Chapter Text
A rose petal drops right onto the palm of his hand, instead of a bullet.
Boothill stared eyes wide at the tiny red thing, bewildered at its sudden appearance instead of the usual and only possible option that could come out of his mouth.
Did he fuckin swallow a rose?
He may be messy but he wasn’t that bad to not notice something as bright of a red as this was to get in his mouth. Boothill watched as the petal fluttered off of his palm with the wind, dancing in the air as it slowly descended to the ground. The sight of it immediately reminded him of someone.
Someone who would always have a rose or two, or a thousand.
Boothill huffed, trying to recall when was the last time he had heard about Argenti. The knight of beauty must be off somewhere spreading words of beauty and all that jazz. He wondered, briefly, if the man was alright.
Their last encounter was months ago, on a planet that was far away from the one he was on. Boothill could remember as clear as day as the knight helped him, and greeted him with enthusiasm, as if he were a precious friend. Light bouncing off of him enhanced his shine, appearing more brightly than he already does, shiny red locks flowing with the wind and framing his face perfectly. all with a sweet smile directed right at him. No wonder people would always stare, even Boothill couldn’t help but to as well.
This would be a funny story to mention to the knight, when he ever meets him again.
Boothill spared the petal a glance, laid on the floor, before turning around as he summoned one bullet from his storage to his mouth to play with. An itch in his chest was soothed as he rolled the lead around his mouth.
Now, where was his next bounty?
<system notice: ALERT: identified UNKNOWN OBJECT>
Suggestions: initiate manual assessment.
Boothill suffered injuries before, while he was a human and even now.
The wires embedded beneath the armor of metal on his body are sensors that are similar to human nerves, though they do not cause him to feel pain but know where the ‘pain’ is coming from exactly. There was also the system pop up that would appear in the corner of his view, altering him of something, anything, going on with his metal tin of a body.
<system notice: ALERT: identified UNKNOWN OBJECT>
Suggestions: initiate manual assessment.
He was familiar with the shape of some of the words, but some are lost on him. Regardless, he could always tell that this specific notification was always about his body. Sometimes it was helpful, sometimes it was down right annoying. He could see that his arm was blown off, no need to blare it.
It all depended on the moment.
As of right now, it was annoying the hell out of him.
“I swear to forkin heck…” he murmured, dismissing yet another notification of a system faulty whatever. He checked all over himself the first time it popped up today, yet he found nothing of the sort that was out of the place.
Shutting it off was dangerous, the last time he turned off all sensors, he hadn’t realized how badly fucked up his leg was until his body decided to defunction all of it self. Leaving him a heap of metal on the floor with consciousness, waiting for the inevitable shut down.
He was rather thankful to a certain knight who helped that day, and learnt not to be that rough with himself.
“-oothill!”
Audio receptors boot themselves online as they detect a noise coming closer, signaling to Boothill the sounds of rushing footsteps and his name being called out.
His optics are glitching, unfocused vision as his eyes shift around. He was unable to move his head, body lost all of its function and was on low energy.
All of his internal mechanisms are trying their best to keep him hanging by a loose thread, shutting off some random systems and running on the backup low battery instead of the blue blood. He lost too much of it, and hadn’t realized he’d been on battery as he shut his goddamn system off.
Suffering the consequences of his actions, that he was.
But even in low, shitty quality vision, when a wave of red flowed over his face, he recognized what it was, who it was. Red hair, emerald green eyes and strong arms. He knew he was lifted from the ground as his head rolled like a doll with the gravity. his view shifting so vividly, he was sure he'd throw up if he could. he was raised in Argenti’s arms, but the knight adjusted his hold on him to carefully position his head, his face. the touch of the knight's hand to his cheek was something he could feel, that was something no matter internal systems he had couldn't shut down, his human skin. Boothill has it in him to remind him that he wouldn’t be uncomfortable, he wouldn't be able to feel the ache of his neck if his head hang, to not treat him as a gentle thing.
Instead, he found an internal system blaring an alarm, one that he was sure was telling him that there would be an imminent shut down if he did not find another battery or more fuel.
“I’ve got you.” Argenti said.
any sort of panic he had, resentment towards himself vanished. Boothill, relaxed. and then, his system shut him down.
Even though he traded his humanity for something much stronger, he still needed to be careful. And this body was good at its job, it may be annoying, but if it knows something is wrong, then something is.
If he couldn't find it from the outside, then something inside was going on.
And out of all days for it to happen, it was when he was waiting on his little bounty catch to come out of his hidey hole. The one he had been chasing after for a few days now, it’s a very easy job, laughable really. He could ditch it to check what the fuck was going on with him from the inside physically-never mentally-or quickly take his money check.
Boothill strummed his fingers on his arm, but the debate was thrown out of his head the moment that his bounty appeared in the wild right in front of him.
To hell with it, his body has been functioning well enough so far since morning, if anything happened, he can handle it.
Boothill summoned a bullet from his mouth, swiping it swiftly into his hand and reloading his gun. Target dilated irises locked in on the hunted face, visuals enhanced, zoomed in and followed him.
Focused, Boothill walks off into his target direction, failing to notice a couple of rose petals falling behind him.
“You stayed,” Boothill uttered, his Vocalizer glitching his voice slightly more at its first use after the shut down. His body was mostly intact, lying on a random bed at random somewhere. An inn of sorts, slightly shabby but better than most he had seen before.
“Indeed.” Argenti nodded, an easy smile on his face.
Boothill spared a look on the chair that the knight had been just sitting on, the one right beside the bed that he found himself in. a rose on a vase on the bedside table, sparkling just a tad. The eye bags on Argenti. The knight’s spear on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall.
“How long…?” he found himself asking, eyes drawn to the window where the light of sunrise emitted to the room. The room bathed in soft light, and it all reflected back on the knight of beauty in front of him. Like the sun ray was magnetized by him, surrounding him in a holy looking glow.
Boothill would have covered his eyes if he could move his arm, stupid metal tin was on a lock down.
“It’s only been a day since yesterday morning when I found you, thank Idrilla.” Argenti answered smoothly, his voice soothing.
That long? Shit he must have fucked it up pretty bad.
He cast a glance at his own body. his leg had been repaired, or as much as one could call a repair, it looked like it was duct taped together but he’ll take what he can get. Boothill could already feel it in his system that he’d been replinched back with fuel, though he’d doubt it would be the blood he was running on, it was something else that he’ll burn faster and run out of quicker, but he can get his hands on what he needed with it before it burns out.
“Ah, well I promise ya I'm usually better than this, lil’ forker caught me off guard.” Boothill rambled, chuckling breathlessly, his fingers tapping across the sheet of the bed. “I owe you one, Knight, I woulda been a goner if it weren’t for you.” he reached over to the top of his head, but was met with nothing.
Argenti, bless him, handed over his hat from out of nowhere with a smile. Boothill shot him a grin, as he grabbed it and pressed it against his chest in genuine gratitude. “Thank you, for the hat, and ‘course, the rescuin.”
The knight chuckled, and shook his head. “It’s merely my duty as a knight of beauty, to rescue those who’re in need. How do you fare, my friend?”
His system was still sending him annoying alerts, he could feel his leg slightly twitching about, and how slow the low quality fuel was. It sucked, so bad. Yet he was still kicking. He smiled big, sharp teeth and all as he placed his hat back to its rightful place and leaned back on his arms behind his head.
“Never been better.”
In the safety of–or as safe as–a shabby hotel room can be, Boothill worked on his prying open his armor off.
Bounty job well done and handled, he hummed a little tone as he sat cross legged on the floor. flipping the flaps of his breastplates open with a screw, the rest of the plates of his abdomen follow suit, piece by piece flipping them over just to see the inner mechanics of his thoraxal cavity.
