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The casino was doing fantastically.
His partnership with Clown? Also somehow really, really good. Better than he could've ever dreamed, honestly. Sure, Clown may still threaten him on a regular basis, but that was becoming more and more of a positive thing. Branzy thinks it is, at least. It is for him, and that's what matters. Probably.
But with the casino's success, and it and Branzy being linked to someone as high profile as Clown, there came... issues. Issues that Clown could usually take care of rather easily, but he couldn't always be around to deal with them, and Branzy needed to prove he wasn't totally useless in their partnership together, which meant he needed to figure out a way to deal with them on his own. Fighting them head on was out of the question- he'd instantly die or get kidnapped if he tried- but one thing he could do was traps.
Setting up traps around the casino, especially in the restricted areas that were only meant for himself and Clown, would probably be his best bet against people who wanted to harm him or the casino. Usually him. People knew him to be the weak one in his partnership, which meant he was the one getting targeted when someone was mad at the casino or at Clown in general. Which really wasn't great, but he hasn't died yet, and he doesn't intend to anytime soon, either.
So, traps it was.
After a bit of brainstorming, he came up with a couple different ideas for each area of the casino. They were all simple enough traps he could set up on his own and small enough they wouldn't interfere with the redstone of the casino games, but still very much effective. Most of them weren't going to be a problem to set up, but the ones he designed for the restricted areas of the casino could very much be an issue if he wasn't careful.
See, since it was only himself and Clown that were supposed to be back there, he figured the most effective traps would involve skulk sensors. He and Clown would know to be careful around them, but intruders may get caught off guard, and they would trigger even when Clown and Branzy weren't in the area. It would be perfect to put in places they really didn't want people snooping around in. They both just had to be very, very careful to not set off any themselves.
His first idea was to link them all to TNT, but then realized Clown might not like having parts of the casino blown up, even if it was to blow up trespassers. Yeah, it was probably best to stay away from explosives, unfortunately. Oh well, he had other ideas, like fall traps or even an arrow cannon or two. Explosives may be the most fun, but unfortunately aren't the most practical. Who knows, maybe he could convince Clown to let him have one trap wired to TNT. That's probably a quest for later.
For now, he readied himself to build all the traps. It was nighttime, the casino closed and Clown gone. It was the perfect time to work, so after making sure he had everything he needed, he got started. He started with the traps in the main part of the casino, the ones intended for guests that got out of hand, or who found Branzy alone and thought they could take advantage of that. They all required himself or Clown to actually set them off, so they were safe to set up and then leave without worrying too much about it.
He built them all without issue, testing them and verifying they all worked with a satisfied nod. He was on pace for finishing everything before sunrise, which was great news, since he was starting to get tired. But he ignored the feeling, determined to do this all in one night, and entered the restricted area of the casino and started with phase two; the skulk traps. He pulled out his blueprints as he walked, looking over them while mumbling and nodding to himself.
As he approached the area of his first trap, though, a thought came to his mind.
What if Clown suddenly shows up?
He may or may not have forgotten to tell Clown that he was doing this, or that he was planning on trapping the casino at all. It's not like he intended to use any of them against Clown! He just figured he could do this himself- redstone was his thing, after all- and Clown would probably leave it all to him anyway. So there wasn't really a need to tell him while Branzy was still figuring out all the details. He could just show Clown everything once it was all done, and it would be fine!
But now Branzy would be working with skulk sensors, which were really sensitive and very easy to set off if you didn't know one was nearby. The chances of Clown randomly showing up to the casino this early in the morning on some random day like today (tomorrow?) were slim, but definitely not zero. And Branzy would really like to eliminate as many potential accidents as he could, so he should probably tell Clown to stay away for now. Just in case.
Branzy pulled out his communicator and sent a private message to the assassin.
To ClownPierce: Hey, don't come to the casino anytime soon. I'll let you know when it's safe to come by.
Alright, now that should be all sorted. He'll explain everything properly to Clown in the morning. Or after he woke up if he passed out before then. Either way, he could get started now.
He found the spot of his first trap and got to work. This one would be a simple fall trap, the floor falling out from under its victim when set off with only a couple safe areas for himself and Clown to walk on without fear, which is what most of the traps were going to be. The actual redstone setup wasn't very difficult, Branzy well experienced with making traps like these, and he was done with it in no time. However, as he did the final step of lining the bottom of the hole with stalagmites, another thought occurred to him.
