Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Guided Steps ❯ Bonus Interlude ( Chapter 12 )

“Hey, wake up.”

 

Livio just grumbled and squeezed his eyes shut tighter against the brightness of the dawn. He was about to drift off again when something warm and soft struck hard against the side of his face. He flailed and yelled in alarm, and when his senses returned he looked to see his attacker lying on the floor.

 

A donut.

 

Wolfwood laughed at him from the doorway and Livio was too relieved to see him smiling to be annoyed. “I hope that wasn't the last one. I'm starving!”

 

“Nah. I hid some of them from Vash,” Wolfwood said, walking over and setting a small plate of donuts and a bottle of juice on the bedside table. “But you'd better eat fast. He's gonna finish stuffing himself pretty soon and if he catches the scent of yours, it's all over.”

 

He didn't need to be told twice. He bit into the first moist pastry and thanked his lucky stars they had someone along who knew how to scrounge for ingredients and make good food in almost any situation. He was sick of meal bars and he attacked the rest of the helpless donuts with almost as much fervor as Vash.

 

“How'd you find me?” he asked around bites.

 

Wolfwood shrugged. “Turned off the main street and looked for `small and comfy.' Took me three tries to find you. I must be off my game.” Livio turned a big smile and watery eyes on him and he sighed, scratching his head. “For fuck's sake, it's not that big a deal.”

 

“I just figured you'd be pissed at me for siccing Vash on you.”

 

“Well, I didn't have to hit you in the head with a donut to wake you up, now did I?” Livio chuckled. “You want everybody to be happy and that makes you a meddler. You can't help that. And I guess it did some good,” he finally admitted. “So I can't really hold it against you.”

 

“Gee, thanks,” Livio retorted, popping the last bite into his mouth and licking his fingers free of sugar. “You did bring me breakfast, so I guess I can forgive you for attacking me with tasty food. These are way better than the ones Milly tries to make. Not that I'd ever tell her.”

 

Wolfwood saw the sadness and it made his heart clench. “You missing her pretty bad?”

 

“Yeah. I can't help being worried about her,” Livio answered quietly.

 

“I know, kid. She's tough though. She'll be okay. And she's got Short Girl with her. Meryl's been taking care of her since I met them.”

 

“You have no idea,” Livio snorted.

 

Something in Livio's tone caught Wolfwood's attention and he looked at him sharply. “What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Exactly what you said. Meryl takes care of her when I'm not around.”

 

“What? You mean they… they're…?” Livio nodded meaningfully and Wolfwood thumped down next to him, completely bewildered. “They're sleeping together? And you're okay with that?!”

 

The blond shrugged. “Milly loves me. She loves Meryl too, and we both love her. They have their relationship and we have ours. She'd end it if I asked, but… I love who she is and I think that would kill a part of her. Besides, no matter what I'm the one she comes home to. So yeah, I'm okay with it.”

 

Wolfwood was completely in shock. Questions raced through his mind. How long had this been going on, and how did he manage to miss it? Where the hell had Livio picked up such a gracious attitude? The question that finally voiced itself was, “If they won't let you in on it, they've gotta at least let you watch, right?”

 

He was surprised when Livio slapped his thighs in frustration. “No! And not for lack of trying! You'd think a bioengineered assassin could sneak up on a couple of insurance girls, but they always catch me and I never get to see anything!”

 

Wolfwood was silent for a moment, deep in thought. “What about cameras? Long range, reconnaissance-type?”

 

Livio rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Hadn't thought of that. It's worth a shot…” Suddenly he sent a sharp glare over at Wolfwood. “Even if it works I'm not letting you see any of the video.”

 

“…What about stills? Can I at least get to see the stills?”

 

“No!”

 

“Oh, come on! I just wanna know how that works! I mean, Meryl is…” he held his hand low to the ground, “…and Milly is…” he held his hand higher than Milly's true height. “Really! I won't spank off to them, I promise!”

 

“I said no! I'm gonna marry her one day! No one gets to see her naked but me!” Wolfwood quirked and eybrow at him and he shook his head and amended, “Okay, Meryl too I guess… But she doesn't count!”

 

“Damn. Well, it was worth a shot,” Wolfwood shrugged with a grin. “Can't blame me for trying.”

 

“Nicholas?” Livio said suddenly. There was something serious in the tone and Wolfwood gazed at him thoughtfully. Livio hesitated, but throwing out such a big confession on a whim and having it so well received gave him courage, and he decided to act on it before it dried up. “You know I'm not that same kid I was when I showed up at the orphanage, right?”

 

“Yeah. That's pretty obvious, `specially after what you just told me.”

 

“I don't know what you're not telling me or why, but… you can trust me, you know? Tell me anything.” He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice, but he saw Wolfwood's jaw clench tightly and knew he'd failed.

 

After a few seconds of tense silence Wolfwood shot his hand out, hooking it around his head and pulling him in close. His head ended up on the other man's shoulder, and he thought it was a precursor to some kind of wrestling move to distract him. He was just about to try and throw him off in frustration when Wolfwood's voice froze him.

 

“I've tried. I just can't. I didn't even tell Tongari. He just found out. I trust you. I do, okay?”

 

To Livio, Wolfwood might as well have said `I'm sorry. Please don't hate me for keeping you in the dark.' Tension was bleeding its way back into his body and Livio felt like crap for pushing.

 

He relaxed against Wolfwood's shoulder in a gesture of acceptance and almost managed to convince himself he was doing it for unselfish reasons. Wolfwood gently ruffled his hair and he couldn't stop a little happy sound from escaping him. “You're still a big baby, you know that?” Wolfwood's voice rumbled.

 

“Whatever you say,” Livio sighed in contentment. `As long as you don't make me move.'

 

Just then they both picked up the sound of Vash fairly stomping down the main street and Wolfwood exhaled noisily. “Think if we're real quiet he'll go away?”

 

“Probably not. I wouldn't. In here, Vash!” Livio called out. Vash appeared in the doorway mere seconds later. He took in the scene and before either one of them could get a word out he scowled and pointed an accusing finger at Livio.

 

“Traitor!” he yelled. “How could you betray me like this?!”

 

Livio froze in terror, suddenly aware that it might have been a good idea to put a little distance between himself and Wolfwood before calling his lover into the room. Maybe getting off the bed would've been a good idea, too. “It's not what it looks like,” he stammered, jumping off the bed and away from the Wolfwood. “We were just… I mean I was-”

 

But Vash continued to advance on him. “Don't you bring Nick into this. You were the one who ate my donuts!”

 

A brief wave of relief was followed quickly by a rush to anger. “Your donuts?! I was eating his donuts long before you came along!”

 

“I don't care! He made them for me, see?!” He shoved his hand into Livio's face so fast he almost went cross-eyed at the change in focus. Vash was forcing him to look right at the leftover sugar that remained on his fingers. “Look, you see that? There's cinnamon in there. My favorite. That proves they were for me, not you! You had no right to…”

 

“No right?! He brought them to me, you… you… cradle-robber!”

 

It took Vash a few minutes for Vash to regain the power of speech, but he managed it after picking his jaw up off the floor. He eventually stammered out a counter insult and he and Livio continued their yelling match. Neither noticed when Wolfwood got up, muttering angrily to himself.

 

At least, no one noticed until they heard the car start up.

 

Without them in it.

 

They were too busy running to catch up to the irate priest after that to argue anymore.

 

**********

Now that I have my muse back, I'm realizing just how warped his sense of humor really is…

 

Next up: Knives' wrath is unleashed in earnest, and it's time for Wolfwood to face his fears once and for all.