"Whereas you, on occasion, are too harsh," the bespectacled man counters, a smile pulling at one corner of his mouth. For all Gladio's prodding, he always means well. "Perhaps it's best that way. Together, we offer a balance."
"I'm not too harsh," Gladio argues, his voice gruff as he shakes his head. But he lets the subject drop at that, because it's an old argument and one they'll probably never agree on. Then again, Ignis has always seen the Prince and his needs differently than Gladio has. In that, in the balance they created between them, they made it work somehow. Ignis was right about that, at least.
"I don't leave any job half-assed either. And Noct isn't the only one who can benefit from a few workouts while we're out here."
It was an argument neither of them would ever win, for all the times they'd rehashed it over the years-- too many to ever dig into it in earnest now. They both knew precisely where the other stood on that particular matter. He raises a brow once more over his mug, questioning.
"Are you referring to me?" he asks, dubious. "I assure you, I'm in excellent physical condition."
"And what sort of programme, I wonder, do you have in mind for that?"
The question is cool and even, carefully disguising the smile that came along with it as Ignis turned back to his usual workstation, utensils unused as a result of what they'd settled for eating that evening. There was no use packing it all away when he'd only need to use it again in the morning, but busying himself with tidying it allowed him to hide the smile that was pulling at one side of his mouth.
"Hmmm." Gladio hums as he pushes to his feet and saunters over to where Ignis is keeping his hands occupied. He steps up against the other man's back, purposefully crowding into his space because that always gets him interesting reactions, and trails a single fingertip up over the line of one of Ignis' arms.
"I'll have to think about that. Sparring with you always has its surprises. It's only fair I return the favor. I'd hate for you to get bored, after all."
His reflexes are quick, as anyone who's seen him in combat might suspect, and he closes a hand around Gladio's wrist to keep his finger from trailing any higher-- but he doesn't push him away, nor does he take a step back, otherwise appearing to be perfectly at ease with this invasion of his personal space.
It was, after all, old hat to a certain extent.
"I do love to keep entertained," Ignis replies mildly, the smile pulling at one side of his mouth becoming more apparent, leaving the rest of his workstation as it was for now. "How good of you to consider me."
Gladio's voice is smug. Ignis has stopped the trail of his hand, but it also gives him the opportunity to keep said hand occupied elsewhere as he leans in to take advantage of the opening.
With no one else around to see, he doesn't mind pressing his luck and nuzzling in against the side of Ignis' throat, lips teasing playfully against warm skin while he keeps Ignis' arm caught at his side, preventing him from shrugging him off so easily.
Any protest Ignis might have offered would have been an act, something Gladio would have been well aware of. Instead, Ignis opts to save them both the time and trouble, tipping his chin ever-so-slightly to allow Gladio's lips and beard to brush against his neck, swallowing hard at the inviting feel of warm breath against skin.
He'd known it was coming, even played his part by baiting Gladio into doing something, but his eyes quickly survey their immediate surroundings, looking for any trace of their younger companions.
None so far. That much, he was grateful for. A shared tent meant that certain needs often went unmet far too long for his liking, but Ignis was ever concerned with privacy and a certain degree of propriety.
He snakes his free hand downwards, still gloved, hooking a thumb through Gladio's belt loop.
"Thoughtful, you say. I'm curious to know what you're thinking now."
"I'm thinking that the two of them are going to be occupied for a while," Gladio hums as he lets his hips swing slightly closer in response to the tug he feels on his belt loop, letting his form meld in against Ignis' back, a firm, heated presence. "Which has me thinking that maybe we should take advantage of having the camp to ourselves for a bit."
The warm weight against his back was all-too-inviting, familiar and yet something he felt he'd had to go too long without. Something beneath his skin seemed to spring to life, making him acutely aware of just how much he'd been craving this, and he's almost embarrassed by how quickly his pants seem to have become uncomfortably tight.
Almost. He doubts there are many others who would react differently, in his position.
He releases Gladio's wrist, reaching back to slide his hand against the other man's hip, discreetly pushing back against him, leaning into his touch while quite purposefully pressing against his groin.
"You won't hear me arguing for want of a proper bed. Who knows when we'll have time to ourselves again."
Gladio hums in appreciation, smile audible in his voice as he lets his other arm wind around Ignis's waist, encouraging the press back against him. His own hips rock forward in response and he rests his chin against the other man's shoulder.
"Was that meant to be a yes? It sorta sounded like a yes. Just with a lot more words and speculation involved."
Ignis lets out an amused grunt of laughter in reply, playfully elbowing the man behind him before he turns in full, reaching up to rest his hand at the back of his neck.
