Event: Abort! Part Two (day 25, Egret). Luggage carriage

[voidtreckermods]

They are on world world#27462947582 for about five hours, helping, ushering people out of the city, fighting monsters, keeping guard. All seems well in the city itself, peaceful even except for the slight panic of people being told to move south.

Wherever they are, north in the desert, travelling through the countryside to the south or still in the city itself they will notice from their peripheral vision a darkening of the sky. Looking up they will see clouds. Strange clouds, appearing in the blue sky out of nowhere.

Their SCA’s start beeping, rapidly, flashing red. The clouds are too weird to be clouds, dark shapes in the sky. It might be that the Voidtreckers heed the warning and tap their SCA to evacuate to the train. It might be that they do not.

If they don’t then there is a moment, a moment of absolute stillness as those around them notice the shapes. A confused pause. Children stop their chatter, people stop their complaining, even the monsters seem to sense something and pause in their attacks.

The remaining voidtreckers are yanked away, even without pressing their SCA, they glow gold and disappear.

They all appear in the luggage carriage and not even a second later, with no warning the train lurches, flinging everyone off their feet as it enters the void.

It’s not really easy to tell speed in the void, but they will get the sense that they are moving fast. Faster than before, leaving that world and whatever those shapes were behind.

(OOC: Information on this event is here and part one is here)

Comments

[sonoflucis]

"I wasn't jealous of you." Noct said, his voice hushed. Honestly, he knew how Prompto felt now, there was no reason to be jealous of Gladio.

[callmegladio]

"I see..." Gladio glanced down at where his hand lay upon his sheets.

When Prompto has questioned him, at no point during that questioning had the thought occurred to him that Noct might like him. He seemed to remember Prompto saying some ridiculous things, but Gladio could barely understand why Prompto liked him, much less why Noctis would feel the same.

"How long?" He asked, not looking up from his hand.

[sonoflucis]

Noct shifted, worried he was making Gladio uncomfortable. It would really suck to get kicked out when he couldn't walk. "Um... Probably since we started getting along, honestly. I know I was a brat about it... But I liked that you didn't treat me with kid gloves."

[callmegladio]

That was... predictably vague.

He looked up to Noct, contemplating his next words carefully.

"So what is it you want? I know what Prompto wants. But what do you want, Noct?"

[sonoflucis]

What did he want? Was it too much to ask to be with them? Was he being selfish? "I just want you both to be happy. In my wildest dreams, I could be part of that but... You haven't said how you feel about the whole thing..." Noct looked at him. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way. I wouldn't begrudge you, and neither would Prompto."

[callmegladio]

"I haven't said, because no one asked. And I was asking you... I don't want your wildest dreams, Noct. I wanted to know what you want." But he supposed Noct had answered that, just in that self-depreciating way of his. Both asking for it and dismissing it as an impossible thing in the same breath. It was maddening.

There was a part of him that felt bad for this. This should have been a conversation Noct had with Prompto. Not him... He sighed. "... When did I say I didn't feel anything?"

[sonoflucis]

"I want to be with you both." Noct said, knowing Gladio wanted a straight answer. "Just to be held by you... To be loved, I guess..."

Noct bit his lip. "I didn't say you didn't feel anything... I just don't want pity." He looked back at Gladio. "What do you want, Gladio?"

[callmegladio]

Did it hurt to give straight answers? In Gladio's mind it saved so much damn trouble. There could be no misunderstandings or crossed wires if people just came out and said what they wanted to say. So he was very happy when Noct stopped beating around the bush and told him plainly what he wanted.

Though the next line earned the King a light smack against his thigh. It would have been the knee since it was closest to him, but he didn't actually want to hurt Noct.

"The hell..." The brief moment of happiness that had been threatening to bubble up within him was covered over quickly with irritation. "Pity? You think I'd pity you? Do you actually think I'd jeopardise what I have with Prompto because of pity?"

[sonoflucis]

Noct shook his head, almost desperately. "No! I mean...I don't want you to act weird around me...I..." He grabbed at his hair in frustration. "Why can't I get my words right?" He always had such a hard time putting his feelings into words. "I definitely don't think you would jeopardise what you have with Prompto out of pity..."

[callmegladio]

Gladio moved to the edge of the bed and shifted himself down it, closer to Noct. One leg on the floor, the other curled on the bed so he could face the younger man.

"Because you've stopped speaking plainly." Gladio pointed out, the irritation fading away. "You're thinking too much, Noct. I wouldn't act weird around you. Why would any of this change who you are? Or who I am?" He grinned widely. "You're still a brat. Who you're sleeping with won't fix that."

