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Mr. Puzzles had made the decision to keep track of Mr. Wpnz when the assassin went out on his own. Usually when Mr. Wpnz went on some side gigs that he took independent of Hitman Inc since he’d gone rouge (or to information gather)
Whichever was the case, it was quite entertaining to watch.
Mr. Puzzles was currently gushing over what he is seeing on one of the security cameras he'd managed to find. He could learn from past mistakes (usually) and therefore had (mostly) gotten the memo to keep his distance after the last ambush spring on himself and Wpnz but he can’t help but be curious.
Not concerned.
Oh no no he wasn’t!
But what if Wpnz hasn’t fully recovered from his stab wound?
Whatever would the assassin do if he were ambushed again?
At the very least, Mr. Puzzles could provide a distraction, like making any troublemakers enter into a Puzzlevizion original.
Ooo, yes!
Puzzles ought to do that; he could use it as an opportunity to show Wpnz just how useful that little ability of his was. How Mr. Puzzles could use it to deescalate the situation (or to at least provide cover for an escape while everyone was shaking off the effects of being in said episode). With this plan in mind, Puzzles went back to keep watch over his little assassin, first through the TVs in the area, then the security cameras now that Mr. Wpnz had gone off grid into an area near the docks, at the edge of the city. Mr. Puzzles eventually propped the bottom of his head's casing on upturned palms as he eagerly watched the screen.
Oh, what a great setup for a story!
A barge in the harbor being loaded up with cargo with quite the suspicious-lookin g group loitering about.
As Puzzles watched, Mr. Wpnz used the cover of yet to be loaded cargo crates to avoid detection as the assassin slowly as approached the small group.
How very exciting!
As Mr. Puzzles watched, he considered all of the different storylines that could possibly be used in such a situation. As he did this, the TV man's attention briefly swept over the barge and the area around Wpnz to see where the nearest TV was located.
Ah.
How inconvenient.
The TV was inside the barge itself.
That may prove a bit difficult for Mr. Puzzles to get into position to actually catch everyone in range to drag into a show.
Hm.
What to do, what to do.
Mr. Puzzles had seen how competent the assassin had been these past four months, until that ambush where he had to include Mr. Puzzles in it. But since Puzzles wasn't around to account for...perhaps this wasn’t going to turn out too badly? The way Wpnz kept himself in the shadows and undetectable appeared to be going his way, after all. Puzzles didn't see too many people around that it would become a problem, so Wpnz could handle this just fine.
Right?
The tone on-screen shifted, even without the aid of the audio.
Mr. Puzzles perked up, watching with interest as Mr. Wpnz stole up behind someone who was patrolling the scattered crates and dock equipment. Mr. Puzzles' hands went to either side of his head as he watched giddily. This was like one of those spy or action movies! Mr. Puzzles grinned like a madman when Wpnz surged forward to wrap an arm around the other’s neck. The assassin dragged the unfortunate man backward with a sharp, vicious yank.
Oh my, how absolutely brutal!
Mr. Wpnz had just stabbed the man with a knife in the throat, other hand over the mouth to stifle noise as Wpnz dragged the man backward into the dark.
Mr. Puzzles leaned closer to the screen, eager to see if that alerted anyone.
It hadn’t.
Or so it appeared.
Mr. Wpnz emerged from the shadows alone, rolled his shoulders, and, with a glance around, continued his way forward. As he stepped forward toward another guard coming in his direction, Wpnz lunged. Only, this time, while the assassin took the guard out with a vicious punch of a fist into the abdomen, it didn't go unnoticed.
Another man emerged from the shadows to the right of the guard to attack Mr. Wpnz.
one hand lifting when another guard came around only this time it didn’t work out as when the guard was taken out someone right nearby came out of nowhere and attacked Wpnz.
The ensuing scuffle altered the loiterers over by the docks, drawing them into the blows being traded between Wpnz and the third unseen guard.
That wasn’t good.
