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."
“You’re surprised?” Solo asked, cocking his head slightly. “You really think I woke up this morning expecting a ho— an attractive— person I had been pining after to kiss me and call me by my real name?”
He sucked in a deep breath, setting down the bag and carton to return the action of wrapping his arms around Val. He tried his best to intertwine his hands behind the man’s back, the bandage posing just a bit of trouble, but none he couldn’t ignore.
“Honestly, I think I’m more surprised than you. You probably have people falling all over you every day. I wouldn’t doubt that for a second. Meanwhile, you managed to score a hobo alligator of a dead man who dwells a mile beneath the city, who is considered a threat to the entire country. You could do so much better.“
He wrinkled his nose as he smirked, narrowing his eyes tauntingly.
“I’ll say it again. You think you’re surprised? Reconsider.”
With that, Solo took up the ingredients again and brushed past Val, pressing into him on the way forward. He set them down on the counter then, turning back and propping his hip on the side of the table.
“And you better watch out. Once I get used to this whole thing, I’m gonna be the one making you all stuttery and dazed. Got that?”
“Hey! I scored myself a very handsome, charming, wonderfully intelligent hobo alligator, and I’d prefer it if he stopped putting himself down to make a point.” He pecked Solomon on the lips with a small smile.
“And I really wish you wouldn’t talk about me like I wasn’t just as gone on you as you are on me. I told you earlier, I’ve been pining after you for most of the time we’ve known each other and despite what you seem to think, I never imagined that you might feel the same way about me because I’m basically a fucking ken doll and you’re…” He sighed quietly, suddenly very aware of how passionate he sounded, and reached up to smooth down his hair. “… well, you’re special.”
He was quiet for a while, watching Solomon sweep through his chicken and prop himself up against the counter all cocky, just sort of collecting his thoughts.
It was the threat—if you could even call it that—that snapped him out of it. He laughed, all bright and sincere, reached over to set his hand on top of Solo’s, and started pouring pancake mix into the bowl. “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it Solomon, it’s been a long time since a boy’s gotten me properly flustered.”
“Are you saying I’m not a ken doll?” Solo asked jokingly. “I never said I didn’t have the looks. I just meant personality. I’m drop-dead gorgeous.”
He flicked his hair out of his face, running his free hand through it and sort of slouching back, almost posing for some kind of edgy model shot. He couldn’t keep it long, though, his sultry eyes turning much more humorous as he gazed over to Val.
“And if I’m just so special, then do I get to know what it takes to get you all flustered and fuzzy? Or do I still have to figure that out myself… like the rest of them. Hmm?”
He didn’t drawl the words out hatefully, even at the mention of Val possibly being with other people. Frankly, Solo didn’t care. He had never been the jealous type, at least if he trusted the person. Apparently Val’s story was valid enough to induce that trust. He said the words slower, though, almost as if challenging the previous relationship… quality. His voice was a lower purr, trying his darnedest to keep his demeanor as provocative as he could.
"I like your personality!" Val protested playfully, because he wasn't going to be able to stop if he actually let himself think about how good Solomon looked. It didn't turn out to matter of course—he was gone the second Solomon started posing like the sort of leather-jacketed "bad boy" he always seemed to fall for at shoots—but it was the principle of the thing. He had to at least make an effort.
"And… well… I wouldn't want to rob the joy of discovery from you, but if you really want to know…" He flushed a bit, stepping into Solo's space again. Val's hands settled on the counter on either side of him, practically boxing him in. "… I suppose I could let you in on a trick or two. Unlike the rest of them, I think you've earned a couple hints."
Solomon already had him wrapped around his finger, whether he knew it or not. All he'd need to do was push back when Val pushed him, maybe toss in a few compliments if he was feeling generous, and Val would melt into a little puddle on the spot. Even that smoldering look had him a bit weak in the knees, though his smile was bright enough not to show it. He was easy, he always had been, it was just that Solomon didn't take advantage.
Solo took into account what was happening, registering it all and fighting himself on every edge of wanting to just drop. But, alas, no. He was stubborn, he was competitive, and his drive to accomplish this was probably more serious than it should have been. He was all it, no chips left on the side of the poker table as he turned to face Val, resting his lower back on the edge of the counter. He held up a hand, tracing the other man’s jaw with a gentle finger.
