#Iggy I think he's tired of you being a brat

[secret-engima]

Okay but how does Regis' dinner with his Demon King not-so go???? U can't just LEAVE that there, do Chocobros 1.0 get an explanation? Does tiny!Cor attack Noct and get gently put down by the the Dark Retinue and just, instantly idolize these SERIOUSLY OP but also v tired warriors?

XDD Well technically I COULD but I won’t. FICLET TIME.

The Chocobros 1.0 do NOT get an explanation (not a full one anyway) because nobody is up to explain the whole “your kids from another dimension that died and woke up here and accidentally usurped a kingdom with the crash landing”.

Instead, after the Night King blandly warns that any attacks on his person will end badly, so please don’t, and please don’t attack the servants either they’re just doing their jobs, he waves a hand and the daemons release Regis and Co. Very slowly, warily, they stand up and rub feeling back into their limbs. Their weapons were taken away, and in this AU while Regis and co have Elemancy and other fancy magic, they DON’T have Armiger (it’s a lost art in this world, so Regis would have to be taught how to access it) so they can’t just yank more out of thin air as they assess their situation (heart of enemy territory, at the feet of the Immortal Accursed who is acting surprisingly nice but has been terrorizing their kingdom off and on for literal centuries). Regis opens his mouth to maybe cautiously ask a question when Cor shakes out the last kinks in his back-.

Then dives for the Night King with bare hands sparking with lightning.

Regis doesn’t get time to tell Cor to stop and the Accursed doesn’t even blink or startle. He doesn’t even move because he doesn’t have to.

The board-shouldered man with Amicitia gold eyes and two scars on his face stops Cor in his tracks. Regis isn’t even sure where the man came from, he moved so fast. He was just there, casually deflecting Cor’s attack without flinching from the lightning, then catching Cor’s follow-up attack with an almost lazy gesture.

Cor winds up winded on the floor at the man’s feet. The man in question rumbles a laugh while letting a frantic Weskham and cursing Cid drag Cor back into their group by his ankles, “Nice try kid, but you’re about three decades too early to pull that off.”

“I’m sorry for him,” Regis manages past the vice in his throat, because Regis can see the Night King watching Cor with a contemplative expression he can’t understand (why is the Accursed looking at Cor like that, with an expression that could ALMOST be called fond-), “He’s young.”

“I remember,” the Accursed says, but does not elaborate on what he remembers (being that young? Others who were like Cor? Information his spies brought him on Cor?) The king shakes his head and looks over at the shadows, “Prompto.”

Yet another human slides out of the shadows, this one as clearly of Niflheim descent as the grinning bear of a man is of Amicitia blood (and Regis can feel Clarus trembling at that, is trying not to think of it himself, because that paired with the Night King’s black hair and blue-blue eyes....). The newcomer smiles like the sun, a shockingly genuine expression in a place like this, “Lemme guess, guest duty?”

The Night King’s expression shifts from mild and unreadable for the first time, a delicate half-smile sliding onto his face that makes him seem unnervingly ... human, “Iggy should be finished soon, just ... escort them to the dining room. Maybe a tour.”

The blond man (Prompto? Is that his name?) laughs, calm and easy, and gestures for Regis and his Retinue to follow him, “Sure thing, Your Majesty. Come on intruder-guests, His Royal Highness needs to finish business in here without gawkers.”

Numb and confused, even Cor meekly follows the man out past the daemons and into the strange, endlessly tall building that served as the Night King’s home (hard to call it a castle with no ramparts or walls, just a tower as large as a small village that reached-reached-reached for the sky, the methods to build it lost centuries ago). The man (Prompto, he introduces himself as) leads them down halls lit by ghostly blue lights where torches should be, past daemons dressed like servants, who bow deeply to their guide as they pass and make no move to attack. Along the way, the man chatters amiably, pointing out meaningless trivia that would do nothing to help should they try to escape but was almost amusing were it not for the circumstances.

At one point, Cor lunges for Prompto’s back before Regis can stop him (Cid curses as the boy worms out of Cid’s grip unexpectedly, he’s getting better at escaping each time they try to stop him from getting into trouble). Cor snatches a decorative but razor sharp knife from a display rack as he goes, diving for Prompto’s back.

The man sidesteps without even looking, easily swipes Cor’s feet out from under him, then sidesteps again when Cor rolls with the fall and comes up swinging. Regis is tempted to try joining in, to try to get AWAY but by the time he’s thought it, the fight is already over and Cor is dazedly staring at Regis from where he’s been pinned against the wall by Prompto, “Dude,” says the member of the Dark King’s court, “rude. Wait until after dinner or something yeah? Pretty sure His Majesty will let you borrow a training room if you want to go a few rounds with me or Gladio.”

Cor twitches against the hold, but doesn’t really dare move because Prompto is holding the knife now and it is dangerously (lazily) close to Cor’s neck, “You’re faster than Gilgamesh,” Cor wheezes angrily, “How are you faster than Gilgamesh?”

Prompto doesn’t even blink at the mention of the ancient Swordmaster’s name, just lets Cor go with a shove that propels him into Clarus’s arms, “Please. Gilga-brat,” Clarus choked on his spit at the nickname, “has got nothing on Iggy when it comes to speed. Not even close. Assuming you stay for a day or two, ask your king if you can spar with Gladio a few rounds or something”

“Assuming we survive the night?” Weskham asks dryly.

Prompto blinks at him as if surprised, then grins, the expression sharp with something Regis can’t place (it almost seems like grief, but that can’t be).

They arrive in the dining room to find another human, a man with horrible scars mostly hidden beneath strange glasses that have to be too dark to see through and oddly stretched to wrap around the front of his face rather than being small, round little lenses like Regis is used to. The man is expertly directing a positive mob of Tonberry and Arachne, pointing out where to put the plates and where to adjust something all without so much as turning his head in the direction of the people he’s instructing. Regis wonders with a prickling chill if he has some kind of power given to him by the Night King. Surely all of the human inhabitants have SOME reason for staying in this place, either curses, thrall marks, or the promise of unnatural magic. Regis glimpses the woman from before, but she disappears through a different door before he can really look at her.

The blind man tips his head in their direction, “Ah, our guests. Your Highness, you sit in that chair if you will,” he gestures to the plush seat opposite the one clearly meant for the Night King and Regis falters at the implied equality between him and the Accursed, but the man is already directing the others to their seats and all they can do is tentatively creep past the bustling Tonberry and sit as food more fitting for an Altissian Royal Banquet than a castle of evil is laid out before them. He knows he should be wary, but after weeks of travel on only rations and campfire cooking, the sight and smell makes his mouth water.

Moments after they are seated, the Night King sweeps in, his Amicitia on his heels. The woman reappears alongside a boy who must be Cor’s age (physically anyway) and they seat themselves. Regis notices that the arrangement is a mirror of his own Retinue.

The prickling feeling increases.

They eat only because Regis is terrified of pushing the Accursed into acting like- well- the Accursed, even though he’s half afraid he’s eating people or something with every bite (it tastes amazing though, like fine dishes and rare spices, not like daemon food at all so maybe he’s okay?). Over dinner, the Accursed makes very light, easy conversation, never asking why they tried to break into his kingdom or mentioning the fact that they were- you know- mortal enemies. Regis doesn’t understand what the trick is and that scares him.

Finally Clarus breaks. He does not slam the table, he is more controlled than that, but he puts his utensils down and clears his throat, “May I be permitted to ask a question, Your Majesty?”

The Night King looks up and there is surprise in his eyes for just a moment, “Speak freely,” he answers dryly after a moment, “you’re hardly going to say anything I have not heard before.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Weskham shoots Clarus a sharp look and Regis pinches the bridge of his nose. The Night King tilts his head like he doesn’t understand, “Clarify.”

“Why are you entertaining us as honored guests? We are all members of your sworn enemies, of Lucis that you have spent centuries trying to destroy. Why show us courtesy? Why have the attacks on Lucis stopped to begin with?”

The Night King sits back and looks ... so genuinely flummoxed Regis almost finds himself believing it. The Accursed looks at his Dark Retinue, who all openly shrug save Ignis, who adjusts his strange glasses without comment. The Accursed frowns, then calls to the rafters, “Sheria?”

An Arachne, so old she’s massive, easily descends from the rafters (Cor’s breathing goes pointedly measured, he never could stand arachnids of any kind). The Arachne leans down and murmurs something into the Night King’s ear that the Dark Retinue can apparently hear because now all of them are blinking. The Accursed nods slowly and dismisses the giant daemon, then rubs his forehead, “Lovely. Just great. Why did no one tell me this when I took the Astral-cursed job-.”

The blind man’s lips twitch, “Noct,” he murmurs softly and there is an entire conversation in that one word. The Night King throws his head back and groans like a teenager, sits up straight and shatters Regis’s world with a casual, “Yea I didn’t do any of that stuff. I’ve only been King for ... I think a year now? About a year. Still catching up on all the paperwork and stuff.” He pauses, “The raids on your kingdom DID stop right? I ordered all raids be put on hold indefinitely on my first day.”

Regis is pretty sure he’s not breathing anymore, “You ... have only been ... for a year?” He manages a strangled gasp, squeaks out, “Then you aren’t the Accursed?”

The man waves a hand impatiently, as if the title was an annoying fly, “Formal title. Blame my uncle, he was always a drama queen.”

“...Uncle?”

The Dark Retinue is definitely snickering now as the Night King (?) props his chin on a hand and says, “Yeah, my Uncle. The original Accursed. I finally killed him a year ago, which makes me the new Night King.”

Cid runs a hand through his hair, “Ah thought the Accursed was immortal.”

“Yes, he was. Only one of his blood could kill him, everything else just bounced off. We fought, I won, so he died. That’s ... how it works. Next question.”

Cor speaks up next, because Regis is still trying to get his world to stop shattering, “So you ... aren’t going to kill us?”

A fractured expression and the deceptively human, amiable mien cracks to show ancient, terrible, grieving anger. In that moment the man before him seems centuries old, not somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties and Regis can BELIEVE that the man (men, and woman, because the others have similar expressions if not so deep and ancient) is an Immortal. Has seen things too old for Regis to comprehend.

“No,” the man answers and his voice cracks with emotion as he looks away, “No, I’m not going to kill you. I don’t want to kill anyone. I did my killing. I don’t want to do anymore.” And there is ... something so very fragile in those words, so very broken and tired and Regis suddenly realizes that ... this was the first Accursed’s nephew, family, he had assumed this man killed the other out of desire for the throne but what if...

What if it have been a desperate desire to make the death and madness stop?

“Is there something we can call you,” Regis hears himself saying, his heart going out against his will to this dangerous, strange immortal, “other than your titles? Is there a name you prefer?”

The looks the Dark Retinue send him are approving and surprised, and the tight line in the Night King’s shoulders unwind, “...Noctis. Please, call me Noctis.”

#SE asks #alyss-spazz-penedo asks #Demon in the Dark verse #Secret Engima Rambles #Melodies and Manuscripts #poor noctis #telling the truth #while everyone immediately comes to the wrong conclusion #*cackles*

[rocket-remmy]

A New Perspective || Luce and Remmy

TIMING: A little after Luce got back in town PARTIES: @divineluce and @whatsin-yourhead SUMMARY: Luce is back in town and Remmy needs to see her with their own two eyes. CONTENT: Food poisoning mention, Domestic abuse mention

“If you bite me, I’ll stick you in the closet with the hamster.” Luce warned Rhiannon, as she played with the large grey cat that batted at the toy she dangled over the cat’s fuzzy head. For once, the cat seemed to listen to her, which earned her a scratch under the chin. Glancing over at the clock, Luce saw that it was nearing midnight and let out a sigh. As soon as she stopped petting the cat, she felt claws press into her leg, just at the edge of her shorts. “Jerk.” She said to Rhiannon before making her way out of her room. Being back here, after she’d been gone for so long, it felt like she was walking on eggshells. She’d left her sisters. She’d left the people who cared about her, just because she couldn’t deal. And yeah. It was the right decision, she still believed that. But, it fucking sucked that no one else could seem to get that. When the knock came at the door, Luce opened it, tilting her head inside. “Hey.” She said, not looking directly at them. She really didn’t want to fucking see the judgement in their face, not right off the bat.

Luce had been gone for over a month and Remmy really should have been angrier with her-- but all they felt was relieved. They’d missed her, god they’d missed her, and their skin was vibrating as they raced down the road towards the Vural house. They wanted to know where she’d been and they wanted to know what made her come back. They wanted...a lot of things, but they also wanted to make sure Luce understood they weren’t there to force her to do anything. She needed to decide this on her own. Either way, whatever happened here, it was going to be easier than what they’d been dealing with here. Lydia and Deirdre and Morgan and...all the people who had hurt them, lately. All the people who had decided their commitment to non-violence was too much for them. For a moment, their heart hitched and they slowed. They could feel their heart pounding, the ghost of it at least, from when they were “alive” in their costume. Took a moment to regather themself before they made it up to the door and knocked. “Hey--”  they started, but Luce was already walking away. Remmy scrunched their face, but stepped inside, closing the door. Remmy reached out to grab her hand, stop her from walking too far away. “I’m glad to see you,” they said, “thanks for letting me come over.”

