inimicitia | open rp post ➢

That's not enough. [ The words burst out of him like a tidal wave, and he's straightening to look at Gladio, blue gaze flashing. It's like a crack of thunder — a warning — even if his anger isn't for Gladio. ] You deserve to hear it now. Don't you get it?

[ He's shoving his hand out at Gladio, but instead of pushing him, he grips his forearm tight. ] You shouldn't have to guess. You should hear it all the damn time. You should be SICK of hearing it. [ His breathing is ragged now. Noctis blinks away tears and wipes them away instantly, irritated by them. ]

It's not fair to you. It's not fair. [ He clings to this anger, because if he lets his grip slip for even a second, Noctis knows a few tears will be the least of his concerns. It's a dam he absolutely refuses to let break — even if he's so close to it collapsing. ]

Isn't it? [ With that old familiar furrow between his brows, Gladio turns fully now, gaze fixed on the prince even as he's whipped up into a frenzy.

Instead of interrupting, though, Gladio just weathers that storm, reaching up to grasp Noct once that line is crossed again, like he's been waiting for a sign and that was it. Gladio runs his hands over his arms, up over his shoulders, reaches up to bat Noct's hands away when he starts scrubbing at his face, wiping the tears away himself with gentle, calloused fingers. ]

It's not guessing, [ is what he breaks the silence with. ] I know you better than anyone else which means I can read you like a book, Noctis. I'm not guessing when I look at you and know what you're thinking. Or feeling. That you're feeling it is all I need.

[ Talking is hard for both of them, at least for things like this. Gladio is familiar with the painful way they stick in his throat like thorns tearing him up from the inside, and he can see them doing the same thing to Noct now. ] I don't need to hear it to know it's there, and if some day you want to say it, I'll be happy to hear it, but that's like someone telling you it's raining when you're already wet. [ Gladio holds Noct's face in his hands like its the most precious thing in the world. To him, it is. ] Just keep looking at me like this.

[ There's a burning behind his ribs, a spark of fire that grows steadily into an open flame the more Gladio talks. Noctis barely notices the tears now falling freely, tracking hot, sticky paths along his face. He doesn't hear the ragged way he's still breathing, each gasp catching in his throat, sharp and painful. All he can sense is Gladio, and he reaches to grab both of his wrists, holding on, squeezing, desperate to keep hearing him talk and yet too overwhelmed by it all to process any of it.

So he gives in, launching himself forward to wrap his arms around Gladio's neck, kissing him with a desperation he can't name. It's more than hunger — it's yearning, years of it building to this moment, and he collides into him hard, crawling right into his lap with a shaky moan.

He'll say the words. But for right now, fingers burying into Gladio's hair, Noctis writes his feelings with his lips and his hands, kissing him until there's no air left in their lungs. The world can wait. This moment is for them, and he'll guard it jealousy. ]

[ Undeterred, Gladio carefully brushes away each tear that falls with the pads of his thumbs, cradling that beautiful, tear-stained face with his palms. There's a part of him that knows this is a lot, teetering on the edge of too much, but Noctis deserves to hear it, to hear that Gladio doesn't need him to be anything other than who he is, with all his hangups and hesitation, how he's gentle and nervous and demanding all at once and everything Gladio's ever wanted.

So he's not surprised when Noctis launches himself at him, Gladio catching him, arms wrapping around the prince's middle to steady him, but he melts under the warmth of feeling in that kiss. Heat prickles along the column of his throat, blooming across his chest, and he doesn't register the fact that his lungs ache because he's sustained by this, by Noctis.

Sneaking his hand under the hem of the prince's shirt, Gladio presses a palm to the small of his back, the other finding its way into Noct's hair, its usual style flat from laying in bed but also from Gladio's large hands. The need to be closer eats at him and Gladio tugs Noct until they're flush again, and even then, it's not enough.

Carefully, Gladio lays Noct down onto the mattress and covers him with his own body, protective and possessive, even now. Especially now. Gladio's aware enough not to rest his full weight on him, but he knows Noctis is stronger than even he realizes, and he kisses him with every ounce of passion he has inside himself, unwilling to waste even a drop of it when he's saved it all for this moment. ]

[ That hand at his back unravels something tight and coiled in the pit of Noctis' stomach, and he relaxes with a sigh, pressing his weight into Gladio as though yielding all his trust. And he is. He always is. Under Gladio's hands, he feels safe, treasured, and Noctis desperately wants to make him feel the same.

His next kiss is slower, but no less hungry. If anything, it's savoring, exploratory, following his every move, learning what Gladio seems to like so he can repeat it again and again. He might be inexperienced, but he's no less eager, and when their positions shift, Noctis makes sure to drag him down, too, an arm tight around Gladio's neck. ] I can take more than that, [ is spoken in a voice that's rough but full of confidence, his dark blue eyes half-lidded as he gazes up at him, a smirk tugging at his mouth. ] Come on, big guy. [ Noctis is still smirking, bold as anything, as he proceeds to tug on Gladio with a leg at his hip.

