Inbox for sticksandbones

[lupusxylem]

I will not make this look pretty later, don't believe me it's all a lie

====

INVENTORY:

-The Punisher: Wolfwood's cross gun, normally covered in wrappings.
INFO from the mods on use so I don't forget: The cross-gun will be able to fire regular bullets (regains of these can be handwaved; silvered bullets can be purchased in the bonus AC store) just fine, without any special nerfs. The laser feature will be usable a max of 3 times a month.

-4 Vials of his Drugs(tm)
Info from the mods on use so I don't forget: Wolfwood can start with up to 5 vials of his Lab Drugs. More of these can be regained for the price of a Small Item (a maximum of 5 at once), but they will not work on other player characters for obvious reasons. Their healing ability will also be slightly nerfed to not heal anything instantaneously, but rather over a few minutes.
3/7: All Vials have been used. Will need to purchase replacements if he wants to use them again.
???: Forgot to put the date here but he's purchased more Vials, one has been used to he has 4 currently.

-A lighter

-A carton of cigarettes, more can be purchased/handwaved

-A winter coat that Heimr bullied him into purchasing

-A matching pair of boots for the coat

-A little knit wolf with sunglasses from Elsword.

-A blanket from Livio.

-A handgun with a wolf engraved on the handle.

-A black husky named Angelina

-A belt pouch to carry his regeneration vials with a cross emblazoned into the leather.

-Authentic rosary beads, with beads made from black glass and a heavy, silver cross pendant

-A black leather choker with a silver cross pendant, similar to the rosary

-A whole church(tm)

-A wool knit cat plushie from Pure Vanilla

-3 tomas chicks that currently live in Kiera's barn

-3 londonites

-Wolf skull shaped cufflinks

-A dagger for his "birthday" from Gnosis

Comments

[oleaeuropaea]

Yours, for getting so distracted!

[He does squeak as the carrot collides with his head. He pouts as he gets to cutting, which is only made worse by the onion making him tear up. Look what you did, Wolfwood.]

[lupusxylem]

[The Punisher shakes his head with another low laugh as he turns back to his station, even though he’s still practically done. He’ll turn the heat up now that he isn’t super distracted from cooking. Last thing he needs to do is start making out with Vash and get his ass set on fire.

He works in silence for a time, though there’s a lot still rolling around in his head. Vash has given him a lot to think about.]

Guess this place ended up being good for something after all. I get you and Livio outta the deal.

[oleaeuropaea]

Extremely selfish [He insists with a grin that borders on toothy, breaking the pattern of kisses for the briefest of moments. When he does return, he keeps himself angled toward Wolfwood's neck, teeth just barely pressing into the skin and leaving faint red marks in his wake.]

You're so beautiful, Nick. Hope you know that. 'n perfect. 'n made just for me.

[With each word, his fingers work to scissor apart, further opening Wolfwood up. His own body feels awash with heat, something that only grows with each buck of the fingers. Feeling his partner, his lover, his beloved pry apart with just his touch is divine, but he wants more. He wants to feel Wolfwood around him, preferably sooner rather than later.

He slips back after a few more moments, nearly confident that Wolfwood is ready. As he wipes his hand against the fabric of his pants. He reminds himself to make sure those get a solid wash later, before moving his hands toward the button of his own pants.]

We got a little distracted, gettin' me undressed. [He sounds nothing if not deeply amused and horribly affectionate.] Think you're ready for me, though?

[lupusxylem]

[The way Wolfwood's breath suddenly shudders out of him in a stuttered gasp should tell Vash everything he needs to know about how those words are affecting him because god damn it. It's just so...

It's not even that it's too much anymore, because he's had the time to get used to it. It's just that it's always so genuine and sincere that he isn't sure what to do with it. And when that's being coupled with getting fingered, you best believe he's going to be moaning like a whore about it. Congratulations Vash, you've unlocked "Nick making noise in bed". Like, to the point where he finally is actively rocking his hips against Vash's hand by the time he pulls his fingers free.

