Val fussed over him a bit more once they were up the ladder, gesturing for him to sit down on the bed while he searched around for the first aid kid he could swear he'd seen when he was messing around in here. "I can get something else if you don't! Might have some old cocoa lying around. Or maybe I could make some cocktails?" He glanced back at Padlock for a few seconds, barely enough time to get a read on him, and then he finally spotted the beat up old kit and his attention was stolen.
Picking through it was a bit difficult, but eventually he found the badges which would probably work even though they looked a bit musty. He settled by Padlock's side again, carefully unwrapping the blood soaked scraps of shirt and replacing them with sturdy bandages. "You should really get a sink in here." He moved on to the next hand, wincing a bit as he peeled the fabric off Padlock's skin. "Makes it a lot easier to tend to your wounds. Goodness knows you have enough scars already."
“Well, my apologies, but old abandoned maintenance rooms don’t normally come with sinks,” he muttered passively, gritting his teeth and sucking in a breath as Phantom patched his hands. Unlike he used to be able to do, he could look at the wound without wretching. That wasn’t always the case. It had been a long time since then, but he used to tear up even at the sight of blood on someone else. His first few scars earned very patchy work from him, still not even healing properly because Solo couldn’t look at them long enough to do a good job stitching them. Although he had now grown numb to it, the blood and torn skin only only earning him a sneer or grimace.
That said nothing for the scars across the bridge of his face. They even stretched to below his eyes, across the top of his cheeks. Those had never gotten easier to patch, especially since his only form of seeing himself was a broken mirror beside his computer.
Valentine winced his way through his work until the blood was hidden below layers upon layers of clean bandages and Padlock didn't look like he was hurting quite so much anymore. Something about seeing him in pain made Val hurt too, more than he had any right to. "All done!" He forced a smile onto his face and something cheerful into his voice, still cradling Padlock's hand in both of his.
The lighting here was good enough that he could actually see the other man so he took his time looking. "And I know they don't just come with sinks, that's why I said you should get one. Cleaning stuff out and stitching it properly makes the scarring a lot better, and you're not at risk of getting it infected." His eyes were on the scars as he spoke, tracing the lines that cut across his face. He knew better than to ask. "You know, I think I've got a cream that might help some of the newer ones fade a bit. Cut my knee open really good a year back and I didn't want it leaving a mark, but I kept forgetting to use it so there's still half a bottle lying around somewhere."
Solo still kept that almost brooding expression, his sunken eyes watching each of Phantom’s movement attentively.
“I don’t necessarily care,” he muttered. He had never thought of his scars as a bad thing, just refrained from oversharing how he got them. To him, they were something to be concealed, but they were also part of him. It showed him how far he had come, and what to do differently. Like little marks of failure, but he was still standing. Until he wasn’t, he had another shot at succeeding. But, then again, knowing Solo… he’d be one prideful enough to die standing up.
But, did Phantom not like them?
With that question aroused, Padlock froze. Why would he care what that guy thought? It didn’t matter— his opinion wasn’t going to influence him. It was a stupid notion.
With that, he shook the thought aside somewhat violently, bringing himself back to the situation at hand. Luckily he didn’t have trouble paying attention outside of his thoughts, considering the pain kept wrapping him back to the present.
With his hands wrapped, he clenched and unclenches his fists, muttering inaudibly to himself about how “It’ll have to do.”
He then looked up for a moment, meeting Phantom’s eyes with a tired gaze of his own. It was difficult to say the words, but he got them out.
“Thank you,” he grumbled, clearly upset by saying so.
Valentine frowned a bit at the muttering. It wasn't the prettiest job, but they were in a rush and he wanted to get back to his apartment so he could use some fresh bandages. Maybe a bit of disinfectant, if he could muster up the strength to inflict a little more pain on Padlock. Of course, the 'thank you' pretty effectively derailed his train of thought and he brightened up like a lightning bug.
