Solomon's Diary

- Oh. W-well, I might use one or two to make me a new weapon. I used to be really good at forging swords, and well, because of personal circumstances, I have been often driven to fix my sword many times. This time, some thieves held me to rid me of mine, so I have to make a new one. I hope it doesn’t bother you, I can give you my word it will never be used to damage a dragon. - He said, knowing that this might be a touchy subject for the creature. Maybe by reassuring Clay about it, he also got rid of a bit of guilt of having hurt so many others like him before. - If you’d rather have me sell them, I can do just that though. 

“Yeah, you can make a new sword, I don’t think I like the idea of you being defenseless. “ He gave the man a little shrug before replying. “You really don’t need to promise that, I’m aware that not all of my kind are saints, much like you human’s really.” With that he turned to go grab some food, not really hearing Solomon’s words as he disappeared further into the woods.

—–

 He was glad the knight hadn’t followed him as his words did sink in, though his kind had both good and bad ones, more often than not many peaceful dragons had been wrongly slaughtered, and that was a harsh truth that wouldn’t fade. Was he a traitor to not want to take the man’s life? After snatching some fish from a nearby river he finally made his way back, his head heavy with conflicting emotions,but he really wanted to believe in Sol, whom despite only just meeting had become the closest thing to a friend he’d had.

However, he tried to redirect his attention to Clay's oard. He has already been curious about the big mountains of treasures that the other kept, there seemed to be some quite valuable things. Having had the permission from the dragon to check it up, the knight walked closer and carefully examined an especially interesting bunch, in it there where a few broken swords and damaged shields, some a little bit burnt, probably by Clay himself. Just how many people had found him to attack him?

It was no wonder that the dragon seemed to take Solomon's presence as some kind of small miracle in itself. And well, it wasn't as if the knight didn't appreciate not having to fight and struggle to survive for a night or two. ... Well, really, how long did he expect to stay next to Clay? His cheeks flushed slightly at realizing how comfortable he had found himself in that place.

His patience had been rewarded as the aforementioned taxi pulled up to the curb and and Solomon hastily hopped out ready to  offer him a little help, however Clay couldn’t help but notice that his lover seemed a little tense, of course he hadn’t known about his concerns about the scarring, hell clay himself had never seen the man without a shirt on even when they were doing the dirty.

Deciding to chalking it up to Solomon being an apprehensive traveler, the younger astronaut leaned into the gentle peck, it was a shame that he couldn’t prolong it.

- Maybe we could be nice and actually get one of those for her. After all, she deserves one, haha. Well, - he continued as he closed the door of the back of the car and promptly got inside. - I’m sure they will be fine then. If Apollo is taking care of Vega, he will definitely come back much more spoiled than ever. That man will even cook pancakes for him given the opportunity. - He joked, even if it wasn’t that far from the truth. The veteran astronaut waited for the other to sit next to him and asked the driver to continue to the airport. He was having such a good time, though, that the weird looks he got from him went ignored.

 Clay was about to voice his apology when Solomon had exclaimed that he did indeed have everything all packed.

“Ah, it’s fine, it usually is best to be safe and glad I could help with that.” He replied cheerfully, already forcing his guilt away as he tried to focus on keeping the other man happy.

He was scheming the way he would do to escape his lover’s eyes on his body when the taxi finally arrived. He let the driver help him put the bag inside the trunk and took the light brown backpack with him. Once he indicated the man where to go, he made himself comfortable, though his mind was still plotting everything. Ugh, he hated this feeling. Solomon even allow himself a few seconds of considering telling Clay about those scars, but the thought alone made him gasp for air. Which only made the driver pull over to see if his client was actually alright. 

- A- ah,... I think I got all that here, yes. Haha. - He said, trying to pass it off as if he had been thinking about the contents of his bag, but guessing that had been maybe too long for him to react properly. Especially since he decided to completely ignore his remarks on him being naked the whole time. - Mmmm, I have my passport yes, tickets... About clothes... undies, short-sleeved shirts, shorts, two sets of sneakers... They told me they had towels there, and everything for the bath. I’m just taking my shaving cream and lotion since those are my faves. - As he checked for the contents of his bag, he grew calmer and calmer, thankful that he could distract himself with the simple activity of naming everything inside the bag. 

