livlaughlove | sticksandbones IC Inbox

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livio

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      Powers nerfed & gained
    Self-healing: Nerfed on arrival from near-instant to delayed by a few minutes. Think 5-10.
Superhuman strength: Nerfed on arrival. Still super strong, but not to the same extent.
Dragon Blessing - Strength: Makes up for original nerf. Plus dual sets of horns, one pair curved down to frame his face, one pair curved back and up. Sharp and harshly angled, like his sunburst tattoos.
Dragon Blessing - Balance: Thick, alligator-like tail.

      Deaths & Resurrection prices
    Death - August 2024: Killed by a Corrupted Vash.

Price: Marksmanship skill. Can no longer aim a gun worth a damn. 

      Other permanent changes
    Memory Loss - February 2024: In Razlo's heartspace, his memory of Chapel defending him to the other Masters was destroyed. He still recalls having been fiercely loyal to Chapel, but not why.
Scarring - March 2024: Scars in an enormous jaw pattern spanning from his thighs to upper arm, with teeth marks along both his chest and back.

      Temporary changes
    Hydra form - May 2025: from Event/TDM 24. A bunch of fungi made LR into some fun guys.

  
    CODE
  

weasel's note: livio's handwriting is extremely neat and uncannily consistent. every letter is always the same exact size and shape. as if simply writing perfectly in times new roman was a humanly possible thing.

livio can commonly be found where he lives at vash's house or looking after the school.

plotting contact: PM // discord @ fuckweasel

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[Wolfwood is...well. He's not dying. It would take a lot more than a little cold to kill him, or even severely hurt him really.

But he is so exhausted, so worn thin and wrung dry that he cannot answer. At least not until he warms up a little bit.

Instead, he just...kindof lists forward, barely managing to catch himself on one foot, before he loses his balance and ends up stumbling into Livio anyway. The Punisher, which he'd been clutching like a lifeline, falls with a deafening thud to the floor nearby.]

[Jesus Christ.

For now, Livio pulls Nick inside and nudges the Punisher out of the way of the door with a foot. Then it's tearing off those outer layers of Wolfwood's, shaking the ice off of him.

As limp as Nick is, Livio sets him on the bed and even yanks off his shoes and socks. Anything crusted in ice is coming off, before being replaced with the clothes off of Livio's own back. Warm socks, warm pants (he still has his own leather underneath the recently acquired cloth), warm and heavy coat. The only thing Liv keeps for himself over his own shirt and pants is that damn curtain.

Finally, whether he wants to fight Liv or not, Nick gets wrapped up into a bearhug.]

Hey. Can you at least hear me? You don't have to talk. Just grumble or something.

Edited (ugh wording) 2023-12-24 07:24 (UTC)

[If Livio had found Wolfwood around 8, he would have fought him off. He probably would have been a lot more vicious and vitriolic, even if Livio isn't the source of his ire. It's maybe a little more...alarming that he doesn't fight back and simply allows Livio to do all of this for him, right down to stripping him free of his ice-crusted clothing to be replaced with his own much warmer garments. It helps almost immediately, but it doesn't mean Wolfwood stops shaking.

That will be the first thing Livio notices. That he's shaking, violently. And it doesn't...seem to be entirely from the cold, though that sure is part of it.

Livio finishes it all off with an embrace, and...if there's one thing he appreciates about Livio, it's the understanding of the need for silence. Or, at the very least, not bombarding him with questions when he's not coherent enough to answer them. He sinks heavy into Livio's arms, taking him up on his offer to not talk by making a low, affirmative sound.

He can hear you. He's alive. He's just...he needs a minute, or five.]

[Livio understands that much, it's true.]

Thank you.

[Until Nick is ready, he just holds him. Maybe pulls the sheet of his bed up and drapes it over his shoulders, as well. Tries to rub some feeling back into Nick's shuddering limbs. Even when he's pretty confident Nick should be out of the realm of severe danger, he still feels him quaking.

But whatever happened, whatever Nick saw... Livio is willing to wait until he's ready. He just hopes Nick will allow him to help, even if it's just... listening to him.]

