#hipsterscribbles

[hipsterscribbles]

—Cirrus

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@ffxv-oc-week Day III: Final Fantasy (XII) / Kingdom Hearts Crossover

OC: Jaszmin Felinus

Jasz finds life within Eruyt village to be a bit lacking. Maybe it's time to head out on her own...

A calming breeze blew gently through the boughs of the Spiritwood as I stared solemnly into the distance, trying in vain to see, to understand that which lies beyond our wood. Someone must be communing with the wood, as the wind had picked up for just a moment behind me. Such is the way of the Viera, we learn of the lands beyond our village with whispers from the wood, never needing to leave ‘the safety of Her gentle bosom’. I, however, would not heed her word. It did not seem right, how we have isolated ourselves, and the curiosity burned as an uncontrolled flame within me. Behind me I heard the approaching steps yet I refused to acknowledge the presence.

“You are troubled, Jasz.”

Even though the words were spoken directly to me, I did not turn. My gaze remained outward, unwavering from the promise of knowledge but that which the wood tells us. “I am restless. For how long must I endure this disquiet inside me? I wish to…” The words were there but I had not the heart to release them. I did not fear being chastised for my desire to leave the wood, however, I did not need yet another lecture. Warder-chief Rael stood beside me, her ear turned to undoubtedly heed the word of the wood.

“It is freedom you seek? Is it no longer your dream to become a wood-warder, apprentice?”

My dreams? Long have they differed from what was expected of me, and I conveyed as such to Rael. She looked to be deep in thought, the word of the wood still in her ears. Yet, I would not heed them. Viera who leave the wood are Viera no longer. The words I have grown to loathe. Such closed minds, to think us all of one mind, to think none of us adventurous or brave enough should we want to learn of our world beyond the whispers of the wood. I turned, waiting for the words that would soon be used to tighten my binds to this place. How pleasantly surprised was I when they did not come.

“Many of our sisters have we lost to the beguiling winds of the outside world… I feel that you should speak with Jote. I fear that my words will not ease your wandering mind as would hers.”

Those were not the words that I expected, however they were not what I wanted to hear. “As you wish, Chief.” What else was I to do? Wise though our village elder may be, she would not know my heart, the heart of those who have already departed the wood. Even so, I must convey to her my feelings on the matter. With heavy steps and a heavy heart, I made my way towards the Fane of the Path. It was the correct thing to do.

However, as I approached the path to the Road of Verdant Praise, my heart brought my feet to a halt. The paths that the Viera must walk have been carefully laid out for us within the wood but should those be our only paths? Is it wrong should we want to make our own paths? Many of our sisters have we lost to the beguiling winds of the outside world… There have been others to choose their own paths so why needn’t I? Without dwelling more on my decision, I turned away from the Fane of the Path. I would take the Road of Verdant Praise and carve my own path.

I have been to Golmore jungle countless times as a wood-warder apprentice, however, what lies beyond the dark woods is a mystery. In my haste to leave the confines of Eruyt Village, I have made no plans other than to escape. Try and try as I might to think of what to do with my newfound freedom, I just could not. Still, I would walk the path that I have chosen for myself. Whatever that may be…

[hipsterscribbles]

—The Behemoth & The Coeurl

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@ffxv-oc-week Day I: Childhood Memory / Present Life 

OC: Jaszmin Felinus

Jasz remembers her accidental first day of Crownsguard Training.

Then

“And what do we have here?”

I was being stupid, I knew that, but when I overheard somebody talking about the training rooms I just had to check it out for myself. So I wandered the halls of the Citadel, trying to make myself look like I belonged there so they wouldn’t kick me out. In a way, I did belong there. Or, well, my “adoptive” parents, belonged there so that gave me a pass, right? At least nobody looked like they cared about me walking around by myself, not until I got close to my goal. That’s when I noticed a few people looking at me all funny, so I tried to be sneaky after that. Nobody could sneak like Jaszmin Felinus. It was as easy as sticking to the shadows and following the signs marked “Training Hall” and in no time I found a training room being used. I only wanted to watch and maybe I’d get to see him again.

See, my guardians, or my new parents or whatever, told me stories about the King and the people who served him and really it was like they were just telling me bedtime stories or something. Kid stuff. But then they told me about Cor the Immortal. I saw him a few times and he always looked so sour faced. I would’ve just thought of him as a stiff, one of those stick-up-the-butt people who wouldn’t know a joke if it was stapled to their forehead. But after hearing the story he looked different to me. Go figure. He still looked too serious but he looked like someone who could keep his cool no matter what. Not like me who was sent here because I wanted to fight everybody who said something wrong to me. He could hold his own in a fight but he could do it while looking cool. If only I could do that…

So here I was, peeking into a crack in the open door of the training room hoping I could get a look at The Immortal in action, but I got caught and now I had to think of something to keep myself out of trouble. Will they think I’m a spy? Somebody sent from outside the wall to watch them train and report back? Accordo does belong to the Nifs now... I quietly gulped at that but decided not to let this stranger see me sweat. I stood up straighter as he pushed the door open with a stupid smirk on his face.

“Looks like we got a straggler over here, Lord Amicitia.”

I cursed under my breath -- something I would get scolded for ‘cause “13-year-old girls shouldn’t say such things” -- and tried to put on a poker face as he called everyone in the room’s attention to me. I tried to keep my cool but ended up glaring at the man, thinking not so nice things in his direction. He was older, probably 18 or 19, and a lot bigger than me but he probably only saw me as a weak little girl, so his guard would be down. I could take him… Before I could think about doing anything stupid, a familiar voice called my name and I looked towards it out of habit.

“Hey Jasz!”

Gladiolus Amicitia smiled and waved at me from across the room. I waved back at him with a little smile too ‘cause that’s how it was with us now. I didn’t mean for it to happen but somehow we became friends over the past year. He really was a nice person and he talked to me like he talked to anybody else, he didn’t treat me like some fragile little thing like a lot of people did. It’s better here than it was in Altissia, though. Nobody tried to stuff me into frilly dresses and uncomfortable shoes here, at least.

I recognized Clarus Amicitia as he walked over to where I was. He was the King’s shield and was on the council just like my guardians, so we met a few times. He was also friends with my uncle Weskham and I think that’s probably why he’s usually nice to me. Plus I think Gladio talks about me to him. He’s such a weirdo. I smiled politely up at Gladio’s dad and bowed my head all proper like. “Good afternoon, Lord Amicitia.” He smiled back at me, just a little bit but still, sometimes it surprised me. He’s one of those serious people too -- more severe looking than The Immortal, even! -- but I’ve actually seen him smile and even heard him make jokes a couple of times. I wondered if The Immortal told jokes.

“Good afternoon, Jaszmin. Did you get separated from your parents?”

Everyone called them that, my guardians. It makes sense ‘cause that’s pretty much what they are, I guess. And it’s not like I don’t like them, I really do. But it’s just weird ‘cause my parents are alive and well in Altissia. I’ll get used to it one day, I guess. “No, sir, I came here on my own.” I saw Gladio rest his practice sword on his shoulder as he watched our conversation. He looked… Proud? Weirdo. I looked at the other kids standing with him and realized that there were no girls. How stupid. Do they think only boys could become soldiers? That made me a little mad but it gave me an idea, too. “I’ve come to train, Lord Amicitia.”

There was laughter all of a sudden from the rude man who called me a straggler earlier. Before I knew it some of the other boys in the room started to laugh too. That made me even madder than I was before and I couldn’t keep from snarling at the overgrown idiot. I looked over to Gladio fully expecting him to join in on the poke fun at little Jaszmin party but he didn’t. He wasn’t even smiling. He looked annoyed or something, like he didn’t want me intruding on his precious training. Well tough luck, stupid pretty face.

“That’s cute. The training hall’s no place for a little girl, honey.”

I clenched my fists and bared my teeth at the stupid man and it only made him laugh more. I was about to give him something to really laugh at with a swift kick to his crotch when I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I looked up at the person who dared to touch me at a time like this, I almost gasped out loud. The Immortal was looking down at me, serious as ever as he shook his head. I guess he saw the anger fade from my face ‘cause he moved his hand from my shoulder and walked past me.

“If I may, Lord Amicitia, I would suggest that she begins training. Let her channel some of that anger into something useful.”

I stared wide-eyed at The Immortal and wondered if it was so easy to see through me, not that I was very good at hiding it when I got mad at somebody. There were a few seconds where nobody said anything, The Immortal and Gladio’s dad just stared at each other like they were sending messages with their brains or something. I realized then that most of the people who knew my uncle would know the real reason I was sent here. My guardians would, The Immortal would, Gladio’s dad would, even the King knew. How embarrassing. Before I could melt into a puddle of shame all over the training room’s floor, Gladio’s dad nodded and waved me over to him. I only noticed then that the laughing had stopped and I had to fight to keep from sticking my tongue out at the idiots who wouldn’t take me seriously.

“Speaking from personal experience, Leonis? No doubt, this is a subject you know very well.”

I looked from Gladio’s dad to The Immortal, really confused. From personal experience? Was he saying that I had something in common with Cor the Immortal? That didn’t sound right, he was just so cool! The Immortal only shrugged though it sounded like he snorted, the kind of snort that people do instead of just laughing. I stared, waiting to see if he actually would laugh but he was back to looking like his usual stone-faced self. Seriously, it didn’t even look like he could laugh. Gladio’s dad turned his attention to me and he had that severe look on his face again.

“I should warn you now, Jaszmin, this training is for future Crownsguard and will not be easy.”

I looked straight into the stern blue eyes of Clarus Amicitia and nodded seriously while trying to keep from getting too excited. Yes! I turned back to The Immortal and bowed gratefully to him. I would train hard and hopefully one day become as cool as he was. “Thank you, Mr. Immortal, sir.” I heard a few snickers from some of the boys in the room but I ignored it, they wouldn’t take this moment from me. And as if my day couldn’t get any better, he smiled at me. Cor the Immortal actually smiled at me! I felt like some starstruck fan or something. While I grinned up at him he shook his head at me.

“Don’t thank me yet. I imagine you’re going to hate me once you’re sore to the bone and full of bruises.”

He wasn’t smiling anymore but his eyes still did that crinkly thing as if he was, so I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He left the room after that, then everyone’s eyes were on me. This part sucked big time ‘cause I didn’t really know how to handle it. I tried to stand as tall as possible but being the center of attention made me want to hide somewhere. I was glad when Gladio’s dad made everybody get back to training, except Gladio, who he called over to us.