And, ugh, it feels so empty without them. His heart is racing behind his ribs as he watches Vash begin working his pants open, staring there unabashedly because he knows what's waiting for him. He's seen it, felt it, had it in his mouth. But he's never had in inside, and that's enough to leave him twitching desperately at the thought.

He licks his lips, finding them suddenly to be dry.]

Ye- [His voice cracks, and he has to try again.] Yeah. God...please, Vash.

angelina.

[livlaughlove]

[it's dawn by the time livio has bathed and changed his clothes. if it weren't for this, he wouldn't have bothered. but it seemed cruel to walk up to an animal covered in its master's blood, so... he managed.

even through the numbness, livio is scared as he stands outside wolfwood and vash's home. this is all he has left of nick, and he's terrified that he'll hurt it. hurt her.

but no one else is here. she needs to be looked after. surely livio -- even razlo -- can stay his hand, for the sake of nick's memory. no... not "surely." he will. razlo can go fuck himself on this front, actually. livio will fight him to his own dying breath, should the "protector" try to pull something.

livio opens the door, blocking the opening with his body as he enters. the last thing he needs is the dog darting between his legs to go sniff out her master's body.

face to face with her, though, livio finds himself feeling again for the first time since wolfwood last spoke to him. fear. sadness. not just for himself, but for this poor puppy.]

I'm sorry, [is the first thing he says, clutching vash's jacket and wolfwood's rosary in his arms, as if she understands the sentiment. if he forgot he was wearing his bone ring, that's between angelina and god.] Oh, Lord, please don't jump on me. I need space.

[lupusxylem]

[Angelina has been home by herself since this morning, but she isn’t worried. Vash and Wolfwood do leave her home alone sometimes, and since she can’t help herself she might find a piece of paper and shred it for fun, or sniff around on the floor to see if Vash has “accidentally” dropped any snacks for her. She isn’t as small as she once was, growing fast as puppies do, so she could theoretically get into more if she wanted.

But she’s good. She’s a good girl. She doesn’t have accidents (mostly, as long as she goes out often), and she waits patiently for her fathers to come home every day. So when the front door opens…

Sorry, Livio. Angelina doesn’t understand. She sees the door open and starts to bark, a high pitched little yip as her nails click against the floor, spinning rapidly in an excited circle. And while she doesn’t go exploding outside thankfully, she isn’t giving Livio a whole lot of space at first. He’s a new smell, and she can’t stand to not smell that new smell, sniffing the air and the area around his feet. He’s washed himself thoroughly, so it isn’t immediately evident…where he’s been.

But she doesn’t jump on him like she does with Vash and Wolfwood. Normally she might, but…

Livio told her to not jump. And perhaps bizarrely to Livio in particular, she listens, stepping back and sitting in the center of the floor, even though she’s practically vibrating.]

Hi!!!!!!

[A childish voice, like that of a little girl, suddenly rings in Livio’s ears.]

I sit! good girl!!

[livlaughlove]

[the barking and the sniffing is... a lot, but he just squeezes his eyes shut and waits. waits until he hears a voice greet him... and when he looks once more, there's angelina, sitting. and the voice confirms it.

he's honestly so shocked for a moment that he forgets about the ring. despite all the animal adjacent critters he's spoken to, it never occurred to him to try it with wolfwood's dog.

it's... weird. and weirdly... relieving.]

Yes. [his voice is soft, timid.] You are a good girl, aren't you?

[taking a deep breath, he kneels and holds out the folded jacket, rosary laid on top of it for her to sniff.]

Easy...

I'm sorry I'm not your papa. You must be awful confused, huh, girl?

[lupusxylem]

[It's Vash's jacket that Angelina sees first. She recognizes that flash of red instantly, and her tail wags so fast it's a blur across the floor. She very nearly charges into Livio's head right then and there, but it's thanks to the oddity of the jacket being...just the jacket, and not the man wearing the jacket, that ends up tripping her up.

