Chapter Text
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
“He hit me first! I swear, Nico. You told me not to hit first so I didn’t.”
It is too fucking early for this shit.
Nicholas puts Ezra on speaker to let him rant while he rummages through his closet. His laundry is actually done for once, but all of his hoodies have gone missing over the last few months so he resorts to an old crewneck with a big hole in the armpit.
Ezra goes on and on about the early morning fight he got dragged into with some of the older boys, nearly in tears as he tries to defend his actions. Nicholas listens and offers reassurance while he gets Lady's breakfast ready and sits on the kitchen floor to give her some company while she eats.
“Miss Melanie’s gonna be so mad at me!” Ezra cries. “She told me yesterday how good I was doing. I haven’t gotten into a fight since before Halloween, remember?”
“I remember,” Nicholas agrees, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He knows Ezra has nothing to feel bad for, but he's the kind of kid who will carry around the guilt regardless. “It’s not your fault, Squirt. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“I shouldn’t have hit him back.”
Nicholas really does feel bad, because it was him that taught Ezra how to stand up for himself and his sister in the first place. He's not a fighter by nature, but he's smaller and easy to pick on, so fights came his way no matter what. It’s better that he defends himself in Nicholas’ opinion, but a fight is a fight.
“You shouldn’t have, but you can’t change that now. It was self-defense either way, and there’s no way around that.”
“He was picking on Ellie,” Ezra says weakly. “And she’s so little! I don’t get why they go after her.”
Nicholas sighs deeply, “I’m really not the one to ask. They used to do the same thing to Livio because he was smaller than the rest of us. It’s a power trip, I guess. Making the little kids scared of them makes them feel big and strong.”
“They’re big and stupid.”
“You’re not wrong.”
“Can you come talk to Miss Melanie? You’ve gotta tell her that it’s not my fault, or she’s gonna take their side!”
“I don’t think she will,” Nicholas counters. She knows how the older kids get better than anyone else, and he’s never known her to be unfair. “But I’ll be on my way in a few.”
“Thanks, Nico.”
“Don't worry about it." Nicholas groans as he drags himself to his feet and into his boots. "Go wash all the cuts on your knuckles before Miss Melanie sees you all gross."
“Fine," he groans.
“Ellie isn’t hurt, is she?”
“Her knees are all scraped up ‘cause he pushed her down on the concrete.”
Nicholas grits his teeth and digs his nails into his palms, trying not to let anger get the best of him. It's out of his control. His ‘big brother’ approach can only do so much, and he can’t protect the kids from each other anymore.
“Disinfect those too,” he sighs, rubbing his tired eyes. “And use the big bandaids.”
“I will.”
Nicholas guides Lady into her cat tree with a treat and slips out the door unscathed. She’s been a lot more calm with Ari around to tire her out.
“I’ll see you soon,” Nicholas assures. “Love you, Squirt.”
“Love you too.”
The line goes dead and Nicholas frowns as he heads downstairs.
It’s always something with these kids.
Miss Melanie’s in the middle of scolding the older boys when Nicholas gets there.
"You heard already?" she sighs, giving him a hug and a pat on the cheek before sending him off to check on Ezra and Ellie. "They're out by the courtyard."
Nicholas has to fight to get to the courtyard, stopping at every turn to say hi to whoever sees him.
“Nico’s here!” Ellie cheers when he finally makes it outside. She runs at him at full speed and crashes into his legs, looking up at him with big dark eyes. Nicholas lifts her up and onto his hip and gives her a hug.
"Hey, El." He ruffles the mess of perfectly coiled curls on her head and they flop into her eyes.
"Hi!" she giggles, pushing them back into place.
"Are you okay?"
"Yup!" Nicholas sets her down and she goes back to jumping around with all her vibrant five-year-old energy that’s somehow remained untainted by the morning’s event. "Ezie punched the big one in the nose!"
"Yeah, I heard about that."
"He deserved it," Ezra grumbles, sitting with his back to Nicholas while he pushes some dirt around with a stick. Nicholas sits down next to him and pulls Ezra into his side.
“I’m proud of you for sticking up for Ellie.”
Ezra looks at him suspiciously, but Nicholas can see the little glint of hope in his eyes. All he wants is for Nicholas to be on his side.
“You mean that?”
“‘Course I do. You did exactly what I’d have done.”
Ezra rolls his eyes. “Nuh-uh.”
Nicholas raises a brow at him. “What do you mean ‘nuh-uh’? You think I wouldn’t have fought him or what?”
“You woulda thrown the first punch!”
Nicholas snorts, but he can't deny that. “You’re a better man than me, Ez.”
“You excited to be back in school?”
Ezra gives him an unamused look and kicks a soccer ball at Nicholas’ head. “What do you think?”
Nicholas jumps to catch the ball and nearly faceplants into the dirt. “I thought you liked your teachers this year.”
“Yeah, most of them, but my math teacher’s a bitch.”
“Strouder?”
“Yeah,” Ezra groans and dribbles the ball before kicking it hard and nailing Nicholas right in the shins. “You can’t be a shitty teacher if you’re gonna be a bitch too.”
"She was the same way when I was there."
"Yeah, I know. She brings you and Liv up all the time."
"Really?" Nicholas scoffs. "Why?"
"Anytime I'm not listening or talking in class she says she knows where I get it from."
"We were not that bad! Livio never even talked in her class because he was scared of her."
"So it was just you?"
Nicholas shrugs and kicks the ball into the air, watching Ezra chase under it to kick it back up. "I think most of the fights I got in were in her class. There was a kid in there who was always picking on Livio so I'd chuck pencils and spit at him."
"There's still a sticky hand stuck to the ceiling from you. She said it's melted on forever, and even the janitors can't get it off."
Nicholas grins, feeling a twinge of victory. "I only did that because she told me not to get it stuck to the ceiling or she'd have me sent home for the day."
Ezra gets this excited look that Nicholas knows that’s bad news. "Does that mean if I bring a sticky hand to school and get it stuck to her ceiling, she'll send me home?"
"It means if you bring a sticky hand to school, Strouder will call Miss Melanie, and Miss Melanie will forward the call to me, and then I'll have to deal with it — so don't you fucking dare."
Ezra's brows crease sadly while he thinks. "Can you tell Miss Melanie I’m super sick so I don’t have to go back tomorrow?"
“Do you know how to fake a fever?”
“No?”
“Then I can't do nothing for you, kid.”
“That's stupid,” he pouts. "I really don't wanna go anymore, Nico."
Nicholas frowns at the little sad look on his face. "This isn't just because of Strouder, is it?"
He kicks the ball around weakly, refusing to look Nicholas in the face. “Not really.”
“Is something else going on?”
Ezra hesitates heavily, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He’s a hard kid to crack when things aren’t going his way. Nicholas is probably partially to blame for that. He’s the one who led an example of shoving things so far down he'd choke on them.
