riverviewlogs | April Catch-All

[ The game is supposed to be done, he's on the ground, this doesn't really count. ]

[ Gladio walks up and nudges at his foot with his own. ]

Hey, it's late. Why don't we call it quits for tonight?

[ He's not going to let this guy keep going like this. ]

[ in response, his leg curls away from the nudging ]

As an Emperor, it would be a shame if I were to be defeated this early. [ he says, not moving ]

[ Dropping down to one knee, Gladio laughs gently. He's so wasted. ]

Didn't you hear, your majesty? You emerged victorious.

[ He's lying. But hopefully the little 'Emperor' will buy it. ]

[He'll drunkenly buy it. It's enough to get him to roll slightly more on his back, at least, so he can smile at Gladio like he's considering buying it. (It's already bought.)]

Was it a grand and glorious victory, like those recorded in history books to be remembered for all time?

[ Success. ]

Got it all up here. [ Gladio points to his head, which incidentally points to the criss-crossed scar on his forehead. ] I'll be sure to sing your praises to anyone who'll listen to me.

[ Gently, he picks up one of Eichi's arms and starts to lift him until he's sitting upright. He's prepared to deal with dead weight, similar to a sleeping Noctis. ]

[He sits up with a little lifting, only to immediately lean against Gladio with a laugh, his hand moving to stabilize himself against him.]

Whoops. [He's not used to this at all... This out of control feeling would normally put him in a panic, but it seems like he's too relaxed to be in one.] Will you? It's as if I have my own borrowed knight. You have that sort of image, too.

I only do what I must, you know? Even if the masses turn against me and throw me from the throne, if everyone else can become even a little closer with one another and grow, then I'll be happy. [It's fine if Gladio has no idea what he's talking about... He's just speaking in metaphors now.]

[ Borrowed knight? Hah, Eichi's accidentally onto something there, but the King's Shield does nothing more than shake his head with a low laugh. ]

Uh... riiiiight. [ WOW wasted doesn't even cover it. He's just rambling, so drunk that he's just saying anything that comes to mind, isn't he? This guy is as light as a lightweight can get. ] I bet what'll make you happier is a curative and a good night's rest.

[ Gladio tucks an arm under Eichi's knees and starts to hoist him up against his chest, then stands. ]

Up we go --

[That gets a surprised noise out of him, but it fades quickly into another one of his airy chuckles. Ah, even this makes him dizzy. His heart doesn't feel so good at all, and neither does his stomach. One hand stays gripping onto Gladio so he feels a little more secure being carried, but the other rests over his own chest.]

Is that what you think? I wonder if I really will be happier in the morning, or if this heart of mine will feel even colder than usual. Say, even if you're borrowed, can you stay as my knight for a little longer?

[Most of what he's saying probably makes no sense, since again, metaphors, but then he rests his head against him.] I really don't want to die alone, you know?

Hm. [ Don't go gripping too hard - he's not wearing his shirt, thanks to having spilled a drink on it, and that painful looking scar diagonal across his chest is still young enough to be a touch tender. I really don't want to die alone, you know? That's just a touch painful to hear. ]

[ Gladiolus ducks into the tent and sighs as he drops to his knees, trying not to jostle his frail teammate too much. ]

You're pretty ballsy. [ He's not commending him, judging from the hardness his tone's taken. ] No one here as is in tune with your body than you are... and yet you're almost as reckless with it as that Suigetsu fellow --

[ He lays him down on an open sleeping bag, settles down next to him but doesn't flatten out onto his back just yet. ] Where else would I sleep?

[This feeling is horrible, and even as gentle as Gladio is, Eichi feels a little sick for it. It's all of the alcohol, for sure. But what's with these other feelings, then? The tension around his heart, the aching, these thoughts of all of the people back at the academy. He'd taken them for granted even as much as he thanked them for being there for him, didn't he?

And now he's here, and without that person to take care of his funeral, he doesn't feel at ease at all. Without his friends at his side, he feels like he's nowhere near his old throne.]

You're sounding just like my friends, scolding me like that. If Keito were here, he'd be telling me how foolish I was, scolding me for going on this mission at all, and taking care of everything himself. Even those friends that I make here can disappear at any moment, but I was so used to thinking that I would be the one that left first.

[SORRY GLADIO he did not want to dump this on anyone at all, he will regret all of this talking later. Quietly.] I wasn't speaking about sleeping, you know. But never mind that or any of my rambling. You can leave me here and go back out to have more fun. You have more tolerance than I do, don't you?

Your friends, huh?

[ But if they're your friends, aren't they worth listening to? If only he could turn to his now, in this strange world of wonders and more unknowns than he could ever know? ]

[ Gladio makes a dramatic show of yawning; tossing his head back, jaw creaking as he swallows air and heaves it back out again like he's titan, lifting insomnia under his broad shoulders. He cracks open one amber eye down at Eichi before closing it again. ]

Maybe I do, but why don't we discuss it in the morning...

[Hmm. Slowly, Eichi closes his own eyes, and even if that small smile is still there, it's thin.]

I can tell that you're trying to be rid of me, so can you stop with the gentle comments and soft treatment? I'm not some sick patient who needs to be handled with gloves at all times. I don't enjoy that sort of thing at all.

Quit complainin'. Didn't you insist on a bodyguard? Besides, you all killed the mood with your in-fighting.

[ It's a good thing he detests gentleness, because this mountain of a man, while capable of being gentle, can also be as unforgiving and hard as stone. He lifts a hand and taps the top of Eichi's head with a knuckle. ]

Sheesh, what is with you guys? You, Sassy, that guy with the teeth... you're all the same. A bunch of hissin' cats, throwing out claws and puffing up to keep others at a safe distance...

