(I did have fun, thanks! Also it's np, it's good to see you!)
Val laughed and his smile was so wide that he couldn't have gotten rid of it even if he wanted to. And he didn't. God knew he really, really, didn't. He hadn't been this excited in years and sure, that excitement also came with a whole lot of nerves, but it was worth it a million times over. This was something he trusted, something he thought might be more—like serious relationship more, maybe like love more—if he gave it time.
Padlock was a little hard to read, one second he was agreeing to some lighthearted teasing and the next his smile was fading away, and that was a bit frustrating but he couldn't say he blamed Pad for being nervous. He'd be nervous if this was his first time too. Hell, it kind of was his first time. As much as he liked being with people, he'd never really done relationships before. Not real ones. Not ones that mattered.
So when he got the questions, he took a few seconds to really think before he answered them. More effort than he usually spent talking, but Pad was worth it. "I mean… I certainly want us to be." He sat back a little gently pulling Padlock back into a sitting position. Probably better for them to be on even footing, literally and metaphorically. "And… just so we're on the same page here, I'm… I'm new to the whole us thing too. Even if I've had my practice with… y'know, more."
He went a little pink at the admission, embarrassed. Ashamed. It was usually his fault things stayed light, he'd never been very good at getting invested for more than a few weeks. Of course, some of that was the fact that he was pining away for Padlock, which he hoped would account for some of it.
"But! Um… why don't you tell me your questions. And then we can work things out together."
(Glad! And nice seeing you too!)
Padlock nodded, his eyes flicking elsewhere as he tried to decide what he was doing. Why couldn’t he just leave it? Play off this whole thing like everything was fine, and that there were no complications at all? Just act like the entire situation was perfect, no questions or inklings needed.
Maybe it was because he cared. Maybe it was because he actually wanted this to work, like it always did in the movies. Still, Solo couldn’t accept the fact that this was so uncanny— that it had so many holes he just couldn’t automatically fill without a set answer.
“I just… I don’t understand this,” he said, a slight growl to his voice as he admitted it. “Which is so weird, because I understand everything— not to sound so full of myself, but I take pride in my mind.”
He sighed, looking down to his broken hands, seeing the wraps stained with blood. He had never minded seeing his own blood, but this time, it was almost mocking. Reminding him of what his job really was.
“You.. you’ve been literally trying to stop me for years now. You can— You can just put all of that aside and ask for something like this?” His voice grew softer as his words went on, eyes still drawn to his palms.
Pad took a moment, closing his eyes before he glanced back to Val again. He shook his head, as if that would somehow help him comprehend it.
“I’ve narrowed it down,” he continued. “Either you’re being employed by someone else, or you’re doing this on your own terms. Based on your… feelings.. toward me, I would assume the first one, because that means you’re not just trying to stop me for the sake of your moral compass. But then, that raises the question of ‘who wants me taken down, and at what lengths will they go to do so.’ If that’s the case, then this… ‘affiliation’ may be dangerous— not only for me.”
And that wasn’t even counting if Phantom was somehow in league with these employers, just using ‘romance’ as a way to gain information. Although that was a previous lingering thought, Padlock decided it was something he’d rather push down than thing about right now.
"Yeah, I'm employed. It's just a part time job that happens to include running into you, what I do outside of it isn't anyone's business but my own." Val did his best to sound confident, but he had to admit that Padlock had a point. Working around his bosses would be strange, considering that he didn't know specifically who they were. Or how closely they kept tabs on him. Or what they'd do if they found out that he was dating the guy they sent him out to stop the most often.
"But to directly answer your question, I… um… I don't really see anything to set aside??" He ran a hand through his hair, laughing quietly. Definitely not nervously. "I like you and you're not a bad person so I don't really think there's anything wrong with us being… us. Y'know?
"And to answer the less direct question, I work for the government. State police technically, but there's a bit of grey area because the agency's also sort of an independent LEA on it's own." He shrugged, pressing closer. "It's complicated, but either way, it's not something that carries into my personal life. They don't have the resources to keep tabs on everyone and I'm not exactly high profile. I just… moonlight, I guess. Makes me feel like I'm living up to expectations."
Padlock sighed, clearly not getting the answer he wanted to hear. But what did he want to hear? What words would have made him happy? Unless they were some kind of words from one of his stupid dreams, he guessed anything of explanation would have made him feel like this.