She pads forward, just enough so that she can sniff the jacket. The rosary. And on both, she smells many strange smells. The outside. Dirt. Smoke, ash. Blood. A weird, chemically smell that she doesn't understand that makes her nose wrinkle.]

Papa?

[She echoes the word, as if not fully understanding. It does take her a moment, tilting her head far to one side.]

Nicou? [She eventually supplies.] Vyashie? Nicou? Vyash?

[The words have a funny lilt to them, strangely accented, like a child pretending to be a dog pretending to speak english for the first time. Nico with a growl at the end. Vash with a yelp in the middle of the syllable.

Then, she sits back down. She looks up at Livio, whom she's never seen before, but she smells on Wolfwood a lot these days.]

Smell familiar.

Where?

[livlaughlove]

[oh. livio's face crumples, slight at first and then absolute. he lost it last night. he has to keep it together now -- for angelina's sake. this is all easier if he just... imagines she is just a little girl in a dog's body.

or is it? ugh.]

My name is Livio. I'm -- friends with your dads. I'm sorry I didn't meet you before...

[liv takes a deep breath, sets a hand flat against the jacket, palm down, so she can smell him and he doesn't have to worry so much about what his hands might do.]

Vash had to go. I don't know where, but it must have been really important...

Nico -- [his voice cracks, easily recognizable to a dog as a whimper.] I'm sorry, Angelina. Nico isn't coming home.

[lupusxylem]

[Angelina stares up at him with her giant puppy eyes, vibrant little pinpricks of blue against the dark black of her fur. She licks her nose and muzzle a few times, speaking even though her mouth is otherwise occupied. It all seems to be happening telepathically, thanks to the ring.]

Leev...leevrro?

[She growls softly again on the word, her ears perking as Livio places his hand down, a clear invitation for her to come sniff. The puppy, entirely innocent and trusting of everyone, walks over to him readily, sniffing his fingers. She's already trying to lick them while Livio tries to explain, and it isn't until he makes that sound- that distressed whine- that she stops.

She sits back down, looking up at him with her head tilted.]

Liv...Livrro sound sad.

Why? Where Nicou?

[livlaughlove]

[she's such a sweet girl. those big eyes and that unconditional affection, even toward livio, whom she's just met... he really should have come to see her sooner. maybe this wouldn't be so hard on either of them if he'd just worked through his fears, or had the discipline for some semblance of self-control...

god. he doesn't know how to explain it.]

He's just gone, baby girl.

[if nothing else, he stands back up to place the jacket and rosary on whatever surface is nearest. it feels a little invasive, being in here when both of them are gone, but...]

I bet you have to go outside, huh? You got a leash somewhere around here?

[lupusxylem]

["Just gone" doesn't make sense to her. Vash and Wolfwood leave during the day fairly often, that's just a normal occurrence. It upset her at first, and she'd cry and whine at the door until they came home...but she's slowly gotten used to the routine. She expects them to return.

Eventually. Whenever that ends up being.

Still though, she can't get the strange smells out of her nose. The stench, the smell of death which she's never smelled, and therefore doesn't fully understand. Instinctively though, she knows it's bad. She doesn't like that it's on something that smells like her Papa.

But her attention is immediately distracted by the promise of a walk. She barks which needs no words, skittering along the floor as she runs over to a place by the wall where her leash hangs. It's too high for her to reach, but even so, she hops up on her hind legs and puts her paws on the wall, nudging the end of it with her nose.]

Outside!!! Run!

[livlaughlove]

[whether or not she understands now, livio is sure the reality will set in... eventually. animals in the forest probably understand the concept of death, but does a puppy who, as far as he knows, has only had a happy life up until this point? how could it possibly be easy for her when even livio is struggling to accept it?

only time will tell. for now, he gets the leash and kneels before her again. this part is... harder. reaching directly for her, to place this on her. his hands shake. he feels like crying all over again, but finds he doesn't have the ability. even if his body heals itself of wounds, it can't just magically rehydrate itself.

somehow, he attaches the leash to angelina without incident.

he doesn't dwell on how he managed, for now. instead, he focuses on giving her instructions before finally opening the door. maybe she understands, and maybe she doesn't. he's realizing he doesn't know what all she's trained in.]