"Oh!" Padlock's eyes were tired but his voice sounded genuine enough, if you ignored the grumpiness, and that was enough to send a whole hoard of butterflies into his stomach. It was something he noticed more and more with Padlock these days. He could flirt and flirt with anyone he wanted, but the second Padlock flirted back, or gave him some silly, sarcastic compliment, he felt like he could just float away. "It's really no problem! Can't have my favorite villain wandering around without anyone to take care of him, can I?"
The first aid kit was quickly repacked and pushed to the side. His fingers tapped on his thighs, quick and excited and he didn't really want to leave because that would mean ending such a pleasant little moment between them. "Anyways, it was really worth it to get to see your little hideout and everything. Just what a nemesis dreams of, I suppose, but I don't think we're really nemeses exactly. I like you quite a bit more than I think I'd like a nemesis."
“Ditto,” Solo admitted sarcastically, even though he knew full-well it was very true. “But I don’t know the rules, so I guess everything between us is technically fair-game.”
He even surprised himself with his words, but didn’t show even a stitch of it. His voice was plain, though, holding barely any fluctuation. Unlike his heart, however, which was skipping quite faster than he appreciated.
Padlock then let his eyes wander around the ‘hideout,’ which it barely was. He just stationed here part-time. He was often even further beneath the city, roaming the tunnels with multiple maintenance stops throughout. It looked sort of like a half-dilapidated subway station, that was hidden from the public a long time ago. It was musty, cold, and smelled like mildew, but he didn’t mind. He had always enjoyed the cold much more.
As previously established, the place was filled with old monitors and papers sprawled across the very janky desk. Wires plugged in everywhere, disconnected ones hanging from the stained ceiling. The only light sources were the one lamp hanging outside the door, and a very small light hanging from the ceiling. It casted a sort of blue glow across the place, giving into its sort of sci-fi ordeal. Caution tape plastered to one side of the wall, not a stylistic choice by any stretch at all though. The bed they sat on was technically a cheap cot, just holding a ragged but comfortable blanket and a diminutive pillow. It was an ominous place, for sure, but it was home for Solo.
His eyes then flicked back over to Phantom and he sighed, stretching out his arms. He clenched his jaw as he remembered how his shoulders had buckled, the aching pain seeping back through his arms. It didn’t seem to hinder him much, though. He had been though worse.
Valentine laughed at his sarcasm, leaning up against Padlock's side with a playful smile. "Oh come on, we don't have to make rules. We can just… I dunno, it's not like we're exactly heroing or villaining right now, maybe we can just be friends?" He tried to keep his voice from getting too hopeful, failed, and turned to Padlock with the biggest smile because if he was doing this then he was going to be as convincing as he knew how.
He'd been thinking about it for a while, actually. Being around Padlock made him act differently than he did with the other villains he faced off against, having a relationship with him outside their roles… well, it was something he liked to daydream about. And now seemed as good a time as any to ask. Padlock was letting him in a bit, why not push to be let in a little further?
"Hey, hey, none of that!" He swatted Padlock's arm lightly, attention off the offer he'd made for the moment. "We're supposed to be getting you patched up not aggravating your wounds. Honestly, what would you do without me?"
“Die, probably,” he muttered, glancing back around him. “As for being friends? Sure, I don’t see why not.”
In reality, he was just telling Phantom what he wanted to hear. Of course he wasn’t really going to be his friend. But, to keep him from being suspicious, Pad would agree to the offer.
Even though he anticipated Phantom ratting him out to the cops once they got close. All of them together… being monitored… Phantom sticking around him more often and figuring out his weaknesses… that’s what worried him. But he had to act like it didn’t.
Plus, being friends with the so-called ‘hero’ would give him an in, too. Perhaps he could learn exactly what made Phantom tick. Exactly what he could do to get suspicions off of himself. Maybe use the man to his advantage. It was a selfish thought, but Solo had a goal. A goal he desperately wanted to accomplish.
Valentine gave him a curious look, a tad disbelieving even though it was exactly what he wanted to hear. Maybe because it was exactly wanted to hear. No grumpiness, no sass, not even a whiff of sarcasm… He narrowed his eyes at Padlock, scooting in a bit closer. "Are you just telling me what I want to hear?" There was a frown on his face, an unusual sight. "I won't be upset or anything if you say no. Or… I won't be mad anyways." He'd probably be a little sulky for a few days, but that was nothing he couldn't get over. He didn't want to be selfish.