Now he was doing some last minute luggage checks, he knew he had the important stuff like passport, tickets…. He had packed light in regards to clothes, after all they were going to a hot beach so no doubt he’d just be in shorts… Then there were two smarter outfits for just in case they wished to venture into the nearby town…. Quickly he tossed in a book for the journey before finally jamming in an inflatable pool toy for the ocean. He was set.

No sooner had he poured himself a glass of ice cold water had his phone gone off.

- Oh, are you done with everything already? You are really good at this. 

He said, a slight hint of envy in the tone of his voice, hopefully unnoticeable to Clay, as he went to the kitchen to have a cup of coffee. Sometimes he was just plain jealous of the way his lover seemed to have himself together all the time, especially when under the same circumstances he was just a mess. - I was just going to check up on you and ask you if you could remind me of some things... Just to make sure I didn’t forget anything before leaving the house.

He was a little sad to see Solomon return to his seat as their meals arrived, on the upside the food looked great as he broke his chopsticks as he listened intently to Solomon, he had to agree that the privacy aspect of the trip sounded great even if the rookie was usually the social type. More than anything he wanted to have many opportunities to how deep his feelings and desires ran without having to be judged.

He was sure that his face had showed a bit of agony in its expression, but he tried to pass it off as a cough, especially when he felt a playful foot running along his leg. His cheeks burnt red as if he had just eaten the spiciest curry ever, ending up hiding his face in his hands. - O-oh, Clay, don’t. You caught me so off guard. - He gulped down and drank some more beer in order to calm down a bit. After getting back his cool, he smiled, shaking his head. - Being at your mercy is the opposite of a problem, did you know? I have never met someone so caring for me. I don’t mind that one bit. - Solomon said, before winking at his boyfriend. Needless to say, he was now even more excited. 

Solomon was rushing about his house, had he forgotten anything? He double-checked the list he had written and the contents of his bag to confirm that they matched. Well, maybe a third time, and a fourth time. It’s important to be sure you’re taking the stuff you need, right? Maybe he was just a bit anxious, and so, by rule, what he did was call Clay for a bit of reassurance. No doubt the veteran astronaut felt a bit guilty for relying so much on his lover, but he deemed better than doing so on a thousand meds and therapy exercises that worked half of the time. 

“Yeah, I guess we were both bound to have had to deal with that sooner or later.”He let out a dry laugh before draining half of his beer in one go, he was embarrassed that he’d shown such an insecure side of himself to his lover, Sol wasn’t a stupid man and no doubt he of all people would know what he wanted, even if it was to enter a relationship with a man 10 years younger. And Clay was a grown man who had the right to make his decision too, his earlier statement seemed so silly now.

Moments after the bottle of beer had touched the wooden surface of the table his mentor had already gotten closer and those coarse yet gentle hands were resting on his cheek causing the rookie to melt into his touch as he was rewarded with a kiss. He heard a couple of hushed whispers and clicking of tongues as they indulged in a kiss. Clay wanted nothing more than to make some kind of comment to shut them up. As a rule he was generally good natured, cheerful and placid but he’d been driven to the edge. Fortunately he hugged Solomon tightly as he told himself that he wasn’t going to let them spoil their meal.

The whispers stopped soon enough as he smiled up at his lover warmly, his irritation sated for now as he kissed the tip of his nose.

- Huh, it’s not much planned but rather daydreamed about it? I guess that’s closer to the truth. - He commented, already past the point where he would get embarrassed from acknowledging the fact that he had maybe thought about it too much before telling Clay. Taking the hint from his lover scooting aside so there was a bit of room on the chair, he carefully sat down next to him, leaning against the younger male’s shoulder, almost nuzzling his neck. - I was thinking it would be nicer to rent a house next to the beach, rather than go to a hotel. The only downside would be that we would have to clean after ourselves and well, fetch our food somewhere else. 

His eyes grew dull as he thought about how he might have wrecked Sol’s credibility buy entering a relationship with the man, had he been selfish?  More than anything Clay wanted the other man to be happy. He had been about to ask whether Solomon regretted their relationship when he’d piped up and chased his doubts away by admitting he wanted him to himself also, however he still had a shadow clouding his mind that he needed some reassurance on.

“Seems like we’ve both felt the sting there.” He finally admitted as he clenched his fists on the table, his knuckles turning white with anger at how everyone wanted to make their relationship their business. “They’d said the same to me, I just hoped that you didn’t know about it, the last thing you needed was to deal with this hassle too.”