Luce didn’t really want to linger in the hallway-- she didn’t want to get in Nell’s way, or Bea’s for that matter. She’d put the two of them through enough shit. She didn’t really want to deal with them running into Remmy and have to handle multiple people who were pissed at her for disappearing from town at the same time. But, as she made her way down the hallway, heading back towards her room, Luce felt Remmy’s hand reach out for her. She felt the comforting cold of their skin against her own. Still not looking at them, she shrugged. “Yeah. For sure.” She said before looking down the hallway again. “Can we get back to my room? I don’t really want to run into Nell or Bea out here.” She said, shifting slightly so her hand tugged theirs. It wasn’t enough to free herself from their grip, but just enough to pull against them.

Remmy could feel the resistance in Luce’s steps, in the way she tugged on their hand. They sighed and nodded, but found that she wasn’t even looking at them. Was she afraid to? Did she really want them here? “Yeah, sorry, of course,” they agreed and followed after her. Admittedly, they also didn’t want to run into Nell or Bea here, they knew it would be strange and awkward, and they didn’t want to deal with that, either. They wanted to talk to Luce. When they made it to her room, they waited for her to open the door before stepping in, closing it quietly behind them. They looked at her with the same soft expression they had when she’d opened the door, which they now realized she hadn’t even seen at first. “Better?” they asked once they were alone.

Nodding, Luce led Remmy back to her room. With every step she took, there was a strange sensation in her stomach-- dread? Fear? No, it wasn’t either of those, not exactly. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, but she knew that prolonging this wouldn’t make it any easier. When they entered the room, Rhiannon’s eyes flicked open from where she was sleeping on the bed, but didn’t move otherwise. Luce leaned against her desk, resting a hand next to Iggy’s terrarium, her familiar’s back the color of smoldering embers as he slept. “Yeah. Things have been… tense, since I got back. Which, no shit they have been, it’s just a lot right now. I didn’t want you to get caught in the middle.” She said before looking at Remmy for the first time. And, for a moment, she was startled. Their face-- well, their eye. Their eyes. “Oh.” She said, confused. “That’s new.” She said, gesturing to their left eye. They looked so different without the eyepatch she’d come to associate with their face. Younger. Softer, in a way. 

“How sweet,” Remmy said, with only a bit of sarcasm. They weren’t here to judge Luce, though, or to make things more complicated for her. They just wanted to know that she was okay. Physically, at least. Finally, she turned to look at them and Remmy watched the confusion wash through her face. For a moment, they weren’t sure what it was about, but then she cleared things up and Remmy reached up to touch the corner of their eye. “Oh, yeah,” they said, shrugging, “it’s glass. I got it a few weeks ago. My old one had shattered well--” they rubbed their head, “--a long time ago.” When Morgan had died. When they’d been crushed by a car and watched her bleed out in front of them. They cleared their throat. “I can take it out if it’s too weird,” they teased, giving her a little grin. “I’ve still got the eye patch.”

Shooting an annoyed look at them from the corner of her eye, Luce resisted the urge to sigh. But, she really didn’t have much of a leg to stand on when it came to getting annoyed with people, did she? So, instead, she studied their face. It was still strange. Had she ever seen them without the patch? “Glass. That tracks.” She said, tilting her head as she continued to stare at them. Raising an eyebrow, Luce held up a hand, nose wrinkling at the thought of them taking the glass eye out of their skull. “Yeah, don’t do that. It’s not weird, just different.” She said. For a minute, she stood there awkwardly. A first. She didn’t do awkward. But, she really didn’t know what Remmy wanted, why they’d wanted to see her. Was it because they were pissed off at her, because they wanted to yell at her in person? Or was it something else? She didn’t fucking know. “Congrats on the eye, though. It suits you.”

Remmy frowned a little. They figured Luce was going to be resistant, she always was, but they didn’t know if they expected this dejection from her so early on. Did she think they were going to yell at her? They’d already yelled at her, there wasn’t much else to say, really. “Yeah, thanks,” they said, moving around awkwardly. “So, how was it?” they asked, then, looking back and forth, then over to Luce. “Wherever you went. Um--” their eyes fell to the cat on the bed and they shuffled by Luce over to her, kneeling in front of the bed. Held their hand out to let her sniff, which she did gently, before going back to sleep. Remmy scratched her head and glanced back over at Luce. “Who’s the cat?”

There had been moments of tension between her and Remmy before. Anger, frustration, irritation, fear. But as they stood here in her room, the distance very apparent between them, Luce couldn’t put her finger on the particular kind of silence. Blinking, she nodded. “Boston. I have a friend who has a shop down there, spent some time working with him.” She said. “It’s a cool city. Worth the trip down, at the very least.” She drummed her fingers against the side of her desk and watched as they reached out to Rhiannon. The cat regarded them with mild disinterest before curling up again. At their question, Luce shrugged. “Rhiannon. She’s not mine, I’m watching her for--” Not a friend. No, Nadia wasn’t exactly a friend. “Nadia. She wanted to make sure that she was safe and I volunteered.”

“Boston, huh?” Remmy answered, lifting themself up enough to sit on the bed next to the slumbering cat. They regarded Luce with concerned eyes, but tried not to let their look get too intense. They knew she hated that. “I was stationed in Boston before they sent me overseas. I always liked that city.” Remmy reached out to pet the cat again, smoothing the fur on the top of her head down with thought. “Nadia’s cat?” they blinked. “Oh.” Nadia wasn’t what Remmy had come here to talk about, but they knew Luce was worried about her. They wondered if she had tried to contact her. “That was nice of you,” they answered finally, “to volunteer.” Glanced sideways at her. “Can I ask how you are?” 

“Yeah, I know.” Luce said, the words coming out before she realized she’d said them. She remembered them talking about it, how they’d been there when they’d first joined up and were in EOD classes with the military. Why the fuck did she remember that? Instead of trying to figure out what that meant, Luce watched as Remmy continued to pet Rhiannon. Maybe it was because she was tired and it was late, but the cat was a lot more docile with them then she was with Luce. Brat. “It was the right thing to do.” She said after a moment, thinking back to how she’d seen a flash of Nadia in the mirror that night. How she’d stayed over that night, before she realized what had happened. She’d tried to do the right thing, tried to study up on the runes that could be used to banish a ghost, but it hadn’t mattered. She’d been too scared to try anything and now? She’d never get the chance to. Nadia wasn’t there anymore. At their question, Luce shrugged. “I mean, you can do whatever you want.” She replied.

Something seemed to be bothering Luce, or at least preoccupying her mind. Remmy didn’t mind all too much, but they did frown a little, furrowing their brow. Whatever she was going through, whatever had made her run away, it clearly was still happening. “Do you wanna sit?” they asked, shifting on the bed to make room for her beside the cat. “Are you gonna give me an honest answer if I ask that? Cause, like, if not, then there’s no point in asking it, really,” they continued on after a moment, looking from the cat to Luce. They didn’t know what to do with their hands anymore, aside from pet the cat. They sighed. “If it makes you feel better, I’m not here to yell at you, Luce. I just genuinely wanted to see for myself that it was actually you and that you were actually, I dunno...okay. Alive.” They looked at her with a sad smile. “I just missed you.”

Luce didn’t really want to sit. As confusing as the distance between them was, distance was something she was used to. Sitting next to them would be closing that gap, at least in a physical kind of way, and what was meant to happen after that? But, she was too tired to think of an excuse out of it, so she sat next to Remmy. Rhiannon let out a sleepy mewl before butting her head against Luce’s thigh. She liked the witch’s warmth, something that her owner had also seemed to like. Something that Remmy had liked too. Leaning back on her arms, Luce nodded. “I’m alive. And as far as how I am,” She paused, letting out a breath. She was tired. Pissed, but she wasn’t allowed to be pissed off, was she? Everyone else got to be angry at her, for leaving, but she couldn’t be angry at them for thinking that she could just keep going when things kept changing around her, when it felt like the world was on the verge of coming crashing down every day. “Well. I’m alive.” She offered a tight lipped smile, more grimace than grin. At their words, she wanted to say that they shouldn’t miss her. But, the words caught in the back of her throat. Luce chose instead, to ignore the words. “What about you? How are you?” What happened to you? was what she wanted to ask, though.

“Alive is…” Remmy started, but they didn’t know what to tack on to the end of it for a moment, “good.” They finally finished but it didn’t quite feel right. Still, they let it lie. Looked over at Luce as she came to finally sit by them, but the awkward uncomfortable distance made them wonder if they shouldn’t have invited her to sit at all. She looked...tired. And anxious and maybe even worried. They supposed there was a lot to be worried about, though, wasn’t there? “Me? Oh, I’m, well--” fine and okay certainly weren’t the right words, but they weren’t sure Luce wanted to know how they actually were-- “working through some things, I guess. Complicated things.” Well, maybe not complicated, but certainly not easy to explain. If they even could. Their tongue still caught whenever they tried to talk about Lydia or think about her. It always reminded them how much they actually missed her and then the pain would start all over again. “I learned some not so fun things about people I trusted and sort of decided...I can’t trust them anymore. So that’s uh...fun.”

Idly pressing her fingers against the tattooed skin of her leg, Luce traced over one of the images above her knee, moth that Rory had done a few years ago. She ran her finger tip over the wing before focusing on them. “Working on things.” Luce echoed, eyebrows bridging together but she let them finish their words. “What happened?” She asked, voicing the question she’d wanted to ask them when they’d first messaged her since she’d gotten back. “You don’t need to tell me everything, but… what happened to you?” She wanted to reach out to touch their face, to look at them and try to see just what was going on in that head of theirs, but she held back. She didn’t know if she was part of that group, of people who’d lost Remmy’s trust. 

“A lot happened,” Remmy grumbled, unsure where to start. “Like....the uh, the person I’ve been staying with for a while, I sort of found out something...shitty about her. Something I couldn’t get along with.” They found that they wanted to tell Luce-- that somehow Luce was one of the only people they wanted to tell about this-- but they just couldn’t. Whatever loyalty Lydia had built in them, they couldn’t bring themself to out her. They just couldn’t. Their love for the woman, no matter how tainted, remained intact. “I’m fighting with Morgan because of it, too. It’s just...a lot at once, I guess,” they mumbled. “I moved back into the haunted mansion, too. But-- oh, you’ve never seen it. You should come by sometime. It’s nice and quiet. Erm-- at least for people who can’t see ghosts. Do you mind ghosts?” They were rambling now, and they knew they were rambling, but they couldn’t help it. “Um...they’re all nice, though. They mind themselves, really.”

“Do I know her?” Luce asked, partially out of curiosity but mostly out of concern. What could this woman have done to lose Remmy’s trust like that? What could have changed them so much? They weren’t the same person that Luce had left behind a month ago. And, Luce wondered, what could she have done that would have caused a fight with Morgan? Luce didn’t particularly like the other woman, didn’t want to like her. But, she knew that Morgan mattered a lot to Remmy, for a whole host of reasons and vice versa as well. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like a lot to go through.” She nodded. “Are you-- Is there something I can do that would… help?” Luce asked, the words tentative. She didn’t know what she could do or what they’d accept. But, seeing the way they sat there, so crestfallen, so unsure? She just wanted… to make up for what she’d done. “The haunted mansion, huh?” Luce raised her eyebrows at the mention of ghosts, expression turning grim for a moment. Looking at Rhiannon, she rubbed the cat’s head for a moment. “No, I don’t like ghosts. But,” She glanced up at them, “I could make an exception.”

“I don’t know if you do,” Remmy admitted. They really didn’t know that much about Lydia’s actual life, when they thought about it, but digging into her personal life via the internet almost seemed intrusive. Not that she deserved that dignity, it just didn’t feel like a line Remmy wanted to cross. Still...they had to wonder, how many people had come before Chloe? If Lydia was older, in her 60’s she had mentioned to them once, then there had to have been more before her. The thought soured Remmy’s stomach and they bit the inside of their lip. “No, I’m-- well, not fine, I guess, but I can handle it. It was my choice after all, to walk away. I should live with it,” they answered finally, determined to not let it show how much everything really was affecting them. They let out a long sigh and flopped back on Luce’s bed, rubbing their palms against their forehead. “Everything’s just gonna suck for a bit, but, like, at least it doesn’t suck in a ‘I almost died or get ripped in half or poisoned by a friend’ kind of way, right?” Peeked at Luce from behind their fingers. “Oh, uh, yeah. My friend Nora named it that, she’s kinda like...really into Goth stuff. She owns the place. Erm-- she bought it. It’s a huge house, got like twelve bedrooms, and all those strange, fancy rooms old houses have. Like a foyer? And a conservatory? What even are those for?” Smiled wearily at her. “Wow? Just for me? Careful, Luce, I might think you care,” they teased.