He’s trying not to be as bad of an influence anymore.
“Talk to me, Squirt.”
“I will if you promise you won’t be weird about it because it's not that big of a deal.”
Nicholas braces for the worst because the last time Ezra said that, he’d broken his nose in a fistfight with some of the high school boys. "Hit me with it.”
"The school sent me home with some new clothes before Christmas break, which is nice and all, but now there’s this kid in my English class who’s been telling everyone they gave me clothes because I live on the streets. He says that's why I'm so gross all the time."
Pins and needles spread over Nicholas' entire body. His anger rumbles into a desperate need for nicotine.
“What's his name?”
“Why?”
"Because I'm gonna beat the shit out of him."
So much for being a good influence.
Ezra smiles a little, but the sad look in his eyes doesn't fade. “Do you think I’m dirty all the time?"
"No, you are not dirty. You're not gross. You're just as clean as the rest of the leeches in your classes."
"You think?"
"I know it for a fact. Miss Melanie has never let any of you leave this place not looking put-together. You're a good looking kid. All of you are."
"Not the high school boys," Ezra disagrees, glancing over to where the older boys are wrestling in the dirt. "They look like rats."
“You can't say things like that about people, Ez.” Nicholas doesn't try to hide his amused smile as he lights up a cigarette. “Even if it's true."
"But they call me Bug Boy!"
"At least you’re not the original Bug Boy," Nicholas ruffles his hair. "And you'll never be as big of a Bug Boy as me."
"Yeah-huh!" he argues. “Miss Melanie's letting me raise monarchs this spring!”
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah! Just cause you're gonna take classes about bugs this year doesn't make you cooler than me!”
"I'm not studying bugs this year,” Nicholas corrects, blowing smoke away from Ezra. “I'm taking the last of my teaching classes and a chemistry course."
“Sounds way more boring.” Ezra scrunches up his nose. "You still can't drop out this time. Even if it is super boring."
"It’s not boring! And I'm not gonna drop out again!" He flicks Ezra in the ear. "Stop saying shit like that."
"If you do, Silas is gonna kick your ass."
"Why am I doing that?" Nicholas chokes on smoke as Silas slings an arm around his shoulders and lurches him forward. Silas being seven years younger and six inches taller is no fucking fair. “I’ll do it either way, but I’d like to know the reason.”
"If Nico drops out again."
"I'm not dropping out again!"
"Mhm," Silas hums sassily.
"Hey!" Nicholas squirms out of his grasp. "Stop dogging on me. I've got it in the bag!"
Silas crosses lanky arms across his chest. "You think so?"
"I know so."
"I don't believe you," Ezra says, squinting at him.
Nicholas shoves him away with a palm to his forehead. “And why’s that?”
"Because something's weird with you.”
“The hell does that mean?”
“That's what we're trying to figure out!" Ezra huffs and crosses his arms just like Silas. "Are you doing drugs?"
"No!”
"I don't think that's what it is," Silas snorts.
"Thank you!"
"But he's really not wrong, Nico. You've definitely been acting weird." Nicholas’ stomach twists uncomfortably. “You haven’t had as big of a stick up your ass recently.”
Nicholas stomps out his half-smoked cigarette because he can't focus on smoking with them pushing all of his buttons. “Am I not allowed to be happy, or what?”
“Are you sure you're not doing drugs?” Ezra asks again, dodging when Nicholas goes to smack him over the back of the head.
“I’m not doing shit!”
“So you’re drinking again?”
“No!”
"You sure? You can tell us, Nico," Silas says in his best mockery of Nicholas' infamous youth pastor voice.
“There’s nothing to tell.” He does his best to keep his cool, but the way Silas looks at him like he can see through into his brain isn’t reassuring.
“That’s not what Livio told me,” Ezra chirps, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
Nicholas’ heart drops.
No way Livio has figured them out already.
Silas tilts his head like a curious dog. “What’d he say?”
“He said Nico’s got his eyes on someone,” Ezra sing-songs, rocking up onto the balls of his feet. “For real this time."
“No shit?” Silas’ eyes widen in surprise. “Who is it?”
"None of your damn business," Nicholas grumbles, clicking his lighter open and shut in his pocket. “Aren’t you guys cold? We should head inside-”
"Oh, so there is someone!" Silas claps his hands together in delight and Nicholas grimaces.
"There isn’t a someone," he lies. "Livio's talking out his ass."
"So it's serious then?"
"Can't be serious if there isn't anyone."
Ezra groans and pouts like Nicholas taught him to do. "So you're not gonna tell us?"
"Tell you what, Squirt?” Nicholas pats the unruly curls on the top of his head. “I'm not bringing you home a step-uncle anytime soon."
"So it's a dude?" Silas pokes him in the side. “Tell us about him!”
"You know I'm not into chicks."
“Except for Milly,” Ezra adds.
“Milly doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ve never been into Milly.”
“Right,” Silas snorts. “You’ve just been inside of Milly.”
Nicholas shoves his shoulder hard. “Milly’s gay too.”
“Then why’d you fuck her?”
Ezra wrinkles his nose in disgust. “I don’t wanna hear about that!”
Nicholas points a fresh cigarette at Silas. “Being closeted in the church makes you do weird things.”
“Noted.”
Nicholas rolls his eyes. "Any more questions?"
"When are you gonna let us meet him?" Ezra asks hopefully.
"If there's ever someone to meet, I'll make sure you two are first in line."
"Sure, Nico.”
"I'll believe it when I see it.”
"Ay! Have some faith, will ya?"
Nicholas pulls into the parking lot with freezing fingers and a big soccer ball-shaped bruise on his shins.
The only thing he thought about on the ride back was how badly he wanted to be in the warmth of his apartment, but the skateboard wheels clunking against the seams of the sidewalk stop him from even trying to get inside.
"Nick!" Ari cheers, crashing right into him when Nicholas steps up onto the sidewalk.
"Watch it!" he snaps, grabbing Ari by the shoulders to keep him from tumbling over. "You got a death wish or what?"
Ari kicks his board up and grins at him. "I knew you'd catch me!"
"All fun and games until you both bust your heads open on concrete," Vash warns, putting Ari in a headlock.
“Let me go, old man!” Ari squirms around, beating against Vash’s arm. "Nick's got a hard head, he'll be fine."
"Nicholas isn't whose head I was worried about."
"What the hell!" Nicholas pouts at him. "Are you calling me hard-headed, Blondie?"
Vash raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him. His cheeks are all rosy from the cold and his lips are chapped again. He keeps forgetting to bring his chapstick with him. "You've yet to do anything to prove otherwise."
"That's cold, man,” Nicholas grumbles.
“Free me!” Ari yells, wriggling around and giggling when Vash tickles his side. “Noo!”
“You can be free as long as you don't run into any more pedestrians!” Vash warns as he lets Ari go.
“But Nick's not a pedestrian!”