“First thing’s first, you need to learn the basics. Gladiolus can help you with at least that much.”

I looked from him to Gladio and nodded, almost laughing at the way he was grinning. Bet you feel super important now don’t you, stupid pretty face? Gladio’s dad took a moment to give Gladio a look before turning to the rest of his pupils.

“And you lot, since you seem to have plenty of time for laughing I fear you may not have enough work to do. I think a full set of drills are in order. You as well, Cassius. I believe you also need a refresher course on what we Crownsguard stand for. Perhaps the first lesson will be ‘How not to be arrogant, sexist, and demeaning 101’, hm?”

I tried my hardest not to laugh as the overgrown idiot and the rest of the boys dragged their feet to get into position for their drills but I couldn’t help the grin on my face when “Cassius” glared at me. Take that, stupid! Gladio looked awfully proud as he led me over to the rack of wooden training weapons and named each one. I stared at them with wide eyes ‘cause I never thought about fighting with an actual weapon before. Gladio just grinned and picked out a sword to hand over to me. It was smaller than his but it still looked plenty big in my hands. He led me over to another part of the training room and showed me how to hold the sword. When I got it right he took a few steps away from me.

“Alright. First I gotta see how you fight, then we can go from there. So, show me whatcha got, Jazzy!”

I eyed the wooden practice sword in my hands then looked over at him, just standing there relaxed like we weren’t about to go at each other with weapons. I took a deep breath and charged forward, trying to hit him somewhere, anywhere. He easily dodged my attack and ended up tapping me on the head with his own sword. That peeved me off good and I turned around to try to run at him again but this time he made me fall flat on my butt.

“You’re fast but you get mad too easy, that can get you in trouble. I know ‘cause I’m that way too, sometimes.”

He laughed then and it made me snarl at him. It made me want to charge at him again and maybe knock him on his butt too. But I wasn’t stupid, I wasn’t gonna try that again. He didn’t look bothered at all that I was peeved at him and that only made it worse. I stood up, fighting the urge to rub the sore spot on my butt in the middle of a room full of stupid boys. I was weighing the practice sword in my hands and trying to come up with a way to wipe that stupid grin off his stupid face when Gladio’s dad stormed over and plucked the sword out of Gladio’s hand with a low hiss.

“I said the basics, Gladiolus. Now is not the time to show off.”

I had to bite my lips to hold back my giggle while Gladio pouted as his dad walked off with his beloved weapon. He was back to smiling in no time though and looked like he was just as happy to teach me how to stand and swing the sword. Such a weirdo.

Now

Once I got the hang of things I was hooked. I went to training every day since then, or, well, I went every day that they let me. Clarus and my guardians made me take days off ‘cause “You’ll wear yourself into the ground if you keep this up, Jaszmin!”. I got stronger and faster though and moved on from swords to dual daggers thanks to a suggestion from the Marshal. Double wielding is daunting at first but it was fun and I took to the daggers faster than anything. It got to the point that I was even able to assist others with their training. Some of the Kingsglaive, even Ignis and the Prince himself--

“No way! Really?”

I blinked as I was quickly pulled out of my reverie, almost forgetting that I was sitting in a camping chair at Pullmoor Haven telling the story of my first training day at Prompto’s request. He stared at me with those wide blue eyes full of admiration and awe and I had to laugh. The kid was too adorable for words. “Well, I only helped. I helped Noct learn how to dodge with the best of them, and I helped Iggy learn the dual daggers. I can’t take full credit for training them.” That didn’t seem to deter Prompto at all, he still stared at me with that same look in his eyes. It was almost the same way I looked at the Marshal sometimes. Almost. And only sometimes…

“So, like, you’re probably a better fighter than all of us except for Gladio, right? Even Iggy?”

I dutifully ignored the delicate snort that came from behind me, the area where I knew Ignis was tending to dinner prep. To my left, I heard both Gladio and Noctis chuckle and decided to ignore them too. It was a valid question if you asked me. And he did ask me, so there. As much as I hated to admit it, though, I had to disagree with his thought. “Uh, I wouldn’t say that. I mean have you seen Ignis work those daggers? He’s terrifying.” I shuddered dramatically to add to the effect which pulled another chuckle from Prince and Shield and another snort from the strategist behind me. Prompto seemed to agree wholeheartedly, though, with a quick nod of his head. I knew I could count on him.

“Says the one who lives for the fight. Your blood thirst is only rivaled by that of Gladio’s.”

It was my turn to snort at that. Of course he was trying to push the focus of the conversation away from himself. Of course he was exaggerating. Of course he was absolutely right. I turned to grin over at Gladio who was grinning right back at me. It always reminded me of when we were kids when he did that.

“Now that you mention it… How ‘bout it, Jazzy? You in the mood to get your ass kicked?”

He stood, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders and neck. I hopped up out of my chair faster than I intended, but the adrenaline had already started pumping. “Can’t kick what you can’t catch, Glads. Let’s do this.” We quickly made our way down the haven and onto a relatively flat part of the slough’s greenery, keeping up a steady flow of good natured shit-talking while Prompto trailed behind us with Noctis in tow. As Gladio and I took our places a few feet away from each other and summoned our weapons, Prompto and Noctis took a seat on the grass a safe distance away. I concentrated all my attention on my opponent, my eyes already tracking his every move, but I could hear the Prince scoff in our general direction.

“The behemoth and the coeurl, at it again.”

[hipsterscribbles]

—Nostalgia For The Future

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@ffxv-oc-week Day IV: Pillow Fight / Nerf Battle

OC: Jaszmin Felinus

Jasz spends her downtime getting lost within the pages of a tacky romance novel. Iris and Talcott have a much better idea of fun, though.

This was it. It was finally happening. Maia and Antonius were finally gonna pull their heads out of their asses and get it on right there in the Cygillan Sea. I knew that hunting trip to Galdin was a ruse... I hurriedly flipped the page of my borrowed book, biting my lip in anticipation. It’d been awhile since I was able to actually settle down and read and damn did I miss it. Everything just disappeared when I really got into a book, worries, problems, responsibilities, the world, all of it melted away. It always felt like I was transported to this new world and honestly that was the best part about reading.

Just as I was getting to the good part, a loud thud above me had my head snapping up. I looked around the Cape Caem house from my position at the table and realized that I was alone. Monica was most likely in the garden at this time of day and Dustin should be patrolling. I glanced up towards the 2nd floor just as I heard Talcott yell out something about a... cactuar? It didn’t sound like he was in distress but still. What on Eos is Iris doing to the kid? With a sigh I marked my place in my book, pouting as I folded the top corner of the page, closed the book and pushed it aside. All the smutty goodness of Maia and Antonius’ romp in the clear, blue waters of Galdin would have to wait.

“Surrender now, Mog Queen, or you will face the wrath of the great Gigantuar!”

I could hear Talcott more clearly as I made my way up the stairs, though his voice was a bit muffled through the closed door. After a moment’s pause, I opened the door, ready to ask what all the racket was about. Instead, I was greeted with a face full of pillow as Talcott yelled something about one thousand needles. There was a gasp as I reeled back at the shock of it all and let the pillow-turned-projectile fall into my waiting hands. A glance around the room told me all that I needed to know.

Talcott stood on top of the farthest bed with his little hands clasped together in front of him. His eyes were as wide as saucers and his brows were raised as high as they could go. Iris stood not too far from him, pillow clasped loosely in one hand as she stared at me with her bottom lip between her teeth, the picture of guilt. The room was a mess of pillows and bedsheets and covers and in one corner an overturned lamp lay on the floor, apparently a casualty of the great pillow war that went on in there.

“Oh no, I’m sorry Jasz!”

Talcott jumped down from the bed, seeming hesitant on whether to go over to beg for my forgiveness or start tidying up the room. Iris decided on the latter.

“Sorry. Jasz. We were just…”

It took a moment for me to do anything other than stand there and stare as they scrambled to pick up the mess they’d made but when I came to my senses I shook my head at them in mock disappointment. “I can’t believe you guys…” I started and I could see little Talcott pout and Iris hang her head as they waited to be lectured for their behavior. “How could you have his epic pillow war without me?” I laughed as Iris’ head snapped up and a grin spread across Talcott’s face so wide that I thought it would split.

“How foolish of Gigantuar and the Mog Queen to quarrel while I, Queen Coeurl, have been biding my time. Now, prepare for your imminent defeat!” I raised the pillow above my head and charged forward to the squeals and playful protests of my youngest friends.

As Monica stomped the dirt from her boots and slipped them off just inside the door of the Caem house, she heard a clamor coming from the rooms above her. Curious and just a bit wary, she made her way up the stairs and peeked into what she knew to be Iris’ room. The sight before her had her eyes growing wide and she didn’t know whether to laugh or shake her head at the chaos of the room. Talcott was holding firm as he dangled from Jaszmin’s shoulders while Iris pelted them both with a rather abused looking pillow.

“Take that, Queen Coeurl!”

“You fool! I will not be defeated so easily!”

“Noooo, Gigantuar! We must work together to vanquish the evil queen!”

“Evil?! Oh, I’ll show you evil, c’mere!”

The room looked as if a hurricane had blown through it with both beds stripped of their dressings and various other furniture lying in disarray. Monica couldn’t find it in herself to be cross at them, however. Their laughter and the joy on their faces warmed her heart. They had all been through so much over the past few weeks and she would not take away this moment to enjoy themselves the best way they knew how. She heard Dustin coming up the stairs behind her so she closed the door and beckoned him back down them.

“Is everything alright?”

He looked to the door behind Monica with a mixture of concern and curiosity but allowed himself to be herded down the stairs. She smiled and nodded as she made her way past him to the tiny kitchenette. “Everything is fine. Now, remind me, who’s in charge of supper tonight?” She noticed the way Dustin’s gaze returned to the closed room door before he gave her a sheepish look and hurried over to the kitchenette.

“Er, it’s me. Sorry…”

She simply smiled as she helped him gather the necessary ingredients, utensils, and cookware while the youngest members of their party escaped to a happier reality. She would oversee the cleanup of any mess they made later.

[hipsterscribbles]

—Vodka Sonata - Gladio x Female OC

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Obligatory oneshot where girl gets drunk and confesses to boy while getting a piggyback ride home.

