WHAT. Gladio and Noct prepare for the mission; Noct gets emotional WHERE. the Outpost WHEN. April 1st 2033 WARNINGS. survivor's guilt mostly but otherwise tame ART CREDIT.here STATUS. complete
The whiplash feeling of coming to the future didn't much shock Gladio. He had assumed it would be a whirlwind of emotions and plans, end of the world stuff tended to be so. He was grateful that at least he had Noct, Ignis, and Prompto. Even if there were years of history they no longer shared they were still a team. That never changed and it was a comfort in all the chaos of this.
It was clear though that the individuals in their little foursome had changed. Which he had expected. The world they'd spent the past decade in was a far cry from the ease of the Vallo he himself had just left. It would be naive to think that wouldn't take a toll. And while Gladio ached at the changes that left the men he loved that much quieter, that much more haunted - there were some that he couldn't help but feel a flash of pride over.
Noctis a prime example of that.
They were working through figuring out supplies for the upcoming mission and had fallen into a quiet as they worked. Until Gladio cleared his throat as he moved a few things from one crate to another before leaning against a stack of other crates.
"Anything else we need to get sorted?" he asked, he was fairly sure they'd ticked off the items on Noctis' list but was going to defer for the final call.
Noct was trying very hard to keep his more intense emotions bottled up tight. Seeing Gladio walking around the Outpost made his heart feel like it was going to burst out of his chest, but it wouldn't help anyone if he clung to him and had an outburst. Their Gladio was still out there. Still savable. Maybe. The ring hadn't worked but the consensus about Interitus was that the last time it was defeated, the people under thrall came back to themselves.
It was a slim hope but it was enough for Noct. It had to be.
He moved with purpose now, repacking a backpack more efficiently, and he stayed focused even as Gladio spoke. Picking up a clipboard, he rolled down the list with a finger over his chicken scratch handwriting. "This is the last of it. Ignis will bring us those emergency rations soon, in case we have to lay low in the field for a while, so we'll need to make room for those. And Prompto is sorting out his ammo. As soon as he's back, we'll double check everything."
He finally let himself look at Gladio, his eyes softer than he realized. He'd missed this; Gladio leaning his impressive form against something and staring down at him with those big brown eyes instead of trying to murder him.
"What do you think?" Noct scratched at his bearded chin. "Am I missing anything?"
Gladio just watched Noctis as he checked over his list, arms crossing over his chest. It wasn't the first time he'd seen Noctis this age, though before had been in far better circumstances. But it was still a rarity. The stress and exhaustion of the past decade was clear on Noct's face, but it was still achingly handsome.
He shook his head a little when Noct's eyes turned to him. A soft smile followed. "I think you got it all," he said.
"I know I haven't been here too long, but from what I've seen it looks like you've really been stepping up," he started. "Keeping things running, taking care of everyone," there was a quick pause as he leveled Noctis with a steady look, pride evident in his eyes. "I'm really proud of you, Noct. It's good to see you taking all this on."
Of course he hated that any of them had to, he'd much rather a different future for them all. But the cards had been dealt and Noctis was handling it.
"Oh, I…" Noct felt winded. He hadn't expected a compliment. Especially not the kind of compliment teenage Noct would've sold a kidney to get. It wasn't like Gladio had never said anything like that before either. But with his emotions already on a tightrope, Noct felt himself start to lose his footing.
"There's a bunch of people keeping this place above water. I'm just…trying to use all the skills my three best friends gave me when I was a spoiled teenage prince." He smiled wobbly. His eyes were damp and there wasn't anything he could do about it, so he blinked rapidly and turned his head back towards the supplies. Unfortunately, they weren't much help since they were inanimate objects and there was nothing else to do with them to keep himself busy.
"It's been really hard without you though," Noct admitted, barely above a whisper.
"It's nice to see you actually listened to us," he offered, though there was a teasing tone to the words. He knew Noct had listened, but it wouldn't be them if he didn't give him a little grief on it. Truthfully he was always proud of Noctis these days, had been for a while now. But it was nice to fall into the dynamic.
He moved closer to Noct, settled a hand on his shoulders and ducked down a little to catch his eyes. "I know," he said. "When we were without you, that was really hard too. We're better as a team. Always have been, always will be." A pause as he pulled Noctis in for a hug.
"You'll get him back," Gladio knew that maybe wasn't a certainty but it felt like one. They were supposed to be four, the universe owed them that. He wanted to keep hope for them that after this was all said and done their Gladio would return to them. "And when you do, I know he'll be proud to see what you've done here too."
The grip Noctis had on his grief crumbled when Gladio hugged him. His tears were hot on his cheeks but he was too busy burying his face in Gladio's neck to be embarrassed. He held on tight and let quietly sob. It had been a while, really. It almost felt freeing to let it out, even if he knew he'd regret it later. It was hard enough to hold all his seams together.
"I had a hard time believing that for a while. I…tried to bring him back using the ring and it didn't work." Noct pulled back, rubbing his palms across his face like a much younger version of himself would've done. "And I thought, what if he knows I failed him? What if, he's in there, you're in there, feeling abandoned and let down." He closed his eyes and breathed out before he straightened up. "It took a while to let go of that feeling. It's part of why I've tried to do my best here. Rather than sit around feeling weak."
Gladio just held on tight as Noctis broke down a little, his forehead dropping to the top of Noct's head. There was a little sharp inhale though as Noctis admitted to using the ring to try to get their Gladio back and he hugged him just a little tighter at that. The thought didn't sit well with Gladio, but he got it. He'd take any shot he had too if the situation were reversed.
"He doesn't think that, Noct," Gladio assured him. "I know I'm not him, but I'm him enough and I could never think that of you, I know he wouldn't either."
He pulled back and cupped Noct's face between his hands. "I'm glad you found something to put that into though." Even if he knew well enough that those same thoughts probably still reared their ugly head. It would for him.
“I know. Think I was just projecting.” Noct shrugged. He was reluctant to give Gladio space now that the seal had been broken, but it felt wrong to take too much advantage of his presence here when Noct’s husband was out there, out of his mind. Still, he patted a hand over Gladio’s heart before he took a step back, out of Gladio’s comforting grip on his face. “I know you’ve always had faith in me. Even when you were frustrated with me, it was because you believed I could be better. I try to remember that when all of this gets to be too much.”
There was a slam of equipment being moved around deeper in the compound and it worked like a reset clock. Noct squared his shoulders and reached out to slap one of Gladio’s biceps amiably. “We should get something eat. All those big muscles need their fuel,” he teased. He felt a little lighter, even if his face was tear-streaked.
Gladio wasn't naive enough to think one stolen conversation in the midst of the craziness would be enough to fix it all, but it was enough to see Noct look at least a little lighter in that moment. A little hope that maybe it was a bit of comfort Noctis could hold onto in the days to come. Gladio may have been approached to travel to the future to fight, but he knew he'd only be doing half the job if he didn't try to give the men he loved a little encouragement along the way.
The sound pulled his focus for a moment, but it returned easily to Noct when he realized it wasn't anything they needed to worry about. There was a soft smile at the tease. "Yeah, that sounds good," he answered.
He slung an arm around Noctis' shoulder as they headed out. And as they walked a random memory popped up, a safe one - far before Vallo and how it had all gone downhill for Noct but maybe something to bring up a few other easy things to talk about over lunch. Maybe even a couple to get a laugh out of Noct, let him escape from the stress for at least a little bit. "Speaking of fuel for muscle remember that gods awful protein powder I picked up ages ago, like back in Insomnia ages ago - that somehow managed to taste like chalk and paint thinner all in one…"