He was rather grateful there was a mirror in the room, though he had to remove it from the wall from where it had been hanging and place it on the ground in front of him so he could see what he was doing.
Fuck, it was a long time ago since he started at his reflection properly. He deliberately ignored his dirty hair that needed cleaning, much more focused on carefully taking apart the metal flaps.
The main part of the armor was off, only an exoskeleton remains. Metal arches that resemble human ribs, everything under it is visible, it’s holding his wires, cables, everything else inside and together. It's the last protection he has on his core if anything ever happened to the main armor plates.
Boothill remembers the short doctor–who got him this body–pressing a certain button to make them pop open.
Though he stopped, as he glanced up at the mirror. His eyes focused on a little red something poking out from the bottom of his pile of ammo tank.
What the fuck?
Where everything was black, blue and luminescent, the red harshly contracts against everything else. Making itself known.
“...” Boothill reached with his hand over, his fingers could slip through the exoskeleton for him to pull out the red thing. His eyes left the mirror as he looked down on himself, slowly, carefully tried pulling it out.
It was a small thing, and it shredded in half between his fingers yet he could tell what it was as he raised the part he had between his fingers up in front of his face.
A petal, teared into two.
A rose petal to be exact.
Vividly, he remembered a week ago, where he spat out a petal just like this one in his hand.
Distinctly, he remembered a knight.
“Shoulda checked earlier, huh…” Boothill sighed, chuckling a little as he let go of the torn petal. He must have accidentally swallowed a rose, or something. Still, he wondered, how could something as small as a petal get detected by his sensory array?
“What are you here for?”
“I simply wanted to stop by, I've found this planet to be a beautiful place for a well deserved rest. It gets a little…constricting being in my ship all the time.”
“Don’t fancy small spaces?” Boothill said a teasing tone, coming off as a little joke.
“Yes,” Argenti answers with a smile, and Boothill couldn’t tell if Argenti knew it was meant to be a tease or not by the soft gentle unreadable look on his face. “It reminds me of an unpleasant memory. The more vast the space is, the more I can easily breathe. At times, it doesn’t bother me, but other times, the weight of it is heavy on me.” there was a faraway look on his green eyes, one that Boothill couldn’t help but see himself in.
“I’ve learned that not keeping myself locked in my ship helps greatly, as well as remembering that I am not the boy I was before, helpless and lost. I am much more now, thanks to Beauty, Idrilla, then those who helped me in my journey.” Argenti proudly claimed, and Boothill found himself blinking at him. His mouth twitched as it formed a small real smile to the knight,
“Well, look at you,” Boothill whistled, proud of the knight. “Ain't that good.”
He checked the inner mechanics, moving wiring harnesses, tubes and around the ammo storage. No sign of anything else, for all it seemed, he really just swallowed a couple of petals.
Nothing to fuss about, though as strange as it fucking is.
Boothill did not think about it, as he set the charging fuel plug into his back. Sitting on the floor, carefully not to bend the charging cable.
All he thought, before falling into deep slumber, was how silly it was.
“Ya don’t have to stay.”
Argenti turned to look at him, shed off of his armor. The clothes on him look comfortable, yet fit around him nicely. Not an expensive get up of sorts, but not bland enough for it to look bad and outta place on him. Or maybe it’s most likely that whatever he wore would look good, as some people would say, the best accessory to an outfit, is the face.
“I don’t,” Argenti agreed, “but I want to.”
Boothill frowned, not fully getting as to why. The knight was treating him like a normal person, that he needed to stay and assure that he’d be alright. When all he was was part of metals all mushed together to be the weapon for his revenge.
his stupid fucking body decided to stay locked for three whole days, Boothill wouldn't be able to move his legs until the timer runs out, a sort of safety protocal mechanic. something about if he got brain washed or unkown coding getting into him that would force him to do things...Boothill didn't care, still doesn't but damn isn't it fucking annoying.
Argenti paused suddenly as he placed his armor away, turning to face Boothill with a concerned look, “ofcourse, if you wish for me to leave, i’ll go this very instant–”
“Nah,” Boothill cut him off, a little surprised at himself with how quickly he assured the knight, more so that he was more than fine with it, actually. “I’d be a piece of shoot to kick out my savior.” It ain't wrong to want someone around.
Company is much more appreciated nowadays. Considering the job he does, it’s a lonely one. He got the feeling that it was the same for the knight as well, as Argenti beamed at him and relaxed.
The knight seemed to be an interesting fellow, more to him than it seemed. He didn’t realize that despite having known Argenti for a while now, he doesn’t know a lot about him. Boothill became just a little more interested. He tapped his fingers on the bed sheet, staring at his leg, it became a little less twitchy thankfully.
"how is your leg?" Argenti asked, taking notice of him staring at it.
"can't feel it," Boothill answered with a smirk, laughing lightly at himself. "though thank fudgin lord i don't, it looks ugly, bet it feel like a son of a nice lady."
"i suppose that is a blessing." Argenti hummed, his eyes trailing over Boothill smoothly like honey. "though, i cannot see any of the ugly you speak of."
Boothill snorted, waving off the flattery. he was used to the knight's ever so charming way of talking. "sure, whatever you say."
"i must say, i've always admired your strength, your body." Argenti continued, however, despite how obvious Boothill was of shaking him off. his eyes glimmered, smiling at Boothill in excitment. "i've never seen anyone like you before, and i have always wished to express such thoughts to you. you're truly beautiful."
Boothill blinked at the knight, and he had to look away from how bright he fucking was. he looked as if sincerly spoke the truth. "ah, gee, that's sweet of ya to say, knight." he replied awkwardly, not used to taking the compliment. tapping his fingers on his leg.
“I’ve noticed you do that quite often,” the knight voiced, Boothill glanced at him. The look of confusion must have been apparent on his own face, as the knight continued to answer his silent question. “Your little tapping.”
“Ah,” Boothill stopped, flexing his metal joints and digits instead. “Uh, guess so, good eye you got there.” he looked down at his hand, at his fingers, where there were once scars on human skin, before peering up once more at Argenti.
“I used to play the guitar,” Boothill found himself saying so suddenly, found himself relaxed enough to say, to recall, to tell. “And…” my daughter—“…i fudgin’ doubt i could play it now.”
If Argenti noticed that he discreetly changed what he was about to say in the end, he didn't mention, instead came over to sit across the very same chair he had been on while waiting for Boothill to wake up.
“That’s beautiful,” Argenti complimented, and despite the fact that he had been throwing such flattery all the time before this, it was only now that Boothill found himself believing it. Under Argenti’s soft gleaming look, sweet excited smile and radiant honesty.
“Ah gee, ya can’t judge straight from that, i coulda been a terrible guitarist.” Boothill huffed a laugh, but Argenti shook his head.
“It does not matter to me, there will always be beauty in music. in anybody’s hands, in yours, or even mine.” Argenti declared, and winked at him at the last part with a secretive look. It had Boothill leaning closer, smiling, as he asked in a whisper.
“You?”
Argenti leaned forward as well, humoring him and whispering right back. “I am terrible at using the ocarina.”
“Ha!”
They talk about music, and Boothill briefly wished he could play a song for Argenti.
There was one thing he regretted he hadn’t done the last time he had seen Argenti.
It was to get his contact info.
He found himself thinking of him whenever he sat down without something to actively do, something he never did before. Sure, he popped into his mind whenever there was a mention of the knights of beauty since he was the only one Boothill knew by name but…considering their last conversation, he began to see the man in a new light. Another one, than the usual one that always shined on him and made him sparkly and all that pretty shit.
They’re kind of the same.