“I want to trust you,” he said, voice almost breaking. “I really want to trust you.”
He looked back down for a considerably long amount of time, resisting the urge to grab on to one of Phantom’s hands.
The phrase ‘what am I doing’ was on repeat like a broken record in Pad’s mind. Whether he was asking how he could have ruined that wonderful of a moment, or how he could have even gotten himself that vulnerable in the first place, he didn’t know.
“But there are people behind you. And, based on what I’ve done, they probably want me more than dead. I don’t…”
Solomon took another moment, sucking in a deep breath and holding it for a while, before exhaling slowly.
“I don’t know if I can live that close to something— someone— who wants my work put to an end. Maybe they see me as the villain. Maybe.. maybe I’m really not the hero I thought I was. But— But I believe I’m doing the right thing. I think my work will result in a world better than what it is now. I… I have visions, and they need to be executed. If this is going to be any sort of faulty bridge, I don’t know if I can cross it. Especially… if those people are waiting for me on the other side.”
It wasn't like Val hadn't expected something like this, but the words still hit him like a punch to the gut. He had to swallow a few times before he could speak and even though there were a million things running through his head like please and I'm sorry and don't go, I'll quite, I'll do anything, just stay, all he managed was a breathy little "oh". It didn't even sound surprised really, just disappointed. Like he'd known this was coming.
It would've been kinder for Pad to just say no. Say "I hate you" and "you're disgusting" and "I deserve better" and walk away because then Val wouldn't have felt like he had a chance. Then he wouldn't spend the rest of this week or month or maybe even year wondering about what might've been if he'd just made different choices. Chosen a different job.
He was blinking a bit too hard, but whatever. Padlock was just staring at his hands anyways, he wouldn't see.
"Oh. I… I guess I can get that." His voice was a watery, unwieldy thing. It wasn't like Pad was wrong. Wasn't like he had a single reason to stay. His whole shtick was based on logic, on thinking things through, how could Val have believed for an instant that this would be anything but a bad idea to him? He'd probably laugh about it later, when he was old enough to think about the way he'd let himself hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd be worth it without wanting to curl up into a little ball of shame. "I can't say you're wrong or anything. I kind of go against your whole thing, I can't even say you'd be safe—" His voice cracked a little.
He felt like he was falling apart, just a tiny bit.
"And… it's… it's not like you'd ever pick me over your mission, you're… you're so stubborn and the risk is… so high with…y'know, everything, so… um… yeah. Yeah, I… I get it if you can be close to someone like me, that's… that's just fine."
Out of all the decisions Padlock figured he’d face sometime in his life, picking a person over his work was never one he thought he’d have to make. His mind was awash with conflicting emotion. For one second, he was fighting every single urge he had. The other second, he was giving into them. He didn’t know what he was doing, whatsoever, and he hated it.
For once in his life, he wanted to be stupid. He wanted to be as much of an idiot as he possibly could, and take that risk— of being here with Valentine and just living. Sure, his goal wasn’t something he could abandon so easily, but he could figure it out. He always figured it out.
He wanted to be stupid. So bad.
Pad suddenly looked up to Phantom, giving about the saddest smile he could muster.
“I want to try. I really, really want to try.”
He took one of Phantom’s hands in his own, squeezing it tightly. He couldn’t break his gaze as he swallowed, shaking his head.
He wanted to be stupid. And Padlock was nothing but impulsive.
“My… My name is Solomon Moss,” he said, his voice smaller than he had ever heard it. “My name is Solomon Moss and to every single person on this planet, I was the kid that drowned in the lake west of the city five years ago. And god damnit, I really want to try this. I don’t care what I’m risking.
“For once in my life, I’m being as idiotic as possible, and I don’t care. I’m pleading that you’re telling me the truth… and if we actually want this to work, I can’t do it alone. It’s… It’s so much to ask, but I need you to help me. Not with my work, but with identity. No one can ever know my name.”
Val couldn't make himself meet Pad's eyes, didn't want to see whatever was there. He didn't think it would hurt so bad, was the thing, and then Pad was saying something about really wanting to try and that almost made it worst. Twisting the knife, that's what it felt like. Every word Padlock spoke about how he wanted to trust Val, wanted this to work, felt like another nail in the coffin because it would always be followed by some big, inevitable but.