Mr. Puzzles watched the unfolding scene a moment longer before he decided that he was going to go through to the barge’s television after all. Especially when one of the men that ganged up on the assassin got a hit into Wpnz right side. That strike must have hurt, because it sent Wpnz directly down to his hands and knees, leaving himself open to getting swarmed. Even if it looked like Wpnz was holding his own, there was a high likelihood that he would be overpowered, just due to the sheer amount of grappling hands, flashes of guns and swinging blades. Without a backward look, M r. Puzzles left the hideout, hoping that, when he entered the barge via the other tv, that he didn’t step into a room full of delinquents.
After all, Mr. Puzzles was only interested in one delinquent in particular.
-
Mr. Wpnz' day had gone from decent to shit in a matter of seconds, and he had only himself to blame for being so unaware that he hadn’t picked up on the fact someone else had been tailing him the entire time since he’d entered the shipyard.
He was nothing if not painfully aware of the fact that, in the moment, he was unfortunately rusty in terms of his skills as an assassin. This was an embarrassment to Wpnz' past hits and he couldn’t help but let fury overtake him over such a pathetic jab to his barely healed stab wound had been what did him in. What gave others an opening to pinion him to the wet boards of the docks beneath him. At least that punch hadn’t reopened the injury, but that didn’t mean one of these bastards wouldn’t use the weak spot as a point to torture him with, if that’s the way this was headed. Not that Wpnz could exactly see what was going on around him, seeing as he had just been secured with fishing netting. He'd also had some pieces of scrap metal that had been uncomfortably jammed into the bottom of Wpnz' feet, while his forearms had been wound together in lieu of handcuffs with some barbed wire. That also happened to have been loosely looped around Wpnz neck, daring him to try to transform his arms into a weapon without drawing the barbed wire closer to his neck if he moved his forearms up or away.
As it was, the hitmen and other criminals posing as dock workers at least knew enough about the assassin to effectively keep him quiet, for now, as they’d forced his mouth open to jam an uncomfortable piece of jagged metal between his fangs. As if that wasn't enough, the gag was completed by tying the edges of cloth to either side of the metal and behind his head to secure it. And it had really been too much to hope that his canons masquerading as goggles on top of his head would be overlooked; in fact, it was taken off of Wpnz's head and tossed it off somewhere, leaving the assassin further weaponless.
Despite the humiliation of it all, this wasn't actually the worst position Wpnz had ever been in, nor would it be the last. If anything, this would at least give him the chance to learn some information that he wanted; after all the criminals were casually chatting to one another nearby, acting as if Wpnz was unconscious and not awake and watching. And as a bonus, there wasn’t a danger-prone tv freak around to have to take into consideration, meaning Wpnz would be free to act when he had the opportunity.
The light posts along the bridge leading to the docked barge turned as the night rolled in.
Wpnz had closed his eyes to doze while he waited and listened, but when footsteps approached, the assassin's eyes were quick to snap open. He fixed a slightly glowing glare on the gathered assortment of criminals that half surrounded him where he was trussed up. Wpnz only had time to track a fast downward swinging fist approaching his face before he was discombobulated and knocked backward in the same moment. T he sorry excuse for criminals must have thought he had been knocked completely unconscious, because he was half carried and half dragged along the dock to be brought aboard the barge. It was an unpleasant sensation. Wpnz grit his teeth around the metal in his mouth, persevering through the jostling as he kept his aching if conscious state quiet.
The talk began in earnest this time but in hushed whispers this time, as someone in the small group had a braincell to know to be more cautious around the assassin, even if he appeared down and out.
Then, before Mr. Wpnz had time to brace himself, he found himself being suddenly yanked upright by the barbed wire around his forearms, luckily only digging into clothing and metal. The loop of barbed wire was presumably locked over a hook, forcing Wpnz to dangle from it, the edges of his feet barely touching the ground. T hat seemed to be the extent of it as if the criminals around him were content to wait for him to return to consciousness.