He should probably tell Clown about these and verify they all work as intended before he makes them actually deadly.
Yeah, that would probably be a smart move. He stared at the floor covered in sharp, pointy stones and contemplated what to do next. One trap would be fine, right? Probably. Hopefully. Yeah, it would be alright, he just would hold off on the other traps for now.
Branzy finished it up, making sure it was properly hidden, and moved onto the next two traps. Everything was going according to plan, Branzy holding off on the stalagmites for now, and began working on his fourth trap. However, it was as he was clearing out the area for it that everything started to go horribly, horribly wrong.
Down the hall, one of the skulk sensors clicked. Branzy froze.
His first thought was, I need to cover those with water so they don't make a noise.
His second thought was, oh god, someone else is here.
Dread and anxiety shot through him and he forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to make himself think calmly about this before he panicked. Okay, someone was here and they set off one of the traps, and since he couldn't tell which trap it was, there were a couple possibilities. Either they set off the lethal trap and were now most likely dead or extremely injured at the bottom, which would mean Branzy was safe, or they set off one of the other traps, which meant Branzy was very much not safe.
If they weren't injured or dead, then they were now aware there were skulk traps in the area, which meant they would now be very careful and quiet, which meant Branzy wouldn't hear them coming if they walked by. If Branzy was lucky, they would take it as a sign to leave, but Branzy highly doubted anyone who was willing to sneak around the casino at this time of night (morning?) would back down that easily.
Which meant Branzy had to assume he was very much in danger right now.
Okay, deep breaths. What should he do? He could stay where he was, hidden away in a hole and hope the intruder doesn't find him, or he could go investigate to see who it was. Staying risked getting caught, but going out risked... well, getting caught. But if he stayed, he'd be cornered with no way out, while he at least had somewhat of a chance if he went out. He could always lead them to the main part of the casino and test one of the traps out there on them. Yeah, that might be a good idea.
Best case scenario, he goes out and sees them dead in his trap. Worst case scenario... Branzy didn't really want to think about that one.
Branzy nodded to himself, pretending he had a lot more confidence than he actually did, and put his shovel and pickaxe down before crawling out of the hole. And, yeah, okay, now that he was looking at it, the hole was kind of obvious since it was still a work in progress, so he definitely would've gotten found if he stayed. But now he had to find the trespasser before they found him, his only advantage being that he knew where all the traps were. He could do this, right? Totally.
He walked down the hallways with very careful and quiet steps, glancing around to make sure no one was sneaking up on him. His first destination was his first trap, hoping to find the intruder stuck or dead at the bottom so he wouldn't have to worry about this whole thing anymore. It was unlikely, but he could dream. He turned the corner, taking one step into the hallway before he froze, his blood running cold.
The intruder was not dead at the bottom, but instead standing right over the very active and very lethal fall trap. And instead of it being one of the casino's enemies like Branzy expected, it was ClownPierce.
Oh, fuck.
Branzy had to stop himself from shouting or panicking. That was the exact opposite of what was needed right now, despite how much he very, very much wanted to. This was not at all what he wanted to happen. This was the exact situation he wanted to avoid!
Clown was looking down at the ground as he walked, footsteps thankfully silent, but Branzy's heart still pounded loudly in his ears as fear coursed coldly through his veins. This wasn't good. This was so not good. Normally, he wouldn't be this nervous watching Clown walk by a skulk sensor; he was an assassin, moving silently was part of his job description. But that was the problem, Clown did set off one of the sensors, somehow, even though that should've been impossible for him to do, so- so what if Branzy set them up wrong?! Branzy didn't trigger any when he walked away from them, but what if they had some sort of trigger he didn't know about?! Some sort of sensitivity that he had been far enough away from to not activate, but Clown standing right over it might, and-
The familiar white mask peered up, now looking at Branzy. There was the slightest hesitation in Clown's movement when he saw the redstoner, the slightest pause, and Branzy could probably guess why. Clown might think Branzy was trying to trap him or something, when he very much wanted to avoid doing that. God, this was so not good.
He wanted to say something, to tell Clown to keep walking very carefully and not make a sound, but he was terrified of setting the sensor off himself if he made any noise. Finally, he put a finger over his lips and motioned for Clown to keep coming towards him with his other hand. The jester nodded and kept walking, Branzy's eyes glued to his feet as he moved. He wanted to look away, to not watch this, but at the same time he could do nothing but stare, nothing but wait with shallow breathes as he hoped to anything and everything that Clown would not set off the trap.