Expect that didn't happen, because suddenly Val was being given a name to put to Pad's face and a whole lot of trust he hadn't been expecting and there were words and there was relief and he sort of blanked for a second or two. Or… or maybe a minute or two, honestly, because he was so caught up on the fact that this wasn't a no or an I can't or a you're not worth it that his brain couldn't handle anything else.
He just squeezed Padlocks—Solomon's—hand a little tighter and felt like he could breath for the first time since that first question. This time his "oh" was all softness and disbelief and a creeping sense of joy as a sunny smile settled on his lips.
"You won't regret this!" he promised, fierce in his determination, and then tossed his arms around Solomon's neck to pull him in close. "You won't, I swear you won't, I'm gonna put in so much goddamn work to prove that to you and I won't tell anyone, I'll take this to my fucking grave." He sounded so sincere and he was. There wasn't a single exaggeration in his words and he needed Solomon to know that. "Your secret's safe with me, okay? And… and I'll help you however I can, just tell me what you want and I'll do it!"
There were no words to express how much relief he felt. He always figured his confession would be met by something along the lines of disgust and disbelief. He always figured that the fact that he had literally faked giving up his life would be met with some kind of extremely uneasy mistrust.
But that wasn’t the case. That wasn’t even in the picture, and then Val was hugging him and it felt like he could breathe, because for the first time, there was someone that knew him. Someone that knew him and didn’t hate him for who he was or what he’d done.
He had always guessed having someone else in this escapade with him would be harder. That he would have to regulate just another person, and this entire load on his back would just gain so much weight, because now he was carrying someone else. He had never expected the fact that maybe, just maybe, that person would start carrying it with him. It was so much to ask— so much to ask— but he needed to be here. He didn’t just want to anymore.
“I— Th— Thank you,” he stuttered, burying his face in Val’s shoulder. “I know it’s too much to ask. I know I shouldn’t put this on you. Yet… yet I thought you had the right to know, especially because I’m not giving up on this that easy.”
He looked up, resting his chin on Val’s shoulder so his voice was no longer muffled.
“You said it yourself. I’m so stubborn. Even if it’s against my own mind.”
"It's not!" Val was probably hugging him too tightly but he didn't care. How could he when Solomon had just given him so much because he wanted to. There was something about this, about knowing that he'd been given this information because he was more important than whatever was holding Solomon back, that had him feeling like he was all joy and adrenaline. He was almost surprised that he was still here. Everything about this felt fucking ephemeral, like Solomon might reach right through him. "It's not too much, I… I want it. I want to make this work just like you do and if that means shouldering a few of your burdens then I'll do it happily."
He pulled back a bit and the want, the need, to kiss Solomon (Sol? Was he allowed a nickname when he'd only had the name for a few minutes?) was overpowering. He didn't bother to fight, just crashed their faces together. Far from his best work but he didn't care. This didn't even feel real yet, it just seemed like a dream.
Then again, he doubted a dream would have Solomon so beat up. And it probably wouldn't have so much danger attached either, so many uncertainties lurking in the shadows.
"God, I never thought I'd be happy for that stubborn streak." There was a shaky laugh in his voice as he cupped Solomon's face in his hands. He was shaking, just a little. He couldn't figure out if it was excitement or relief or maybe some mix of the two but it wasn't exactly a priority. Not when he had Solomon to focus on. "But hey, seems like today's pretty full of surprises for both of us."
Solo’s mind was racing, his arms all shaky and his body all cold from the cracked windows and the fact that he wasn’t under the covers anymore. At least, that’s what he told himself. The adrenaline rushing through him, and the sheer jubilance kept him seemingly warm, not even noticing his icy skin.
“Yeah, and the majority of the surprises are stemming from myself,” Solomon muttered, blue eyes all filled with that happy twinkle once again. “I swear I’m probably catching myself more off guard than you.”
He almost melted at Val’s offer to help him ‘shoulder’ the weight he had. Not only that, but the fact that he said he’d wanted to. It made him feel like he was truly letting go, and it was so freeing. It felt so unusual, and he felt so light and happy and perfect.
Though, something still tugged at him.
Solo had to convince himself that the guilt he was feeling didn’t need to be there, but he really didn’t know if Phantom knew what he was signing up for. Considering Phantom worked for the people Solo was wary of, Val probably did know, but he couldn’t help but feel… guilty, still. He was living in some kind of broken world, and he didn’t know if Phantom had helped him out, or if Solomon had tugged him in right alongside.