Right before someone roughly jabbed him in the scabbed over wound in his right side.
Wpnz grit his teeth but refused to move or show signs of being awake, but w hoever had jabbed him must have had a vendetta against him, as someone yanked his shirt up. A punch into his side flared up with agony as the blade now in his side was jerkily dragged up through scarred skin; this reopened the wound, warmth trickling down skin it. Wpnz to involuntarily jerked away in the opposite direction, but other hand s roughly grabbed hold of the assassin, which made Wpnz come alive with a snarl around the gag. He uselessly wriggled, attempting to throw the person with the knife away, or the extra hands on him.
He couldn’t.
The knife, while smaller than the blade that had caused the wound in the first place, could still wreak havoc on his innards if Wpnz moved too much before it was removed. Sooner rather than later would be better, so Wpnz instantly feigned falling unconscious, head lolling to the side to sell it, though unable to make his body go still completely.
"He's gone soft, hasn't he?"
"Falling unconscious from a little wound like?"
"Pathetic."
"You lot are idiots." Someone else cut in. "I dare you to pull on that barbed wire and see just how out he is."
"You do it."
"Fine. Cowards."
Wpnz bound arms were unceremoniously brought up via the damned barbed wire 'rope' being brought up to his chest. The barbed wire pressed into the assassin's forearms into the wire, before the wire looped around neck and collarbone dug through Wpnz' shirt and through into to his collarbone and shoulders, drawing out a small but noticeable twitch.
"See? I told you he was fakin' it."
"Maybe we should put you outta your misery." One directed to Wpnz. "Especially is wiggling about is the best you can do."
“Try it and see what happens.” Wpnz couldn't help deliver the mostly empty threat, eyes opening to glare defiantly. He wasn’t about to play the fool if one of these wannabes decided to attempt to kill or torture him. But before someone could take a stab at Wpnz, literally, there was suddenly enthusiastic clapping in the dead silence that followed the assassin's words.
"Bravo! Oh, what a delightfully twisted scene I’ve come upon!"
As if this day couldn't get any worse...
Dread and exasperation warred with one another as Mr. Wpnz glanced in the direction of the upper deck. There, standing there casually as could be, was Mr. Puzzles, who ended his clapping to gesture around with excited waves of his hands. With a bounce in his step, Puzzles began to pace back and forth, the only out of place thing being his screen remaining facing those on the lower deck as he did so.
You have gotta be fuckin' kiddin' him...
“Whatever shall I do now that I’ve come upon my partner in crime in such a state?” Mr. Puzzles tone shifted from gushing and overly theatrical to serious and considering as he tapped a finger to the side of his screen. “Because this simply won’t do.”
Had Mr. Wpnz the energy, he’d be bristling at the blasé manner with which Puzzles was treating this situation; it was nearly as bad as the way the tv man had acted during that ambush a week ago. But seeing as Wpnz had to focus on keeping the barbed wire from digging into his neck like it was his collar bone, he couldn’t exactly do more than give Mr. Puzzles a disbelieving look.
Which Puzzles took in stride as he either cleverly or unintentionally drew the other criminal’s attention to him as the small group shuffled forward.
”Where’d the tv freak come from?” One of the men pointed at Puzzles, questioning his fellows, all of whom had no answer.
“Rude.” Mr. Puzzles huffed out with a crossing of his arms, but the offense was at odds with the strange little smile on his screen. “You lot should count yourselves lucky that you get to be a part of one of my shows.”
”the hell he talkin’ about?” Another person muttered.
Wpnz believed Puzzles was about to get shield shot, only for the assassin to see the unexpected.
Mr. Puzzles’ screen suddenly brightened and somehow created a vortex of some kind to draw all five criminals into his screen, while somehow going into the tv himself. The television set that was Mr. Puzzles’ head settled on the damp deck with a heavy thud. The screen was static a moment before a title showed up.
