revivalproject | [Open] The Daring, Dashing, And Dating

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[Open] The Daring, Dashing, And Dating

WHO: Gladiolus, Noctis, Any Starduck Crew (or visitors), Open
WHERE: Starduck, Ul'Dah, Limsa Lominsa, Gold Saucer, Costa del Sol Dungeon
WHAT: Shipboard Times, Questions, Gladitorial Work, Dungeon Crawl, and Dating
WHEN: During Event, from June 17th - August 10th
WARNINGS: Violence/Injuries Possible in the Dungeon Crawl
NOTES: Unless otherwise noted, assume Gladio is dressed Like This on the planet

1A - A New Star | Starduck | [Crewmates Only]

Turned out that flying a ship in atmo and in space were not quite the same. Gladio may have had some practice at the former, but fuck, the latter wasn't easy. He grit his teeth as he focused on the whole thing. After a thought he flips a switch and speaks, hoping the PA system really does work.

"This is your Captain. Feel free to come on up to get a fucking view of a glowing hole in space. And some planet with it I guess. Anyone got any Ifrit-Damned clue what's going on here? Come up to the cockpit and explain shit."

1B - Captain With The Ship | Starduck | [OTA, visitors from other ships welcome to fly over]

No one could be on the planet all of the time. Okay, maybe they could, and go and spend their money on nice restaurants or plush inns, but not Gladio. No, he had other things he should be doing, and honestly, he felt safer bunking down on the Starduck. So in the evenings it was always a touch to a crystal and being whisked back onto his ship. Once there Gladio groaned and started to shed his gear right there in the hold. Simple enough to tuck it all back into his chest and then dress in his normal gear.

"Nice place, like to visit. Fuck I wouldn't wanna stay."

He wasn't used to people being that much larger and stronger than him. The Hrothgar were getting to him.

"Time to chill.

2 - King of the Ring | Ul'Dah Coliseum | [OTA]

They had him at 'battle monsters for a purse of money'. Gladio was a monster hunting machine back home, and he was more than happy to prove it here. Granted he wouldn't be able to change his weapons on the fly in the battle, but he still didn't mind. He's doing great.

It's easy to run into him here. Gladio's often in the back prep areas, stretching and doing warm up exercises, eyes sparkling with excitement. Any might approach him then as he warmed up for a nice round of monster fighting. Of course there was always the chance that someone might want to set up a nice little spot of one on one competition, may the winner take the spoils. All it would take is someone approaching him to start a conversation for that.

But a guy couldn't be fighting all the time. And after fights even Gladio found himself up in the stands, stretched out and catching his breath as he watched the action. Maybe he might not linger as long, but hey, it was nice to see who all was a good fighter, right?

3 - Stocking Up For Later | Limsa Lominsa Markets | [OTA]

It felt it had been so damn long since Gladio had been in a bustling port down, since he could see the sun on the water and in the sky and on the beach and not see ruins along with it all. It was... Fuck, it was one of the most beautiful things ever. And so he didn't mind coming back here time and time again. First he kept stopping in to check up on Noctis (fishing, predictably). Then he moved on to gather quests for the day, intending to head out to do what he could to build up gold, earn rumors, and go seeking the secrets the Agrii needed.

He spent a lot of time moving between shops to pick up potions and other supplies, and of course he popped in and out of other ones to look over weapons and armor. But in the end the thing that gave him the most pause was any time he caught sight of someone he recognized from Temba.

"Hey! Over here!" he shouted, waving. Better to let them know he was around, and swap intel. Had to know what was going on, right? They were all in this together.

4 - Old Hand At Dungeons | Costa del Sol Dungeon | [One Thread Tony & Jon, OTA one on one otherwise]

Seek Rats, huh? Well, if Gladio knew anything, rats and all that sorta shit were in underground caves. Sure, they were other places too, but who was he to judge? Besides, they probably meant secrets, and from Gladio's experience, some of the deepest and most important secrets of his own world were in fucking caves. Sure there were daemons there too, but they'd found answers to stop the will of Bahamut in caves like this.

So, once he'd heard the cave was a thing, that it was new, well, it seemed like a place to go searching. Gladio's earlier meeting with Tony had brought him to the decision of working with others for this, and once he was pretty sure they were sufficiently geared up, he'd boarded a boat, and gone with Tony to find the entrance to the cave.