"Don't be an ass," he tells him, though his tone is all warm affection, and he pulls Gladio down to meet him as he leans in and seals their lips together, making his answer perfectly clear.
Gladio lets himself be tugged willingly, bending slightly to meet the kiss with a smile on his lips. The elbow had done little damage or dimmed his humor at all and his chuckle can still be heard, despite being muffled against Ignis' mouth. he lingers there, enjoying the intimacy they haven't had opportunity for in too long now.
Still, when they pause for a breath, he can't help but tease.
"Can't help it. And I still didn't hear a 'yes' in there, either."
He steals another kiss for himself, this one longer than the first, drawn-out, his fingers sliding upwards to knot themselves in Gladio's hair. He's always been a private person, a man who prefers to keep much of his personal life under careful guard, but being unable to freely touch and taste Gladio the last several weeks has been growing maddening. They steal time together whenever their merry band stops at a motel for the night, but they've been on the road and camping for near a week now, and Ignis isn't quite reckless enough to risk waking their companions in the middle of the night by satisfying his needs in a shared tent.
"Yes," he says finally, the word murmured against Gladio's mouth in turn. "Best make use of the time we have."
"We are long, long long overdue," Ignis agrees, and as tempted as he is to draw Gladio into another kiss there by the firepit, he realizes that their time now is far too valuable to waste. He lets himself be lead, though it takes very little convincing, and he offers Gladio a warm and knowing smile as he coolly slips past him and into the tent, squeezing his hand as he passes before releasing it.
"I could stand to be reminded of simplicity's merits more often," he goes on, carefully removing his glasses and setting them aside, safely out of the way. He wouldn't stop Gladio if he chose to get rough with their clothing, but his glasses weren't quite so easily replaced, at least not immediately.
Gladio steps in behind him, crouched a little to fit beneath the ceiling of the tent. He moves to crown into Ignis' personal space once more and this time when his hand snakes around the other man's waist, it's to slip fingers up beneath the hem of his shirt, seeking out the warm skin of his stomach as he splays his fingers there, a teasing caress and a weighted pressure. His lips tickle against the curve of Ignis' ear a moment before he allows a scrape of teeth.
"You have too many clothes on. Gonna get rid of the rest too?"
He leans back against Gladio's solid weight, more relaxed than their other companions often had the opportunity to see him, sliding a hand to rest over Gladio's against his own stomach. The teasing lips against his ear and the hard brush of teeth make it difficult to be patient, especially when it's likely that their time is somewhat limited, but he doesn't have it in him to rush just yet. The next time they had the luxury of staying in a motel, he would be able to afford to be more methodical, but for now he might have to settle for something in-between.
"Get rid of your jacket and then we'll see to the rest."
Gladio's lips curve into a smirk against Ignis' skin before he steps back to obey, shrugging out of his jacket and then the shirt underneath, dropping them carelessly onto one of the sleeping bags spread across the floor of the tent.
He stands there in only his jeans and boots, propping his hands on his hips as he gives Ignis an expectant grin.
Ignis grabs his own shirt by the hem, tugging it upwards and pulling it off over his head, casting it aside before he closes the space between them once more. There's more clothing to remove, but he finds it hard to keep himself from twining his arms around the other man's waist, leaning in to press a warm, open-mouthed kiss against the side of his neck before slowly working his way up.
They've been in the wilderness for days, and both of them are sure to taste of sweat and dirt and dust, but he doesn't care.
"Better," he remarks approvingly, trailing one finger down the length of Gladio's chest and abdomen to circle his navel.
Gladio gives a low groan when Ignis wraps around him, his mouth finding already-heated flesh and for a moment his head falls back, eyes sliding closed as he just soaks up the glorious feel of it, of having nothing between him and the slide of Ignis' flesh and the all-too-present awareness of how long it's been.
"Much," Ignis assures him, his lips forming the word against his jaw before he works his way to his lips, one thumb hooking lightly against the back of Gladio's jeans, stroking at the dip in his lower back. "Do you have any idea how maddening it is to have to keep my distance?"
"I might have an idea." There's a note of wry humor in his voice at that as he lets his hands slide down Ignis' sides before sweeping inwards to thumb open the button of his jeans, sliding the fabric out of the way of his questing fingers.
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"I don't leave any job half-assed either. And Noct isn't the only one who can benefit from a few workouts while we're out here."
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"Are you referring to me?" he asks, dubious. "I assure you, I'm in excellent physical condition."
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"And I'll be happy to help make sure you stay that way."
