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Boris breathed out, watching as smoke curled upwards before dissipating into the warm night air. He brought the cigarette to his lips once more, taking a long drag and letting the smoke burn it's way down his throat as he stared out into the dark. His ear twitched once as he heard the swish of fabric, betraying it's owners attempt to sneak up on him. Cuphead had been lingering around the periphery of the wolf's solitude for some time now, for what reason Boris had no clue, but he had kept to himself so Boris chose to not call attention to it. A decision he was quickly beginning to regret.
"Didn't take ya for a smoker" Came the, regrettably, now familiar voice, cutting cleanly through the peaceful silence of the night. Boris didn't even flinch, prompting a sigh from the cup as he leaned back against the railing that Boris was braced on. His eyes couldn't help but be drawn to where their forearms brushed. The balmy night had prompted Cuphead to push up his sleeves, however for some unknown reason he still stubbornly refused to remove that stupid coat. He traced the cracks etched into the porcelain skin with his gaze, following their branching patterns until they disappeared under the bunched up fabric around his elbows.
As if sensing his gaze Cuphead shifted, crossing his arms as he rested more of his weight against the rail. Undeterred, Boris' focus drifted up to the cup's face, wincing as his eyes caught on the sharp cracks he had caused. Guilt bubbling up as he watched the way the dim light hit against their harsh edges. They ran across his face, stemming from the corners of his mouth and wrapping the whole way around. Embarrassingly, it was only when Cuphead's eyes shifted to him curiously did he realize he'd been staring and quickly looked away. Ashing his cigarette just for something to do.
He exhaled, the smoke twisting around his muzzle as it rose. "Don't do it often. You want one?" He managed, his voice gruff as he offered the pack to Cuphead. He couldn't help but notice the way Cuphead watched the pack, like he was considering something more, before he shook his head, waving away the offer with a flick of his hand. "Nah, Mugs'd kill me. He thinks I'm too easily sucked into those sorts'a things." He excused easily. Memories drifted across his mind unbidden; Cuphead calling himself a gambler, throwing himself into fights, every near-deadly stunt he pulled off just for the rush. Maybe Mugman had a point.
Boris decided not to say anything, simply shrugging and pocketing the packet again. He turned back to the quiet of the night, letting the distant sounds of nature wash over him, as well as the sounds of one restless cup. Even in the stillness of twilight Cuphead couldn't stop moving, tapping his fingers off his arm with a soft, repetitive clinking noise. With a sigh Boris flicked his now burnt out cigarette into the grass below and tilted his head to fully face Cuphead.
Like before, it took a moment for him to notice he was being watched. When he did he straightened and faced the wolf, his hand twitching once before curling into the sleeve of his coat. A cocky smirk curved across his face in an attempt to hide his brief moment of insecurity, teeth flashing like a threat, a dare to call it out. "Whats with the staring? See somthin' ya like pup?"
Whatever response he was looking for he didn't get when Boris wordlessly extended a hand, outstretched and expectant for Cuphead's. Cuphead's face did something funny then, his expression flashing through a multitude of emotions. Eventually settling on one eerily similar to when Boris refused to shoot, like empathy was something foreign. But this time he didn't pivot, didn't distract from his unease with some vague unsettling statement. Tentatively, he reached out, carefully sliding his hand into Boris'. Losing some of that tension when Boris squeezed gently, running his thumb along the ridges of his knuckles. He shifted, mirroring Boris' position against the railing and occasionally risking glances at their joined hands.
Boris didn't stop his gentle movements, but when his thumb caught on one of the harsh edges of the cracks wrapping around his hand it shifted to follow the path. He didn't miss the way Cuphead jolted at that. He couldn't help but think about his own scars, specifically the one that arched down his back that still ached every time he twisted his torso the wrong way. "Does it hurt?" He muttered, scared that speaking any louder might break the careful peace that had fallen over them.
"Huh?" It took Cuphead a moment, his eyes snapping back into focus as if he was in a trance. He followed Boris' gaze to his shattered skin. "Oh, uh- Nah, they're just kinda there, y'know?" Apparently holding none of the same reservations as Boris, Cuphead's free hand moved under his shirt and, before Boris could protest, pushed his shirt up to reveal a completely shattered abdomen.
"I can't really feel anything against 'em. It's all kinda dull" Boris was torn between embarrassment and fascination as he saw just how deep some of the cracks went. He had the sudden, unexplainable urge to run his hands over them, to trace past the section Cuphead had shown and follow them across the cup's chest and down his back- He very quickly shut down that train of thought, feeling his face grow warm as he looked away even as Cuphead laughed at him.
"What? Ya shy now?" He teased even as he let the fabric drop back down and a humiliating part of Boris mourned the loss.
"Anyone ever tell you how insufferable you are?" Boris grumbled, silently lamenting the loss of the unexpected vulnerability from the cup. Cuphead laughed again and interlaced their fingers, locking their hands together fully as he leaned against Boris' side in an almost intimate gesture that filled Boris' head with disgustingly domestic thoughts.
"Every day Puppy" He responded, sounding practically content as he rested his head on the wolf's shoulder. Boris' attention couldn't help but be drawn back to those dark fissures, contrasting against the white porcelain like lines of dripping ink. Distantly he wondered if it was the closeness of it all that had made Cuphead act so out of character as his right hand picked up where his left had stopped, ears perking up as he heard the sharp intake of breath from the cup beside him.