And anyways, pressuring Padlock into a friendship made it not a friendship at all, so he definitely didn't want to do that. No, he just wanted the chance to be normal with him. Go out together, see movies, maybe have someone he knew around next time he had to do something fancy. It got tiring, walking around this big city without anyone to walk with him. It made him miss his home.
“Uh… No?” Padlock replied, raising an eyebrow. “I’m okay with being your acquaintance outside of… encounters. I know I can’t really fight you, and you know you can’t really catch me regardless. It’s a stalemate. So, might as well take the time between fights to be friends. It makes sense, sort of. As long as you don’t hate my guts for doing what I do, we’re fine.”
He forced a tired smile to his face, even though he was slowly convincing himself. All in all, it wouldn’t be bad. Maybe they could even be closer someday, but Solo wasn’t counting on that.
They were technically friends already, seeing as they already had an interesting relationship for ‘enemies.’ The fact that they could sling around that kind of flirtatious sarcasm was already unlike normal feuds.
Then, just for fun, Solo leaned in closer, his smile flicking into more of a smirk.
“I’d be happy to oblige. If you can handle me,” he whispered, pursing his lips. He let his words linger heavy in the air, staying just inches away from Phantom before leaning back and getting up, making his way to the open door.
“Now, we going, or what?”
The explanation brought a smile to his lips and soon he was nodding along, worries put to rest. Padlock did a lot of things that were… morally ambiguous, to put it politely, but Valentine had known him for a while now and he trusted the guy. "Alright, alright, just making sure! I just figured you'd be a little less up front about it, you're not exactly known for your blunt honesty."
His smile went curious around the edges as Padlock leaned in and then a blush was blooming across his cheeks. You could practically hear his thoughts racing around his head as he tried to puzzle out what that little comment was supposed to mean, but Padlock was up and over to the door before he could even begin to think of what to say. He tossed his hair over his shoulder, still flustered as he made his way out of Padlock's hideout.
"I…. yeah. Yeah, um… just… random question." he'd never told Padlock who he was, not explicitly, but there was no way he wouldn't make the connection. If he didn't recognize Val's house, then he'd see the giant ads outside his apartment. "How up to date are you with celebrity gossip?"
“Phantom, I live underground. I couldn’t care less about the world upstairs,” he muttered, turning back to the man and walking backward so he could keep a eye on him.
In truth, that was a complete bluff. He had seen Phantom around everywhere. Even enough to know who he really was. Still, he liked using the ‘hero name’ much more. Considering Solo didn’t think they were fit to be on a first-name basis. Yet.
As for Padlock himself? He didn’t think there was a single person on the planet who knew his real name.
“Oh, and you owe me a new helmet, by the way,” he said, turning back around. There was a slight skip to his step, noticeable enough, and a lightness to his words. He didn’t bother hiding it, just passed it off as moderate sarcasm. “You made me drop my other one. And, I’m sure you’d like someone to buy it rather than have me steal it, no? Or not? Sometimes you confuse me. Considering you’re hanging out with a ‘villain,’ right now, and not leading me to my doom. Or maybe you are. I don’t know.”
"Oh. Yeah, I…" He laughed quietly, pink in the cheeks again. "I guess I didn't really think about that, sorry. You're gonna figure out who I am pretty soon, so I guess there's really no harm in telling you that my name's Valentine. You can still call me Phantom if you want to, though. It'd feel weird to call you anything other than Padlock." He was babbling a bit, spurred on by the way Padlock was watching him. He reached over and linked his arm with the villain's, hoping the contact would anchor him a little.
It didn't work as well as he'd hoped but he wasn't turning back now, not when he had a warm solid body up against his side.
He pouted a bit at the accusation, bumping Padlock with his hip. "I do not owe you a new helmet! I mean… I'll buy it if it's gonna keep you from stealing one but it's not my fault you're clumsy. And I'm not leading you to your doom either." He rolled his eyes. "You're so dramatic, we're hanging out as friends right now. Friends don't turn friends into the police, and it's not like you've ever been all that villainous anyways. You're just… anti-government."