"Alright," he said, eyes casting about to make sure there was no one around before using Tony and Jon as cover to summon his sword to his hand. Better safe than sorry. "Time to go in. Your job is to stay back and be my eyes, and solve any puzzles. Keep a mental map of where we're going. And if you feel confident fighting, join in. Just make sure you get back if I order you to, okay?"

He was the experienced on in this after all.

Of course Tony and Jon weren't the only ones he went in with either. Gladio was always happy to go through places extra times, because honestly it was easier to do a thing multiple times. And hey, he was making good money from hunting these monster parts. So he didn't mind clearing the beach while he waited for additional partners to go dungeoning with. In fact, he thought he had caught sight of someone right now. Gladio stood a little taller, leaning his giant sword against his shoulder, and he nodded.

"Yo. You looking to head in? Could use another set of hands."

5 - Charm Goes Arm In Arm | Gold Saucer | [Closed to Noctis]

It had taken a week and a half before Gladio had finished the plan. He'd told Noctis he had an idea, that he'd let the guy know when it was ready. Seeing as they shared a ship, he could keep Noctis appraised at night if Noctis came back to the ship to sleep. Six knew that Gladio sure slept on the ship, liking how safe and secure it felt. And the night before Gladio had asked Noctis to make sure to reserve the day for him.

All the time had been investing in building up the Gil for this. With a heavy pouch filled with the money he'd need for the planned evening, he had awoken, dressed in an outfit he'd gotten expressly for the day, and then he had awoken Noctis. Once he had his King up and moving he guided Noctis to the crystal, and then through it, dropping them in the entrance of the Gold Saucer.

"Alright," he said, smiling as he held his hand to Noctis, "today is for us. I've got a lot of ideas, and some set plans. But you're welcome to overrule stuff."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hey, Gladio could deal with Prompto teasing him if it meant Noctis on his arm for any second he could steal it for. This was a dream he was never meant to live, and while it wasn't the Noctis he'd known exactly, he still wanted to take what he could get. Every last moment.

For now he was smiling as he offered his arm out to Noctis. Dude was getting properly romanced.

"I have so many things. First is we're going to go try some chocobo races. Bet I win this time."

Noct's eyes got big as he saw the arm come out for him. He was totally impressed that his shield would even consider doing something like that for even a split second. But he couldn't resist a boyish smile as he took the offered arm.

And then he laughed. "You're still mad I kicked your ass back home at racing."

Why wouldn't he? He is like that for all of his dates, and this was definitely a date. One he wanted to treat properly.

"You didn't kick my ass. You narrowly won," he insisted, because yes, he's got pride.

The king had to laugh. "Ya ya ya. Still sore."

It was fun being able to tease Gladio some. It was still weird to think that there wasn't something else more important to do or go..wherever. So he was really happy that this was a thing between them.

But he hadn't let go of that arm damn it and he wasn't going to until he absolutely had to.

"Not sore. I'm cool and calm and collected."

He smiles and keeps them going through the place. He'd memorized a map the best he could.

"Pretty place, right? Surprised there's nothing like this back home."

"Mmmhmm."

Of course Noctis didn't believe him, but this was a date and not grounds for a debate. They could do that later.

Right now he followed Gladio around and his blue eyes looked around. "Ya, somewhere like this would draw all sorts of people to Lucis, or wherever it would be located."

Not that he would live to see it of course and he went to go mention it for the shield's own king to build, but that wasn't exactly date material either.

Hey, he is cool, calm, and collected.

"I'll keep it in mind for the future," he suggests. Even if he doesn't think it would go so well. And it would need to relax. "But Insomnia seems the right place."

But that doesn't matter right now. What mattered was Gladio guiding Noctis. "I wanted to start by buying you a nice breakfast."

Noct smiled at Gladio. "I'm sure you'll get it done then." It bugged him that he wouldn't see it, but what the point was, was keeping the shield happy.

However, at the topic change, the king laughed. "Food is always a good start."

It was for both of them really since the two of them had pretty hearty appetites.

Edited 2022-08-07 10:25 (UTC)

"Come on then," he says with a smile, following a sign and pulling his, well, his boyfriend with him. And damn he's just grinning stupidly.

"You know, I never imagined I'd get a chance to have a moment like this. With you. Us. So tell me if I'm not living up to what you've want. Got too many ideas in my head, not sure which will work."