Puzzles’ Treasured Island.
Wpnz watched with an incredulous stare as the criminals were suddenly pirates looking for treasure. Studying the screen a moment longer, Mr. Wpnz shook off the surprise and refocused to work on freeing himself. And since the gag would make that harder, it would be the first thing to be removed. Carefully, Wpnz leaned his head forward and to the side to catch the cloth holding one side of the gag to the barbed wire. Then he yanked back, tearing the cloth apart. Spitting out the metal, Wpnz worked his sore jaw for a moment, before angling his arms up despite the pain. He nipped carefully at the edge of the barbed wire, avoiding the sharp edges.
The wire was no match for jagged fangs and determination.
Shaking the wire loose and out of the way, Mr Wpnz dropped dropped down from the hook in the ceiling to the ground, jarring his frame. The assassin ignored the ache in his jaw, side and collarbone as he made quick snaps of his teeth into the netting that still held his upper arms pinioned to his side. By the time Wpnz was freeing his legs and ridding his feet of the debris that had been jammed into the bottom of it, Mr Puzzles’ screen lit up.
Almost immediately after that, the tv ‘spat out’ the five criminals, all of whom were temporarily dazed with guards lowered.
Unfortunately, Mr. Puzzles bounced back up from wherever the hell his body had gone. Then, he was suddenly alongside Wpmz, urging him up and dragging him along.
Mr. Wpnz went, but not without stumbling and cursing as the two of them veered toward the ramp that still connected the barge to the dock. The assassin let out another curse as he and Mr Puzzles ended up tumbling down the ramp like Puzzles had lost his footing. But Mr. Wpnz had heard a gunshot go off not a second ago, which cause him to turn and let off a shot of his own.
It hit the advancing criminal who dropped down with a scream.
Mr Puzzles, for his part, hadn’t made a sound in response to the first shot, so the tv man had puzzles had likely dropped them both onto the ramp.
Wpnz stumbled back up and hauled Puzzles along by his suspenders, until the man shakily caught Wpnz’ hand and ran on his own two feet. Mr. Puzzles followed Wpnz to dip behind the nearest crate and mutely hunkered down to stay in place after a sharp glance from Wpnz.
Fangs bared, Wpnz used his newfound freedom to take out the remaining four criminals. He even took a brief moment to get some info out of the wounded fifth man before ‘putting him out of his misery’ as the man had claimed he’d wanted to do to Wpnz.
“So much for losing my touch, huh?” Wpnz questioned the dead man needlessly. Grunting with some effort due to his wounds, Wpnz stomped his way back to where he’d left Mr. Puzzles behind the crate.
Familiar, that, recalling the ambush from a week ago.
“What part a keepin’ outta the way an’ outta sight don’t ya get?” Wpnz grumbled, too sore to really put any heat behind the words.
Mr. Puzzles had risen from his hunkering, where he was now stooped behind the crate, his screen on a some kind of standby screen.
Wpnz looked the other man over, noticing my the gunshot had made contact with Mr. Puzzles after all, and through his left thigh. This explained the lack of response when Wpnz lightly, grudgingly rested a hand on one of Mr. Puzzles’ shoulder. Clinging to the last of his patience, Wpnz let out a slow breath and spoke.
“If you ain’t gonna walk, then ya better go back to being a tv so I can lug ya back to our hideout.”
Apparently, Mr Puzzles could hear Wpnz, because he was suddenly staring down at a tv set. Wpnz wasn’t going to question the logistics of that right now, if it all. He was more concerned with packing some discarded cloth scraps to his right side beneath his torn shirt, and tied it off with a piece of torn tarp around his middle to staunch his bleeding side. With a grunt of effort, Wpnz stopped to pick up the television set.
What a damn day.
-
Mr. Puzzles waking up back in the hideout meant that Wpnz had actually carried his tv head back like he said he would.
That…hm.