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The question is cool and even, carefully disguising the smile that came along with it as Ignis turned back to his usual workstation, utensils unused as a result of what they'd settled for eating that evening. There was no use packing it all away when he'd only need to use it again in the morning, but busying himself with tidying it allowed him to hide the smile that was pulling at one side of his mouth.
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"I'll have to think about that. Sparring with you always has its surprises. It's only fair I return the favor. I'd hate for you to get bored, after all."
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It was, after all, old hat to a certain extent.
"I do love to keep entertained," Ignis replies mildly, the smile pulling at one side of his mouth becoming more apparent, leaving the rest of his workstation as it was for now. "How good of you to consider me."
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Gladio's voice is smug. Ignis has stopped the trail of his hand, but it also gives him the opportunity to keep said hand occupied elsewhere as he leans in to take advantage of the opening.
With no one else around to see, he doesn't mind pressing his luck and nuzzling in against the side of Ignis' throat, lips teasing playfully against warm skin while he keeps Ignis' arm caught at his side, preventing him from shrugging him off so easily.
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He'd known it was coming, even played his part by baiting Gladio into doing something, but his eyes quickly survey their immediate surroundings, looking for any trace of their younger companions.
None so far. That much, he was grateful for. A shared tent meant that certain needs often went unmet far too long for his liking, but Ignis was ever concerned with privacy and a certain degree of propriety.
He snakes his free hand downwards, still gloved, hooking a thumb through Gladio's belt loop.
"Thoughtful, you say. I'm curious to know what you're thinking now."
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Almost. He doubts there are many others who would react differently, in his position.
He releases Gladio's wrist, reaching back to slide his hand against the other man's hip, discreetly pushing back against him, leaning into his touch while quite purposefully pressing against his groin.
"You won't hear me arguing for want of a proper bed. Who knows when we'll have time to ourselves again."
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"Was that meant to be a yes? It sorta sounded like a yes. Just with a lot more words and speculation involved."
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"Don't be an ass," he tells him, though his tone is all warm affection, and he pulls Gladio down to meet him as he leans in and seals their lips together, making his answer perfectly clear.
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Still, when they pause for a breath, he can't help but tease.
"Can't help it. And I still didn't hear a 'yes' in there, either."
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He steals another kiss for himself, this one longer than the first, drawn-out, his fingers sliding upwards to knot themselves in Gladio's hair. He's always been a private person, a man who prefers to keep much of his personal life under careful guard, but being unable to freely touch and taste Gladio the last several weeks has been growing maddening. They steal time together whenever their merry band stops at a motel for the night, but they've been on the road and camping for near a week now, and Ignis isn't quite reckless enough to risk waking their companions in the middle of the night by satisfying his needs in a shared tent.
"Yes," he says finally, the word murmured against Gladio's mouth in turn. "Best make use of the time we have."
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His answer is grinned against Ignis' lips as he indulges in the kiss before taking a step backwards and tugging the other man along with him.
"Besides, I think we both deserve a bit of private time, don't you?"
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"I could stand to be reminded of simplicity's merits more often," he goes on, carefully removing his glasses and setting them aside, safely out of the way. He wouldn't stop Gladio if he chose to get rough with their clothing, but his glasses weren't quite so easily replaced, at least not immediately.
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Gladio steps in behind him, crouched a little to fit beneath the ceiling of the tent. He moves to crown into Ignis' personal space once more and this time when his hand snakes around the other man's waist, it's to slip fingers up beneath the hem of his shirt, seeking out the warm skin of his stomach as he splays his fingers there, a teasing caress and a weighted pressure. His lips tickle against the curve of Ignis' ear a moment before he allows a scrape of teeth.
"You have too many clothes on. Gonna get rid of the rest too?"
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He leans back against Gladio's solid weight, more relaxed than their other companions often had the opportunity to see him, sliding a hand to rest over Gladio's against his own stomach. The teasing lips against his ear and the hard brush of teeth make it difficult to be patient, especially when it's likely that their time is somewhat limited, but he doesn't have it in him to rush just yet. The next time they had the luxury of staying in a motel, he would be able to afford to be more methodical, but for now he might have to settle for something in-between.
"Get rid of your jacket and then we'll see to the rest."
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Gladio's lips curve into a smirk against Ignis' skin before he steps back to obey, shrugging out of his jacket and then the shirt underneath, dropping them carelessly onto one of the sleeping bags spread across the floor of the tent.
He stands there in only his jeans and boots, propping his hands on his hips as he gives Ignis an expectant grin.
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They've been in the wilderness for days, and both of them are sure to taste of sweat and dirt and dust, but he doesn't care.
"Better," he remarks approvingly, trailing one finger down the length of Gladio's chest and abdomen to circle his navel.
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Too long.
"Is it?"
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