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"Um- Clown?"
Clown, rather unhelpfully, tilted his head at the question, as if he didn't know what Branzy's current conundrum was.
"Would you... mind moving for a sec? I kinda need to get into that chest."
Branzy was making some finishing touches to the casino games, before he reached into his pouch and realized he was out of redstone. This shouldn't have been a problem, as he and Clown had gathered plenty to ensure he'd have enough to finish, except there was currently a jester-shaped assassin sitting firmly on the chest with said redstone inside, preventing him from continuing his work.
Clown gave a thoughtful hum, before responding. "Nah, I'm actually pretty comfortable right now."
Branzy barely stopped his eye from twitching. "Well, I can't really keep working if you stay there."
"Why not?"
"Wh- because I need more redstone? And you're kinda in the way?"
"I really don't see what the problem is, Branzy," said Clown, who very much knew what the problem was. It was well hidden, but Branzy had spent enough time with the assassin by now to pick up on the hint of amusement in his tone. He was doing this on purpose and he knew it.
"The problem is that you're sitting on the chest that I need and I can't just summon redstone out of thin air! I need to get in there!" Branzy pleaded uselessly, already knowing Clown would get up in his own time and there wasn't anything Branzy could do about it.
"Well gee, that sure does seem like an issue, doesn't it?" Clown mused, leaning forward to set his elbows on his knees and rest his chin in his palms as he looked at Branzy. Somehow, despite never having seen the assassin's face before, Branzy got the impression there was a shit-eating grin under the mask. "What could you possibly do to solve this?"
"Keep begging you to move and hope you get bored?" Branzy tried weakly. Clown tsked.
"Or," he started. "You could try and move me yourself, Branzy~."
Branzy froze, stomach dropping at the same time a warmth spread through his chest and reached his cheeks. That was definitely a trap if Branzy's ever heard one, but now that the idea has been implanted into his head, he wasn't sure he'd be able to easily get rid of the thought.
"You- you want me to move you?"
"Only if you can," Clown replied casually. "Think you're strong enough, Branzy?"
And that was all Branzy needed to hear to realize Clown did not realize what he was asking right now. Or, maybe he did and that was the point, it was hard to tell. Branzy was pretty used to people underestimating his physical strength, everyone seeming to think that since he was weak in combat then he was weak in muscles too. What they didn't seem to take into account was how heavy most redstone machinery was, since all most people ever touched and carried was the dust itself. That was the light stuff. It was nothing compared to most of the components he needed to regularly lift above his head or hold up for a few minutes as he fixed complicated wiring.
So either Clown was one of those people who didn't know better and thought he was giving Branzy another impossible task, or he knew exactly what he was asking and just wanted to see how much Branzy would squirm under the request.
And maybe, in other circumstances, Branzy would be more hesitant. However, Clown chose when Branzy was focused and in the zone to get in his way, so currently, his survival instincts weren't as strong as they normally were, brain way more annoyed at the interruption in his work.
"You sure?" Branzy asked, still having some semblance of survival skills and awareness in who he was dealing with.
"Yeah, why don't you try it?" was Clown's overconfident response. Branzy studied him for a few moments more, observing his more playful and almost friendly mood. Clown probably wouldn't kill Branzy if Branzy crossed a line he shouldn't right now, which meant it was probably safe to do what the assassin was asking without overthinking it. And, well, Clown was asking him too, so...
"Alright," Branzy shrugged before approaching the taller man. Clown sat up slowly as he got closer, sitting at his full height once Branzy was at his side. He watched Branzy with what the redstoner could only hope was curiosity and maybe amusement, and notably wasn't reaching for any weapon of his despite their proximity. Branzy gave Clown a once over, deciding the best way to pick him up. Throwing the assassin over his shoulder would maybe get him killed or at least a knife in the back, and Clown was too tall for many other ways Branzy could reasonably pick him up by, which really only left Branzy with one option.
Branzy took the final step closer to Clown so he was barely not touching him, noting the slight flinch from the jester but deciding not to dwell on it, and crouched down. He looped his arm under the assassin's knees, other arm reaching around his upper back, and swiftly lifted Clown up bridal style. And, wow, Clown was actually a bit lighter than Branzy expected him to be. He could probably carry him around for a good while without issue, even if their height difference made it slightly awkward.