Easy. No running off. It's dangerous too far from the house, okay? [livio is... not ready for how energetic some dogs could possibly be on leashes, but, well... we'll see.]

[lupusxylem]

[What Livio is going to learn very quickly is that puppies cannot resist the allure of the outside, but that's what he has her on a leash for. She can't exactly get far while attached, and Livio certainly isn't going to be tugged over by the strength of a rambunctious puppy.

Angelina practically throws herself out the door, panting and running until the leash catches her and pulls her back a little. She then proceeds to immediately swing back around, running through Livio's legs and getting herself tangled up around his ankles. She will do this several times, but she doesn't even seem to realize it's happening. Vash was usually the one to suffer being tripped up by the leash.

Despite her energy and willingness to run, she does her business pretty much immediately without fuss. The snow being mostly melted now also means she isn't going to get wet and cold, even though she is still trying to bury her face in the grass to do some good sniffing around.

Eventually though...she stops at the end of her leash, lifting her head up to smell the air. Her tail, wagging so hard it's a blur, slows until it stops for a moment.]

Smells...strange?

[livlaughlove]

[oh, jesus christ. she's just a font of boundless energy. even livio, who could shoot most people dead before they even saw him draw, has trouble following her movements. puppies are just wild like that, he guesses.

... he recalls wolfwood affectionately complaining about her taking 30 minutes in the snow, for as quick as she is about it now. yes, angelina is a good girl.

liv lets her sniff, watches her to familiarize himself with her movements and personality more. he's going to have to get used to her.

and when she stops, he lifts his head to follow the point of her nose. he can't even really imagine what sort of unfamiliar, frightening things she can sense, even the morning after, from across the river. despite his anxieties, livio finds himself stepping towards angelina, standing over her as if to shield her.]

... I don't want you to be scared, but there's a very bad thing in the woods. The... scary air keeps it away most of the time. But last night, it came into the town. That's why you have to stay near the house... or near me. I'll protect you, Angelina.

[lupusxylem]

[A bad thing...the moment Livio says that, the little pup's hackles raise. The fur bristles along her shoulders and back, and she growls softly, as if she would be able to do anything about it. She doesn't run towards the forest, but...she's certainly keeping her gaze trained towards it, as if she can see something Livio can't.]

Protect.

[She steps back, then winds herself around Livio's ankles again before sitting beside one of his feet.]

Protect Leevrroo. Till Papas come back.

[livlaughlove]

[oh, honey... livio steps out of the tangle of the leash once more, and -- actually stoops a little to pet her once on the head. she's so soft and warm...]

Thank you, girl, but no. You're just a baby. A pup. I protect you, okay?

Come on. Let's go inside, now.

[lupusxylem]

[Angelina looks up at Livio when he pats her head, her tail immediately wagging again. Just like that, her tension is gone. She relaxes and starts to pant, tilting her head up to try to lick his fingers.]

Papa Leevroo protect. Am baby.

[At least this time, she'll trot back into the house without getting herself tangled with his legs. Mostly.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[Vash isn't even being touched, and already he shudders bodily. The noises that Wolfwood makes, thready and desperate as he is, absolutely flood him with heat. It isn't fair that Wolfwood can be this damn sexy — he's already bad enough as it is under normal circumstances.]

Well - how can I... [He huffs, well aware of just how flustered he is.] How can I say no to all'a that.

[His pants are pulled down to his knees, and the boxers follow just as quickly. Already, his cock is half extended, straining forward almost desperately. It takes little more than two pumps of his fist — difficult though it is to touch himself with how wanting he is — to find himself fully at the ready.]

Nick... [Inhaling, he settles himself above Wolfwood. One hand braces just above his shoulder. The other lingers between his leg, keeping himself steady as he eases forward. It's hard to fight the urge to plunge straight in, slick as he already is. He practically chokes on the desire as the heat of Wolfwood's as begins to envelop his cock.] Shit.