“If she’s out of your life now, that’s really all you can do, right?” Luce asked. Whatever this woman had done couldn’t have been good. But, she wasn’t going to push. Remmy didn’t need to tell her shit, she didn’t need to know and, fuck, she really didn’t deserve to know. So, she sat and listened as they talked. It sucked, seeing them like this, hurting in a way that they couldn’t just heal from. She watched as they lay back on her bed, rubbing their head with their hands. “That’s one way of looking at it.” She said, though neither situation was “better” than the other by any stretch of the imagination. Christ. Even before she’d left, they’d been fucking through it and then all of this? Leaning back so she was propped up on her arms, Luce grinned, “Sounds like you’re living large. Ghosts and all.” But, at their joke, her smile faded and she shifted her gaze. She did care. She cared about them more than she wanted to admit. Why couldn’t she just say it, act like it? Because Remmy deserved better? She’d hidden behind that excuse before, but it was truer than ever right now. Shifting, she shrugged. “Fooled you, huh?”

Remmy frowned, furrowing their brow. They looked at Luce so often, but somehow seeing her here, in this quiet peace of her bedroom, she looked sadder than normal. Remmy looked away. They didn’t know where their heart landed with Luce anymore. They liked her, a lot, and if she’d ever give them a chance, they’d say yes-- but they weren’t sure it was ever going to happen. And...maybe that was okay. Maybe it was okay to just be this way. Still, they longed to reach out and touch her, feel her. Kiss her. Swallowing, they looked back up at the ceiling. “You can’t fool me,” they mumbled after a minute, “not anymore.” 

Glancing down at Remmy, Luce caught them staring at her, watching her. They’d done that before, looked at her many, many times before. But, there was something different about the way that they looked at her. Instead of the defiant frustration that she’d seen on their face when they’d had similar conversations, all she saw was… defeat. And, she should be satisfied with that. She should be glad that she put that mistake to rest. But. “Fuck.” Luce swore under her breath. What did they do to you? What did I do to you, she wondered, but didn’t say the words. 

Instead she said, “You’re right. But, not entirely right. I don’t think I ever fooled you.” Luce reached out to touch them, gently cupping their face with her hand. She wanted to hold them, to kiss them, to feel the cool relief of their skin against hers. She shouldn’t. She should. She wasn’t enough. But they wanted her, they’d wanted her once, so maybe that meant she was enough. She didn’t know how to care about someone. But maybe she could. “Can I? Care about you?” She wasn’t just asking permission; could she even do that? Did they think she could?

The touch came as a surprise. While Luce often initiated their more sexual moments, the intimate moments were few and far between, and it was usually Remmy acting on them. They looked up into her eyes, still splayed on the bed, and blinked, confused for a moment. “What do you mean, can you?” they asked, then scrunched their brow. “Of course you can, Luce, that’s never been up for debate.” Lifted their hands to cover the ones on their face, dropping them down to hold Luce’s wrists loosely. “It was just about whether or not you would let yourself. I fought you for so long on that, all I ever wanted was for you to admit you could care,” they mumbled, eyes tearing up a little, “it didn’t even have to be for me. Although, that woulda been a nice bonus.”

The familiar, comforting coolness of their skin was something Luce hadn’t even realized she’d missed until the moment they held her hands. “You’ve got a lot more faith in me than I did. Do.” She said, still not sure if they were right. She didn’t know how to be there for people, not in any real kind of way. She ran away from her problems, she left the people who mattered behind, she’d always done that. She was still running. And, though she’d vowed to be different on her birthday, the fear of what the prospect of changing had overwhelmed her. She’d done the exact same thing she’d always did. And it had hurt everyone that mattered-- her sisters. Remmy. Ulf. Fuck, even Nadia wasn’t in her body any more. If she had stayed, could she have helped them? Could she have defended her sisters against the threats to the coven and all the spellcasters in White Crest? Could she have helped Remmy with their falling out, been there for them? Could she have stopped Nadia from losing her body? She’d never know. Because she’d been too busy running. And she had to stop. She had to. “I care.” Luce swallowed before continuing, “I care about you. And I want to be here to prove that. If you want me here.”

Luce was silent for a long time, but Remmy knew to give her the space she needed to work through her thoughts, her feelings. They could see it in her eyes, watching the cogs turn behind the dark hues. The relief that flooded through Remmy was one that felt nearly overwhelming. How long had they been waiting to hear those words? It felt like years. They felt like maybe they’d been waiting for a moment like this their entire life. For someone to finally pick them, choose them. Want to be with them. Want them. After all the shit, after all the pain, Luce finally said it. Remmy couldn’t help the smile that grew on their face. They reached up, then, and met Luce’s face halfway, pressing their lips together. Kissed her with a vigor they had been holding back for ages, smiling against her. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say those words,” they chuckled after a moment. Finally, finally, something good in their life.

Their smile eased some of the tension in Luce’s shoulders. They wanted her. They still wanted her, even after everything she’d done. They deserved better than the way she’d treated them, they did. But in this moment, a warming radiating sense of happiness filled her. It was a foreign feeling, one she wasn’t used to experiencing when it came to other people. The charged energy of the kiss brought her back to the present, pulling her back to Remmy. She could feel the way they smiled, feel how their lips curled against her own. Drawing back, she rested her forehead against theirs, suddenly breathless. “I’m-- Sorry. I just, I don’t know, how to do this. But I want to.” For you.

“You know,” Remmy said, looking up into Luce’s eyes, “it’s really not that hard. But...I don’t mind having to teach you.” After all, they’d gone so long in life without being able to freely choose someone. Simply always going along with what other people told them was right, what they should do. Maybe they’d held on so long for Luce because she was their choice, she was the one their heart picked, and letting that go felt too painful. Or maybe it was just that Remmy really never gave up on people. Or, they didn’t want to, at least. There were circumstances, obviously, lines that needed to be drawn. But here, now, they weren’t important in this moment. Just they were. Just Luce was. “Rule number one, though-- don’t run off without telling someone,” they tacked on with a crooked smile, “okay? Leave like...a sticky note or something. Anything.”

#chatzy #chatzy: luce #wickedswriting #a new perspective #luce #actual soft??? in MY rp???

[bgn846]

FFXV Fic -- Consequences

Relationship: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia

Characters: Gladiolus Amicitia, Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum, Noctis Lucis Caelum

Summary: Noct finds that the only way for him to deal with the fall of Insomnia is to thrust everyone into never ending fights. Fighting for survival means you don't have to think about other things but it also has consequences.

AO3 Link if you want instead.

Noct almost missed the slight wobble Prompto had to his step as the four of them searched for a patch of grass to rest.   The blonde was walking behind Gladio and was uncharacteristically quiet as they sat down to catch their breath.  He’d gracelessly collapsed once they’d stopped walking and laid down closing his eyes.   His breathing was labored and Prompto’s normally fluffy hair was stuck to his sweat soaked forehead.

One solid week of fighting monsters and daemons was partially to blame for this development.  The fall of Insomnia had been unexpected and mentally draining for Noct.  His friends had been working hard to try and make him feel better but it wasn’t working.  The only time he felt able to clear his mind was in the throes of battle.  There was nothing to think about but survival and it simplified things for his stress addled brain.

The usual complaints abounded but nothing seriously bad had happened yet.  Maybe Noct could keep fighting and things would work out.  More fights meant more bounty money for potions and so the cycle was complete.   Sure camping was a bitch every night but hotels cost money and usually resulted in them having to talk about things.  Noct desperately wanted to avoid that at all costs.  

“Tomorrow morning we can ride into town and collect bounty on that thing we just fought and pick up some more hunts.” Noct stated.

“As you wish highness.” Ignis replied but his voice sounded slightly pained.

Noct disregarded his equally concerned expression.  “How much farther till we reach the haven?”  He asked hoping to distract Ignis from questioning his choice.

“A mile perhaps.”

“Great, let’s go then.” Noct announced.  However, when he turned to talk to Prompto he was still laying on the ground.  “Come on buddy we gotta get up.”  The blonde didn’t stir at all.  It took a moment for Noct’s brain to catch up with what he was seeing.  His best friend was completely unresponsive, had he been wounded in the battle and they’d all missed it? Without thinking he quickly reached out a hand to shake Prompto.

Gladio’s hand was wrapped around his wrist in a flash.  “Don’t, let him rest for a minute.”

“What if he’s hurt?” Noct asked with concern.

“He’s passed out princess, he’s tired let him have a few minutes.”

“How can you be sure?”

The shield released Noct’s wrist and leaned over to Prompto.  The prince watched as his shield gently brushed Prompto’s blonde locks to the side of his freckled face.   He mumbled quietly and leaned into the touch.   “See he’s fine, just exhausted.”

Noct chose to ignore this incident, Prompto got tired easily so it only made sense that he needed a break.  He wasn’t trained like the three of them were.  That kind of stamina would take time to earn. 

Two days later as they were trekking through some muddy swamp looking for a bounty Noct realized that the sound of Ignis’ footsteps had stopped.   Gladio was in the lead with Prompto behind him so they didn’t know.   Turning around to see what had piqued his advisors interest he was met with a troubling sight.

Ignis had indeed stopped walking but he wasn’t investigating anything.  The man was kneeling on the muddy path and had his hand out using a tree trunk for support.  Noct approached slowly and took in the scene before him.  His advisor had his eyes clenched shut and his breathing was shallow.  “Specs?” He questioned hoping something wasn’t horribly wrong.

A tired bleary eyed look was his reward for asking.  “Forgive me highness I uh--.”  

Seeing Ignis unable to finish a sentence was unnerving but that was nothing compared to the look that his shield gave him, it was downright scary.   Gladio wasn’t happy that Ignis had nearly passed out on the path without them noticing.

It’d been a long day already and that didn’t count the night drive they’d had to do to reach their current destination.   Chalking it up to Ignis being pushed a little too hard with the extra driving Noct forged ahead and took the lead so he didn’t have to see everyone’s tired faces.

It didn’t stop him from having to listen to Gladio grumble from the back of the line.  He’d stubbornly refused to let anyone else help Ignis.  With the advisors arm slung over Gladio’s shoulder they trudged back to the haven.   Secretly Noct knew that Gladio wanted to literally keep an eye on all of them for fear they’d pass out.

Maybe Ignis knew all along this would happen.   He’d started insisting they setup camp before hunts spouting something about being too tired to do a decent job later.  Perhaps he knew ahead of time that he would have issues today.  That must be it; Noct could pretend he didn’t see his advisor nearly pass out; it must have been part of his master plan.    

Though it was hard to continue not paying attention when Gladio took Ignis straight to the tent and asked Prompto to make cup o noodles for him.  Figuring the advisor would scoff at the offered food and come out to cook them dinner Noct remained firmly planted in his camp chair.  Instead he had the misfortune to witness Prompto come out of the tent with a worried look.

“He can’t even hold the cup without help, should we do something more?” He asked concerned.

Seeing Prompto look so freaked out was not helping.  “Gladio’s got it under control; I don’t think he wants to see me right now anyway.”  Noct huffed.

Nearly two full weeks had passed since they’d seen the inside of a hotel room.  Surprised that none of his friends had gone on strike Noct summoned his blade in anticipation of their next fight.   Gladio was in the lead and seemed to be trying to protect all of them from the daemon materializing out of the ground.

To say they were all a little ripe was an understatement.  Ignis looked average for once, and that was saying a lot.  Poor Prompto had taken to wearing a head band in hopes of taming his crazy hair.  Gladio was the worst of them, with no clean clothes between any of them his were caked in blood and dirt.  His long hair was slicked back and pulled into a tight bun.  The lack of a decent shower had made the sheilds hair flat and greasy.  

Again the fight spared Noct from having to worry about anything other than staying alive.  Admittedly he was exhausted but he had to keep going.  He wasn’t sure he could handle dealing with his fears yet and maybe they could keep going for another week.

However he wasn’t allowed this opportunity as the fight took a nasty turn.  Gladio had been trained to be Noct’s shield for a very long time.  He’d come to terms with what that meant but it still didn’t change the feeling of dread Noct experienced in that moment.

There were too many things to fight against and not enough manpower to do the job.  Gladio was protecting his prince as he should and Noct soon realized that the next blow coming would cause serious injury.

Unable to do anything more than defend himself he watched as a daemon went for Gladio.  What he wasn’t expecting was Prompto.  His best friend had leaped out of nowhere to take the hit instead.  The blonde went down hard and the remaining moments of battle were a blur.  Apparently, seeing the gunner gasping for breath and clutching the deadly gash in his side sent the rest of them into a rage.

The fight was over one minute later.  A phoenix down was administered and Gladio lost his godsdamned mind.  “Noct!  I don’t care what you say but we are staying at a hotel tonight with or without you!” He yelled.  “Whatever thing you have us trying to do is dangerous and I’m done humoring you!” Without another word Gladio scooped Prompto up in his arms and turned to Ignis. “Can you drive?”

Ignis nodded and took off with a slight limp towards the car.  When the hell did his advisor injure his leg!?  Unable to process what really was happening Noct ran after them.

The car ride was maddeningly quiet; Gladio had taken the back seat and was protectively cradling Prompto.   The blonde had passed out just as they gave him the down and he thankfully had stabilized right away.  Still the vision of his listless body bleeding out on the ground had affected Noct in a bad way.

He couldn’t ignore what he was doing anymore.

Prompto could’ve died.