“Yes, he-”
Ari jumps onto his board and launches himself in the other direction before Vash can grab him again. "Bye, losers!"
Vash shakes his head and turns his attention to Nicholas, giving him a sweet smile that tugs at his crow’s feet. For as happy as he looks, the bags under his eyes make him look three times as tired. "Hi there."
"Hey, Angel,” Nicholas hums, resisting the urge to kiss him stupid. With Vash being so busy at work and Nicholas starting his classes, it’s been a few days since they’ve seen each other. “How was your meeting?"
"Oh, you know," Vash sighs, blinking his heavy eyes and shoving his flesh hand into his pocket. "Stupid corporate nonsense. They were arguing about nitty-gritty parts of the software I made, so I got bored and programmed a backdoor for it. But then I almost locked myself out of it because I turned it into a game that I forgot the rules to."
Nicholas smiles while Vash talks. He's slowly learning some of the programming jargon Vash rambles about, but he still doesn't really get it. "Sounds like a fun afternoon."
Vash shrugs and nods towards Ari, rolling back towards them. "This is my fun afternoon."
"Nick, you gotta see my new trick!"
"Is it lame?"
Ari scowls at him. "No! It's a cool one!"
“What’s your trick?”
“The casper tre flip!”
Nicholas' brows shoot up in surprise. “Can you even do a casper half?”
“Yeah! Look.” Ari flips the board over, and to Nicholas’ surprise, lands the trick without even a wobble. “I taught myself that one over a year ago when we were still living back home.”
“Okay then.” Nicholas takes an anxious step closer. “Let’s see the full.”
Ari flips the board back over and hesitates for a second, preparing himself. Nicholas knows from the second Ari's feet leave the ground that he isn’t going to land it and grabs him around the middle before he can break an ankle.
“Jesus, Spikey,” he huffs, gasping for the air Ari knocked out of him.
Ari laughs nervously when Nicholas sets him back on the ground. “Sorry.”
“You gotta bend your knees way more. And put your back foot further out. Your board isn’t catching air any better than you are.”
Ari tries it two more times and Nicholas almost gets an elbow to the nose when the board nails Ari in the shins and nearly knocks him over.
“This sucks!” he complains. “I swear I did it at the park yesterday!”
“I’m telling you, your back foot isn’t as far back as it needs to be.”
“You do it then!”
“Ari, be nice,” Vash scolds.
Nicholas flips the board and settles his feet in the right spots. It’s weird how natural it still feels even though he hasn’t touched a board in years.
“See you gotta put your back foot around here,” Nicholas explains, wiggling his toes to shake the board. “You’re way too far forward.”
“I wasn’t that far off.”
“Yeah, but a little goes a long way.”
“Let's see it then,” Ari urges impatiently, crossing his arms.
Vash shakes his head, chewing his lip nervously. “Nicholas, please don’t. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“I’m not gonna hurt myself!”
“Why do you only care if he hurts himself?” Ari asks bitterly, but the little grin he gets when Vash looks at him like he's crazy is proof enough that it was just for a reaction.
“As if I didn’t just tell you-”
“Ay!” Nicholas calls, pulling both of their attention back onto him. He shifts the board a bit and then kicks it up, shocking himself with how well he lands the trick. It’s not easy by any means, and definitely not the cleanest version he’s ever done, but for it being his first time on a board in years, it isn’t too shabby.
Even Ari looks impressed.
“I thought you were lying about being able to skate,” he admits, truly shocked.
Nicholas kicks the board up and hands it to him. “What would I have gained from lying about that?”
“Well, I guess nothing, but-” Ari looks him over. “I just thought for sure your knees would cave in or something. Because you’re all old now.”
Vash’s jaw drops. “What am I then?”
“Extra old.”
Nicholas snorts and Vash glares at him. “Sorry. It’s not funny.”
“That's what I thought,” Vash huffs, and Nicholas has to fight to keep himself from kissing Vash all over again.
"How'd you learn to do that?" Ari asks Nicholas.
"Taught myself when I was younger than you," Nicholas explains. "I was pretty damn good too. That's why I was on the skateboarding team in high school. I even went to the area championships a few times."
"No way!" Ari scoffs and drops his board to set up again. "You're so full of it."
"Put your damn foot back," Nicholas scolds, kneeling down and forcing Ari's foot back to the right spot. “If you're not gonna learn to do it right, then you shouldn’t be doing the trick at all.”
"That feels weird!" he whines.
"So do the big-ass bruises all over your shins.” Nicholas jabs his thumb against Ari’s leg and he yelps in pain. “Wrap it up, will you? I'm freezing my balls off."
Ari grumbles something hateful under his breath and Nicholas flicks his ear before stepping back to watch him. He hesitates but does the trick just like Nicholas did, landing it perfectly to all of their surprise.
“Woah!” Ari throws his hands up in the air in excitement. "Did you see that? That was cool as shit!"
"Language!" Vash scolds, but he smiles as he kisses Ari's temple. "That was pretty cool."
Ari absolutely beams at his dad's praise.
"I told you you needed to put your foot back."
"Yeah, yeah." Ari pushes off and skates away from them.
“Goddamn,” Nicholas groans when Ari is too far away to hear. He hunches over and rubs his sore knees. “Fuck, man.”
Vash laughs and pats his back. "Old age getting to you or what?"
Nicholas glares at him. "Says you! Years of that shit fucked up my knees."
"At least you looked kinda cool."
"Please," Nicholas scoffs. "I know that got you hard."
Vash elbows him hard in the side as Ari comes back up the sidewalk. "Come on, bub!" Vash calls. "Let's head in."
"I don't wanna!" Ari groans, jumping off the curb on his board and rounding a few cars before coming back up. "I want Nick to teach me more tricks."
"I don't have any tricks up my sleeve tonight."
"Please!" he begs. "One more!"
“I'll think of something for next time.”
“But- Ah!”
"Come on!" Vash grabs Ari off his board while he's in motion and hauls him over his good shoulder fireman style.
"No! Let me down!" Ari yelps and beats against Vash's back. “I’m being kidnapped!”
“Knock it off!” Vash laughs. “Someone’s gonna call the cops.”
“Nick, help me!”
Nicholas grabs Ari’s skateboard and follows them. It's impressive how easily Vash carries Ari all the way to the building despite how much he squirms around. It’s like carrying a third of his own body weight is absolutely nothing.
Once they reach the stairs, Vash reluctantly sets Ari down with a sad little pout.
"I miss being able to carry you around everywhere," he whines, squishing Ari's cheeks. "I wish you were little again."
"Stop! You're so cringy," Ari grumbles, shoving Vash’s face away and racing up the stairs to get away from his theatrics.
Nicholas rubs Vash's back and kisses his temple when he hears Ari's booming footsteps reach the top platform. "That was pretty hot."
"What was?"
Nicholas squeezes Vash's bicep. "You think I don't like seeing you put those rock climber’s muscles to work?"