[The predicament Wolfwood finds himself in with Livio is a unique one. Though he doesn’t fully understand how, he knows that- in some way- Livio is different from the Livio he knew before. At first he’d attributed it to the drugs, but…after seeing and being around him for a bit longer, it’s starting to become apparent that may not be the case. It’s something he could ask someone who has been here longer about, if he ever gets close enough to someone else to broach such a sensitive topic. For now, everything related to himself and home remains locked up tight for just a select few.

Well. No. It’s just…Livio, isn’t it? It’s just Livio now.

Livio is, once more, his only connection. And maybe that’s how it should be, in the end.

He’s quiet for…a while. Unnaturally silent and still, even when the shaking starts to subside. Livio can’t see it given the way he’s holding him, but Wolfwood looks grave. Murderous. But more than anything, deeply hurt, and…sad. His forehead drops against Livio’s shoulder, and under his breath he mutters.]

F’I ever see his face again- I’ll kill ‘im. Fucking kill ‘im.

[Livio has to admit to himself that he doesn't know Nick as well as he would like to believe. They're not kids anymore, and "work" forced them to be people they're not. At least, he hopes that's the case for Nicholas... and after everything he did to save Livio from himself, well... he's fairly confident, actually, that Nick isn't really a coldblooded killer at his core.

In a lot of ways, he is still the same. He cares too much about people who don't deserve him, underneath all that grumpiness. Only, in the time since Hopeland, simple grumpiness has grown into walls colder and higher than Liv thought possible. He could have easily imagined Wolfwood taking the entirety of the Grove under his wing, with a groan, but gently nonetheless.

As it stands, Livio isn't sure whether to believe Nick means what he says, or who it's even concerning.]

Whose face? What happened?

[Things have certainly changed. Time hasn't been kind to Wolfwood, nor have his particular circumstances. He'd been forced to give up everything to protect the very few things left in the world that he loved, and for a long time he'd made peace with the fact that he didn't have room in his heart for anything or anyone else, not when that remained his top priority. But in his time spent in the Grove...he'd maybe been fooled, just briefly, into thinking things could be different. Having Vash here under pretenses divorced from No Man's Land, and Livio alive and well...regardless of how dangerous this world is, it simply doesn't hold a candle to home.

And home...isn't a factor right now. It shouldn't be one. And, god, if he wasn't...a little pried open by seeing the reactions to all of the gifts he'd delivered, even if they weren't ones he picked out personally. Figures that even that, too, would end up tainted.

Wolfood's fingeers pull a little at the fabric of the sheets that Livio had draped around him, and for a moment it seems like he might not answer. That is, until he sits back just enough so that he can look up at him, eyes dark and bitter.]

Vash.

[...that answers the who, but not the what.]

[Ah.

Honestly, Livio has no goddamn clue what to make of that. Given what he witnessed on No Man's Land, and the snippets of shouted words and ways Nick and Vash looked at and moved around each other here in the Grove... He isn't sure what there is between those two. And really, it feels like something he, of all people, doesn't deserve to be privy to. If he hadn't joined the Eye, hadn't tried to kill them both... maybe he could have been their friend, been worthy of truly knowing them, as they are now.

But... he isn't.

The anger in Nick's gaze is met with the deep sadness and worry in Livio's. That much has also remained the same since they were kids. But like Nicholas, Livio has become much more restrained. As much as he would like to pry into the heart of the matter in a desperate bid to fix it, he leaves that up to Nick.]

We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But I'm here, if you do.

[It sort of really...hits home, the way Livio just looks so sad, looking back at him. It's reminiscent of when they were kids, and how he somehow managed to look like a kicked puppy 90% of the time. Maybe that's why he felt the need to look after Livio, back then. He didn't think he'd really make it on his own otherwise. He didn't ever think their positions would be reversed, and that Livio would be the one offering his much larger shoulder to ostensibly cry on.

His teeth grit, grinding painfully behind his lips as he looks off to the side. Wolfwood looks like he could very easily just hunker down in Livio's jacket and the blankets and disappear like a miserable turtle.]

I...you just got here, Livio. You're... [Alive.] You shouldn't have to deal with any of this.

[Nick has no idea just how grateful Livio is for the opportunity to do this for him. Of course he isn't glad for the situation -- that anything would upset Nicholas this much -- but the chance to return all of his kindness... That's all Livio wants. That's the whole point.

