Archive of Our Own

A sign hung on Mr. Puzzles’ bedroom door in the hideout. 

‘DO NOT DISTURB’ 

Mr. Wpnz’s eyebrows furrowed as he scowled at the sign. It hid a greater meaning than Puzzles merely requiring isolation to further along his plan. He’d been avoiding being within the assassin’s company for days. Mr. Puzzles wasn’t even bothering to be subtle about it either. It was a distinct change from the tv man wanting to have his nonexistent nose in Wpnz’s business whenever he was out of the hideout.

It wasn’t hard to figure out the catalyst to this particular situation.

Despite sharing a night together in bed, several days had passed by with Mr. Wpnz scarcely catching sight of Puzzles, especially so once it became evening. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have bothered Wpnz very much, since he was used to spending long periods of time alone. But after that more intense night spent in the other man’s company? Especially three nights ago?

Something subtle had changed between the two of them.

Wpnz knew it, and he was pretty damn sure Mr. Puzzles did as well.

That shift would have to be addressed sooner rather later, as the shift would change the dynamics between the two of them enough to be a concern should the change become permanent.

Too bad Mr. Wpnz was shit at conversations regarding relationships of any kind.  And due to that, the assassin was well aware that he'd already made a subconscious decision about how he viewed Mr. Puzzles.  Wpnz knew thus because of how quickly he had fallen back into old habits when it was time to sleep. This meant Mr. Wpnz was sleep deprived after experiencing several restless nights in a row. But when the assassin finally fell asleep? He just ended up waking anyway from some nameless nightmare.  Wpnz would either know exactly where he was, or he would be on guard and tense as he waited for imagined threats that weren’t there to come for him.

It was annoyingly exhausting.

Mr. Wpnz’s yellow eyes glared at the stupid paper sign Mr. Puzzles had placed on his bedroom door. The assassin's lip curled  up, showing a hint of fang as he focused on the small text he'd not noticed before.

'That means trigger happy idiots and slimeballs.'

Mr. Wpnz couldn't help but snort at that as he rolled a shoulder and cracked either side of his neck. He could recognize avoidance when he saw it, and after days of being ignored, he'd reached the limit of what little patience he held (more than Wpnz assumed he had).  When Puzzles initially avoided him, Wpnz understood.  He wasn't a fool.  The assassin knew when someone had to process and makes sense of a conversation.  To turn over the new information to be gleaned from what had been said and learned.  

Hell, even Wpnz himself had had to do some thinking. He wasn’t really sure what to make of Mr. Puzzles being romantically interested in him, even if the man didn’t seem to fully comprehend what exactly he wanted from Wpnz apart from the friendship they’d formed over the past few months. Wpnz did enjoy being around Mr. Puzzles but the assassin had a difficulty offering Puzzles anything more than physical comfort and touch, since Wpnz knew that if he were to offer more, to connect on an emotional level, that there would be no going back.

It had hurt more than he thought, to lose Karen as he had, even if it was Wpnz who’d  fucked things up when trying to reconnect. This made the assassin not particularly interested in allowing other people to get too close to him. He couldn’t set himself up for disappointment now. Wpnz wasn’t sure how or when, but he’d have to find a way to make Puzzles aware that he couldn’t emotionally connect right now, still stuck in that past relationship he’d had with Karen, even if Wpnz had begun the process of letting go.

Ugh.

Wpnz didn’t want to think about emotional shit right now. The assassin resumed glaring at the bedroom door and its mocking signage.

All right.

Time for a little intervention for Mr. Puzzles to get him out of the hideout, providing a convenient distraction for the assassin at the same time. From where Wpnz stood outside the bedroom door, he could pick up the smell of burnt circuitry. The assassin made a face. He figured the scent meant that Puzzles could definitely use a break before he fully overheated while thinking too much and broke something in that metal tv head of his.

Wpnz didn't bother saying anything or knocking on the door, as this didn't do shit the past few days to gain the other man's attention. This was such a stupid fucking idea, but if Wpnz didn't intervene, the inactivity was going to kill him if the silent treatment didn't drive him crazy first.  So, Wpnz acted, rearing back on one leg while shifting launching the other one forward at the closed door.

And kicked the damn thing down.

Mr. Puzzles reacted in a satisfyingly hilarious way. The tv man jolted out of his seat while involuntarily sweeping a lot of papers off his desk with flailing arms. A frustrated noise tumbled out of him as Puzzles dove after the paper, casting an uncertain look Mr. Wpnz’s way. The tv man promptly dropped his digital gaze to the pages as he picked them up.

”Sup, boxhead.” Wpnz greeted nonchalantly, even if he was wearing a shit-eating grin over the over the top reaction.

“May I help you with something?” Puzzles asked crossly. “Perhaps help instill manners, including not breaking down bedroom doors.”

Wpnz said nothing, casually allowing himself into the room.

Mr. Puzzles remained on his hands and knees, swiftly gathering up and fastidiously organizing the written and typed documents along with some photos.

The assassin stared across the room to a giant cork board with string connecting people and places. A few photos had knives driven through them, the amount depending on the person. Wpnz was bemused by this sight; maybe he’d pilfer some more blades for Puzzles. The man seemed like he could use some more stress relief if he was stabbing the cork board so much. But the dedication to the board was something that Wpnz could appreciate.

The dedication to the details were very thorough.

But the state Puzzles had been found in, clothes rumpled a bit and his bow tie missing, pointed to the man definitely needing a break.

Mr. Wpnz took a few short clanking steps toward Puzzles in time to catch the other man glance up at him before quickly looking away. Taking advantage of there being less of a height difference, Wpnz quickly slung his right arm over Puzzles’ shoulders to tug him into his side. The assassin ignored the spluttering, along with the very poor attempt by Puzzles to pretend he didn’t want the touch but didn’t shrug him off.

“So, gotta question fer ya.” Wpnz pointedly ignored Puzzles’ earlier question. “I was gonna leave the hideout fer a bit. Ya wanna come with me? We can do some recon, if ya want, but I need a break from this gloom and doom place.” Wpnz could tell the other man was wavering, so he leaned in closer to Puzzles, his side pressing into the metal tv head. “I could use some company while I’m out. It’d help get things movin’ along.”

As predicted, Mr. Puzzles perked up over being given attention, even if he dismissed Wpnz with a tutting sound. Straightening his dress shirt, he ducked out from under the assassin’s arm. Puzzles slowly began to place the recovered items onto his desk.

Mr. Wpnz leaned against the nearby wall to wait, and was rewarded with Puzzles suddenly releasing a put upon sigh.