“Also… If it’s not too much to ask… could we… could we try to closet this? Just for a while, maybe? Or longer, of course. I… I just want to try to maybe be normal for once. I wan’t us to maybe be Solomon and Valentine, not Padlock and Phantom. Is— Is that too much to ask? I don’t understand the concept of quantity very well when it comes to something like this,” he replied, just trying his best to take in the situation. He didn’t even have the nerve to begin thinking if this would be something he’d regret later. He didn’t need to consider that. He was here and this was now and he was happy.
Val's laugh was steadier this time around. "Well I dunno about that, I thought it'd take me ages to get your name. It's… it's kind of weird, honestly. I'm so used to thinking of you as Padlock that Solomon doesn't even register. But… I think I might like it a little better, honestly." He bit his lip as his smile started to go impossibly brighter, rolling the collar of Padlock's shirt between his fingers.
The request was a surprise but not the bad kind. He wanted this private too, secret and safe where nobody else could mess with it. "Yeah. I can do that, it's definitely not too much to ask. Especially since it's so new, I don't… I don't really want this to be between anyone but us, y'know? It just wouldn't feel right and it's so dangerous too…" His mouth pressed into a thin frown and he'd never really thought about the risk for Padlock. About the compromises he'd need to make for a relationship with him. He could lose so much—his safety, his plans, his secrets—and here he was, giving Val the information he'd never dreamed of asking about because he wanted them to work.
"But! Um… don't worry about if you're asking for too much, okay? Just keep asking, and I'll tell you what I can do, I'm… I'm not really sure about this stuff either. That… that can wait though." He seemed to come back to the world for a little while, glancing down at Solomon's bleeding hands and then the cracked windows. "For now let's get you fixed up, yeah? You're bleeding through your bandages and it's fucking freezing in here."
Padlock gave out a small laugh, trying his best to keep all of his newly arisen doubts pressed down. He didn’t need to think about them right now. Well, really he didn’t want to. He probably would need to address them at some point, but for today, he just wanted to be fully convinced that this could work. That this would work. That everything was okay and they were normal, and they could both have just a very nice day doing whatever people did at home on what felt like a weekend. Of course, Solomon had never really spent a day doing nothing with someone, but it seemed so pleasant and he didn’t know how much he had longed for it. Just a day sitting on the couch. A day standing in the kitchen making pancakes, or whatever couples did. Just something to make him feel normal, not like he was just some kind of walking corpse going by a stupid code name. It all sounded so appealing, and he couldn’t help but pull Val in and hug him again because he was so damn happy. He was grateful, and his uneasiness was overpowered by how stubborn he was about making this work.
He pulled away, nodding and trying to stifle the smile growing on his face. “Y-Yeah. And… Val. Thank you. Thank you so much. This… this means about the world to me, and it’s just… uncanny. I promise you I’ll do all I can to make this work. This will work, and I don’t care about how transparent I have to be.”
His voice was about as genuine as he had ever heard it, every single word laced with truth. It’s what he meant, of course, so he wouldn’t expect anything less. What he was dealing with was from his heart, and although he felt so exposed— like anyone could just take a knife to his chest— there was freeing power that came with vulnerability. Because for once in forever, he felt light. He felt invincible, and it was all because he wasn’t alone anymore. He had something— someone— to fight for.
With that, he let go, letting his hands fall back to his sides. He kept them just slightly elevated from the bed, not wanting to possibly get any marks on the covers.
Val hugged him back hard and kissed Solomon on the cheek as they pulled apart and wasted a few seconds absolutely stunned that he could just do that now. "Yeah! Honestly I should be the one thanking you, you're… you're already so important to me and I never thought I'd get to even try something like this with someone like you, so… thank you. From the bottom of my heart."
He found somewhere on Solo's arm that was safe to squeeze before he was flitting around the room. The first stop was the windows, then the bed so he could kiss Solomon again, and then finally out the door. When he returned he was a bit late—it seemed like he'd lost a lot of his urgency now that things were relatively stable and he could feel optimistic again—but he'd brought the painkillers alongside the first aid kit and set the kettle on the stove. Tea sounded good right now. Soothing. Even though he was happier than he'd ever felt, things were all rickety too. A little time to calm down would be nice.