Vash shakes his head, a flush climbing up to his ears. "You're ridiculous."
"It's your own fault for looking like that,” Nicholas says, smacking Vash's ass.
“Oh!” Vash squeaks, guarding his ass as he starts up the stairs slowly. Nicholas matches his pace, keeping an eye on Vash while he yawns and rubs his eyes.
"Is Nick staying for dinner?" Ari yells before they even make it to the top flight.
"I have work in a few hours,” Nicholas say, but he catches the sad look on Vash's face and adds, “But if we make something easy, then I can stay."
"Dad wants pancakes tonight so we can do that,” Ari says, shoving the apartment door open for all of them to pile inside.
“Have you ever made cinnamon roll pancakes?”
Ari rolls his eyes and kicks his shoes off in the entryway. “That’s not a thing.”
“Yes, it is,” Nicholas snorts, following him into the kitchen. “They’re easy, I’ll teach you.”
Nicholas knows the Saverem kitchen like the back of his hand by now. With how often Ari's dragging him into ambitious cooking experiments, he spends more time in their kitchen than in his own.
He digs around their spice cabinet while Ari pulls out a skillet and some measuring cups. They work around each other easily, and Vash stands out the way, watching them fondly.
"Can I help?" he asks hopefully as if the answer has ever been anything but no.
"You can stir the batter," Ari offers.
"You can't drop the bowl though," Nicholas adds, and Vash scowls at him.
"I'm not that bad!"
"You think so?" Ari asks accusingly. "Nick wasn't here when you-"
Vash shakes his head and talks over him. "He doesn't need to know about that!"
"I do too!" Nicholas argues, leaning over to let Ari whisper into his ear.
"He spilled bacon grease all over the counter yesterday."
"Hey!" Vash pouts, crossing his arms. "It was an accident."
“Oh, I’m sure it was, Blondie.”
Nicholas lifts Vash up to set him on the counter, but Vash keeps his attitude — refusing to uncross his arms or stop his pouting. It takes all the willpower in Nicholas’ body to keep from kissing that look right off Vash’s face.
"You've had a long day anyway," he says softly, pushing Vash's glasses into his hair. "Relax for a minute, Blondie."
"Yeah," Ari agrees, filling the measuring cup with water. "We'll cook something real good."
Vash gives Ari a soft look and leans back, crossing long legs in front of him. "I guess that's alright. Cook fast though, I'm hungry."
"Nick's the one that's gotta teach me how to do it, but he's too busy staring at you!"
Nicholas bops Ari on the head with a rubber spatula and starts to make the cinnamon sugar. "Zip it, Spikey."
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"Don't tell me what to do," Nicholas mocks in a high, broken voice. He dumps a bit of cinnamon into Ari's batter.
"Be nice, boys," Vash chastises, leaning his head back against the cabinet and closing his eyes.
He barely makes it twenty minutes before Nicholas is gently shaking him awake and lugging him to the dinner table. "You better go to bed the second I leave," he grumbles. "You're exhausted, Blondie."
"I'm alright!" he argues like he always does. He rubs his tired eyes and slots his glasses back on, looking at the fancy pancakes and eggs laid out on the table. "This looks good!"
"Cinnamon roll pancakes are super easy," Ari says, serving Vash two pancakes and shoving a fork into his hands. "And if you're still hungry, I can make more."
"I don't even know if I can get through all this!"
Vash picks at his food, but not in the way he does when he's pretending to like something. He's just so tired, and Nicholas hates it.
As a senior programmer, he's spent the last few years at the forefront of development for the biggest project in his company's history. When they announced that the project would be launching to the public in just a few months, Vash's workload tripled in a week's time.
He started working longer hours from home and driving an hour away to headquarters for in-person meetings a few times a week. Even on his free days, Vash insists on being at the plant with Brad while they fight to get a portion of the town's power restored before summer.
Nicholas frowns at him and locks their ankles under the table. "Do I need to staple you to your bed for a couple days?"
Vash laughs weakly and takes a big bite to keep from saying anything. He just shrugs and drags his socked toe up and down Nicholas' ankle.
"Oh!” Ari gasps, nearly knocking over the syrup in his excitement. It’s not the first time he’s reminded Nicholas of a hyperactive dog. “Nick, I forgot to tell you!"
"What's that, Spikey?"
"Remember when I first started going to the skatepark and I met my friend's cousin who builds boards in his garage?"
Nicholas nods, as if Ari hasn't been bringing him up nonstop to fantasize about how cool it'd be to have a board built just for him. "Yeah, I think I remember."
"Dad's giving me some new chores so that by summer I'll have enough allowance saved up to get a board made just for me!"
Ari's practically vibrating with excitement, and Nicholas smiles. "Oh yeah? That's pretty cool.”
As expected, Ari goes on a tangent about all the ideas he has for what he wants painted on it. "I definitely want red- well, maybe blue, but probably red! And he said he can put this video game character I like on the back of it. Here-"
Ari pulls out his phone, and Vash doesn't scold him for having his phone out at the dinner table like normal. Ari shows Nicholas no less than fourteen pictures of the character before Vash reminds him he's gotta eat before Nicholas has to leave for work.
"That'll be really cool," Nicholas agrees. "I'm excited to see what he comes up with."
"Did you ever have a custom board?"
Nicholas snorts, "I found my board at a pawn shop. It wasn't even for sale. The kid who had it first got fired and he left it there, so the owner of the shop gave it to me for free when I asked if I could buy it."
"That's a lame story," Ari complains around a mouthful of pancakes.
"Would you rather have me say I stole it?"
"I woulda thought you got it on your EpiPenage missions with your parents."
Nicholas pauses, trying to decipher his words. "Do you mean... espionage?"
Ari shrugs. "You knew what I meant."
"Bub, you have an EpiPen," Vash says desperately. "I know you know what that word means."
Nicholas shakes his head. "You're a fucking mess, kid."
Ari grins. "Thanks."
"Not a compliment," Nicholas finishes off his pancakes. "What are you allergic to anyway?"
"Lots of stuff. Can't have shrimp or lobster."
"He's got a severe shellfish allergy and he's allergic to a lot of medications," Vash explains. "And I have a bee allergy, so he probably has one too, but he's somehow managed to never get stung."
"It's 'cause I'm too cool for bees."
Nicholas nods. "Checks out."
"But just in case," Vash says, smoothing down the battered spikes on top of Ari's head. "There's an EpiPen in his backpack and another in the medicine cabinet if he ever goes into anaphylaxis."
Nicholas nods and adds that to his mental list of all of Vash and Ari's little quirks that he needs to keep track of. It goes right next to the brand of hypoallergenic sunscreen Vash uses for his too-fair skin and the fact that Ari cannot stand the smell of cabbage without getting physically sick.
“You should tell Nick about the time my throat swelled up when I stole some sushi off your plate when I was little.”