“I suppose if you need some company for recon, I will accompany you.” Mr. Puzzles’ head turned a distressing near 180 degrees to regard Wpnz over his shoulder with a hint of suspicion. “As long as this outing of yours does not involve going after a hit you neglected to tell me about?”

“Info gatherin’ only.” Wpnz held his hands up in a placating gesture. This appeared to mollify Puzzles, as he actually fully faced Wpnz, his demeanor changing in an instant as he retrieved his bow tie, excitement clear as he flounced out of the bedroom with an eager energy.

“Shall we be off then, my dear assassin friend~?”

-

He didn’t think this through well enough.

Sure, Mr. Wpnz was able to get Puzzles to leave the hideout with him, but he’d not put more thought into what to do if Puzzles agreed to leave. Already, Wpnz could hear the other man muttering under his breath, and otherwise displaying signs of agitation and impatience. Likely due to Wpnz not telling Mr. Puzzles where it was that they were going.

Because Wpnz hadn’t planned ahead.

Thankfully, though, Puzzles withheld any stinging commentary, as if he was enjoying the assassin’s company more than being left in the dark of what exactly it was that they were doing.

Wpnz could work with that.

In fact, Wpnz could practically envision the tension Mr. Puzzles was forcing his body through. Wpnz’s mind was made up; he had to figure out an actual idea than this aimless roaming before Puzzles vibrated into the sky from anxiousness. Wpnz discreetly scanned their immediate vicinity for some kind of inspiration, even if Mr. Puzzles was the one who improvised best.

Wpnz acted.

So when the assassin caught sight of a painfully quaint little cafe down the street (conveniently out of sight from the majority of passerbys) Wpnz made his first impulsive decision of the day. He turned to Mr. Puzzles to get his attention. “Ya need to relax a little before ya jitter outta yer prosthetics.” Once the screen faced Wpnz with an unamused, frowning expression, the assassin hooked a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the cafe. “I know I said I wanted to go out to gatherin’ up intel and all. But whaddya say we stop fer a drink and a bite? We’d be throwin’ off anyone tryin’ to tail us if there are any.”

Mr. Puzzles’ visage gave the impression of looking around. The gaze lingered on the cafe for a time. Puzzles’ shoulders relaxed a fraction as he hummed thoughtfully, before his expression switched to Wpnz, Puzzles’ body facing him. Their eyes met for a moment, before the tv man averted his gaze. Mr. Puzzles’ arms crossed, foot tapping, before he let his arms hang at his side. In an almost tentative way, Puzzles looked back at the cafe.

Despite not being able to see the expression on Puzzles’ screen, Wpnz could tell from the body language that the cafe had captured the other man’s interest. And when Puzzles spoke, Wpnz faintly heard a hint of genuine happiness.

“I suppose I’ve not had much to eat or drink these past few days.” Puzzles’ voice dropped to a whisper. “Not that I need very much anymore.”

“Then we better get ya somethin’.” Wpnz passed by Puzzles to loosely clap him on the shoulder. “And then ya can talk about whatever ya need from me. Bein’ all secretive while workin’ on yer plan is great and all, but it‘d help if I knew what ya want from me, yeah?”

“…of course.” Mr. Puzzles said, distractedly. He had remained in the same place after Wpnz had just let go of his shoulder to step forward. Puzzles hastened to follow, only to hesitate a beat when Wpnz opened the cafe door. The action clicked when Wpnz waved him along; Puzzles beamed at the assassin with a big technicolor smile as he entered the cafe.

“Waddya want?” Wpnz asked as he followed, while baring his fangs at onlookers.

This caused several people to quickly leave the premises with or without their drinks.

Wpnz turned back to his companion to see that Mr. Puzzles already at the counter. The tv man seemed to be driving up the barista’s ire up as he began to rattle off about cafes and how he wanted to make his own drink. When it looked like an argument was about to take place, the assassin brought out a gun in place of one of his hands and looked meaningfully at the barista.

With a narrowing of eyes, the barista threw up their hands in frustration and stalked off into the back of the cafe. They muttered about it being the second time this week someone demanded to make their own drink, so why were they coming to a cafe instead of doing so at home?

“What would you like to drink?” Mr. Puzzles called over to Wpnz in an echo of the assassin asking him what he’d like.

With a sharp grin, Wpnz told Puzzles, in detail, the drink he wanted. The disgusted face Puzzles made was hilarious, even if the man made the nauseating sugar rush of a drink Wpnz had asked for without complaint. Puzzles fussed with the syrup bottles, sprinkles, whip cream and espresso shots before delicately placing the giant drink on the counter for Wpnz to easily pick up.

As Puzzles busied himself making his own drink, his digital smile hitched up at the edges of his screen when he watched Wpnz help himself to the pastry case. The smile grew more genuine, and amused, as the assassin piled up two plates full of sugary baked treats and plopped both plates onto a tray.

With drink in hand, and the tray balanced on the other, Wpnz walked over to a booth furthest away from the entrance to the cafe. It allowed Wpnz to sit with his back to a wall to keep an eye on the rest of the interior of the small building.

Mr. Puzzles followed after the assassin, bringing over a drink of his own, which appeared to be a cup full of espresso (and hopefully some water) without anything else in it. Either obvious to the potential danger or trusting Wpnz to watch his back, Puzzles sat down facing him.

Wpnz placed the tray between the two of them, as well as his sugar-caffeine rush of a drink, whipped cream already melting into the rest of the drink.

Puzzles made another face but this time it was likely he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Wpnz guessed that neither of them ate or drank around the other often, if at all. In fact, Wpnz had only ever heard Mr. Puzzles mention that he needed very little in the way of sustenance. He wondered if Puzzles would eat something, now that they had a snacks and a drink in front of them. Picking up a scone, Wpnz bit it in half with sharp fangs. The assassin enjoyed the food, even if it didn’t do all that much for him, much like Puzzles. Wpnz was quiet as he observed the other man inspecting the plate of bakery goods; he seemed almost hesitant.

Was Mr. Puzzles self-conscious about the way he ate?

Wpnz found it hard to picture exactly how the other man would accomplish eating. Did Puzzles hold the food up to his screen to absorb it, or disappear into the screen? Did he cut things up small to put into the vents on the side of his head? Wpnz had seen Mr. Puzzles smoke with the vents of his tv head before, and on one memorable occasion, at the base of his throat where wire, metal and bone met.

Mr. Puzzles appeared to make a decision as he reached for a muffin. Digital eyes briefly focused on Wpnz, then went back to the muffin.

Wpnz wasn’t sure what he expected, but what he witnessed next was not at all anything he had been prepared to witness.