Not to mention…
“Ah, you’re up and about! Looks like you’re doing better than before, how is it? My repair?” an old man, a short man with white crazy hair, asked him in the hallway of the inn. It was the first time seeing him, but he heard from Argenti that he got help from the local mechanic in town.
“Ah, you really saved my hide . Thank ye sir, but uh, i do promise you i got the money to pay it all right back, it’s just hidin away in m'ship.” Boothill purposefully does not answer his questions, the repairs were not that great to say anything about but not that bad to say anything about.
“Oh ho! No need for money! Your friend handled all the costs!” the old man said, and then patted a canister that he had failed to notice right beside him. “He also bought this gasoline and informed me to give it to you.”
Boothill's jaw dropped slightly, a little shocked. Argenti really went out of his way to do this?
He had briefly mentioned it to Argenti, Boothill didn’t think the knight would’ve remembered. If Argenti was still here, he would have fought to pay back the money he paid. He knelt down to pull the canister towards himself, it was large enough to keep him going and even just a backup in case of anything.
“I saw him leave just earlier,” the old man voiced, looking back on the hallway.
"Huh? Ah yeah, told him i was leavin today and so did he, apparently.” Argenti left as soon as he could, as he always did, like before, the many times he had met the knight previously. He’d come from out of nowhere, talk about beauty, and leave. Though this time, Boothill would have liked it if he got another proper goodbye beforehand.
“you finally decided to let him go, hm?” the old man teased, Boothill snapped his head back up at the old man. “and here i thought you’d two would go together–”
“–what was that? Let him go?” Boothill cut him off, confused over that last phrase as his words settled in. now, why the fuck would the old guy make it sound like he was holding Argenti like a hostage?
“You don’t know?” the old man chuckled, “ah maybe you don’t remember, but you had woken up while i was fixing you.” fixing was a fucking strong word to use there, with what he did to Boothill but he wasn’t going to complain, not at this very moment at least.
“I woke up?”
“Yeah, if it weren't for that knight, you would have shot me! Had no idea your hand could turn into a gun, though I should have known now that I see it close.”
Boothill stilled, and clamped a hand on his arm, hiding it. “Ah, yeah i don't…fudgin recall that, sorry.” he bowed his head a little, even though the old guy’s a crappy mechanic, it would have haunted him to know he killed someone by accident.
“It’s alright, you were scared. You kept on crying to the knight till he managed to calm you down luckily.”
Crying? Boothill couldn’t cry, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wanted to, needed to anymore.
Maybe because of his look of disbelief the old man continued to explain, “you were all over your friend, telling him to stay and not leave you behind, i did not expect that such a low surge of the battery i placed in you could get such a wake up call!”
Boothill's body froze and his eyes widened, as the words settled in, and realized.
He asked for Argenti to stay, so why didn’t the knight say anything?
Why did he continue to stay, despite Boothill assuring him he can leave early on?
A pouch of money sat on his hand, the exact amount that canister of gasoline and the repairs were. His irises focused on the target that he had noticed right away. Red bright hair, and shining armor. Boothill was going to pay him back.
The knight of beauty seemed to be simply walking around and about, and Boothill took the opportunity to walk up to him. Argenti’s back faced him, but just shy of three feet away from him, the knight turned around to face him.
“Oh!” Argenti beamed as he saw Boothill, the silver of the vigilant expression he had when he noticed someone heading his way melting away in an instant. “I knew the sound of your spurs were familiar! My friend it is good to see you, thank Idrilla, you’re looking far well off than you did before as well.” Argenti made his way to him, as Boothill met him halfway.
Argenti kept a polite distance, and did a quick once over look. “No longer injured, are you?” he ased with concern.
“It’s been forkin months, I hope not!” Boothill laughed, Argenti sighed in relief. Seeing how he cared, Boothill found himself more than glad that he was paying off some of the debt he owed to the knight. “do i look fudgin bad or something?” he joked.
“Not at all, my beautiful friend.” the knight assured, but there was a huff of a laugh from him.
“Enough about lil ol’ me, how you been, knight in shining armor?”
“I’ve been well!” Argenti answered simply, looking around the place, “I've needed to resupply for a while now, and thanks to Idrilla, found this beautiful planet to restock on my needs.”
“Is that so?” Boothill hummed, “say, you wouldn’t mind some company, would ya?”
“It would be my pleasure.” Argenti smiled, and Boothill smiled right back with sharp teeth as he took a step to walk by the knight’s side.
“I cannot allow you–”
“Nahh i ain’t listening to jack shoot you’re saying buddy pal, it’s on me.”
“I already have enough and more money on me than i ever should, you do not need to purchase any of my items–”
“Knight, I would be fudgin hurt if you don't let me do this.”
“...”
“Hey, no need to look like a kicked puppy! I still owe ya for saving my forkin’ back , this was just for the fuel and shippy mechanic. i don't forkin like carrying 'round debt, so, this would make me a very happy ranger.”
“...thank you Boothill, I appreciate it.” Argenti gave up in the end, falling back as Boothill paid for his supplies. Two boxes full of necessities, easy to carry as well. “I’m deeply grateful for your kindness.”
“Eh, more of a payback really.” Boothill bent down to grab a box, before Argenti stopped him by grabbing his arm.
“Let me.” he said, as he took both of the boxes into his arms with effortless ease. as if they weren't filled to brim with packages of stuff Boothill was sure as fuck ain't light.
“Aint it…heavy?” Boothill asked, though the man simply raised up to his ever so straight posture, like the weight of the boxes hadn’t affected him at all. “Don’t be stingy, gimme one.”
“Please let me, I simply cannot allow myself to let you carry them after you purchased them with your own money.” Argenti insisted, shifting the boxes away from Boothill’s grabby metal mitts.
“Such a fudgin gentleman, huh?” Boothill huffed, as they both walked out. Argenti leading the way back to his ship on the docks.
Argenti smiled amusedly, looking at him with half lidded eyes. “aren’t we both?”
“Gentle? Me?” Boothill barked a laugh, bringing a hand to knock on his metal chest. The clanking sound it made loud and clear. “Nothin gentle here.”
Argenti hummed, seemingly looking unconvinced. “You are gentle in ways you may not know,” he rebutted, turning his face to look at him with a smile. “You look gentle when you’re asleep, etheral.”
Boothill blinked.
“That’s fudgin creepy.”
“Forgive me, if it came out that way. I simply remembered our last encounter.”
“Im pullin your leg, knighty, but, you were forkin watching me sleep all that time?”
Argenti at least had the decency to blush lightly, a pretty color that made Boothill lean slightly closer. “I was simply watching over you, the mechanic hadn’t been sure if the fuel he refilled you with would have gone along with your system or not. I needed to make sure you were alright.”
Watching over him, until exhaustion had made itself known to him. Boothill had noticed the eyebags, how he slept most of the day when Boothill woke up. He couldn’t think of a reply, anything to say to that. What could he say? Argenti thankfully continued to talk, “you looked at peace, as if the weight you’ve been carrying has been lifted off of you. I pray that one day, you will see what I saw in yourself.” Argenti’s words are soft, sincere.
Boothill looked away, grabbing the side of his hat and tipping it down to hide.
<system notice: ALERT: identified UNKNOWN OBJECT>
Suggestions: initiate manual assessment.
He nearly jumped from his own metal tin when a small alarm of his system popped up in the corner of his eye. Seeing it immediately reminded him of that day he found a petal in his storage tank.
He threw a glance towards Argenti this time, dismissing the alarm as they both stopped in front of his ship, the one and only.
The one and only is as beautiful as it’s owner.
Boothill felt out of place, standing smack dab in the middle of it as Argenti stored away his supplies. The knight had assured him that he could sit anywhere he wanted to, but Boothill felt as if he would tarnish anything if he simply touched it.
