Archive of Our Own

Well, could anyone expect any outcome different from this one?

Boothill looked at the nearly empty bottle of Asdana’s White Oak before quickly shifting his gaze to the man sitting by his side. “Don’tcha think you had enough for the night, Rosy?” He chuckled, chugging down the rest of the drink in his glass. “It’s no shame to know your limits?”

“I appreciate the concern, my silver cowboy, but- hic,” the knight, already off his shining armor, widened his eyes, covering his lips with the tip of his fingers before looking back at Boothill with a shy smile. “I beg your pardon, ahem, but I’m mostly fine! Breaking my promise and leaving my companion by himself would be no deed of a respectable knight, after all.”

Boothill gritted his teeth, cringing a little at how the way Argenti talked to him made the gears inside him turn differently. “Son of a good mother,” he mumbled, looking away. “Oi, pal,” he raised his hand, waving at the waiter, “bring me another bottle of the Asdana good, yeah?”

Getting a nod back from his request, Boothill took his attention back to the man next to him. Unlike the cowboy, Argenti took his sweet time with each drink. The smell, the taste, the colour of the liquid inside the glass, he paid attention to every bit of it, noticing the beauty in all of it.

Still, it was clear how unused Argenti was to a stronger beverage like the Asdana’s White Oak. The way his nose wrinkled up slightly as he sipped from the glass made Boothill smile every damn time. “Hah, you’re a stubborn one, aren’tcha, Rosy? I told you, order something sweeter already, for fork’s sake”.

Argenti shook his head, taking a deep breath before turning the glass all the way, drinking it to the last drop. “T-that would mean we wouldn’t be sharing a drink like I granted you, my silver cowboy. And even so, by drinking from the same bottle as you I can get to know you some more.”

“I might not be the only fudger around here with loose screws, ya know?” He scoffed. To think Argenti would actually fulfill said promise and go out for a drink with him was already surprising, but Boothill couldn’t even remember how long it had been since someone kept up with him like that. “But I like your attitude, Rosy, I’ll give ya that.”

One, two, three glasses went by before one of them could take notice. Boothill found himself staring at Argenti, watching the way the knight seemed to leave a bit of himself behind with each cup.

It already felt different to look at him without those endless plates of armor in the way - somehow, even if he was still dressed, the lack of it made Argenti seem so vulnerable. And now, with the alcohol slowly mining away his fairytale-y character, Boothill couldn’t help but feel a little flustered, even a bit impressed, when looking at that “different” Argenti. 

“Heh, look at you go, Rosy,” he purred, leaning over the counter and letting his chin rest on top of his hand as he gave Argenti his full attention.

With lethargic moves, Argenti returned the look. That amount of alcohol was sure taking a toll on his brain and his senses, making everything feel a little funny. After staring at Boothill for a couple seconds, Argenti turned his face away, one hand covering his reddened cheek. “By Idrila, s-stop that,” he giggled shily.

Boothill blinked, confused. “Eh? With what?” No response. “C’mon now, you drag me over here for a drink and won’t even look at me now?”

“I think you- you’re staring a little too much…”

Now this was interesting. 

Hanging with Argenti always meant he was the one getting Boothill flustered - “my silver cowboy”, “metallic beauty”, “good partner” and many other forking stupid names. Maybe this was the chance that Boothill once thought would never arrive…

“Aren’t ya the one who says that ‘beauty needs to be appreciated’ or some shirt like that?” He teased back, pulling himself closer to the knight, trying to eye his face over his shoulder. “I’m just doing what ya told me to.”

Argenti sighed, almost as if he was frustrated. From that angle, Boothill could swear he saw something like a pout on Argenti’s face. Dagnabbit. “Did someone ever tell ya look kinda cute like this, Rosy? Heh, we should go drink more often.”

The knight scrunched up his shoulders slightly, feeling a shiver run down his spine with Boothill’s voice so close to him. “R-refrain from behaving- hic- improperly, this is a public space, Boothill…”

“I’m just praising ya,” Boothill chuckled, a devilish grin pulling at his lips, “it’s not my fault ya having some forking nasty thoughts, Rosy. Ease up, will ya?” He teased again, wrapping one arm over Argenti’s neck while poking his side with the other. “It’s a waste to frown with a face like that.”

“B-Boothill!” Argenti gasped, straightening his back as he jolted in surprise, nearly falling off the small bench. He looked around, hoping his little squeal went unnoticed by the few people in the bar. “Don’t do that…”

This was just too good. Like fudgin’ hell he would stop. “Aight, but my best behavior has a price, ya know?” He hummed, unable to resist the fun of teasing Argenti. After all, who knows how long it would take to see him like that again?

With a little pout and arms crossed over his stomach, Argenti looked over to the other man. He let out a small, defeated sigh, as if earlier that day he wasn’t the one showering Boothill with overly sweet compliments that you wouldn’t find even in the most cliché romantic books.

“...and what is it?”

“Ya’ll have to use that pretty mouth of yours and kiss me real good, yeah?”

!!!

“By Idrila, you-” Argenti gasped, pushing at Boothil’s face with his hand but barely creating some distance between them, “-scandalous, sordid man! H-how dare you ask for something like that?!”

“Bwahah, ya into dirty talk now, Rosy?” He smiled, eying Argenti through the gaps between his fingers. With a swift move, Boothill moved his face away from Argenti’s palm and let the knight fall into his arms, “but since we ain’t kissing, I better do something about ya face, yeah?”

