playing the piano is embarrassing.

His brother's voice pulls his thoughts outward and Vash whimpers against his mouth. Words? Use his words? How the hell does Knives expect him to use his words when he can barely think straight? Tears start to prick at the corners of his eyes and it takes so much more effort than he thought it would to push himself up with his one free hand, his back arching into each roll of their hips in the meantime. He only half-heartedly smacks his fist down against his brother's chest in response, his lower lip sticking out ever so slightly.
]

You— It's not so easy to think when-

[ He's so SO close, and it should be obvious based on the way his walls squeeze around Nai's fingers, the pleasure and pressure building with every stroke and press of those digits. The sound of just how wet he is, the pounding of his heart hammering in his ears, the sound of Nai's breathing, all of it is overwhelming, making it harder for Vash to think about anything other than chasing after that heat building in his gut. Each time Vash thinks he's pulling in a breath to speak another gasp or moan tumbles out instead and he settles a hazy-eyed look on his brother as he clenches his free hand, nails digging sharply into pale skin. The next roll of their hips that drags their cocks together is enough to push him over the edge from which he'd been so precariously dangling.

He practically buries his face in the crook of his brother's neck, teeth sinking into skin in an effort to keep from making so much noise. The force of it is almost certain to leave a mark, and later he might even apologize for it. But not right now.

He'd just been resting his hand over Nai's before, but now with muscles taught and his body still zinging, he tightens his grip to stop Nai from moving his fingers any more, his hips arching jerkily away from a touch that's pressing against now too-sensitive parts of him. Still, he's self-conscious, more than a little aware that he may very well have come before his brother even had a chance to.
]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredtwentyeight)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-22 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ For a minute, it's all Vash can manage to do to focus on his breathing and the thudding of his heart in his own ears as he slowly climbs down from his orgasm. He feels a little bit like a bundle of wet noodles, and hiding in the crook of his brother's neck, with his mouth worrying his own little bruise against pale skin is all too alluring. He almost doesn't realize what, exactly, Nai is doing until he groans like that, and Vash's attention is caught. Wide blue eyes watch as Nai cleans his hand off and each passing moment re-lights something new in his gut. Not that he'd ever admit it. ]

Nai! [ He lifts a hand to pinch at the meat of Nai's chest, not a nipple but somewhere a little less sensitive. He's so embarrassing, Vash feels like his face is on fire, a far deeper red settling on his cheeks and his ears than it has in the last however long it has been that they've been like this. He looks almost petulant, flushed and still breathing a little hard. But it's when he shifts his body in his brother's lap and he feels the hard length of him slide against the parts of him that are still so sensitive that it makes him hiss— that Vash realizes he's more or less left his brother behind. ]

Wait... you're still hard. [ Vash's expression pinches, fingers immediately soothing the place he'd abused on Nai only a moment or two before, a sudden embarrassment flushing his skin clear down to his own chest. ] I'm sorry, I should've...

[ He chews on his lower lip again, that same bruised and split spot, tongue pushing into the split absently as the cogs in his brain turn. He's still a little noodle-y if the way he moves and wavers is any indication but it doesn't stop him from sitting up and pushing back to settle his hands on his brother's thighs. He doesn't wait to clarify or even explain, and he certainly doesn't give Nai a chance to ask or to stop him. He gives his hips an experimental roll, his grip tightens on Nai's thighs painfully, nails digging into skin as his body throbs, still sensitive and so wet. It makes it a little easier the second time, grinding Nai's freshly slicked length over his folds. Vash isn't exactly hard himself, but he certainly seems to be working himself up with each movement he makes. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredsixteen)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-24 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ That's entirely unfair. And, if Vash hadn't already determined just what he was going to do, he might have been a little petulant about it. Instead, he files that little snipe away for later, and he ignores the way the thought of it makes his face flush. Of all the times to bring up something from their childhood, Knives chooses this moment?

But then, oh, then....
]

God, huh? [ He grins a little, something warm swelling in his chest at the pitiful little whine he's able to wring out of Knives with just a few rolls of his hips. His expression is nothing short of smug, the grin lopsided, eyes hooded and dark again as his gaze flicks down from Knive's face to where their hips grind together. The sight is nothing short of obscene the head of Knives' cock peeking out with each roll of Vash's hips.

If the smug way he looks pleased with himself wavers with a jerk of his hips, no it doesn't. His hips definitely don't still a little as he catches his breath, steadying the way the feeling of it has just made him more wet, his efforts to tease his brother slowly up the same hill he'd climbed earlier clearly doing more than just driving Knives a little crazy.
]

It's just me, brother. [ Knives doesn't need to worry about anything other than the way this is making him feel, Vash's grip on his brother's thighs tightening as he relies on where his hands are to keep himself upright. His breaths are carefully measured, but nothing short of panting despite every effort he's made to keep it steady. ]

"Use your words," right? Isn't that what you said?
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfortyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-24 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ For all that Vash never really uses foul language, the moment Nai's hips roll up and almost, almost get them what they're both clearly angling for without any further negotiation, it will have to be forgiven if he doesn't hiss out a quiet curse that's barely bitten back.

It's no better when the word please comes out of Knives' mouth, and for once it's clear that the both of them have a weakness for the other when it comes for asking (begging) nicely. The thought of it alone sends something red hot to his core, and there's no hiding that Vash has found a second wind. Clearly, refractory periods are for... the birds?
]

Yeah. Yes. [ God, yes. For all that Vash finds he enjoys making his brother writhe and whimper underneath him, the simple implication of his brother wanting to be inside of him is eating away at his resolve to reduce Knives to a puddle just like this. He halts the roll of his hips with a stutter, one hand lifting from Knives' thigh to plant in front of him as he rises slowly up on his knees, almost like if he moves too quickly he might lose his balance.

His other hand moves to break the thread of slick as he wraps it around Knives' dick, sliding his fist over him with one smooth, purposeful pump before he makes an effort to line the length of him up with his hole. It's almost tempting to push forward, to sink down onto him without any further warning or tease, but instead Vash slips his gaze up to meet his brothers with a grin.
]

This, right? This is what you want?
bountyfull: malagraphic (onehundrednintyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-24 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ Why is it that please coming from his brother's mouth has Vash blushing clear down to the freckles and scars on his shoulders? Vash is struck with an intense desire to lean in and press their lips together, the pull of it having his tongue swipe over his lower lip before he sucks it in to gnaw on it with his teeth. He almost gives in until the sensation of knees against his back jolts him out of his thoughts. He laughs then, the sound of it airy and a little distracted. ]

Mm...I won't. Promise.

[ He may have teased Knives for most of this experience when he found the opportunity to, but right now, he decides to give in. There's no way, he thinks absently, he would be able to take his brother in one fell swoop, so when he moves he does so slowly. Vash lowers himself until the head of Knives' cock pushes inside, sinking into a wet heat that has Vash whimper out a moan as soon as he feels himself stretch a little to accommodate Knives' size.