The tv screen went to static right before there was a grinding mechanical sound. Mr. Puzzles’ screen glass broke open, splitting vertically down the middle. The tear opened, parting open to resemble a large jagged rectangle. This was revealed to be a large maw with teeth lining the inner area of the glass on either side. Within the maw was the fleshy interior of a throat, which had a few rows of teeth, though just how far those rows went was prevented by the dark fathomless depth that began partway down the ‘throat’.

Were those tentacles further down inside of the mouth?

What the fuck?!

Was Mr. Wpnz hallucinating this?

…he couldn’t look away.

Unconcerned by the eldritch horror show that he was putting on, Mr. Puzzles casually tossed the muffin into the middle of his split open screen. A long tongue suddenly appeared to wrap around the muffin once it was past the first set of sharp teeth.

Wpnz watched with morbid fascination as the muffin disappeared down into the dark depths of the seemingly endless maw.

Mr. Puzzles tilted the cup of espresso in past the teeth, humming contentedly before tipping the cup back up, half empty. As he set the cup down, the vertical tear closed with a snap of those teeth, leaving the glass unbroken. The closed maw faded from view to be replaced by static. Not a second later, Mr. Puzzles’ face flickered back into existence. “The muffin and espresso are better than I thought they would be.”  Mr. Puzzles stated with a pleased smile. “We should come back here again sometime.”

Wpnz stared wordlessly, turning over what he’d just witnessed.

How in the fuck did that even work?

“What is it?” Mr. Puzzles asked into the silence, a look of confusion taking place of the smile. “Is there a crumb on my face?”

Wpnz was given another show of that vertically split fanged mouth as that distressingly long tongue reappeared to explore the edges of the screen until Puzzles’ face reverted to normal. “Nothing’s there.”

Much to the assassin’s chagrin, he wasn’t able to question Mr. Puzzles about his way of eating and drinking. And it was all due to the unfortunate appearance of a horde of screaming children who appeared to be obsessed with brainrot shows.

Puzzles was obviously spooked by the sight as he was hasty vacated his seat and made his way for the employee exit in the back.

Wpnz followed along, only to find that he was again prevented from asking his question once the two of them were outside. Because not even a block away, Wpnz and Puzzles were forced to take cover when some hitmen came out from hiding to take potshots at Mr. Wpnz.

Amateurs.

Unfortunately, the idiots with poor aiming skill had picked a more open location, meaning that there was only a damn amusement park nearby to take cover in.

Great.

At least Mr. Puzzles appeared happy when they entered the park (without paying) as his long legs carried him along at a faster clip than Wpnz’s shorter metal ones. 

Mr. Wpnz actually had to seize one of Puzzles’ arms to drag him back into looking for a hiding spot (and to not get ‘distracted by nostalgia there’s a time and place fer that, boxhead’).

The park was unfortunately much too small a venue to have any actual good hiding places, especially when Wpnz had to shoot down the tunnel of love much to Puzzles’ disappointment. The place was impractical , anyway, because while it was a dark tunnel, there was no place to hide but the water. And Mr. Puzzles had already pointed out that he couldn’t immerse his head underwater without taking a lot of damage.

‘Spoilsport’ Puzzles could be heard muttering as they passed the water ride.

The assassin pointedly ignored him, focusing on trying to find a place to lie low so Mr. Puzzles didn’t get himself shot from looking for a spot to get all up in Wpnz’s personal space. Luckily, Wpnz was able to lead Puzzles around the back of the tunnel, looping twice to allow them time to Looping around back of the tunnel to prevent the hitmen from having a clear line of sight as they fired their weapons.

No braincells between these guys if one didn’t try to block off their quarry’s path.l while the others pursued. Then again, hitmen didn’t tend to collaborate well with one another.

He’d know.

Wpnz had worked alone for a long time, until…

Karen.

Wpnz grit his teeth; and he accused Puzzles of being distracted by nostalgia. Giving his head a rough shake, Wpnz clenched one hand as he signaled to Puzzles to follow him behind and past a false front of a building.

No time to think of what had once been.

Now was the time to focus.

Once out of direct view, Mr. Wpnz returned fire once the other hitmen were reloading. For fun, and to confuse, Wpnz let off a few ricocheting bullets.  It was during this short back and forth that Wpnz realize a disquieting pattern forming.

The hitmen would shoot where they last saw Wpnz fire from.

Wpnz would fire back.

But each time the other assassins shot back, the bullets were aimed only for weapons, and not at all toward Puzzles, even if Wpnz knew they’d caught glimpses of the lanky tv headed man. And the bullets that were being used, along with the unnerving sight of tiny needles at the ends of dummy bullets…it made made the intentions clear.

The gunfire (and capsule-bullets) were aimed to disable Wpnz, not kill him.

”Fuck.” Wpnz said, with a sinking feeling and a good deal of anger simmering beneath.

…someone wanted him alive.

That was never a good thing in this line of business.

With that new knowledge, Mr. Wpnz worked worked harder to shake the other hitmen of his trail. The only reason this finally succeeded was due to the most ludicrous hiding spot Wpnz could find (with Puzzles hunched over and pointing it out).

A pitch-black, out-of-order haunted house.

Great.

Perfect.

There was only one snag in the plan, and it involved Mr. Wpnz going into a hidden trap door. The space below barely had enough  room for the assassin to fit in, let alone with the lanky bastard crouched alongside the trapdoor, looking down at it then Wpnz with an expectant expression.

”No fuckin’ way that’d works.” Wpnz said bluntly, twitchy and ready to fire upon anything making motion other than himself and Puzzles. 

”Never say never, my dear assassin.” Mr. Puzzles said cheerily, despite his smile becoming strained and his digital eyes on the door they’d come in across the dilapidated house being used as a ‘haunted attraction.’

”I ain’t gonna fit in there with ya.” Wpnz shot back irritably, only to grunt when Puzzles tugged him down by an arm to his knees. The assassin waved the other man off with a low growl. “The fuck ya think yer doin’?”

”Get into the dark murder hole, darling.” Mr. Puzzles said, urging Wpnz closer to the edge. “Do you want to be on top?”

One of Mr. Wpnz’s eyebrows twitched. Smug fucking-

Wait.

The hitmen who were pursing him. They’d already proven to be below average intelligence, so maybe, just maybe, this could actually work and throw the other hitmen off the trail entirely.

Eh.

What the hell.

This day had already gone much differently than Wpnz had anticipated, so why not try this idea out?

”Or do you want to be on the bottom?” Mr. Puzzles asked slyly, unnecessarily close to the side of Wpnz’s head.