Acting cool, he stood and leaned on one leg as he simply looked around.
It was the perfect, private, place to ask his question.
“Say,” he started, throwing a glance towards the knight. Argenti hummed, acknowledging that he heard him. “Did you stay because I asked you to?”
Argenti paused whatever he was doing, turning around to face him. He seemed to understand right away what he meant.
“I already know, that old fart blabbed all forkin’ about it.” Boothill added.
Argenti smiled, “yes,” Boothill frowned, but Argenti continued, “and no.”
“Huh?”
Argenti must have found his reaction funny, as he laughed lightly. “Simply put, I stayed because you asked me to, and when you woke up and told me I could leave if I wanted, I stayed because I wanted.” he said, “so, yes, and no.”
“...you’re a fudgin’ confusing guy, you know that?” Boothill huffed lightly, a smile that he can't seem to control crept on his face. Still, he got his answer, as simple as it was, yet it raised another question. “Why do something like that for me? I get the fudgin whole thing with the knight, duty this, duty that, but…then you say you stayed because you wanted, when ya coulda left, why?”
“Are we not friends?” the knight answers his question with a question of his own, he doesn’t look hurt, but rather amused.
Boothill blinked, “we–!”
“I fear that I don't have a straight answer to your question, my beautiful friend,” Argenti continued on, stepping closer to him. “I stayed, because I wanted to. It would not hinder me, it would not hurt me, and some would say it wouldn’t benefit me but, it brings a peace of mind.” he said, and smiled. "i just wanted to."
“...” Boothill stared at him, “you might just be one of a kind, huh?”
Argenti raised an eyebrow at him, and Boothill couldn’t help but laugh, smiling a little too hard. Friends, wasn’t that such a nice thing to have?
“We ain’t friends in my book if i ain't got your fudgin contact, hand it over right here, knighty.”
“You do not have it?”
“I'm a blabber mouth, loud and forking proud. ya woulda noticed if i weren’t in your fudgin phone.”
“Well, i’ve got to keep going now, and as i said before, ye ever need a bounty or a bad man erased, call me, i still owe ya that one.” Boothill stood up from the very fancy looking chair Argenti had forced him into, adjusting his hat as he smirked towards the knight. A look full of promise.
“I'm forever grateful and gracious towards your offer, although I hope it is never needed.” Argenti replied with a smile, standing up and heading over to escort him out, ever the gentleman.
“Now don’t say that, can’t have ya think twice about calling me Haha–ghhg-!” Boothill held a hand on his mouth in surprise, just as he was laughing lightly, a bullet from his storage tank summoned by itself and cut him off so suddenly.
In the corner of his eye, a rather new looking alert popped up.
<system notice: ALERT: identified UNKNOWN OBJECT in: AMMO TANK>
>purging of UNKNOWN OBJECT via reload tube.
He never seen this type of message before, he could recognize the word alert, but other than that, it’s unfamiliar to him.
“Ranger?” Argenti's concerned face was suddenly over him, Boothill almost jumped back from the surprise.
He quickly swiped the bullet out of his mouth, and made a thumbs up with the other hand. “All is good, my forkin snack just decided to bite back at me.” Boothill made show of the bullet, before plopping it back into his mouth. Enjoying the slight surprised look from the knight as he chewed it through. “Fudgin System has been funny on me lately.”
The concern in Argenti's face lessened, but linger, though he nodded at Boothill’s words. “Is that so? I hope it gets resolved sooner than later.”
“Thank you, Argenti.” Boothill smiled, he tipped his hat to the knight. “I’ll get outta your hair now, see ya later.”
Argenti smiled right back, as he waved to Boothill a goodbye as he got out of the ship. “Until we meet again, in this vast universe, my friend.”
Argenti turned around to continue his restocking of his supplies, pausing however, as he noticed something from the corner of his eyes. On the pristine floor, red small rose petals that he could easily recognize.
“That’s odd,” he muttered, bending down elegantly as he picked them up. Wondering where they came from.
He hasn’t had the chance to grow any roses lately.
Once more, Boothill grumbled as he extracted a rose petal from his inner mechanics. His chest pried open again, and even more rose petals were found in his system.
<system notice: ALERT: identified UNKNOWN OBJECT>
Suggestions: initiate manual assessment.
He dismissed the message once more, as he pulled out the last petal from between his wires.
How the fuck were these things getting in? Boothill huffed, and couldn’t help but remember a certain knight. Maybe they got into his vents? Though the ventilation systems were on his back, they were also covered by his jacket. He wouldn’t notice or feel it, if multiple petals just flew in.
Maybe he just had to tighten up his leather jacket a little tightly, to ensure nothing would snuck its way in.
[3:29] Boothill:
Hey, look what i fudgin found!
Voice message converted to text
[3:30] Boothill sent an image
[3:30]Boothill:
Fudgin hard to send a photo with this thing, i don't know how i did it but see? The lady told me it was an, uh, what’s it called, an ocarina, right? I remember you sayin stuff about it and all, thought to show it to ye. Never really seen em before, and the lil ol lady let me try it out.
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[3:30]boothill:
I could see why you were into it, it’s a nice little thing. Reminded me of my own harmonica back at home, they’re a little similar to one another. Fudge, though, I could not get it right. Hands made of metal aint the same as human ones. Ha! Guess there is a thing we’re both terrible at!
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[4:03] argenti:
It warms me that you'd go out of your way to try something i cherish.
[4:03]argenti:
such a beautiful soul you have. i know it would sound beautiful to me if i ever heard you play.
[4:04] Boothill:
I’d wager im fudgin worse than you at it, haha! The lady snatched the thing outta my hand i tell ya! She didn’t kick me out, but her fudgin’ glare told me to. Can’t complain though, she did let me give it a try, after all.
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[4:06]argenti:
I would love to hear you play it, and I trust you would sound beautiful.
There was something wrong.
Boothill couldn’t turn a blind eye to the whole fucking situation anymore, he’ll become crazy–even more so–and pull his hair out if he saw another fucking alert message about a rose petal tickling his wire innards.
He’d been keeping an eye out, trying to catch sight of any red looking flower around him, and he was pretty darn sure that he hadn't seen a single rose for days now.
Yet, it’s inside of him, stuck between his wires and cords.
Climbing up through the unit shaft of the bullets, caught up with his ammo and in his mouth.
He woke up, with a mouthful of roses and system alerts.
He needed to find a mechanic, or a gardener at this point, Boothill will take what he can get.
“...never heard of it before, unless you got a pot of dirt growing a flower inside of you, can’t really help…”
“...that’s unusual, but we can get your vents a filtration system to ensure nothing would find its way in-...sir? Sir? Ah it’ll be half of charge!”
“...well, you could do weird stuff when your charge is low, are you sure you didn’t swallow any roses–i-i mean, such a sensible man of your caliber wouldn’t do such a thing! But i'm sorry, i don't know how to help.”
“There is nothing I can do about it.”
Boothill kicked an annoying pebble in front of him, walking out of yet another failed attempt of trying to understand what was going on with his metal tin of a body. Not a single clue, nothing, nada. He internally cursed the little things for embarrassing him like this.
Taking note of the wary passersbys near him, wary of him, Boothill fell back against a the wall and leaned against it as he pulled his phone out.
He found himself staring at Argenti’s contact info.
[5:09]Boothill:
Ya ever find yourself with an annoying problem that just won't go away? I swear to mother fudger, if i find another petal i will actually lose my shirt. No one been able to help and it is driving me nuts!