"So you can't feel this?" He questioned, hesitating only slightly before crossing the threshold of Cuphead's wrist and slowly tracing the cracks up his arm. He was so focused on his path that he almost missed the way the cup's throat bobbed as he swallowed. His eyes followed the line of Cuphead's neck up to his face and ending at his eyes, which were zeroed in on where Boris' hand was still trailing a steady path up his forearm.
"Uh-" He stumbled over his words and not for the first time Boris wondered when was the last time someone outside of Mugman was gentle with Cuphead. "I can still feel it, just- less I 'spose. Like under clothes or somethin'" His other hand jerked in some aborted attempt to reach up, to hold Boris, before he shoved it into his pocket.
Boris' hand continued upwards until eventually he reached where the exposed skin ended and his hand shifted to gently hold the arm, his thumb brushing over the cool porcelain, a stark contrast to the rough skin of his pads. "How did you get all these anyways?"
He watched as Cuphead forced a laugh, his eyes darting up to catch Boris' gaze for just a moment, hesitant, as if trying to gauge his reaction. "The people me and Mugs took care of. Folks aren't typically too keen on dying wolfy." It was pointless to try and tell if it was the cup's poor attempt at humour, to deflect from the seriousness of the conversation but the quiet way it was said felt like confession.
His hand drifted upwards, skimming over his bicep and across his shoulder to hold Cuphead's face. He ignored the puzzled expression as he swiped his thumb across those ever present reminders of his guilt. "Except you." Cuphead didn't have anything to say to that and neither did Boris. There was nothing else to say, just a cold truth finally put into words. Saying it out loud didn't make it more real because it always was.
They simply stood there for a moment, sitting in the uncomfortable silence left behind. Cuphead refused to meet Boris' eyes, his head fully turned away even as it sat in Boris' palm. "Why are you even doing this?" Wasn't that the real question. Why was Boris doing this? He did his best to ignore his traitorous heart that insisted Cuphead could be a friend, maybe even something more someday. Because Cuphead would never let that happen, even if he wanted it Boris doubted the cup would allow himself to have that comfort.
"I don't know" He finally confessed. "I guess I just think everyone deserves help when they need it." Cuphead scoffed, not moving away from Boris' touch despite the incredulous look on his face.
"Whats wrong with you?"
Boris blinked dumbly at the accusation, his mind taking a moment to catch up to the sudden shift. "Wait- What?" He choked out. "Whats wrong with me?"
Cuphead looked almost affectionate as he rolled his eyes. He pushed away from the wolf's hand and Boris had to stop himself from pulling him back. "No ones this fuckin' nice, alright. I've met a whole lotta people and lemme tell ya none of them were this- this obliviously fuckin' good." Cuphead insisted as he gestured at the wolf.
"That was probably because you were trying to kill them." Boris caught Cuphead's hand and brought it up to his face, leaning into it in a reverse of their previous position. "What if I just want to be good because I think others deserve it?"
"Then your idealism is stupid and'll probably get'cha killed." Despite the cup's harsh words those cold scarred fingers slid down Boris' face to his neck and tightened in the dark fur, petting through it with a gentleness that was shocking for the mercenary.
Boris leaned into it with a heavy sigh, being near Cuphead so much was doing something to him, he was never this tactile before."I think it's worth it if it makes the world even a little better."
For what very well might be the first time since Boris met the cup he was silent, staring at Boris' with confusion lacing his gaze. His eyes flicked over Boris' face as if he was trying to find some hint of deceit before he finally muttered. "There really is somethin' wrong with you."
Boris huffed out a laugh at the irony of who exactly was accusing him. "Probably." He looked down at Cuphead who had been shaped by and thrived in the very violence Boris hated and yet, he couldn't find it in him to feel that same vitriol for the cup. "But maybe that's not such a bad thing."
There was the shuffling footsteps of worn down soles against the wooden porch and then a head pressed against his collar. "Mmh, You're soft." Cuphead muttered, his hand burrowing into the fur on Boris' neck. The other came up to lightly grip the wolf's wrist, fingers running along the joint in a mirror of the wolf's prior movements. His head tilted, watching the way the fur moved with a bored sort of curiosity. "You really shouldn't care so much, it'll just bum you out."
His hand came up to hesitantly hold Cuphead, pressing into the small of his back like he was trying to keep the other steady. "I like caring, makes me feel more… connected, I suppose. Grounded." With a soft exhale Cuphead moved his hand down Boris' and interlaced their fingers once more. "Then ya better hope you don't run into the kind'sa folks I know. They'd eat'cha alive."
"If I'm running into your sorts of people I think I have bigger issues." He snorted, rising a small laugh from the cup. Cuphead looked so genuine as he snickered into the wolf's chest, something warm rose up in him that was quickly snuffed out by embarrassment as he felt his tail begin to swish from side to side an action that didn't go unnoticed by Cuphead.
"Wolfy is your tail wagging right now?" He gasped as he pushed back from Boris' chest to get a better look. The wolf was about to respond, mock the cup for noticing before his head was suddenly pulled down to be on Cuphead's level. "You really are just a puppy" He cooed in an over-exaggerated baby voice, hands migrating up to scratch behind his ears. Humiliatingly, his tail began to wag faster.
"Oh shut up." He scoffed, pushing the cup's head away with an exasperated smile. He watched as Cuphead stumbled back, doubled over with laughter and for once the rifts wrapped around the others head, curving slightly with his smile, didn't feel like punishment.