Puzzles hadn’t been certain the assassin would do that, as he’d been quite upset with Puzzles for showing up on barge’s upper deck. But really, there hadn’t been Aanyone to stop Mr Puzzles on his way through the barge, he had come upon his partner in crime, who appeared to be in a dangerous situation, and wounded again too.
So of course Puzzles had retaliated in the only way he really could given said situation and put those miscreants into a show. This had clearly given Wpnz enough time to free himself and for Mr. Puzzle to get to his side. To…encourage him (he wasn’t worried) to get out of there, as Puzzles had been uncertain at the time how long the other criminals would remain immobilized.
The answer was not long enough seeing as Puzzles was shot in the thigh.
That had actually hurt and if Wpnz hadn’t carried him off (again) someone might have tried to take a potshot at his beautiful face while he was downed by the unexpected pain.
Yet here he was.
Safe.
Well, as safe as he and Wpnz could be in their chosen hideout.
“You’re awake.” The assassin commented from somewhere nearby.
This was said as Mr. Puzzles peered under the sheets that had been tossed over him while he was laid out on the end. Puzzles gaze landed on his left thigh wrapped in bandages. It ached and throbbed and burned but it was nowhere near as bad as the initial shot and subsequent agony.
“I had not anticipated that happening.” Mr. Puzzles eventually admitted with a bit of a growl to his tone, not looking at Wpnz. “He waved his free hand. “And no, you don’t have to tell me how reckless I was going somewhere where I may be shot.”
”You were shot.”
Mr. Puzzles didn’t say anything as he stared harder at the bandages.
“Why’d you go?”
Yes, Puzzles mused to himself as he traced a finger along his thigh, feeling a twinge, why had he done that?
The answer was quite simple.
”Why, I saw that you had gotten into a spot of trouble.” Puzzles eventually answered, but attempting to be dismissively upbeat failed.
“How?”
“Security cameras.” Mr. Puzzles realized that he hadn’t exactly revealed just how much he could see if he really wanted to. “As long as it has a screen, I can usually see through it if I want.” The silence from Wpnz was rather telling, as Puzzles assumed he was thinking of another instance.
“That’s how you found me the first time; when ya offered me the deal.”
“Yes.” No point in denying it. “Although that was when I had limited access to my powers.” Finally, Mr. Puzzles looked over to Wpnz, only to find the assassin currently preoccupied with cleaning the wounds on his collarbone. The sideways position also offered a view of Wpnz’ wounded side where the skin was being held together with..butterfly bandages?!
That was not an appropriate way to hold that together.
“Get over here with that.” Mr. Puzzles said with exasperation as he scooted himself up into a sitting position and beckoned with a hand to Wpnz. “I’ll stitch your side up before those terribly thin bandages fall off and you start bleeding all over the place.”
“I got it handled.” Wpnz groused, remaining where he was.
“I insist!” Why he did, Puzzles ignored as his screen flicked to one of disapproval before an ‘ah-ha’ one appeared. “You do recall that I did that for you last week?” Puzzles reminded the assassin as he jabbed a finger at him in emphasis. “You weren’t complaining about it then.”
Wpnz appeared to think for all of two seconds before he sighed irritably and his shoulders dropped.
Well, well, that was quick.
With an unhappy, thunderous scowl Wpnz got up and shuffled over to the bed with the first aid supplies. Once Puzzles was finished straightening up, Wpnz sat on the side of the bed, his right side facing the tv man, who inexplicably produced a pair of sterile medical gloves. With a quick swap of those gloves with his usual ones, Wpnz was granted a brief glimpse of slim robotic fingers.
The room fell into silence as Mr. Puzzles focused on the task at hand, using the supplies that Wpnz had brought over. With careful fingers, Puzzles carefully removed the butterfly bandages from the knife wound. He cleaned, stitched, slathered antibiotic on Wpnz side and then wrapped the assassin’s injury around his torso with with bandages. Just like Puzzles had done with the initial injury a week ago. Puzzles was thorough, for some reason feeling like he wanted the end result wasn’t uncomfortable. With some silent badgering, Mr. Puzzles even got Wpnz to turn around to face him to get the scratches and cuts on his collar bone seem to as well.