Despite himself, he smiles. It's sheepish, small, but warm and as full of adoration as it ever was.]

I just got you, Wolfwood. I just got you back, and I'm asking to deal with it. I'm all in, whatever you need. You didn't let me be alone, and I... I want to be that for you now, if you'll let me.

[Oh what the fuck, Livio.

Wolfwood is not exactly in the headspace to handle someone being this genuine with him, but least of all god damn Livio, who he'd just watched blow his own brains out to break himself free from the Eye's control. He'd just gotten him back, only to lose him forever within moments. And Livio...he thinks it's him that got Wolfwood back?

His brows form a sudden, desperate curve. He'd managed to fight it back when he was fighting with Vash, but now it's too much. He doesn't manage to turn his face away in time before tears race down his cheeks, prompting him to quickly bring a hand up to press his thumb and forefinger to his eyes underneath his sunglasses.]

I- I'm sorry. Fuck.

[Though the embrace isn't quite as close as it was when Livio was trying to warm Nick back up, he holds on to what he can, without actively pulling Wolfwood back in. He doesn't want the other man to feel coddled or patronized, but he sure as hell is going to at least rub his shoulder or pat his back or... whatever feels least invasive, really.

It's reminiscent of childhood, somewhat, but not identical. Nick hadn't been the type to baby him, so much as grab him by the scruff and yank him up and out of his funk. Livio doesn't have the heart to be so rough; in fact, he finds his own eyes stinging in sympathy. But he holds it together, keeping steady for his oldest friend.]

You've got nothing to apologize to me for. I'm here, Nick.

[Ultimately, Wolfwood decides to remove his sunglasses, laying them aside on the bed somewhere. They haven't been showing him any weird affects in here, but he doesn't want to deal with it either way...and he'd much rather be able to see Livio in the semi-gloom than struggle to actually look at his face. Again, the lack of coddling- the general air of respect Livio has for him- does wonders to calm Wolfwood down. If this were anyone else, he'd be flying off the handle. This...is like a soothing salve on an angry, fresh burn. He's not really sure what he would have done, if Livio weren't here.

Crash and burn, probably. Self destruct harder than he has already.

He sniffs, taking a moment to just...breathe. Livio was always good at that, too. Helping him to manage his temper when they were kids. He'd keep him grounded in ways not even the other adults could, which seems to be coming through now in the way he breathes slowly and tries not to let his anger get the better of him. It's unfortunate, then, that with nothing else to replace it, another wave of sadness floods into the hole that rage left behind.

He looks genuinely heartbroken, for lack of a better word. Betrayed. Disgusted at himself for falling for him, yet again, falling for Vash's same old trick of letting you in before crushing your foot in the door.

Wolfwood exhales shakily, looking down into his lap now as he tries to figure out...where to even start.]

You know how you said...your job was to make Vash the Stampede experience eternal suffering. Mine was to take him to Knives. Unharmed. I'd stop anyone and everyone who got in the way...even his own men, sometimes. Well Vash, he...he told me he knew about that, but he stayed with me anyway. He'd convinced himself I was...above what I was being forced to do. That I was a good person.

And now he's... [His breath stutters, and the words trail off, becoming faint. He's a hair's breadth from becoming incensed again, but he keeps the boil to a simmer.] He fucking. Does this. He tells me I'm...good. Or worth keeping around, or what-the-fuck ever. And then he shuts me out. Acts like he's some...god damn pariah who knows better than everyone else.

[Of course that's what the Punisher's mission had been. What better method to cause even more suffering, both personal to the twins and the disciples, and general, to all humans unlucky enough to encounter any of them along the way.

Livio's eyes squeeze shut. He isn't at all surprised that Nicholas would fail so utterly in that mission without actually failing. He knows all too well the callousness that the Eye of Michael breeds, but... Nick always went his own way.]

He's right about that, at least. That you're a good person. You could have easily killed me, but you risked yourself to save me, instead. [As meek as Livio has been, he sounds quite firm in that, no patience for arguing.

For the rest... he's back in that deep well of sorrow. He doesn't sound angry, necessarily, but perhaps disappointed. Livio was under the impression that Vash was a big part of the reason Nick was willing to embrace his gentler side.]