Despite Noct’s current opinion of how the astrals must feel about him they did see fit to put a rather nice hotel in their path.   The silent treatment continued even after they’d checked in and made it up to the room.

Gladio took a deep breath and tuned to face Noct still with Prompto in his arms. “Listen up brat, if I come back out here later and Iggy is making dinner I’m going to do not nice things to you, understand?” He paused for a nano second but started talking again before Noct could answer.   “Also Noct, I do love you and whether you like it or not we have to talk about what the hell is going on with you.  This isn’t healthy.”

Swallowing hard he responded.  “Heard.”  It was all he could muster without losing to the lump in his throat.  The bathroom door closed a second later and the sound of running water filled the void.  

“There is a takeout place across the street.  Do you think that would be acceptable for this evening?” Ignis asked softly.

Managing to nod as he kept his eyes firmly pointed on the floor Noct could feel his world falling apart. The odd shuffle of footsteps caused him to finally look up.  Ignis was making his way to the door for food he guessed.  “Wait! I’m going you should stay off that leg or better yet take a potion for it.”

“I wish to wait until Prompto wakes up before I do that in case he needs it.”

That simple statement was a punch to the gut.  He’d been the cause of that near death experience for his partner.  Ignis may or may not have said something to him as he dashed out the door but he couldn’t bear to be in the room any longer.  

It took nearly fifteen minutes for the food order and Noct was grateful for every minute that passed.  When it was finally ready he had no choice but to return to the room and prepare for the eventual shouting match that was to come.  

Noct realized he was shaking as he opened the door to the room.  Why was this so hard?  He didn’t even really know what he was so afraid of either.  The mood however was not what he expected when he opened the door.  

Prompto was out of the bath and had been placed on one of the beds.  He was still passed out but he was clean and dang did that make such a difference.  His hair was fluffy again and his skin had a pink flush to it from the hot water.  Staring at his partner it took a second to register that Prompto wasn’t wearing any clothing under the blanket.   Figures everything they owned was dirty, there was no sense in putting something on only to get dirty again.

Suddenly the bathroom door opened and Gladio came out carrying Ignis.  They’d somehow managed to find two pairs of clean boxers from somewhere.  Most likely it was Ignis’ doing, he always had a hidden stash of supplies.  This didn’t stop Noct from having a mini panic attack that something else was wrong with his advisor.  His shield seemed to instantly understand his distress and calmly spoke to him as he placed Ignis next to Prompto.   “He’s fine Noct, I gave him a potion for his leg and he fell asleep in the bath, nothing sinister.” He finished.      

“What should I do with the food?” Noct asked solemnly.  Half of his team was asleep at this point.

“Leave it on the counter and I’ll heat it up later.  It’s your turn princess.”  Gladio replied as he placed a hand on Noct’s shoulder and gently pushed him towards the bathroom.

“Wha – I don’t need help it’s okay.” He sputtered when Gladio walked in after him and shut the door.

“I know you don’t, but it’s still nice to have someone take care of you.  Besides it makes me feel useful.”

“I thought you were mad at me.”

“I may be mad but it’s not directed at you per say.  We’ve all been worried about you and how you’ve been holding up since the fall.  You know you can talk to us, right?  We are your partners in this and it hurts to see you so upset.”

Noct opened his mouth to speak but his brain couldn’t form words.  He was upset and he was hurt but Noct didn’t understand how burdening them with his fears and problems would make him feel better.

“I won’t judge you, well any more than I do already, but please let us in.  It hurts to see you like this.” Gladio sighed with a frown.

The next few seconds felt like a dream and unsure of what exactly triggered his reaction Noct started crying.  He felt arms around him hugging tightly despite the fact that he tried to push Gladio away.  “I can’t do this anymore!” He wailed.  “How am I supposed to save everyone when I can’t even take care of my best friends?”

“I know this position of power was thrust upon you without any warning and that is hard for anyone to handle.  We believe in you and we are with you until the end Noct, have faith in us.  We won’t abandon you.”

Noct stayed quite aside from the sounds of his sobs in the small space.  He’d finally relaxed in Gladio’s hold, none of them had been very intimate over the past few weeks.  Being tired and filthy kinda took the fun out of it.  So the warmth from the solid chest his face was currently smashed in felt so good.  “You’d still be by my side even after I treat you all so poorly.” Noct sniffled out.

“Of course princess, we all love you and you’re not treating us poorly you are merely in need of some guidance.”

“Our dads and everyone we knew – Gladio they are gone.  I don’t know how to deal with that.”

“A day at a time.” Gladio offered frankly.  “Talk to one of us when you feel shitty and we will work through it.  Grief sucks but it’s beatable.” He added.

“Um – help.” Noct pleaded.  “I feel shitty right now what do I do?”

Gladio pushed him away to look in his eyes.  “First you get undressed so we can clean your stinky butt and then we check on the others.  This is a multi-step process.”    

“What about after I’m clean? Are you going to make me talk about my feelings?” Noct whined.

“Nah, not unless you want to, I know how much you hate doing that.  I was hoping a nice hot bath, some food and good company might help lift your spirits.”

“But what if I still feel shitty?”

“We talk more.  I’m not gonna lie dealing with fear and grief is difficult, almost paralyzing at times.   I also know that you will make a great king, one that cares for his people and makes a difference in the world.”

“I feel slightly less shitty now.” Noct mumbled with a shy smile. “Think we could get that bath going.”

Noct wasn’t going to lie that bath was the best thing he’d experienced in a long time.  Gladio stayed with him the whole time and washed his hair and cleaned away all the dirt stuck on his pale skin.  Nearly fifteen minutes later he ventured out of the bathroom with his shield to find Ignis and Prompto still asleep.   Wearing nothing but a towel he quickly shuffled over to Prompto’s side of the bed and snuck under the covers.

“Don’t fall asleep just yet princess, we still have to eat.  See if you can wake them up.” Gladio instructed.

Ignis woke up after Noct gently shook his shoulders a few times.  “Hey we need to eat, think you can sit up?”

“Hnnggnn -- Do I need to cook?” He asked groggily rolling over to face Noct.  

“No, no!  Just sit up.  Gladio is getting everything ready.”

Getting Prompto to wake up was harder.  They eventually had to put a plate of food under his nose in order to rouse him.  Ignis had become more alert by that time and was making yummy noises every other bite.  Clearly the man was hungry.  Getting food into the blonde was tricky.  His energy level was still extremely low from the fight earlier so Noct ended up holding him up against his chest while Ignis and Gladio feed him.

“Why did you take that hit?” Noct finally asked when Prompto had finished eating.

“Gladio has more stamina than us he needed to be okay.  I can’t carry him.” Prompto murmured.    

Noct hugged Prompto tight after that admission.  “Sorry buddy, ignoring things didn’t exactly solve any of my problems it just made a shit ton more.”

“It’s okay, I still love you.  Are we allowed to go back to sleep now?” He asked quickly.

“Yes we should all get some rest if we are to make anything of the day tomorrow.” Ignis added.

“I booked the room for three days guys.” Noct blurted.  “I’m sorry I was such a dick, fighting nonstop meant I could ignore my feelings.  I didn’t realize I was causing more damage by doing that I mean  I sorta did but I was trying to ignore it.  I hope you all forgive me.”

“Three days?” Ignis breathed.  “Oh thank the astrals!” He paused and then added. “Noct I will always stand by you no matter what.  Perhaps talk to us next time, that’s easier than nearly dying of exhaustion.”

“Sooo does that mean I get to sleep in tomorrow?” Prompto asked with wide eyes.

“It means we all get to sleep in!  I don’t even understand how we are even still functioning right now.” Noct pondered.

“Good I don’t think I can get up for a few days.” Ignis sighed as he rolled over into Gladio’s arms and immediately fell asleep.  The big guy followed suit and was snoring within minutes.

Prompto had already passed out in Noct’s arms.  Scooting down further into the bed he finally allowed his body to let go.  He could rest knowing that his partners were there to help him when things got rough.  No more having to pretend that he had all the answers.  Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto still loved him despite his troubles.  That meant a lot and he was able to fall asleep without the weight of the world on his shoulders for the first time in a long while.

#ffxv #ao3 #ot4 #yes it's angsty #sometimes that happens

[zelamorre]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia Additional Tags: Coming Out Summary:

Noctis decides that it is about time he seek his father's permission to make his relationship with Ignis official.

Written for @merruschka for @ignoctsecretsanta 2018. (Sorry it’s late. Apparently my Tumblr post didn’t go through earlier, and I was off making merry. So now you get both AO3 link and Tumblr fic.) 

You can read on Tumblr under the cut!

Noctis wasn’t known as being the most thoughtful of people. Ignis spent a lot of time defending him to various and sundry news outlets and politicians. And Noctis more than appreciated Ignis’s work on that front. He also appreciated how Ignis would try to pretend like it was no big deal even though it was.

 That was kind of the downside of dating somebody who was technically your employee but also one of your closest friends. At least it was as far as Noct could tell. Or maybe it was just an Ignis thing. For all that Gladio was supposed to be his shield, Ignis would probably climb over Gladio on his way to taking a bullet for Noctis.

 Which, on the one hand, was touching. On the other hand, Noctis should probably have a talk with Ignis about the hovering. Because Ignis was going to work himself ragged one of these days. And Noct really didn’t want that. For one thing, he loved Ignis. He was very concerned with Ignis’s well-being.

 For another thing, he was at least fifty-percent dependent on Ignis when it came to matters of state. Ignis throwing himself into danger on Noct’s behalf was very noble and romantic. But it also had the side effect of royally fucking Noctis over should anything actually happen to Ignis. The most immediate concern was, thankfully, less physical and more political in nature.

 There were… rumors going around that Ignis wasn’t being the most circumspect of chamberlains. Noctis was offended on Spec’s behalf because Ignis would die before being improper. But Ignis was more or less fatalistic about it. He seemed to be waiting for the right opportunity to throw himself upon his sword on Noctis’s behalf.

 And he was waiting because the rumors were true. Not the whole, “Ignis Scientia is a filthy mongrel who has insidiously reached far above his station and attempted to manipulate the chosen king!” rumors. But the filthy sex rumors? Those were true. Those were really, really true. On most days, Noctis was very happy they were true because there was only so much that his imagination could satisfy him. The real thing was so much better than any fantasy.

 But today, he was less than happy about those rumors. It was one thing to mumble his never dying love to Ignis. Sweet and eternally sappy words whispered into a bare shoulder in the dark of night had a sort of mystical shield around them.

 The stark lighting of his father’s office offered no such comforts. Noctis had no idea how he might feel about the rumors being true… or at least partly true. Even though their period of estrangement was, for the most part, over, Noctis had never been able to discuss subjects of a more delicate nature with him.

 Regis was a busy man. There was a war on. There was a Crystal sucking away his father’s life essence with every breath. There were politicians to assuage and deaths to grieve. There were expectations that were supposed to be sitting upon the prince’s shoulders.

 Some of those expectations didn’t jive well with the announcement of, “Hey, Dad. I’m in love with another man.” Noctis had spent many a morning, night, and afternoon thinking about how he was going to broach the subject with his father. For all that he knew it needed to be done, there was no way he could make himself feel at ease at the thought of it.

 Any number of things could happen once he laid out the truth before him. He could be shipped off to the nearest princess and be married before the day was over. Even Luna might be eschewed in favor of somebody more geographically convenient.

 Part of Noctis wanted to run as far away from the impending conversation as he possibly could. That was the problem. He wanted to run and hide.

 And if he did, Ignis would let him. For all Iggy’s seeming rigidity, he would let Noctis get by with anything. His formality hid a soft heart, and at least half that heart was devoted to Noctis. The rest was occupied with things like caring for their friends, the kingdom of Lucis, and what fashions were in season. Because as much as Noctis might be in love with the guy, Ignis was not a perfect saint.

 In any case, Ignis wouldn’t object if Noctis decided he couldn’t tell his father. Ignis was even more bound by court protocol than Noctis was. He’d do what people had done for centuries. He’d bite his tongue, smile at Noctis’s marriage to some suitable woman, and quietly leave his position when the strain became too much to handle.

 Noctis wasn’t about to ask that of him. Selfishly, he also wasn’t going to let that happen to him. So there was really only one thing to do. Make an appointment with his dad behind Ignis’s back. Because even if it blew up in his face, he could at least spare Ignis the problem of worrying about what was going to happen before it did.

 “His Majesty will see you now,” one of the stewards said.

 Noctis swallowed and entered his father’s office. He really didn’t spend much time in the room. Family arguments were held in his father’s private chambers. Official ceremonies, important debates, and royal biddings in the throne room. The office was where mundane things were decided.

 “Noctis,” his father greeted him. He sounded tired. Looked even worse.

 Guilt crept up Noctis’s spine as he looked at his father. He was about to lay even more burdens on his shoulders. All because he didn’t want to have them upon his own. This… this was why Ignis would never be the one to insist on being formally acknowledged. It was against his very being to cause undue stress to the crown.

 Thankfully, Noctis had years of being the “spoiled brat of a prince” to fall back upon in the moment.