Even so, Wpnz at one point muttered something along the lines of ‘don’t gotta do that’. But the assassin did nothing to stop the way Mr. Puzzles touched along lightly, checking the cleaning of the deeper puncture wounds that were there. By the time Puzzles finished, Wpnz eyes had closed. Quietly, and with a contemplative look, Puzzles put some wadded up gauze on the deeper gouges and taped it in place. He lightly dabbed some antibiotic over the shallower scratches and nicks before he was satisfied with the treatment. It was only once he’d discarded the gloves and replaced them with his own usual pair that Mr Puzzles lifted his head to meet Wpnz gaze.
When had the assassin reopened his eyes?
How long had he been staring at Puzzles so silently like that?
“To answer your question, I was the one that wanted you to get certain information today, and that led you to the area you ended up in, I presume.” Puzzles looked away, not certain what to make of that expression as he fidgeted with the medical supplies there left. “As I wasn’t as much help to you when I showed up, I felt that I…may as well help with the fallout?” Puzzles kept his gaze on the supplies. “You also don’t have a mirror in here to see what you were doing, so I simply had to step in. Or did you want to get an infection? Maybe even have it heal wrong?”
Wpnz still hadn’t said anything, but he did finally move. And it was to gather up the medical before he carefully, snd gingerly, got to his feet to store them away. When Wpnz came back, he went to stand alongside the bed. “There’s more to it than that.”
“What do you-Well, I…that is to say I-“ Puzzles awkwardly fumbled over his words before he settled on some and spoke in an aloof manner with a dismissive flap of one of his hands. “I couldn’t very well let my partner in crime get out of our plan of revenge so easily.” Mr. Puzzles could see that Wpnz saw through that as just another excuse, but thankfully, the assassin didn’t press for more, merely appearing worn out as he walked back across the room to a comfortable chair.
Puzzles doesn’t even get the chance to ask if he wanted the bed as Wpnz sat down. Mr. Puzzles watched as Wpnz
closed his eyes, leaned his head back, ahe released an anndiltely exhausted sounding exhale before remarkably falling asleep between one breath and the next.
Mr. Puzzles wasn’t sure how long he watched the slumbering assassin before he settled back in bed to get some rest himself.
-
Wpnz hadn’t realized that he’d even fallen asleep until he was jerking suddenly out of said sleep. He wasn’t even going to begin to consider the implications of the fact that he’d been able to fall asleep in the same room as Mr. Puzzles. But unlike before, when Mr. Wpnz had woken from passing out over that stab wound the ambush a week prior to find Mr. Puzzles there waiting for him to wake up, today he wasn’t there.
Maybe the man finally understood that Wpnz preferred to have some distance between himself and others?
…although Puzzles did appear to enjoy pressing him to see how close he could intrude into the assassin’s personal bubble.
Mr. Wpnz shifted, then stilled when he noticed he was lying horizontal instead of vertical like when he’d fallen asleep.
All right.
Puzzles hadn’t learned a damn thing, because when Wpnz finally cracked open his eyes reluctantly, he was not on the chair where he’d fallen asleep. He was instead tucked into bed where Mr. Puzzles had been before. There was an odd sense of disappointment that the other man wasn’t there in the room with him, but the feeling passed by quickly enough that Wpnz dismissed it. Instead, the assassin levered himself up with some difficulty; with a dull throb, he was made aware of his injured side, and the aches lingering in his collarbone and edges of his clavicles. Wpnz laid a hand over the gaze patches that were taped down one by one. Then, he lifted the sheets to glance down at his side. Lightly lowering his left hand over it, Wpnz jerked his hand away from the (again) ridiculous amount of bandages wrapped around his torso.