It was only when both of Clown's feet were firmly on safe ground that Branzy finally allowed himself to breathe. He took a couple steps back, still wanting Clown as far away from that trap as possible. Clown kept his footsteps quiet, but he probably picked up on Branzy's change in demeanor, and allowed himself to ease up slightly. As Clown got closer, Branzy felt his hold on his stress and fear loosen, emotions clawing up his throat and threatening to choke him. He tried to force himself to take steadying breaths, but it hardly helped. It wasn't until the assassin was a couple steps away from him that the tense silence finally broke.
"Branzy, what-"
"Clown! What in the world are you doing here?! I thought I told you to stay away!" Branzy snapped. He couldn't help it, this was all too much. Why didn't Clown listen to him?! This could've all been avoided if he had! Then the taller man scoffed, of all things!
"What do you mean 'what am I doing here'?! You send me a cryptic ass message with no context and expect me to not come and see what's going on?!" Clown shot back. Branzy scowled, annoyance overtaking him.
"Well, when the 'cryptic ass message' directly tells you to not show up, yeah! I do expect you to not come! Because I explicitly told you not to because it would be dangerous!"
"That's exactly why I did come, Branzy! I thought you were in danger, not that you were setting up fucking skulk traps!"
Branzy blinked at that, surprised. Out of all the reasons- it was because of that? His annoyance began to dissipate, giving way to something much colder taking its place. He struggled for words for a few moments.
"I- you thought I was in danger?" He asked. Clown seemed appalled by the question.
"Yes! What else am I supposed to assume from 'don't come the casino, I'll let you know when it's safe'?! I thought someone was holding you hostage or something!"
Okay, when Clown phrased it like that- yeah, Branzy can see what he means. Embarrassment crept uncomfortably up his back, as well as something else churning sickeningly in his stomach. He looked down, away from the man in front of him.
"I didn't- no, Clown, I'm fine, I just- I didn't want you to get hurt, a-and I figured I could explain everything to you in the morning, so- I guess I was a little too vague," Branzy muttered, unpleasant emotions swirling through him. Clown laughed, unamused.
"You think?" He said. Branzy swallowed, fidgeting with his hands, unable to look back up at the other man. Clown sighed, before taking a step closer to the shorter man. Branzy couldn't help but flinch when Clown's hands landed firmly on his shoulders.
"Branzy. Next time-" Clown squeezed his shoulders, and Branzy finally forced himself to look back up, at the unchanging mask in front of him. "-you tell me when you're setting up traps I could accidentally set off, alright? You be direct about it so I know what's going on, okay?"
The redstoner nodded, struggling to find his voice for a few long moments. "Y-yeah- yeah, I will. Promise."
"Okay," Clown affirmed. A few moments passed before he finally moved, hesitantly letting go of Branzy's shoulders and straightening back up. "Now, how close was I to setting off a trap when you found me?"
"You were standing directly over it," Branzy mumbled, averting his gaze again. He felt sick.
"Oh my god-"
"Look, I-I'm sorry, okay?!" Branzy snapped, but this time it was with guilt eating away at him. "This was the exact sort of situation I wanted to avoid! B-but then because I was too vague with my message you showed up anyway, and of course I find you standing over the one trap I put stalagmites in and not one of the kinda-safe traps that would've been fine for you to activate, because even though I wouldn't normally worry about you setting off a skulk trap because- because you're you, you somehow set off one of the other traps which means I might've done something wrong, which means I set the sensitivity too high or something, which means-"
Branzy's rambling was cut off by his own yelp when Clown's hands were suddenly back on his shoulders. He blinked and looked up, noticing the assassin was closer to him than before.
"Breathe, Branzy. It's... it's alright," He said. Branzy stared up at him, finding himself taking a deep breath before he even realized it. Emotions swirled violently through him, guilt and anxiety at war with each other and leaving him feeling sick and lightheaded. But Clown was here, and the firm grip on his shoulders was grounding, so he tried to focus on that instead. "What's important is that I didn't set off the trap, and that something like this won't happen again, right?"