Vash groans and shakes his head. “Oh, you mean that memory I suppressed because I thought you were going to die? Yeah, let’s dive into that one.”
Nicholas props up his chin on his palm while Vash and Ari launch into this story, going in circles around the foggier details.
“But that’s why he’s never allowed into a sushi restaurant again.”
Ari grins. “I can make my own sushi anyway. I just can’t put the fun stuff in it.”
Nicholas snorts and starts to stack up all their dishes. “Or you can have cinnamon roll pancakes and avoid the potential contaminants altogether.”
“That’s no fun!” Ari complains. “But you should write down the recipe for me sometime.”
Nicholas brings all their plates into the kitchen. “Sure. I’ll write down a bunch so you can learn some new stuff too.”
“Sick!”
Vash puts a hand on Ari’s head. “Go shower and we’ll watch our show before you go to bed, okay?”
“‘Kay!” Ari gives Nicholas a fist bump before retreating down the hallway. “Have fun at work, Nick!”
“See you, Spikey.”
Nicholas plugs up the sink and Vash takes the spot next to him, standing hip to hip while they do the dishes. They work in comfortable silence until Nicholas catches Vash staring at him for the third time.
“Something you wanna say, Blondie?” he asks, grinning when Vash seems surprised that Nicholas noticed him looking.
“No!”
He waves Nicholas off, but not a minute goes by before he’s got his eyes on Nicholas again. He turns his full body towards Vash and raises a brow, giving him the time to decide if he wants to fess up this time or not.
“Your hair’s getting long,” Vash says finally.
Nicholas snorts and goes back to scrubbing down the last of the dishes. “Is it?”
Vash unplugs the sink and dries off his hands, working thoroughly to get any stray water droplets out from the joins of his prosthetic.
“I think it’s cute.”
Nicholas grimaces. “It’s turning into a rat’s nest. I need to go have Buzz clean it up.”
“I don’t want you to cut it off!” Vash whines.
“Now, is that what I just said?” Nicholas asks, amused by Vash’s crestfallen expression. “I just need a trim, Blondie. No big deal, I promise.”
It’s been a long time since he’s gotten his hair cut. He wasn’t really intentionally growing it out, but Nicholas lost the motivation to keep up with it a while ago. Vash has never seemed to mind, and Nicholas likes the feelings of his fingers in his hair a little too much to be all that bothered by the way it’s in his eyes all the time.
“Good. It’s so pretty long,” Vash hums happily, tucking a strand behind Nicholas’ ear. Nicholas catches his hand and kisses his palm, and Vash’s cheeks burn red from that alone. “I missed you today.”
“Yeah?” Nicholas’ heart tightens up in his chest. “I missed you too, Angel.”
Vash gives him a soft smile — the one he always gets when Nicholas is any kind of vulnerable about his emotions. Crow’s feet tug at his tired eyes and Nicholas doesn’t stop himself from running his thumbs over them.
Vash sighs happily and leans his cheeks into one of Nicholas’ palms. “You gotta go soon?”
Nicholas hates the sad little tilt in his brows, but he nods. “You’ve got me all to yourself on Tuesday, though.”
“Do you still wanna say in?” Vash asks, perking up a little.
“If that’s not too boring?”
Vash shakes his head and wraps his arms around Nicholas’ waist. “Not boring at all. I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“Good.” Nicholas leans his palms against the lip of the counter, effectively pinning Vash between himself and the sink. “I’ll cook us something nice too. Whatever you want.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Vash spreads his hands up Nicholas’ back. “But if you do, can we have baked potatoes?”
“Sure,” Nicholas snorts. “I like cooking for you, Angel.”
“I know you do,” Vash agrees, glancing down at his lips and then smiling nervously when he catches himself.
“What’re you looking at?” Nicholas asks, grinning as he closes the distance between them just enough for him to feel Vash’s breath against his face. “You wanna kiss me, or what?”
Vash touches Nicholas’ face with the cool plastic of his prosthetic and then taps his lips. “Yes. Always.”
Nicholas nips at the plastic finger. “Always?”
Vash nods. “I always wanna kiss you, sweetheart.”
“We’re even then,” Nicholas murmurs, tipping his head back to close the distance between their lips.
Vash inhales sharply and lets it out in a slow, happy hum. He cards his prosthetic fingers through the hair at the nape of Nicholas’ neck while his flesh hand traces up every bump of his spine.
Nicholas keeps a hand at the small of his back, tracing his thumb in small circles while Vash guides him in a slow, needy kind of kiss.
He’s had four months to learn all that he can — how Vash likes to be kissed and touched, and the praise he likes whispered into his ear. He likes when Nicholas takes his time with him, shows appreciation for every part of his body he can reach, and reminds him how much he loves Vash’s body at every opportunity.
He’s really never that hard to please. His standards were low from the get-go, but there’s still a certain level of validation Nicholas gets just from how much Vash wants to be touched by him. Vash craves Nicholas’ touch like Nicholas craves nicotine.
Nicholas only pulls away when he has to, and the sad tilt in Vash’s brows is like a punch to the gut. “I’m sorry, Angel.”
"You can come back after work," Vash urges, and not for the first time. He squeezes Nicholas' hands, giving him an all too hopeful look that makes it incredibly hard to say no. "I can leave the front door unlocked."
"I'm not gonna be home until 3 A.M.," Nicholas reminds, but Vash's hopeful expression doesn't drop.
"That's okay! I can take a power nap before you're off."
"Not tonight," Nicholas says gently, kissing Vash's forehead. "Maybe another night when I know you don't have a kid to send off to school at the asscrack of dawn and a bunch of work to do before lunchtime."
Vash pouts at him. "I need to stop telling you what I'm doing at work."
"I love hearing about what you're doing at work."
Vash wraps his arms around Nicholas' waist and hugs him tight. "I'm not gonna see you until Tuesday, am I?"
"I've got a lot of home due on Tuesday that I've gotta finish in the next few days so I won't have to rush to get it done before you come over."
"Maybe sometime I can set you up a space at my desk and we can work at the same time!" Vash offers.
"How much work do you think we'd actually get done?" Nicholas teases, and Vash frowns.
Vash has come over to 'sit quietly' and 'not make himself known' a few times while Nicholas does homework. Unsurprisingly, homework never gets done. They end up either wrapped around each other in bed or cuddling on the couch talking until well past midnight.
It’s not like either of them can really help it.
"I'll see you Tuesday," Nicholas promises, squeezing Vash's cheeks between his hands and kissing his puckered lips. "Text me what else you want for dinner and I'll pick it up from the store."
"Okay," Vash whines, kissing him back. "Text me, okay? All you want."
"And you can feel free to respond if you have anything to add to the conversation," Nicholas teases. "Because that's how conversations work over text. If you've forgotten."
"I'm doing better!"
"Yeah, you’ve really been spoiling me by not leaving me on read for more than a day.”