He pulls his hand away after a moment, settling it instead on top of the one at his stomach like he's holding onto some kind of anchor.
]

Nai, you— [ He stumbles over his words as he sinks lower, inch by inch, until he finally bottoms out, the sensation of it a deep ache as he breathes in to try and gather some air back into his lungs, air that he's almost certain was pushed out of him. He doesn't move yet, his eyes shut tightly in this moment he's taken to more or less try not to trip himself straight over the edge again. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredtwentytwo)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-25 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's too much. It's too much but... greedily, it's still somehow not enough. He's so focused on steadying his own breaths that he almost almost misses the fact that Knives seems to be holding his breath entirely—something that, back home, wouldn't have mattered but here, Vash almost feels the need to squeeze his thighs around Knive's hips like a reminder. It isn't until he feels his brother's grip at his hip that he's certain that Knives isn't just going to accidentally suffocate himself.

He's certain he'll wind up with bruises on his hip, but he doesn't care. Not when he feels like the dull pain and pressure of it feels almost as good as the way he throbs around Knives' cock. If he thinks about it too much, he's certain he won't last. Just the jolt of muscles flexing against his back rocks him forward, Vash reflexively grinding their hips together again.

Oh, god. Vash's fingers cling to the hand at his stomach, clenching as he presses Knives' hand against his abdomen, pressing that hand against the shape of him seated deep inside. Vash can't feel it with his own, but he knows it's there, all of his senses full of just Knives.

—Full of the heat of him, the sound of his voice, the way each breath sounds like it hitches every time he exhales, it's almost as if he can hear the effort Knives is making to keep himself under control. When he finally opens his eyes and looks down, the sight of him is almost embarrassing, the way he stares up at him like Vash is something to be revered. It makes Vash's skin prickle in the funniest way, almost wanting to turn invisible.

You ... are perfect. It's high praise, coming from anyone, but especially his brother, the one soul in the world that he feels the closest to. A whimper flutters past Vash's lips the moment the words hit his ears, his inner muscles clenching around Knives reflexively. He hasn't even started to move yet, and he's not sure he can, not with the way his legs shake with the effort to just keep himself still in the moment.
]

Too much, Nai. It's—I need— [ Words, Vash. He struggles to voice just exactly what he needs, but a moment later he's shifting, his hips rolling just a little, achingly slow as he tests his limits and slowly leans forward to brush parted lips against his brother's. ]

bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfortyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-30 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
Just... need a minute. [ It's a quiet, whispered word, mumbled into Knives' mouth as Vash very steadily gains his self-control. He's the one in the driver's seat right now, but he doesn't plan to drive the car until he's certain he can read the dashboard and hold the steering wheel, to make this metaphor really serious. He chases another languid, lingering kiss from his brother, a soft, pleased hum pulled from him when the split of his lip zings with the smallest fraction of pain. Another roll of his hips grinds them together again and the sensation of it finally warms him rather than ricochets him towards the stratosphere.

He offers his brother one last kiss that's punctuated by a little lilting laugh. Anything, huh? He pushes himself up to his knees again, thighs straddling his brother's hips as he presses his back against Nai's legs as he drinks in the affectionate expression on his brother's face, the way he looks at him with such hunger and immediate, undivided attention. Maybe, normally, it would be overwhelming but right now it's all he wants. A moment of self-indulgence that he would only allow with Nai. He grins a little, the shape of it a little lopsided, a little mischievous. He realizes that his brother is operating a little in the dark, and that reminder is more than a little alluring.
]

Ready? [ It's all the warning Nai is going to get before Vash settles his hands upon his chest and starts to move. It's a circular grind at first, enough to tease the both of them, but then he lifts himself, his body dragging him up off of his brother's cock only to drag back down again with a flex of his muscles in a slow, achingly slow rhythm. Each arch of his hips drags Nai against the heat of him, and before long, Vash can't hold back the sounds panted past his lips. He's never been quiet when it comes to most things in his life, sex, apparently, isn't any different.

He does, however, still have it in him to keep the pace steady, slow, and purposefully teasing, pushing for more of the sweet words he's been getting from the source he's realizing he's wanted to hear them from for a long, long time.
]
Edited 2023-10-30 03:58 (UTC)
bountyfull: brokiloen (seventytwo)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-11-10 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's funny, maybe, just a little just how desperate and whiny Knives seems to be. Maybe that's why Nai's merciless efforts punch a moan out of his lungs that turns into a laugh. Vash then uses it as an excuse to still his hips and refocus his efforts on his clearly needy older brother. It's the petulant tone of his brother's voice that has Vash reeling a little, a dawning realization settling in that he really, truly, has the ability to wring whatever he wants to out of Knives. If he wanted to make him beg, he probably could. For a moment, he considers it while fighting his own desire to move.

But for a moment:
]

Breathe, Nai. You have to remember to breathe. Stay with me, okay? [ It's a gentle effort to comfort, or at least it seems like it is, but the slight tilt of his head, the expression flickering over his lips and the crinkle of his eyes reveal the true nature of the playful little taunt. He's clearly being just a little cheeky, fully sliding into the understanding that he gets to drive this.

As if it wasn't at least partially clear by the fact he's got his brother underneath him for the second time since they arrived here. The first may not have been in this context, but Knives had been whiny then too. It's very interesting information that Vash thinks he'll keep to himself until moments like these when he gets to use it to his advantage. Not that, in the end, Knives isn't going to benefit also. Vash is, however, merciful. Another roll of his hips follows, grinding them together where they're connected before he sets a new, much less achingly slow pace. He's hard between them, fully recovered from having come only a short while ago. He might have been embarrassed by it earlier but now he's far more interested in chasing after the sensation of Knives' cock dragging against the deepest part of him.

He's just this side of breathless himself even as he attempts to tease his brother more pointedly, one hand sliding up from Nai's chest to touch the side of his face in a gesture that's meant to be gentle and affectionate. It's a bit of a reach, but if he angles himself just right he can still arch his hips and maintain the way he's moving while making it easier for his thumb to trace over the curve of Knives' lower lip, just playing at dragging over hidden sharp canines.
]
bountyfull: (tthreehundredeightythree)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-30 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ Stuttered as they are, their movements still find a rhythm that works together, even if by accident or instinct, the fumbled inexperience of either of them hardly does anything but make it that much more intimate as they feel each other out and find the right angles to move. Vash clenches around his brother as he sinks down onto him again, teeth worrying at his lip again as he watches Nai's tongue glide over the pad of his thumb. There's something hungry in the way he watches, all too pleased with himself.