”…nah.” Wpnz used his left palm to shove Puzzles back out of his space (‘watch the glass!’) before the assassin lowered himself into the dark space beneath the trap door. After inspecting the small area, Wpnz sat his ass down and looked up at Puzzles. “Well, what are ya waiting’ for, a signed invitation?”

“You’d like to cordially invite me down into the murder hole with you?” Mr. Puzzles teased, though there was tension in his shoulders as he sat down, legs not even dangling as his feet touched the ground.

”It ain’t a murder hole.” Wpnz snorted as he idly waved a hand. “There ain’t any bodies down here.” The assassin grinned up at Puzzles. “‘Cept fer us, abs we ain’t dead, so it’s a lil bunker.”

”Schematics.” Puzzles responded almost absently, hesitating before dropping further into the space when he likely saw he’d have to be on Wpnz lap and scrunch up. “Maybe there’s another spot I can-“

”Just get in, ta lanky bastard.” Mr. Wpnz started as he seized Puzzles by his nearest arm and heaved him in the rest of the way.

Luckily, Puzzles had the presence of mind to not make a loud shout or yelp when Wpnz pulled him down into the dark. 

“Hold still.” Reaching past Mr. Puzzles quickly clinging to him, Wpnz tugged the trap door over their snug hiding space, where even the assassin had to scrunch up to fit. He pinned Puzzles’ dimmed screen with a scowl. “Stop squirmin’. I thought ya wanted to be close to me now.”

”You will need to stop moving as well so I can be motionless.” Puzzles said tartly, as he made himself very comfortable by settling onto Wpnz’s lap. His long legs went on either side of the assassin’s as Mr. Puzzles wrapped his arms around Wpnz’s neck. Puzzles sagged, face pressing into Wpnz’s neck and left shoulder. From the darkness becoming complete in the small space, Mr. Puzzles had just turned his screen off completely to hide the glow. “Is this better?” Was asked with a sly pet along the back of Wpnz’s neck with gloved fingertips. “…I thought you didn’t want to have any more closeness like a few nights ago.”

“Shut yer trap.” Wpnz muttered, arms going up to automatically wrap around the middle of Puzzles’ back. “I can hear ‘em comin’.”

A door opened with a creak in the distance, accompanied by inaudible voices.

Wpnz closed his own eyes to prevent anyone from seeing the yellow glow if they passed overhead. Wpnz held Puzzles tighter when the other trembled the slightest bit. The assassin focused on the footsteps, tracking them. A few times, the hitmen came close to the trapdoor, but none ever came close enough to walk overhead. Wpnz only began to relax his frame once the mutters and curves and footsteps finally receded, until he couldn’t hear them any longer.

“Are they gone?” Puzzles asked as he relaxed his near-strangle hold from around Wpnz’s neck.

“Fer now.” Satisfied that he no longer had to remain silent, Wpnz silently reached up for the trapdoor, only for Puzzles to do so first. And then saw the teasing technicolor smile aimed down at him. “We can play later, if ya want.” That was worth the sudden flash of a blush that crossed that screen while Puzzles scrambled to detangle his limbs from around Wpnz. “Didja know yer too easy to fluster, boxhead?”

A hand reached down to offer Wpnz a leg out of the dark hole.

Wpnz accepted the assist, but hadn’t expected for Mr. Puzzles to have his screen level with his face. The tv headed man used his other hand to slide under the assassin’s chin. And tilted Wpnz’s head back as Puzzles leaned in closer until they were scant inches apart.

What the fuck?

What the fuck?!

“As are you, my dear assassin.” The teasing tone was light, almost affectionate.

“What?” Wpnz searched the screen as it flickered to gleeful.

”You fluster when caught off guard.” Puzzles patiently pointed out, before he slowly moved his hand away, metal head tipping to the side as if expecting a response.

”Whatever.” Wpnz didn’t know what the hell to make of whatever that had been, so he chose to focus on the ‘why’ of them having to hide. 

The other hitemen.

”Let’s go.” Wpnz said simply, as he caught hold of one of Mr. Puzzles’s thin wrists. He led the surprisingly complaint man out of the haunted house, receiving only a token of protest. Puzzles very clearly enjoyed being held onto by Wpnz himself.

(don’t get attached; he couldn’t allow himself to keep getting so close)

Even after Wpnz let go of him, Puzzles stuck close behind, following him. And this time, Wpnz didn’t even have to tell Puzzles to be quiet this time when the man stooped to be closer to Wpnz height, screen dimmed again.

Good.

It meant that Mr. Puzzles has picked up on the way Wpnz had begun to tail the hitmen who’d been after them minutes before. Though he had to voice his opinion on this plan some ten minutes later, breaking the silence.

”What do you think you’re doing?” From the tone alone, Mr. Puzzles was not a fan of tailing their former pursuers, no matter how intrigued he may be on the concept itself.

“Recon.” Wpnz responded with the first thought that came to mind as he held a finger to his lips to indicate being quiet again.

Mr. Puzzles didn’t appear to be any happier with that answer, rolling digital eyes over the carefree, too eager Wpnz offered him.

The stalking resumed.

Wpnz kept track of the streets and buildings that were passed, careful to keep out of range of sight or notice if one of the other hitmen was more aware that they appeared right now.

Mr. Puzzles remained stooped as he moved, and remained behind Wpnz, just a little to the side. It was just like they’d discussed before. If the theoretical possibility of Puzzles ending up where Wpnz was when the assassin was out on a hit or a mission involved gathering information.

Time to put that theoretical plan to the test.

Satisfied with Mr. Puzzles keeping close but not too close, Wpnz tracked the hitmen for the next hour, not once being detected. Either they were just that incompetent or the other hitmen didn’t want Wpnz to be aware that he’d been found out. Wpnz was leaning toward the former, on account of the hitmen not even watching their own backs.

Seriously, who sent these guys?

It was insulting, to think any of them could have captured him.

Did they think Wpnz vanished into thin air?

The hitmen certainly appeared to be confident to walk so openly in plain sight, as if they didn’t think Wpnz was around to possibly tag them instead of vice versa.

Another hour later, and the hitmen approaches their destination.

Mr. Wpnz was not pleased by the location.

A familiar looking pier at the docks with a warehouse nearby.

Unbidden, the memory of Puzzles being shot the last time he and Wpnz had been in this area set the assassin on edge. It hadn’t mattered to Wpnz how roughed up he’d gotten, as he was used to it. If he didn’t get caught now and again, Mr. Wpnz wouldn’t get the chance to go all out when he freed himself (or his captors let their guard down).