"R-right," Branzy breathed out. He definitely won't make that same mistake again, and he was so grateful that Clown wasn't hurt. He forced himself to breathe, to focus on the still very much alive Clown in front of him, who was still holding his shoulders. The guilt that had been threatening to choke him slowly eased up into something more tolerable, his anxiety lessening and allowing him to think more clearly. As he slowly got a grip on his emotions, the question that had been lingering somewhere behind all the stress and panic came to the front of his mind.
"U-um- Clown, how did you set off that other trap? Because- I don't think I set any off when I walked away from them, b-but if you managed to set one off then I probably need to go and fix it so that it doesn't get set off when we don't want it to," Branzy asked. He continued to fidget with his hands, just barely resisting the urge to grab onto Clown, especially as the taller man finally let go of him.
"I noticed the trapdoor near the north entrance was open," Clown started. There was something hesitant in his tone, but he carried on. "I went down to see what was down there, and I... wasn't watching my step."
It took Branzy a moment to decipher what Clown meant by that. The trapdoor was close to the second trap Branzy set up, which meant Clown probably saw the trap when he went down and approached it, and then-
"You tripped?" Branzy blinked up in surprise at the assassin before him. Clown shifted his weight on his feet and huffed. Branzy was tempted to think he was resisting the urge to cross his arms.
"Look- it's dark down there, alright? And you don't do a good job of cleaning up after yourself! There's lots of tripping hazards down there!" Clown defended. As Clown spoke, Branzy realized the reality of the situation, and surprised himself by laughing, something warm and fond breaking through the coldness and hollowness in his chest.
ClownPierce tripped.
Clown tripped next to the skulk sensor and that's what set it off.
It wasn't Branzy completely messing up or anything- it was just a mistake he never would've imagined Clown would make. Logically, he knew that Clown was just as capable of making mistakes as anyone else, but he didn't even consider it a possibility. Of course this whole thing was just a misunderstanding and then a genuine accident! This was nowhere near as bad of a situation as Branzy had initially thought, and that realization was so relieving. All he could do was laugh, as the anxiety dissipated and the guilt faded away.
"Are you laughing at me?!" Clown scoffed.
"No- no!" Branzy managed in between laughs, unable to calm himself down. "I would never laugh at you, Clown."
The jester finally crossed his arms as he stared down at Branzy, which only made the redstoner's laughter worse. Even without an expression to go off of, he could tell Clown didn't believe him.
"Well you're definitely laughing at something." Clown huffed.
"Sorry! Sorry, I just-" Branzy took a deep breath, finally managing to relax slightly. "I'm just relieved it was something as simple as you tripping, and not me just- completely messing up the redstone, or something."
Clown didn't say anything, staring at him silently for a few moments, to the point Branzy started to get anxious again under his gaze. Finally, Clown turned to the side.
"Yeah, no, it was... it was just my own mistake, not yours," Clown mumbled, voice softer now. Branzy let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. There was silence for a moment before Clown shifted again. "So, can you explain to me what you're actually doing now, and why?"
"O-oh! Yeah," Branzy perked up, and began explaining his plan to Clown. He pulled the blueprints out of his bag to show Clown more clearly where he wanted to put everything. Clown listened intently, just like he always did with Branzy, and nodded along. Branzy tried hard to not think about their proximity, or how Clown didn't seem to mind leaning even closer to Branzy as he pointed at various spots on the blueprints.
Clown seemed rather comfortable with leaning into Branzy's personal space, when he thought about it. It was unnerving at first, terrifying even, but now... well, it made Branzy's heart beat in a different sort of way. It also made him think stupid things like he was also allowed to lean into Clown's space without permission or fear of consequences. That was a theory Branzy wasn't sure he wanted to test out yet.
Those thoughts aside, Clown had a couple critiques and suggestions about Branzy's placement of certain traps. After a bit of talking and working out specifics, they finally had something they both felt comfortable and safe with. It was less traps than Branzy had initially planned for, but Clown had brought up some good points and concerns, so Branzy listened.
"Do you want any help?" Clown asked as Branzy shoved the blueprints back in his bag. Branzy blinked up at him, a bit surprised.
"Oh- no, I should be able to do it myself no problem. They aren't that big or complex or anything," He answered, then studied Clown for a moment. "Unless you... want to help?"
Branzy was aware that "help" in this case would actually be him explaining redstone to Clown, but he didn't mind if that's what Clown wanted to do. He had offered to teach the assassin redstone whenever he wanted, and now was as good a time as any. Clown seemed to perk up at the offer.