“S’not that bad.” Wpnz muttered to himself as he straightened up as best he could before hunching over at the tug in his side, left hand reaching out to brace against the mattress.
Only to come into contact with his headgear that had been taken from him earlier.
The assassin furrowed his brow as his hand curled around metal and leather. Wpnz didn’t remember reclaiming it as he had already made the decision to get himself and Puzzles out of the area lest someone come sniffing around.
Had Mr Puzzles…actually gone back to the docks to retrieve it?
For him?
Why?
There wasn’t anything in it for Mr. Puzzles to go and do that. It had nothing to do with their deal and retrieving his weapons or gear was something that Wpnz thought he would be responsible once he recovered enough.
”Oh, good morning, my friend~! I didn’t think you would be up so soon.” The door opened along with the tv man’s cheery, much too awake voice.
“Why’d you go back and get it?” Wpnz found himself asking as he traced a finger along the strap of his headgear, not looking up as Puzzles approached. The footsteps halted and the tv man gave a little hum as he thought up his answer. The assassin was fairly certain he could assume that whatever was said had a hidden meaning of some sort to hide Puzzles’ true feelings on the matter. Unless he was unexpectedly honest about it, as Puzzles could sometimes be, much to Wpnz’ surprise.
Mr. Puzzles must have decided to test Wpnz’ patience over being close in proximity to him, as Puzzles dared to pluck the headgear from Wpnz’ fingers curled around it.
Wpnz, scowling, opened his mouth with parted teeth, about to snap something, when the other man unexpectedly leaned over and plopped the headgear over the assassins head.
Puzzles lightly gripped the straps that were now on either side of Wpnz’ head as a few fingers deftly toyed with it. “It didn’t seem right to not see you wearing this with that confident toothy grin of yours.” Mr. Puzzles eventually answered, a teasing smile on the screen and digital eyes firmly not on Wpnz himself as he ‘stared’ at one of the straps instead.
There wasn’t exactly anything to say to that, so Wpnz opted to look at Puzzles in return. Which was the only reason why he didn’t bite the tv man’s closest hand when he playfully let go to tweak one of the straps. Puzzles went even further as he passed a hand ever so casually over Wpnz’ shoulder, and down to his collar bone where Puzzles’ attention shifted to the bandaged injuries.
“Those brutes certainly did a number on you, didn’t they?” Mr. Puzzles mused aloud, before his fingers dropped down to linger above the bandages covered the stab wound.
“Not the worst I’ve had.” The assassin eyed Puzzles favoring his left leg, leaning more of his weight onto his right. “You outta get off your feet fer a while before you open that up.” And since Wpnz knew he was shitty at holding still when injured, and that Puzzles could be melodramatic, the assassin swiftly reached out and seized Mr. Puzzles’ nearest hand before he could step away.
There was no way in hell Wpnz missed the way Puzzles gave a full body flinch as he let go and turned over on his left side, grumbling. “Get yer lanky ass on the bed. There’s enough room fer both of us.”
Puzzles, amazingly, did as asked, slipping onto the bed.
Mr. Wpnz ought to have known that was merely the tv man coming up with some clever thing to say.
”Sharing the bed with me, hm?” Puzzles’ screen was suddenly too close to the back of Wpnz neck. “My, how scandalous~. Whatever will we tell people?”
Screw sleep.
The assassin spent the next half hour uselessly trying to smother Mr. Puzzles with a pillow while the tv man played along with appropriate dramatics and lamented the tragic nature of his soon to be demise at the hands of such a skilled assassin. Wpnz eventually grew weary of the game and grumpily curled up in his side of the bed, for the most part unable to fall asleep.
But this allowed Wpnz to notice that Puzzles didn’t sleep either, and the tv man in fact stayed up most of the night watching Wpnz, quiet static being the only sound in the room apart from Wpnz breathing.
The assassin said nothing of the fact that he was able to fall asleep within that time only because he knew that someone else was keeping watch.