It's as he hooks a finger around a particularly pronounced canine with all the intention to tug, his fingers sliding against his brother's tongue that Nai's hand glides over his cock with that teasing, slow touch. It wrings a moan from Vash's throat that had been sitting there silently, laying in wait. Vash's hips jerk forward without thought, yanking him wildly out of the rhythm they'd only just set for the last little while. A whine escapes his lips, a high pitched noise that goes rough at the edges as he finds his voice.
]

You jerk. [ It's breathless, the way he talks, but there's no malice behind it despite the juvenile namecalling. It'd be a lie to say he wants Nai to stop, when it feels this good. But also, Vash is keeping count and his brother is being underhanded, if he has the chance to say anything about it. Underhanded, maybe, if Vash figured his brother knew more about what he's doing to him. He shifts a hand down to lay over Knives' own rocking into the touch just as much as he tries to still it. ]

I'm not gonna... not again, not before you. Come on, Nai. Don't be greedy.
bountyfull: brokiloen (twohundredforty)

Puts this Here Also.

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-05 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's late. It's so late, as far as their birthday was concerned but it took Vash a while to find what he was looking for. It also took a while for him to work up the nerve to approach his brother with the idea, so really it's been a couple of months in the making.

So when he finds his brother in the kitchen of their tiny little mushroom house (they REALLY need to look into getting something bigger, and soon) he approaches carefully, one hand lifting to skim over the edge of the counter with his fingertips.
]

Hey, Nai...?

[ He tips his head to one side, just a little, just a smidge. It's a telltale sign to anyone who really looks close enough. He smiles an easy sort of expression, his other hand tucked quietly behind his back. ]
bountyfull: malagraphic (thirtynine)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-08 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ His gaze shifts from his brother to the tea, and back again. There's a question on his face that isn't related to the one that had been there a moment before, but vash is quick to put it to the side (for now). ]

Well. I was thinking...if you wanted to.

[ He steps over, sliding a small box onto the counter from behind his back. It looks awfully similar to something that had been given to him back around his birthday. He pushes it over towards Nai's teacup, fingertips leaving it after lingering for a moment or two extra. ]

You don't have to, but I thought it might be fun. I found one that matches.

[ It might be a little childish, but the thought of it warms something in his chest a little. ]
bountyfull: brokiloen (twohundredeight)

his whole face is stupid

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-22 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ No, actually. He kind of thinks it's cute. He'll have to pay attention to what kinds...

But his attention is taken away from the tea to the way his brother is looking at him and the brightness of it has Vash frozen in awe. It almost makes him forget to breathe for a moment, but he quickly draws a breath in as he lifts careful hands to brush fingertips over the curve of Nai's cheekbones. Look, let him. This is all so new still, he's just got to... get used to things.

He nods at the question his own lips quirking up at the way Nai's expression shifts into something just a little silly, hands still pressing lightly to Nai's face like he's trying to commit the expression to memory. He wishes Nai would smile more.
]

It might hurt. But I know how.
bountyfull: malagraphic (sixtyone)

i hate you so much

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-25 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, now he has gift ideas that aren't this for later, or whenever he feels like getting something his brother likes. Now that he knows what that something could be, outside of ... well, playing piano. (and the bible?) ]

We can. It'll be quick. I bet it'll heal pretty fast, if you take good care of it.

[ To know that he has his brother's trust though... That's something else. Though by now, perhaps it was one of those things he knew without being told. It's still nice to hear it. ]

Kitchen is probably the best place to do it. [ I have a kit. If a needle, some alcohol and the nerve is a kit. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (twohundredseventytwo)

I do not.

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-10-30 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
It's because I'm not going to do this with anything dirty. It won't be a problem.

[ Vash wanders away from his brother to pull out a chair next to the tiny, tiny little dining table. A table really only meant for two at a time. He sets his kit down on the table and starts cleaning the needle with the alcohol and a clean cloth. The earring is in its box, set purposefully on the table.

When he turns back around he tilts his head to the side.
]

Sit here. There's plenty of light and I'll be able to reach better.

[ The other option was Vash sitting on the counter for a vantage point, and making Knives stand -- but Vash is at least a little aware that his brother should be the one sitting. Just in case. Who knows, they both have the tendency to be drama queens when they want to be. ]
bountyfull: brokiloen (onehundredeighty)

:x

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-11-09 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
It was just a thought, really... [ He says with a shrug, his gaze focused on the needle in his hands and the little box as he follows after his brother. He pauses in front of him after a moment, his head tilting to one side as he stares, a serene little smile settling unconsciously on his lips. ]

I thought it might be nice. [ The needle and box land on the table next to where Nai is sitting, and Vash? Very slyly slides himself into his brother's lap so that they're sitting chest to chest, his legs straddling either side. One hand lifts up to cradle the side of his brother's face, the tips of his fingers tracing over the lobe of the ear he's about to pierce. ]It's been a long time since we shared much between us.

[ He lifts his head a little, lips pressing a little kiss to the center of Knives' forehead. ]

Don't move. I don't want to slip.
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredthirteen)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-11-09 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ If Vash were less focused on rubbing the newly open alcohol pad over the lobe of his brother's ear, he might have fussed about how some older brother can't seem to keep his hands to himself. As it is, he lets Knives do what he wants, flesh and bone thumb smoothing gently over likely sensitive skin. He's done his best to pick the needle up with a subtle movement, and as gently (and swiftly) as he can he pushes the tool through pale skin to create the hole in the lobe of his brother's ear, just opposite the one in his own.

It's much easier to do this to someone else, he finds, but he doesn't let his thoughts linger on that, instead quickly exhaling a breath to blow over the likely painful spot as he swiftly uses his dexterity to replace the needle with the new earring that will stay there for the next forever.

It's all over in a blink but Vash presses his forehead against his brother's own.
]

Done. That wasn't so bad, was it?
bountyfull: ponponpon (twohundredninetyfour)

he'll shoot you in the leg if you keep making that joke

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-12-10 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Vash exhales a breath that comes out as a short laugh, carefully removing the needle from his hands before settling them against the sides of his brother's neck with a softly amused expression on his face. His thumbs graze over the sharp line of Knives' jaw as he returns that simple, affectionate gesture with his own nose. He's pretty sure he won't get tired of being this close to someone again. Especially when the someone is his twin brother. ]

You're just saying that. [ He denies the compliment quietly, never really one to easily accept words of praise. He turns his gaze to look at the earring dangling from his brother's newly pierced ear and his target changes, shifting the way he's in Knives' space to lean in and press his lips to the curve of that same ear, where the skin is still red but far enough from the new wound to avoid it hurting. ]

It looks good.
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-16 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you thanking me for piercing your ear?

[ He pauses, the words he's speaking are whispered in a low tone. Like they're sharing secrets in their tiny little space. ]

Or something else?