"Alright, first of all, pass your hands." He gestured for Solomon to bring them forward, already opening up the box and rifling around for the gauze and bandages. 'Second of all, do you want some painkillers? You've been all wincy but I… um… I was a little caught up in what was happening, so I kind of ignored it which was probably pretty shitty, wasn't it?"
He frowned a bit, starting to unwrap the bloody bandages. He had enough presence of mind to set them in the empty lid of his kit instead of on the comforter, consideration he didn't normally take when the only person sleeping in his bed was him.
"But enough guiltiness for now! Questions three and four are pretty wholesome 'cause I figured you'd wanna be a little more domestic, so third, what kind of tea do you want? I've got some green and some lavender but I'll admit the green is a little dodgy. And fourth, do… um… do you want to go on a date? Like… a proper one?" His attention was pretty solidly on Solomon's hand but it flicked up to his eyes as he asked. Nervous, but with the hints of a smile at the corner of his lips. "There's this really cute coffee shop close to the apartment, that's a pretty good first try, right?"
Solomon was actually extremely thankful for all the questions, keeping his mind off of the uncomfortable pain in his hands.
“I’d rather steer clear of the painkillers, considering they make me all tired and I’m just starting to kick out of feeling all drowsy. I… I like being attentive.”
He held his hands forward when asked, adverting his gaze toward the windows. The heavy clouds above cast a nice cool grey hue among the room, and honestly, Solo liked it. He had always been a sort of overcast fan, even if it was cold. He liked the cold, actually. Under the city had some decently colder places, and for some ungodly reason, he had actually seemed to enjoy it. And maybe that’s why he was in better shape than someone would think, considering how cold it was could actually keep his medicinal supplies somewhat sterilized.
“And don’t worry about ignoring my shoulders, frankly, I ignored it too,” he said with a slight breathy chuckle, smiling to himself. “I wanted to just put it aside and enjoy what was right in front of me. Or on top of me, I suppose.”
He paused, looking back down to his hands, though his smile stayed prominent.
“Third, I really don’t know. I haven’t had tea in… ages. Whatever you suggest. As for your fourth question…”
Pad glanced back up to Val, leaning to the side and bumping him with his elbow. “Absolutely. I’d love to get to know you better, even if we already have somewhat of a dramatic read on each other already.”
Solo found it harder and harder to stop smiling like the idiot he was. Everything about this entire situation was so surreal, and he couldn’t have wished for better. Well, sure, it had many, many imperfections, but since when was Padlock one to abandon his drives? Never, was the answer.
Val hummed quietly. Solomon's hands weren't as bad as he'd worried. It seemed like most of the blood was from last night seeing as the wounds had started to scab over thinly. Going over them with the wipes was less stressful this time, though he made sure to give Solomon a soft warning just in case because he knew it would sting where the edges were raw.
He tried not to go too pink at the teasing, failed miserably, forced himself to keep his focus on bandaging. There was a weird mix of happiness at the playful admission and worry that he'd actually hurt Solomon mixing in his gut. "Well I guess I can understand that, I just…" He traced the uninjured part of Solomon's hand as he spoke. "… I don't want you to be in any more pain than you already are. Especially since I'm the one who's been knocking you around lately."
He lightened up a bit as he was bumped, returning the gesture with a small smile. One hand was finished now, tied neatly and clean looking, so he moved onto the next and grinned over how excited Solomon seemed by the prospect of dating.
"But enough with the angsting! I'm really excited to get to know you a little better, it's kind of crazy that I've known you for four years and I just learned your name like twenty minutes ago." He laughed quietly. "I'm really looking forward to learning all the sort of mundane stuff, like how you take your coffee and your favorite color and… and kind of boring, run of the mill stuff like that. Like every other couple."
(Hi!! So sorry, I was out of town for forever. I’m back now, if you’d like to continue this! It’s probably one of my favorite rp’s— so sorry I didn’t warn you for leaving. Is it alright if I go type up a response and we continue?)
(Yeah, that's totally fine!! I'm glad you're back, I really like this rp too and I'd be super happy to continue.)