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[5:09]boothill:
Ah that sounded crazy, lemme tell you knighty, a while ago, i found a lil cute something in my ammo storage. Can you guess what it was? A fudgin flower petal! How did such a tiny thing managed to weasel it’s way in here? I could not tell ya that, nor anyone here actually, I’m pretty sure i didn’t go rolling down a meadow of flowers, i forkin assure you.
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[5:10]boothill:
Well, i see a flower shop in front of me, you reckon ill find some help there? Haha…sounds a little silly, what will they do? Fudgin place more in me, now that would solve my problem for sure.
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Boothill placed his phone in his back pocket, turning to look forward at a garden shop not too far away.
What does he got to lose?
“Um,” the gardener's face was red, sweating, she bowed her head. “uh, i'm really sorry sir, i…i don’t know how to help.” the poor girl was flustered, and Boothill was tired of his many attempts to even be annoyed at this point.
“Dont worry about it, just askin ‘round.” Boothill assured, tipping his hat as he turned around. Though, he briefly stopped as he saw a rose.
By this point, he thought he’d be sick of seeing them.
Yet, he couldnt help but think how this one wouldn’t hold a shine to the ones Argenti’s would have. They seem so lackluster, now that Boothill observed. Was the knight doing something special to them as he grew them? He’d ask later.
A ping to his phone shifted his attention, getting it out of his pocket, he listened to the audio of the message.
[5:50]argenti:
I’ve had multiple splinters from roses getting stuck under the skin of my hands, there would be no way of me getting them out without chipping away at my skin. I’ve tried once, when i had a splitter in my right hand’s pinky. The skin is now dry and forever chapped, and I've found that the process of removing them was not worth the trouble nor the pain.
[5:50]argenti:
I’ve found strength to simply ignore them, as long as they do not hinder my goal, or my life, then, i’ll live with it. During my training, my hands became rougher, calloused, and rose thorns would no longer penetrate my skin and get under it. I’ve found that my problem solved itself simply by time, and ofcourse, my dedication to training for Idrilla.
[5:51]argenti:
Though my problem is not as comparable as yours my friend, it was my only answer to your question.
[5:51]argenti:
While I have no inquiry as to help you, please, do keep me in check and allow me to learn more of your situation. I wish and hope you find an answer to your troubles.
Boothill hummed, imagining Argenti fussing over a thorn under his skin.
“Excuse me, sir,” someone from his side called out.
Boothill's smile dropped, as he quickly tucked his phone away and turned to face who just spoke to him. Looking down at a short lady with glasses, seemingly an apprentice or a newbie at the job. She looked nervous, staring at him.
Right, he was still inside the flower shop.
“Ah, ill get out, sorry for the trouble–”
“N-no, not that!” she quickly stammered, glancing over at the receptionist, the one Boothill had originally asked. “Um, I may have an idea to what your problem is.”
She took him out of the store, to privately talk to him. He glanced over at passers by, crossing his arms to his chest as he looked back at the girl.
“S-so, I may be wrong, s-since your, um, body is different from others.” she said, her eyes flickering to his metal form. “But, just to be sure…I’ve heard you say you got petals, suddenly inside your systems?”
“Yes, now, why don’t you tell me what the deal is already?”
“I-its just to make sure!” she huffed, “this may be a weird question but, are you in love?”
“...” Boothill glared, “are you forking making fun of me?”
“No! No no, it’s serious! I need to know!”
“Is this your way of asking me if 'm single? Lady, i appreciate it but–”
“No! It is related to the problem!! Trust me!”
“My folks may have raised me to treat a lady right but if you’re just pulling my leg here, ill fudging–”
“You have hanahaki!”
“...hana-what now?” Boothill paused, bewildered at the sudden declaration, even more so at such a thing he never heard of before.
“Hanahaki,” the girl repeated, sighing, “it’s a s-sickness that affects those who are…not lucky. Flowers would start to grow from the person lungs, stomach, anywhere that is in the abdomen really.”
At Boothill’s stunned silence, she continued.
“From petals, to a full grown flower, then, to multiple, until the person chokes, or–or his organs begin to fail because of the flowers,or even–”
“Okay alright, I fudgin get it! Morbid stuff you got there.” Boothill sighed, shaking his head. “Is what you’re sayin true? There is something like that?”
“It’s true! It’s just…really rare, and I'm not s-sure you might have it, but it exists.” She nodded.
He certainly never heard of it before, and the sickness doesn’t seem kind at all. “...alright, fine, it’s better than nothing I've been told the entire day. So, if, by fudgin chance, I have this…hana-ho–ha, what do I do?”
“W-well, you can either do the surgery, to get the seed out, or confess in chances you get your feelings reciprocated!” she answered, yet it only raised even more questions.
Surgery, for what exactly? Boothill had already pried open his body before, seen all the roses cluttered around with no source whatsoever, and…confess?
“A-ah, that’s why i asked that question earlier, if you were in love,” the girl continued, her hands waving about, “you see, those with hanahaki, the reason they have it is because they’re in love, but their l-love doesn't quite return those feelings back.”
Boothill jaw dropped, blinking at the girl in surprise. His vocalizer glitched in the beginning before he threw his head back and laughed, loud and clear. Shoulder shaking and for a second, he could feel an invisible tear in his eye with how hard he was laughing.
“I-inlove?! Now, that’s…that’s a fudgin doozy, wooh, me? Yeah, that’s all I needed to know for sure that i ain’t got this hana-whatever. I don't love anyone.”
“B-but then, who was that with you on the phone?”
Boothill raised an eyebrow at her, “a friend, why even ask that?”
“Huh? But…on the phone…you looked so…” the girl looked confused, and Boothill tilted his head at that. He had been just hearing Argenti’s replies to his message–it wasn’t that she was thinking that he…Argenti…
Boothill straightened, eyes widened as he realized what she implied.
Denial was on his lips, but he couldn’t even utter, couldn’t get it out. Love, was a strong word, too strong. Sure, he might be attracted to Argenti, even liked being simply in his presence but it wasn’t that he was…in love, or any of that sort.
“It’s…” he shook his head, at her, at the thoughts that were running fucking wild in his head. “listen, i appreciate it that you gave me a little something to work with, i don't think this is it. Thanks for the warning.” Boothill expressed his gratitude, turning to walk past her but she stopped him dead in his tracks.
The girl looked stricken, “p-please, i don’t know how it would affect you since you don’t have a human body but, but it’s deadly! You have to be careful–”
“Hey hey!” Boothill stopped her. “i’ll be fine, it’s probably faulty ventilation, but just so you can rest your head, I'll check it out.” he assured, it’s a sweet little lie but it was enough for her to relax, and let Boothill slip past.
He took a step, before glancing back at her, and tipping his hat at her before walking off.
It was stupid, to leave someone who has the right idea of what was happening to him without knowing everything. But the new revelation spooked him to run off, his concern was no longer just about the petals.
Whether or not the sickness that the girl mentioned was real, Boothill was much more focused on something else.
His eyes fell on his phone, a thought crossed his mind. He hasn’t replied to Argenti yet, but there is another message.
[6:29]argenti:
I’ve taken to asking around your problem, the beautiful planet I’m on is quite knowledgeable about mechanics, there are truly extraordinary machinery here. Though none of them would hold a candle to your complexion.
[6:30]argenti:
I regret to inform you that i haven’t found anything so far, but i’ll keep asking around until then.
Boothill closed his eyes, reaching over to his mouth as he felt the petals clinging into his tongue. Multiple at a time, instead of the usual ones or twos.
It’s life threatening for humans, she said.
It’s a good thing he wasn’t human.
(it’s a sickness that affects those who are unlucky, she said.
Boothill was tired of being unlucky.)
[6:30]argenti:
I regret to inform you that i haven’t found anything so far, but i’ll keep asking around until then.