 “Dad,” Noctis grunted out as he tried not to fidget.

 “It’s rare that you come to see me here. Especially to discuss,” Regis paused to flip through his appointments, “duckies?”

 “Yeah, uh. I don’t really want to discuss ducks,” Noctis admitted. “I just needed to put something in before Ignis realized I was messing around on his phone.”

 “Well, much as I regret losing the opportunity to speak about mallards and other water fowl, I suppose I am more interested in why you didn’t just ask Ignis to make the appointment for you. Last I checked, it was one of his appointed duties. And given that Ignis tends to greatly overcompensate by doing tasks that are not officially his, I’d be surprised if he refused to perform one that is.”

 Noctis swallowed. Trust his dad to at least get in the right vicinity of his true purpose so quickly. “Yeah. Uh, it’s about Ignis.”

 “Ah,” was all his father said in reply.

 All the words that Noctis had prepared seemed to fly out of his brain. Which was fine because prepared speeches really weren’t his thing. They were necessary evils of being born into royalty. But Ignis wasn’t just a duty.

 “I’m in love with him,” Noctis said with as much firmness as he could muster.

 “Which him?” Regis shot back quickly. There was no heat in his voice, nor was there disappointment. He might as well have been inquiring about the weather.

 “Ignis?” Noctis answered.

 “You’re not sure?”

 “No! I am, I just…”

 “Well, that is a relief at least,” Regis said, sparing him from his misery. “I take it this infatuation of yours is mutual?”

 “Yes. And it’s not an infatuation,” Noctis corrected.

 Regis smiled at that. “I thought as much. You wouldn’t have made an official appointment if you just needed to discuss your longing pains. It may come as a shock to you, but this is quite a relief to hear.”

 Now Noctis was confused. “It is?”

 “My son, you are very far from subtle. How should I put this? You enjoy the company of your friend group a little too much for there not to be something going on.”

 “What?” the word crept out of Noctis, bringing all his mortification with it.

 “There was a great debate as to who was going to be threatened with murder. Clarus has been in a rage about it for months because he was certain that Gladiolus was breaking his sacred shield duties or some such. Of course, he was also planning to threaten Prompto’s parents with murder should he be your paramour. I think he’ll be quite disappointed that it’s Ignis.”

 “Because he doesn’t have some sort of bizarre murder scenario planned out for him? Also, why are all his plans murder plans?”

 “All Amicitia plans eventually end with murder. Clarus is just more direct than his son is.”

 “Great,” Noctis drawled. “And why isn’t he going to threaten to murder Ignis? And why are you okay with this? Are you okay with this?”

 “Because Clarus has been around long enough to know that Scientia’s really don’t care if they get threatened with murder. That and I expressly forbid it. I am rather fond of Ignis. He’s respectful. Intelligent. And apparently fucking my son.”

 “DAD!”

 “You can’t begrudge me a bit of fun, Noctis. You’re not the one who needs to give a speech to the council about all this. Although, I am tempted to make you sit through it.” Regis sobered a second later, his face growing serious. “Noctis, I have only ever wanted your happiness. I know well the prices you must pay to be king. I know the weights that fall upon your shoulders. This will not be the easiest of roads, but I will do what I can to smooth it for you. If you’re seeking my blessing, you have it.”

 “Thanks, Dad,” Noctis whispered.

 Regis gave him a sad smile. “Your brevity will serves you well. Although, If I might give you a bit of relationship advice, be more verbose with your apologies.”

 “Apologies for what?” Noctis asked.

 “You would agree that your paramour is intelligent, yes? Diligent as well?” Regis asked.

 “You know Ignis is,” Noctis replied.

 “Then did it not occur to you that he might notice a change in your schedule that he did not make?” Regis asked with nonchalance.

 Put that way, it did sound kind of stupid.

 “He’s been pacing out in the hallway ever since you came in here,” Regis said. “I don’t remember the last time he was quite so agitated. Though, I am certain it was about you then too. Don’t break his heart, Noctis. It would be a great deal of trouble to replace him.”

 “I won’t,” Noctis promised. “Or, at least I’ll try not to.”

 “I suppose that’s all I can ask,” Regis allowed. “Have a good day, my son. Or at least, as good of a day as you can. Also, please wait to make up until you are in a suitably private area.”

  “Right, you too,” Noctis said by way of farewell. His father’s laugh chased him out into the hallway.

 He all but collided with Ignis. The look on his face was both angry and terrified. Noctis opened his mouth to reassure him, but Ignis slapped a hand over it.

 “Not one word,” he warned as his other hand curled around Noctis’s arm. He started dragging Noctis through the Citadel’s halls.

 Having lived in the place for several years, it became apparent to Noctis that they were going to his private chambers. Noctis doubted it was so they could make out. Which was sad because he now had royal approval to make out, and they should be taking advantage of that.

 The doors to his chambers had barely closed before Ignis started ranting. “I cannot believe you went behind my back. I cannot believe you used my phone to write ‘duckies’ onto the king’s royal appointment book! I cannot believe you didn’t think to tell me or consult me or…”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Noctis interrupted.

 “Well you did a bloody bad job of that!” Ignis yelled.  “Congratulations! How does it feel to be a failure, Your Highness?”

 “Okay, first off, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first. I thought it’d be easier for you this way. Second, I thought we agreed no royal titles in the relationship thing because it’s weird.”

 Ignis frowned at him, but took a controlled breath before speaking. “I have always shared your burdens. I am not me if I don’t. I expect you to share them with me. More importantly, I expect you to share decisions with me about our relationship. It is mine as well as yours.”

 “I know. I’m sorry,” Noctis said. “I should’ve talked to you about it. And I shouldn’t have used your phone to write that on my dad’s schedule.”

 “Fine. Well. I suppose I should ask what His Majesty had to say about all this.” Ignis gestured between them with a vague hand motion.

 “Well, he said that he forbade Clarus from murdering you. And he said I should apologize for thinking you were stupid enough not to notice. And he gave his blessing,” Noctis recapped.

 “Please,” Ignis scoffed, “His Majesty needn’t have bothered. Clarus is showing his age. Murder. What a bizarre thing to even think to threaten me with. Does he know nothing about me?”

 “Okay, well. Gotta admit that wasn’t the part I was hoping you’d focus on,” Noctis said.

 “No, you were hoping I’d focus on the blessing part because you were hoping I’d be so ecstatic I’d forgive you for doing this behind my back, take you to a secluded, and then express my joy through various and sundry carnal acts,” Ignis explained.

 “Well, not in those exact words,” Noctis defended himself. “But the forgiving part might be nice.”

 “Only the forgiving part?” Ignis asked. “I must be losing my objectivity after all. Either that or you need to work on your powers of observation.”

“What?” Noctis asked.

 Ignis reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. His glasses arcing up over the fingers that displaced their nose pincers. “You are so very lucky that I’m in love with you and willing to overlook your moments of stupidity. And also that I’m young enough that I still listen to my dick. There’s a bed in the adjoining room, Noctis. Because it’s a bedroom. Your bedroom. Bedrooms are typically secluded locations.”

 “Right. So various and sundry carnal acts?” Noctis asked.

 “Indeed,” Ignis agreed.

 “Is this you joyful? Because you look kind of like you always look,” Noctis pointed out.

 “Perhaps if you follow me, you’ll find out,” Ignis said with a smirk. He sauntered away with a sway to his hips that had to be intentional.

 Noctis wasn’t about to pass up that kind of opportunity.  

#ignoct #ignoct secret santa

[elemyah]

Link: Ao3 Title: Too Hard to Say Rating: Teen+ Pairings: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia Warnings: - Summary: Gladio never liked the parties held in Insomnia’s castle, but they were especially unnerving when he already had so much on his mind.

@gladnis2018

The parties held in Insomnia’s castle were an annoyance, to say the least.

Alright, maybe that was an exaggeration: there was plenty of tasty food and expensive drinks, enough to keep him occupied for some time. But Gladio had never been good at dealing with nobility — which was ironic, considering his own lineage. All those endless pleasantries and smiles could get on someone’s nerves given enough time, and he wasn’t that patient to begin with.

Besides, he was particularly moody that night, so, instead of socializing, he isolated himself with a plate of food and a few drinks, ignoring the world around to the best of his ability.

After some minutes of eating and playing a game in his phone, he noticed someone approach him through the corner of his eye, and wasn’t too surprised to see it was Ignis. As expected, he looked impeccable in his formal attire. However, there was a hint of exhaustion on his face only those who knew him well could identify. Not surprising, considering he probably had his part in organizing the event, and then had to go around, greeting and chatting with everyone as the representative of the prince himself — who, as usual, had chosen to stay home and ignore his duties.

Gladio felt bad for him.

“So, enjoying the party?” he asked in a playful tone.

Ignis stared at him, reaching for his glass, turning what was left of the drink in one go. Gladio raised his brow, a brief laugh escaping his lips.

“Well, that answers it.”

“My face is sore from smiling so much,” muttered Ignis. “I’m still smiling, am I not? I simply can’t stop… this is a nightmare.”

“Stay with me, Iggy,” Gladio pulled the chair beside him. “You went through worse things than this.”

“Perhaps,” Ignis sat down, taking out his glasses, massaging the area between his eyes. “But I’m still fairly certain that you’ll find my deceased corpse laying somewhere on the floor before the night ends.”

“I sure hope not, you’re the only thing keeping me from dying of boredom.”

Ignis laughed, putting his glasses again.

“I have to admit I’m surprised to find you alone,” he said. “Isn’t it against some rule of the Amicitia’s family to stay unaccompanied for more than two minutes in any public event?”

“I think I scared any possible company away with my face.”

Gladio gestured towards the wound on his left eye, that he gained protecting Noctis from a bunch of assholes. Most of the stitches had already come out, which meant he now could move his face without feeling like the cut was opening again. But the scar was still evident, and he’d be lying if he said all the curious and surprised looks didn’t bother him.

“And I believed what they said, about girls liking scars…” he added with a humorous tone.

But Ignis didn’t laugh at his attempt of a joke, observing him with a worried expression. Gladio averted his eyes.

“Is it healing well?” asked Ignis.

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure this one won’t fade with time.”

“Do you mind?”

Gladio looked at him, unsure of what he meant by that. Ignis carefully reached for his face, touching the area close to the scar with the tip of his fingers, examining it.

“I’ve said this before, but I’m glad it didn’t get your eye.”

“Yeah…”

Ignis retreated. They stayed silent for the following seconds, until a wave of nervousness made a brief, humorless laugh escape from Gladio’s lips.

“It’s ugly, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Believe me, they would have to make a bigger effort to make you look ugly.”

Gladio didn’t reply immediately. Moments like that made him wonder if Ignis’ words and touch meant something more than a close friendship, or if he was just reading too much into it.

“If you’re the one saying so…”

They changed the subject to more pleasant things. The time passed, and at some point Gladio found his father amid the crowd, standing beside King Regis, as expected from a Shield. Despite the professional smile, the old man looked tired as well. It seemed parties weren’t among the Amicitias’ favorite pastimes. Except, maybe, for Iris… Gladio was sure that little monkey would find a way to enjoy herself, no matter the situation. He smiled fondly at the thought.

His eyes met Regis’, who raised his hand in a subtle gesture to call his attention.

“Iggy…”

Gladio touched his elbow, indicating the King with a movement of his head. Regis made a sign for Ignis to approach him.

“Seems like your break is over…” said Gladio.

“Please, end my life,” muttered Ignis as he stood up.

Gladio watched as he walked away, then stretched his legs under the table. The waiter passed by, and he grabbed two glasses of champagne, one for himself and other for Ignis.

Maybe he should go take a walk outside? He considered it for a while, but decided to wait until Ignis got back. He’d rather have someone to talk to, anyway. It would make time pass faster, and in a more pleasant way.

Gladio finished drinking his champagne. Long minutes passed before he started to drink from the other glass. He could always get another for Ignis later.

Speaking of Ignis, Gladio spotted him in the distance, among a small group of older people, with his perfect posture and fake smile. It was so damn fake… How couldn’t anyone notice it?

He laughed to himself, finishing the drink. Wasn’t drinking alone such a depressing thing, though? The highest point of his night had been the few minutes he got to spend with Ignis. Now that he thought about it, that party wouldn’t have been so bad if he got to spend more time with him. He could even get to enjoy it.

He finished that drink, and when a waiter approached him again, he took another two glasses. Hope never dies, right?

Gladio kept waiting, but there was no sign of Ignis coming back. He glanced around the place, but his friend had vanished amid the crowd. Great, his last bit of entertainment was gone.

As time passed, a feeling of restlessness overcame him. Maybe he should have taken that walk, after all… But he wasn’t feeling like doing it anymore. Besides, if he started wandering alone, he’d go back to feeling self-conscious about his damn face. He knew it was part of his job as a Shield to protect Noctis with his life, and he was fine with it. He was proud of it. But he also didn’t imagine something that small… That stupid, could bother him so much.