[sonoflucis]

Somehwo, words that might have sounded harsh to other people made Noct smile. It made him feel better, even if there were tears in his eyes. He did what he had wanted to do since they started on this topic. He hugged Gladio tight. "Can I be your brat?"

[callmegladio]

He was half expecting the hug, though half expecting Noct to just hit him, but really preferred the hug.

Gladio laughed and wrapped his arms around Noct, pulling him in close, but still mindful of that knee of his and not wanting to jostle it. "I would like it if you were."

[sonoflucis]

Noct held on as long as he could, until his knee hurt too much to handle it. He reluctantly separated from Gladio, smiling softly. "You know Prompto is going to be insufferable about this, right?"

[callmegladio]

The problem was, Gladio wasn't quite ready to let go. He let Noct pull away and laughed again at the mention of Prompto. "I think you're right." He said, even as he hooked a hand under Nocts knees and gently pulled him down the bed a bit and away from the pillows.

"He'll be excited. He might tell me off." As he spoke he bent to remove his boots. He'd not worn anything too fussy when he'd been given the chance to change into native garb, and since he hadn't ventured into the city he didn't have any weapons he needed to remove. Just his boots.

[sonoflucis]

Noct liked that Gladio just moved him around the way he wanted. The was something comforting about being in Gladio's arms.

"Why would he tell you off?" Noct asked, tilting his head. He didn't want to cause any disharmony, after all.

[callmegladio]

"Maybe because he isn't here?" Gladio chuckled and, once his boots were off he climbed onto the bunk behind Noct. He was laughing as he tried to get himself into a decent enough position without knocking the King off onto the ground. But once he was settled he was able to wrap his arms around the other and pulled him in to lean against his chest.

"There. Now we're not hurting your knee." There was a rather self-satisfied smile upon his face then.

[sonoflucis]

Noct laughed. "Yeah, he'll whine about that, won't he? Sure he won't come looking for you soon?" Not that Noct minded that.

He relaxed in Gladio's arms, even taking a moment to press into Gladio's chest. "Yeah, this is nice...Really nice..."

[callmegladio]

"Probably... I didn't see him in the luggage area..." And he'd looked. But he knew Prompto would find him eventually.

He lowered his head, his smile gentling as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of Nocts head. "I'm glad."

[sonoflucis]

"I'm sure he's okay..." Prompto was smart. He wouldn't have gotten left behind.

Noct wondered if his heart would eventually get used to Gladio's intimate touches, but right now it felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. "Can I sleep here all night? There aren't any weird rules, are there?"

[callmegladio]

"He's just fine." Gladio said confidently. He'd know if Prompto wasn't. He didn't know how, but he just knew he'd be able to tell.

Then he grinned. "You can stay here, Noct. Only weird rule is that sometime in the night you'll end up back in your own bed. No one warned me and it freaked me out. So try not to fall out of your bunk when you wake up in the wrong place." He was more than happy to have Noct sleep there, it wasn't as if having him nap with him was an unusual thing.

[sonoflucis]

Noct nodded. He had faith that Prompto was fine. His gut told him so.

"Really? That sucks..." Noct pouted. "I want to be with you all night. But I guess if that's the rule..." He sighed softly. "You'll come check on me in the morning?"

[callmegladio]

Gladio nodded. It did suck. He kind of hated zipping back to his own room once he had fallen asleep and waking without Prompto in his arms where he was supposed to be. He tightened his arms around Noct for a moment then. "I promise, I'll come check on you." And would probably end up bringing him back to his room so he could keep an eye on him. While his knee was giving Noct problems, the last thing he needed was to be on the top bunk.

[sonoflucis]

Noct sighed happily at the gentle pressure of Gladio's arms. "I knew you would say yes." He said softly. "I feel kind of dumb for picking the top bunk now, though. It'll make being independent in the meantime a bit difficult."

[callmegladio]

"Not if I keep bringing you here in the mornings. Or to Prompto." It would depend on which room was available. Though his was usually empty. And if not it was just Primrose and he was fine with that.

Gladio lowered his head to press his lips to Noct's shoulder, not quite a kiss, but a smile. "You're not dumb. You didn't know you were going to hurt your knee. You'll be safe here though. I'll just have to come knocking each morning till you're better."

[sonoflucis]

"Either works for me." Noct said, gently stroking Gladio's arms, just enjoying the intimacy.

"I can't think of a better way to wake up. I won't even complain about it being too early." At least, not while they were on the train. It was easier to be okay with it when there was no sunlight to tell you whether or not it was daytime.