“Fair enough,” Solo murmured, glancing from their arms back to the ongoing tunnel. He stumbled to the side slightly at the bump, not as light on his feet as one would expect.
It was then they came to another ladder, and Solo reluctantly unlinked his arm to climb it. He bit down on his lip to brace for the pain in his palms, happy for the new bandages. They provided just nearly enough padding to bear the ladder. Still, they wouldn’t be healed anytime soon, and Solo was not happy about it, even in the slightest. But they were just new scars to add to the collection. Though, these ones would probably have a different story than the most of them. Normally it was, 1. Go out and get scar, 2. Patch it up yourself, 3. Move on with life. He didn’t know he’d ever put in ‘befriend the hero’ between any of those. But look where he was.
He looked up, pushing the grate open and climbing out. It was only as he stood there he remembered he was shirtless, and he quickly pulled over his jacket. The zipper had broken years ago, so he just meagerly wrapped it around his chest, crossing his arms with slight difficulty as he waited for Phantom to join him.
“And, Valentine?” he asked, acting like he hadn’t known that already. “It’s a nice name. Phantom seems to suit you better, though.”
Val was back at Padlock's side the second they were on the street again, looping their arms together and snickering quietly when he noticed the way he was holding his jacket closed. "You can probably let go of that, you know." They started their walk on one of the busier streets, surrounded by a seemingly endless crowd of people as they made their way down town. "It's a big city, everyone's seen weirder. Like one time, I was riding the subway home from work, and this guy was wearing a my little pony thong and nothing else, and nobody even gave him a second glance 'cause that's just how it goes when you ride the night trains."
The compliment—if you could even call it a compliment—had him smiling, and soon he was off on a whole new string of babbling. "I'm glad you think so! I really liked it when they picked it out for me, it was all spooky and mysterious and stuff and I'm…" he glanced down at himself, biting his lip. "… well I'm definitely not that. And Valentine is so girly too, I've never really liked it. Not that there's anything wrong with being girly! Girls are wonderful, I just… I dunno, I wish I could be a little more…"
They made it further and further from the sewers as he spoke, talking about everything that came to mind and giving Padlock nervous little glanced every now and again like he was waiting for him to stop listening. Eventually, they found their way to one of the fancier apartment buildings, which was saying something because the area they were in was already quite expensive. Older than the buildings around it, all white stone and fancy buttresses. "Oh! Here we are. I hope you're alright with taking the stairs, elevator's busted."
Solo had it in him to smile, nodding along to the other man’s words. It kept replaying in his head— how terribly odd this was. He had never had the time to actually talk— well, listen— to Phantom. It was kind of nice, and Padlock had no trouble admitting it.
He kept his eyes wandering around, numb to the expenses of the houses. Sure, he knew some things about the outside world, but he did spend the majority of his time under the city, on the computers, or in certain specific office buildings looking for something on a lead. Unfortunately, it had been a long time since he got a good one of those. This last one had led him absolutely nowhere, his mind ticking back to annoyance for a moment before Phantom’s words yanked him back to the present, just in time to hear the last words.
“Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” he replied, uncrossing his arms and stuffing his free hand in his jacket pocket. He hadn’t grabbed a shirt from the maintenance room, unfortunately. He had been too occupied with the man beside him. And… it would probably continue to be that way.
Still, despite Phantom’s promises, Solo kept his head on a swivel, readying himself for any potential threat. What if Phantom had contacted the cops about his hideout? Couldn’t have happened— he hadn’t seen Phantom with a phone. Or what if he did it while Pad was on the ladder? Maybe, but he seemed honest.
Guess it was all a gamble.
Plus, Phantom hadn’t seen anything of value. That had still been further down. Maybe he wouldn’t think anything of it.
He hoped, at least.
A few sirens sounded in the distance but there weren't any police in the immediate area. Val hadn't even thought to call the cops, too busy with Padlock to think about much else. There was some fumbling once they reached the door—he still couldn't quite remember which keys went to what—but soon they were inside the building and heading up the stairs. It was a short walk, then a few turns, and then they were settled in front of a small white door as Val worked his way through the key ring again.