Once again, he drank the champagne from Ignis’ glass, and it tasted bitter on his tongue. Noctis had cried at the hospital… He never saw the brat react like that before, and part of him felt guilty about it. Ignis was there too. He spent more time than he should at his bedside, when he probably had more important things to do. Just stood there, listening to his endless whining and trying to keep him distracted. That’s when he began to wonder if Ignis felt something for him — and when he realized he was hoping that was the case.

The lights at the party seemed brighter than before, and he foresaw a nasty headache on the next morning. He noticed the waiter approaching his table again, and hesitated for just a second before calling him with a gesture. Again, he took two glasses, but this time they were both for himself.

“Well, I’m already fucked up… Why stop now?”

That was a terrible way of thinking, but, honestly, he was too tired to care.

After being introduced and having to sustain a conversation with at least a dozen different people, Ignis finally managed to slip away. He was good at socializing, yes, but it didn’t mean he liked doing it. Especially when he was that tired and with a more than inconvenient headache. Maybe it was a sign that he should start sleeping better.

If he had to be honest, the only pleasant thing to come out of that night was the chance to spend some time with Gladio. Not that it was such an unusual thing, especially considering that they trained together almost every day. But for them to meet outside of Insomnia’s castle, without the excuse of accompanying Noctis somewhere, was quite unusual. And he enjoyed it. Probably more than he should.

He made his way back to Gladio’s table, and in seconds his optimistic expectancy was dissolved into something closer to dread. It was clear Gladio had been drinking — way more than he was supposed to. He wasn’t causing a scene, but had a grouchy expression, and would glare at anyone who looked in his direction. Ignis approached the table with cautious steps, but as soon as Gladio saw him, a smile appeared on his face.

“You finally got back…” he said. “I was starting to think I’d have to drink your share again.”

“Gladio,” Ignis carefully took the glass out of his hand, placing it out of his reach. “I understand that you don’t like parties, but I think you had enough for today.”

“It’s not that bad, once in a while,” Gladio shrugged. “If we have to go through this shit, then we better make the best out of it, right?”

“That’s not the issue here.”

Ignis sat beside his friend, hoping no one called him this time. He was sure that, if left alone, Gladio would just go back to drinking.

“You should be thanking me…” answered Gladio. “This way you’ll have an excuse to leave early.”

“It’s not much of an improvement, leaving early just to take care of a drunk man.”

“Really?” Gladio showed a suggestive smile. “I’m sure we could have much more fun on our own than in this place.”

Somehow, Ignis managed to keep a straight face at those words.

“I’ll pretend you didn’t say what you just did.”

Gladio laughed for a while, then looked at Ignis’ eyes, his face resting against his palm.

“You’re really beautiful, you know?”

That sudden comment made Ignis stare at him.

“Excuse me?”

“I never tell you that, but you’re so damn beautiful…” proceeded Gladio. “And so fucking smart. Man, you’re just amazing.”

His voice was loud, and drawing more than a few curious eyes to them.

“I appreciate the thought,” said Ignis, “but maybe you should lower your tone.”

“Why?” Gladio elevated his voice even more, getting up from his chair, glaring at the guests around them, as if daring them to keep looking. “So these people won’t judge me? They already look at me like I’m some kind of ugly monster, so why should I care? Why should I care about any of this?”

“Gladio…”

Ignis placed his hand on Gladio’s shoulder, trying to calm him down. But it was clear that he wasn’t feeling well. He had never been one to drink until he lost his senses, and that was what worried Ignis the most.

“I’ll take you home,” he muttered, placing his arm around Gladio’s waist, guiding him to the exit.

Gladio accompanied him, grumbling at anything in their way. Ignis went straight to his car, helping Gladio sit on the passenger’s seat, taking his place beside him. He hadn’t drunk much, but still drove slowly for safety measure. They reached Gladio’s place, where he’d been living alone since he moved from the Amicitia’s mansion. It took some effort to take him out of the car, and even more to drag him to his apartment on the fifth floor. There, Ignis had to search his pockets for the keys, hearing a few comments from Gladio about him “trying to grab his ass”. He just took a deep breath and helped him walk inside.

The place was messier than Ignis remembered, as if Gladio hadn’t taken his time to clean for at least a week.

“I’m gonna puke…” he announced, suddenly.

“By the six, Gladiolus!���

Ignis tried to guide him to the bathroom as fast as he could, but there was still a trail of vomit left behind them. Gladio proceeded to empty his stomach in the toilet, while Ignis held him by the shoulders, making sure he didn’t lose his balance.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“I guess…”

There was vomit on his clothes, and Ignis couldn’t just leave him in that state.

“I’ll help you take a shower,” he said.

With some effort, he managed to free Gladio from his dirty clothes, dropping them on the floor, together with his own jacket — which, at that point, was only staying in the way. He turned on the shower, waiting until the water became warm, guiding Gladio to it. Once he felt the water on his body, he grunted, trying to leave.

“You need to clean yourself,” said Ignis in a patient tone.

Gladio tried to leave again, but Ignis stood in his way.

“Gladiolus Amicitia,” he said in a serious voice. “Stop being difficult and allow me to help you.”

Maybe because of Ignis’ tone, or maybe because he simply got tired to fight back, Gladio stayed put, under the shower. Ignis felt a cold shiver, and realized his clothes were drenched.

“Hey…” Gladio’s voice called his attention. “Do friends usually do stuff like this?”

“Like what?”

“Undressing each other, being together under the shower… Y’know, this stuff.”

Ignis took a deep breath. Of course he was conscious of the situation, but he couldn’t let that stop him. There were more important things than his own personal feelings to worry about.

“You’re aware that I wouldn’t need to do any of this if you hadn’t drunk more than you should, right?” he asked back.

“Way to put the blame on me…”

“Except you were to blame from the start. Drinking like that, and all else.”

Ignis turned off the shower, helping Gladio walk out of it, quickly drying his body with a towel. He guided him back to the room, carefully avoiding the vomit on the floor, walking Gladio to the bed, making him sit there as he got some clothes from his wardrobe. He found some difficulty in convincing Gladio to wear pants, but somehow managed to do it. When he tried to put a t-shirt on him, though, Gladio leaned on him, almost making him fall under his weight.

“Ignis…” said Gladio in a low tone. “You know how I feel about you, right?”

Ignis lowered his eyes, letting out a deep, tired sigh.

“I don’t think we should have this conversation now,” he said, carefully pulling Gladio away from him.

Gladio cursed under his breath.

“You’re so complicated…”

“Says the one who can barely stand on his own. Come on, raise your arms.”

Gladio did as he said, and soon he was fully clothed again. Ignis helped him lay on the bed, and only then started to pay attention to his own clothes.

“I can’t go back like this,” he searched the wardrobe for something he could wear. “I’ll borrow some of your clothes, if you don’t mind.”

“Or you could just spend the night here,” suggested Gladio.

“I think I had enough of you for tonight.”

“You could never have enough of me,” he laughed. “You’re even taking my clothes.”

“Is it even worth it to remind you of the reason?”

Ignis took the smallest pair of pants he could find and a hoodie. They were comfortable, but, as expected, way too big for him. He turned to face Gladio, who was gawking at him, bitting his lower lip.

“I just discovered a new kink…” he muttered.

Ignis counted to ten and asked the Astrals for patience. He reminded himself that Gladio wasn’t his normal self at the moment, and that he shouldn’t get mad at him. He approached Gladio, placing a pillow under his head, covering him with a blanket.

“I’m hungry…” he grumbled.

Ignis sighed.

“Alright, I’ll make something for you.”

He went to the kitchen, searching it, realizing both the fridge and the food cabinet were equally devoid of anything he could use to make a proper meal. There was, however, a few Cup Noodles and some other pre-made food on the shelves. Didn’t that man eat anything but that? He made a mental note to discuss the matter when he was sober again.

Without many options, Ignis prepared one of the Cup Noodles, approaching the bed when it was ready.

“Gladio…” he called.

But Gladio had fallen asleep. Ignis simply looked at him for a moment, deciding not to wake him.

“And you say I am the complicated one…”

He placed the Cup Noodles on the counter, and proceeded to clean the floor and put the dirty clothes on a bowl with water. He should clean them as soon as possible, but he was tired. He just wanted to lay on his bed and have a long night of sleep.

But, as tempting as the thought was, he knew nothing good could come from leaving his friend alone in that state. After a minute of consideration, Ignis took a chair, placing it beside Gladio’s bed.

“It’ll be a long night…” he thought.

Gladio woke up with his head aching. His mind was foggy, and he could remember little more than brief fragments from the prior night. He looked beside him, seeing Ignis there, sitting on a chair with the glasses on his lap, asleep.

“Iggy?”

His low voice was enough to wake him up. He looked at Gladio, putting his glasses again.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Like shit…” admitted Gladio. “My head is killing me.”

Ignis got up, stretching his back. It crossed Gladio’s mind that the chair wasn’t among the most comfortable places to spend the night.

“Where do you keep the medicine?” asked Ignis.

“Bathroom. Cabinet.”

Ignis walked to the bathroom. He came back seconds later, approaching the sink, filling a glass with water.

“Here,” he said, offering Gladio the glass and the pill. Gladio drank it, and the cold water, more than anything, made him feel a little better.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“Little past three in the morning,” Ignis took the glass from him, placing it in the sink.

“Shit…” he felt a sting of guilt in his chest. “You’ve been here all this time?”

“I couldn’t leave you alone in that state.”

Gladio closed his eyes, trying to force his memory. Things started to come back to him, and he soon wished they didn’t.

“Are you hungry?” asked Ignis, calling his attention. “You fell asleep before you could eat.”

“Ah, yeah… But—”

“Besides, you really should buy something other than instant noodles to eat,” Ignis interrupted him. “You’re as bad as Noct when I leave him alone for a few days.”

Gladio smiled, but the guilt soon made the expression fade.

“Sorry,” he said.

Ignis didn’t say anything, approaching his bed when the food was ready. Gladio ate in silence, only then realizing how hungry he was feeling. As soon as he finished, Ignis sat on the border of the mattress, looking at him with a serious expression. Gladio averted his eyes.

“I think we should talk about what happened,” said Ignis.

“Iggy, I’m really so—”

“Stop, Gladio. I’m not asking for you to apologize, I just want to know what’s wrong.”

Gladio stayed silent, avoiding his gaze.

“You’re not one to drink carelessly like that,” insisted Ignis. “There’s something bothering you, isn’t there?”

Silence again.

“Gladio…” Ignis placed a hand on his arm. “Please, talk to me.”

Gladio hesitated, not sure of how to start putting his thoughts into words.

“I don’t know,” his voice was little more than a mutter. “I’m just thinking too much.”

“About what?”

He made another pause. Ignis waited.

“I never thought too much about it, being a Shield and all. But after what happened…” he touched the end of his scar. “I realized I could just… I don’t know…” he pressed his lips together for a moment. “Die, any day, just like that.”

That word felt like a stone on his chest, but after saying it out loud, it became easier to proceed.

“It was such a stupid fight, and still… It made me realize it’s not because I’m a Shield that I’m invincible. It should be obvious, but… I never thought about it before. Being a Shield doesn’t mean I’ll always be able to protect Noct. I can fail at this… I can die, and then there’ll be no one to protect him.” His throat felt dry. “He was crying so much at the hospital, I didn’t know what to do. It… It made me think of Iris. If anything happened to me, she’d cry like that too, and it’d be my fault.”

He felt tears in his eyes, and tried to hide them with a nervous laugh.

“I’m not making any sense, am I?”

“That’s not true,” said Ignis. “It’s alright, Gladio… I understand.”

Gladio didn’t answer, his own words still echoing on his mind. He clenched his fists, all of those thoughts suddenly feeling like too much to bear.

“I’m scared…”

As soon as he said it, something broke inside him and he started to cry. Ignis put his arm around his shoulders, bringing him closer, hugging him. Gladio leaned his head against his chest.

“It’s alright…” muttered Ignis to him, caressing his hair. “I’m here with you… It’s going to be alright.”

Gladio didn’t know for how long he stayed like that, but when he finally calmed down, he felt exhausted. It was like he had cried away every single feeling that was inside his chest, and now he felt strangely empty. Lighter.

“Sorry…” he said after a while. “I think I needed to let all this shit out.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you talked to me.”

He looked at Ignis, offering him a light smile.

“I don’t think I’d be able to talk about all this with anyone else.” He hesitated for a second, then reached for Ignis face, gently caressing it. “Thanks for listening.”

Ignis smiled back, placing his hand over Gladio’s, holding it against his face.

“Iggy…”

“Hm?”

“Can you stay with me?”

“Of course.”

They lay beside each other, their bodies close, legs entwined. Ignis’ presence and warmth felt good. Comfortable. Calming.

For the first night in a long time, Gladio felt completely at peace.

#gladnis #gladnisweek2018 #xpost #fanfic #my fic

[stonecoldmeme]

"He was such a brat back then... well, now too- but he changed around fast when you showed up. It was really surprising. We could tell right away that he really liked you. He's probably already mentioned it, but he never had any friends before that, so it's no wonder he got so attached. We never thought of you as a bad influence, considering Noct's... standards, I guess." Be nice and literally never mention the crown. It was a low bar that was surprisingly difficult to pass. "It's okay if you thought I was hot." Gladio snorted. "Couldn't care less... I just don't do flings anymore. If we're all together for the long haul, and all like each other, I want that to mean something. Tired of hurting Ignis. Wouldn't dare hurting you or Noct. It's best like this. Back then... Well. Let's all be thankful I didn't do anything rash."