Edited 2022-08-08 00:34 (UTC)

Noct felt like an idiot and just kept a smile on his face as they continued to walk along. But his turned towards the Shield as he spoke. "I think you're overthinking it." the king replied.

Still, he felt the need to clarify. "You don't need to live up to any expectations. So just wing it." It was hard to admit openly that he had no idea what should or shouldn't have happen.

"I'm pretty easy going."

"Yeah, well I might not be the tactician, but I've had years to think about it," he said with a smile. "Maybe I want to live up to my own expectations. My own reputation. And I want you to feel special."

Was that wrong? He hoped not. Still, winging it works for him.

"See, when you say 'wing it' I want to race chocobos even more."

"Already do." Noct smiled in return, hoping that somehow reassured Gladio in some way. He really didn't have any expectations, but wasn't sure how to get that across without stating the obvious.

The king laughed a little. "It's up to you. But I'm not gonna race ya. If this place sticks around for awhile I might though."

Oh that earns a laugh from Gladio as he follows a sign toward a restaurant.

"What, not going to allow me to restore my honor?" he asks with a grin. What a silly thing. But hey, he's just happy to keep Noctis at his side.

"Well, then I don't have to share you with a bird."

The king laughed. "I'm sure you'll get it back with other things you do." He knew Gladio wouldn't let the matter rest forever, and as he'd said he wasn't worried about doing anything about the races right now.

Right now he wanted to spend time with his shield.

That last comment tugged another small laugh out. "Wait a minute. Is that you being possessive over there?"

"You really that shocked?" Gladio asked, smirking at Noctis. "You know I've always been like that with partners, right? When I'm with someone, I'm with them. When they're with me, they're supposed to be with me."

He doesn't appreciate wandering eyes unless they're both joking about it. Someone that is his is his.

"That a problem?"

"Uh no, I didn't really pay attention to your dating history." Noct replied with a shake of his head but the smile remained on his face. His men's romantic lives were always a source of curiously, and of course he tried to get whatever information out of Ignis that he could, even if they were just juicy tidbits of gossip.

But he'd never admit to it.

"I kinda like it though."

"Well, I kinda like the time sharing with you too," Gladio grinned. And there, the door to a quieter restaurant.

"Come on, let's sit."

And the greatest thing was that, because they aren't at home, they can choose an open table. No concern for other eyes.

Noctis just smiled at that grin. It never really got to him before but now the playing field had changed so things would be different in all areas.

He walked in the door that Gladio had opened for him and nodded, picking a table at random to sit at. It was really strange, but the place seemed pretty nice. There was a lot of decoration and the king distracted himself by trying to make mental notes.

After sitting down and still looking at things, he realized he wasn't sure what kind of food would be here. Hopefully it'd be something nice. Finally Noct glanced at Gladio. "Seems like you sure thought of everything."

Once Noctis is sitting, so is Gladio. And when he's settled, he makes sure his leg rests against Noctis's. It's a slightly possessive gesture. Because he is possessive. He likes that he's allowed.

"All I did was think about you."

He noticed what Gladio was doing but of course it was just a leg thing. There'd been a million times their bodies had touched each other, or at least in his own world or whatever so there was nothing that struck him as odd about it.

However, those words made him rethink that as he lowered his head a little, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"You sure know how to butter a guy up."

Oh, was it just a leg thing? Perhaps Noctis was not reading that right. Gladio was smiling at his new boyfriend, and he looked so... happy with this.

"It's not buttering. It's just the truth."

Noct noticed how happy Gladio seemed and it was a good look on him. He remembered the people on the road too during their journey. Lovers always seemed happy to be together and that made him happy.

It was just a different thing all together when it came to himself and his own idea of personal happiness, something he'd never really been afforded.

Not knowing what to say in return without feeling like he was going to get stupidly and awkwardly sappy, the king smiled a little. "I'll remind you that you said that."

"You think you need to tell me my own truths?" Gladio says with a smile. "I've known it for years. I care for you."

ANd that's just what he is and what he feels.

"Never really hurts to remind someone, especially if in the future you get mad at me for something."

There was an answering smile on Noct's face and he just tried to keep going.

“I’m sure I will, and I’m sure the ‘for something’ will be you being reckless and endangering yourself when that’s my job,” Gladio points out. But he knows that it’s a losing battle at this point. This Noctis will not let him stand in the way of the blow if it comes to it.

Though he supposed he could keep Noctis distracted by rubbing his leg against the other man’s first. Focus here.

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