“I don’t know,” he hummed quietly, eyes flicking from feature to feature. “I am quite the adventurous person.”
Just like that, it was game time. At least, for Solo’s mind.
His hand slid down, hooking on to the collar of Val’s shirt as he tugged his face closer, his own body sliding only slightly forward so they could be relatively the same height. He propped himself more on an outstretched leg, still holding Val’s shirt with one hand and having the other tucked beneath his arm across his chest.
“But… maybe a hint wouldn’t hurt. Normally I enjoy the pieces of the puzzle, but maybe I want to cheat this time.”
Val’s breath hitched in his throat, quiet enough that he could pretend Solomon hadn’t heard it. The soft touch had him leaning in, angling his djaw to press closer as his eyes flicked up to Solo’s. This felt a little contrived, but not like a joke—not like Solo was going to pull away and say “just kidding” and leave him feeling dumb—so he didn’t feel ashamed when his face went pink and he went eagerly as Solomon reeled him in.
His heart was beating so loud he almost didn’t hear the request. His unbothered facade was falling apart as quickly as it had taken him to toss it on. He barely managed to stutter out a response, too busy hanging on Solomon’s every action, his every breath.
It felt like he was waiting for something. A kiss, maybe. A conclusion of some sort. Anything. He wasn’t too proud to admit that he was desperate.
“Oh. I… um… I think you’re doing… really really well, but…” His voice was breathless. “… I think you should know, when I… ah… when I kiss you, or… or push you down or up against the wall, it’s only because I kind of want you to push me back. Kiss me harder. That… um… that sort of thing.”
Now, this. This didn’t seem so hard, now that he could do it. It wasn’t so threatening, it wasn’t so scary. Initiative wasn’t a thing he had to tiptoe around anymore. He could just do it. That kind of thought was both worrying and insanely freeing.
“Is that so?” he almost whispered, his eyes still adverted to study the man’s face. “In that case…”
He dropped his hand, reaching back to grab Val’s hands from the counter and standing up, stepping briskly forward and reversing their positions. He let go of Phantom’s hands, resting his own on the counter like Val had done before. Solo was close— closer than before, at least, pressed up against the front of the man. He was feeling daring, of course, and had to admit this was kind of fun. Sure, he didn’t mind being the dazed and fuzzy one, but this seemed more like him, at least. A leader, or whatever. He didn’t know the right word. He didn’t need too, considering he saw whatever he was doing was clearly working, and it just kept feeding him that newfound pride and confidence.
His eyes were now locked on Val’s, unlike before. The lights above cast a warm hue down on the two, but Solo’s blue eyes were nothing short of freezing. Not in a cold-shoulder way… more like a leopard watching from a branch, all calculating and unpredictable. Even so, he couldn’t help but smile. Though, this time it was smaller, clearly his attention more focused on Val than his own facial expressions.
Val had liked being in charge, but he liked this too. Liked how it was familiar enough that he wasn’t overwhelmed but not boring either—not with Solo pushing him around. There was something new to it, something electric that had him on edge in the best of ways as he was pulled and pinned and left dazed, staring helplessly into Solomon’s eyes.
They were nice eyes. Left him shivering, almost. Left him feeling stripped down and a little helpless and exactly the way he liked feeling.
His cheeks were hot and his head was spinning a bit and yeah, he really fucking liked this. He reached up, looping his arms around Padlock’s neck because he needed to hold on somehow, and did his best to meet that stare head on.
It was hard. Part of him wanted to bare his neck and melt up against the counter—a big part of him—but he’d learned a while ago that it was always more fun when he pushed.
Pushing got him more of those sharp blue stares, got him all of Solomon’s attention. He leaned back against the counter more than Solo had, made him lean in to keep close, and did his best to put on a smirk. “Wow. You… ah… you certainly got… confident.” He didn’t quite manage to keep his voice steady, but that was okay. He could roll with it. “What’re you gonna do now, Solomon? I’m not half as fuzzed out as you were and you don't have any more of my moves to copy."