[ Gladio makes a tch sound through his teeth. What a bothersome group. Otherwise, he settles and his breathing is steady. ]

Do you really want to know? Those two were both stuck in a place with me before this one, but they don't remember a thing. Selfishly, it has me a bit upset. Fufu, it's foolish, isn't it? To equate something like that with "not making an impression."

[But making an impression is kind of what he does for a living. He blinks a few times and belatedly raises a hand to hold lightly over where he was tapped.] It's our secret that I'm not taking it in stride, okay, Mr. Bodyguard? I'd like to appear as though I'm not bothered at all, so trying something that lowers my inhibitions was a bad idea after all.

[ Gladiolus cracks open an eye again, then sits up with elbows on the floor. Yes, he understood was he was told in orientation - there are many other worlds, no... universes than the one he's from. Alternates.

How would he feel if he encountered his friends, and not a single one of them recognized his face, his memories?

Suddenly all the sodium-rich dialogue from tonight makes a little more sense. ]

...You haven't told them. [ He'll get around to addressing your pretense in a bit, blondie. ]

I told Sasuke about that place, but I'm embarrassed at how desperate I must have seemed. "Please remember me," that sort of thing isn't what an Emperor should be troubling himself with, you know? I never directly told Suigetsu at all.

[He closes his eyes again, since they're incredibly heavy and his breathing is a little short from all he's gotten up to. Ahh, he feels so sick, it's horrible. Can he really sleep like this? It feels incredibly hot, but his arms have goosebumps that reveal his skin is actually cold.]

We weren't very close at all, so you shouldn't feel sorry for me. It's just that I'm actually a lonely person who wants to make friends. Fufu, a pathetic image indeed.

[ So that's what it is. Makes sense, it doesn't take much to know where Eichi's coming from, but it doesn't make it any less unpleasant. Instead it's kinda... depressing. ]

Sounds rough.

[ And hits a little close to home, too. ]

[ But uh, kid - lookin' a little unwell there. Don't get sick in his tent, it'll be ages before he gets that smell out. ]

...You're looking feverish. [ Gladio turns as he seeks out the pocket of his jacket, his back and the expanse of ink decorating it momentarily facing Eichi. ] You should take some of this.

[ Tightening his hand around a small vial filled with blue liquid that glows with a pure light. He's no doctor, but one of these always seems to put the wind back in his proverbial sails enough to keep going. Maybe it'll help. ]

C'mon, sit up.

[Rough... Yes, it feels rough. But he doesn't want to comment on it, because his head is spinning and the reminder of how pathetic he is isn't really fun. So instead, he shifts to place a shaky hand on the floor and push himself to sit up.]

What's that? A type of medicine? It seems I really overworked myself, this time.

Kinda.

You use it in combat to refresh yourself. Here -- [ Gladio moves so that Eichi can brace himself against his chest, that wobbly arm tells him he's not in any state to hold his own weight up by himself. With arms out on either side of him, he places the vial into the palm of Eichi's hand. Hopefully Eichi doesn't try to pry open the seal, because Gladio will be ready to stop him from the attempt. ]

I'll show you how to use it. Consider it part of your training.

[It's a good observation. His body is a pathetic thing that shouldn't have even carried him to this age, but he's been forcing it to this entire time. He knew better than to go all out with this drinking thing, but he really wanted to feel that rush, to experience things he never has before. Keito would be so angry.

Leaning heavily against Gladio, he glances down to the vial in his palm.]

It's a lovely color. [Just saying. Thankfully, he doesn't try to do anything with it before having instructions.] My training is in your hands, then, Gladio. A bodyguard, knight and instructor all in one? Fufu, show me how to use it. So long as it isn't anything overwhelming, I should be able to handle it.

[ The guy is so light, Gladio is starting to wonder if all that stuff about him being sickly is more serious than he originally thought. ]

Yeah, I guess so. [ Gladio huffs a laugh, ] Just doin' my job. Alright, so this part's easy. You just get a good grip on it and squeeze.

[ Gladio puts his hand over Eichi's and closes his fist. The glass doesn't just break... there's a clear, audible sound of glass breaking, but then it evaporates in the well of Eichi's hand, spreading a thin light over his form. ]

[Gladio might feel Eichi tense just a tiny bit while leaning against him as their hands squeeze over the vial. It's a reflexive fear that he'll have his hand cut by the glass. Instead, there's a beautiful light, and that queasy feeling of his vanishes, at least, along with the majority of the pain in his chest.

It helps him relax, in other words, even if his body is still exhausted. A temporary relief. He still smiles, letting his eyes drift closed again with a quiet exhale.]

How does it do that, I wonder? [It just vanishes, he means, but he's too exhausted to express this otherwise. He's going to fall asleep right here unless Gladio hurries up and lies him back down.] Thank you.

[ It's part of the reason Gladiolus just... tightens his grip. The first time he'd been taught - at a much younger age, in fact - he'd just pried the thing open and down the hatch it went, quickly learning why it is people opt for this method.

Hint: The texture is weird and it's not as tasty as it is pretty. ]

Mmhm. [ Gladio releases his hand and looks down at him, then takes him by the shoulders and gently lays him down on the sleeping bag, starts pulling the fabric around him. This is good. Some color already seems to be back in his cheeks. ] No problem.

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finethanks - 2017-04-17 01:55 (UTC) - Expand

April Catch-All

I never was indecent enough to walk around naked.

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just when I thought this couldn't get any more gay

it always gets more gay

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1/2

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this tag embarrasses me

gladio is so casually physically affectionate

RIGHT

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TUCKS HIM IN LMAO this is some supremely heterosexual shit right here

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