"Yeah, I do. I don't really know much about skulk sensors aside from how to not trigger them, so... I think it would be fun to see," There was a smile in his voice, which made Branzy's chest warm. He smiled back at Clown.
"Then what are we waiting for? Lets go!"
He led the assassin to where he was clearing out the area for the fourth trap, and the two got to work. Branzy explained each part of the set up to Clown, who did his best to follow along. He really was trying his best, evident by the slow nods and confused head tilts he'd give Branzy as he listened. It was absolutely adorable, and even though it made the whole process of making the traps a lot slower, Branzy couldn't help but be amused and endeared to him.
In fact, it was incredibly hard to keep his hands to himself. Something about Clown hesitantly handling redstone and constantly looking at Branzy for guidance was doing things to his heart, and he just couldn't help it! He found himself leaning into Clown's space to help him with placements, grabbing his hands and wrists to show him where and how to place certain things, before he even registered what he was doing. And by the time he did realize, it was far too late to apologize, so he'd just back away as (hopefully) subtly as he could and continued on as if nothing had happened.
He was terrified at first, scared he was pushing his luck too much and that it was only a matter of time before Clown reminded him of who exactly he was working with here (as if Branzy needed a reminder). The way Clown would tense when Branzy was that close to him, the way his breath hitched so subtly that Branzy would've missed it if he were anyone else- yeah, he was sure he made a mistake, and that he'd wake up the next day with a scythe to his throat or something.
But then he started to wonder if Clown was encouraging him to invade his personal space. Clown would ask for his help, ask him to show him how to place or set something, and wouldn't step back to let Branzy show him himself. Branzy was practically forced into stepping close to the taller man in order to show him what he was doing wrong and answer his questions. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but it definitely made his heart beat loudly in his ears, and he couldn't tell if it was from fear or something else. Probably some mix of emotions. That's how it tended to be with the deadly assassin.
But just as Branzy was starting to get used to it- just as he was starting to get more comfortable with it and accept that maybe, Clown didn't actually mind him being so close to him, Clown did something truly evil and despicable.
It happened while they were finishing the last trap, making the final adjustments to it before they would go out and test them all to make sure everything worked as intended. They were planning to test them all in one go, a trial run to make sure they wouldn't get caught in their own traps if (or, more likely when) someone decided to chase them down the halls. Well, it was more for Branzy's sake, but there was the possibility Clown would need to utilize them too. Then, once everything was working as intended, they'd add the actual lethal part to all the traps and have them ready for actual use.
Branzy finished making his adjustments and straightened up, rolling his shoulders back with a heavy sigh and wiping the sweat off his brow. "I think that's everything."
Clown hummed behind him, something that would've unnerved him before, but now felt more reassuring. It was nice to know the only thing that could sneak up behind him was the killer clown, and nothing else.
"So is it time for me to start chasing you down the halls to see how many traps you can try to get me in before I catch you?" Clown asked, in that smooth, sinister tone of his. A chill ran down Branzy's spine, and he turned to look at the assassin behind him. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and head tilted slightly. Branzy's tired brain struggled for words for a few moments, anxiety creeping up his chest.
"I- I don't think we have to do it like that," Branzy tried. "We could- um, we could both run through the halls, y'know, together. I don't think chasing me is really necessary."
Clown uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the wall, taking casual strides towards the redstoner. Branzy instinctually began backing away.
"Aw, but Branzy~, where's the fun in that?" Clown teased, getting closer and closer until Branzy's foot hit something. Branzy stumbled backwards, heart stopping as he tried and failed to regain his balance. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the fall, but instead of meeting the ground, something caught him. He blinked his eyes open, and felt his heart jump in his chest as he found himself face to face with Clown.
"See? You're already doing a really bad job of getting away," The grin was audible in the assassin's voice, the sheer proximity of it making his amusement that much clearer. One of his hands was holding Branzy's forearm up, having caught it when the shorter man threw it out in an attempt at balance. His other arm was wrapped around Branzy's waist, grip on his side firm and holding him close to him, and was probably the main thing keeping Branzy upright.
Branzy could do nothing but stare, even forgetting to breathe as his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Fear and adrenaline overwhelmed his sleep deprived mind, swirling with the warmth radiating throughout his entire being and making him dizzy. His free hand had, at some point, landed on Clown's shoulder, and he wasn't sure whether he should try to stand and pull away or let Clown hold him. He was completely and utterly at Clown's mercy, which was a rather common occurrence at this point.