[ It's funny how intimate little touches like this feel, how simple kisses to his jaw or nuzzling against skin can feel so warm when they're so easy to give. Maybe it's because its Nai that they feel so much more important. He lets his hands slip lower on his brother's neck, the flesh-and-bone thumb dragging down over his throat and over the bump of his adams apple, like he's just taking time to explore. ]
bountyfull: (threehundredseventysix)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-30 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ It feels like yesterday when they were sitting in the living room of the tiny mushroom house, their hands on each other in ways that seemed almost taboo in the moment but now Vash is pretty certain he wouldn't want to live without. Could he? He could survive, but he's certain he wouldn't want to. He laughs a little, bumping his nose against Nai's after a moment. ]

At least you're honest.

[ He drags his touch back up over his brother's neck, the pads of his thumbs brushing over the crown of Nai's cheekbones and up over the apples of his cheeks, dragging over the mirrored beautymark on his face. He's careful when he approaches anywhere near that newly pierced ear, but he doesn't touch there, instead letting his fingers climb up and drag through white-blond hair.

He makes a point then to drag his thumb over the middle of Nai's forehead, pushing stray hair away from the spot before he leans up and presses his lips to the skin there. He never really thought he'd get a chance to share this sort of intimacy with his twin again, and he's struck in this moment with an emotion so intense it almost makes him choke up. When he speaks, it's hushed and in that same low timbre as before, but somehow just a little awestruck. As though a realization's just come to him.
]

I love you, Nai.
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfortyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-03-04 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's known. No matter how difficult things had gotten, somehow, deep down there was no denying that they loved each other. They're brothers, two parts of one whole, meant to compliment and support the other. Being torn apart, leagues of planet and stars and ideals between them was only painful. Even at his most afraid, his fear was never for himself when it came to Nai. Here and now, with the work they've put in to stitch together their tattered relationship and torn hearts Vash is certain he never needs or wants to be separated from his brother again. Together, they can overcome so much more than they could when they were apart.

He's so, so sure. He's so, so, hopeful. Tears prick at the corners of his eyes, not out of sorrow but just because he's always been emotive, and he brushes his nose against his brothers' briefly.
]

I know. I love you, I love you.

[ It's muttered again and again, his lips ghosting against Nai's in return as he says them, his arms moving to wrap tightly around his brother as he turns that ghost of affection into an actual kiss that stays chaste, for now. It's almost like he's still getting used to hearing the words tumble from his own lips, off his own tongue. He's certain he hasn't said it in over a hundred years, not to anyone. He might as well be inhaling every exhale Nai makes for how close he's slid himself into Nai's lap, and for all the gentle, tenderness he feels in this moment it's not close enough. ]
scp073: (035)

delivery

[personal profile] scp073 2023-12-11 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ when knives gets back to his room sometime in early december, there's a cute little potted plant waiting at the door. the included note is written in neat print, and includes instructions for care, as well as a personal note from cain: ]

I was thinking of you when I chose this. It's called a String of Hearts, and it's best to hang it. I hope you like it, dear.
- Cain
replicates: (pic#1511897)

delivery.

[personal profile] replicates 2023-12-12 09:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ this one took him a little longer, but he does eventually complete it: a set of a wooden fork and spoon, because he is committing to the bit and doesn't do things halfway.

it's wrapped up in brown paper and tied with some twine, left outside castle vash for him to find. there's no note included aside from a doodle of a knife on the paper, but he should be able to figure out who it's from.
]
livlaughlove: was lost in translation (046)

mailmouse delivery

[personal profile] livlaughlove 2023-12-26 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Do you live in Castle Vash? Do you like to eat? Yes to both, obviously! Shut up and be grateful, Knives!

Enjoy a couple of boxes full of bread and pastries, warm and fresh from the Stone Dragon. Surely there's something in here to everyone's taste.

The note atop the boxes says simply,]


Merry Christmas.
Livio
notsonewbie: (Where the Lost Are the Heroes)

12/25ish | Castle Vash

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2023-12-26 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
[Unlike the rest of the gifts in the house, Knives present is not left outside his door on the floor. Rather, it can be found in the kitchen. It’s carefully wrapped, with a note on the top. Written on it in large, bold letters is the world β€œFragile.” Meryl knows half of the house can’t be trusted.

Should he choose to open the gift, Knives will find a Kintsugi Tea Set. Great care has been taken to procure this gift, the same amount of care that’s been put into ever crack and break in the set itself. Perhaps one could think of it as symbolic β€” mended bridges could be even more beautiful than what was there in the first place.

Included with the package is a small note.

-Meryl πŸ’™ ]

bountyfull: malagraphic (fortyone)

Probably some ungodly hour late at night on Xmas

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-12-26 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ On his brother's bed are several things. A folded blanket tied with a light blue ribbon, dipping pens paired with oddly shimmery black ink, and a sheath of blank sheet music. It's a promise, maybe, but there's also a note. ]

bountyfull: (threehundredninetytwo)

95% of this inbox is me

[personal profile] bountyfull 2023-12-30 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ Vash goes looking for his brother in the middle of the night. It's already past midnight so maybe it's normal that he's climbing the stairs up to his brother's part of their little wing, bare feet padding against the hardwood of the curved steps. He stops once he gets to the edge of his brother's bed, when he sees his brother's sleeping(?) form.

He purses his lips like the stubborn little brat he is and lifts a knee to crawl up into bed, burrowing under the covers and shoving himself up against his brother, his face buried in the back of his neck. Well, if he's asleep, this is fine. Maybe it's a sign that he needs to keep his thoughts to himself for a little while longer.
]
bountyfull: (threehundredninety)

you poor unfortunate soul

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-05 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Vash exhales a long breath, lips parted against the skin of his brother's neck as he focuses on the sensation of nails dragging through the hair at the base of his skull. He hums out a sound in response, fingers smoothing over his brother's chest as he tries to decide if he wants to attempt pretending to sleep.

He decides his brother is far too perceptive when it comes to how he acts for that to work. His brow pinches as he considers how to answer, if he still wants to answer or if he's going to get cold feet and just give half truths.
]

Couldn't sleep.
bountyfull: brokiloen (twohundredfortyseven)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-16 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe. Just thinking a lot.

[ He exhales a breath, one that's really meant to be a laugh at the lame joke. It doesn't really feel like the heart is there for it. He does, however seem to scoot in closer if possible, like some kind of heat seeking leech. It's not his fault that this is probably the most comforting place he could think of.