     From Jasz’s perspective, this situation should probably be embarrassing. But if Gladio knew her as well as he thought he did, it would be so much more. She would be mortified, especially since he was the one to find her in her inebriated state, and for some reason, he was looking forward to seeing her reaction once she sobered up. He chuckled to himself as she drunkenly groaned from her position on his back, her head resting right up against his with her chin on his shoulder. He could feel the tickle of a few curls that escaped her loose bun on his face, could smell the liquor on her breath mingling with her usual scent of cocoa and vanilla. It was almost as intoxicating as if he’d had a drink himself.

“Hmmm, my trusty steed is at it again…”

     He chuckled at her sudden, slurred words as he hitched her up higher on his back for the umpteenth time, shifting his hands to get a more stable grip on her thighs as she swung her legs back and forth in the carefree manner of a child. He’d had to stop walking every once in awhile to hitch her up into a more secure position on his back since the alcohol apparently affected her ability to stay put and she would begin sliding dangerously low. She wasn’t heavy, Gladio could handle her weight with no problems at all, but she wasn’t exactly light, either. She was pretty solid for someone her size, tall and slender but curvy with a good amount of muscle from years of training. Once he had her stably in place he resumed his trek to her apartment. Only 4 more blocks to go. “You know, we Guard usually frown upon this type of behavior, Jazzy.” His tone was teasing as he glanced sideways at her, grinning at the little pout that she gave him.

“Ya wouldn’t snitch on me, would’ja Gladdy? ‘Course ya wouldn’t.”

     She’d raised a hand, meaning to softly pat his cheek, but in the state that she was in now, it was more like she was slapping him. He winced and angled his face away from her hand but chuckled again at her confident answer to her own question. “Yea? What gives you that idea? You’re the elder here, you should know better." He was enjoying himself a bit too much, this was a side of Jasz that he didn’t usually see without the aid of alcohol. 3 more blocks to go.

“I know ‘cause you looove me.”

     His steps almost faltered as she turned her head and practically drawled her accusation directly into his ear. She giggled after a moment of silence, seeming pleased with herself that she was able to catch him off guard. He blinked and turned his head to look into her eyes but he found them closed, her head lolling to one side while a content smile spread across her face. She looked so at peace that it made him smile in return. He didn’t have to think over her words much, she was right, after all. She was his best friend and she knew him better than anyone outside of his actual family besides Iggy. But Iggy knew everything about everyone, it seemed.

     While he admittedly enjoyed flirting with other girls (and guys on occasion) he hadn’t found anyone that made him feel the way she did. He’d fallen for her a long time ago and would have told her just as much if he didn’t think it would ruin everything. He imagined she would distance herself from him for sure, for their own good, she would probably state as the reason. Neither one of them wanted that.

     “You’re so gonna regret that in the morning. Don’t think I’m gonna let you live that down, Jazzy.” She only hummed quietly, moving her head to rest against his again. It was after another moment of silence and 2 blocks later that she tightened her arms around his neck and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, completely catching him off guard yet again. He grinned and shook his head at her, idly hoping that he’d catch her drunk more often if this was how she would be. The uninhibited affection from her had him soaring and he had to remind himself of the current circumstance. It didn’t count if she was drunk off her ass, right? With a quiet sigh he trekked on, their destination was in full view now.

“I love you, too, ya know? But I can’t tell you that, duh. ’S not fair. Our jobs are too ‘mportant, ‘specially yours. You shouldn’t love me an’ I shouldn’t love you. But I can’t help but love you, stupid pretty face. Even with the scar your face ’s pretty. Prettiest man in Lucis, ‘sides Iggy. Hell, the Igster’s even prettier than me. But I like your pretty the best, stupid pretty face. Mmm you smell nice...”

     She was quietly rambling now as she nuzzled into his neck, her words fading into barely coherent mumbles. He tried not to enjoy the sensation too much, the feeling of her warm breath and her nose trailing sloppy circles against the skin of his neck was almost maddening, but he didn’t want to take advantage of her in this state. Maybe tomorrow once she sobered up… He had to suppress a groan as his thoughts took on a life of their own, his large hands tightening around her soft thighs seemingly unconsciously. He’d thought she would be too out of it to notice but she’d put her lips right next to his ear and let out a low, soft moan. It very nearly made him lose his grip on his sanity. As if that wasn’t enough, her previously dangling legs wrapped tightly around his waist as she pressed herself into his back. “Aw c’mon, Jazzy, you’re killing me here.”

“Oops!”

     She giggled and only pressed herself into him more. With a sigh he entered her building, internally reminding himself that he needed to safely drop her off then make a swift exit, lest he take complete leave of his senses. If she was this touchy feely now he could only imagine what would happen in the confines of her own apartment. He quickly found that that was exactly the wrong train of thought to be on and the images that flashed through his mind had him groaning out loud.

     They’d made it to Jasz’s apartment, a small wonder. Getting into the elevator wasn’t a problem, save for the odd stares that they got from some of the building’s other occupants and the nighttime staff. Actually getting into her apartment, however, was a chore. The electronic lock kept sounding off with an embarrassingly loud beeping sound as Gladio tried and failed to put in the passcode numerous times, no thanks to Jasz dozing off on him every time he tried to coax the numbers out of her.

     With a sigh he made his way to her bedroom and turned to lower her down onto the queen sized bed. “Alright, down you go.” The intention was to sit on the bed before slowly releasing her legs and arms, to gently lay her down, but she seemed to have her own plans. Before he got the chance, she loosened her arms around his neck and unfolded her legs from his waist, falling to the bed with a soft thump, a squeak of bedsprings, and a comically surprised “Oof!”. She was laughing to herself when he spun around to check that she was alright, the sound of her pealing laughter making him grin in turn. “What am I gonna do with you, huh?”

     She was still in a fit of giggles as he moved to the side of the bed and helped her take her boots off, but soon quieted down once he helped her out of her jacket and pulled the covers up over her. Taking a step back and surveying the scene before him made a slow smile melt into his features. Moonlight filtered in through the gap in the curtains and gave the dim room a soft, almost ethereal glow. Jasz curled up comfortably, eyes closed, the quiet punctuated by her slow, rhythmic breathing. It was downright serene, the perfect mental image for him to take his leave with.

     As he turned to leave he was halted by the sudden tug of his hand. The touch was soft and, though it seemed hesitant, conveyed a sense of urgency somehow. Gladio glanced over his shoulder at Jasz, her eyes locked onto his, drowsy but pleading.

“Stay.”

     The single word came out in a whisper, so low that he’d barely heard it. He wanted to oblige, truly he did, but she wasn’t in the right frame of mind, wasn’t thinking clearly. He couldn’t be sure if her request was hers or the alcohol’s. “You sure? I can come back in the morning…” The uncertainty in his voice was noticeable to both him and his inebriated companion and it made him want to hightail it out of there before he could do something he would regret. But the way she looked at him, pleading, needing, wanting, trampled over his resolve like a pissed off garula and Astrals be damned if he could say no to her when she was like this.

“Stay.”

     In that single word he heard what she wanted to say. She needed him, maybe not in the way that he hoped at the moment, but she needed him there with her. With a sigh, he slipped off his own boots, something he would have done at the door but deemed it risky with the precious cargo on his back. As he slipped out of his jacket and tossed it in the general direction of where he discarded hers, she slid over to make room for his large frame. He hesitated again, this time with no intentions of leaving the apartment. “Hold up a sec.” She watched through half open eyes as he left the room.

     Had she not been quickly losing her grip on consciousness, she would have heard him rummaging around in first her kitchen then her bathroom. He was back in no time flat and placed a bottled water and a small bottle of painkillers on the bedside table before carefully slipping under the covers next to her.

     He could hear the soft hum that left her as he pulled her into his embrace, could feel her warm breath against his skin as she released a sigh of contentment and nuzzled into his chest. The feeling of having her in his arms like this felt so right. It was completely and utterly perfect and he had no doubt in his mind that this was where she belonged, with him, in their own private corner of the world. With a content sigh of his own, he tightened his arms around her and gently kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Jazzy.” His voice was quiet, not even above a whisper, and she seemed to have already slipped into the world of dreams. He was pleasantly surprised when, after a momentary pause, she answered with a voice that matched his.

“I love you too, Glads.”

[hipsterscribbles]

—Angelguard - Prologue

AO3 | Next ⇢

Parting Ways

Jaszmin Felinus is involuntarily thrown into a whole new world after the Imperials release all hell on the city of Insomnia. After escaping the chaos and carnage in the fallen crown city, Jasz and what remains of the Crownsguard must do what they can to protect the citizens of Lucis, as ordained by their fallen king. As she adjusts to the world outside of the wall, she quickly realizes that the Empire isn't the only thing she has to worry about.

A retelling of the events of Final Fantasy XV from the perspective of a female OC.

     There was a sort of excitement in the air at the Citadel, everyone could feel it. There was also something else that no one really wanted to put a name to, something that erred on the side of sadness and foreboding. Maybe even anticipation. I sighed as I made my way down the halls, not knowing exactly where to go now that I’d received my orders. The Crownsguard were moved to external patrol during the whole mess with the treaty, the Kingsglaive were to guard the Citadel and the King. And even then only a few were to strictly be on duty. I huffed and grumpily stomped along until I was outside the training hall. I fully understood why the sudden change was needed, the Glaives were basically the king’s personal army, after all, trained to fight on the front lines and fully able to handle things if the treaty went south. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.

I was debating with myself whether it would be a good idea to go back in and plead with Cor to at least put me on duty when I heard loud and familiar laughter coming from behind me. “I thought I heard a choking behemoth somewhere, guess it was just you, Glads.” I grinned and sauntered over to where Gladio and Prompto had just exited the training hall. Internally I had to wonder at myself, at my sudden mood change and how I felt 10 times better than just seconds ago. “Heya Prompto, all set?” Gladio just laughed again and Prompto looked embarrassed, something not unusual for him whenever I was around. The kid was hopeless around women.

“H-hiya, Jasz! Yup, all’s good on this end. I got my new fatigues, see?”

     I couldn’t help but smile endearingly at him as I looked over his new Crownsguard uniform. He was just so adorable and he had this aura around him that was like literal rays of sunshine. Shame, he’d probably get all the ladies if he only knew how to talk to them. I held back a sigh as I mentally vowed to give him some pointers sometime, or at least have Gladio do it. “Nice! You made use of those leftover patches.” I lightly fingered the patches on his vest, recognizing them from the time he talked me into customizing the military style jacket of my own Crownsguard fatigues. I had to rein him in or else he would’ve covered the whole thing in vintage signs, skulls, and cartoon characters. Prompto could only nod enthusiastically as a hint of pink slowly crept into his cheeks. That made Gladio laugh even more. Oh boy, what am I gonna do with this kid?