A quick glance over one shoulder and to the side showed Mr. Puzzles nearby. The man had smartly dimmed his screen further, and turned his head to the side just enough to avoid any light from reflecting off it. Wpnz turned back, and slick closer through tall grass and bushes.  He grit his fangs together while he watched the small group of hitmen trail into the warehouse that was just off the docks.

Because of course they did.

“Hey, jigsaw, need ya to stay outta sight here. I’m gonna go eavesdrop on ‘em.” Wpnz turned to face Puzzles. “And I’m bein’ serious about goin’ in there alone. We don’t  want a repeat of what happened last time.”

Mr. Puzzles appeared ready to argue, but instead rubbed a hand absently along one arm before he gave a jerky nod. He obviously remembered being shot as the tv headed man shifted on his feet to favor his left leg.

Wpnz reached up to grasp Puzzles’ nearest shoulder in quiet approval.

“Don’t take too long.” Mr. Puzzles murmured, lightly resting a hand over where Wpnz’s had just been. “It wouldn’t do any good to have you be caught and almost tortured again.”

“Eh, they did get a bit into the torture but it wasn’t anythin’ I hadn’t dealt with ‘fore.” Wpnz muttered back. Not waiting to see what expression Puzzles had over that comment, Wpnz stealthily slipped forward through the underbrush toward the warehouse. The assassin stuck to the late afternoon shadows cast off the side of building, and made a face as he noticed something else.

There weren’t any lookouts!

What kinda amateurs had been sent after him for a capture attempt?

Even the large windows halfway up the side of the warehouse were unlocked, easily allowing Mr. Wpnz easy access into the building.

Completely undetected.

Upon closer inspection, two entire glass panels of one of the windows was missing.

Wpnz scaled the side of the building, muffling the sound of metal as best he could. Shuffling sideways, Wpnz went over to the partially open, clearly compromised window, and heaved himself up over it, gaining access into the warehouse. Dropping lightly onto the catwalk (which was actually rather loud), Wpnz kept low as he picked his way across the rusting catwalk. Taking extra care to muffle his metal feet as he walked along, the assassin soon reached a prime position to eavesdrop. Crouching further down, Mr. Wpnz precariously leaned on the edge of the railing, tuning in to the chatter below.

Ten minutes passed.

To be brutally honest, most of what was being spoken of was boring as hell.

Not a single word was of any use to him; none of it got Mr. Wpnz any closer to the reason of why someone wanted him captured alive.

Dammit.

This wasn’t going to give him any useful info, was it?

Unlike the last time when he’d been caught off-guard and captured. Wpnz felt he ought to have gone back for answers that time. Whether he would have been tortured and killed off had been left unanswered. Who was to say that the plan was to capture him to bring Wpnz in for going rouge?

No use wondering now.

Wpnz was very tempted to just drop down, take out all the hitmen but one, and interrogate that one, since eavesdropping now was turning out to be useless.

Until the conversation shifted to an unexpected topic.

One that made a hint of dread rise within Mr. Wpnz. At least the hitmen were finally discussing him, but it was who else they were discussing that brought forth that feeling of dread, and of unease.

Mr. Puzzles.

They were discussing Mr. Puzzles, the hitmen’s voices overlapping one another as accusations and ideas were tossed around.

“-catching that crazy weapons bodied bastard off guard isn’t working.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Maybe he’d take a hit and it could be tuned into an ambush?”

“You wanna be in close quarters with a guy made of weapons, who can shoot or slice someone up at a moment’s notice?”

“…hey, what about athat tv headed man? Wouldn’t we be better off going after him first?”

“The fuck do we want that one for? He ain’t an assassin.”

“But he showed up and helped Wpnz outta being tortured that one time. Remember that? One of the hitmen got out that time and he’s way far away from here.”

“The hell’re you yapping on about?”

“Wait! I remember that! Do you think Wpnz would actually show up if we hold that tv freak hostage?”

“He helped the guy when he got shot.”

“So catch the tv freak and lure Wpnz out, just like that?”

“Guy’s got a tv for a head; we could probably get him to directly broadcast a hostage video for us. Saves the time and effort on our part to find a place to hook up to.”

Wpnz’s eyes narrowed to slits, baring his fangs while his hands curled into tight fists, barely withholding a growl.

It figured that it would come to this, sooner or later.

“How are we supposed to even find that tv guy? S’not like he’s walking the streets every day like he was today.”

“The fuck do you think we pay lookouts and randos to tail and spy on people for?”

“We don’t know where he lives. Or Wpnz.”

“Then it’s a long term waiting game while we gather up info and try to find a pattern of habit.”

“We gotta drag it out like that?”

“Would you rather get shot or stabbed by a competent assassin by trying to get close again?”

“Are you calling me incompetent?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you implied it!”

“Shut up, both of you. We knew this wasn’t gonna be easy to catch another assassin; hell, we’d be lucky to capture him half beat to pieces and still have to make sure he don’t kill us all.”

“Then we don’t want Wpnz around when we’re trying to catch ourselves some bait.”

“We still gotta figure out how to lure that tv head somewhere once we got a pattern down. We don’t know if he’ll put up a fight or not.”

“Then we have someone snipe his legs out from under him; he don’t need to be in one piece. We just need him alive to lure Wpnz in, and be in good enough shape to broadcast his predicament. If he can even do that.”

“Maybe we could torture ‘im some, get him singing nicely for us to really sell it to Wpnz. Make ‘im cry and beg all pathetic-like.”

“Keep your kinks out of this.”

“Shut the fuck up Mr ‘I like to tie people up and beat them’.”

“That was one time!”

Wpnz had heard enough; none of the people in this warehouse were going to leave it alive. Standing up, Wpnz rolled his shoulders as he placed one foot on the railing. Titling his head, Wpnz picked out who he’d take down first as he leapt to the ground floor below. Wpnz shoved off the railing. He fell, one arm turning into a machine gun to take down the two closest hitmen. His other arm, a chainsaw, bisected another, splattering himself and the other remaining hitmen with blood.

“Shit!”

“Shoot him!”

”No, tranq him you idiots!”

“Where the fuck did he come from?!”

Wpnz offered a hair raising, dark smile as he lunged forward and attacked again with vicious precision.

One way to foil an intended plan was to end it before it could even the beginning of it could be put into motion.

-

The warehouse was on fire; it wasn’t an accident.

It was like that by the time Wpnz was confident that he’d dealt with a possible future threat. The assassin had purposefully poured out all the gasoline cans he could find in a nearby shed behind the warehouse himself. Wpnz even happily shot a crate on the opposite side of the warehouse from where the one-sided slaughter had taken place, aware of the splatter of blood and its tackiness beneath metal feet. The crates in the corner burst into satisfying flames, lighting up other crates in the vicinity as the gasoline aided the quick spread of the burning wood.