He's quiet, after that, not exactly trying to fall asleep, but he is focusing on his brother's breathing, the feeling of his fingers dragging through his hair. It should make him feel better but it almost makes him feel worse. As close as he is to Nai, Vash almost starts to shrink in on himself. His expression, which had been neutral hidden as it was against the back of his brother's neck, shifts into something grieved.
]

Nai?
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfiftyfour)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-26 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's so tempting to just melt into the touch that he's being showered with, to let it lull him into a likely not-so-restful sleep, like how the warmth of their proximity is already trying to do to him. ]

Would it be so bad? [ He starts, quiet as a mouse in church almost, the tone of his voice thread thin as he pulls himself close tight with Nai, as though there was any room. It's as if in this moment Nai is what's tethering him to this space, rather than letting him float away. ]

To stay. [ He knows the answer. It's a horrible thing to want. To even consider it. In a way he feels as though the wish he made when drifting to this place has already come true. And yet, there are the people they've left behind, their sisters, the humans, everyone and everything they know. The confession of it makes Vash feel microscopic. ]
bountyfull: (threehundredninetyeight)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-01-30 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
...I don't know. If everything is just going to go back to the way it was I—

[ He doesn't mean to pull away from Nai, but he does all the same as he draws in on himself, still pressed against Nai but smaller somehow, curled out of his reach and if there's something wet against the skin between Nai's shoulderblades, it's probably best to ignore it. ]

I don't want to lose you again.

[ There's a lot else he doesn't want to lose. His friends here, Meryl and the others. But there's certainly one relationship, one giant thread that's finally woven its way back into the tattered tapestry of his life and that's his brother. They still argue, still bicker, but it's nothing like before. Beyond that, they've woven a new little story in their shared tapestry, the color and shape of it spreading over so much of the worn fabric that it makes the rest of it that much stronger. ]
bountyfull: ponponpon (threehundredfiftyfive)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-02-07 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's both comforting and not, what his brother says. It does some to soothe the heavy weight in his chest, but what does more is the physical presence of his twin enveloping all of his senses. He noses against Knives' throat, his arms shifting to wrap tightly around him the best he can, their legs tangling together. ]

I know you aren't going anywhere. [ There's a pause, and a hand pressed to Knives' back shifts into a fist. ] While we're here.

It was the worst everything had been, what I remember last. What if we just go back to that? Not listening to each other.
bountyfull: (threehundredninetytwo)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-02-19 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ He feels so small, laying here. Their legs tangle together and Vash can feel the moment that Nai stiffens, the buzzing in his ears only getting louder in the moment. The sound of his brother's voice soothes him just a little and Vash exhales a breath that's almost as much of a physical shudder as it is a sound.

The thought does seem to do something to calm the worries raging in his chest, but his grip on Nai is no less desperate as he does his best to merge with the warmth of his brother.

They could. They could work together instead of being at each other's proverbial throats with their separate ideals. Together maybe they really could make NML into the paradise for themselves and their kind AND the humans.
]

Only if you'll be there, Nai. Promise.
bountyfull: ponponpon (twohundredninetyseven)

[personal profile] bountyfull 2024-03-15 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ If it were anyone else, maybe Vash wouldn't have noticed the subtle body language. Maybe he would have let it pass. Instead, he shifts, carefully moving his head to look at Knives through his eyelashes and messy mop of hair. Nearly identical blue eyes watch Knives carefully as Vash shifts the way he's curled into his brother to settle a hand against his brother's neck, his thumb tracing over the curve of his cheekbone, just below his beautymark.

He knows, but he doesn't ask. There's a moment or two where he just watches, saying nothing and then he moves to press their foreheads together and closes his eyes. It's such a similar, familiar sort of action, one that Vash finds comfort in and one he hopes his brother finds soothing as well.

I'm sorry, Nai.
]

It's okay.
notsonewbie: (Will the Curse be Reversed)

good lord this ended up long i'm sorry

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2023-12-30 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[The last week has been something of a clusterfuck for her, a mess of realizing and admitting feelings that have bubbled up. Some of them were easier, others ended in (admittedly swiftly resolved) disasters. Each of them, however, has ended in Meryl becoming more and more confident in how she feels. And so, she's come to four conclusions.

One: Knives is no longer the man she was so afraid of.
Two: She's enjoyed Knives' company around the castle. The fact that he's given her gifts means that he likely has too.
Three: The kiss they had shared had been mutually enjoyable. The fact that she survived probably proved this.
Four: As a result of the above, Meryl was, most likely, developing feelings for Millions Knives.

The last one isn't a conclusion she comes to lightly. There is a lot of grappling to be done, namely with her relationship with the man prior to arriving here. There's a mental war in the back of her mind over whether or not she's done right by her mentor. She wonders if his penance here has any bearing on the world they've left behind. And of course, she can't help but fear that

It's Vash, in the end, that convinces her to place her doubts aside. Not literally, but rather his contagious optimism and hope for every soul around them. His belief that everyone, everyone could be forgiven is what pushes her to finally reach out and do her due diligence.

Her friends and partners have been consulted. She's gone over and over her thoughts in her head. And now there's only one thing left to do: actually speaking with the man.


It turns out, this is easier said than done. Meryl has passed by Knives' part of the castle at least three times now, all without taking a step further into the wing. The fact that the bottom of her jacket hasn't been worn clean off with how her hands wring into it is a miracle in and of itself. Never mind the fact that she somehow hasn't worn a rut into the floor.

On the fourth pass, she finally manages to summon her courage. With a heavy breath, she squares her shoulders and steps over the proverbial threshold that had been holding her back. Her head swivels as she begins to look for the man, unsure where to begin given the fact that she's never actively crossed this boundary.]


Knives? Are you in here?
notsonewbie: (As they Turned to Gray)

no no shhh you've had a lot on your plate.

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-01-05 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
[The moment Meryl realizes that Knives is busy working on something, she very nearly turns on her heel and walks out of the room. Perhaps she might have, if she hadn't spoken up. Immediately ghosting him after trying to get his attention wasn't going to do anything for her case.

(The tea isn't missed β€” in fact it makes her heart lurch. To say nothing about the faint pink that begins to bloom across her cheeks)

Right. She has a case to argue β€” one for her own feelings and affections. The thought very nearly makes her turn around once again, and really β€” it's getting exhausting, fighting her own mind at every turn. Compared to the arduous journey she's taken with her other partners, this is already far more exhausting, and she'd picked a fight with one of them along the way!

Her palms itch, drawing her back into the moment, albeit unwillingly. Part of her wants to bonk them against her forehead, as if it might knock some sense into herself. She'd have to explain the display to Knives, though, and that's the last thing she wants, actually.

Instead she holds them up, ready to wave them off.]


Iiif you're busy, it can wait. Honestly. It's not that important. [Maybe it is to her, but that's fine. He doesn't need to know that.] I was just going to ask if I could sit with you. And talk, maybe.