Clown instantly tensed in his hold, his hands reaching towards Branzy for support but stopping before actually touching him, as if hesitant to do so. Suddenly, Branzy got the sense that he was on a time limit, so as much as he would like to carry Clown around just to prove a point, he also didn't want to lose a heart right now. With how still and silent Clown was (did he stop breathing?), Branzy really shouldn't test his luck anymore than he already was.
He carried Clown over to another set of chests, the ones with leftover building supplies that Branzy wouldn't need anytime soon, and as gently as he could set Clown down on one of them. Clown remained stiff even as Branzy let go of him, movements strangely slow as he adjusted to his new seat. If it were anyone else, Branzy would absolutely tease him about his clearly shocked reaction, but, well, this was Clownpierce. Unease churned in Branzy's stomach, but he forced himself to ignore it as he finally turned away from Clown and went to the redstone chest he needed.
Clown didn't say a word as Branzy restocked on redstone, or when he returned to his machine, or when he started working again. Something about it irked Branzy, though he tried to reassure himself that if Clown was going to kill him for that, he probably would've already done so by now. It's not like it's Branzy's fault if Clown didn't think he could actually do it. What else was Branzy gonna do?
The redstoner forced himself to forget about it as he continued working, finally losing himself in the complex circuitry of the machine. He even almost forgot Clown was there until he went to test one of the levers, only to find a very familiar jester, once again, in his way.
The lever was on the floor next to Clown's feet, Clown sat on a piece of machinery he absolutely should not be sitting on once the machine is turned on. Somehow, despite knowing Clown's general lack of redstone knowledge, Branzy got the sense Clown still knew about where he had, once again, chosen to sat. Branzy sighed.
"Clown," he started, already guessing how this was going to go. "I kinda need you to move. Again."
Clown tilted his head at him, but otherwise didn't move or say anything. Anxiety of many different kinds buzzed in Branzy's chest, and after a few long moments of the two silently staring at each other, Branzy huffed, steeling his resolve.
"Alright, fine, you wanna play this game? I can play this game," he muttered, approaching Clown with confidence he was absolutely faking. Clown tensed as he got closer, but still didn't move or say anything, eyes (mask) following Branzy's every movement. Before he could overthink it, Branzy promptly scooped Clown up in his arms again, but this time he paused. There wasn't really any good place to put Clown here, which either left walking him all the way back over to the chests, or...
Well, if Clown wanted this to be a game, then Branzy would play by his own rules, even if it got him killed. Though, maybe death wasn't on the table for now, considering this time Clown did carefully wrap his arms around Branzy's neck. It was probably what gave Branzy the confidence to decide to keep hold of him rather than set him down again.
Carefully, Branzy kicked the lever on the ground to activate the machine, noticing the way Clown jumped slightly at the sound of the redstone starting up, something he only noticed because he could feel it. He walked them both over to the section he had been working on, and watched the lights of the roulette wheel circle round and round. He didn't pay much attention to the man in his arms, instead focused on making sure everything looked right with the redstone.
Somehow, he felt like his current situation should feel weirder than it did. Something about holding Clown like this was... actually almost nice. And definitely nerve wracking, but that was to be expected when Clown was involved.
"I think it's basically finished," he said, a grin forming on his lips as pride and excitement built up in his chest. God, he's been working on this thing for so long, he was so glad to be nearly done with it. "Think all we gotta do now is fully test it and we'll be all set."
Clown hummed, warmth spiking through Branzy's chest at how it felt. He turned his head back down to Clown as the assassin responded. "It looks great, Branzy. Why don't we go test it right now?"
Branzy studied the man still very much in his arms. Something about this felt less like a request to put Clown down and more like a request to carry him all the way to the control room for the roulette wheel. It was a bit of a walk, including going up a flight of stairs, but wasn't anything Branzy couldn't handle. In fact, something about this felt like a test, and Branzy fully intended on passing it.
When Clown's hands around his collar tightened slightly, Branzy couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, something stupidly fond swelling in his chest. "Yeah, sure, let's go test it."
Clown giggled as Branzy started his way to the control room, and Branzy found himself with a smile on his face before he could even think to get rid of it. He got the feeling that him carrying Clown around would become a new regular thing of theirs, and he found himself quite content with that.