rookshire | ★ // stay frosty royal milk tea

★ // stay frosty royal milk tea

Who: Ardyn + Ignis, featuring some assorted things later on
What: Replanting medicinal plants and chocobo snacks.
Where: Around the building and nearby
When: ~May 9th
Warnings: JRPG illness, again.

He's still a complete imbecile. Has he ever learned anything a day in his life?

[Ardyn complained as he was known to do in between emptying out the lockers of anything that looked like it would hold a plant; lunchboxes, mostly. He may or may not have acquired a couple of pots through questionable means, but it never hurt to be fully prepared. His own persistent cough had finally stopped over the new moon, but now that a few days had passed it was starting to return no matter how he hid it.]

When we inevitably run out of medical supplies because everyone's running about doing the most idiotic things possible, I don't want to hear a word of complaint from anyone. Unless we can come up with a case of bottled water or somesuch thing out of nowhere, I'll have absolutely no part of playing doctor.

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...What a futile endeavor.

['The fate bestowed upon a man can not be changed.']

You'll die trying, you know.

I'll die anyway. Sorta what I was built for... Dying for the cause.

[A shrug, something that could almost be called a nuzzle but he tries to keep it from being that, just savoring the weight of Ardyn's hand on his head.]

Besides, he's got a lot to answer for.

Likewise.

[A soft, bitter laugh.]

Ironic, really. I always expected I wouldn’t live a year or two past my coronation. Seems I overshot that by a bit.

Rather die alongside you guys than-

[Ah survivor's guilt. Really though, it hard enough knowing that he's supposed to get his shit together enough to rule after failing Noctis. He's not sure he could take it if he failed Ardyn (and by extension Ignis) too.]

...Fool. My apologies, but in an ideal outcome I'm the only one dying here. You'll have some work to do after the fact.

[Fuck it. He scoots himself along a little, pushes a touch closer, rests his head on Ardyn's thigh instead of beside it.]

When does anything ever turn out ideal? Especially when Bahamut's involved.

If you run off and die, I’ll personally drag you out of hell just to kill you again for upsetting him.

[He's going to ruin it now. He knows he's going to ruin it. But he turns his head, reaching up with his free hand to gently keep Ardyn from pulling back, just long enough to press a kiss to his palm.]

Yeah, thanks. love you too, jerk.

[And then he's going to drag himself back up into a sitting position before Ardyn can slap him or move and dump him off his lap.]

[Ardyn sharply pulled his hand away, bringing it close to his chest. Instead of being furious, he just looked...shaken.]

Don’t—don’t do that again.

[Not the reaction he was expecting. Gladio tilts his head a little, starts to reach out and then stops himself. What would be a comforting touch for most is just more pushing with Ardyn so he checks that instinctive need to comfort but he makes no effort to hide that it was there.]

Not trying to push too much. I promise, I'm not. But uh... you mean the kiss? or the L-word thing?

[It might seem obvious that it was the touch more than the words that was too much but he wants to make sure if he can get a straight answer out of him. Honesty, communication, etc etc etc.]

Either one.

[Although from the way he was gripping his own hand, it was clear one bothered him more than the other.]

[He wants to call him on it. But he doesn't quite let himself. It's obvious he's biting his lip for a moment there then he just nods, giving Ardyn's hand a pointed look but he holds his tongue. Instead he just leans back against the wall again, closes his eyes for a moment.]

You... want me to leave you alone?

[Too much? He should probably get back to what he was doing but also, his hip hurts and he's not sure he can get up on his own, not from all the way down here.]

...No.

[Hesitant, but to the point enough.]

...Do you know anything about sewing?

[Excuse him while he explodes from happiness because what had he done to earn so much tolerance from Ardyn today?]

Sewing? Yeah, it's the one hobby my sister stuck with.[Because of course he had to learn everything she did so he could help her.] I mean... I'm no master tailor or anything but I made the mattresses and pillows and a couple pairs of shorts.

[Ardyn reached into his pocket and pulled out his gloves, cut in places from having worked on breaking the window. He held them out to Gladio, not quite looking him in the eye and trying to sound dismissive.]

Fix these for me--you started all the blasted trouble with a simple damn window, you could at least do that much.

[A pause, Ardyn reflecting on that 'request' and evaluating whether or not it sounded like a normal human thing to say.]

. . . Please.

[Gladio took the gloves as they were held out to him, nodding as he looks over the little tears. It's not a request it's an order but Gladio gets that Ardyn doesn't want to seem like he needs anything so it makes sense. That part is pretty normal.

Adding the please though makes him look up from examining the gloves, a hopeful smile on his lips.]

Yeah... Might not be the neatest cause I think the only needle anyone has is a suture needle but I should be able to make it work.

I don’t need perfection, just functionality. I wear all this for a reason and can’t afford to be without both coat and gloves.

Okay, sure thing. I can tear down one of the spare bandages for thread.

You know there's sweats in the laundry, he could just put on a hoodie. [A gentle tease, they both know Ignis likes wearing Ardyn's coat and he suspects Ardyn likes having that visible claim on Ignis as well.]

I’m not so painfully sensitive that I can’t survive without one layer. So long as I stay out of the sun, it’s not worth worrying over.

Mmmkay

[Whatever you say, Ardyn. You could just be a normal boyfriend and leave hickeys to stake your claim but noooo.]

Would've killed for him to wear my jacket back in high school y'know [He was too busy with crownsguard to have a real varsity jacket but the sentiment is the same.]

Is that a common practice still? I remember I once gifted Aera an old traveling cloak I used to wear—bright red wasn’t an ideal color for sneaking past castle guards, in hindsight.

[ardyn you just accidentally admitted to like five different things at once]

Course it.. is... [Wait... what? Who's Aera? why were you sneaking around? when the fuck was this!?

It's actually kind of hilarious watching all the question form and then him clench his jaw and swallow them down regardless of how much he wants to ask. Ardyn will tell him when he's damn well ready to.]

Uh... yeah. Red's not the best sneaking kinda color.

...

[Ardyn was immediately aware he’d screwed up, visibly retreating back into his shell.]

Shame, that. It always was my favorite.

[No screwing up, nothing about that is a screw up! It just surprised him, Ardyn's usually so careful not to say anything about anything.]

You're not really the sneaking type though so it works out. Dunno I think you'd look pretty sharp in red.

White was more what I favored, back then.

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