OTA

[hollow_moon]

He liked spring. There was still a chill to the air most days at the moment, but you could see nature slowly waking from its slumber, even here in the heart of the city.  It brought the wolf inside him nothing but joy, and left him with an itch to be outside in the sunlight, roaming and exploring. He'd have to plan a trip to the country soon, somewhere he could really roam wild...

For now, however, a jog through the park would have to do.

Dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt, Valentine alternated between jogging and sprinting. Moving slower where there were crowds, then taking off at top speed along empty stretches of the path, the man didn't stop until his heart was pounding hard and he knew he needed a break. Slowing to a stop, he stretched out and caught his breath, before drinking from the water bottle that he had strapped to his hip.

"Sorry, didn't mean to stop in the centre of the path," he said, stepping out the way when he realised someone was attempting to get past him.

Comments

[hollow_moon]

Val shrugged, finishing his juice.

"You're a time travelling dominant, that makes you the second most interesting person I've met this week. Why wouldn't I want to see what an evening with you would be like?" he asked. "By the way, the most interesting person I met this week was a contortionist with an extra finger on her left hand, who raised goats. Time travel tops goats, sure, but that extra finger was really something."

[just_hex]

And then it was Hex's turn to look at Val like he might be mad. He couldn't believe he was outdone by an extra finger.

"You're an odd one, Val," he said, shaking his head but smiling. He did mean it as a compliment.

[hollow_moon]

"I get that a lot," Val replied cheerfully. "Don't worry, I make up for it with charm. ...Probably."

[just_hex]

"Well, whether it's charm or what- I don't know. But I'd like to spend more time with you," he said. He thought of Spencer then, just briefly, and remembered the fact they weren't a couple. There was no reason to not spend the night with Val. No reason not to at all.

[hollow_moon]

"Alright. ...So, your place or mine then?" he asked, flashing his teeth as he smiled.

Val was always eager to spend the night with someone. For a man who feared commitment, he really had a hard time sleeping in an empty bed.

[just_hex]

"Yours," Hex said instantly, sure that his own flat would turn the Collingwood off like nothing else. It was fine for him and it was home, but a ground floor flat in a Spitalfield row wasn't exactly class.

[hollow_moon]

"Then let's go," Val decided, pulling his wallet out and heading to the counter to pay for their meals.

"Come on, it's not far, we can walk," he decided as he headed back out into the gym, and then out onto the street.

[just_hex]

Hex followed along dutifully. For all that he said he wasn't a puppy...well, not in the bedroom, he meant. He was quite the follower by nature.

"Do you have a car? I take the tube everywhere..."

[hollow_moon]

"I do, but I live very nearby. Look, that's it there," he said, pointing at a grand looking home that seemed a touch out of place in a city like this.

"Though if you'd rather indulge in a hotel, I can certainly drive us to one."

[just_hex]

"Oh, no. No need to waste a pound," he said, his frugality showing. He took in the building and smiled. "You're really in the heart of it. Close to your gym...that's the dream. Me gym and me home and me work make a triangle, everything just as far away as the next.

[hollow_moon]

"My work's actually a bit of a commute," Val admitted. "I don't mind though, it's an excuse to get the car out for a bit," he said, unlocking the gate and then letting them in so they could head inside.

"Make yourself at home," he insisted.

[just_hex]

Hex was astounded by the decor. It was dark but posh, exactly the thing he'd thing a rich eccentric might have. He wasn't surprised to see rook skulls, or the antlers, or the preserved things in jars that sat on shelves. He was no more surprised by that than by the black on black damask upholstery, the velvet and satin, all of it came together and hex knew it was the home of a wolf.

"This is grand," he said as he took off his shoes. It seemed the sort of home you'd take your shoes off in.

[hollow_moon]

"Is it?" Val asked, not terribly good at judging what was grand or what was normal. "I suppose it is," he agreed, looking thoughtful.

"Do you fancy a dri- Uh, a cup of tea or something?" he asked. shrugging his coat off as he spoke.

[just_hex]

Hex figured he shouldn't just leap on the man and so he smiled and nodded. Best to take it a little slow.

"I'd drink a cup of tea," he nodded.

[hollow_moon]

"Lovely," Val smiled, nodding a bit and then slinking off to sort out a pot of tea.

He returned a short while later with a tray that held a teapot, cream and sugar, and two cups. It teetered on the edge of twee and macabre, yet here, in Val's home, it seemed a perfect fit. Setting it down on a long, dark coffee table, he plopped himself down onto the dark velvet settee and smiled.

"Hope you like the blend, it's a personal favourite of mine. Earl grey, with just a hint of mint and blood orange."

[just_hex]

"That sounds...different," Hex replied, adding a bit of sugar and just a touch of cream. It was truly delightful, but definitely different.

"Oh, this is good. Is it one of those blend-it-yourself teas?"

[hollow_moon]

"Mmm, yes, my cousin's business actually. She owns a shop near covenant garden," he explained. "It's the only tea I drink now, when I'm home."

[just_hex]

"That's brilliant. I just buy, well, cheap tea," he chuckled. "I like jasmine tea, that's about as adventurous as I get."

[hollow_moon]

"You should go see her shop sometime. If you tell her you're a friend of mine, I'm sure she'd give you a discount," Val smiled, sipping his tea, then casually moving closer to Hex.

[just_hex]

Hex took a sip and then set his cup down. Val got closer and Hex leaned in, resting his hand on the man's knee.

"Maybe I'll do that," he said, his hand rising from Val's leg to his face.

[hollow_moon]

Val leaned into the touch, always eager for attention.

"Do you want a tour of the rest of the house?" he offered.

[just_hex]

"I'd like that," he nodded, moving to get up. "Maybe we could start upstairs?"

[hollow_moon]

"Oh? Perhaps in my bedroom?" Val suggested with a flirty grin.

[just_hex]

"That's what I was thinking," he grinned, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips. "That's the point of being here, yeah?"

[hollow_moon]

"Not the whole point... But yes, a bit," Val admitted with a grin, nodding for Hex to follow as he left the tea on the table and led the way upstairs.