“Oh, so you noticed?” Solo muttered, but it wasn’t nearly as off-guard as he assumed it would have been. His voice was steady, almost uncannily so, considering his heart was still beating too fast for its own good. Sure, he had gotten called out, but it’s not like he would just back down now. He had to… get creative. As Val kept talking, Solo was almost losing hope, wondering if it was actually working. But when the man’s voice hitched like it did, he just smiled, those doubts washing away as quickly as they had leached themselves ashore.
But the smile was still different. It fit in perfectly with the whole charm he currently drenched himself in. It wasn’t sweet like before, more… hungry. Calculating. Slick, for lack of a better word.
“Oh, no more moves to copy, you say?” he asked smoothly, taking a hand and gingerly beginning to explore the lengths of Val’s side with it. He had actually mustered up the courage to slip his hand beneath Val’s shirt, and although his hands were slightly cold, he hoped it was… permitted. The man’s skin was warmer, certainly a nice change.
“Then, looks like I’ll have to be creative..,” he continued, cocking his head as he leaned in. He propped himself on the hand holding the edge of the counter, face only inches away from Val’s. He wanted to keep this drawling on as long as he possibly could. Until Val finally broke, of course. He couldn’t be the one to lose this so-called standoff. His eyes flicked down for a moment, but otherwise kept attentively locked to the other’s.
Solo had never seemed so put together in private and Valentine had to admit that he was loving it almost as much as he loved getting a look at his soft side. It was the same mix of familiar and different that had him weak at the knees, heart beating hummingbird fast in his chest as Solomon smirked. He was so put together it made Val want to fall apart. So slick and confident and effortlessly beautiful that Val could barely keep from kissing him and losing their little game.
He trembled as Solomon’s hand slid up his shirt, cold enough to raise goosebumps on his stomach, and couldn’t keep from leaning into it. Couldn’t keep from letting out the softest little sigh of happiness. His eyes flicked shut after a few seconds. They were a little hazy when he opened them, a little dazed.
The smile on his lips was a soft thing, nowhere near the smirk he’d intended it to be.
“This is what you call creative?” His voice was too breathy but the challenge was there. He met Solomon’s gaze head on. Or… he did until it got to be too much. His attention flicked around, from Solomon’s touch on his ribs to the stare he was being pinned with to his lips. They lingered on his lips and he wanted so bad that he went red when his eyes made their way up to Solomon’s again and he realized he’d been staring.
It was pretty hard to keep challenging eye contact after that. “You know, I can… ah… I can think of something you could do.” His eyes slipped down to Solomon’s lisp again, then back up to his eyes, and then across the room to the little kitchen table. “Something that’d really… really leave me breathless.”
Solo resisted the urge to counter Val on his remark. Solomon was working with basically what he knew. Comfort zones were still a thing, but ones he was breaking out of at every single turning point. Mainly because he was dull in this kind of situation. Not entirely stupid, just didn’t hold all the tricks of the trade under his belt.
And suddenly, that was all pushed away by the new suggestion. Some instruction. That’s all he needed.
He let his eyes follow Val’s as they flickered away, then back to their previous resting place upon his lips. His heart jumped at the notion— the possibility. His mind curved into a race, thoughts springing around of what to do, what he could do. He took a somewhat shakier breath this time, still calmer than he expected but on the cusp of being audible. His heart continued its tempo, the metronome close to some kind of elevated bpm.
“And what is that?” he asked after a much drawn on silence, just his breathing filling the quiet gaps.
He didn’t move, just kept his station where he was. He wasn’t still like he usually was, though. No. Normally he was uncannily still, barely even breathing. Normally his heart was calm, his body cold and distant.
Now was different. Now, he was anxious. Waiting. His skin grew warmer, his eyes shifting around. His hand still moved, the pain long gone in his mind. His eyes were alive, his body still moving closer to Val’s with each passing moment.
Val felt a little bit like he was on fire. The quiet had all his nerves on edge, every sense alert, every tiny touch and movement registering in his head. He wanted to bounce, to shake, to throw himself over at Solomon and kiss him hard, but that would shatter this thing they were playing out, this scene where Solo was in charge. It felt too important to ruin, so he forced himself still and waited with bated breath until Solomon handed him the question like a little invitation to speak.