So much for not getting his way. This is very bad. Except Noctis will immediately be distracted by Gladio's weight on him, a needy little noise caught in his throat that he definitely wasn't anticipating. ]

[ Brushing his thumb along the ridges of Noct's spine, Gladio savors the warmth of that trust, cherishing it always and what it means, how Noct allows those pieces of himself to shine through that no one else gets to see only when they're together. It's the same for Gladio, his carefully crafted image falling away to reveal the parts of him that he doesn't trust anyone else with. Gladio's gentler than people realize, his heart so big that it hurts to carry sometimes, but he freely lets Noct hold it for him when he can't manage it anymore and he always will because that's the only place he knows it's protected, treasured, safe.

Gladio rumbles softly, a sound that reverberates between them, deep and low and warm. His lips feel bruised, almost prickling numb, which only makes every movement of Noct's against him that much better, jolt after jolt sent right to his spine like touching a live wire. ]

Can you, [ Gladio asks, voice rough and teasing. He ducks down to kiss the corners of that smirk, pausing only for a moment to steady himself, to exhale soft and trembling, as Noct tries to urge him to rest all his weight down on him. It's his turn to grin down at him, his amber eyes molten. ] You asked for this.

[ And with that, he presses down against him, lips finding Noct's throat. Gladio feels that sound against his mouth and it does something to him, draws a moan from him that Gladio doesn't even try to stifle. ]

[ Noctis will always jealousy covet that heart, protecting it from anything and everything, a fierce, all-encompassing instinct he's felt ever since they were children. Even when they didn't see eye to eye, they were still always in step — part of each other, missing pieces that perfectly align. Never, not for a single moment, did Noctis feel unsafe around Gladio. How could he when the man in his arms was so loving and gentle?

After licking that sound from Gladio's mouth, he reluctantly eases his head back onto the mattress, gazing up at those dark amber eyes with his own searing look. ] You know it. [ Noctis reaches up to drag his thumb over Gladio's lips while he settles down further on him. Rumbling softly like a purring cat, he shifts his thighs apart more to make room, a bolt of heat slithering down his spine when they're finally slotted tight against each other.

He likes this. He likes this a lot.

Shivering, Noctis bites back another breathy noise, something higher than the register he tries to keep his voice in, the feeling of being pinned like this undoing him in ways he'd never imagined. He squeezes the back of Gladio's neck, half-aware of the fact that he's panting hard. ] Gladio, [ comes out wavering, that moan and those lips at his neck making Noctis squeeze his eyes closed for a minute. He tries to shift, but he can't move, and that, too, draws another needy noise from him. This is definitely an effective way to shut him up. ]

[ Gladio drags his knuckles along the line of Noct's jaw, feather light, and he can feel his pulse against his fingers, steady and strong. All of him is beautiful, his hair a dark halo on the sheets, those dark blue eyes an ocean Gladio wants to drown in. Pressing into that hand, Gladio pins Noct with his eyes, the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips, kissing that thumb as it swipes across them.

And he feels that sound rattle around his ribcage, bright and warm and he wants to hear more of it, wants to carve out pieces of himself so that he can keep it there forever. Gladio is still so aware of his body, how heavy it is, but he likes the way he fits against Noctis, like they've always been perfectly hewn to meet like this, two halves meant to come together.

Answering with his own low, desperate sound, Gladio's mind is narrowed to the jut of Noct's hips biting into his own, the rise and fall of their chests, the fingernails digging into his nape. ] Noctis, [ is breathed against the prince's throat, sealed there with another kiss with just the edge of teeth. Gladio allows a little more of his weight to rest on him, but he's careful, listening to that heartbeat and the sounds Noct is making, never wanting to hurt him. ] You like this. [ It's a statement more than a question, all heat and teasing with an undercurrent of affection. ]

[ This is suddenly, unexpectedly slow, and Noctis isn't complaining. He likes having time to drink in the gentle expression warming Gladio's face, the way desire brightens his eyes to a molten, sunny amber. He thinks it's the prettiest thing he's ever seen, and it makes his heart stutter in his chest, his own eyes wide and lips parted in quiet awe. The fact that this is being offered to him is so far beyond anything Noctis thought he could have. It's almost too much.

And then those lips are on his neck, a ghost of teeth against his skin, and Noctis is clawing at Gladio's shoulder with a shaky warning sound. ] Gladio. [ He huffs a laugh right after, shifting a leg around that hip to give it a squeeze. As if he wouldn't retaliate. ] Watch it, [ Noctis rumbles, another chuckle running through him. It's nice, being like this with him. Playful and soft. He doesn't feel hurried, though he steals another kiss because he can, reaching up to run his fingers through Gladio's hair. If they could lay like this all night, tangled together, he'd be utterly content. ]

[ Tracing along the curve of Noctis' mouth, the cut of his jaw, Gladio can't help but want to draw this out, to make this moment last a lifetime. Outside this bed, duty waits for both of them, the lives they were born into, the burdens they have been tasked to uphold. None of that matters in here, and for as long as he can have it, Gladio just wants this, Noctis' deep blue eyes and the flutter of his heartbeat and the shaky, breathless way he says his name.

Gladio grins against his throat, worrying that same spot with his lips, his teeth, going against his better judgement to leave the beginnings of a mark there. His eyes will find it again in the morning, he knows, and for the rest of the day, the sight of it reminding him of this, their time together. A shiver races along his spine then. ] Keep saying my name like that and I'm not gonna be able to stop, [ he says, his own warning spoken like an oath against pale skin. Shifting his weight, Gladio reaches down to guide Noct's other leg around his waist and he settles heavier against his hips, melting against the prince's mouth with a soft noise. ]

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