     I stepped away from him in favor of moving over to Gladio and mock punching him in the arm. “And you? All packed and ready?” I had to work to keep my light-hearted tone as I looked up at him. He would be leaving with Noctis, Iggy, and Prompto tomorrow and I wasn’t even sure when I would see him again. I wasn’t sure when I would see any of them, for that matter. Noctis would come back a married man, which meant things would probably change. I had to remind myself that this is what I was preparing for. If I’d gotten more involved with Gladio this would be so much more painful. It was plenty painful as it is. I was brought out of my thoughts as Gladio draped an arm over my shoulders and gave me a gentle squeeze. He understood. Of course he did.

“Just about. Got a few more things to pack up.”

     I nodded and slipped my arm around his waist, something I probably shouldn’t have done because we definitely looked like a couple then. But I couldn’t help it, if I had to do without him for an undetermined amount of time then I was gonna forego being good just this once. I caught Prompto eyeing us curiously out of the corner of my eye and almost reconsidered my actions.

“You two should really just date and get it over with.”

     Oddly enough it sounded like he didn’t actually mean to say it out loud, like he was thinking it and the words just slipped out on their own. As I always did whenever this subject came up, I laughed and shook my head, surprised to see Gladio do the same although his reaction had a different meaning than mine.

“Been trying to tell her that for years. She’s too stubborn for her own good.”

     I scowled and lightly smacked his chest, that earned another laugh from him. He was in such high spirits, excited for the trip and the chance to explore the open world, and it made my heart hurt even more. He’s not yours, Jasz, let him have his fun. It’s what you’ve always wanted. I had to silently scold myself to bring my mood back. “Alright, alright. So where are you guys headed now?” I tried my best to change the subject, looking from Gladio and settling my gaze on Prompto.

“Home to see my parents. Maybe. Probably.”

     It was so sad, the way he was so uncertain on whether he’d see his parents before leaving. I didn’t understand it at all. Their only son was headed out beyond the wall into a world that neither he nor they knew much about. They didn’t know how long he would be gone or if he’d even come back, shouldn’t they be there to dote on him and give him their support? Shouldn’t they be there to make sure he was all set and to tell him to make it back to them in one piece? I shook my head and offered him a sad smile, unable to help thinking that I really lucked out with being taken in by people who actually cared about my well-being. Even if they weren’t my actual parents, even if they were busy most of the time, they still took the time to be there for me when I needed them. I would have to thank Uncle Weskham one of these days. I moved my gaze up to Gladio and I could tell he was thinking the same as I was.

“Gotta get the rest of my stuff, then it’s dinner with the family.”

     I raised a brow at that. “Wow, that’s rare, huh?” He chuckled and nodded at my question. Since his dad was the king’s shield and a council member it was a given that he’d spent more time at the Citadel than at home with his kids. And Glads was the prince’s shield so it was pretty much a “like father, like son” thing. Truth be told, we all spent most of our time at the Citadel. Until recently, that is. The Crownsguard had practically been kicked out, at least until the peace treaty is signed. I took a few deep breaths and reminded myself that it was the King’s orders and that it was a rational decision, King Regis didn’t do things without reason. Gladio raised an eyebrow as he read the sudden changes in my mood but didn’t question it. Not yet, anyway.

“After packing and dinner we all have to head to Noct’s to help clean up and clear out.”

“Mhm! He’s gonna be a married old man when we get back, so no need for the bachelor pad anymore.”

     Prompto nodded and walked a bit ahead of us, turning to walk backwards and talk at the same time. I chuckled at him and wondered how long it would take for him to plow into someone while walking like that. “Why didn’t you ask if you could have it? I bet a bachelor pad would be great for you, bring all the ladies in. Or men, whatever floats your boat.” I laughed as I watched Prompto turn bright red at that with Gladio chuckling along. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he was actually thinking seriously about it.

“Ha. Ha. Like I could afford that.”

     I simply shrugged, my mind running over the expenses of my own apartment and thanking whichever gods were listening that being in the Crownsguard paid well. And even then, I had wealthy keepers here who still treated me as their daughter even though I’m well into adulthood. “Who knows, maybe when you get back you’ll have enough knowledge to strike it rich. I bet Noct wouldn’t mind holding it for you.” Again he looked like he was seriously considering it. After a moment he shook his head and smiled, finally turning to face forward again.

“Nah. I’d rather get my own digs. That place is too fancy for me, anyways.”

     I wanted to insist that he at least try but kept it to myself, Prompto was his own man with his own style, after all. After a few more minutes of chatting about future endeavors, or lack thereof, Gladio and I had to part ways with Prompto. I’d wanted to hug him since this would probably be my last time seeing him in a while but thought better of it. He probably would have ended up a blushing mess all the way home. After saying my goodbyes and promising to meet up when he returned to the city, we watched Prompto head off towards his home.

“Gonna keep me company for a while?”

     I smiled up at Gladio and slid from under his arm. Before he could question me, I hopped up onto his back for a piggy-back ride. “Hmm, my time is pretty valuable but I guess I can spare some for you.” I teased. He chuckled as I draped my arms over his shoulders and secured my legs around his waist. I felt him slip his big hands under my thighs for support and took notice of the way he gave them a gentle squeeze before starting off for his house. I’d figured since I had so little time left with him, I would throw caution to the wind and enjoy every second.

“So, you gonna tell me what’s on your mind?”

I looked up from where I sat perched on top of Gladio’s dresser with my legs folded underneath myself, a mask of confusion on my face. I knew exactly what he was referring to but thought that if I played dumb then he would drop it. Not that it’s ever worked before so of course it didn’t now. He stopped in the middle of checking his things for the trip and turned to stare at me. I stared right back, doing my best to feign innocent confusion. If he was looking for a showdown then he was surely gonna get one. He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow at me but I wasn’t budging. Not yet.

“You know damn well what I mean. You look like you’re trying your damnedest not to mope. I can see you checking your moods and I wanna know why.”

     I childishly stuck my tongue out at him and looked away, sighing because I knew I would give in. He knew me too well. “It’s lots of stuff. The Guard aren’t allowed at the citadel and even then some of us aren’t even on active duty. I know the king wants us to guard the citizens while the Glaives guard him and I know it’s for good reason but it just sucks. And then there’s you.” I sighed and looked at him then, letting the sadness seep into my features and soften my voice. “Do you know how much I’m gonna miss you?”

     As usual, the warning started going off in my head, telling me how wrong this was. But I couldn’t help it and, at the moment, I didn’t care. Gladio was across the room in no time, standing in front of me and gently pushing a loose curl behind my ear. His amber eyes seemed to blaze as they bored through mine and it almost made me melt.

“You know I’m gonna miss you too, Jazzy. And anyway you act like we’ll be gone forever. It’s not like I won’t be back. And I’ll call and text when I can.”

     He smiled as he held my gaze, his hands resting on the dresser on either side of my legs. His face was just inches from mine, so close that I could feel his warm breath on my skin. I sighed and shook my head, my eyes narrowing as we continued to stare at each other. “Gladiolus Amicitia if you waste one second thinking about me out there then I will find you and murder you myself. Concentrate on the task at hand and… Enjoy yourself. I mean it.” I tried my best to make it sound like I was scolding him but, honestly, the attempt sounded half-hearted, even to me. He chuckled and leaned in a bit closer, the tip of his nose now touching mine.

“Jaszmin Felinus, if you think I won’t have you on my mind at all while I’m out there then you got another thing coming. And if you’re gonna be my angel of death, well, I’d greet you with a smile and happily die by your hand.”

     He chuckled as I swatted at him, the scowl returning to my face. “I’m serious, Glads. Don’t worry about me. You have a job to do and there’s way too much out there not to enjoy the experience.” I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning in to rest my forehead against his. I knew he would understand what I was getting at, it’s something I’d been telling him for years. Gladio was such a people person and a natural flirt. And of course girls flocked to him because, if you combine that with his amazing physique and pretty face, it was a killer combination. If he found someone appealing out there beyond the wall then I didn’t want him to hold himself back on my account.

“Meh, I’ll call and text on my downtime. And I promise to have the time of my life and come back to tell you all about it.”

     He chuckled quietly as he moved his hands to my waist, slowly running them up and down my sides. An involuntary shudder washed through me, causing a triumphant grin to spread across his face. “Maybe don’t tell me all about it…” My voice was even softer than before, my hands clenching themselves onto the front of his shirt. I felt the heat building between us and idly remembered that, with the exception of a few times, this is usually where I put things to a halt. I just couldn’t see myself doing that this time though. This would probably be the last time we’d see each other in a while, I could let go for tonight. For old time’s sake…

“Hmm. Maybe not all the gory details.”

     His voice was lower and huskier than usual and it dripped with desire. Just the sound of it had me unraveling, my legs unfolding themselves to wrap around his waist instead. He leaned in to press his lips against mine. Once. Twice. Slowly. Teasing. Testing. When he sensed no resistance from me, the kiss became deeper, more hungry, more demanding. I felt as if I was floating as our lips parted and our tongues began an all too familiar dance. I found that my hands had eased their way up to his hair, my fingers weaving themselves into the soft strands. I wasn’t sure how long we’d gone on like that but I needed to break away to gasp for air after what seemed like ages. His lips never left my skin, making their way up my jawline and trailing hot kisses down my neck. He was so close to driving me mad and he knew it. “You have packing to do…” My voice was barely above a whisper and laughably unconvincing as I tried in vain to input reason into this situation. Gladio only grunted and moved his hands under my thighs, pulling me more into his hard body.

“‘S all done.”

     It was all he could mutter, it seemed, as his lips returned to mine, squashing any further protests I had. A soft moan escaped my lips as his large, rough hands slid their way up the front of my shirt. They stopped on my breasts, palming them and giving them a gentle squeeze. His thumbs began to rub against my quickly hardening nipples through the fabric of my bra, pulling another moan from me. I untangled my hands from his hair and moved them downwards to pull up the hem of his shirt, wanting the offending fabric out of the way of his glorious muscles. We separated just long enough to rid ourselves of our shirts and toss them aside, both of us equally unwilling to break contact with each other for too long.

