IC inbox ➢ etraya

[inimicitia]

un: galatine

𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 . 𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚘 . 𝚝𝚎𝚡𝚝 . 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

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text | @noctgar

[somnifer]

We should do something for Prom. I know it's not actually his birthday, but it is here. Maybe it'll -

[inimicitia]

So what were you thinking?

[somnifer]

He could visit the chocobos any time, so not that. What about taking him out on a tour for good photo spots? We could bring lunch. Let him go ham for a couple hours and get it all developed.

[inimicitia]

Sure. I've gotta check on that fog though before we go out. From what I've heard about it, it's not something we should mess with.

[somnifer]

I'm open if you got a better idea. I just want him to have a good time. Forget about all this for a little while, you know?

[inimicitia]

I know. After everything, I don't think it's a bad idea to try to do something. I'm not really the party-planning type, but I think your idea's a good one, I just have to pump the brakes a little until I can figure out what areas are safe enough for us to head out and poke around in.

Could end the whole thing at the chocobo farm, too, if you wanted. Get him a cake or something.

[somnifer]

What if we took that trolley around? He could pick some spots and it wouldn't be far.

[ Noctis knows you're stressed. He can sense it from fifty yards. ]

Way ahead of you on the cake. 😉 The farm sounds good, though. It's crazy that it's even here.

[inimicitia]

I think that might be our safest bet. It seems like most of the areas right around the stops aren't affected, and I'm sure there's plenty to see.

As long as you didn't make it, I'm sure we'll be fine.

We can see if it's the one we know when we get there. I've heard places from home can show up here.

[somnifer]

You better not be doing reconnaissance without backup. Cor's gonna manifest out of nowhere and shove you into a ditch.

Big guy's got jokes. 😝

Places from home like [ ... ] literally anything?

[inimicitia]

I keep waiting to see the phone light up but so far, nothing.

Literally anything, yeah. That's what I've heard anyway. People have added them to the map when they find them. So far, I haven't seen anything that looks familiar.

[somnifer]

Yeah. Same. That's what w

What about bad places? Stuff that could hurt people?

[inimicitia]

Noct.

I don't know. No one's said anything about that. What are you thinking?

action ➤

[somnifer]

So I've been thinking, [ is spoken casually from where Noctis is sitting on the windowsill, legs dangling from over the side. ] About this whole mission thing. I should figure out what weapon I'm using. I don't really want to grab something of yours or Prompto's while we're out there, and I was never any good with Iggy's daggers.

[ He lets that hang in the air, not bothering to discuss how he'd given away all his weapons to the hunters back home. It just didn't sit right with him that they had so little, and with the royal arms, he didn't need to use other weapons anymore.

That changed since they ended up in Etraya and he'd been unceremoniously locked out of using them. ]

[inimicitia]

Dangerous start to the conversation, [ Gladio replies from the sofa, still reading his book. It's been slow going because he's been stuck thinking about the mission too, running over plans and contingencies over and over.

As Noct continues, he slips the pressed flower back into place to save his page, closing the book and setting it down on the table. Gladio's up too, resting against the back of the couch, arms crossed over his chest and he listens, eyes fixed on Noctis. ]

Not interested in the sword anymore? [ It wasn't judgement, just curiosity. ] Noticed you didn't mention it.

[ They'd focused on that back in the day, but that hadn't been the only thing Gladio had taught him. He's got the foundation for a lot of things. ] No, you're not quick enough. It's all reaction time and you can't hesitate. There's not enough blade for that.

[ Pushing up off with his hips, Gladio pulls out a glaive from the Armiger, twisting it idly, careful not to hit any of the furniture. ] This might be more your speed. You remember what I told you about it?

[somnifer]

[ Noctis makes a disgruntled noise from where he's sitting, but it's warm and not actually annoyed. They always tease each other like this. There's something comforting about that. ]

I picked it up because it was dad's thing, [ is what he says, but what he means is, And I wanted him to approve. Gladio will understand. In response to the comment about his skills with daggers, Noctis is quick to add, ] Watch it, [ in a warning tone. There's that warmth again. He's amused.