[8:12]boothill:
Aw shucks, you dont hafta do all of that! I appreciate it, but you can stop. I’ve taken a page of your book, as to say. Gonna ignore the problem till it fudgin dies.
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[8:30]argenti:
Then, I assume it would not hinder you in any way? It doesn’t cause you any pain?
[8:30]boothill:
Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, it won’t hurt me, and i’ve managed to get every single petal out. It’s a little silly, aint it? Suddenly finding a bunch of em inside of you.
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[8:31]argenti:
I suppose, but it would raise concern. Though, perhaps in your shoes, i could see why you would be nonchalant.
[8:31]boothill:
Yep, this fudgin body ain’t gonna die on me because of these little shirt things! You’ve seen me at my worst, and I was still kickin bout, wasn’t i?
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[8:34]argenti:
That you were.
[4:21]argenti:
You wouldn’t raise your gun to me if I handed you a rose the next time i see you, would you?
[4:30]boothill:
-HA! HAHA! Haha--Oh, heh, that is forkin hilarious, we’ll see about that, rosey.
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Trying to work with it wasn't hard, but plenty annoying.
He hasn’t found any sort of clue after that assistant girl about Hanahaki from the people around the places he found himself at lately, and any searching on the web don’t give him any straight answers like she had.
Rare illness, she said, not fucking extinct.
Illness…
Boothill hadn’t visit a doctor since his last one that helped him become the way he was, and he never thought he’d have to.
It would be funny to see a random doctor expression when he walks in, all metal and talking about a fucking sickness of flowers.
(or send a text to the short doctor who made him into this, maybe she knew.)
He’ll do that as a last resort, a back up plan in case things don’t work out. For now, he wiped his mouth from the red shitty petals, and went on his day, ignoring the alarm system.
“It’s you my friend!”
A familiar voice called out from behind him suddenly, Boothill nearly jumped as a bullet summoned its way into his mouth, following along with multiple petals. He quickly held a hand to his mouth, discreetly spitting the annoying things into it as he turned to face the knight of beauty.
<system notice: ALERT: identified UNKNOWN OBJECT/s in: AMMO TANK>
>purging of UNKNOWN OBJECT/s via reload tube.
To think that his voice would jump start the growing pile of petals in his system, fucking hell.
“Well, if it ain't my favorite knight!” Boothill and his stupid mouth that runs without a thought, now that it had came to light what he may feel, he’d noticed every little thing he does around the knight. Even how wide he was smiling.
“Oh? But do you know other knights?” Argenti strided towards him, a hand to his back.
“Don’t think I do.” Boothill's smile turned into a smirk, “that’s why you’re my favorite.”
Argenti laughed, then, looked at him with eyes full of sparkles and a glint of playfulness, as he brought a rose from behind his back to give to him. “For you, my beautiful friend.”
Despite the petals licking at the back of his throat, the petals stuck around his wires, and piles upon piles that keep appearing out of nowhere, Boothill smiled at the sight of the rose.
Smiled, snorted, and laughed as he took it from the hands of the knight.
He couldn’t help but think it’s beautiful, the smile on Argenti’s face.
“If I may know, are you busy?”
“Nah, just finished a bounty, you rosey?”
“Refueling my ship, and decided to take this opportunity to explore the beauty of this ship station.”
“Aha, right, silly me. Who wouldn’t refuel their fudgin’ ship in a ship refueling space station? Hm, getting some fresh air huh? Mind some company?”
“Yours? Never.”
It wasn’t a large gas space station, but it wasn’t small either. There wasn’t much that was interesting around to look at, but Boothill got plenty to see and hear from the knight of beauty as they walked around. Of his latest escapades, how the light reflected on his eyes, and…
“Also, i know you told me to stop, but I have kept searching for an answer about your problem. If i may ask, how is it faring with you so far? Are they still…?”
Boothill huffed, unable to feel displeased that the knight didn’t listen to him. “That’s sweet of ya, kinghty, but ya don’t have to keep looking.” he said first, and Argenti shook his head.
“Worry not, I am not actively going out of my way, it is just as I travel, that I meet people who might have an idea.” Argenti smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You are my precious friend, after all, I can't help it.”
Boothill stared at him, and something fluttered in his chest.
<system notice: ALERT: identified UNKNOWN OBJECT/s in: AMMO TANK>
>purging of UNKNOWN OBJECT/s via reload tube.
He kept his mouth damn shut, but still smiled at Argenti and took his hand that was in his shoulder to squeeze as a reply. Argenti doesn’t fail to notice, however, sharp and keen eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
Boothill's shoulders dropped, as he stepped back and let go of Argenti’s hand. Petals fell from his mouth to the palm of his hand, as he looked up at Argenti’s surprised face.
“Well, this answers your last question, talk about the fudgin timin.” Boothill huffed, feeling a particular petal stuck on his lip. “Disgustin, i know–”
He stopped talking as Argenti’s hand neared his face, vocalizer emitting a glitching sound, akin to a breath hitch as the knight picked the petal stuck on his lip between his fingers.
“...how is this possible?” Argenti asked, staring at the petal in his hand with wonder. He turned to face Boothill with immediate concern, “are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“You see me screaming my forkin head off or something? Still standing here, healthy as a wild bull.” Boothill assured, smiling under the attention. “I don’t have a clue as to how either, but im searchin for it as a side thing for now, it doesn’t hurt me, but it’s fudgin annoying.” Boothill said.
It was true, he knew the name of the illness, not how it worked.
“...I could see why you would go to a flower shop.” Argenti said in the end, relaxing slightly at seeing how nonchalant Boothill was about this.
“Oh, poor lady had no forkin idea what to do with me, i tell ya that!”
They found a little bench to rest their feet, Boothill simply gazed up at the space in front of them, instead of focusing on the fact that he wanted to close the space between him and the knight, to edge just a little closer to have their shoulders bumping.
Instead, he watched the universe stars, with Argenti’s gifted rose twirling in his hands.
Pleasant silence befallen them, one where they just take each other physical company as comfort.
“I Often think,” Argenti started, breaking the silence with his smooth voice. “That fate, written by Idrilla’s hand, must have brought me to you that day.”
Boothill got an idea of what he must be talking about, as he leaned to look at the knight. That day where Argenti helped him greatly, to which he still owed.
“Fate, huh?”
Argenti nodded, placing a hand on his armor plate chest, directly where his heart would be. “Forgive me, if I cross a line, but I keep wondering who you saw, and…”
Now at that, Boothill did not have an idea on what he meant.
“...If my appearance pains you.” Argenti continued, not taking note of Boothill’s confused face.
“...what?”
Argenti turned to face him, “on that table that day, when you woke up, i jumped to help you. Yet, I fear I've done damage instead of helping, for that, I wish to apologize.”
“...” Boothill closed his eyes, he remembered the mechanic words, what he said. He understood what he said at that moment, he knew what he must have seen in his dazed mind. His brain was still human, he still got memories.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Boothill said in a mutter, staring at the red rose in his hand.
Red as Argenti’s hair.
Red, as his daughter’s.
“...you have the same color as my daughter’s hair. it’s shorter than yours, she was just a real cute baby, she got lil tuff of red on top of her head, like a fireball.” he said, feeling some sort of exhilaration of even mentioning her. It’s been so long since he had said it. His daughter, his little baby girl.
“I’m sorry.” Argenti said, heartfelt. Boothill turned to face him to see the man’s face was genuinly heart broken for him, and he smiled at him softly.
“Hey, didn’t I say you don't gotta be sorry?” Boothill repeated, leaning in to knock his shoulder against the knight’s. metal clinking against metal. “I oughtta be the one to thank you, that old guy did say i almost shot his fudgin face off if it weren’t for you.”