     I took the opportunity to lightly trail my fingers up his hard, defined abs and smooth my hands across his broad chest while my mouth went to work on his neck. I teased the sensitive skin there, kissing, licking, and biting until I pulled a deep moan from him. The sound of it heated me to the core and gave me chills at the same time. His hands were at my back, fumbling with the hooks of my bra when the sound of the front door opening and closing made us freeze. He’d left the door to his room wide open, either not guessing that things would take a turn like this or he thought we’d have a bit more time alone.

“Gladdy, we’re home! Are you ready to go?”

     Iris’ cheerful voice floated up to us from downstairs. Gladio cursed under his breath as we quickly and quietly untangled ourselves. Thankfully we hadn’t gone far enough for it to have been a real problem, although one look at a particularly tight spot in Gladio’s pants made me think he would need to give himself one hell of a pep talk. Either that or wear an extra long shirt to dinner. I bit back a groan as I longingly eyed his erection, almost saying to hell with the intrusion and continuing anyway. Summoning as much will as I could, I tore my eyes away from the beautiful man in front of me and slid off of the dresser to snatch up my shirt. I threw it on and checked to make sure I was decent before picking up the nearest packed bag. With a few deep breaths I headed towards the door, turning my head to whisper over my shoulder, “I’ll try to stall. You get that under control.” He groaned at that but nodded, the look on his face made me giggle quietly as I made my way downstairs where Iris and Clarus were waiting.

     “Hey, Iris. Hi, Mr. Amicitia.” I greeted them cheerfully as I placed Gladio’s bag by the door. Iris smiled and waved while Clarus nodded in greeting. I’d thought they both had a knowing look in their eyes but then I figured I was just being paranoid. I didn’t have long to worry as Gladio was making his way downstairs, arms full of his stuff for the trip.

“How’d the meeting go?”

     He set down his load next to where I’d placed his bag before walking over and ruffling Iris’ hair. I chuckled as she squealed and playfully batted his hand away. Their relationship was so endearing to me, it always made me wish that I had a brother or sister. I glanced over at Clarus as he watched his children with a smile on his face, it looked almost wistful to me.

“As well as to be expected. Let’s not discuss it right now. Will you be joining us, Jaszmin?”

     I wasn’t exactly surprised that he’d asked me, after all, he’d expressed many times that I was practically a part of the family, along with Iris’ enthusiastic agreement. But I didn’t really expect it tonight of all nights. “I think I’ll take a rain check. Leave family night to the family and all that.” I smiled at all three of them, grateful for the offer but not wanting to intrude. Clarus smiled and nodded in understanding at my answer. Gladio looked like he wanted to object but I knew he wouldn’t try to change my mind. Like he could, anyway. Iris skipped over and took my hands in hers.

“Aw come on, Jasz! You’re pretty much an Amicitia anyway.”

     Gladio chuckled at that and I could see Clarus slightly nod out of the corner of my eye. I smiled warmly and pulled a hand from Iris’ grip to gently smooth down her short, brown strands, trying to fix the damage that Gladio had done just moments before. “Next time.” I guess my voice held enough promise in it to placate her for now. She smiled, albeit a bit sadly, and let go of my other hand. I took that as an opportunity to escape and made my way to the front door. “Enjoy your meal! And, Glads, if I don’t talk to you before you leave, have a safe trip and enjoy yourself.” I smiled as he nodded at me, a smile on his lips but a look of regret in his eyes. I found myself regretting as well, this could’ve been our last chance. He would be leaving in the morning and the last memory I would have before he returned was a near miss. I bit back a sigh and fought to keep my smile as I waved at the three Amicitias, sparing one last glance at Gladio before walking out the door.

[hipsterscribbles]

—Traditions Pt. 3 - Gladio x Female OC

⇠ Previously | AO3 | Next ⇢

Gladio follows Jasz's advice and goes to buy something he can swim in. Once he encounters the spiteful male employee, however, he finds that buying swimwear was going to be a bit more difficult than he thought. Hopefully he can keep his irritation at bay so that he can really enjoy his evening with the girl he hopes would become more than just his friend.

     He figured he was probably taking longer than he should with his shower but he needed time for the hot water to soothe his muscles. And his annoyance. The encounter with the attendant had went about as well as he expected it to, though it probably didn’t help that Gladiolus was just a bit more antagonistic to the other man than was usual for him.

     When he’d made it to the lobby he was greeted by the unfriendly, unsmiling face of Shon . Gladiolus took the time to look the attendant over. He was decent looking, sure. Older, probably, closer to Jasz’s age than his own. Shoulder length light brown hair, hazel eyes, well defined nose, wide lips with a perfect cupid’s bow, strong jawline. Not as tall and muscular as Gladiolus but he was no shrimp either. Probably a swimmer, too. Shon’s eyes narrowed as he waited for Gladiolus to tell him what he wanted, his fingers tapping impatiently against the counter in between them. That made Gladiolus smile spitefully.

     “So my girlfriend brought me here for my birthday, as a surprise, you know? Only I didn’t think to bring a suit. She said her buddy up here at the front could help me out with that.” He tried not to look too smug as he leaned with one arm on the countertop but it couldn’t be helped. He really enjoyed that the attendant’s eyes got real squinty at the word girlfriend.

     “That’s funny, after all these years I never heard Minnie mention a boyfriend. Don’t think I’ve seen her on any dates or anything either.” Shon looked like he had to work at keeping his tone casual, a smirk popping onto his face when Gladiolus raised an eyebrow at the nickname for Jasz. Minnie? Gladiolus simply shrugged, “Yeah well when you work for royalty like we do you gotta keep things kinda hush.” He straightened from the counter, a serious look on his face as he took off his cap. “I hope you can keep this to yourself, wouldn’t want Jazzy to get reprimanded.” He flashed a smile and ran a hand through his hair before replacing his cap, facing forward this time so that the Crownsguard insignia was front and center. He trusted wholeheartedly that his bluff wouldn’t be called, civilians weren’t privy to the inner workings of the Guard or even the Glaives.

     “Oh of course, anything to keep Minnie out of trouble. It would suck if our weekly swimming sessions were cut off. I know how much she loves them.” Shon’s smile was polite now although there was a hint of mockery in it. Gladiolus grunted in agreement, his thick eyebrows furrowing as he folded his arms across his chest, making sure the Crownsguard insignia was visible there too. “Nah, wouldn’t want that.” he flexed his biceps trying to be more intimidating only to scowl as he realized his hoodie would hide most of the bulk. If only he’d taken it off first.

     “So about those swim trunks…” He’d had enough of this Shon, he wanted to get back to his girl that wasn’t his girl. The attendant nodded and plastered on one of those fake “for the customer” smiles. “Ah right. And for a friend of Minnie’s I can give you a 3% discount!” He was still smiling in that irritatingly condescending way as he ducked down behind the counter. In seconds he straightened up and placed a fold of fabric that looked too small to be trunks in front of Gladiolus. “The hell is this?” He was downright irritable as he gingerly picked up the fabric, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. Shon looked like he was trying not to look too pleased with himself, “That, sir , is swimwear.” Gladiolus looked from the fabric to the attendant, raising an incredulous eyebrow.

“Swimwear for who?”

“For you, of course, sir . Did you not inquire about purchasing something to swim in?”

“I said trunks.”

“I’m sorry, sir , but we are fresh out and shipments don’t usually come in until the end of the week.”

“Get a lot of traffic in here during the off season, huh?”

     Shon didn’t seem to have an answer for that, he just stood there smiling and irritating Gladiolus even further. He’d had enough with this, it was time to go before he got in trouble for bashing a swimming pool attendant’s face in. “Fine.” He wasted no time in pulling out his wallet for a few bills, slamming them down on the counter without bothering to count them and walking away with his sorry excuse for a swimsuit.

     With a sigh Gladiolus turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, not bothering to dry off completely before slipping on his tiny swimwear. Big mistake, it seemed to only make things worse. He’d had to wiggle around and jump up and down a few times to get the damned crotch trap of a swimsuit where it needed to be. It took some adjusting and a whole lot of frowning at his horribly confined junk in the mirror but at least it was the right size. Any smaller and he’d probably be fined for indecent exposure, either that or Jasz would murder him for flashing her. He sighed and stuffed his belongings into an empty locker before making his way back to the pool. Hopefully she wouldn’t laugh him out of the building.

     Just as he expected, he was greeted with hysterical laughter after leaving the shower rooms. “What… Is… That…? I thought you were getting trunks?” Jasz let out another howl of laughter as she tread water in the middle of the larger pool. If he didn’t know any better he’d think she had actual tears in her eyes though her face was already wet, probably from being submerged just a few moments before. “Yeah yeah, get it all out, Minnie.” He was moving to get into the pool when the laughter suddenly stopped, his movement halting in time with the sudden silence.

     “What did you just call me?” Jasz stared up at him with narrowed eyes, her question coming out through her teeth. Gladiolus eyed her for a second, wondering where this sudden irritation was coming from. Maybe there was more to this Shon guy after all. “What? Your little boyfriend can call you that but I can’t?” He scoffed as he crouched down at the edge of the pool and fluidly slipped into the water. He’d braced himself, fully expecting to be met with the frigid chill usually associated with swimming pools but the water was a moderate temperature. Not nearly as warm as bathwater but warm enough to be comfortable while also being refreshing. “No. I hate that nickname! I already told him to stop calling me that. I swear I’m gonna shove a polearm straight up his--” Gladiolus was pleased that the nickname didn’t hold any weight with her, in fact he was thrilled that it pissed her off to the point of promising violence.

     His laugh was so loud that it cut off the end of her sentence, earning him an inquisitive stare from her. “He was probably just trying to get a rise out of me. I’m sure he’s got the hots for you, Jazzy.” Gladiolus really didn’t want to help the guy out, watching Jasz tear him a new one would have been highly entertaining. But he was hoping to get some insight into their relationship. She pleased him even further by rolling her eyes and waving a hand, a dismissive gesture. His nickname for her she actually liked. “He knows it’s not like that.” She stated simply as she leaned backwards, kicking her long legs up so that she was floating on her back.