“Oh, you think you’re the one knocking me around?” Padlock raised his voice with a grin. It was clear he was starting to get into better spirits, those butterflies mixing yet again in his stomach. But… this time he didn’t really mind them. He was excited at all this talk. This sounded amazing, to say the bare minimum. “I can’t let you have that satisfaction. I did this whole ‘injuring’ myself, not you. Sorry, Val, but you aren’t that strong.”
His voice was prominently teasing as he leaned his face closer in, snickering and wagging his head just slightly. Lingering there for a moment longer, he gave the cheesiest wink he could, before leaning back out and turning his attention back to his hands.
“And, as for coffee, I’ve only had it once. It wasn’t really a delicacy that I could… afford. But, I do remember loving it a lot,” he replied. Padlock didn’t have the best grasp on what coffee actually was, of course. What he had previously had was basically just a small dose of coffee with the rest of it an extremely sweet latte mix and cream. As much as he’d hate to admit it, he had a total sweet-tooth. He always figured it would make him seem weaker or more childish. It was an odd opinion, really, but he had his mind set.
“Though I wouldn’t call any of that boring, either,” he continued, smile still staying. “Honestly, it makes me excited. It makes me… feel normal. As you could probably guess, I haven’t felt that way in a very long time. Funny, isn’t it? All changes so fast. Guess I should be thanking you.”
He seemed to turn more bashful at that statement, turning to the side and looking toward the window as his face flushed.
There was relief in Val's laughter, quickly overshadowed by simple happiness. He pushed Solomon's face gently as he leaned away, rolling his eyes with an exasperation he didn't really feel, and then leaned in to kiss him because he wanted to and he finally could. It never got any less crazy, the whole kissing Padlock thing, but that was fine. He didn't want the magic of it to fade, the happiness and the butterflies and the way he felt warm all over when he caught Solomon looking at him like he was excited to be here.
"You're ridiculous, you know that?" He scooted in a little closer, tied off the last bandage, and pressed a kiss to each of Solomon's palms. Silly little superstition, but it made him happy to do it. He didn't stop holding Solomon's hands once they were bandaged up again. "I thought you'd stick to your whole bad boy shtick for a little bit longer but I guess I just bring out the best in you. Honestly, a thanks is exactly what I deserve."
He gave Solomon a sunny little smile and there was relief there too. Keeping their relationship private and decidedly separate from their whole hero/villain thing gave it a lot more room to just.. be. To just exist, all soft and uncomplicated, in a place where nobody else would get to force it into something difficult. "I mean, not only am I gonna buy you so much coffee, I'm gonna romance the shit out of you, and it's gonna be sweet and fun and.. and really really normal, which is something we both kind of need, I think. Doesn't seem like either of us have felt normal in quite a while."
If there was one thing Solomon hated more than getting a taste of his own sarcastic medicine, it was being called soft or vulnerable. When it was those two mixed together, it actually was surprisingly not bad. But maybe it was just because Val was the one who had said them, and he instead found it borderline endearing. He didn’t mind it, and it was extremely surprising. In all honesty… maybe he liked it.
Still, he had to send it right on back. He had to keep up his ‘persona,’ of course.
“Oh, so you say I’m not a bad boy any longer?” he mumbled, his smile turning into more of a smirk. “Maybe I should take back that ‘thank you,’ no? I have to upkeep that… shtick of mine. Assuming that bad boy is who you fell for.”
He flicked his eyes back over to Val, offering a teasing wag of his head. There was something almost gleeful and playful about his eyes.
“And, yeah, I guess you could say that,” he continued, glancing down to his hands for a moment before holding it up to Val’s face, eyes trailing along his features as he gently traced the side of the man’s jaw. “Normal has never seemed so appealing. Maybe to some people it would seem boring or uneventful, but I am… actually very excited.”
He paused for a moment, just taking the silent time to squint into Phantom’s eyes and grin, his hand moving down to his chin, lingering for a moment before he dropped it to his side.
“So… where do we start?”
Valentine rolled his eyes but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. There was something so endearing about watching Solomon puff himself up and get all flirty when Val knew he could lean in and kiss him and have Solo all dazed and sweet for him. He leaned into the touch with a small smirk of his own, looking over at Solomon with half lidded eyes as his hands slid down.
He pouted a bit when Solo pulled away, but that was fine. He could roll with this. "Well first of all, I didn't fall for you because you were a bad boy." His hand slid up to grab Solomon's collar and pull him in. They were close like that, faces less than an inch apart, and he let his eyes slide down to Solomon's lips. "I mean… don't get me wrong, the flirting and the snarking is cute and all, and I'm more than happy to take it, but I think I like your sweet side too."
