Work Text:
***
Valentine was running up the path connecting the main gate of the British property to the internal courtyard of the Walden Manor. That day he was on a rush since getting off the bed in the morning and it seemed like everything was pressuring him to hurry. He's been feeling nervous and slightly stressed all day long, even tho the long pink haired boy couldn’t pin point exactly why so.
At that very moment, Valentine was coming back home and he knew already that, despite the somewhat tiring day, he would have to work on his usual chores around the big house, a thought not exactly appealing to him at that very moment.
He liked living at the Walden Manor, he didn’t own it sure, but it felt home. It was home. And couldn’t be otherwise for he has lived there for so many years, moving from Cyprus when he was only but a little child. The problem Valentine had with the Manor, was precisely its being such: a huge, old, creaky, dusty and listed grade II building in the rainy and ever grey England. And he was the only one taking care of all of it.
Rhadamanthys, his English Lord, his General, his reason of life or - as Valentine himself would put it while thinking about it with flushed cheeks - his boyfriend, was extremely strict over not having anybody snooping around, strongly opposing the idea of people working at the Manor as always so was in the many years before. The Englishman decided on that change a very long time ago, it was infact one of his very first dictates at his Grandfather’s passing and inheritance of the title and fortune of the Walden's.
So Valentine got used. It wasn’t easy and it was tiring. But he would do anything to please his Lord. He was a good boy, who knew well his place as a servant: he wouldn’t dare defying his owner. Nor he wished too, for he was that deep into his feelings for Rhadamanthys. Something that started as a mere teenagehood crush and bloomed into the love of a lifetime - or many, in this case.
As the young man approached the heavy door of the Manor’s Porch, he sighed and put on his usual sweet, polite smile. He wouldn’t allow his beloved Lord to feel troubled by his own low mood or fatigue. It was Valentine’s sworn duty to serve and care after this great man Rhadamanthys.
He had better to do than bothering himself after some emotional distress of his partner, of course. Valentine didn't even question himself on that.
Standing there for a second, he brushed his jacket flattening the folds and adjusted carefully the slightly messed-by-the wind pink hair in order to look acceptable. He wasn’t vain, but Valentine would never want his liege to see him scruffy for being proper meant pretty much everything to that man. And who could tell - even if highly unlikely considering the Lord was always inside the Manor’s library at that time of the day - by chance he could even have ended up meeting with him right past the entrance. Looking like a ruffled bird sure wasn’t the best idea.
He pushed the heavy door and stepped inside. His amber eyes caught immediately by the unusual sight in front of him.
Right behind the entrance hall, past the arch and the small guests waiting area, he could notice flowers.
Not just flowers. A whole lot of them.
The Harpy boy arched a brow, carefully stepping inside, somewhat afraid of such unusual finding. He couldn’t help but wonder if there had been a mistake of sort?
Past the arch, the connecting hall was covered in red roses. There were so many, whoever placed them there, had also left a bunch on the ground or stacked on top of the others. Beautiful and rich bouquets adorned in white papers and ribbons, strongly scenting the air of the old Georgian brick house.
Valentine walked carefully around, bringing hands to the chest, confused and afraid of stepping on any of those flowers, spending a couple of minutes in pure astonishment for both their quantity and beauty.
At last he picked up one left in what appeared like a strategic position near the stairs and dared to look for hints in the form of cards or messages, yet there was none.
He sighed, and gently placed it back looking around pondering on what to do next.
Did somebody give those flowers as an offer, or a present, to his Lord? To his boyfriend?! He couldn’t help but listen at his jealousy immediately starting to plant a seed in his head.
Valentine was a very jealous boy who couldn’t help himself in stirring in his the depths of his strong feelings, for good and for worse.
But what if instead this was just a mistake, Lord Rhadamanthys surely would feel annoyed of such mess in his own house. Should he clean up before his Master could have the chance to even see the sight of it? Should he go and check with the security guards back at the gate if they knew anything about?
Valentine felt unsure and for the time being remained there, shifting weight from a feet to another as he pondered with tilted head on what would be the best solution.
So immersed in his thoughts, the Cypriot didn’t notice someone approaching by the right corridor.
“Valentine?” a voice called out.