Heh.

Lit up nice and easy.

Wpnz moved backward toward the entrance of the warehouse, where he’d left the doors partially open to leave through. Wpnz fired off round after round of bullets into each corner of the building’s interior, so he’d be sure the that the areas close to the windows would prevent escape, if the spreading fire and bleeding out didn’t take care of things. Not that Wpnz expected any survivors after being so thorough. He wasn’t taking any chances after he’d heard that discussion to use Mr. Puzzles as bait.

As if anyone could lure him out so easily.

Letting off a satisfying spray of bullets as a final ‘fuck you’ to the very dead hitmen scattered about the floor, Wpnz slammed the front doors shut and barred them with a metal bar, trusting the heat to melt it into place as an extra measure. The assassin retreated a good distance away; everything looked like it was locked down good and tight.

But just to be extra certain that no one miraculously dragged themselves off with the idea to go kidnap Puzzles…

Wpnz fired off a round from his headgear’s canons.

An explosion reverberated from within the warehouse as the front doors burst into flames that licked up and around the wooden frame to either side of it.

Wpnz stood in place for a short time, vaguely marveling over the fact that Mr. Puzzles hadn’t shown up to get himself into trouble. The prior incident on the nearby pier paired with the gunshot wound to the leg must have been enough for Puzzles to rethink inserting himself directly into Wpnz’s missions.

The missions did tend to end in blood, violence and death.

Mr. Wpnz lingered until the warehouse began to crumple in on itself, the front doors of the entrance bowing the metal bar and collapsing forward, setting some of the grass nearby on fire.

No one came out of the rubble and flames.

Wpnz stayed a moment longer, then turned away and began to make his way back to where he’d left Puzzles. The assassin took the long way around, just to be certain that there was no one following after him. Despite being on edge, Wpnz was at least prepared for the way that Mr. Puzzles was practically all over him, instantly in his personal space the moment the other man saw Wpnz. 

Puzzles wrapped Mr. Wpnz in a tight hug, before loosening his grip and stepping back a step. Straightening up, Puzzles used his height to loom over Wpnz as he began to fret loudly over the assassin, the tv man’s words practically unable to be understood through the static feedback of his voice.

”I’m fine, boxhead.” Wpnz told Puzzles, even as he allowed the other man to check him for any injuries. But there wouldn’t be anything other than scratches here and there on metal.

“Whatever were you thinking?!” The gloved hands barely hesitated going over clothes that were splattered with blood, some of it likely having congealed, which made Puzzles rut loudly in exasperation (likely attempting to hide the tremble in his fingers). “This is going to take some time to get the stains out.” Mr. Puzzles fussily brushed off some gunpowder residue, before clinging to an area of Wpnz’s jacket that wasn’t bloody. “I did not expect your information gathering to end in a raging inferno.”

“Oh yeah?” Wpnz smirked, but he was pretty damn sure he had heard a tinge of concern from the other man. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. So Wpnz tried to redirect by sliding his hand underneath Puzzles’ tv head, then allowed his fingers to trace beneath and then down along Puzzles wire neck. “What were ya expectin’ me to do?” Wpnz questioned, continuing to lightly pet the wires of Puzzles’ neck. There was a tremble in response to Wpnz’s touch, but also a tensing up.

Ah, shit.

Not a good enough distraction.

Mr. Wpnz internally cursed as Puzzles gripped the wrist of the hand at his throat, abruptly pivoting both of them to the side. And then, in another surprise, Wpnz found himself subjected to a move from Puzzles that was the assassin’s own. And Wpnz was pretty damn sure it was due to Mr. Puzzles watching him so closely on prior info gathering missions. A leg hooked behind one of Wpnz’s knees with a hard backward yank, forcing the assassin to fall to the ground behind the cover of the bushes.

Heh.

Mr. Puzzles was really holding out on him. First the brainwashing people deal, and now showing that he’s been not only watching Wpnz’s activity, but his fighting style as well? Wpnz found himself becoming more interested in figuring out what exactly was behind that glitzy showman facade.

“What I expected was for you to gather your information, then leave.” Mr. Puzzles almost playfully rolled Wpnz onto his back, right before settling over the assassin’s waist, hands going to lightly press down onto either side of Wpnz’s shoulders. The action wouldn’t do anything to prevent Wpnz from getting up, so it was probably more to support himself as Puzzles loomed closer, screen scant inches from Wpnz’s face. A calculating expression flickered into existence, right before it became manic smile with crazed-looking digital eyes, one twitching at the edge. “What I didn’t anticipate was the dramatic flair you chose, even if it was quite the show.” Puzzles vaguely jerked his head in the direction of the blazing inferno of rubble that was the warehouse. “Did those other hitmen happen to spot you to do that? It seems a tad overkill, even for you, my dear little delinquent.”

“Mighta been somethin’ like that.” Wpnz slowly moved his arms to rest hands over the back of Puzzles own, when the tv man’s fingertips had dug into the assassin’s shoulders. “Does it really matter why?”

“Indulge me?” Mr. Puzzles responded with a rather insincere technicolor smile. “I was only able to see a teeny tiny bit of what went on inside that warehouse. I only had access to one paltry, quite outdated surveillance camera at an awkward angle.” Those mismatched digital eyes pinned Wpnz with wary suspicion, despite the widening smile. “There was no audio hooked up, but from your reaction, something that those hitmen said caught your attention.”

“Don’t ya think that I already indulge ya more than I ought to, boxhead?” Wpnz asked with a matching grin, his own was genuine in that he was right of his assessment of the other man.

Puzzles wasn’t as ignorant or naive as he played off as, nor was that showman energy fully who he was.

“Ya can’t say that I don’t humor ya when I read that play the other day.” It was this little interaction and previous ones that cemented Wpnz’s determination to figure out what the hell was up with his partner in crime. “And I let ya treat my injuries before, when I coulda done that myself.”

“You’re not answering my question~” Mr. Puzzles nearly sang in a rather disconcerting way. “Was what those goons said really that bad, or…” Mr. Puzzles leaned in so that Wpnz could only see the screen of his face, feel the warmth of it, and the tickle of static. Puzzles’ voice dropped to a low and dangerous, if crooning, whisper. “-is what was spoken of something you do not want me to be aware of?”

It appeared that Puzzles was unlikely to let go of the assassin’s shoulders any time soon, meaning Wpnz would have to go about this differently.

