Work Text:
“You need me to help you...do what?”
Andrew’s dusty red eyes squinted at the blond, he wasn’t understanding. Victor made a motion with his hands then pointed to Wick. The grave keeper stood with a puzzled look on his face, “Sorry, I still don’t understand.”
The postman had arrived at his door shortly after a match they had together. Andrew was looking forward to resting but it seemed like Victor had other things on his agenda. Whatever it was.
Normally Victor would gesture or sign what he was trying to say. Relatively simple and short things so that others could understand. It was mostly so he could save time and paper; it was a hassle to pull out a sheet and write every time he had something to say. And he didn’t particularly feel like hauling an abundance of used paper with pieces of conversation back to his room at the end of the day.
Andrew wasn’t getting what he was asking, though. The postman reluctantly pulled a sheet of paper from his satchel and wrote: Will you help me wash Wick?
The grave keeper took a moment to read it, then he glanced down to Victor’s companion. “Your...dog?” Now that he actually got a good look, he could see that Wick was covered with muck, he grimaced.
Victor nodded happily. The pale man fixed his gaze to his feet, he wasn’t entirely sure why the other was asking for his help. He didn’t know anything about dogs and preferred to keep away from them. They were hyper and unpredictable, although Wick appeared to be on the calmer side. Andrew supposed he was kind of cute too.
“There’s probably not much I can do- are you sure you want my help? I- I’m certain someone else would be more adequate than me in assisting you—”
Victor waved his hands a bit, pointed to Andrew then nodded his head. The grave keeper furrowed his brows, the blond had supported him in their previous match together, maybe he owed him one. He agreed quietly, “Um, okay...sure.”
He glanced up just in time to see the postman smile warmly. The man extended his arm and took hold of Andrew’s hand in his own, he loosely shook it as a thank you before letting go. Victor’s hands were warm, even through his glove the pale man could feel it. It felt...oddly tingly afterwards too, Andrew wondered momentarily if that was normal.
The blond man signaled Andrew to follow him. Wick trotted after his owner, leaving muddy footprints as he did so. The grave keeper felt a hint of anxiety bubble in his chest as he stepped out of his room and closed the door.
Victor led them to the expanse of the backyard. The manor had various activities and means of entertainment, if Andrew wasn’t so sensitive to the sun maybe he would indulge in them. Luckily, the spot they were headed for was shaded.
There was a small wooden tub with scrub brushes, a bottle of dog shampoo, and towels sitting next to it. Andrew assumed it was placed outside just in case Wick made a mess. His owner gave him a couple pats on the head before removing the largest clumps of dirt stuck in his fur.
Andrew had seen the tiny dog frolicking in the mud during the match earlier that day. If there happened to be a puddle near the cipher Victor was working on, he would play if he wasn’t busy delivering letters.
The grave keeper stood awkwardly while he watched Victor brush his dog lightly, careful not to pull. The postman then looked up at him and pointed to the hose that was attached to the wall of the manor. Andrew nodded, he fumbled with the bright green hose as he worked out the kinks. Clearly the last person who used it had no regard for the next.
As Victor continued to brush Wick gently, Andrew began filling up the tub. When it was about a quarter full, the postman set down the brush and Wick jumped eagerly into the water. The pale man flinched as a bit of water splashed onto his pants. A light blush formed on his cheeks when he heard Victor giggle. Well, it was more of an amused puff of air from his nose.
Once the tub was filled, Andrew turned off the hose. The blond patted the space next to him on the ground and gave another wide smile. The grave keeper sat shyly next to the other and waited to be given another task.
Victor turned to him slightly, reached over to tap Andrew’s hands then held up his own hand to make the motion of taking off a glove. “Uh oh...okay.” The pale man slipped off both his black gloves rather slowly. Then Victor made motions of rolling up sleeves, Andrew stared at him a moment before shaking his head. “Ah no, no that is fine.” He was already exposing his hands, showing his ghastly white arms would make him feel even more self-conscious.
The postman shrugged as a ‘suit yourself’ then grabbed the dog shampoo. He poured some onto his hands then began massaging Wick’s head. The little dog seemed a bit uncomfortable but he was sitting rather obediently.
As soon as Wick became restless from the cleaning, Victor paused momentarily and wiped his hands dry. He turned to the grave keeper again and made more gestures that were difficult for him to understand. The puzzled look on Andrew’s face was telling enough. The blond didn’t have his satchel to write anything, so instead he took Andrew’s hand and began to trace letters into his pale palm.
It took a bit for Andrew to process and piece together what he spelled. He was too surprised that someone willingly touched him, skin to skin. It was a very nice feeling, Victor was so gentle, he turned a little red as a result. He then focused and discovered that the blond had spelled ‘treats’.
The grave keeper immediately stood, attempting to hide his face underneath his hair. The treats were kept in the kitchen, it wasn’t far. He entered the manor and found a bag of dog treats sitting in one of the bottom cupboards. It had a yellow sticky note attached to it that said: For Wick (not you Robbie!!)
He gave a small smile before taking the bag outside. Wick seemed to light up as he saw it. Victor pointed to his dog and gave Andrew a nod.
“Oh...you want me too-?” He asked in a small voice. Setting the bag on the ground, he took out a small bone shaped treat. Wick wagged his tail excitedly, Andrew hesitantly held his hand outwards. He looked to the postman again, who just gave a smile and a thumbs up.
The grave keeper swallowed nervously, Wick’s teeth appeared to be sharp, the last thing he’d want is to be bitten. Suddenly, the dog leapt and grabbed the treat out of his pale hands. Andrew yelped from surprise and almost lost his balance.
Another soundless laugh came from Victor, his cheeks were slightly rosy and his smile was as big as ever. Andrew would’ve been upset if it weren’t for the fuzzy feeling it gave him.
The postman continued to clean Wick, with Andrew occasionally giving him a treat when the dog got impatient. Victor was using a scrub brush to get the toughest spots out, after a bit he handed the brush to the grave keeper. The pale man just stared at it. “I- I don’t think I should—”
Victor motioned with his hands that he should try. Andrew scooted closer and set a hand on the energetic dog. Then he began to work away the grime, maybe a bit too gently. The postman encouraged him to do it with a little more gusto.
Eventually, Wick was clean and free of muck. He shook himself off, sending water droplets flying everywhere. The dog panted happily, but he was still damp. The blond faced the other, again taking his hand to spell a word into his palm. Andrew felt his hand tingle as Victor spelled the word ‘towel’.
Andrew faltered for a moment, “Uh, oh, r-right.” He grabbed a fresh towel from the ones sitting on the side. The pale man handed it to Victor and he proceeded to dry off his little companion. Wick seemed a bit irritated, so Andrew gave him another treat. That much he had gotten used to.
Once Wick was dry, Victor placed his tiny hat back on his head and fit his collar into place. The postman looked up to the grave keeper. He patted his shoulder and loosely shook his hand again as another thank you. His smile was so warm, it brought an undesirable heat to his pale cheeks.
“Glad I was— I was able to help...” Andrew gave him a quick nod before turning away. He prayed that perhaps Wick would play in the mud more often...