Contrary to belief of seemingly the entire region, there were times Lunick and Solana went on mission assignments without one another. Despite being official designated work partners by the Ranger Union, they were only guaranteed to be together on any team missions/patrols/deployments. Many times, certain assignments only called for one person's worth of aide or assistance.
Tonight had been one such case. While the two of them had been able to catch each other for a shared bite to eat in the Base's commissary after their weekly training upkeep day, Spenser had interrupted by calling in for someone to handle a quick solo mission. And Lunick had simply beaten Solana to the punch.
She nearly scowled at him for having the faster arm up to volunteer, and he only smiled cheekily back at her, well aware of what he was doing. "Sorry, Sol. You'll have 'ta be faster than that next time~!"
Sliding back in the booth seat to avoid the playful smack that was undoubtedly swiped at his arm in payback for his taunt, Lunick headed back out into the frigid night air to deal with the local disturbance. But, as consolation before he'd left, he did promise he would come over to her dorm room as soon as he was home to tell her nosy little self all about it.
That was about an hour ago now.
In the meantime, Solana had taken it upon herself to shower and change out of her uniform, slipping into cozy sleep clothes for the night since she was off duty.
…Which had been her first mistake.
Her second had been in allowing herself to lay down on her bed as she waited in agony to know what she was missing. And really, you'd think that spite alone would be enough to keep her mind buzzing- but it wasn't. Against all her best intentions, whenever Solana's head hit the pillow at night (no matter how early that may be)… It was sleepy time.
And tonight was no exception. She had been so consumed in anticipation for Lunick's personal report back that she'd forgotten to keep her mind preoccupied with anything else keeping her sentient, and had begun to doze off. Just a little.
Upon his return, the navy-haired man rapped the backs of his knuckles on his best friend's dormitory door, wincing at the way the cold night still ate away at his bones with every hit. He knocked in the same unmistakable rhythm he always used: she knew it was him. He knew she knew it was him. Which meant the long, complaining groan of a welcome coming from the other side of the door was alllll his.
The quiet unlatching of the door clicked in Lunick's ears, and he very gently pushed the door open, pretty well aware of just what it was he was walking into. He smiled and stared down at his greeter who'd let him in- her tiny Plusle, the only Pokémon in the world he adored even remotely close to as much as his own. The little mouse's body weight had been just barely enough to jump on the door's handle to unlatch it; it was a move he had most definitely learned from Minun after the many, many mornings where this exact scenario played out, only with the roles reversed.
"Oh, we've got an 8:30 bedtime now, huh?" Lunick didn't even try to fight the grin of amusement off his face as he shut the door again behind himself, huffing out a shallow and caught breath at how nice and warm it was in here compared to where he had been. His taunt was merely met with an even whinier groan from his partner in (stopping) crime, who downright pathetically reached her arm out toward him and made a grasping gesture for him to shut up and come closer.
This vulnerable, almost childlike and innocently endearing behavior from her was one he knew he was the only recipient of, and the fact made him press his lips together in a small, flushed smile. She would never, ever let anyone else see her like this- her pride was simply too strong to even so much as think about doing so. It was only for Lunick which she let those walls down.
"… C'mere," Solana finally actually spoke, and peeked her crimson eyes open and up at him from where she lay.
Lunick immediately kicked off his shoes at the door and began slipping off his gloves in obedience, tossing them haphazardly onto her desk. "Be careful what you wish for," he warned, stealing a mischievous glance over at her temptingly warm blankets. He shed off his jacket in one fluid motion and let it just fall to the floor, already feeling better without all of the outerwear on. "I'm practically an ice type right now, what with how cold it was out there."
Solana waved his threats off, her nose scrunched in disdain. The impatient noise she made in response sounded downright adorably helpless, and well, Lunick wasn't one to tell her twice.
"Don't say I didn't warn ya," he parried with a cheeky smile, crossing the room and gingerly accepting the offer to wedge himself under the blankets with her. The bed wasn't really intended to hold two people in it, but hey: it hadn't stopped them from watching movies in it together before, and Lunick certainly wasn't passing up on the shared body heat now.