Several times, he had confronted the others in Clay’s behalf, but he wasn’t about confessing that to his lover yet. If just by telling him that the situation was like that he had made such a grim expression, he didn’t want to see what he would do if he told the younger one that he had gotten in trouble for arguing with some co-workers by defending him. - I’m sorry that you have gotten those kind of comments before, but you should have told me earlier too. I know you were worried about how I would react, but I wouldn’t want you to suffer alone. - He said, knowing full well that he had been on the same spot for the same amount of time. - Well, haha, I shouldn’t be talking though. As I did the same. 

Just in time as his throat went completely dry, the two beers were placed on the table for them to go ahead and drink. He didn’t spare a moment and did so, trying to, again, find the right words to tell his boyfriend so he wouldn’t feel like he was inadequate. But first, he reached for the other’s chin, lifting it up so he could look at him to his beautiful dark eyes and beamed a gentle yet confident smile. - You have made me happier than I’ve ever been, Clay. There’s no denying that you have been my rock for longer than I would have imagined. And in all honesty, they can go fuck themselves with what they say, you’re the one that matters the most. But all the drilling of their words in my head is already driving me crazy, so yeah, we should take some time off.

“Next week will be great, but how about we make it a two week break maybe?” Clay asked hopefully, sure he hated missing work but more than anything he just wanted to enjoy being with his lover with no prying eyes and no snide comments. Just him and Solomon, he could probably get the old lady from next door to keep an eye on Vega and Laika. “I kinda want you to myself for a bit.”

“I can’t say I’ve tried surfing but I always wanted to give it a shot. Though I’m a little surprised that you were the surfer type, I’m impressed.”Clay was grinning ear to ear upon hearing this new bit of information about his lover, eagerly awaiting their holiday so he could uncover a few more secrets. “I’m counting on you to teach me well haha.”

- I think that’s great. We could probably fit in the two weeks of vacations without much trouble from Boss. However, if he gets too stubborn, we could probably talk him into a week and a half. You’d still have me all for yourself, and it’s still a few days added to the fun. - He commented, resting his head on the palm of his hand, supported by his elbow on the table and smiled warmly. - Well, I wasn’t excellent at it or anything, but it was a nice feeling, made me feel rather courageous to hit those waves. Made a ton of friends in the process too. They have probably forgotten all about me, as have I. 

Not wanting to continue with that train of thought (really, who in the world mourns friends that you stopped seeing 15 years ago?), he took advantage of the fact that the waitress had just taken Clay’s order to pull himself out of those memories and ordered a tempura udon and a beer to match his lover’s. When they were back on the subject, Solomon hesitated at first, not sure if by telling the truth about what was going on at his work would be any good. However, he also didn’t feel like lying. 

——-

 It was apparent that Solomon was itching to let loose what ever he had to say, the sideways glances, the playing with his hands and the fidgeting was evidence enough.

Gratefully he took the menu from the waitress and began to leaf through it while he waited for his mentor to find the words he needed to say. As curious as Clay was, he knew that bombarding the man when he felt something was important often made him second guess himself so he waited a little longer.

However it wasn’t that long before his curiosity had been sated.

“A few days?” Clay repeated as he thought about it, like Sol he did have slight workaholic tendencies and of course he knew full well that taking time off without being forced was a rarity, it just didn’t happen. “Well, I guess it’s needed if even you are feeling a little bogged down, I guess some time off would give us a chance to let the dust settle.”

He offered Solomon a warm smile as he took his hand.

- Are you sure? I was thinking we could let the Space Center know and maybe leave next week. What do you think about going to the beach? - He proposed, as he looked through the menu and scanned it, but knowing full well he would go for his favorite dish anyways. - I really want to go to a place where people take the life easily, even if just for a couple of days. - A slight blush appeared in his cheeks, he didn’t know if it was clear that he had been daydreaming about it for quite a while already, but he wished with all his heart to go to such a place.

“I’m glad you like it, I mean I know I got a lot to get but it’s a start.” He replied happily as he flipped on the coffee maker before glancing at the clock- The pizza should arrive in another ten minutes so it was best to grab Solomon some dry clothes before then. Reaching over to a nearby radiator, the rookie grabbed a recently cleaned. now dry towel that still felt warm from it before tossing it over to the older male. “Here, dry yourself off.”