His apartment looked like something out of a better homes and gardens magazine, all white and beige and almost completely undisturbed. Only a few personal touches could be seen—a scented candle here, a bright blue throw pillow there—the rest was eerily pristine. He ushered Padlock onto the vast white couch with a smile. "Just wait there for one second, and I'll be right back! And… try not to spot blood on the couch, it's easier to hide it it's on the rug." He patted Padlock on the shoulder and then disappeared into one of the two white doors, which presumably led to the bathroom.
There were a few banging noises, then a muffled curse, and then a slightly more disheveled Valentine came out holding a first aid kit with banged up corners. The smile on his face was too big for the small achievement, but he couldn't help being excited. "Got it! Now gimme your hands, I'm gonna fix you right up."
Solo did as he was told, perhaps taking too many precautions as he took of his jacket and held it around his hands, cradling it in his lap. He wasn’t exactly comfortable being so exposed, but it was the least he could do. After all, he was decently considerate. Not enough to scare someone half to death by jumping off a building, just considerate enough not to get blood on their couch.
Hmm, the day just got weirder and weirder, didn’t it? Though it was nothing Solo wasn’t used to. For all he knew, this was borderline normal.
He looked back when Phantom reappeared, his eyes following the man around. The sirens in the distance before had snapped him back to being on his guard. The thing worrying him now was the fact that he had no backup at all if Phantom was to go all ‘invisible mode.’ The infrared visor was long gone.
He turned to the man, carefully trying to unwrap his own hands to little avail. He finally gave up, just holding them out so Phantom could do it.
Solo really didn’t like getting help from people. But, he was also one to admit when he actually needed help. Although before, he physically couldn’t. He had no acquaintances.
He guessed this was one of those times he’d let himself be helped. And one of those times he’d actually let himself have an acquaintance.
Valentine gave him a soft smile, wrinkling his nose a little as he noticed Padlock's current state of undress. One of the throw blankets was close so he grabbed it and draped it across the villain's shoulders with a playful sigh. "You don't have to walk around my house all shirtless, you know. I like you for your mind, not your body, and anyways seeing your face is more than enough. You're gonna spoil me, and I'm already high maintenance enough as it is."
He pulled one of Padlock's hands out a little further as he spoke, carefully unwrapping the bandages and setting them in a heap on the coffee table. "How high is your pain tolerance?" They needed to be cleaned off. Badly. But he didn't want to hurt him any more than he had to. "cause I've got some antiseptic wipes but they hurt like a fucking bitch and I really don't wanna put you through that if it's gonna be too much." He'd cried the first time he used them, and even now he still got a little misty eyes if he had to clean off something bigger. "Also, tell me about what's wrong with the rest of your arms. Did you strain them jumping out the window, or was it something else?"
“Yeah, it was from jumping out the window,” he admitted, slightly self-conscious and not sure how to take the man’s first comment. He was just happy to have at least a blanket around himself now.
He then looked at the rest of himself, all scared, and raised an eyebrow to Phantom.
“I’d say my pain tolerance is decently high,” Pad muttered, shrugging. The action earned a small wince from him, but he tried his best to keep it concealed.
If his pain tolerance was anything but high, he would have given up a long time ago.
“Go crazy with whatever. I can… probably handle it,” he replied. Before Phantom could comment, he continued. “And I’m not saying that to seem all ‘macho.’ Just had to explain that before you start teasing me. My tolerance is surprisingly high.”
Val had the good grace to blush, grabbing a few tissues to mop up the worst of the blood before he got started. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You've been through more than I could possibly imagine, I'm not… I'm not gonna tease you for acting all macho, even though you totally are." The blood flow seemed to have stopped for the most part, but the wound was obviously still raw. He grabbed one of the wipes with a small frown, giving Padlock an apologetic look even though he was fairly sure he could take it.