“Mh?” replied he, mumbling, slightly looking at the other with the corner of his eyes. Still pondering on what to do.
It took Valentine a moment to snap out of that state, realising his Lord was standing there, under the arch with his usual deadpan expression and arms crossed over the chest.
“My Lord!!” he yelled immediately regaining a decent posture and turning over the tall blond man.
“What was that look on your face?” Rhadamanthys asked slightly frowning.
“I... I arrived home and there was this all around the hall." He said nervously tightening his lips. "I was... Trying to figure out what was going on.”
”...You were?”
“Yes. It’s a... Lot of flowers. It’s a mess.” He concluded in a light mixed note of sarcasm and skepticism.
Rhadamanthys didn’t reply immediately to that. For a moment the British man stayed there, pondering while carefully looking at the hall as if he was analysing every inch of the room. His blond locks of hair gently fell over his distinctive monobrow as he tilted his head and grabbed the chin in confusion.
Valentine looked at him carefully, was he mad? Was he disappointed by the discovery of the mess in his house which hadn’t yet been cleaned up?
“So you didn’t like it.” Rhadamanthys said at last, stepping forward. His voice sounded exactly as it always did: stern, serious and emotionless, yet the very corner of his lips were pointing downwards, Valentine immediately noticed that.
"Are you disappointed?"
”...Disappointed? Why should I? I-“
He was the one who looked disappointed. Although the younger man couldn’t understand why.
“I ordered them for you.” cut in the other.
“What?” Replied Valentine, lightly shaking his head and looking around before returning his look upon the Englishman. “Me? Is this for me?”
“Yeah. I... I thought it would please you. Isn’t this the kind of stuff you like and wish I was into as well?” Rhadamanthys added dead serious and looking him straight into the eyes with his mesmerising gold gaze.
“Oh...”
Valentine looked around once more, nervously touching his own lock of pink hair falling over the chest, feeling stupid.
His beloved Lord did such a romantic thing for him?! That was very unusual and yet so much like him.
Rhadamanthys wasn’t into romance. At all. But there were times, he’d act very surprisingly, for no particular reason, and deliver a by-the-book romantic grand gesture out of nowhere. Sure, the Cypriot could count these episodes on the fingers, but they indeed happened, leaving him always amazed and confused.
A mix of emotions whirled within the Harpy, silently standing there on the edge of crying for how stupid he was, cursing himself for the jealousy he felt at first.
“I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry!” he cried out in a low voice.
”...”
“I didn’t realise it was for me. I thought it was some kind of mistake... From someone else... And I’ve almost cleaned it all up thinking it would bother you to find the house in such a mess. I’m so stupid...” He whined about in a guilty expression, avoiding the Englishman’s eye contact who lightly smiled in return, snorting, somehow touched by the situation.
The blond walked closer, reaching Valentine and softly resting his hand - his ever warm hand - on his boyfriend’s arm.
“That’s fine. I’d indeed appreciate if you could clean up." Stated the man in a calm, collected tone before adding more in a sweeter one. "But it can wait a while longer, yes?”
Valentine lightly chuckled wiping away the few tears that had already started forming in his eyes’ corners.
Rhadamanthys confused by that reaction, hesitated with his words.
“Shall I... Not do this ever again? Has this saddened you?” The blond man asked slowly brushing his thumb on the other, in a light comforting caress of sort. Did he end up hurting Valentine? Was he that bad at this... Romance?
“Was this... Improper?” Rhadamanthys timidly inquired, frowning a little bit. He was a confident man, but the very subject of romance wasn’t part of his talents. In any of his lives.
“No! No, it was wonderful...!” Valentine replied turning over and embracing him tightly by the waist.
That felt immediately so good.
"I... My Lord, you are the most amazing man there could ever be!" Valentine mumbled as he hid himself on Rhadamathys' warm chest, feeling honoured and privileged of receiving Wyvern's romantic efforts.
The blond man wrapped in return his arms gently over the other, resting his head on top of his.
Rhadamanthys smiled softly without saying a thing as Valentine’s cheeks flushed, his heart glowing in happiness, feeling so special and yet ever too lucky for being allowed of standing next to - and between the arms of - such of a great man his Lord Rhadamanthys was.
***