Not like he meant to duck his head, but it just sort of happened for a few seconds as he processed what Gladio was saying.  “Yeah, I... I really didn’t get it at first.  Not right away.  All the people trying to get on Noct’s good side just to get something out of him.  Then we started hanging out, and...”  He trailed off with a little shake of his head.  It didn’t matter.  They both sort of saw and then clung to the loneliness in each other, didn’t they?  “Thanks, though.  For not thinking I was the worst thing that ever happened to him.”  He teased.

Prompto chuckled, sure that the former Shield didn’t mind being an object of desire or whatever.  Then he felt his expression soften with the rest of the words.  Geez.  “Yeah... I guess there were rumors but I didn’t really pay attention.  That whole ‘being young and stupid’ thing I guess.  But you found out what was important to you, right?  And I know Iggy and Noct love you a lot, so stuff got worked out, and...  Uh, yeah.  That’s what matters.  Everyone being happy.”  He was just babbling at that point, he supposed.  “And this whole thing is kinda pretty great.  I think so, anyway.  Not... greedy or weird, just--  Just right.”

#IC #painedprince #GameverseAU!Prompto - Chocobo Wranglers #((because Gladio feels are appropriate today))

[promptistrashqueen]

Afternoon Gifts (2)

Yay babyfic! I promise that next chapter baby things will actually begin, but there’s some plot points (why I even am bothering with plot at this point, who knows) to take care of first.

Gladiolus crosses his arms and glares at them without a word and Noctis thinks that maybe they’re about to make bloody, unfortunate history. After all a shield has never killed a King before...figures he’d push it there.

Prompto’s fidgeting beside him and it would be annoying if he didn’t also feel like crawling out of his skin under the burning glare they’re getting.

Finally the tension breaks as Gladio flexes his fingers and harrumphs. “If Iris agrees to it...it’s her body. Neither of you gets to push her if she says no. I mean it.”

His tone is clipped and his jaw is tight and Noctis doesn’t feel any relief at all because he knows Gladio too well, the man expects Iris to say no. He swallows and nods sharply, even as Prompto speaks quickly.

“Duh! We’d never make her do anything dude!”

Gladiolus’ tightening jaw shuts Prompto up pretty quick and Noctis reaches for his husbands hand, squeezing lightly as Gladio disappears back into the training room, no doubt retrieving his sister for them to speak with. Noctis thought this would be better than trying to call a formal meeting, after all they’re all friends.

Now, standing in the hallway outside the workout room he’s maybe regretting that a little but the weight of Prompto’s hand in his helps steady him.

 “Iris’ll say yes. She loves kids and she loves us.”

Prompto sounds confident but Noctis knows this is still pretty hard for him and he sighs, turning a little to look at Prompto, mouth opening to ask, but the door opens.

“Hey Noct, Prom, what’s up?”

Gladio’s presence is a hulking shadow behind Iris’ slighter, but no less strong, form and Noctis swallows hard.

“Hey Iris...we wanted to ask you something. You got a minute?”

She nods and smiles widely, her tank and workout pants not detracting from how cute she often is and really, it’s not making this easier because she’s still kinda like Noctis’ kid sister too. Shit.

 He walks with her and Prompto to a window seat, there’s plenty of them scattered throughout the citadel, and tries to ignore Gladio behind them. It only partially works as he starts imagining all the ways he could die from the man’s large hands behind him.

They settle together, Noctis leaning against the window as he sits, Iris seated closer to the edge of the seat with it’s slight cushion, Prompto leaning against the wall beside Noctis’ legs as he remains standing and Gladio standing a step or two back from the seat. Iris shoots her brother a look but shakes off whatever thought she has as she focuses back of the Prince’s.

 “Spill! You look terrified and Gladdy has his big-brother face on.”

Noctis swallows hard, but he knows they agreed he would be the one to ask her, it was only right, it was supposed to be his child.

“We uh, we wanted to ask you, if you’d be...damnit!”

He’s going about this all wrong and Iris is going to get the wrong idea and why is he so bad at this stuff? Prompto speaks up then, and Noctis owes him for it as he sags in relief.

“So King’s hafta carry on their lines right? Well I’m a guy and Noct’s a guy so that’s a problem. I figured since we were allowed to marry it would be fine, but I guess no...so uh--Noct, buddy?”

Yeah, cue him. Crap. Iris looks focused and ready to help and he kind of wants to hug her for that but now’s hardly the time so instead…

“Will you carry my child?” S

he blinks and then her mouth pops into an “o” and her eyes get huge. Prompto’s waving his hands quickly but Noctis just feels a little weird as he takes a slow breath, everything’s slowed down a little.

“Not like you’d have to sleep with him! We were thinking like, surrogacy! If you’d be willing! You can say no.”

 Prompto’s voice is higher pitched and frantic and Noctis groans because this is a goddamned disaster and next time they’d better do this sort of shit formally so they have a reason to think harder. Iris is silent and Gladio looks a little smug.

They all sit quietly as Iris thinks and Prompto bites his lip, eyes flicking between Noctis, who looks like he’s in some kind of shock maybe? And Iris whose nose is wrinkled and her eyes closed. Finally she looks back at them and Noctis straightens a little, swallowing in readiness.

“Okay. I’ll do it! I’ll carry your baby!”

“Wha-really?”

Prompto blurts, exactly as Noctis makes a weird noise and Gladio barks his sisters name. She rolls her eyes and pats Noctis’ arm, making the vein in Gladiolus’ forehead throb interestingly, not that she see’s it.

“We’re friends right? You have to have a baby and I’m a good candidate, strong and healthy and loyal and close enough to help out...sure.”

Noctis nods numbly and Prompto’s grinning widely, though Noctis can see the sharp edges of the expression, as he gives Iris a quick hug. Gladiolus stomps forward then and puts his hands on his hips, glaring at the three of them. He doesn’t get to read them the riot act though because Iris slaps his broad chest and gives him a withering look over her own.

“It’s my choice! You’re already Noct’s shield, maybe this is my way of serving the crown. Besides, without Noctis having an heir our family legacy would also end. Even without all of that though...I want to do this, I want to help Noct have a family.”

Noctis feels a warmth starting to grow in his chest, Iris cares so much and she’s so willing to help. He looks at Prompto who’s smiling slightly and who looks a little sad but mostly relieved. His husband turns to him and the smile widens, head tilting a little as he wordlessly communicates his happiness that she’s agreed.

Gladio’s grumbling breaks through their moment though and Noctis sighs as he looks at his shield,

“Gladio, would you rather have to deal with some unknown woman hanging around, being near us, or Iris?”

That shuts him up enough but Noctis can see, the way his hands clench and the stiffness in his shoulders, that he’s not on board yet.

“You brats can talk about this, I’m going to train.”

 He nods at Iris who sticks her tongue out a little, but touches his arm lightly just the same, and then gives Noctis and Prompto a sharp look before turning away and marching off.

“Gladdy’ll come around! He’s just grumpy ‘cause he still thinks of me as a kid. So...how do we do this?”

 Noctis finds himself blushing even as Prompto makes a weird surprised sound, “Uh-we were thinking of waiting awhile? The council is being pushy right now but they’ll calm down if we announce that we’ve found a surrogate so...we have time.”

 Iris clasps her hands and shifts a little, “Oh, okay. So...there’s nothing I can do yet?”

Noctis shrugs and Prompto answers, “Nah, we’ll let you know though. Thank you!”

Iris just nods but she looks a little off and Noctis frowns until she shakes her head, “Sorry! I’m glad...that you want to wait, i don’t think I’m ready but...I want to do it! I’m glad you asked.”

Prompto stands and pulls Noctis with him, slinging an arm around Iris as she joins them and grinning.

“I’d say this calls for celebration! We haven’t had Kenny’s in forever...let’s go get some shakes and fries.”

 Iris crowes excitedly and Noctis just smiles slightly, things are falling into place, terrifying as it is.

“Noctis, you cannot avoid this any longer.” Ignis’ voice is just another battering ram inside of his skull as Noctis sits slumped at his official desk (and fuuuuck having one of them at all) and he reaches for an elixir. The headache of today has nothing to do with crystals or astrals or magic, at least, not directly.

 He swallows most of it in one go and meets Ignis’ gaze with a pained grimace as it starts to soothe the ache away.

“I know Iggy. I’m not trying to run from it now, Iris agreed and we said we’d wait a while, but I get wanting to run the tests. I just...I can’t handle it today alright?”

 Ignis frowns, there’s truth there and Noctis looks so tired...he drops the issue of testing for Noctis and Iris’ biological compatibility, and takes a seat.

“What is it that ails you Noct?”

The younger man shakes his head even as he rubs one of his temples, the Prince’s Royal raiment fit him better most days, his posture finally leaning toward regal. It’s odd for Ignis to see him slumped as he is now, in the brief years since their journey to test his commitment to the people and the crown he’s grown a great deal.

Not for the first time Ignis is thankful that Prompto’s the keeper of Noctis’ heart, the other’s light hearted nature keeps them all going on long days. Now though, with the bags under his eyes, Noctis seemed to need someone to talk too.

“It’s nothing Specs. Prom and I are just...he won’t tell me why he’s been sort of unhappy lately. I asked if it was about all of...this...but he just keeps telling me not to worry about it.”

Ignis sighs, he’d wondered about the strain their relationship might take.

“Noct, give him some time. He may be struggling with the situation but if I know Prompto he’s trying to work out exactly what he feels and why before troubling you. For now, just be there when he’s ready to talk and keep an eye on him to get a feel for if he’s getting more weighed down. If the two of you need to speak with a third party, I’m always available to you.”

Noctis offers him a small smile, “I know Iggy, thanks. I’m trying to give him space, but it’s hard...he’s not usually….”

Ignis understands, as Noctis trails off, looking at a point beyond him for a moment and he wordlessly pulls another elixir out, setting it on the desk and giving Noctis a brief smile. 

“If you and Iris would please meet me tomorrow morning we can have the examiner take some blood samples to determine the proper course to pursue for your child.”

He bows, giving Noctis a warm nod as he does and the Prince offer’s him a quick thanks before Ignis must go, as he is needed elsewhere.

Iris bounces on her toes a little and Noctis smiles softly, listening to her and Prompto talk, the vibration of Prompto’s voice a comforting feeling against Noctis’ cheek as he rests against his husbands chest.

They’re laying back on an examination table, one that’s comfier than it has any right to be, as they wait for the results. Prompto laughs and the movement displaces Noctis a little, making him huff. An apologetic hand runs through his hair and he sighs happily, drifting again.

“He’s awfully tired.”

The doctor sounds concerned but Iris just laughs as Prompto waves a hand noncommittally.

“Noct is always tired and it’s before noon, if he can fit in a nap, he’s gonna.”

The doctor raises an eyebrow at Iris but shrugs just the same, she’s familiar enough with the other royal physicians frustrations at the Caelum’s for not taking Noctis’ exhaustion more seriously. It seems an accepted part of life for his friends though, so she’s willing to let it slide, besides she has other news.

  “Best rouse him to hear the results.”

Prompto nods and gently shakes the Prince, moving to sit them both upright as Noctis yawns and blinks himself awake.

“Your highness. The blood work isn’t finished yet, even at the speeds we can do it it will take some time, however, we did notice something about Ms. Amicitia that you must consider,” she pauses, looking at the note in her hand to check herself as the others listen, “It appears she is missing the Rh coating on her red blood cells, whilst you are not. If you’d like me too I can explain to both of you exactly what that means, but for our purpose I’ll only say this: If you conceive a child together it will be Rh+ like the father and Ms. Amicitia will be very negatively affected and the child could potentially suffer negative effects. There’s a shot we can give her but it will take some time for her body to synthesize and begin manufacturing the protein coating on its own.”

There’s silence and then Noctis speaks slowly, “We have plenty of time but...it’s up to Iris.”

Iris bites her lip, “I want to help Noct! I’ll get the shot but...let’s wait for the rest of the tests, just in case.”

Noctis nods and glances at Prompto who’s quietly looking between them both, his face carefully blank.

“Yes. I think waiting would be best.”

Noctis thanks the doctor and hugs Iris, promising to meet her later in the week before he turns to his husband, it’s time they had a talk.  

#Afternoon gifts #surrogacy #pregnancy #Rh- #Medical stuff #FFXV #FFXV Fanfiction #part 2 #Promptis #Prompto #Noctis #Iris #Gladiolus #Ignis #babyfic

[misslunafreya]

would you mind doing hc about going on a date with the chocobros to the amusement park?? 💕💕

I’m screaming - this is SO CUTE!! Omg I’m melting ahhhhhh （≧∇≦）can I please go with them to the amusement park? like, right now?

