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It was still early evening when Wolfwood got to work on the hotel floor, dismantling the Punisher to give her a good clean. It was important to keep any weapon clean, but ones like the Punisher with so many moving and intricate parts- cleaning was crucial to keeping them in working order. Gun oil got underneath his fingernails, blackening them as he worked, but Wolfwood didn’t mind. The oil wouldn’t grow crusty and stale like blood at least. He worked meticulously, slowly to make sure every part got the attention it needed.
Behind him, on the single bed in the room, sat Vash. He had taken off his prosthetic and was giving it a similar cleaning. Wolfwood had tried watching Vash take apart his arm for maintenance before, but the thing was far too complicated for him to understand. The intricacies of things like that, old tech, Plants, and even Vash himself... It was all lost on Wolfwood, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t admire it, couldn’t try again and again to understand it.
The room was quiet, save for the gentle clicks, moving metal, or the soft scrubbing of a brush. It was easy, a nice respite given the breakneck speed of their daily lives together. Wolfwood relaxed, falling into the automatic and brainless movements that came with a repetitive task, and let his mind leave him.
“Hey, Wolfwood?” Vash asked from above him on the bed.
It took Wolfwood a second for his brain to register that Vash had spoken. He didn’t need to turn around to know that Vash was smiling, and a real smile at that. It was something about his voice, the way he spoke that gave it away. “What’s up, spikey?” Wolfwood tilted his head back and saw Vash upside down.
There was a shit eating grin on Vash’s face as he looked at Wolfwood, “The floor is lava!”
Something clicked in Wolfwood with those four simple words, woke up the little boy inside him like a sleeper agent. His near finished cigarette fell from his lips and he dropped the parts of the Punisher he was working on without a second thought. He scrambled up and jumped backwards onto the bed, landing half on Vash’s long legs as he did so, while his heart beat happily and his own smile filled his face.
Vash was cackling behind him, his eyes tearful from his own laughter. He wrapped his one arm around Wolfwood’s front and pulled him back. “You made it, Preacher-man!”
“I’ve had my fair share of floor lava before, cowboy.” With a soft shake of his head, Wolfwood found Vash’s lips. It was a breathless kiss, one constantly disrupted by Vash’s giggles, but it was warm and sweet. He pulled back and looked over the edge of the bed to see his poor Punisher dismembered and burning up on the lava, hardwood floor. “Seems my girl wasn’t so lucky…” He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “I couldn’t save ‘er in time.”
“Your-” Vash began to laugh again. “Your girl? The gun?” He could barely contain himself, letting go of Wolfwood and falling back into the flat pillows at the head of the bed.
“A very special gun, thank you!” Wolfwood shot back, unable to help his own grin. While Vash was preoccupied with his laughter, struggling to even catch his breath through his giggles, Wolfwood reached over him to the nightstand and grabbed his Colt. With a flick, Wolfwood emptied the cylinder of its bullets and then gently dropped it on the floor. “There! How’s that feel?”
“Hey!” Vash sat up, managing to break through his laughter. “My gun!” He hung over the bed and tried to reach his Colt, but it was no use. He looked over his shoulder at Wolfwood, putting on the most fake pout he had ever seen. “You killed it.”
“Now we’re both widowers.” Wolfwood tugged Vash back up and then laid back on the bed, putting an arm behind his head. “Next time I’ll toss ya arm in it, how ‘bout that?”
Vash gave an exaggerated gasp and fell next to Wolfwood. “You wouldn’t dare.” He gently shoved at Wolfwood’s chest with his hand, but kept his palm there. Two of his fingers brushed under the low neck of Wolfwood’s shirt where they found the chain to his silver cross necklace. He fingered it gently, curling his fingers around the chain and dragging it over Wolfwood’s chest.
“I might,” As he exhaled through his nose, Wolfwood came closer to Vash. He kissed the mole under his eye and then his cheek, and finally his earlobe with his singular piercing. “Ya never know.”
A soft hum came from Vash as Wolfwood’s lips moved over him. He released his necklace and instead slipped his arm upwards to hook around Wolfwood’s neck. He tugged at Wolfwood softly, but his intent was clear enough. Wolfwood shifted, moving until he laid upon Vash and was crushing him into the old hotel mattress. They each heaved a heavy sigh, both wanting to feel even closer than they could possibly be.
“When ya think the lava’s gonna let up?” Wolfwood muttered, his face tucked into the open space between Vash’s neck and his shoulder.
“Hmm…” Vash wrapped his arm around Wolfwood, his hand moving slowly up and down as he rubbed his back. “At least for a while.” He whispered, “It would be best to stay and wait it out, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” Wolfwood muttered, nosing Vash’s neck with a sigh. “Yeah.” He could finish cleaning the Punisher later. It was so rare that he and Vash had a moment alone like that, one where they felt good and weren’t fearful of what was to come. He didn’t want to spoil it. “That sounds good, angel.”