Twisting around at the sound of a weapon being summoned, he eyes it, contemplative. ] 'Course. [ He swings his legs back over the windowsill so he can get inside and make his way over to Gladio, hand out, expectant. Noctis figures he's about to start a lesson. ]

[inimicitia]

[ Gladio huffs softly at that noise, one he's intimately familiar with. He doesn't say anything else though, waiting for Noct to break that silence with his answer, a dance they've done since they met as kids. ]

I know. [ Both of them inherited a lot from either fathers, not all of it good. ] Got real good at it too. [ Because Gladio had been there, every day, every lesson, right from the very start, and he'd seen how hard Noctis had worked even when no one else did. ] You think too much, [ Gladio points out, not daunted by the warning in that tone, always challenging him. There's a smile on his face. ]

Where's your center of gravity? [ Meeting Noctis halfway, Gladio holds the weapon out for him to take it and then moving behind him, hovering close. ]

[somnifer]

That's like complimenting yourself. So egotistical. [ Noctis' tone is flippant, but he's absolutely teasing. It's no secret that Gladio is the reason he was able to learn the sword at all after his injury. No one else thought he'd be able to do it, yet there Gladio stood every single day, tirelessly standing beside him and catching Noctis every time he stumbled or folded in frustration. He's deeply, profoundly grateful to him.

And that sentiment is sparkling in his eyes as he gazes at Gladio now, watching until his Shield disappears behind him, utterly trusting. With the pole now in hand, Noctis huffs, shifting his feet apart almost instinctively. They've done this countless times before, and it's all basically muscle memory now. ]

Think I could do one of those dragoon tricks? [ Priorities. ]

[inimicitia]

Someone's gotta do it. [ Gladio huffs, fondness and teasing all wrapped up in the sound. Beneath though is pride, not in himself but in Noctis, for every time that he fell, he picked himself back up, trying harder when all the courtiers around them, every dignitary, even their fathers believed they would fail, that Gladio couldn't teach him and Noctis wouldn't try. They both proved them all wrong. They continue to prove them all wrong.

Holding those deep blue eyes until he's standing behind him, Gladio watches as Noct sinks into position and he steps in, his large frame pressing in, his chest to Noct's back, and he places his hands over Noct's, slowly moving him through the flowing movements they used to practice.

He laughs at the comment, and knees Noctis in the back of the leg gently. ] You'll have to work on your muscles if you want to manage that.

[somnifer]

[ Noctis snorts, but offers no response. It's their usual banter, an easy back and forth, and he settles into it with amusement. Gladio knows how he feels, and while Noctis could stand to articulate himself a little more, there's a comfort in being so utterly and effortlessly understood by someone. He suspects it's the same for him, too. Or at least he's feeling confident enough to bet on it today.

When Gladio steps up behind him, Noctis exhales softly, relaxing into that touch and letting his movements be guided. ] Watch it, [ he warns with nothing but warmth in his voice. This is all so easy. Of course, there's a little tension to be contended with, but nothing more than usual when he's training with Gladio. Noctis is almost eager for this, an immovable certainty he can count on, and he even leans back into him a bit, not bothering to try and hide the fact that he's seeking that steady, warm presence. He's always been desperate to horde all of Gladio's attention for himself. ]

I like it, [ he adds after a while, voice a little raspy. ] Feels more natural.

[inimicitia]

[ There are times when Gladio does push Noctis, but this doesn't feel like one of those times to him. From where he's standing, he can see everything that might have needed to be said right in the way Noct holds his body and in the look on his face, and there's no one else here. Just like there's a lot of things on his mind that maybe, in other company, he'd have to spell out, dig up the words to put them out there, but he knows he doesn't need to with Noctis and that frees him up to think about other things.