See. Not important at all!
notsonewbie: (Wake Me When)

good thing i'm super flex and unbothered! πŸ’ͺ

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-01-19 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's right to at least think to usher Meryl inside. Under normal circumstances, she absolutely might have tried to duck out of the situation she found herself in. However, as luck would have it, that warm, bordering intimate expression he wears stops her in her tracks. This isn't like at the masquerade, where she could pretend that maybe he was looking at, or talking about, someone else.

There's no logical reason for anyone else to be in this part of the castle, not right now. If there were, Knives would have made that clear to her already.

In the end, it reminds her that there's a reason she's there. If she's misinterpreting these gentle touches and sideways glances, if she's letting her imagination get ahead of her, then she needs to know it now.

Her hands clench into fists for just a second, long enough for the bite of her nails against her skin to fuel the resolve she needs. When she finally lets herself meet Knives' gaze once more, that determination lingers, even as her features soften into something just a little more relaxed.

A nod is offered.]


Right. Yeah. Tea would be great. [Having that focus point had helped her before. And even if that wasn't the case, she's begun to enjoy just having tea with Knives. If that's all this was between them, then that would be okay.

For now, though, she makes her way to the loveseat, trying not to think about the limited distance between the two of them. She sits down, with both legs folding and leaving her cross-legged. As she shifts about, she reminds herself that this was hardly the closest they'd ever been to one another β€” the mistletoe had made sure of that. But there hadn't been a choice then. Now is different.

They both want to be there. Meryl just needs to know why.]


We've been through a lot together, haven't we?
notsonewbie: (As they Turned to Gray)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-07 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
[The tea is accepted, hands folding around the mug. The heat is comforting, radiating through her palms and up her wrists. It doesn't bother her any β€” more than anything, she's pleased to see the cup that she'd purchased him up close once more. It's a comfort, knowing that her gift has found such good use. The fact that they both get to share in that use is made all the better.

But she can't reflect on the cup forever. Eventually, she has to lift her head and consider the conversation at hand. He calls all the developments a good thing, and that gives her hope. It also makes her all the more nervous. The last thing she wants is to have those hopes dashed. In the end, it would be better that it happened now, rather than later, though. That's what drives her forward.]


I thought so too. But the thing is... [She looks down at the dark liquid in her cup.] Some of those things have been rather intimate, haven't they?

[The kiss they shared. The name he gave her. The gifts exchanged and even now, his openness to her presence.]

I just want to be sure we're on the same page. That I'm not - reading too much into anything. And if I am, then that's okay! I can pull back, just...

[It all feels very childish, suddenly. She'd be better handing him a note and asking him to check yes or no to the question "Do you like me?" Her head turns away, the humiliation growing by the second. It threatens to clamp down her throat and keep her from speaking.]

I need to know where we stand, is all. Because if I - like you more than you like me, then that isn't good, right?
notsonewbie: (From the Edge of the Cosmos)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-13 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[The silence doesn't last long at all, not really, but it's still enough for her mind to run wild. Surely he's going to shy away now, firmly setting a boundary in place between them. It wouldn't be a bad thing not in the grand scheme, if it meant understanding where they stood and putting those feelings to rest. But it would hurt in the moment, and she's not prepared for that.

(There is, of course, the wilder part of her imagination. This one insists that she'll be left on her lonesome, shut out entirely by Nai, with every ounce of progress lost.)

What she doesn't expect is the almost timid answer that follows, so innocent in its formation that she can't help but let out a laugh. It's gentle, and coupled with a smile so endeared that she may as well be radiating hearts. Maybe she's reading too much into it, but she can't help but reach forward in that moment. She does what Nai had hesitated in doing, threading their free hands together. The tea lingers in her hand for just a moment longer, before it too is set aside. The now freed hand tucks over the opposite side of Nai's sandwiching it in.]


I do. A lot, actually. [And just in case it there's any chance of being misunderstood, she adds:] Not just as a friend. I hope you knew that much already. I - mean it romantically.

If... that's okay, Nai.
Edited (i had to add his name. i had to.) 2024-02-13 02:10 (UTC)
notsonewbie: (That Look in your Eye)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-15 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Though Meryl holds his gaze for the time being, there's no denying that a part of her wants desperately to tear away and stare at the floor. He may not be the most readable person, but she'd like to think she's started picking at some of his tells. Even if that weren't true, she feels like she's being laid bare the longer she sits beneath his gaze. There's a vulnerability that comes from honesty, and right now she wants nothing more than to hide.

The squeeze of her hands is reassuring, even when the beginning of his ramble doesn't. Their invaluable friendship felt like a way of emphasizing that they were just that. She wouldn't hate it, just being his friend, but that wouldn't mean she wasn't disappointed.

But he continues, teeth worrying his lip in a way she almost wants to scold him for. Don't hurt yourself, she nearly says, if there weren't more important things happening, things she doesn't want to interrupt.

She sits in silence with his final statement for a moment. There's no disappointment or frustration. It's a better answer than she could have expected. The question now becomes... what next. The last thing she wants is to speak in a way that might imply she was pressuring him. She had known, at least in the back of her mind, that he probably didn't have much experience in this regard.

In the end, she shifts enough so that she's sitting on her knees. It helps her push herself up that much higher, so that they're almost eye level. Yes, she has to take every inch she can get.]


We don't have to have an idea. We don't even have to be a "we." [Even if her brow does briefly pinch at that.] I... I mean I'm sure you've seen Night Sky and Livio around. I have experience with them but - Sometimes I still don't know what I'm doing.

But I do know I care about you, too. A lot. And even if that just means little nights like this, just spending time with each other. Or Drinking tea. Or anything! I would be happy. [Finally, her gaze drops, courage finally fading.] But I wouldn't mind... more, either. More like - before. With the masquerade.
notsonewbie: (But Nothing Could Ever Stop Us)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-28 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[One day, Meryl may need to have a talk with Nai on his ability to withhold nicknames for some people and not others. The fact that Livio has thusfar avoided the teddy bear accusations, yet she's been labeled with little one will not sit well with her. Even if Nai isn't wrong.

But it's all a moot point, as she's far more distracted by the conversation at hand than attempting to read her... companion's? mind.]


They're both good people. Kind. And very different between the two of them. And from you. [So far, Meryl's type has been a scattershot. They've all also been things she's fallen accidentally into. Really, Nai is the only one she's actually danced around with any amount of deliberation.

Anything else she might have had to say is interrupted by the way the his fingers trace over her hands. Once again, she has to marvel at just how gentle he is. She no longer has to grapple with the man in front of her versus the one she remembers, but even still, he finds a way to take her by surprise.

... Like with that question, for example. She huffs once, turning her head briefly away as she tries to hide the way her face immediately burns an even brighter shade of red. She doesn't stay away long, though, not when the offer is enticing as it is. Eventually she turns back, though, eyes still wide and skin still warm, but a hopeful smile blooming all the same.]