“You wanna play this kinda a game with me, jigsaw? ‘Cause I can play.” Mr. Wpnz drawled with a hint of fang as he looked directly at the screen. At a flicker of Puzzles’ crazed smile growing wider, Wpnz matched it as he moved his hands off Puzzles that were on his shoulders. Keeping direct eye contact, Wpnz moved his hands to either side of the tv man’s stupidly narrow waist, palms and fingers pressed to his hips, thumbs and forefinger digging into Puzzles’ trim waist. “Ya really wanna know what they said, when it was just some of the usual bullshit?”

“Anything that would impact my plan going forward?” Mr. Puzzles eventually asked after scrutinizing Wpnz’s face.

“Nah, s’nothin’ fer ya to worry about.” Wpnz’s fangs bared in a feral grin. “Ain’t so fun to be in the dark ‘bout somethin’, is it?”

“I can play games if you wish.” Puzzles’ visage briefly showed a genuinely pleased expression, as if truly enjoying this back and forth. “But be aware that I don’t always play fair.” A familiar unhinged smile manifested as Mr. Puzzles pushed himself up into a seated position over Wpnz’s waist, hands lifting up from shoulders to trace patterns absently across the assassin’s abdomen.

“And what are ya holdin’ back from lettin’ slip to me?” Wpnz questioned as he resettled his hands over Puzzle’s hips after the man sat up. Wpnz teasingly dug his forefingers and thumbs into the other man’s waist a little harder, rewarded with a sudden tremble.

“Little old me, hiding things from you? Oh, perish the thought.” Puzzles teased right back, flapping a hand dismissively in the air.

“Really.” Wpnz stated, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that Puzzles was going to find out very quickly he was sporting a boner. Mr. Wpnz debated on whether or not to tell Puzzles that a rush of adrenaline and being (no longer) pinned down on the ground like this was very much a turn-on. “I thought ya liked to talk“

“Mm, that is true. I do so enjoy speaking of my passions, but in this case...” Mr. Puzzles regarded Wpnz closely as he raised one hand up to place a finger to his screen over his currently sly technicolor smile as one digital eye winked. “It’s a secret.”

“Oh, that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” Wpnz’s grin widened at that; he couldn’t help but also enjoy this stupid back and forth game of theirs, whatever it was. And yanking one another around on whatever ‘secrets’ were being kept from one another. Even if said secrets could be as simple as Mr. Wpnz leaving the hideout on occasion to at go scream in the middle of nowhere until he went hoarse. Or the numerous times Mr. Puzzles smoked through a pack of cigarettes at an alarming rate through the vents of his television head in response to high stress. “Well, lemme tell ya that it ain’t nothin’ fer ya to worry about. S’got nothin’ to do with yer plan, at least accordin’ to what ya told me ‘bout it so far.”

That Mr. Puzzles body language relaxed from where he was perched over Wpnz waist spoke volumes. It was one thing to be relieved that his plan would t be affected m but it was another matter altogether to be otherwise unconcerned with information being withheld.

Wpnz supposed it could be because he had directed the conversation back to a more comfortable topic, than keeping secrets from one another. 

Another reason the assassin was determined to fully crack through the facade Mr. Puzzles presented to everyone, including Wpnz himself. Wpnz wanted to see who lie beneath. Though the assassin suspected that he’d been seeing hints recently in the past few months of who Mr. Puzzles truly was.

A person who was pointedly manipulative; not out of cruelty, but to protect and defend oneself from the outside world.

Wpnz could relate, though he had terrible coping methods, instead of actively seeking out manipulating someone to his own gain.

Unless the occasion called for it.

“If you’re quite done groping my waist and hips, I’d like to get up. We should return to our hideout.” Mr. Puzzles turned his head off to the side, his expression looking away, as he quietly added. “If we aren’t swarmed by brain rotted children again, I wouldn’t mind…going back to that cafe in the future.”

“Sure, why not.” Wpnz agreed, though he tightened his grip instead of letting go. “But before we head back, I do got somethin’ to tell ya.”

“And why would that be?” Mr. Puzzles asked, either oblivious or pointedly ignoring the tension singing through Wpnz’s frame (along with some vents releasing heat to prevent Wpnz from accidentally firing off any ammo).

“I just thought ya’d like to know that I’m real horny right now and that yer little show of usin’ my own moves on me to take me down and pin me on my back is a real turn on.”

“You do appear to be heating up.” Mr. Puzzles muttered as he looked the assassin over, before meeting his gaze again. “And you’re informing me of this why? Surely it can wait until we get back to the hideout.”

“Nope.” Mr. Wpnz suddenly dropped his hands from waist and hips to squeeze Puzzles lightly padded robotic ass, who immediately squirmed and let out an undignified yelp. “I got another question fer ya.” Wpnz grinned in amusement as he squeezed again, but this time rolled the two of them over, quickly letting go of Puzzles’ backside so that he could straddle the other man’s waist.

“What are you-what is-oh dear, I-“ Mr. Puzzles spluttered, his screen glitching through a few images and faces before a blushing one settled in. Puzzles vented in and out before tipping his head back to look at Wpnz. “What question is that?”

“Do ya want me to blow yer circuits or do ya wanna wait fer me to get off before we leave?” The assassin asked bluntly, deciding to get straight to the point.

“Behind some bushes in an otherwise open outdoors, in a semi-public area that anyone could possibly come across?” Puzzles crossed his arms over his chest. “I am not an exhibitionist.”

“That ain’t a ‘no’ boxhead. There ain’t no one in the area but us fer right now.” Wpnz leaned over to begin to drag his fingers lightly along Puzzles’ shoulders, then down his arms, then back up to repeat before swapping to tracing from collarbone to abdomen, and back again. “If yer not interested, I can take care of myself real quick and we can get goin’.”

“We’re out in the open.” Mr Puzzles emphasized with one hand flapping up in a general indication of their surroundings.

“I’m not gonna take my clothes off, so it ain’t like anyone’s gonna get an eyeful’.” Wpnz answered the unasked question when he saw the other man dubiously eyeing his singed, bloody dress shirt and jacket.

“You already have more laundry to do and you’d like to add to that?” Puzzles asked with a sigh as he rested the back of his tv head against the grass. “And isn’t this rather unsanitary with the blood?”

“Still ain’t answered me, pal.” Wpnz reached up to pet along either side of Puzzles boxy head, digging metal fingertips in along the vents.

“I…will admit that I am…still a bit high-strung from being chased by those hitmen earlier.” Mr. Puzzles murmured, catching Wpnz’s wrists to still them before they tickled along his vents again. “I am…that is to say…I am not opposed to having my ‘circuits’ blown today, provided any blown fuses, wiring or tubing in my head is replaced without too much delay, and we keep our-“

“-clothes on, yeah yeah, I got that.” Wpnz waited until Mr. Puzzles released his wrists to shift back a little, then promptly draped himself over Puzzles from chest to waist. Wpnz turned his head and pressed his lips to the wires of the other’s neck, nipping at it as his headgear clicked against the underside of Puzzles tv head. “But yer gonna have to show me somewhere to send some of the elevated charge of my canon and other compartments that control my weaponry.”