“A-ahh, wait, Boohothill, this- ahah, noho!” Argenti giggled helplessly, his balance and control long gone along with the drinks he just had. It was a matter of seconds before he found himself nearly laid against Boothill and unable to get back to his seat. “D-don’t- ahaha, i-it tihihckles!”

“Ya sure had a couple secrets hidden under that armor, huh?” Boothill hummed, his fingers effortlessly tweaking at Argenti’s sides and stomach, tracing random figures over the clothed skin just to mess with the knight even more. “Since when are ya this ticklish, Rosy? It kinda fits you, tho.”

“Dohohon’t- ahAHah, don’t mehehntion it!” Argenti whined, wrapping his arms around his own body in a vain attempt to shield himself. “Juhust stop ihihit!”

But there was no muddlefudger in the whole galaxy that would make Boothill stop at that moment. Where would be the fun in that, anyway? He scoffed, pulling Argenti even more into his arms while letting his hands roam freely over the knight’s body. “Ya didn’t want to kiss me, Rosy, how else am I getting some fun ‘round here, hm?”

“T-that’s- ahahah, indehehecent! I cahAH- AHAhah, oHOHoh my behEHEauty, nohohot thehere!” Argenti gasped as he looked down to Boothill’s hands latched onto his waist. A crooked, even somewhat uncharming, smile pulled at his lips before he lost himself to his laughter.

Those metallic hands, crafted to handle fast moves with utmost precision, were now finding themselves a new, less harmless use. Instead of pulling triggers or drawing out guns, they squeezed and pinched Argenti’s sculptural body, finding one ticklish spot after the other.

Argenti wasn’t even sure if they were just that fast at tickling him or if the alcohol from those glasses of Asdana’s White Oak were weightening down his senses more and more by the second. Maybe it was a bit of both.

“B-Boohothill, t-theEHeh ohohothers ahahre looking! Thihis is embahaharrising!”

“Ya better hope they do, Rosy,” Boothill chuckled, his thumb rubbing circles over the dip of Argenti’s hip, only imagining how bad it tickled by the looks on Argenti’s face when he did it. “That’s some real beauty I’m seeing now… they might as well take a look too, eh?”

He shook his head. No, this wasn’t it - this wasn’t how beauty was supposed to be appreciated. Following Idrila’s will would never feel this weird. “Nohoh, plehehease!” Argenti laughed, spotting something on the nearby counter that, at that moment, seemed like his way out of Boothill’s restless touches.

“Such a cry baby, aren’t ya, Rosy? Ya need to toughen up a bit,” the cowboy teased, taking that small opening to experiment tickling Argenti under his arm. As another, but louder, squeal came from the knight, Boothill chuckled, “c’mon, it’s not even that bad, aight? Just a little tickle, hehe.”

“H-hohow wohohould you knohohow?! You dohon’t- ahAHAHA!!”

Boothill smiled fondly, feeling something as if the wires inside his chest were getting tangled up on themselves. He let go of Argenti’s side, focusing on prodding at that sensitive spot under his arm while cupping the knight’s face with his other hand. “That wasn’t very nice of you, Rosy…”

That wasn’t the end of that short lecture, but Argenti couldn’t really tell Boothill’s words apart anymore - he couldn’t focus on them, to be precise. Not falling back first into the ground was already taking the most out of him, and those drinks from early added to the tickling weren’t really making things any easier.

Besides how much that deviously positioned hand under his arm tickled, the other thing Argenti couldn’t help but wonder was how was Boothill still so alert, so not-drunk? Didn’t they both have the same drink, the same bottles of Asdana’s White Oak?

The wondering about Boothill’s endurance could wait, however. Before he could lose himself into further thinking, that electric-like sensation hammered against his nerves, sending signals straight into his brain that made him lose himself to laughter.

“Oi, Rosy, are ya falling asleep over there? Don’t tell me you’re this drun-”

Brrr.

Before he could finish another tease, a small, short noise caught the cowboy’s attention. Followed by the soft vibration of his phone in the back pocket of his jeans, Boothill felt the annoyance take over his system. Who the fudge dared to bother him at such a good time?!

“Tsk, last thing I needed now was my phone triggering ‘cuz of these forking tight pants again,” he groaned, reaching out for his device while giving Argenti’s cheek a soothing pat. “Hold in there, Rosy, I ain’t done with- huh?”

[The Three Threasures]

Argenti: My feriend,, Im' in needd of yuor aid
Argenti: I'ts urggent, I as ure you

Caelus: ???
Caelus: What are you doing up so late?
Caelus: Also, why are you typing like that?
Caelus: Are you drunk or something?

Argenti: Yyou nee dto come to Penacoj4f

Caelus: [Confused sticker]

“Rosy, ya son of a-” Boothill groaned, looking down at the man panting in his lap. That sure was some way to look for trouble. “Ya lookin’ for trouble, eh, you cute dimwit,” he chuckled, letting his hand continue to wreak havoc.

Still, he needed to send something or that boy would get the wrong idea. Tsk, dagnabbit.

Boothill: It ain't nothin'. Rosy just had a couple bottles of the Asdana good, ya know?
*Voice converted to text
Boothill: All's well, no harm done. Imma take him [Noise detected, unable to identify]. And no need to worry them heart, aight? Rosy is safe and [Noise detected, unable to identify].
*Voice converted to text