Gladio's arms tighten around him immediately the second he feels Noct's arms go around his back, holding him so tight that he practically dares any gods or crystal to pull him from his hold. Noct may say it's not a big deal but they both know it is. Had things not gone the way they had, Altissia would've gone off without (ha) a hitch and they'd all be back in Insomnia. Ignis wouldn't have turned twenty-three in this world, and Gladio would've been spending his twenty-forth with his family. Iris. Jared. Talcott.
Dad.
The thought pulls a shaky breath from the Shield, and for a moment he holds onto Noct tighter. Breathe, Gladio. Deep breath. In and out, just like that.
It's not complete, but... he still has part of his family here. He's still got Prompto and Ignis. He still has Noctis. And Noctis... He'd gone out of his way to do this. For him. It's not perfect, but you know what? That's just fine with Gladio. More than fine. Once he's got his emotions (mostly) under control, he takes a slow breath, lets it out, and-]
Aside from maybe the faintest of squeaks when Gladio squeezes him, Noctis doesn't protest when he very well could. And would, and might even be expected to a little bit. Not that he's allergic to affection, but he's never put up with too much contact before he feels the need to huff and puff about it, even when he... secretly actually likes it. Don't ask him why he is that way, either, because he has no idea. He just... is. A weirdo, messed up. Unable to be all the way honest with his friends sometimes. Not always, though. Just sometimes. This time, the way he tucks his face against Gladio's chest and lets him hold him, maybe even squeezes back a little bit, he's not obfuscating anything.
He's not hiding his face or anything, don't get it twisted. But if he mumbles his immediate answer directly between Gladio's pecs that is between him and god and he will not be accepting comments or criticism about it at this time. ]
Well... good. I'm glad.
[ Augh. Okay, enough, Gladio's sweaty and he's starting to feel self-conscious. Gnawing the inside of his cheek, he shrugs his shoulder and starts to take a step back, as seemingly casual about it as he can manage to be as he meets Gladio's eye (because not doing that would be even more embarrassing and he is not a weenie). ]
'Cause if you didn't I'd be feeling pretty lame right about now. You wanna heat up some noodles and sit around awhile, or...?
[ The longer they stand there together like this, the more bold he begins to feel until eventually he's got one hand at the back of Noct's head, cradling him just and close and as gently as he did Iris before they'd all left for Altissia. That one simple gesture speaks for him rather than using words.
All 'I love you's without any of the 'see you soon's.
Because he does - he loves Noctis more than he can express with his own words. It's not that he's embarrassed to say it outloud, more that he doesn't quite know how to say it in a way that wasn't overly casual. After everything this was a big deal - a bigger-than-Titan Big Deal - and he'd be damned if he opened his mouth to say something stupid enough to ruin it. Nah, it's better to keep things buried and harmless. ]
You? Feel lame? That'd be the headline of the century, wouldn't it?
[ Even though Noct pulls back, it doesn't stop Gladio from reaching out to tussle his hair at the same time. To his credit he doesn't let the disappointment on his face show from how soon they part, but you know what? He'll have plenty of opportunities to pull him right back in later. ]
Though if you prepped for noodles... Either you know about the stash I picked up from Coba or you've got something else hidden that I don't know about.
[ Not like he made The Stash a big secret. He'd even brought one along just in case he wound up stuck out in the wilds for some unknown reason, along with extra supplies. Bear jerky, some dried wyvern meat from the markets after a few hunters returned from Coatepec some days ago, plenty of water, the works. ]
[ Although he makes a face, Noctis doesn't swat his hand away. In all honesty, he feels like it was a little too soon, too, but that's just how he is, isn't it? And besides, he... maybe got a little scared. Of what might happen if he didn't pull away. If he let that moment go on too long, what they might say or do... there's a big, emotional episode there just waiting to happen, and this is only scratching the surface of it.
But yeah. They've got plenty of time. And he must not be that scared, because he knows full well this is just the start. If he'd been looking to find an excuse to hide from it for real, he would've invited Ignis and Prompto right from the getgo. ]
Wait, another stash? I just figured you probably had one saved up somewhere. You're like a magician with those things. Rabbit in a hat, only it's a Cup Noodle "for a rainy day."
[ Well. It sure ain't raining today, but that's liable to change on a dime. It feels like it's a rare day when it isn't raining or otherwise intolerably moist out here, but that's at least not the most unfamiliar thing in the world. If not for the heat, it'd remind him a lot of Duscae. Good times, those... kinda... sorta. Some of 'em. ]
I'll cook if you trust me not to ruin 'em... and that's a big if.
You can thank Prompto for that. There's this statue over in Coba that'll apparently grant you something you want if you leave an offering. He told me about it, and as a joke I asked for a pack of 'em. Turns out it's legit, so...
[ Gladio shrugs with a wild grin, finally taking a step or three back to pick up his bag from where he'd dropped it so he can gently toss it right at Noct. Heads up, dude! He's not afraid of beaning him with it, and even if he did it's not as if he's got anything heavy in it. They've all carried heavier when it came to setting up camp at the havens - every piece of equipment lugged up and down hills from the car to the site, sometimes day after day? This was easy in comparison. ]
They're just noodles. If I could manage making 'em when I was eight, you can do it no problem.
