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[inimicitia]

[ 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠 — 𝚝𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚜, 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘, 𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚘, 𝚎𝚝𝚌. ]

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[somnifer]

[ It's hard. It always has been for them. Neither of their fathers were all that demonstrative, and they withheld how they truly felt more often than they struggled through expressions of affection. Noctis could count on one hand the number of times he even remembers Regis saying I love you, so this — expressing themselves, being vulnerable — isn't easy. But he's always prided himself on the fact that they at least try with each other. And he's pleased when Gladio meets him in the middle, a tightness in his shoulders relaxing slightly.

His expression, though, is still a little pinched. Some things never change. ] Could've fooled me, [ Noctis mutters, but he at least has the decency to smirk a bit. And as fleeting as that amusement is, it helps thaw some of his stress from earlier.

After a beat, Noctis shifts his hands, tangling their fingers together. He's staring at Gladio seriously now. ] Promise me next time you need something like that you'll let me know. Okay? I want to have your back, too. [ A beat. His lip twitches. ] Idiot.

[inimicitia]

[ There's a part of Gladio that doubts his father really knew how to love someone, at least in the ways that mattered. Gladio would be lying if he said he thought his father didn't care, but that wasn't really love, certainly not to two kids who felt abandoned. As much as he could, Gladio tried to raise Iris in a home that was warm, to let her feel like someone loved her, but that was hard on a kid who never really knew what that was supposed to feel like, a kid who was torn between that life and the one he was sworn to, the prince who he was meant to give his life for.

Somehow, in spite of the odds, Gladio figured it out, and here he is, trying to reach across that gap, because this matters.

A laugh bubbles up, and he squeezes Noct's thighs again. ] I prefer doing it our own way.

[ Releasing his grip, he holds his hands up slightly, enough for Noctis to sneak his fingers in between his own and he curls them as he meets that gaze. ] I hope there's not gonna be a next time, but if there is, I'll tell you what's on my mind. I promise. [ Another chuckle rushes out of him and he feels lightheaded almost. Gladio shakes his head. ] You do, and I know it. I just needed to remind myself of that.

[somnifer]

[ A soft exhale shudders out of him when Gladio threads their fingers. He's caught in his eyes again, burning a bright amber, and Noctis is only half-aware when he swallows, staring right back. It's like looking directly at the sun — not that he minds. ]

You better, [ comes out far too warm and affectionate to be threatening, but the sharp glint in his eyes is a promise. He won't forget this. ] We're in this together. It's all or nothing. [ Noctis doesn't clarify what, exactly, he's saying with that last sentiment, but he doesn't feel like he needs to. Gladio will understand. He always does.

And if he's squeezing his hands too tight, well. That says something too. ]

[inimicitia]

I'll always be right here. [ Because that sentiment doesn't need to be explained, Gladio knows it intrinsically. This is the life he wants, standing right at Noct's side, and there's no where else for him but here. And if it feels like drowning, staring into Noctis' deep blue eyes, it's a good thing that he likes the sound of the waves crashing overhead and the cradling sensation of sinking deeper and not caring to know how to get back to the surface.

Gladio squeezes back, too, as much a lifeline to Noctis as Noctis is for him. ]