[lupusxylem]

[It's not even been really all that long since Wolfwood has seen it, yet the sight of him is enough to leave Wolfwood mouthing a soundless damn, because. Like. Damn!! It's a good day to be a Xenophile-

Of course, it's one thing to prepare yourself mentally and think you're ready, and entirely another to actually do it. He can't say he would have blamed Vash if he just fucked into him to the hilt all in one go, but he is glad he doesn't. The feeling is- in a word- strange. It's somehow both like he expected and not all at the same time, and he feels his body wanting to reflexively tense up at the intrusion, to try to force it out. His brain doesn't want that though, which is why he focuses on fisting the sheets with his fingers, his head ducked forward until his chin rests on his sternum.]

Ye...yeah...right there...with you...

[He wheezes, keeping his eyes trained on Vash between his knees.]

Keep goin', m'fine.

forward dated to after vash comes home. this will get nsfw. u have been warned.

[livlaughlove]

[things aren't normal, per se. they likely won't be for a while again, at least until they all discover a new normal. but vash is home, and nick is on his way to recovery... it's a far cry from recent times, as far as livio is concerned. it feels like only a few short days ago, he was at quite possibly his lowest.

now he's got a place with his best friend slash boyfriend and his boyfriend. livio has never had his own bedroom and felt safe. forget his childhood, forget the orphanage. even the inn was too public, and haunted besides. and by magic or otherwise, this was made specifically for him.

it's all a lot to take in. he catches a quiet moment at some point in the day to just sit on the real bed -- nick was right, it is very different from a couple floor mattresses -- that's actually big enough for him and stare around the room in awed silence.]

[lupusxylem]

[It's been long enough now that Wolfwood has been swapping between using a wheelchair and a pair of crutches to get around. The latter are currently reserved only for inside the house, where the ground is completely even and he doesn't have to worry about possibly tripping over a rock or a root or something, and then falling on his ass outside where he wouldn't be able to get back up. That is not something he could handle well right now, because it's been hard enough showing his face like this in public to begin with.

But...at least he feels less like that in the safety of his own home. Safe, with just Vash and Livio, now that Livio actually has a room. Though he gets why Livio has it- it's more for space reasons than anything- he does find himself wishing they could all be in one room together, but...yeah. That's probably asking for too much.

Nothing saying he can't come visit though, the soft thunk of his crutches heralding his arrival as he makes it to the doorway.]

Beats sleepin' on the floor, eh?

[livlaughlove]

[subconsciously, he hears the sound of the crutches moving around, even if it doesn't quite occur to him that nick is approaching so much as being up and about. that in itself is quite reassuring to livio. he's only more pleasantly surprised when wolfwood speaks from the doorway.]

Oh. Hey, hon.

[he smiles, awkward and lopsided, as his cheeks take on a reddish flush.] Yeah... It does.

You wanna sit with me...?

[lupusxylem]

[Hon. It's such a simple term of endearment, yet it fills him with warmth regardless. Sure is a lot nicer than a lot of other feelings he's been feeling the last couple weeks.

He nods, making his way slowly over. It's a limping hobble, all of his weight supported on both the crutches and his remaining leg.]

Yea, I'm comin'.

[He sinks into a sit on the large mattress next to Livio, reaching around to set the crutches aside nearby, halfway leaning against the bed so he can grab them if he needs to. It's good to be able to get up and try to walk even somewhat, but it's a lot of work. It's nice to sit back down for a minute.]

It's nice, yaknow. Seein' you here all the time.

[livlaughlove]

[once nick is situated, liv pivots toward him a bit so that he can slip an arm around his waist to hold and support him. and he plants a kiss in wolfwood's hair for good measure.]

Yeah? It's nice to be here... [he still feels slightly out of place, but honestly? he can actually imagine that it may get easier with time.] Thank you, Nico.