Vash smiles proudly. "I'll answer, I promise. I'll text you during my meetings tomorrow."
"I'll text you when I'm shitting my brains out after work tonight."
Vash scrunches up his nose in disgust. "Ew, Nicholas."
Nicholas grins and gropes Vash's ass when he pulls away from him. "That's just the truth, baby."
Vash tries to keep up the act of disgust but his cheeks betray them, lighting up pink just from being called baby. Nicholas saves it special for moments like this.
They kiss again three more times before Nicholas is allowed to actually leave and get ready for work. But even then, Vash stands in his doorway, frowning as Nicholas heads back into his own apartment.
"I'll see you Tuesday," Vash says sadly.
Nicholas groans because Vash knows exactly what that voice does to him.
He turns back around and grabs Vash by the cheeks to smash their lips together. Vash gasps in surprise and stumbles into him, clinging onto Nicholas and kissing him back hard.
Nicholas gives him a little more than thirty seconds of sloppy kissing before he pulls back, winks, and retreats back to his apartment.
That should be enough to keep Vash's mind busy for a while.
"The Cuttlefish heads to the nearby reef. Here, this master of disguise can hide from its predators.”
"D'ya know that they have three hearts?" Nicholas asks into Vash's hair.
Vash tips his head up from where he's cuddled against Nicholas' side and looks at him with bleary blue eyes. Nicholas isn't sure when he last saw Vash's glasses.
Maybe when Vash was riding his face?
"Didn't know that," Vash murmurs.
He's worn out, and Nicholas finds him incredibly endearing like this. His hair's tousled and he took his arm off a while ago — shortly after he got two of the fingers locked up from gripping the sheets too hard when Nicholas had him folded in half.
Vash shifts his weight and throws his leg over Nicholas’ waist, his flesh hand coming further up to trace shapes through Nicholas’ chest hair.
“Cuttlefish are among the most intelligent of marine animals, with an unusually large brain.”
Vash keeps staring at him, and Nicholas blindly pauses the documentary because it's hard for him to give his full attention to anything when David Attenborough is talking.
He pets over Vash's sweaty hair with one hand and smooths the other up and down his side.
There’s still nail indents in his hips.
"You feel okay?"
Vash smiles up at him, crow's feet crinkling. "I feel great."
"Yeah?" Nicholas squeezes Vash's thigh.
He presses into one of Vash's newest bite marks and Vash's face opens up as he gasps and grinds down against Nicholas' thigh. There's dried slick caked onto Vash's skin from earlier, but his cunt is still dripping.
Vash cranes his neck to meet Nicholas' lips and kisses him lazily. Nicholas gropes at Vash's ass, guiding him to keep grinding against his thigh. He moans, all high and wrecked from the last four orgasms Nicholas has wrung out of him over the course of several hours.
He’s more pliant under Nicholas’ touch now that he doesn’t have the energy to be so self-conscious.
He slips his hand between Vash's thighs, forcing them apart to get a better view. Vash is still so hard — his clit peeking out from between his folds and shining with slick.
He whines when Nicholas pinches it between his fingers and bucks up into the pressure. "Nicholas…”
Nicholas' own cock twitches.
He uses his other hand to cup the back of Vash’s head, dragging him in to kiss him harder. His lips are dry but he tastes so sweet like always.
He wraps his fingers around Vash's swollen clit to start jerking him off. Vash groans lowly, brows pinching together as he leans into the pleasure. His whole body reacts instantly, thighs clenching together and his nails digging into Nicholas’ chest.
"That feels good," Vash whimpers, fucking up into Nicholas’ fingers.
Vash looks so pretty with his back arched and his skin slicked with cum and sweat. He reaches around to finger himself and Nicholas could cum from the sight of that alone. The shlick of Nicholas stroking him and the wet sound of Vash fucking himself makes him feel out of control.
“That’s it, Angel,” Nicholas praises, kissing down Vash’s neck.
“Oh- Nicholas,” Vash moans lowly, dipping his head into Nicholas' collar and mouthing at his skin. “Mmm.”
Vash normally only bites when he cums so when his teeth find a place in Nicholas’ shoulder, he knows Vash is tipping over the edge.
"Fuck, Blondie," Nicholas rasps, leaning into the pain in his neck as much as he can. It stirs something deep in his core — pulsing and begging for attention.
He works him through it, jerking him off and kissing his neck while Vash trembles from the pleasure. It’s only when Vash begs him to stop that Nicholas lets up. He pulls his fingers out of himself and tries to reach over Nicholas for the tissues on the nightstand.
Nicholas catches his wrist and brings Vash's hand to his mouth, sucking the slick off his fingers. Vash lets out a shaky breath, watching Nicholas run his tongue between his fingers. His face, already flushed from his orgasm, goes neon in an instant.
"I like when you do that," Vash whispers hoarsely.
Nicholas kisses the tips of Vash's fingers and then his palm. “Good.”
He swallows, eyes shifting nervous like he's trying to read Nicholas’ expression without his glasses. "And I like it when you jerk me off like that."
Nicholas hums and drags his fingers up and down Vash's back. "I like when you get all hard for me."
“Yeah?”
It’s hard for Vash to ask for what he wants, and for some reason even harder for him to admit what feels good for him. It’s like he doesn’t want to inconvenience Nicholas with the little differences that come with his body.
It’s been a learning curve for both of them — Nicholas because he’s not used to caring so much about his partner’s pleasure and Vash because he’s never been given the chance to get to know his own body so intimately.
Nicholas kisses the bridge of Vash’s nose. "You're so hot, Vash."
"You’re sweet," he murmurs, closing his eyes while Nicholas brushes his lips over his ear and down his neck.
"Do you not believe me, Angel?"
Vash hesitates, tilting his head to give Nicholas more room to mouth at the column of his throat. "I- I guess I do."
Nicholas is still hard as hell, but it’d be easier to ignore if Vash wasn’t teasing him by pressing his thigh between Nicholas’ legs and thumbing over his nipples. He grinds against Vash’s thigh, forcing him to feel exactly what he does to Nicholas.
Vash makes a low, needy noise that raises the hairs on Nicholas’ arms. He grinds against him again and reaches between them to stroke Nicholas’ leaking cock.
“Fuck,” Nicholas breathes, dragging his teeth across Vash’s skin and sucking on his collarbone.
With a firm hand to his chest, Vash pushes Nicholas to lie flat on his back. He crawls on top of him haphazardly, fumbling a bit between the shaky legs and only having one arm to balance himself.
Nicholas’ breath catches in his throat when Vash settles with their cocks pressed firmly against each other.
Vash looks huge when he’s above Nicholas like this. His shoulders are so broad and the thick muscles in his arm flex when he puts his hand right at the center of Nicholas’ chest to balance himself. Even his thighs hold so much power where he’s got Nicholas pinned between them, starting to grind their cocks together.