     Satisfied with her answer, Gladiolus slipped deeper into the clear, blue water and submerged himself. He felt his muscles stretch with every movement, the water soothingly flowing around his still shower-heated skin as he slowly made his way over to where Jasz was floating serenely. He resurfaced and stopped just out of reach of her, floating close enough to clearly see her face. She had her eyes closed, her lips turned up slightly at the corners in content. Her long, dark brown curls had been taken out of its usual braid and now flowed around her head making her look angelic. Mystical. Divine. His eyes briefly raked over the rest of her. She’d put on a red one piece bathing suit that hugged her soft curves, though the sides and back were exposed due to the cutout design. But he didn’t keep his eyes on her body, though glorious as it was. Her face warranted his attention the most. He’d always thought she’d looked like an angel, soft and sweet. He quickly came to realize how much the opposite of that was true and somehow he liked that better.

     He liked the rough around the edges Jasz. The Jasz who excelled at martial arts and double wielding blades. The Jasz who could hold her own in a fight and wouldn’t back down from what was right. The Jasz who blatantly smothered her feelings for him because she didn’t want to distract him from the extremely important job of being the prince’s shield. The Jasz who loved the color red and seafood and sushi and jazzy instrumentals and dancey electronic music and back rubs and rainy days and the same romance novels that he’d gotten into lately. The Jasz who was too stubborn for her own good and often needed to be argued with in order to save her from herself. The Jasz whose temper flared almost as much as his did. The Jasz who could somehow soothe him even at the worst of times. The Jasz who hated dressing up and wearing makeup but wears it damn well when she needs to. The Jasz he liked was complex and complicated and a bit of a handful at times but he liked it. All of it.

     “Cut it out, Glads.” For one wild second Gladiolus thought she’d read his mind. He’d realized that he’d spaced out and had floated closer to her, his calloused fingertips tracing spirals up and down her arm. He grinned sheepishly, though she still had her eyes closed, and paddled away from her. “I’d say I’m sorry but--” She sighed and finished his sentence before he could, “But you’re not. Yeah yeah.” She opened one eye and glanced over at him, a soft smile on her lips. He would have said something more but felt there was no point. Instead he decided to try things her way, kicking up his legs and floating on his back with his arms spread at his sides.

[hipsterscribbles]

—Beginnings - Gladio x Female OC

Also on AO3

Gladio and Jasz first met as kids. Gladio seemed to take a liking to the girl from outside the wall. Jasz, however, was less than impressed with the young shield-to-be. At least that’s what she tried to tell herself...

"Hey..."

I didn't wanna look up. That voice was already too familiar and I didn't want it to be. It shouldn't be. But my body betrayed me anyway, my eyes slowly moving from the uneaten cupcake in my hand to the boy with pretty, brown eyes. Ugh. Pretty?! The thought made me squirm where I sat on the sidewalk, perched like a total loner in front of my favorite bakery.

"You got a name?"

Stupid. Everybody's got a name. I opened my mouth to tell him so but then I snapped it shut, looking away at nothing. Anything to shut him up and make him go away. "What's it to you?" I mumbled under my breath, as quiet as I could, but somehow he heard me. He wasn’t standing very far from me, of course he would hear me, duh...

"I just thought... Well anyway, my name’s Gladiolus. Gladiolus Amicitia."

He looked proud when he said it, I swear his chest inflated like one of those colorful raft thingies at the pool. How stupid. "'Kay." was the only thing I grumbled in answer. I didn't wanna look at him. You see, he'd saved me from some stupid bullies and I didn't wanna owe him for it. That's how it works right? Somebody does something good and you gotta pay them back. Plus people were only nice to me when they wanted something and when they didn’t get it… Well, I wasn’t sent to this place for good behavior. Anyway, friendly faces usually mean trouble and I can’t get into any more of that. So maybe if I don't look at him he won't mention his good deed. Then I don't hafta owe him anything. Or fight him if he got peeved at me. Just go away!

"Your name's Kay?"

Stupid... "No!" Why won't he just leave me alone? "I said 'kay like 'okay'. Your name is Gladiolus, ‘kay, I gotcha." I gotta remember that I don't wanna be too rude, I hafta at least fit in a little and making enemies was a bad idea. Making friends didn't sound all that good either, really. Ha, friends, like I had any of those before.

"Oh..."

Silence at last. I looked back down at my cupcake and listened for his footsteps, waiting for him to walk away. My eyes swirled around the purple frosting, dotted in random spots by white, star-shaped sprinkles. Any second now he's gotta walk away, right?

"So, you gonna tell me?"

It took the will of the Six not to turn around and growl at him. Leave me alone! Instead, I turned to stare at him. Silently. At least I tried. Why'd he hafta be so pretty? And was he really this nice? And, okay, he was sorta my hero just a little while ago but he didn’t look all big-headed about it... "Jasz..." His stupid face kinda got all glowy when I told him half of my given name, he looked pleased. Ugh.

"Nice to meet you, Jasz."

He was smiling like I made his day and it made him prettier. What did I do to deserve this? Whatever it was I prayed to the Six to forgive me and promised to never do it again if they’d just make this boy go away!

“Sorry about earlier. Those boneheads don’t know any better when it comes to kids from outside the wall. And there was no way I could let a pretty girl get picked on like that.”

Pretty girl? Oh please. I wanted to roll my eyes and tell him that he could go away now, thank you very much. But I wanted to hide my face and blush too. Blush! This body is such a traitor, I wanna trade it in and get a new one. Hmph.

“They’re just jealous, you know? Being taken in by a member of the royal council means you’re that much closer to the prince. A lot closer than they’ll ever get, probably.”

He laughed at that but I didn’t get the joke. Who cares? I couldn’t help rolling my eyes this time and when I looked over at him he was grinning at me like an idiot. “Big deal, he’s a person like the rest of us.” There, I said it, and I was probably gonna be in biiig trouble if anybody found out. Is it treason to call the crown prince just ‘another person’? I don’t know how this stuff works. I must’ve looked really guilty because stupid pretty face laughed at me.

“That’s true... But-- Oh! Whoops! I gotta go!”

Finally! I tried not to look too happy while he turned sideways, hopefully about to run off somewhere. Probably had to rescue a cat from a tree then talk its ear off about something stupid. He didn’t run off, though, and I fought with the frown that was dying to pop up on my face.

“I gotta get to training and it’s my birthday so I get to train with the older kids starting from today. My dad’s a shield, you know? I’m gonna be one too. I’m gonna be the strongest man in Lucis, just you wait and see!”

I blinked at him and ran the conversation back through my head, trying to find exactly where I asked him about all of that. I got nothing, I didn’t ask at all. Then, stupidly, I smiled up at him. Ugh! Stop doing that! He’ll never leave me alone if I don’t give him a reason to. But of course my stupid mouth opens and I ask, “It’s your birthday?” No, I don’t care. Let him leave, please.

“Yup! I’m 10 today.”

Ha, I almost guessed right, then. I thought he was around my age, probably younger. Maybe 10 or 11 or something. Man, I’m good. I looked back down at my cupcake and got an idea. Yes! If I give him a birthday present then we’re even. Nothing owed. A birthday present for a hero moment. That’ll work, right? I looked back up to see him watching me like he wanted to say something. With a smile, I held up the cupcake in offer. “Happy birthday, then.” His eyebrows shot up like rockets and he just stared at the cupcake in my hand. Stupid! Take it!

“That for me?”

He sounded like I was giving him a million bucks or something. “Mhm. Go on.” I nodded towards the sweet and tried to keep smiling. Geez it’s a cupcake not a brand new bike. He was smiling again when he stepped up to carefully take the cupcake out of my hand. I kinda expected him to tell me he was gonna guard it with his life or something. “I didn’t nibble it or anything. It’s fresh. Brand new. Didn’t go anywhere near my mouth.” I tried to reassure him so he could take it and just go.

“Thanks. This is great.”

He looked like he meant it, too. What a weirdo. He smiled down at me for a few more seconds before he started backing up. Thank the Gods! Run along now, stupid pretty face.

“I’ll see you around, okay?”

He was already turned around and sprinting away from me when his words hit me. They sounded like a promise. Oh no, did I make it worse? I couldn’t fight the cringe that was coming, instead, I let it have me then leaned with my back against the storefront behind me. Does that mean he’s gonna try to hang out with me now? I’m already an outsider, a freak, something to gawk at. Will they think I’m trying to get in good with people close to the prince? I groaned as I stood up and brushed the dirt from the back of my jeans. My mind started racing through everything that could possibly go wrong with this new situation while I started on my walk home.

[hipsterscribbles]

—Traditions Pt. 2 - Gladio x Female OC

⇠ Previously | AO3 | Next ⇢

Jasz helps Gladio ditch his birthday party by bringing him somewhere unexpected. The exchange between her and a male employee causes a little concern but that is quickly overshadowed by the fact that Gladio will have her all to himself for a while. In a pool. Wearing a bathing suit.

     “This is your big idea?” Gladiolus quirked an eyebrow as he glanced around himself. Jasz’s mini adventure had led them to Citadel Station where they boarded the subway and traveled a good distance away from the Citadel. They’d ended up at a public indoor swimming pool that seemed to be vacant besides a very bored looking attendant. Jasz had chatted with the guy as if she knew him, addressed him by first name and everything. Gladiolus caught himself wondering what their relationship was, then shook his head at himself because it didn’t matter. She wasn’t his. But still, it would be nice to know what he was up against…

     “Most people don’t come here until late May so it’s empty more often than not.” She’d taken his hand, much to his pleasure, and led him to the pool area. As they were walking away he’d caught the eye of the attendant and thought he looked wistful, maybe even jealous. Yea, that’s right buddy. Set your sights somewhere else. He’d thought with a smirk. “And you know me,” Jasz continued, oblivious to anything going on between the two males. “Girl from the City on the Sea and all that. I love the water.” He was pulled from his thoughts by her words and the fact that she was no longer holding his hand. It was all too tempting to frown and grab her hand again, so he carefully folded his arms across his chest instead. “Just not what I was expecting, ‘s all.”