I - would like that, actually. [Her chin tips upward, just a hint bolder than before.] Permission granted.
notsonewbie: (But Nothing Could Ever Stop Us)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-03-06 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[In time, perhaps they'll cross that bridge and address the topic of possession. Certainly, Meryl is coming to see Nai as hers. Not entirely, as the last thing she would ever do is come between the bonds of brotherhood between himself and Vash. She might not know how deep those bonds go, but even still β€” never would she dare to usurp that position.]

I think I attract people that want to be good. That are willing to be, even. [It's an alteration that successfully includes Nai within the bunch. She's not going to forgive his past, solely because that isn't just her role, but she can acknowledge the steps he's taken forward.

She can also acknowledge that thinking about those things is about to be patently difficult for her, now that Nai is leaning in. There's a brief moment of panic, an instant where her eyes go wider as she both forgets and the simultaneously remembers what she's supposed to do next. She leans forward to meet him, eyes closing as she accepts each little peck.

Even if the smile that threatens to bloom over her lips comes dangerously close to disturbing them both.

To her credit, she doesn't immediately push for escalation. Right now she's content with lingering in the kiss. When she does move her lips, it's slow and careful. She doesn't know how much Nai has done this, if ever. Thus, a careful, educational approach seems best for her.

And maybe she just wants to take it one step at a time with him. Maybe she wants to figure out what she's supposed to do with her hands first. They can't just fretfully grab at her own shorts the entire time. Perhaps if she lifted them to lay against his chest?

Yeah, that should work. If he gets to enjoy the way her pulse jumps and jackhammers, she should get to do the same.]
notsonewbie: (But Nothing Could Ever Stop Us)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-03-13 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
[The admission is all she needs. He wants to take the step forward, and so she'll be there to help him. She can't guarantee what that process will look like, and quite frankly? She doesn't care. There are slightly more pressing things to think about in this moment. Namely, ensuring that Nai believes he's at least good enough to be apart of her life.

First step? Sliding easily into his lap. She straddles his waist almost without hesitation, stumbling only slightly. It causes her to break from the kiss just for a second, a faint little laugh forming, expression both sheepish and heartbreakingly stricken.

She's wanted this for a long time. Under pressure, maybe she'd admit to dreaming of it, even.

Lucky for both of them, she returns to their kiss just as easily. This time, it's her teeth that drag over his lip, reciprocating the gesture before tracing her tongue over the same space. If she had to guess β€” and she has no reason not to believe it, thank you β€” she has just a bit more experience than him. Fumbling though she might be, she can at least show him some of the ropes.

She quickly grows unsatisfied by the hand against his chest. One can linger against the firm muscle, but the other slides back into near-white hair. She cards her fingers through it painfully gently, relishing the way it slides through her fingers in the same breath that she relishes the slide of their lips.]
notsonewbie: (It's a Long Way Back)

Meanwhile, back at the Masquerade

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-13 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
[[Continued from here]]

[Ah. She probably should have mentioned the alcohol sooner. Almost guiltily, she reaches up to toy with a strand of hair, all but tugging it free of the pins it's been put up with. It's getting on in the night, no one would fault her for looking the slightest bit unkempt. At least this keeps her from completely panicking, right?]

Under normal circumstances, no, you wouldn't. [Despite the faint layer of guilt forming at having given him the drink without a word, she manages to find a playful smile.] But, with all due respect, you don't look like the type of guy who's ever had a drink in his life.

[Translation: You're a lightweight, and she knows it. Granted, she only knows it because she recognizes her own kind. Lord knows she can't handle more than one mug of badland grog herself. She doubts she'll be able to get away with more than one glass, and that might have been pushing it if she didn't take it slow.]

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be bothered, having to take care of you - [She winces at her own phrasing β€” just coming right out with that, huh?] but I don't want you to feel... uncomfortable.

[There's a level of vulnerability that comes from being drunk. It's not the kind of thing she thinks Millions Knives wants to experience in a crowded room full of potentially unruly people.]

So just... take it easy. Enjoy the flavor. [She cranes her neck, looking for any appetizers going around.] And make sure you eat something too, just in case!
notsonewbie: (Wake Me When)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-15 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[Her hands go up (one still gripping her drink, of course), the smile she wears now spreading to an outright smirk. If he's going to be this stubborn about it, Meryl will just have to let him suffer the consequences. As long as she doesn't stray too far, he'll be fine.

She repeats this much out loud to him, too.]


Well, don't worry about any of that. I won't be far. [Though, she does pause to now grin. He's so fussy and so stubborn. Obviously she shouldn't be surprised at the similarities that bleed through between the twins, but sometimes it really is striking just how much they share between each other.]

There are some nice places to sit out on the balconies. Why don't you go get comfortable while I chase down some real food for us. [Is she teasing him? Of course she is. If he's comfortable with being vulnerable with her, then it only makes sense that she'd be comfortable enough to tease. There's no threat of harm β€” hasn't been in some time. The thought hadn't even occurred to her in months.]

The night air might even do us some good.
notsonewbie: (Bad News like a Sucker Punch)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-28 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I might be. [That smirk hasn't gone anywhere. In fact, it may even be getting larger. Her head cants to the side in a display of near impishness, her eyes wide and dancing with delight. She takes a step back, hand coming to rest on her hip as it juts out. Every bit of her posture screams playful. Ridiculous, even.

That... does shift in the slightest, though, when he keeps speaking. She pauses, teeth pulling her lower lip upward. She gives a nod, speaking much softer now. Like it's a secret to be kept between them.]


You'll barely notice I'm gone.

[Their conversations about vulnerability are never far from her mind. And while this might not be the most intimate thing he could have said to her, she holds his request close to her chest all the same.

Not that she gives herself any time to dwell on it. She takes a step back, then another, before all but rushing away. Girl's about to hunt down the greenest looking thing she can find in record time]
notsonewbie: (Wake Me When)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-03-10 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
[To her credit, Meryl is very quick about hunting down her quarry. She knows she's seen some finger sandwiches going about, and so she deftly hunts down the tray for herself. She picks some that are heavy with crisp lettuce and fresh tomatoes, as well as a cheese and meat that pairs well without being overwhelming. It seems a pleasant enough happy medium.

From there, it's just a matter of finding Nai out on the balcony. She may or may not stumble on a few canoodling Dreamers, but she apologizes quickly enough and skitters away. The longer she goes without finding him, though, the more she gets a little nervous. Hopefully, Nai hadn't looked too closely at the bunch and thought she had similar intentions.

(Strange how the thought makes her stomach twist in a not so unpleasant way. She tries not to think about that too closely, though).

When she eventually does find him, the Plant hidden behind a plant, she sets the tray of sandwiches down in front of him. Then, she does indeed carefully inspect that bush for any stray sprigs. Thankfully, they're safe for now. Any kisses shared will be freely given.

