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The two men were sitting in the conservatory of the Walden manor right next each other as their gaze was set on the night sky.
There was no cloud that chilly summer night of end of July, a remarkable thing for England perennially covered in grey clouds full of rain.
Valentine had heard on that very night a peculiar event was going to happen: Mars, the red planet, was visible with naked eye for it was passing extremely close to Earth. And thus, with much more fuss than what Rhadamanthys usually tolerates, he somehow convinced the blond British Lord to spend a little time together stargazing.
None of them were fan of such pastime to be honest, yet here they were. To be fair the Cypriot boy didn't really ever spend too much time thinking about the mysterious stars - his status as Specter had allowed him to see many unique and odd things, way more than any normal human could merely imagine: the universe couldn’t be much more strange than what his eyes had already seen.
This very time tho, something popped in his mind, curiosity of sort and he very much begged the Judge for having this wish of his granted: spending sometime together watching the stars.
Not that it was common for Valentine asking for things, he was actually a rather humble individual. A trait of his that Rhadamanthys knew and appreciated greatly. Something that made Rhadamanthys feel inclined to accept that request without too much annoyance on his side.
After all, Valentine didn’t seem to require much for being happy.
Would it be that difficult for the Judge to grant such little innocent wish for once?
In the middle of the pitched-black sky, the red planet was shining bright and orange in the distance. Next to its left, the much bigger white moon was glowing almost at its fullest.
The cold night breeze gave shivers to the Cypriot, the tip of his nose would have been visibly red if there was any source of light closer to them. Valentine sighed, rubbing his thin hands together for some warmth.
The Englishman instead didn't appear bothered in the slightest: the cold air and the cloudy weather were much pleasant to him.
"It's beautiful!" Valentine said softly with a hint of enthusiasms in his tender voice, eyes stick on Mars as he moved away from his own shoulder a lock of his long pink thin hair.
"Mh." Mumbled in return the Judge, pausing a little bit before rapidly glancing at his servant. "It's just a red point. Somewhat fascinating, I could admit that. Yet..."
"Yet pointless.” Cut Valentine with a light chuckle. He could guess so easily any of his beloved liege’s thought. “Yeah, I know, my Lord."
The younger man turned over, practically bouncing on himself and looking at Rhadamanthys with a joyful expression. His Lord wasn't someone easily impressed, nor interested in silly and frivolous things such as that. But Valentine was happy anyway.
Because they were together.
"You look very happy." Pointed out the blond man brushing his own chin and setting his golden gaze upon the other without fully turning his head.
"I... I am." answered Harpy looking down and blushing as he noticed to be observed by Wyvern. "It's a special moment. And I'm very... glad... to be experiencing it together." said he slowly, almost mumbling , quickly shifting his eyes from a side to another, with shoulders tensing more at every word.
"I am very pleased as well." Answered deadpan as always the British Lord as Valentine blushed more, joyful to hear those words.
Despite not being a fan of so called romantic situations such as that, Rhadamanthys valued incredibly those peaceful moments of privacy and quiet time alone with his dear Valentine. Sure, they had always spent a considerable amount of time together, being when they were little or when in the Underworld, but given their roles and lives things were rarely peaceful and calm. And thus the older man came to value and even somewhat look forward to those little moments together in which there was no war nor dangerous situation to think about. Moments in which he could let go of his walls, breathe and remember what being human actually meant. Those opportunities in which Rhadamanthys could choose not wear his armour that he was so proud of.
A choice he definitely didn’t miss not to make, true. But a choice that was in his own rights nonetheless.
“It reminds me when we were little...” said Valentine smiling. His voice sounded so serene.
The other didn’t reply immediately. His mind went back to that time, when they were little children. They used to spend almost every evening together, after the many many hours of studying.
Rhadamanthys used to read stories to the other when he was still unable to grasp a perfect English in the months following his arrival from Cyprus. They would be sitting in the library, in his bedroom or even in that very conservatory until called back in by the Governess and the lights switched off in the entire Manor forcing them to quit.