“...” Argenti expression softened, and then, he leaned back against him. Boothill couldn't feel his weight or press against his metal body, but he felt the curls of his red hair tickling his face, he felt Argenti's soft breath fanning near him with how close he was, it was...nice.
“Will you…tell me about her?”
“...she would tap on my guitar, she liked doing it whenever i played her a song…”
Under the stars, Boothill was no longer the only one carrying the history of his family.
The rose Argenti gave him, found its way in with his wires and systems, purposefully put there instead of the random petals that appear.
It would die, but he'd keep it as close to his heart as he could until then.
“Shoot.” Boothill hissed, dodging an array of bullets that came his way, hiding on the side of a knocked out table. Ipc guards immediately recognized his face, even disguised as he was like them.
To think they went far and fucking beyond to know eachother’s schedule and spot Boothill as the odd one out was freaky as shit. Still, he managed to download ever bit of information he got into his usb port without alerting the system, all he needed to do was get the fuck out of here.
The shooting doesn’t stop, and Boothill could hear them walking closer. He smirked as he got his gun out of it’s holster, summoning a bullet–!?
<system notice: ALERT: identified UNKNOWN OBJECT/s in: AMMO TANK>
>purging of UNKNOWN OBJECT/s via reload tube.
He lurched forward, hacking out the objects from his mouth, system blaring. It’s uncanny, how it felt like getting his breath knocked out of him, like when he fell off from his horse during a ride and landed roughly, chest heaving for breaths he did not need in this body.
Right in front of him, his bullet that he wanted, and a perfectly formed head of a rose, fully bloomed, torn into pieces by the bullet.
Boothill doesn’t have the time to think, as a gun made itself known next to his head.
In an instant, he slid his leg to kick at the arm of the guard who made his way next to him, knocking the gun out of his hand and sending it flying across the room.
In the moment of shock, he took the risk to go after it. Multiple gun fires were sent his way, but he somehow, luckily, managed to evade them as he grabbed the Ipc’s gun and slid into the safety of a desk.
He dismissed the message, scowling as he checked the gun in his hand. He’ll be able to use it, though not as good as his trusty one.
Boothill cocked the gun, and jumped up and above the desk. Using the shock value to his advantage, he aimed, and shot.
Boothill found himself on the floor of a random hotel room once more, staring at himself in a mirror that he placed on the floor.
Talk about deja vu.
It became a routine at this point, unscrewing his front armor, opening the flaps, cleaning out the rose petals, put everything back together. Rinse and repeat.
<system notice: ALERT: overheating.>
>critical temperature exceeded.
Except, this time, there was a new looking alert.
his fans are working over time, loud and cooling him down.
full heads of roses were all that he could find instead of small annoying petals.
Bright red, alive, unlike the dead one that was surrounded by them, that he had placed on top of his ammo storage.
“From petals, to a full grown flower, then, to multiple, until the person chokes, or–or his organs begin to fail because of the flowers,or even–” the assistant girl said.
The flowers were taking too much space, crowding his metal innards and heating him up, getting in the way of his body.
Of his goal.
…this was going to be a problem.
In the middle of the vast space, on his small space ship, he managed to find the short doc’s number under all of his contacts, the oldest one he had on his phone.
[4:20]boothill:
Do you know about hanahaki.
Voice message converted into text.
[5:12]doc:
How’d you find this number?
[5:12]doc:
Eh i bet it was the same way you found me, anywhos, glad to hear you’re still alive, galaxy ranger.
[5:13]doc:
I do know about hanahaki
[5:13]doc:
Don’t tell me you got it?
[5:30]Boothill:
Do you know how to fudgin get rid of it?
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[5:33]doc:
As easily as I got rid of your body, yes, also, fudge?
[5:34]doc:
Though just to let you know, I've never dealt with someone who has hanahaki, nevertheless someone with my modifications and alterations.
[5:35]doc:
You do know if you went through this surgery, you’re also killing off the root of it?
[5:36]boothill:
Someone messed up with my synthisea beacon, and what root?
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[5:36]doc:
Ha, that’s a little funny.
[5:37]doc:
The surgery is basically killing off the reason as to why it’s there, love, is the root of hanahaki disease.
[5:37]doc:
If you get it done, you’ll no longer love that person.
Seen
[6:01]doc:
I take it you didnt know?
Unsent, unable to deliver.
He was getting rid of them.
“W-well, you can either do the surgery, to get the seed out, or confess in chances you get your feelings reciprocated!”
One way, or another.
He prayed, to whoever, that the universe be kind to him just once, just this once.
and The universe was kind.
Not a full day after, as Boothill docked on a random space station, a big one that seemed like it was for some kind of business but had its own gas section for passerbys. he recognized a docked ship between many. One that was beautiful as it’s owner, The sight of the one and only exhilarated him.
[9:29]boothill:
You aint busy?
Voice message converted into text
He tapped his fingers on his thigh, eyes flickering from his phone and up at the docked ship. Hoping, praying, and slightly overheating from flowers.
“Boothill?”
Boothill whipped his face towards the source, and the sight of Argenti, confused but happy, made his shoulders drop. Untensing, the frown that’s been stuck on his face eased into a smile that he could easily sport around the knight.
For a second, free of his fucking woes, he happily greeted the knight.
“Rosey! fudge, you almost made my soul jump out! Howdy, how’ve ya been?”
Argenti smiled, wide and beautiful. his eyes sparkled.
“I'm well, my beautiful friend, more so in your presence. How about you?”
He had long since accepted he was in love, when he had placed the rose in his chest. he just didn't know when it snuck up on him, when it all started, maybe when he told him about his daughter, maybe even when he told him about the guitar.
“Never been better,” Boothill answered.
“Fate really likes us, huh?” Boothill took his hat off as he stepped inside the one and only, invited by the one and only owner.
“I’m glad that it does, it’s always a pleasure to have your company.” Argenti said, his words are not of empty flattery, and Boothill recognized that the knight always spoke his mind, his truth.
Boothill made himself comfortable on a chair, gazing around and spotting pots full of roses. Argenti followed his gaze, and with a rare look of tease, he pretended to reach for them, just as Boothill did for his gun.
He couldn’t tell who laughed first, but the both of them are laughing deeply with each other. His vocalizer distorted amidst his cackle as he tossed his head back, and Argenti’s giggling was as beautiful as he was.
Argenti wiped a tear from his eye with a finger, still giggling lightly under his breath. “Ah, if i may ask, how is the situation with the petals?” he asked, breathless and red cheeks. Boothill wanted to bite him.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about them,” Boothill waved him off, and sighed, “though if you gotta know, fudgin annoying.”
“I bet so,” Argenti hummed, leaning back.
Boothill breathed, had to manually, as his fans were beginning to get overworked thanks to the roses smothering him from the inside. He had just cleaned them out, but they were growing fast.
“Say, i wanna ask you something. It’s uh, may be fudgin weird n’all but…” he started, tapping his fingers on the chair. Argenti had noticed his tone, moving to stand a little straighter.
Would a knight, who was loyal and ever so upstanding, let his guard down around anyone just like that? To drop the weight of his training, to joke, to simply just be?
“What do you think about love?”
Argenti didn’t expect this sort of question, his eyes widened but he smoothed it into a straight expression as he sat in silence for seconds, thinking of an answer.
“Love…is beautiful,” Argenti said, “I love beauty, and I love Idrilla.”
Boothill shifted in his seat, staring into the knight in front of him.
“Have you ever loved anyone?”
“...” Argenti closed his eyes, and Boothill wanted to kick himself in the mouth, ofcourse, a man like Argenti had lost many he cared about, and ofcourse he had to accidentally somehow manage to remind the man of them. he cursed how blunt he was sometimes, despite how many times it worked in his favor. “I have loved before,” Argenti said smoothly, voice clear, as he opened his eyes again to look at Boothill warmly. “Family, friends, objects…i will still continue to love, that is the nature of man, is it not?”