     “What were you expecting?” She glanced up at him with a look that was somehow expectant. She knew what he was thinking, had to. She knew him so well that he didn’t doubt for a second that she’d guessed what he wanted. He’d thought maybe she’d changed her mind and would actually take him on a birthday date. Although now that he thought about it neither one of them was dressed for anything like that, with him still in his training clothes and her fresh off of guard duty donning her Crownsguard attire. He would have easily admitted that but he’d learned a long time ago that less is more with Jasz. If he tried to lead her into it she would only push him away. Slow and steady…

     “I don’t know but it wasn’t this.” He grinned over at her before his eyes darted around the pool area. Or maybe pools would be more correct. There were two of them, one massive and one smaller with umbrella-shaped structures gushing water like mini waterfalls. He’d noticed that the larger pool tapered off on both ends, forming some kind of a lazy river type thing around the smaller pool. The whole place was as bright as a summer’s day despite the setting sun outside and it was decorated to give off a tropical vibe with fake palm trees and sand colored floors and tiki styled furnishings. There were brightly colored rings and chocobo shaped floats littered all around them, some even drifting here and there of their own accord, either abandoned by their last users or hastily tossed in by a slothful worker. He had to admit, the water did look refreshing and inviting especially with the workout he’d previously had.

     “So? What do you think? Care for a swim?” He smiled at the excitement in her voice, unable to decline when she sounded so eager. And she wanted him with her. And it meant that he could see her in a swimsuit… “Don’t have anything to swim in.” He hedged, his tone was teasing and he’d began to wonder if she would mind if he jumped in wearing nothing but his underwear. But he was sorely in need of a shower first. She just shrugged and pointed back in the direction of the lobby. “You can buy a pair of trunks. Shon knows you’re with me, he might give you a good discount.” He visibly cringed at that. Shon. The attendant who surely wished he was in Gladiolus’ place right now. Selling him swimwear. The way she said his name had Gladiolus wondering, again, just who he was to her. With a sigh, he nodded, unfolding his arms and nearly stomping back the way they came. “This should be interesting.”

[hipsterscribbles]

—Traditions Pt. 1 - Gladio x Female OC

AO3 | Next ⇢

It's been 6 years since Gladio met a hesitant Jasz and they've become best friends since then. Though they've grown close over the years Jasz has remained firm about not letting their relationship get past friendship, much to Gladiolus' dismay. But he won't give up so easily and it seems that she won't either. Some things never change. At least he gets a cupcake every year.

     A calm seemed to settle over the rapidly emptying training room as Gladiolus rested by himself on a bench, softly panting, sweat beading on his forehead and slowly trickling down his face and neck. His eyes closed for a moment as a deep sigh left him. When his eyes opened again a satisfied grin spread across his lips. It was somewhat of a tradition for him, the way some of the more eager of the guard came to him in hopes of beating the birthday boy in sparring matches. One after the other, back to back with little rest, he took them all on, besting each one though a few actually gave him a workout. It was with a smug grin that he’d thanked the retreating contenders for another fulfilling afternoon of training. He let his mind wander as he dabbed his face dry with the small towel draped around his neck, trying to wrestle up an idea for the evening’s activities.

     Of course, since it was his birthday, his friends had been plotting a party for him all week. A surprise party, although they attempted it every year so it was never an actual surprise. And every year since he was a preteen he’d somehow escaped it. Except that one year. He bit back a groan at the memory as he tossed the towel aside and grabbed up his Crownsguard hoodie, quickly slipping it on over his head.

     Once his arms were through the sleeves he yanked the rest of the dark fabric down over his tank top and snatched up his cap, turning it backwards and slipping it on over his dampened hair. It was styled into what was his favorite cut for a while, the sides and back all sheared off with the top slightly longer and usually worn spiked upwards. A “Brohawk” as Jasz would call it. He couldn’t help but chuckle at that, his mind wandering over to his friend and the way she’d playfully teased him about it. Friend. That’s all she would allow. That’s all either of them had time for. Relationships in their line of work were just too hard to maintain, especially early on. Maybe one day when they were older…

     With a sigh and a shake of his head, Gladiolus turned to leave the training room, planning to hole himself up in his house and hope no one would be looking for him anytime soon. He’d only taken a few steps before he turned on his heel, jogging back for the discarded towel and snatching it up. He’d been scolded multiple times by multiple people for leaving his stuff lying around the training rooms -- “For Astrals sake, Gladiolus, this is not your bedroom!” -- and he wasn’t too keen on getting yet another lecture. Another sigh left him as he made his way to the exit once again, idly twirling the towel around in one hand while the other slid into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie.

     He hadn’t made it completely out of the room, however, as an arm shot out across the open doorway in front of him, barring him from exiting. It would have been nothing to plow right through that arm, he was already over 6’ in height and his lean body was hard and muscled due to years of training. He only stopped because he recognized the arm; long and slender but laced with lean muscle, decorated with periodic dottings of moles and freckles with a couple of small, thin scars marring the otherwise smooth, caramel complected skin. And at the end of that arm, the hand held a small confectionery in its palm. A cupcake, vanilla with purple frosting swirled around on top and sprinkled with tiny, white star-shaped candies.

     “Jasz.” he greeted simply, his gaze moving sideways from the cupcake to his long time friend’s face. “Glads.” her greeting was just as simple as she stared up at him, her chocolate brown eyes seeming to spark with amusement though she wasn’t smiling. He found himself silently staring at her, something he did way too often as far as she was concerned. It couldn’t be helped, she was beautiful even though she refused to see it. He’d seen it on the very first day they met and it seemed to only get better as she aged. He watched as her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes narrowed, his own amber hues darting down to her lips in anticipation of what she would do next. Just as he expected her to, Jasz pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and bit down lightly. This was the face she always made when she caught him staring at her.

     “Sorry.” he muttered half-heartedly as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and reached up to take the cupcake from her, something that was routine for them since his 10th birthday. She’d given him a cupcake then too, as she did every year so far. Always the same kind, vanilla with purple frosting and white star sprinkles. It was the highlight of every birthday although he’d never admit that to her. She’d probably stop doing it if he did. “No you’re not…” she accused as she lowered her arm, stepping away from the door to lean with her back against the wall next to it. Her eyes were downcast as she crossed her arms beneath her chest. “Nah, I’m not.” he chuckled as he sauntered out of the doorway and stood in front of her.

     “So. Sweet 16, huh?” Gladiolus smirked at her well-practiced lighthearted tone. He watched as she lifted her gaze although she wouldn’t really look directly at him. She was gazing off down the hall at nothing in particular. With a shrug he draped his towel around his neck and started peeling the paper from his cupcake to take a big bite. “Nothing sweet about me.” he murmured around a mouth full of cake and icing. He was rewarded with a small smile from her, her eyes finally settling on his face. “Oh, trust me, I know.” She tried to fake a grimace but it quickly ended up morphing back into a smile.

     “Your surprise party is shaping up nicely. Lots of balloons and streamers and stuff.” It was clear that she was holding back her laughter as she carefully watched his face. She knew how much he hated birthday parties and that he always ditched them when he could. “Where?” he’d asked after swallowing his mouthful, his eyes sliding shut. There was a pause as Jasz watched him, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort, no doubt. “In the guard room… The prince invited me but you know I don’t do social gatherings.” Of course Noctis was involved.

     He took a moment to run through the people most likely to attend in his head. No doubt the little prince would weasel his adviser, Ignis, into going and probably Clarus too, though he was sure that his dad wouldn’t leave the king’s side for very long. Iris would be there too, Noctis would be sure of that. Gladiolus made a mental note to somehow make it up to her later for skipping out. The party was usually put together by a few of his friends on the guard, though, and some of the others would likely tag along, eager to buddy up to him to get in good the graces of the royal family, no doubt. “Ugh…” Gladiolus shook his head as his eyes reopened and darted down the hall towards the guard room. After another second he turned and strode off in the opposite direction.

     “You bailing?” He didn’t have to turn his head to know that she’d caught up with him and was now at his side, quickening her pace to keep up with his long strides though she was pretty tall herself, for a girl, anyway. “Hmph. ‘Course I am.” he grunted at her, finishing the rest of his cupcake in one bite and balling up the wrapper to shove into his pocket. He’d have to remember to find a bin to toss it into later. “Thanks, by the way.” He pat his pocket as he flashed a smile over at her, “Delicious as always.”

     “No sweat. So where you gonna go?” she inquired, trying to remain nonchalant but he knew better. She enjoyed being around him just as much as he liked being around her. She’d never admit it but actions speak louder than words and the two couldn’t really stay away from each other for too long. He pursed his lips as he thought about her question, maybe it was time to make an actual plan if she was going to tag along. He’d take a date over a surprise party any day. “Home. Unless you got a better idea?” he quirked a brow as he glanced over at her, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

     Surprisingly she flashed a wide, bright smile back at him. “Actually I do.” She fell back a few steps as she replied. He was about to question her when she got a running start and hopped up onto his back, forcing him into giving her a piggyback ride. He could only laugh as she draped her arms around his neck, his hands moving under her legs to hoist her up a bit higher and wrap them around his waist. Her excitement had her breaking her own rules. They didn’t usually get this close with the exception of a few occasions, and those were usually his fault. He decided not to question her actions now, taking advantage of her momentary lapse in judgment to enjoy it.

     He took in her scent -- which always reminded him of a bakery with the smell of cocoa and sweet vanilla -- and tried not to think too much about the feel of her soft thighs in his large hands and her legs wrapped tightly around him. It was even more of a challenge not to think of her warm body pressed up against his back, open and uninhibited in this moment. And he had to work extra hard to not daydream about what it would feel like to turn her so that she was clinging to the front of him instead. It was a death sentence waiting to happen, she’d surely kill him if she knew what he was thinking. As they made their way out of the training hall she pointed in the general direction of the nearest station, making him laugh as she excitedly called out, “To the subway, trusty steed!”

[hipsterscribbles]

—Angelguard - Chapter 4

⇠ Previously | AO3 | Next ⇢

Departure

Life goes on. No matter what happens, life will always go on. The time has come for Jasz to leave the comforts of Lestallum behind. Accompanied by a handsome hunter and a surprise tag-along, she gets ready to explore the open world.

     It’d taken me hours to quiet my tumultuous thoughts enough that I could drift off and now I was being awakened after what felt like only minutes. I reluctantly opened my eyes, rolling over to drowsily glare at the ringing phone that pulled me out of a dreamless sleep. With a sigh, I grabbed the offending device and glanced at the name displayed on the screen. The Marshal. I quickly sat up in bed and tried to clear the sleep from my voice before answering the call. “Good morning, Marshal.” A peek over at the neighboring bed confirmed that Iris was still fast asleep. She was mostly buried under her covers and it had me wondering if maybe I’d turned the air conditioning up a little too high last night.

“Rise and shine, Jaszmin. A hunter is headed your way to escort you on your next assignment.”