Wait. What.

Anyway. She settles down beside him, an arm's length of distance between the two to ease any tension. That doesn't keep her from leaning forward, peering at his face as she adjusts to the dimmer lighting.]


How are you feeling?
notsonewbie: (I Saw my Clear Blue Skies)

Unfortunately, I am back (2/16)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-14 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
[Being that she only heard of Valentine's Day a handful of days ago, Meryl has had next to zero time to properly prepare for how to celebrate with Nai. The others were easy, by virtue of them coming to her first. She doubts her dear Plant is particularly familiar with this holiday, though, which means this all falls to her.

(The question of whether or not it's too early to share in this holiday has crossed her mind repeatedly. She'd like to hope Nai won't blame her for indulging in a human holiday. They'd exchanged gifts, after all. And besides... she'd like the excuse to spend time with him anyway.)

She'd like to think she's found a suitable gift, albeit one she has to struggle to keep hold of as she meanders the castle, searching for him. She might even have an idea of how to spend the day, if they follow direction said gift would imply. But it's all a bunch of maybes and hypotheticals for now.

First things first? Actually finding the damn man. She looks rather flustered and exasperated by the time she does, as if it's his fault she's carrying around an unruly looking tray. It has a towel haphazardly thrown over it, probably to conceal someone's view.]


You - [She says, very accusatory. Again, she's blaming him for her own decisions. It's a great start.] I have something for you.
notsonewbie: (To an Ancient Master)

no this works because now i won't forget what i planned out -

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-14 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
For you. [Her irritation practically melts away, the moment he speaks. It's replaced by that warm, gentle affection that's been left to grow between the two of them. It's easier now that it's out in the open. She doesn't feel like she has to tip-toe quite so heavily.]

It's... a romantic holiday. Well, not today, it was two days ago. So sorry about that. But I needed a little more time anyway.

[She nods to the tray in her arms. Of course, just as soon as said affection manifests and wipes away that irritability, embarrassment crashes in right after. The weight of the gift she has to offer feels almost too heavy now. Her fingers seem to stumble as she shifts enough of the weight to the side to use one hand to pull the towel away.

The lid over the tray is clear, protecting what appears to be 24 individual seedling starters. They're divided into six columns, four squares to each piece of flora she's offering up. Each has a small stake planted in it, carefully and meticulously labeling each and every one. Bergamot, Peppermint, Lavender and Lemon Balm all make sense to be together β€” they're all things you might find in tea. Even Saffron β€” individual bulbs that are just now poking through β€” makes sense in this regard. The cornflowers are the odd ones out.

"Be gentle with me," the shopkeeper had explained. It wasn't quite right, coming from her. A promise that she'll be gentle with him, however? That seems much more poetic. That and the fact that they're blue.]


You - said you wanted to start gardening. So I tried to find some things I thought might also help you with your teamaking too. Most of them are for that.

[Just don't ask about the actual flowers. It's fine.]
notsonewbie: (Like a Sucker Punch)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-27 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
[For once, Meryl doesn't argue when Nai insists she doesn't have to worry. It assuages any doubts she might have had about timing things out perfectly. Night Sky had the right idea, dedicating a day to each person. It seems far more equitable this way. And not warning him had also served to provide an added benefit β€” Nai couldn't insist on getting her a gift in kind.

Yet another score for Reporter Stryfe.

Unfortunately, that scoreboard promptly evens out the second he says her name. At first, she thinks she might need to apologize for her efforts, but β€” no. It quickly becomes apparent that the tightness in his voice is from something warm and kind, rather than anything embroiled in disdain.]


I - wouldn't go that far. I probably could have gotten more. Or planted them better, or -

[She promptly cuts off when she notices just where that gaze goes. Of course he would question it. They stood out like sore thumbs comparatively. Everything else had a use. This was just... sappy drivel that she fears might cause an issue. Briefly, she contemplates making something up, just to make it easier on them both.

Instead, she exhales slowly, closing her eyes.]


They're... blue flowers. They kind of remind of the first flora I ever saw. But more than that, they have their own little meaning. I guess quite a few flowers do. These ones are - [Her eyes crack open, only to fix themselves up upon the ceiling.] Cornflowers. Which mean be gentle with me. Only it's not that I'm asking that of you, just...

[With her arms now free, she folds them delicately around her frame, as if an embrace might keep her from absolutely embarrassing herself.]

I told you I would keep you safe, right. That when you showed that vulnerability to me, I wouldn't take it for granted. Soooo... this felt symbolic of that.
notsonewbie: (We Fall Beneath the Earth)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-02-29 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Admittedly, Meryl doesn't know what to expect of him bending down. At first, she leaps to the conclusion that he's mocking her by lowering to her level. Or perhaps he's just trying to get a more comfortable angle to thank her properly? She probably wouldn't have minded that outcome.

Not that she'll mind what happens, Eventually. Nai will have to deal with her squealing at first, and the way her fingers immediately grip at the fabric of whatever clothing he's wearing over his chest. She fixes him with a wild-eyed look, expression going from bewildered to furious to....

To touched. Despite the surprise, he's still so delicate with her. And it's hard to be angry when her skin is prickling and her heart is racing, too. She feels the wash of his breath over her skin in the brief moment it lingers, and she swears it makes her see stars.]


You don't - [She huffs, but doesn't dare shift or shy away or even scowl. Despite any appearances that she tries to put on, she doesn't want to ruin the moment. Her forehead angles so that she can brush against his. All for the sake of being that little bit closer.] You don't have to thank me. Not for something like that, at least.

[Since she's here, her hand lifts, cradling the span of his jaw.]

I care about you. I want to... not just be content, but to have good things in your life. Other things you can care for.
notsonewbie: (We Fire Onto Them)

[personal profile] notsonewbie 2024-03-10 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
You aren't going to let this go without all of this trouble, are you? [Her tone is light, even if she does her best to come off as annoyed. She'll never stop being comforted by his words, growing ever more assured that he's been satisfied with the offering.

And really, his reaction is far from troubling. In fact, her smile β€” which broadens with each kiss β€” betrays her true thoughts almost immediately. Yes, her nose scrunches in mock annoyance, but there's no effort to shy away. His lips feel good against her skin. She feels good.]


Besides, I meant - [She huffs as their noses bump together, eyes closing as she feels the wash of his breath over her face. It isn't fair that she can't seem to put together a coherent thought right now. He's really got her on the back foot.] I meant beyond me. Something you can put your energy into if -

[She doesn't finish that train of thought. They both know that someone's presence in this world isn't guaranteed. She doesn't need to speak that potential into existence when they're otherwise having a good time.]

If I'm away. Or busy. Or anything like that!