Gladio chuckles. ] What're you gonna do about it? [ The next move is a little more involved and he steps even closer, his frame crowding in slightly, guiding the glaive through the air. Repeating the motion, he knows that Noct will get it, but it's more than that, a feeling he doesn't think about consciously but it's there anyway, right at the back of his mind.

It's harder to ignore when Noct leans back but Gladio's been balancing this for years. Still, there's a tightness in his chest and his voice is a little deeper when he speaks. ]

Thought it might. Think you can handle something a little more complicated?

[somnifer]

[ For a moment, everything else falls away. The world is utterly quiet — distant birdsong muted, shuffling from other apartments all but gone. Noctis can only hear Gladio's breathing, every inhale and exhale a steady counterpoint to the beating of his own heart. Even his own thoughts, which too often crowd and cluster his head, have fallen blissfully silent. He sinks into his own body, following each motion with purposeful, fluid confidence.

If he'd wanted to respond with words, he wouldn't be able to. But he trusts Gladio — utterly, without question — and he knows all he has to do is follow his instruction, offering a little nod of his head at the question.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Gladio is warm, and Noctis is cool, and he's almost mesmerized by this. It's definitely not their usual way to train, that's for sure — but he's so far from offering a complaint. ]

[inimicitia]

[ Exhaling softly, Gladio adjusts his hands, covering Noctis' with them as he shifts his weight. They're in perfect sync, an easy rhythm they settled into years ago that's only gotten easier to fall back into, like now. Gladio just breathes and all the noise is gone. For a few moments, it's just them, like they're on a different plane altogether and not in the middle of their living room with all the weight of their and every other world bearing down on them.

It's just a silent give and take, the moon and the waves below it, and something completely familiar and new all at the same time.

The trust that washes over him isn't something Gladio takes for granted. Years in the building, it wasn't always this easy for them, the two of them stumbling and fighting against the reality of their stations until the day everything started making sense and Gladio discovered what he was fighting for. ]

You're doing good, Noct.

[ His voice is quiet, something rumbling, almost more felt than heard, as he leads them through a more complex technique. ]

[somnifer]

You're an alright teacher, [ Noctis volleys back, but his usual teasing tone is ruined, somewhat, by the breathless way he says it, clearly distracted. He's far more interested in focusing on the way their bodies move together than keeping up with the thread of conversation. That low voice rumbles through his own chest, shaking loose cobwebs and tuning perfectly to the soft melody in his heart.

This is going to complicate things. But when has their lives ever not been complicated?

Noctis is so thoroughly focused on Gladio, though, that his grip slips right at the end of that move, and he nearly spears his own foot. He huffs, a blush creeping up the back of his neck. ] Maybe not so good, huh.

[inimicitia]

[ Gladio just chuckles in response, more a feeling than a sound, and this close, he knows that Noct can feel it though he's distracted himself. The breathy quality to Noct's voice fills his head, though he's slightly better at hiding the fact that he's still thinking about it simply because he's well practiced in the techniques he's showing him and it's mostly muscle memory that's guiding him through it.

Complicated doesn't begin to cover it, but Gladio's used to complicated. He's had to be, carrying all of this around with him for so many years, always mindful of where the lines are.

So he knows that he's crossed one, doing this, but he can't bring himself to mind, especially when he notices Noct stumble slightly and the heat of his blush radiates off of him. Easily, Gladio redirects the blade, keeping it from hitting either of them, and he steps closer, holds Noct's hands a little tighter, and moves them into a different move. ] You just need a little guidance, but you've got it.

action ➤ delivery!

[somnifer]

[ There's a small envelope waiting for Gladio with his name printed on it. Inside is a black feather that shimmers in the light and a card with formal, looping script. ]

I heard this might have magic in it, but even if it doesn't, I wanted you to have the one that was mine. Thanks for everything, Gladio. It means more than you know.

Happy holidays,
The Swan Prince

[ A doodle of a tiny black swan with a crown accompanies the signature. ]