I don't think that's your fault. It sounds like... Vash is perfectly capable of causing his own suffering. Especially if he's willing to treat you like that.

You're right he fucking is.

[Ah, there's the anger bubbling back to the surface as Wolfwood furiously wipes his eyes again to make sure no more wetness remains, even as he realizes he doesn't feel any shame in crying in front of Livio. He doesn't like it, but he's known him long enough that he feels less like his world is going to crumble if Livio sees him vulnerable.

He thought Vash was the same but, well.

He shakes his head. He won't argue with Livio on whether or not he's good, because he knows that isn't a battle he'd win. He has other things to worry about anyway, things that he wishes didn't get to him as much as they are right now.]

He's convinced that he's gotta self-flagellate at all times or else the sky's gonna fall. Don't matter who he hurts in the process.

[THAT...isn't exactly a fair assessment, but Wolfwood isn't going to be a reliable narrator right now, not when he's as wounded as he is.

Then he...sighs. His shoulders sag, and as he looks away again, his brows furrow into something more frustrated than anything.]

He tried to make me make that choice, you know. To leave. "For my own good". And when I told him no, he couldn't do it himself.

...not until earlier.

[No, it kind of is perfectly fair --

For better or worse, Livio continues to not even acknowledge the tears, or lack thereof, besides patting Nick a couple times. He takes in Nick's words in silence, then takes his time contemplating them.

Nicholas wouldn't appreciate him sugarcoating things, and even if that wasn't the case, Livio isn't sure he's capable whatsoever.]

It sounds like he's being an ass.

[Again, his tone is level and free of outright accusation. He chooses his words carefully -- not Vash does suck, but Vash is acting sucky. Livio, of all people, knows that everyone fucks up sometimes, and it isn't his place to imply someone should abandon a person they care about over one argument. Even if, somewhere deep down, he is angry that Vash would hurt Nicholas, who clearly trusts (trusted?) him more than anyone in his adult life. Livio lashing out wouldn't help either of them.]

Are you? Going to leave. Or do you want to give him another chance?

[God bless Livio for having the patience of an actual saint, because Wolfwood can feel himself getting worked up again just thinking back to what happened. It's a reasonable question for Livio to be asking, yet...

His hands tremble, balled into fists as they are in his lap. He barks a mirthless laugh.]

If it was my choice, do you think I'd've been out in that Forest for the last five hours? If it was...if it was my choice...

[Wolfwood's jaw aches from how hard he grits his teeth. He could be raising his voice, shouting right now, but there's maybe something more to be said about how low and quiet his voice is. It withers the more he says, showing just how incensed the whole thing has made him.

The furrows and cracks are beginning to show for Livio to see.]

I'm better off elsewhere, he said. I don't know what I'm doing, he said. I don't know what I'm SAYING, he fucking said.

[He brings one hand up to his own chest, briefly beating a staccato there with his fingers to make a point.]

He made me...feel like I was going insane. Like I was wrong for being there? Just because I was drunk?

[Uh

Uh oh-]

[It just feels like this is what Nick needs right now. If Livio thought he was of more use to Nicholas going out there and smacking some sense into people, he might do so. But for the moment, fixing... whatever it is that's between the Punisher and the Humanoid Typhoon is second to soothing Nick's upset.

... Of course, Livio isn't immune to... well, it can't really be shock. He's heard and seen enough to put a vague picture together... But it still feels presumptuous to act like he sees right through them, and Nick getting drunk around Vash is novel enough information that Livio has to take a moment to chase the surprise off of his own expression.]

What... happened?

You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. But... I don't really know what to say right now.

[Honestly, he's not sure if he wants to talk about it. Not now, not ever, he'd like to forget it ever happened and move on with his life. But that is a pipe dream and Vash has managed to carve out a stupid little hole in his stupid little brain, living there rent free no matter if Wolfwood likes it or not.

He sighs, once more trying to take a moment to calm down. It's hard, because it's easier to understand just being angry about this. But that isn't the only emotion rattling around in his head, and it requires him to admit to...a lot. Not just to Livio, but to himself.

Without the proper context though, Livio isn't going to fully get what happened. Even if he's receiving it from a biased source.]

After...that meeting. He brought me some whiskey. We had a couple drinks. And I ended up...telling him more about what happened to me. To us.