"I'm sorry in advance, by the way. And I know you probably don't need that or anything, but I'm gonna give it to you anyways." The wipes were cool and slightly sticky and started to sting like a bitch after a few seconds. Val took his time too, careful to clean off every tiny scrape. Padlock's other hand got the same treatment and sure, it was thoroughly unpleasant, but at least he wouldn't get a weird sewer infection now. "Blow on them, I think that's supposed to help."
Padlock bit back multiple colorful curses, eyes locked on the ceiling as he braced himself. His jaw clenched and unclenched subconsciously, just trying to take his mind off of the fiery pain. His hands were relatively numb from it, but it shot up the lengths of his arms, sending flashes of heat throughout his entire body.
He tried to focus on Phantom’s words, trying desperately to get his attention elsewhere. He bounced his leg slightly, pursing his lips and grimacing.
When Phantom was done, Pad didn’t blow on them, just shook them slightly. The difference in the cool air helped moderately, but not by much. He was just relieved to be done with it.
“Th—Thanks,” he murmured, eyes still attuned to the ceiling. His hair now fell into his eyes, still slightl crusted over with the blood of his hands. He was a mess— he’d admit it— and these consequences weren’t even suffered for a success. His whole goal was to keep Phantom from seeing him. He’d pulled out all his stops, and still ended up here. Helmetless, shirtless, and… success-less.
Val bit his lip when he finally looked up again and saw the pain in Padlock's eyes. "I know, I know, that's why I said the I'm sorry ahead of time." He took one of Padlock's hands in his, fanning it gently since he didn't seemed very inclined to blow on it. "These things are the worst, but they really do get the job done. And you're holding it together so well too, I should be jealous. Bawled my eyes out first time I ever used 'em, so at least you know you're way tougher than I am."
He moved to fan the other hand, swapping between both of them for a few more minutes before he grabbed a clean pad of gauze and got to work bandaging them up. Every touch was soft and methodical. Before long Padlock's hands were swathed in clean white bandages and Val was leaning down to kiss each of them, a playful little smile on his face. "There! All good, I even kissed them better for you so they're sure to heal real quick. Now let's get to work on those arms, yeah?"
He was pulling Padlock's arm forward before he even got an answer, reaching up to push the blanket off his shoulder. "I'm guessing it's right here that's the worst." His fingers drifted back until they rested against the skin above the joint. They were cold, like they'd walked into the apartment after braving a snowstorm instead of a warm autumn day. "Am I right?"
Solo raised an eyebrow at each of Phantom’s action, even having the nerve to scoff at him kissing his hands. He felt like an absolute child, and he didn’t really care for it. Although he said nothing, keeping his eyes narrowed and his jaw set as he looked down from the roof to the man before him.
His heart beat slightly harder than it previously had been when Phantom trailed his hands along his shoulder.
“I’m not sure what you can do for them,” he mumbled, rolling it back. The joint seemed to grind on the other bone, rolling in an unusual position. Padlock sucked a sudden breath through his teeth, muttering a few curses before glancing back up to Phantom.
“It’s not like I’m going to let you sling both arms,” he began, closing his eyes for a long moment before flicking them back open again. “I can’t even move my hands, and I’m not about to let my arms go right along with them. Besides resting, I don’t know what else to do.”
"Obviously. I'm not stupid, you know." He felt around the joint for a few seconds, gently pushing at Padlock's shoulder until he hunched forward. It felt like he'd dislocated it in the fall, which was a huge relief until he realized he'd have to pop it back into place. He reached for the other shoulder, feeling around to see if he could feel the same injury. "Don't move for like… five seconds. I think you managed to dislocate both your shoulders, which is like… not the worst thing you could've done, but it's gonna feel that way for a little bit."
His other hand slid up, setting on the front of Padlock's shoulder. If he pushed at the right angle, it would pop the bone into the right place again. It took him some time to get it lined up right, and he gave Padlock a winning smile once he was sure he'd gotten his hands in the right spot. "I'd offer you a drink but I doubt it would help much, so just… try your best not to hate me in like three seconds, alright?" He shoved right as he finished talking and there was a loud popping sound that told him he'd gotten it in right. "Alright! There we go! Ready for the second one?"