“Do you miss that time?” suddenly asked the Englishman after thinking for a while, lost in those memories. They felt very distant. Almost surreal. In his head, after living so many lives, every memory felt a little bit like that and everything always felt so deep yet confusing and impalpable. Sometimes he wasn't even sure from which of the many lives - if the current one at all - they were originally from.
Valentine tilted his head.
“I... No.”
And he chuckled, adding more. “I would if I couldn’t be anymore with you.. At your side. But.. Here we are. Aren’t we, my Lord?” His voice was ever so sweet.
The taller man’s eyes narrowed, his features softened. He couldn’t understand why seeing Valentine happy made him so as well. Perhaps it was because of his humanity. Perhaps it was because how genuine every of his reactions were. How true he was.
“Aye.”
And as the pink-haired man was about to add something else, he sneezed.
A shiver ran onto his back and he bit his lower lip as reaction. His Mediterranean genes never liked the cold north of Europe. Not even after many years living there.
The very left corner of Rhadamanthys' top lip curved upwards in a smirk of sort.
"I’m not going to be so pleased if my Lieutenant catches a cold though." Added the Judge, fully turning over the other and moving closer to him. His own features relaxed a little bit more, his brow softened and his shoulders lowered as possible on the top of his ever straight back.
And as Valentine suddenly raised his head in confusion, unsure why the other was moving, Rhadamanthys wrapped his left arm around him.
The pink-haired man gasped, his heart starting to race.
His mouth opened for saying something but nothing came out for a while as his cheeks flushed red.
“T-Thank yo-oou...”
The other left out a little almost inaudible chuckle, amused.
Valentine's reactions always made him a little bit happier inside: each so genuine, each so emotional. In spite of his open dislike for emotions over logic, he knew well that humans were made of emotions. Even if he had mastered far too well how to forget his humanity in favour of his holy mission as Judge of the Underworld, it was meaningful for the Specter to know that there was someone right next to him constantly reminding him that even if a sort of undead, he was still a man.
A man with feelings, that he wanted them or not.
Rhadamanthys snorted, clenching his hand on Valentine's mid-shoulder, returning his look back at the sky as the boy got smaller while curling on himself, embarrassed.
"R-Rhadamanthys..." he finally said several minutes later, bright orange eyes timidly picking at his Lord more than at the red planet and the many stars shining in front of them.
Suddenly stargazing had lost all its charm. Something way more unique than Mars shining so close Earth was happening.
"Mh?"
”...Am I only your Lieutenant?”
The answer from the other man took some seconds to arrive. Valentine’s heart was beating so loudly that he could hear it echoing throughout his own ears.
Perhaps that question was too bold of him... He was merely a servant: could he really wish for becoming anything more? Could someone of such low status ever be not only that when compared to a nobleman?
“You-” Rhadamanthys pressed his tongue towards the inside of his cheek, slowly, and he paused. His eyes met for a brief moment with the other’s, all the stars above them couldn't compare to those shiny lively ambers. “You are Valentine. My Valentine.”
The Cypriot smiled and snuggled closer, timidly replying with pride.
"I... I will always be.”
“I know.”
Valentine shut his eyes, his head now on the Judge’s shoulder. Rhadamanthys’ body was so warm. Exactly as he remembered from when they were little. He didn’t need to be anything else: he wanted simply be his. And he was.
At that, the blond man tilted his head, softly letting it at rest on the pink one of Valentine and gently wrapped his arm more on the other man, careful not to pull his long hair as he pushed him a little bit closer in a soft embrace.
"...Thank you, My Lord. I feel much better."
"I feel much better too."
Valentine giggled to himself and wished for that night to never end and nothing else. Not even the wildest of his fantasies coming to life there and now could make him happier than in that very moment.: in the arms of his beloved lord. Being his.
From that day, Valentine would say he liked stargazing.