The Happiest Place with You

Noct:

Being the awkward grumpy face he is, Noct would definitely be whiny for most of the day, just to annoy you, really. If you were in the early stages of the relationship, he would behave himself. But considering you’ve been together for a while, he would find it fun to continually torment you. He would be trying to play off that he wasn’t having any fun because he knows it would make you try even harder to make him enjoy his time at the amusement park. But really, look at him at the Moogle Chocobo Carnival and you know this guy is actually having the time of his life - having you by his side makes it all the better.

Again, he’d be a grump about wearing matching outfits. Inside though, he’d be screaming with delight. To see you pout a bit more (because he finds it adorable), he would randomly grump about having to wear the outfit. Throughout the day, you would catch him laughing and grinning, which would allow you to poke fun at him in return. Noct would deny being scared of any of the rides, especially the huge roller coasters. He would be far too embarrassed to admit he was afraid. The prince would go on them so he could see you smile, but he would be absolutely terrified the entire time.

At the end of the day, when you asked him if he had fun, he would definitely tell you yes. He would stammer and laugh slightly as he apologized for being such a brat all day - it was fun for him to torment you. You would admit that you knew he was doing it for kicks and giggles and the two of you would laugh it off. Even including Noct’s grumpy attitude, you would have a great day together.

Prompto:

I hope you’re prepared for one of the busiest, most fun days of your entire life. Amusement parks are fun, loud, and full of joy, just like this sunshine chocobabe. Before you go, it would be guaranteed that Prompto would pick out cute couple’s outfits for you. You wouldn’t necessarily be wearing the exact same thing, but it would be obvious you two were there together. And be prepared to get there right when the amusement park is opening - this guy is going to want to have as much time there with you as possible.

Prompto will be, as usual, obsessively taking pictures. Of you, the rides, the shops, the merchandise, the people, the characters, the decorations, the buildings, and, of course, more of you. There will be selfies galore of the two of you together, his favorites being the ones where he surprise kissed you. When you get back home, Prompto is going to print out all of the pictures he took and put together an entire scrapbook to preserve all of the wonderful memories you made.

As for rides, be ready for it all. Big or small, you can be sure Prompto wants to go on it. He’ll be somewhat strategic about the lines initially, then he’ll see something he really wants to go on and practically beg you to go on it then. When you laugh and tell him of course you can go on it now, he’ll cheer excitedly, grab your hand, and run off to get in line. Prompto is such a big kid when it comes to everything this kind of stuff. When you get off of the rides, Prompto is the type of person to shout, “That was SO AWESOME!! Let’s go again!!” You will hear that a lot throughout one of the greatest days you’ll ever have!

Ignis:

Wait…. Iggy at an amusement park? Prepare for a wonderful day, sarcasm not implied at all. While many might think Iggy would be grumpy or displeased to be at the park, he would be so happy to be there with you. He would know that a fun day is in the works, and he wouldn’t want to ruin that for you. A day at the amusement park with Iggy would be extremely fun and extremely relaxed. Considering he’s not having to keep his eye on Noctis, he’d finally be able to completely focus on you. There would be lots of laughs and smiles as you enjoyed your day together.

Iggy would love trying the different foods available, especially the desserts and snacks. He would ask you what your favorites were and make mental notes coming up with new recipes so he could surprise you with something similar in the future. This guy would love going on the rides with you, and would almost always be laughing whenever you got off of them. The two of you would take cute couples photos, but you’d also take a lot of silly pictures together and of each other. Iggy knows how to kick back and have fun, but this would be a side of him the bros would have to see to believe.

You can be sure that Iggy will be showing his affection for you throughout the day, even if it’s just in small ways. Being surrounded by strangers and not having any of the bros in sight makes it feel like it’s just the two of you in this world, so he is a bit more willing to publicly display his affection. He would hold your hand while walking and put his arm around your waist when you were standing together. When it came time for the fireworks in the evening, Ignis would stand behind you and wrap you in a tight hug. He would love the feeling of you cuddling up against him as you watched the show. This guy would do everything he could to make this a very special day for the two of you to have fun, let loose, and be your true selves around each other.

Gladiolus:

You will be at that amusement park from open to close. This guy wants to get his money’s worth - you know and love him enough to expect this, so you’re definitely fine with it! He would go on any of the rides with you, but his favorites would be the big ones. The ones with the really steep drops that make your stomach flip a few times. Gladdy would successfully coax you into going on them with him a few times, even if you were starting to feel dizzy or slightly sick. Of course, if you really didn’t want to or you were really feeling their impact, he wouldn’t force you.

Another favorite part of Gladdy’s day would be playing all of the carnival games. He would make it his absolutely mission to win you one of those ridiculously huge Moogle plushies. You both would know Iris would be extremely jealous once he won you one and you’d laugh about it for a while. The thought of an upset Iris would be lingering at the edges of Gladdy’s mind though, so you two would go buy her a smaller stuffed Moogle to match the massive one Gladdy had won for you.

You can be guaranteed that Gladdy would be that somewhat annoying guy that would start tickle fights while you’re walking through the park or randomly pick you up so he could carry you around as you squirmed, trying to get away, but laughing all the while. When it comes to shows, Gladio wouldn’t hesitate to lift you up so you could see over the crowd. And having you hugging his arm as you walked through the park or waited in lines would make his heart race - he’d be super happy and excited, although he would never admit it aloud. When your feet were tired by the end of the night, Gladdy would insist on carrying you, absolutely adoring the feeling of you snuggling up to his back as he gave you a piggyback ride to the car after a long, wonderful day together.

#this one was so fun to write #so flipping adorable #ffxv #ffxv head canon #ffxv headcanons #ffxv imagine #ffxv imagines #final fantasy 15 #ff15 #final fantasy xv imagines #final fantasy xv headcanon #final fantasy xv headcanons #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv imagine #ff #ff writing #ff headcanons #ff imagines #final fantasy #final fantasy writing #ffxv writing #ffxv noctis #noctis lucis caelum #noctis #prince noctis #ffxv prompto #prompto #prompto argentum #promprom

[elemyah]

Link: Ao3 Title: Wearing Thin Rating: Teen+ Pairings: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia Warnings: - Summary: After Noctis entered the crystal, Ignis’ obsession with defeating Ardyn becomes worse than ever, to the point Gladio isn’t just worried about his health, but also about their relationship.

@gladnis2018

Few things on Eos annoyed Gladio as much as Ignis Scientia.

No, it wasn’t because of his sarcastic sense of humor, or his stupidly sexy accent, or that perfect ass, or even how gorgeous his eyes were behind his glasses. No, he was way over his teenage days of hating Ignis over those details and just accepted that some people were blessed by nature. Furthermore, he was grateful that all of that goodness was his goodness, and loved each and every aspect of that man…

But he couldn’t stand how he never seemed to take a break.

It only became worse after his confrontation with Ardyn. As if almost killing himself with the ring of Lucii hadn’t been enough, he was now obsessed with preparing the world for the battle they would inevitably face as soon as Noctis came back.

Noct… His absence made everything harder. Ignis avoided touching the subject, but Gladio knew how much he missed the brat — and, to be honest, he did too. After such a long time with the four of them spending almost every moment of every passing day together, being suddenly reduced to three had been a shock. And Ignis, who had acted as an older brother to him since childhood, had it worse than anyone.

Gladio entered the room without knocking, because he knew that would piss him off — serves him right for being stubborn. As expected, Ignis was sitting in front of his desk, surrounded by an intimidating pile of documents, and pretended not to notice him. Gladio approached him, standing behind his chair, glancing at the detailed report from Lestallum he was reading. Looking at it was enough to make him feel exhausted.

“Iggy…” he said in his sweetest tone, placing his hands on Ignis’ shoulders. “Don’t you think you should take a break?”

“There’s no need,” the answer didn’t surprise him. “But I’ll gladly accept a cup of coffee.”

Gladio furrowed his brow. It wasn’t unusual for Ignis to drink coffee, but…

“You’ll end up dying like this,” he said. “I’m serious, this much caffeine can’t be good for your health. Are you sure you still have blood in your veins, by this point?”

“I certainly hope so.”

For someone who was always fussing over them, he sure was good at neglecting his own needs.

“C’mon, just rest for a few hours.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

That stubbornness was starting to get on his nerves.

“Ignis, I swear…” his tone became more serious. “If you don’t take a damn break, I will tie you to the bed.”

“Isn’t it a bit early to be having kinky thoughts, Gladiolus?”

“Don’t you start being sassy on me.” He leaned forward, taking that report from Ignis’ hands, proceeding in a softer voice: “Just for a few hours, it’s all I’m asking.”

Ignis stayed silent for a moment, considering his options.

“Fair enough,” he said. “It’s not like I’ll get anything done with you distracting me, anyway.”

Gladio smiled, giving him a brief kiss on the face.

“Good,” he said. “Just sleep, I’ll come wake you later.”

Ignis didn’t answer, walking to his bed. Gladio waited until he lay down and closed the door. When he came back, an hour later, Ignis was already back at his desk. He considered starting another discussion about that behavior, but gave up, leaving the room in silence.

For the next months, Gladio tried to keep it to himself, respect Ignis’ way of doing things and avoiding a possible confront. But, instead of it getting better, Ignis started to neglect his own health even more. He had lost weight, and slept just the bare minimum during the night. Gladio thought that, if they weren’t living together, it would be even worse, since many times he was the one insisting that Ignis took a short break, or even reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in almost ten hours. He feared that, at such rate, he would end up sick, or worse.

And, honestly, he couldn’t take that situation anymore.

“Iggy,” he said, standing beside his chair.

“Yes?” Ignis raised his eyes to him.

Gladio took a deep breath. He knew it wouldn’t be easy.

“This needs to stop,” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. I let you do whatever you wanted, and, as a result, you’ve been getting more and more careless about yourself.”

“Gladio, please…”

“No, I won’t back down this time, because I’m tired of seeing you act like this. You don’t even look like yourself anymore!”

Ignis didn’t answer for a while, and when he did, his voice was low.

“Are you breaking up with me?”

That question hurt Gladio more than he thought possible.

“Of course not,” he said. “I’m just worried about—”

“Gladio…” Ignis interrupted him, not looking at his face. “I’ll understand if you’re tired of this. I know it’s not being easy for you to be with me, and I won’t blame you if you think it’s… better like this.”

Gladio just looked at him, unable to believe he had just heard those words. It made him feel a sudden anger grow within himself: was it that simple to him? Could he just end it, as easily as that?

“Is this what you want?” he asked in a low, serious tone.

“This is bigger than what I want,” answered Ignis. “Bigger than me, or you, or anything else.”

He took a deep breath, looking Gladio in the eyes.

“Sorry, but this isn’t something that will change.”

Gladio slammed his fist against the table.

“And I’m supposed to just leave and wait until someone tells me you went and killed yourself while I was away?” he asked in a loud tone. “Do you really think I’d do something like that? It might mean nothing to you Ignis, but it’s important to me! You’re important to me!”

Ignis closed his eyes, clenching his teeth. His silence just made Gladio angrier.

“You keep saying this to yourself,” proceeded Gladio, “that you’re doing this for the greater good, or any bullshit like that. And I’ll stay here, making sure you don’t cross the fucking line, because apparently you can’t do it yourself! Do you think Noct would’ve wanted any of this?”

Ignis stood up, facing Gladio with enraged eyes.

“Noctis is not here!” he screamed at him. “Am I supposed to do nothing until he comes back? And then just watch as we lose him again?”

“I never said that,” retorted Gladio. “But do you think driving yourself to the limit will help Noct in any way?”

“I saw him dying, Gladio! I can’t let this happen! I can’t—”

Ignis voice cracked, and it was like something he had been concealing within himself had finally broken free. He covered his mouth with his hand but couldn’t hold back a loud sob. Tears left his eyes, and he sat on the floor, burying his face in both hands, weeping. Gladio just watched for a moment, taken aback. He never saw Ignis crying so much, not even after what he went through in Altissia. All the anger vanished from his chest as he knelt down beside his partner.

“Iggy…”

Gladio first touched his shoulder, and seeing that Ignis didn’t reject his touch, hugged him, holding him against his chest.

“I know it’s hard,” he whispered. “I miss him too, every single day. But Noct needs you, alive and well. We all do,” he made a brief pause. “Especially me.”

“But what if this isn’t enough?” asked Ignis. “What if I don’t do everything I can, and I lose him for that? I can’t, Gladio… I can’t.”

“But you don’t have to carry all this burden yourself,” he said. “That’s why I’m here. And Prompto, and Iris, and Cor, and everyone. We’re all fighting for Noct. We won’t let anything bad happen to him. You’re not alone in this, Iggy, so, please, stop acting like you are.”

Ignis didn’t answer for a long time, and Gladio didn’t rush him.

“I’m sorry…” he finally said. “It seems I’m not dealing with this as well as I thought.”

“It’s alright,” Gladio placed a light kiss on his forehead. “Just let us help you.”

Ignis agreed with a nod. He didn’t move away from Gladio, who stayed there, comforting him as he could, reminding him that, no matter what happened, he would be there for him. For everything he needed, until the very end.

And, if Ignis didn’t believe him, he’d just have to prove him wrong.

#gladnis #gladnisweek2018 #xpost #fanfic #my fic #i hope i tagged it right