Things got cuddly quick in the close quarters, and Solana recoiled with a loud scoff right in his face. "You're cold!" She informed him with indignance, as if he hadn't been trying to convey that very fact to her for the past few minutes now.
He couldn't resist from snickering at the dramatics, devilishly feeling it ignite a flame of mischief within him. He always did love to rile her up, and whenever he saw an opportunity to get a big reaction, he simply couldn't pass it up.
"Yes, Sol. And if you think my arm's cold, wait until you feel my hands-" Trapping her in an embrace, Lunick slipped his hands just under the bottom hemline of the sleep shirt she was wearing, pressing his fingertips to the delectably warm skin on the small of her back.
And she nearly screamed.
Solana's back arched further curved than she'd ever done before, in attempt to recoil away from the practically burning cold. But the retreat only pressed herself further into Lunick's arms, successfully falling victim to his snare. "…Lunick!" She practically gasped the name moreso than saying it, and even though their faces were too close for its full effect, the glare she was shooting at him seared his soul all the same. Needless to say, she'd woken up quick. "NOO!"
The teal-haired girl squirmed in his grip, a fit of giggles she most certainly didn't mean to let on falling out from her lips, followed contagiously by one from his. "Oh, but you're so warm, Solana!" He goaded on, keeping his firm hold and pulling her flush and close for him to cuddle into.
Surrendering to her fate, Solana pulled out her last resort: pouting. He may have won this round, but that didn't mean she couldn't be a sore loser about it. Letting out a loud huff, she scooted to get more comfortable in his arms and buried her face in the crook between his jaw and his collarbone, whining all the while. He was honored with the same treatment he'd been giving her, too- her deft, calloused fingers pried under the Ringtown Uniform undershirt he wore, creeping up his spine until she pressed her palms flat against him. And whereas his had been placement of stinging taunts, hers were clearly instead a means to keep herself clung close to him, a much more affectionate manner. And it was more than welcome; her skin felt warm, gentle, and electric all at the same time as it pressed against his.
Removing one of his hands from her back, Lunick moved it up to hold the back of her head endearingly instead, a quite-pleased-with-himself grin on his face. "One of the ladies in the northernmost houses' Skitty had run off into Lyra Forest," he spoke softly, figuring that after making her suffer through the whole ordeal of his entrapment, the least he owed her was satiating her curiosity. "Two wild Hoothoot weren't very fond of it when I finally found the little thing. But it was nothing exciting you missed." Running his thumb over the nape of her neck affectionately, he continued, "it ended up being a good thing Spense deployed me when he did, though. They were aboutta start scratchin'."
He pressed the side of his nose against her head, taking her quiet "hmph" into his chest as satisfaction in his report back. It was a dangerous game to play- at any moment, Solana could drop fast asleep all entangled up in him. But for some reason, that wasn't really motivation for him to move.
More and more lately, they'd found themselves stealing away moments like this. Their partnership was one thing entirely when on duty or around others, but behind closed doors, or by themselves… boundaries had sometimes begun to blur. The line between what was friends and what was something more than friends was as thin as a tightrope, and in times like this, times when they were all alone… sometimes they tended to topple over that other edge.
Taking one last good squeeze, Lunick let himself relax, his body all but collapsing down against her pillow as he exhaled and allowed his eyes to fall shut, too. He wouldn't spend the night- lest all the colleagues they lived with see and judge- but a quiet little rest before heading back to his own bed surely wouldn't hurt. "Thanks for helping warm me back up, Sunshine," he whispered, not even sure if she was awake to hear it, but it was genuine nonetheless. He cherished their closeness like this; he would never feel so comfortable to be like this with anyone else. It was something entirely unique to her, and it was wonderful.
Evidently, she did hear, because she shuffled a little in his arms and dug her nose deeper into the side of his neck in response.
"…You're gonna get me up extra early tomorrow as payback for that, aren't you?"
And he could feel the way her lips curled in a deviant smile against his chest. That was all the confirmation he needed.