Boothill silently nodded, feeling the weight of his confession on his tongue.
“Though, my fate would not be as easy it is to others for love.” Argenti continued, casting an accepting look on his face.
Boothill stilled, as his eyes bored on Argenti.
“What do you mean?” he breathed.
“My fate is to traverse this vast universe alone, in search of Idrilla.” Argenti said so simply, with a smile, despite how devastating it sounded. How selfless of him.
How selfish Boothill fucking was, to almost give him a burden.
Boothill swallowed the confession, the flowers, the pain.
“Well,” he tipped his hat, hiding his face, the knight did have keen eyes. “we’re the same in that, aren’t we?”
[11:28] argenti:
I hope everything is well with you my friend, i couldn’t help but notice you left in a hurry. I thought it would have been impolite of me to put you in the spot and ask you directly, but please let me know if i did something wrong.
Seen
[9:02]boothill:
Aw shucks rosey, you’ve never did anything wrong. I just got myself over my fudgin head and forgot something important to do, you’re all good pal.
voice message converted into text.
[9:02]argenti:
That assures me greatly, please don’t ever hesitate to tell me anything, you are my dear friend and i cherish you.
[6:01]doc:
I take it you didnt know?
[10:50] message delivered
[11:01]boothill:
Where are you.
Voice message converted into text
[11:12]doc sent location.
[11:13]doc:
I take it the confession didn’t work? Or did you not confess at all?
[11:14]doc:
If you’re doing this, you should do it without regrets.
[11:16]boothill:
As i said before, I ain't here for lectures…the dead don’t have regrets.
Voice message converted into text.
“To think that it would actually manage to kill you…” the short doctor breathed in bewilderment, as Boothill hanged onto wires and machinery, probed by small mechanical arms to take apart all of his armor. “Fascniating.”
“...”
“...well, it’s time to see if you’re still as hard to kill.” the short doctor turned to face her screens, her white coat still several times bigger than she was.
“How…” Boothill started, before he would be put to sleep. The doctor paused, turning to face him. As blunt and uncaring as she was, she was kind enough to try to push him away from this path, to give him the body for revenge, to help, to make sure he doesn’t regret. “It’s only humans who get sick, how did i…”
“...you’ve got a human soul, and human emotions.” the doctor answered him as it was a simple math equation, then, she gave him a valid reasoning. “Besides, it’s not like I got rid of your heart, I've only modified it. Hanahaki seed is still able to plant itself there, even with all my tinkering, I guess.”
She turned to face her screen again, waiting a moment for him to say something.
Boothill stayed silent.
“...ready to see if you’d die?”
A simple nod, and he was plunged back into familiar, heavy darkness.
Boothill wouldn’t die, he still has someone to kill.
(but if he did, he was glad he got to know another person to love in this universe. If he died, there would still be someone out there, who knows of his history, his family, his life, his daughter…his name.)
“Before i go, i’ve got something to tell ye.” Boothill paused at the doorway, turning to face Argenti. The knight nodded, smiling at him.
“My name, Boothill, where i come from, that’s what we call gunslingers who end up bitin the dust…” he said, low whisper. The knight paid him his full attention, hanging off his every word.
Boothill wasn’t blind, Argenti might like him, but the man had something much more important than Boothill could ever be. that's why he was sick, cursed with flowers. the roses know better. The knight might not notice it himself now, or ever, but even if he did, he wouldn’t choose Boothill. It’s clear to him now.
“...my name,” he said, then whispered the names that his folks would call to him, would softly whisper when he was hurt, would shout when they wanted him back inside to eat, who he used to be, the name of a dead man. and Argenti’s face fell into a soft shocked expression, before it melted into an excited sweet smile, fondness like honey in his eyes that aimed towards Boothill.
“That’s a beautiful name, befitting to you.” Argenti said, placing a hand on his own heart, above his armor. “Such an honor to bestow to me, im forever grateful…” as he continued to speak, it is as if he realized of how such importancy, secrecy. “Though…i would ask why as to so suddenly tell me?”
Boothill smiled, it felt like a pitiful thing, and judging by Argenti’s look, it looked like it.
“I just wanted to.”
I might never find a reason to tell you after this.
[11:23]argenti sent a photo
[11:24]argenti:
I found this harmonica at a music store window, I recall you mentioning them. Though i haven’t had the pleasure of trying to play it, as the store owner never came by to open the shop. I hope that i get the chance to, next time.
Unsent, unable to deliver.
[11:24]argenti:
Boothill?
Unsent, unable to deliver.
[07:03]argenti:
I pray to Idrilla that the universe be kind to you, it’s been days since my last message, and i haven’t heard anything about you. I pray that you’re alright.
Unsent, unable to deliver.
“Boothill? Hello? The call was sent directly to the message box. I could only assume and hope that it’s only because your phone is shut, I pray that nothing happened to you. i’ve discovered what it is that may cause you these flowers…it’s an ugly disease, Hanahaki, they call it. Flowers bloom from petals and grow bigger until it swallows the person whole, killing them. Boothill, that day…when you asked me about love…the roses you suffered from…you must have known, didn’t you? Idrilla, and i…i pushed you away with that answer, i didn’t–Those roses, I–please, Idrilla, they did not kill you have they? It’s wrong, it’s all wrong, I should have known. Boothill, I love you.”
[7:04] argenti:
Messages delivered
[7:15]argenti:
Boothill?
Sent, seen.
[7:15]argenti:
Are you there? Are you alright?
Sent, seen.
[7:16]boothill declined the call.
[7:16]argenti:
Boothill?
[7:16]boothill:
Fudging heck, you don't have to keep blowin the darn phone. I'm fine now, the roses are gone, no need for all of this. Ya don’t have to keep worrying about me at all, knight.
Voice message converted into text.
[7:17]argenti:
I apologize, I fear my worries have gotten the best of me. I'm glad you’re alright.
[7:17]argenti:
The roses are gone? Have you listened to the voicemail then? Idrilla I hope that you’re close by, i need to see you.
[7:19]boothill:
I didn’t listen to anything, I got them roses fudgin removed. I reckon 'm a little too far for you to drop an unexpected visit, knight. Let’s leave it to fate if it ever decides to let us meet, yeah?
Voice message converted into text.
Argenti looked down on his phone, glancing over to the monitor of his ship. Where the last of his search of tracking Boothill whereabouts were all shown, trying to find out where the gunslinger was. Where there was also frantic research of the flower illness.
His eyes skimmed a passage he had highlighted, originally with the intent of showing it to Boothill, to warn him but now, it mocked him.
Surgically removing Hanahaki would remove any and all of the emotion one would feel for the unrequited love.
But the study wasn’t official, there could be possibilities that one could remove the illness but let the feelings linger, to kill the curse but keep the blessing.
(Yet, Boothill was no longer treating him as he used to. He had removed the flowers, he had changed, he had loved Argenti. loved.)
His thumb hovered over the call option on Boothill’s contact, and forcefully he wrenched himself away from the phone. Idrilla, how had he not noticed? How had he failed to see? He didn’t realize until it was too late, he was mistaken, wrong.
I love you , he wanted to say, it’s not too late is it? He wanted to beg.
Argenti has to find him, he has to–
He coughed, hacking into the palm of his hand as something crawled on the insides of his throat. Argenti lurched forward instinctively, coughing harshly into his hand and feeling something scrape against his throat, the roof of his mouth, before it all stopped.
Argenti blinked his tears away, staring at yellow petals on the palm of his hand.