"You really need to work on your spatial awareness, Branzy," Branzy hadn't even registered the silence until Clown broke it. The words snapped him back to reality, and he tried desperately to conjure any words that might help him in this situation.
"U-uh, you just- um, you're just- very distracting, sorry," Branzy stuttered out, and almost immediately regretted them. Or maybe he didn't. He wasn't sure how to feel about this entire thing yet. For some reason, some part of him didn't want whatever this was to end.
Clown laughed, and Branzy could feel it; the way he shook, the slightest change in his grip on Branzy's forearm and side, the subtle way his arm flexed and brought Branzy just that much closer to him-
It was intoxicating.
"Oh, Branzy," The way Clown purred his name did things to his heart he wasn't even sure how to describe. He slid his hand down Branzy's forearm until he reached his hand, intertwining their fingers. "I'm honored, but you don't see me stumbling when I'm with you, do you?"
Oh. Branzy couldn't stop the grin that crept up on his face even if he wanted to, and laughed, high on several different emotions.
"S-sorry, sorry- I guess you're just- really easy to fall for," he replied. He gripped Clown's shoulder and tried to adjust himself into a more normal standing position, now that his brain was starting to work again and he realized he was still very off balance in this position. However, Clown didn't budge, and kept him stuck how he was. Completely and utterly at his mercy.
"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm here to catch you, hm?" He grinned, before abruptly taking a step back and bringing Branzy with him. Branzy yelped at the sudden change, being pulled up into a normal standing position but falling against Clown in the process, head landing against his chest. Clown's arm was still around his waist, holding him close. Branzy's heart thumped loudly in his ears. Completely overwhelmed with emotions, all he could do was laugh again.
"Y-y-yeah- yeah, I- I guess it is," He managed, voice only a couple octaves higher than normal. Part of him wanted to escape and run away, and another, larger part of him wanted to lean into the taller man even more.
There were a couple moments of silence, Branzy fighting (and losing) against the urge to lean more into Clown, and Clown doing nothing to push him away. Then, just as Branzy was about to relax into the silence and proximity, Clown spoke up.
"You know, a red face is a really good look on you. I should do this more often," He mused. Whatever peace Branzy had found in the few moments of silence was shattered, and his heart jumped in his chest once more. He pulled back enough to stare up at Clown- at the unchanging mask he always wore, completely hiding his face and expression, and struggled for a response.
"I- you- but- oh, that's so unfair!" He exclaimed. Clown cackled, finally releasing his hold on Branzy's waist and stepping away. He kept a hold of his hand, though, and turned to start making his way out the room, dragging Branzy along with him.
"Sorry, Branzy~," He did not sound sorry in the slightest, "But casinos don't play fair, do they?"
Branzy huffed, trying desperately to recover whatever shred of dignity he had left. "I'm the one who made the games!"
"Yeah, so you know what I mean!" Clown beamed. "Anyway, I think I still need to chase you around to test these traps, right?"
"I- you really don't have to-"
Unfortunately (or, fortunately?) for Branzy, there was no convincing the killer clown to not chase him through the hallways. Clown, unsurprisingly, caught Branzy multiple times, and each time he did, it was a 50/50 on whether Branzy got his scythe to his throat or if the assassin just held him in a grip the redstoner could never hope to break free from. And it was while Branzy was stuck in these positions that Clown would tease him, before critiquing his survival and fleeing skills.
Not the most effective teaching method, in Branzy's opinion, but he also wasn't going to complain about it. As terrifying as it was, as much as he really didn't need a reminder for how easily Clown could kill him whenever he wanted to, it was also equally as exciting and thrilling. And they did actually manage to confirm the traps worked, too. Branzy was utterly exhausted by the time they were done, happy to finally get the chance to go home and sleep, but he couldn't help but grin and laugh as he walked home.
He was high on adrenaline, fear, excitement, and sleep deprivation by the time he made it home. And when he flopped into bed, his skin tingled in each place Clown had wrapped his hands and arms around him. He felt strangely cold as he fell asleep and when he woke up the next morning.
And when he saw Clown again, when the taller man wrapped his arm casually around his shoulders as he talked about what he was planning next, Branzy couldn't help but wonder if anyone else knew just how touchy the assassin could be.