“If you can control the charge, you can run it through the back of my head in one of the ports there.” Mr. Puzzles shifted to lie on his side, shoving Wpnz’s weight off of him, so that he could turn over and press his back into the assassin’s chest. “My neck is insulated to prevent an electrical charge from building up when I do work on my body or my head. That way, it’ll be less likely to send an errant charge that might fry what internals I have left.” Puzzles relaxed again when Wpnz’s right arm went around his middle to hug him closer. “You’re not going to need to touch yourself for this?”

“Ain’t about me right now.” Wpnz responded as he went back to nibbling along the back of Puzzles’ neck and then his shoulder, where metal and flesh met. Wpnz propped himself on his side with his left arm, and urged Puzzles to rest his head sideways on that hand.

“What are you going to use to-“ Mr. Puzzles let out a gasp when Wpnz hooked his right leg over his own to hold him in place.

“Lemme know if this is too much for ya.” The assassin said as he pressed the thumb of his right hand to one of the ports in the back of Puzzles’ tv head, right before sending a zap of electricity into it.

Puzzles jolted in place, legs unable to kick out properly while trapped. He couldn’t even flail his arms properly, as Wpnz dropped his right arm back over his middle. Puzzles, trembling from the rush of electricity, grasped Wpnz’s arm.  Releasing a shaky breath, Puzzles sagged back against Wpnz, only to gasp again when Wpnz used his lips this time to send another discharge through another connection. Puzzles’ fingers spasmed as he pressed his body backward into the assassin’s body as he let out a soft noise.

“Too much?” Mr. Wpnz questioned as he leaned in to bite a little of the other man’s exposed shoulder.

“No. More.” Strained but certain, the tension less than before. “Please.”

Mr. Wpnz took the other man at his word and, right arm firmly wrapped around Puzzles’ waist, built the change up again, and used thin lips to send electrical currents into two other ports on the back of the tv. Wpnz sent a stronger, third volt through, feeling relief himself from being able to dissipate the fired-up weapons charge that made up a lot of the assassin’s body.

Maybe a bit too much of an electrical discharge.

Not only did it make Mr. Puzzles convulse, but the last discharge blew out serval things inside of that tv head (though the cooling fans within could be heard working). The feedback of the damaged internal components also hit Wpnz in return with excess electricity, shorting out several of his weapons within his arms.

But that minor damage was so worth it from the way Puzzles limply collapsed into Wpnz’s side with a faint noise before promptly passing out. Or at least, Wpnz thought Puzzles was unconscious, since a blue screen lit up Puzzles’ screen with a warning. A closer look revealed that he’d not only overheated (oops-guess those fans weren’t working so great) but Puzzles blew a fuse and a few other little finicky things. At least the electrical charges was enough to deal with Wpnz horny state by fulfilling his promise to blow Puzzles circuits.

Well…more than a few.

It was just as well, as Mr. Wpnz had to lie there for a moment, before he had the energy to stand up. And then had to wait a bit longer before he scooped up Puzzles’ limp unconscious form. No one saw them, somehow, as Wpnz carried the other man back to the hideout for repairs. Before Mr. Puzzles’ overheated and melted anything important in that metal head. By the time Wpnz finished with all the repairs (and cleaned himself up) the assassin was treated to the sight of a self-conscious blushing screen signaling that Puzxles was awake. Wpnz stared at him, waiting.

“Ah.” Puzzles noticed, so he cleared his nonexistent throat with a cough, and, as expected, changed the topic from what had happened. “What do you say to setting up some surveillance devices for me?”

“I’d say hell yeah, let’s do it.” The assassin immediately responded; but just to be sure that he’d done the repairs correctly, Wpnz dropped down onto the bed next to Puzzles. He slung an arm over Mr. Puzzles shoulder, bringing him in close to Wpnz’ side. “But before that, does everything feel back in place inside that metal noggin of yours?”

“It…” Puzzles leaned into Wpnz quietly, presumably running some tests before his body relaxed even further. “…everything feels it is where it should be.” Mr. Puzzles turned his head to side eye the assassin. “Why do you ask?”

“Just wanted to make sure that blowin’ yer circuits didn’t leave any lastin’ damage.” Wpnz said with a sharp smile.

“Everything feels fine.” Mr. Puzzles repeated, instead of spluttering or shoving Wpnz away in some self-conscious way. In fact, the man tugged the both of them backward to sprawl out on the bed together. A grinning Puzzles’ expression appeared within Wpnz’s, right before the metal tv head rested on the assassin’s chest. “Next time, use a wire to ground things so neither of us gets hit from the feedback.” Mr. Puzzles tapped the burnt ends of Wpnz’s fore and middle metal fingers.

Huh.

He’d not noticed that.

“Guess I’ll look into that if ya wanna try that again.” Wpnz said as he tangled metal fingers with Puzzle’s nearby gloved ones. “S’was worth it to see ya like that.”

Mr. Puzzles said nothing, but he lingered on the bed alongside Wpnz. In the silence that followed, the tv man discreetly scooted the rest of his frame closer to Wpnz’s, fingers gripping the assassin’s hand harder. Puzzles still didn’t say anything, but there was more than enough time for him to explain the ‘placing surveillance devices’ later.

Right now, Wpnz had to fight down the urge to wrap his arms tightly around the other man. The assassin couldn’t allow himself to get close or to feel anything toward Puzzles.

Sooner or later, they’d end up parting ways.

This physical comfort was all that Wpnz ought to allow himself to offer, and receive, even if that was risk of its own with the potential of becoming attached.

Dammit.

Why did everything involving relationships, no matter the kind, always have to be so damned difficult for him to navigate?

”By the way, my dear assassin, if today was was your attempt at taking me out on a date, I’d rate it an 8 up until those hitmen showed up. Then it was a 6.”

“The hell’re you talkin’ about? I didn’t take ya out on a date. Wpnz couldn’t help but release a rough laugh.

”We had a scandalous ending to it on the ground where you knocked me out ‘blowing my circuits!”

As Mr. Wpnz denied the day being a ‘date’, in the back of his mind, the assassin couldn’t help but feel that another ‘date’ might happen in the future, possibly with Puzzles’ input this time.

Fuck, was Wpnz screwed in this theoretical relationship of his with Mr. Puzzles.