“Oh, right. I’ll go get them so just sit tight for a second.” And with that, Clay bounded into the bedroom to find something that would fit. Hurriedly he sifted through his closet for something that would be comfortable to lounge around in, fortunately he and Sol were pretty much the same height and of similar build so that wasn’t too hard fix him up for something. Grabbing a black pair of sweatpants and one of his old dark grey University hoodies, he ,made his way back to the living room. Sol of course was still looking around with a look of mild amusement when he interrupted him.

“Here you go, I think these will fit fit you pretty well. Good thing we’re about the same size haha.” He handed over the bundle, “The bathroom is the door to the right if you’d like some privacy.

It didn’t take long until Clay made his way back, this time with a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie with huge letters on it, no doubt it was from the young male’s university. Sol took them carefully in his hands, a fait blush in his cheeks, and nodded. - I don’t think I can thank you enough today, I owe you a big one. - He beamed, happily walking to the bathroom and pulling off his clothes with a little bit of annoyance, the damp fabric almost sticking to him. Ugh. He definitely would never get out of his house without an umbrella ever again. 

Now. The real battle was… Clay’s clothes. No matter how he tried to avoid the thoughts, it was still something that the younger male had worn before. And now Solomon was about to put them on. He felt ashamed that something stirred below his stomach, but also his heart beat faster at every breath he took. It was his scent. For a moment, his hands were all about pressing that bundle of clothes onto his face, but he deemed that a bit … a bit too much. Instead, he slowly dried himself out. Thankfully, his underwear wasn’t that badly wet, so it was just a matter of time. How unbecoming. 

Eventually, he could gather the strength to put on the clothes, taking a deep breath when the hoodie slipped along his torso. He felt how the butterflies that he had carried in his belly suddenly started flapping harder. Fuck. He was just a mess. What could even save him anymore? 

Currently he had set the coffee, pizza and the complimentary garlic bread onto the coffee table as he looked up to see Solomon in his lazy clothes: A sight he hadn’t thought he’d see. Relief washed over him at noticing how well they fit him, and despite being loose it was easy to tell that he had a good build beneath the garments. Feeling his mouth go dry Clay took a mouthful of coffee, ignoring how it burned his tongue as he finally opened the boxes.

“Perfect timing.” He smiled up at his mentor as he hastily removed the books from the sofa, “The food just got here.”

His mouth formed an ‘O’ as the other gestured to the soggy bundle in his arms, before taking them from him.

“I was going to do some laundry before you called so I don’t mind washing and drying it. I’ll even use the tumble dryer for once.” It wasn’t that Clay never used it, but only if he were in a hurry as the appliance tended to use up a lot of power given it was an older model. “Should be done within a couple of hours if you don’t mind hanging with me for a while.”

- Ah... If you really don’t mind, I’ll leave these in your hands... - He said, an embarrassed look in his face, as he put the soggy mess in Clay’s hands. In all honesty, the least that he wanted was to be a bother to the younger male, and on top of that, to show him such a weak part of himself. But they were there now, and the rookie astronaut was the opposite of judgemental, which was a huge help for his anxiety. - I don’t mind staying more to hang out, if you’re worried about that. I just needed something warm to wear, and well, I’m already here, so I might as well pay you a well deserved visit, don’t you think?

“Haha Friday’s are fine and I really don’t party much, and Apollo’s pretty bogged down at work anyway.” Truth be told Clay didn’t really have such a large friend circle so much of her time was spent with the attorney, though there was never any romantic link between them, although she was sure that was due to the fact they knew too much about each others bad habits and flaws.  “Besides, I really want to focus my efforts on doing my best here, can’t be letting you down.”

He grin widened as she gave her mentor a playful nudge in an attempt to stop him acting quite so rigid. However what she was not admitting was that she was looking forward to get to see more of Sol, both as an excuse to hang out and the fact she had a not so low-key crush on the man, yet she squashed any hope of admitting this to him as first and foremost, it was unprofessional and most likely frowned upon, and secondly though she was a grown woman she lacked experience and she was 90% sure he preferred more mature, confident women anyway…. She’d at least had the prudence to not pry into his personal affairs.

Thankfully, it was short lived as Clay changed the subject completely. - Ah, I haven’t quite asked that, but I guess I can talk them into accepting you without having to pay. They keep me in a high spot in that place. - He laughed, though he didn’t look proud about it. After all, all they saw was the “Hero” of the HAT-1 incident, with very little regard to his actual personality, story or anything. The only thing that allowed Sol to spare them was that they were really helpful with him and used to lower the volume of the music or turn off the TVs whenever he came around.