[ After all it's just boiling water! How hard could it be? ]
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no subject
Date: 2022-04-20 01:27 am (UTC)Gladio's arms tighten around him immediately the second he feels Noct's arms go around his back, holding him so tight that he practically dares any gods or crystal to pull him from his hold. Noct may say it's not a big deal but they both know it is. Had things not gone the way they had, Altissia would've gone off without (ha) a hitch and they'd all be back in Insomnia. Ignis wouldn't have turned twenty-three in this world, and Gladio would've been spending his twenty-forth with his family. Iris. Jared. Talcott.
Dad.
The thought pulls a shaky breath from the Shield, and for a moment he holds onto Noct tighter. Breathe, Gladio. Deep breath. In and out, just like that.
It's not complete, but... he still has part of his family here. He's still got Prompto and Ignis. He still has Noctis. And Noctis... He'd gone out of his way to do this. For him. It's not perfect, but you know what? That's just fine with Gladio. More than fine. Once he's got his emotions (mostly) under control, he takes a slow breath, lets it out, and-]
...I love it.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-23 07:14 pm (UTC)Aside from maybe the faintest of squeaks when Gladio squeezes him, Noctis doesn't protest when he very well could. And would, and might even be expected to a little bit. Not that he's allergic to affection, but he's never put up with too much contact before he feels the need to huff and puff about it, even when he... secretly actually likes it. Don't ask him why he is that way, either, because he has no idea. He just... is. A weirdo, messed up. Unable to be all the way honest with his friends sometimes. Not always, though. Just sometimes. This time, the way he tucks his face against Gladio's chest and lets him hold him, maybe even squeezes back a little bit, he's not obfuscating anything.
He's not hiding his face or anything, don't get it twisted. But if he mumbles his immediate answer directly between Gladio's pecs that is between him and god and he will not be accepting comments or criticism about it at this time. ]
Well... good. I'm glad.
[ Augh. Okay, enough, Gladio's sweaty and he's starting to feel self-conscious. Gnawing the inside of his cheek, he shrugs his shoulder and starts to take a step back, as seemingly casual about it as he can manage to be as he meets Gladio's eye (because not doing that would be even more embarrassing and he is not a weenie). ]
'Cause if you didn't I'd be feeling pretty lame right about now. You wanna heat up some noodles and sit around awhile, or...?
no subject
Date: 2022-04-23 09:30 pm (UTC)All 'I love you's without any of the 'see you soon's.
Because he does - he loves Noctis more than he can express with his own words. It's not that he's embarrassed to say it outloud, more that he doesn't quite know how to say it in a way that wasn't overly casual. After everything this was a big deal - a bigger-than-Titan Big Deal - and he'd be damned if he opened his mouth to say something stupid enough to ruin it. Nah, it's better to keep things buried and harmless. ]
You? Feel lame? That'd be the headline of the century, wouldn't it?
[ Even though Noct pulls back, it doesn't stop Gladio from reaching out to tussle his hair at the same time. To his credit he doesn't let the disappointment on his face show from how soon they part, but you know what? He'll have plenty of opportunities to pull him right back in later. ]
Though if you prepped for noodles... Either you know about the stash I picked up from Coba or you've got something else hidden that I don't know about.
[ Not like he made The Stash a big secret. He'd even brought one along just in case he wound up stuck out in the wilds for some unknown reason, along with extra supplies. Bear jerky, some dried wyvern meat from the markets after a few hunters returned from Coatepec some days ago, plenty of water, the works. ]
You offering to cook, or am I?
no subject
Date: 2022-04-25 05:06 pm (UTC)But yeah. They've got plenty of time. And he must not be that scared, because he knows full well this is just the start. If he'd been looking to find an excuse to hide from it for real, he would've invited Ignis and Prompto right from the getgo. ]
Wait, another stash? I just figured you probably had one saved up somewhere. You're like a magician with those things. Rabbit in a hat, only it's a Cup Noodle "for a rainy day."
[ Well. It sure ain't raining today, but that's liable to change on a dime. It feels like it's a rare day when it isn't raining or otherwise intolerably moist out here, but that's at least not the most unfamiliar thing in the world. If not for the heat, it'd remind him a lot of Duscae. Good times, those... kinda... sorta. Some of 'em. ]
I'll cook if you trust me not to ruin 'em... and that's a big if.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-25 07:46 pm (UTC)[ Gladio shrugs with a wild grin, finally taking a step or three back to pick up his bag from where he'd dropped it so he can gently toss it right at Noct. Heads up, dude! He's not afraid of beaning him with it, and even if he did it's not as if he's got anything heavy in it. They've all carried heavier when it came to setting up camp at the havens - every piece of equipment lugged up and down hills from the car to the site, sometimes day after day? This was easy in comparison. ]
They're just noodles. If I could manage making 'em when I was eight, you can do it no problem.
[ After all it's just boiling water! How hard could it be? ]
Mind if I check everything else out?