He glanced up, met Solomon's eyes with a small smirk, and then pressed a chaste little kiss to the corner of his lips. "And second, I think we should start by trying to make breakfast. I bet you'll be a real help in the kitchen, I always forget to do something important."
He slipped out of bed, tugging Solomon after him. "How do you feel about pancakes?"
Solomon had to swallow down the urge to just melt there. Wow, he really was a bit of a goopy sweet dazed guy, if this had to be the effect every single time Phantom dished him something charming back. He hated it and loved it at the same time, every part of him but his mind pleading for him to do it again.
He tried to keep his composition, though, just holding up that decently sultry grin as he shook his head.
“I don’t know,” he muttered out, voice raspy once he regained it a little. “I don’t think I’ve had pancakes.”
Solo allowed himself to be tugged along, adjusting just a little for the sake of his horrid joints. He owed it to himself, at least. He had never been one to actually care about his injuries, because every single time, he had to get up the next day and keep going. Now, that he was actually in a… “safe” place, he figured it wouldn’t be that bad to give himself mercy just this once.
“And, granted the fact that I got reprimanded for not even owning a sink, I’m not sure how much of a help I’ll be in the kitchen. Sure my skills lie elsewhere.”
He walked after Val out of the room, adjusting his clothes gently, minding his hands. He just wanted them to heal already, so he didn’t have to be so cautious while doing the most domestic of things.
Val took pity and pinned him up against the kitchen wall before they got started, mindful of Solomon's shoulders this time. His hands slid down Solo's sides before he leaned in and gave him a proper kiss, all hot and hungry. "Well I think you're going to love pancakes." Unlike Solomon, he was perfectly composed. Sure, he looked a bit ruffled, shirt all mussed and hair barely restrained by the shitty ponytail he'd tossed it up in, but his smile was as bright and sure as ever and his voice came out bright and cheerful.
He pecked Solomon on the cheek before he pulled away, rifling through the cabinets to find the mixing bowls. "And I'm sure we can find some use for you, it's not like you're an invalid or anything. You can still grab ingredients and give moral support; that's really all I ask of you. Oh! And speaking of, can you grab the pancake mix out of the pantry?"
He nodded over to it to get Solo pointed in the right direction, smiling. "It's in a yellow box. Top shelf. Should be some eggs up there too, it'd be great if you could grab them for me."
Solo sort of just stayed there for a moment, trying to… calm himself down? He didn’t know. All he understood was that his heart was doing its normal jackhammer, like every other time Val toyed with him like this. Well, it wasn’t necessarily toying, but he couldn’t find the proper word. Teasing, maybe. But, like his dull mind decided, he didn’t know what for. Something… more? No, that probably wasn’t it. After all, this was so new to him. Solo figured they’d have to take their time.
For now… pancakes. He had to manually pick up his brain out of the Val pool and shove it into the pancake pool. For the first time in forever, he found it very hard to focus. Probably because there was someone here that took his full attention.
Pancakes, dangit.
He offered Valentine a humble smile, poking the other man’s side tauntingly as he walked past to where he was instructed. Almost without noticing, he began to hum absently, tapping his free hand on the counter as he rummaged through the pantry with the other.
“I’d tell you you gotta stop doing that if I minded it,” he said, voice almost a laugh. “You get me all fuzzy. I hate it.”
Val pushed his hand away with a soft laugh. He watched Solomon as he rummaged around, admiring the curve of his back and his dark hair and the scars that traced across his skin. He wanted to wander over, toss his arms around Solo's waist, maybe, and then kiss the back of his neck. Obviously, he didn't. He had to be professional, and anyways it'd get Solo fuzzed out while he was rummaging around a top shelf and that probably wasn't super safe.
"But you're so cute when you're all fuzzy." Once Solo was done getting ingredients Val was all over him, pressing into his space with a grin. "You space out for a few seconds and then you've gotta refocus and… I dunno, it's nice. I didn't realize I had such a big effect on you."
He really couldn't help but lean in, kissing Solo on the nose with a playful little smile. "Call me selfish, but I kind of want to bask in it for as long as I can. This is all still kind of crazy to me."