Nicholas can’t even begin to think when he’s under Vash. It’s like his brain gives up all control and all he can do is watch Vash. And God, Nicholas loves watching Vash. There’s something so euphoric about seeing him so turned on and still so wet. It means that Nicholas is doing a good job. That he’s making Vash feel really good.
"Can I ride you?" Vash begs, shuddering when he puts a hand around them both to jerk them off. "Please?”
Nicholas stares up at him, surprised. "You already wanna go again?"
Vash closes his eyes like he’s trying to compose himself, but still moans softly as he works them. It’s all Nicholas can do to keep from bucking up into Vash’s hand.
"I'm sorry- I just get so worked up and-"
“Ay,” Nicholas huffs, squeezing Vash’s thigh. “I wasn’t complaining.”
“No?” Vash asks hopefully.
“Fuck no.” Nicholas grasps blindly at his nightstand until he finds a condom and rips it open with his teeth. "You just surprise me, Blondie. I've never met an old dude with a libido like yours."
“Hey!” Vash scowls at him and sits back for Nicholas to roll on the condom. "It’s the HRT. I wasn’t ever this horny before I got on it. Then I started testosterone and I never really got to act on how I felt, so-”
"So I'm getting the last ten years of pent-up testosterone-induced horniness?" Vash nods nervously, and Nicholas pats his hip to get him to sit up. Vash shivers when Nicholas guides his cockhead through his folds. “Thank God.”
“Oh,” Vash breathes, surprised by his reaction.
Nicholas grips his hip tight as Vash lines himself up and sinks not-so-carefully down on his cock. They both groan when Nicholas bottoms out and Vash uses his hand on Nicholas' chest to push himself back up.
"I'll never complain about that, Angel," Nicholas says through gritted teeth. "I just feel bad that I can't keep up. This is gonna be my last one tonight."
Vash laughs breathlessly, bouncing on Nicholas' cock like he was made for it. "You really can't keep up with the old guy?"
“I'll eat you out all night if you want. I'm just worried my dick might fall off if we fuck again- ahh..."
Vash twists his nipple and Nicholas trails off, staring up at Vash and his pretty mouth — opened wide while he moans. “Stop talking.”
Vash reaches between his legs to start rubbing his clit, but Nicholas grabs his hand and forces it back to his own chest. Vash groans in frustration and tries to fight his grip.
"Can't you cum from just my cock?"
Vash shakes his head, hazy eyes starting to drip with tears. "Can't."
"Come on, sweet thing," Nicholas urges, voice raw as he drags Vash down hard against his cock. They both cry out from the pleasure and Vash's hand balls up against his chest. "You can do it."
"Ni-Nicholas," Vash stammers out. The muscles in his stomach and thighs bunch up and shake on every upstroke. "Please. Help me."
Nicholas reaches between them and takes Vash's clit between his fingers, starting to jack him off in time with Vash's thrusts. It's a tight fit, and he struggles to keep a tight hold on him, but Vash's reaction is worth the added effort.
"Oh my-" he gasps, eyes rolling back. "I've never... haven't done both before."
"No?" Nicholas picks up his pace. "You gonna cum for me?"
Vash nods frantically. "You too."
"I'm right there, Angel. Let go."
Vash tightens up around him exponentially and tenses all over, struggling to keep riding with his thighs going rigid from pleasure. The pulsing around Nicholas’ cock is enough to send him over the edge again, and he moans Vash's name as he spills into the condom.
Vash shakes and gasps in the aftershock, slumping over against Nicholas’ chest. He stays right there, Nicholas bottomed out inside of him while he recovers. He rolls his hips and tightens around him, like he's tempting Nicholas into getting hard again just because he said he couldn't.
“S'not happening, Blondie.”
Nicholas slides out of him when he gets soft and ties off the condom while Vash clings to his front.
"That's okay,” Vash says sleepily. "I'm done now.”
Nicholas snorts and drags his nail up Vash's back, making him shiver.
“You did so good,” Vash murmurs, kissing the center of his chest. "My good boy."
Goosebumps rise over Nicholas' skin. "I'm glad you think so."
They lay around for a while, Nicholas scrolling on his phone while Vash fades in and out of sleep. It's only when their skin starts to stick together from the drying sweat that Nicholas starts to get antsy.
"Gotta shower," Nicholas says, hoisting Vash up into his arms before he can even try to pretend he's already asleep. Vash barely tries to hold on, but Nicholas manages to hobble them into the bathroom anyway.
“I lost my glasses,” Vash whines, rubbing his tired eyes when Nicholas turns the bathroom light on.
Nicholas sets him on the bathroom counter and Vash blinks up at him blearily. His cheeks are still flushed from his orgasm and his neck and chest are stained with big bitemarks and bruises.
“I know you did, Angel,” Nicholas says softly, kissing his temple. “I’ll find them in a bit.”
“M’kay.” Vash squints and blinks hard, trying and failing to focus on Nicholas’ face. “Can we stay in bed all day tomorrow? Until Ari comes home?”
Nicholas turns on the shower and meets Vash back at the counter, crowding into his space and meeting his kiss-swollen lips gently. “Whatever you wanna do.”
“I want ham.”
Nicholas snorts and Vash smiles back at him. “We gotta do the dinner dishes in the morning if you want me to cook anything else.”
Vash sighs dramatically and slumps against Nicholas’ chest. “Fine.”
“So dramatic.”
Nicholas drags Vash off the counter and into the shower.
“I’ll wash your hair too,” Vash says when Nicholas pours a pile of shampoo on top of his head. “And I’ll dry it right this time.”
Nicholas smiles as he massages the shampoo into Vash’s hair. “Yeah? You did pretty good last time. Bet you've got it all figured out now.”
For the last few weeks, Vash has taken a special interest in learning to take care of Nicholas’ curls.
He did his own research on the right products to put into it and the best way to dry it to get pretty ringlets. He takes better care of it than Nicholas has in a while, even when he dries it weird and it frizzes up.
“You should shave the sides down again.” Vash scratches at the side of his head. “The mullet look is cute on you.”
“I normally just let Buzz cut my hair however he feels like. Before the mullet he had me looking like a damn mushroom.”
Vash laughs and swaps places with Nicholas. Nicholas tips his head back under the water.
“I’ll tell him to go back to mullet if that’s what you want.” Nicholas sighs heavily when Vash starts to carefully rub the shampoo into his hair one-handed. The extra attention he pays to it is so nice. “It’s gonna be all grown out by summertime though.”
“Maybe I should start growing out my hair too,” Vash suggests, but he laughs like the idea is ridiculous.
“You should,” Nicholas agrees, much to Vash’s surprise. “You’d look hot with long hair.”
“Do you think?” Vash chuckles nervously. “I was planning on getting it cut in a couple weeks.”
“Why?” Nicholas grimaces, pushing the longer strands of hair behind Vash's ear. “It looks good.”
“I’ve just always kept it short since that first time I cut it all off.”