[He winces, realizing that maybe Livio might not have wanted him to do that, actually. It's not entirely his story to tell, he realizes this.]

I felt like I could trust him, I guess. So I told him. And we talked for a while. He...we. He was just...there. And it was easy, for once.

[...]

He asked if he could kiss me. But I guess he regretted it when he sobered up.

[It doesn't even occur to Livio what Wolfwood means by "to us" until he winces. And really, it doesn't matter to him nearly as much as Nick thinks it does. He just kind of rolls his shoulder in a shrug, not acknowledging it otherwise.

He's sure Vash has heard of worse things come from Knives' followers, really. Livio assumed he had the saddest sob story of all, once. He isn't going to act like that again.

Again, he needs... a long moment to process. Again, he can't say he's terribly surprised. But hearing it aloud is another beast entirely. He... isn't sure how this all makes him feel.

Besides miserable on Wolfwood's behalf.]

And that's what you want. [It isn't a question, anymore, so much as an observation. Nicholas wanted to kiss Vash, and as soon as Vash was in his right mind, he sent Nick away.

What is Livio supposed to say?]

You... You deserve better. Whether it's from him or not.

[And yet... again, he has to ask. Because it isn't just Vash's choice.]

Do you want to try salvaging it?

[It's certainly more than he would ever expect Livio to have to deal with. It's why he'd said he shouldn't have to shoulder this burden because it really is Wolfwood's mess to deal with. He and Vash are idiots who don't know how to communicate their feelings, resulting in this mess. And unfortunately for everyone involved, Wolfwood never had the chance to mature into an adult who even knows how to.

Livio is trying. He is trying so fucking hard and Wolfwood knows that. It really means a lot that he is.]

I... [Again, he sags. And again, his gaze slowly slides up to meet Livio's, looking more like an accosted child right now than an adult.] All I can think about is how much I want him to hurt as much as I am.

[This isn't something Vash can just keep jerking him around on, nor is it something he could just walk back into Wolfwood's space and apologize, thinking it's going to be immediately okay after. Not this time.

But that wasn't what Livio asked.

Do you want to try salvaging it?]

...I dunno what I want. I thought...I wanted that. Whatever that was making me feel. Like I was...real. And wanted.

But maybe it was just the alcohol. I don't actually know anymore.

[Maybe, because they never really TALKED about it so much as Vash said "you don't want to do that, goodbye"]

[Oh.

The look Nick gives him is heartbreaking. As much as he tries to stop it, Livio's breath catches in his throat and tears threaten the corners of his eyes again.

Even hearing that, he still firmly believes that that isn't the sort of person Nicholas is. If it was, Wolfwood wouldn't have been in the woods for hours, wouldn't be here right now, seeking Livio's shoulder. He would be... hurting Vash, like he says But he isn't.]

Is that... something you want to give up without a fight? [Bad wording. Hold on.] I mean -- you should talk to him. If you think it's worth fighting for.

[...]

I don't...want to give up, Livio. But he's made it clear, under no uncertain terms, that he ain't fucking having it.

[Lol, lmao, smash cut to Vash just showing up at his door like-]

And I am not giving him room to do this to me a third time. At that point, I'm the idiot here.

[.........]

I just don't think it'll be as easy as "talking", is all.

[Ugh.

Fuck it. Whether Nick fights him or not, Livio is going for a hug. A real one, with both arms, not held back for fear of hurting him because... he knows exactly what amount of strength would harm Nick, and how much less to use. So Nicholas gets a rare, unhindered embrace from Livio.]

I'm sorry you're hurting. I... I want you to be happy, Nick. Whatever you want to do, I'll back you up, and I'll be here after.

[Unhindered as it is, it means it really feels like a bear hug. It squeezes down on him tight from all sides, nearly enough to make it hurt to breathe, but still not quite. To someone else, it might be understandably frightening, and...honestly Wolfwood is a little startled by it, because it really just underscores the kind of strength Livio possesses these days.

But he isn't afraid. Nor does he try to shoulder his way out of the embrace.

No, he returns it. There's no way his own is as strong, but at least he's trying. He hugs Livio, resting his head heavily against his shoulder.]

...thank you, Livio. I'd be a lot more fucked up if you weren't here.

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