He leaned in a little, so Solomon wouldn't be startled, and pulled him in gently with the hands still looped around his neck. It was a careful movement, more guiding and less pulling around, one hand gently carding through Solo's hair until they were millimetres apart and he was pretty sure what he wanted was obvious. "You… um…" It was hard to find his voice. He wanted to show Solomon how to do this, wanted to give him a little guidance, but it was hard when he'd never done that before. Normally people just went for it, and he let them, and that whole experience was very far away from this because Solomon was so sweet. So reluctant to do anything before he knew it was okay. It made him feel warm all over, and that feeling was what finally got him talking. That little prickle of happiness as Solo's eyes swept over him, as Solo waited for him to give an answer. "You could… kiss me. If you wanted."
Solomon nearly cut Val’s words to a halt prematurely, kissing him the exact second after he heard the first affirmation.
In truth, he hadn’t been waiting for the confirmation. Sure, consent was a great thing for him to know about audibly, considering he would probably not do anything from the start if he was suspicious. Though, that wasn’t the case this time. He had known what Val wanted from the start. The man didn’t exactly stifle it well, but Solo couldn’t blame him— he was practically begging for it himself, too.
Solo’s hand slid down from Val’s side, wrapping around his lower back and drawing him even closer. He tilted his head down and to the side, icy eyes long closed.
His lips were cold, but in more of a passive usual way— not in a eerie inhuman way. He never knew why, and nor did he care, until he had realized how warm Val was. It made him want to be closer, closer, if that was still even a possibility.
Despite his colder skin, fire tore through him like an unhindered torch, but it didn’t have the bite like flames usually did. No, it was sort of an elevated electric buzz, but his mind wasn’t blurry anymore. It was tuned, like he had finally found the right clear radio station, and it was wonderful. All throughout his body was simply numbness, hand absently crawling up Val’s back to hold him.
This didn’t seem much like the previous kisses. Of course, that could be because Solo was the one leading, but he didn’t think so. There was something else there, too. Something heavy and heated and slightly sloppy, sure, but that added to it.
It was all Val could do to kiss him back. He'd wanted this so bad but now that it was actually happening he could barely make him reciprocate through the buzz of adrenaline and endorphins. Luckily for him, Solomon seemed to have a pretty good handle on what he was doing. The arm around his waist was steady and strong and even though he missed the feeling of Solo's skin against his he was grateful for the extra support. His head felt very far away at the moment but it didn't really matter. It wasn't like he was thinking much anyways, too caught up in the here and now for his mind to wander which was just wonderful, honestly. He liked the here and now, liked the way Solo's lips went warm against his, the way the other man pressed close.
The kiss did feel different than the other ones they'd shared. It was close to something they'd done before, hot and heavy with the two of them pressed close, but they'd never been in these roles. Never kissed in a way that might lead to anything more. He really wanted this to lead to more.
His hands slid down, clutching at Solo's collar to keep him close as he broke away to breathe. "Fuck, that's… that's so good, can…" He gave Solomon a soft tug, barely thinking about his words. "… can we lay down somewhere? I want you on top of me."
If his mind was anywhere else, he may have found the nerve to laugh. To just step back and curl up and start giggling like a drunken idiot. But he wasn’t, because he was here, and his mind was focused solely on the person before him. He felt like a little boy again, before he understood what his truly odd life had in store. He felt like life was unpredictable and new and enjoyable and had some kind of special meaning now.
It was hard to hear Val’s words over his mind’s internal screaming, that stupid treble mixed with the bass of his thrumming heart, all tied together by his breathing in a sort of dodgy symphony. He was still shaky, his skin an odd mix of colder in some places and extremely warm in others, a flash of ice through his hands and fire through his core.
It took him almost a full minute to understand those words. They induced something extremely exciting and new and thrilling, but also something slightly worrying. After all, Solomon had no clue what he was doing. He didn’t know the reasons for his heart beating so fast and his body flashing those odd colors. Sure, maybe he had some understanding through those cheesy movies he pirated when he was bored, but otherwise, this was new.
That’s not saying he minded it at all. It was all just a cacophony of curiosity and thrill and his fast-beating heart.
Maybe he wasn’t cut out for this. Maybe because he had no clue what he was doing, he couldn’t take the lead. But… he was too far in to give up now, so he’d try to just play it the best he could. After all, seeing Val all caught up like this was the best view he’d ever witnessed.
“Lead the way,” he whispered.