Nicholas rests a hand on Vash's hip when he gets that sad crease between his brows like he's thinking too much.
“Do you think it'll make you, like-” Nicholas stumbles through his words, and even though he knows Vash has explained this feeling to him, he can't put a word to it. “You won't feel like yourself anymore?”
“Dysphoric?” Vash clarifies gently, smiling just because Nicholas is trying, and Nicholas nods. “I don’t know if it would. Not at this point. I’m just more worried about how other people would see me. I don’t want to go back to getting called ma’am all the time.”
“But plenty of guys have long hair.”
“Yeah, but I still have pretty soft features. Especially when I’m out with Ari alone, I think it’s easy to make the mistake.”
“You ever thought about trying to grow out your beard again?”
Vash wrinkles up his nose. “It won’t look good.”
“You don’t know that, Blondie. If you get some good beard oil and let it grow through the awkward patchy stage, I bet you’ll look real good.”
“You think?”
“I think I just really wanna see you with a beard,” Nicholas admits, grinning. “And pretty, long hair.”
He cards his fingers through Vash’s hair, pushing it all back until he can hold it in a little ponytail at the crown of his skull. His undercut is pretty grown out already, and with the length on top, Nicholas is confident that Vash could hide the awkward length while it's all growing out.
“And then I can braid it like I always did with Livio’s when we were kids.” He parts it down the middle and pushes it around. “I'm really good at French braiding, ya know?”
Vash smiles and kisses Nicholas’ cheek. “I’ll think about it, sweetheart.”
“You ever considered how hot you’ll look with a man bun?”
Nicholas turns off the water and shakes his hair out like a dog despite Vash’s very loud complaining about it.
Vash shoves him out of the shower and they fight over who gets what towel. Nicholas gives up the softer one.
“I haven’t.”
“Well, I have.”
“I’m sure you have, honey.”
Vash grabs the spare toothbrush that somehow snuck its way into Nicholas' bathroom a few months ago while Nicholas digs around the sheets for his glasses.
They've settled into a pretty consistent bedtime routine on their date nights.
Nicholas slides into his boxers and feeds Lady while Vash walks around butt-ass naked to take his meds and rummage around Nicholas’ pantry for a little snack before bed.
“Wanna finish your documentary?” Vash asks, flopping into Nicholas’ bed and crawling under the fresh covers Nicholas just threw onto the bed.
“You don’t mind?”
“I know it helps you sleep,” Vash hums, slotting himself into the space behind Nicholas and spooning him. They lace their fingers together across Nicholas’ chest and Vash kisses the top notch of his spine. “And I like learning about your favorite fishes.”
“Fishes isn’t-”
“Shh,” Vash cuts him off. “Watch your fish.”
Nicholas makes it all of twenty minutes before the sound of David Attenborough’s voice dulls into gibberish and he starts to sink into the warmth against his back.
“G'night, Angel.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
When Nicholas wakes up, his bed is empty. Vash is gone, but his phone is still on the nightstand next to his prosthetic.
He’s not hard to find.
“Good morning,” Vash chirps when Nicholas slides his arms around his waist and under his shirt — Nicholas’ shirt. It’s not especially long on him, and definitely not long enough to hide the fact that he’s not wearing anything underneath it.
“Mornin’,” he gruffs, kissing a bruise on Vash’s neck while Vash pours himself a cup of coffee. “Have I ever told you that you look so hot in my clothes?”
Vash chuckles and pops the caps on all the orange bottles on the counter. They’ve got colorful lids that Vash made himself to make them easier to open one-handed. “I think you’ve mentioned it a few times.”
He taps out a few pills onto the counter and throws them back, chasing them with his coffee. Nicholas waits until he’s got the lids back on before grabbing Vash around the waist and picking him up. Vash squawks and giggles as Nicholas sets him on the counter and slides between his legs.
“I think you should wear my clothes more often,” he says, pressing a long kiss to Vash’s lips. “Maybe all the time?”
Vash hums happily and slides his arm around Nicholas’ shoulders, carding his fingers through his curls. Vash took his time with Nicholas’ hair routine before bed, so they're shiny and smooth and easy for Vash to push his fingers through today.
“I think the novelty would wear off after a while.”
Nicholas runs his hands up Vash’s thigh and rests them on bare hips. “Doubt it.”
Vash tugs him in for another kiss. It’s lazy and sweet, just a messy slide of lips and wandering hands. Nicholas licks into Vash’s mouth and sucks at his bottom lip, and Vash’s thighs squeeze together around his hips.
“Wait-” Vash pulls back and his glass fog up from their breathing. “I'm gonna get all- uh…” he stammers, a deep red flush burning up to the tips of his ears.
“What?”
“I’ll make a mess if you don’t let me down,” he murmurs, horribly embarrassed. Unfortunately, Nicholas finds him all that much more endearing when he blushes and stumbles through his words.
“Pussy on the counter probably isn’t very food safe, is it?”
Vash gasps when Nicholas slides two fingers between his folds, collecting his slick and dragging it up to rub at his clit. His head knocks back against the cabinets and Nicholas kisses at his neck.
“Don’t bite me there.”
“Why?” Nicholas huffs.
“Nicholas,” Vash half laughs, half moans as Nicholas sinks a finger inside him. “You know why.”
“But you taste good.” He licks up Vash’s neck and kisses the spot behind his ear. “Please?”
“Whining isn’t going to get you what you want,” Vash breathes, arching his back when Nicholas crooks his fingers. “Fuck.”
He tugs the collar of Vash’s shirt and kisses the dip of his collarbone. “But you wear a turtleneck every day anyway.”
“Are you begging?”
“Do you want me to?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t mind- ahh,” he moans, squeezing his eyes shut and tugging at Nicholas’ hair when he pushes another finger in. “Oh, God.”
Nicholas pulls his fingers out to rub at Vash’s clit nice and slow. He nips at his shoulder. “Please, Angel? Under the collar? Just where I can see.”
“You’re so hard-headed-”
Click, click.
Vash seizes up and tries to hide himself with his shirt as the front door unlocks and opens. Nicholas shields him as best he can, glaring daggers at Livio, standing in the doorway with his jaw dropped to the floor.
“No fucking way.”
blondie
Sunday 11:41 P.M.
[vash]
I miss you :(.
[nicholas]
:(
im sry angel
u should try to get some sleep
[vash]
I'm trying to.
[nicholas]
is ur back bothering u
[vash]
Not really.
My lack of you in my bed is bothering me.
[nicholas]
i just rolled my eyes so hard im surprised they didnt get stuck
[vash]
I think I felt it from here. lol
[nicholas]
god u text like such a boomer
if i sneak into the bathroom to send u a slutty mirror pic will u go to sleep
[vash]
It's Sunday.
Your boobs are out right?
[nicholas]
yes brat
Image Attached
go to sleep
[vash]
Goodnight, sweetheart :).