     The feeling of duty was sobering and gave me the push I needed to get out of bed. In the back of my mind, though, I was reveling at the humor in the Marshal’s first sentence. After all these years it never failed to amaze me that a legend like him was able to joke around like the rest of us. I moved over to my brand new shoulder bag -- packed with freshly purchased essentials courtesy of Jared and a few graciously helpful locals -- and ruffled through its contents. 

     “Understood. So what’s on the agenda?” It took years for me to be able to speak comfortably to the Marshal and even then it just didn’t feel right sometimes. Gladio always teased me about it, said I sounded like a stiff. I stifled a sigh at the thought of my best friend -- and, though I was at times loath to admit it, my sometimes-y lover -- as I gathered an armful of my clothes and new toiletries. I refused to get upset about the fact that I wouldn’t be here when he and the others arrived.

“The Crownsguard and hunters are on the lookout for royal tombs while I keep an eye on the Niffs. Report to me if you find anything and feel free to take on any hunts along the way, you could earn yourself some good gil.”

     I raised an eyebrow at that as I made my way into the bathroom, pushing the door closed behind me with my hip as I deposited my armful of stuff onto the counter. I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by hunts but it sounded like I would be able to use my skills to get some much-needed money. The thought was both daunting and intriguing. “Oh you know me, I’m always itching for a good fight.” I chuckled as I shrugged off my robe and tossed it aside.

“I see some things never change. The hunter’s name is Vas Helter, he’ll meet you in front of the Leville in about 2 hours.”

     I chuckled as I briefly pulled my phone away from my ear to glance at it and note the time. “2 hours, got it. I’ll be ready.” I fully expected him to hang up then but he hesitated. As I imagined the face he usually made when he was deep in thought, a realization hit me. Cor had lost everything just like the rest of us. His king, his loved ones, his guard, his home. He had even less time to grieve than we did, yet he had to be the strongest of us all. The thought was heartbreaking. Before the pause could go on too long, he spoke up again.

“Good luck, Jaszmin. And I know I don’t need to tell you to be careful out there.”

     My grip on my phone tightened and I found that I needed to lean against the bathroom counter for a moment. Cor the Immortal was worrying over me. Although it’s not like he hadn’t shown concern before, it was always a heavy thing for me. “No worries, Marshal, I got this.” He chuckled quietly at that and the sound had me reeling, I’d barely acknowledged the one worded answer he gave me in affirmation before he hung up. I really needed to reign in my inner fangirl.

     After showering and making myself presentable, I found Iris awake and waiting to use the bathroom. She seemed a bit sad when I explained to her why I had to leave but wished me good luck with a hug and a promise to meet me for my “going away breakfast”. “Geez, kid,” I grinned as I reached out to ruffle her already disheveled hair, “It’s not like I’ll never come back.”

     I left the hotel room with my bag slung over my shoulder, dead set on getting breakfast before I had to leave. I’d made a vow to myself to never go that long without eating again. As I was leaving I ran into Shon on his way back in. He was without his sling, wearing athletic clothes with his long hair gathered up into a sloppy bun, and he was nearly drenched in sweat, all signs that he’d been out on a morning run. It made me a bit jealous that I didn’t have time for a run myself, although this heat made me somewhat grateful that I couldn’t. “Morning! Did you go for a run or a swim?” He laughed and ran the back of his hand across his forehead, ridding himself of the droplets of sweat that threatened to fall into his eyes.

“Feels like both, the heat is brutal here. Dunno if I’ll ever get used to it. You headed out?”

     He gestured to my shoulder bag with just the slightest hint of a pout on his face. It made me feel a little guilty for leaving since I was the only other person he was familiar with here besides his mom. He’d told me last night how they got separated from his dad and his sister and that they hadn’t seen them since. His mom was still holding onto the hope that they’ll turn up in Lestallum one day. Shon seemed to have already let go and accepted them as lost. I sighed and nodded at his question. “Still a Crownsguard and there’s work to be done.” He nodded as well, looking slightly defeated. I knew he wanted to spend more time with me and I was somewhat glad that our time together would be cut short. Shon tended to get a little too enthusiastic about his feelings for me.

“That sucks, but I understand. Good luck out there. I’d hug you goodbye but I’m all…”

     He gestured to himself, to the way his sweat covered skin glistened in the morning sun and his sleeveless shirt clung to his athletic body in some dampened spots. I laughed and shook my head before taking a step back and looked at him in mock horror. “Eww, yea I’ll take a rain check on that.” The look he gave me could only be described as the perfect sad puppy face but he couldn’t hold it for long and ended up laughing with me. We both stood there after our laughter quieted down, not exactly sure how to depart now. “I’m seriously happy you made it out, Shon. We’ll definitely see each other around, okay?” I began backing towards the closest outdoor diner, towards the source of the mouthwatering scents wafting in on the light morning breeze, towards the promise of something delicious and filling to stop the quiet snarling of my stomach.

“Count on it.”

     With a single nod, I turned away, not missing the odd change in his features. He’d gone from looking mildly defeated to oddly determined and it had me wondering, just what was he planning?

     It was shaping up to be a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky with the sounds of children laughing and music being played in front of the fountain at the Leville, painting the atmosphere into something jovial. I sat on the side of the fountain, legs crossed at the ankles and stretched out in front of me as I watched Talcott play with a few of his new friends, a mixture of local and refugee children. While they played what looked like a game of red light, green light, a couple of musicians sat just a few feet away with their drum and guitar, their voices and instruments the perfect background music. Beside me, Iris sat and mirrored my position, her eyes closed and face turned towards the sky with a content smile on her lips.

     The sounds of Lestallum were soothing and welcoming and a pleasant reminder that life goes on. No matter what happens, life will always go on. I was too entranced with the scene before me that I hadn’t notice the figure standing beside me until the clearing of a throat commanded my attention.

“Are you Jaszmin?”

     Most of the hunters I’d seen so far were short and stocky but this one, while still on the burly side, was taller. I couldn’t help letting my eyes curiously rake over his form, taking in what I could see of his sandy blonde hair peeking out from under a thoroughly worn bandana, dark green eyes, thin nose, and pouty lips that looked a bit out of place amongst the light scruff that decorated the bottom half of his face. He wore what I thought was typical hunter apparel: a sleeveless shirt and what looked like light leather armor covering his broad shoulders and chest, military pants, sturdy but comfy looking boots, and fingerless gloves, all in shades of brown and beige. His skin was tanned, the texture looking just a bit like worn leather from spending most of his time outdoors in the sun, no doubt.

     “Yea, that’s me.” I couldn’t help but muse that if Gladio and Ignis were able to procreate, Vas would probably be what the offspring would look like. The silly thought almost made me laugh aloud but if he saw the sudden glint of amusement in my eyes he pretended not to notice. “You must be Vas.”  As I stood up, Iris helped me gather my belongings. The smile on her face was sad as she handed me my jacket and shoulder bag. After mouthing a thank you to her and ruffling her hair again for old time’s sake, I turned my attention back to the hunter.  

“That I am. Heard you’re a good fighter, I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do. Ready to head out?”

     His voice was smooth and warm despite his rough appearance and he had that slow, drawling accent that seemed to be native to the citizens of Leide. If I were a lesser woman, I probably would have blushed, especially since the only person capable of relaying compliments to him about my fighting would have been the Marshal. “Let’s hit it.” I answered enthusiastically as I tied my jacket around my waist, slung my bag over my shoulder, and gave one last wave to Iris before we set off towards the parking lot.

“Hey! Jasz, wait up!”

     My hands clenched the strap of my shoulder bag as I turned to watch Shon jog down the stairs to the parking lot, his hair flopping into his face with each step. For a solid second I actually thought about hopping into the passenger side of Vas’ car and telling him to book it but quickly shook the idea from my head, I couldn’t commit such betrayal. With keys in hand, Vas leaned against the driver side door with arms folded across his chest and legs crossed at the ankles, his features hovering between curious and amused.

“Friend of yours?”

     I sighed at the tone of his question and took a few steps toward the approaching man. “What’re you doing, Shon?” My narrowed eyes took in his appearance as he stopped in front of me. He looked fresh out of a shower, with his hair still slightly damp and his face freshly shaven. His clothes, though clean and not out of the ordinary, stood out in contrast to both mine and Vas’. The hunter, the Crownsguard, and a civilian. Shon smiled down at me, a sheepish smile, but there was also a stubborn set to his jaw.

“I’m going with you.”

     My eyes traveled along the strap across his chest, a shoulder bag similar to mine though mine was a bit darker, something that had me idly wondering if Jared mentioned the Guard’s fondness for dark colors. My attention refocused on Shon’s face as I gave him a searching look. “Do you even know where I’m going, Shon? And what about your mom? You gonna leave her in a strange place all by herself?” He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he pondered my questions but I suspected he’d thought this through before running after me, even if only for a fleeting moment.

“I can guess. You’re out of the Crown City but you’re still a Crownsguard. And you, you’re a hunter, right?”

     We both glanced at Vas who was watching quietly, the amusement never leaving his face. He nodded at the question but otherwise remained silent, this was my situation to handle. As I turned back to face Shon I couldn’t quite figure out if it annoyed me or made me grateful that he was leaving this up to me. I opened my mouth to remind him of the second part of my questioning but he began speaking again.

“I don’t know your main objective but I know you’ll probably be doing some hunting and I want in. My mom… I can’t just sit around and watch her slowly come to realize that my dad and sister aren’t coming back. And besides, Lestallum’s nice and all but we need money and Exineris only hires women. I don’t think I’d cut it as a street vendor and I’m not letting my mom take a job in a giant furnace while I sit and twiddle my thumbs. C’mon, Minnie, I can help you guys out and earn some Gil.”

     After his little speech I took a few seconds to think it over, he had some valid points. But I wasn’t sure how the recruiting process of the hunters went. Vas was already a seasoned hunter from what I could tell and my status as Crownsguard automatically gave me an in. “Vas?” I turned to give him a questioning look but he just shrugged and pushed himself off of the door. He spared Shon one last look before opening his door and sliding into the driver’s seat.

“It’s up to you. We need to get moving, though.”

     Yet another sigh left my lips as I furrowed my brows at him and turned back to Shon. “How’re your injuries?” My eyes raked over his shoulder before moving up to his left eye, the bruise around it yellowing and even fading in some spots. He gave me a nonchalant shrug but there was a little hesitation. I guessed that he was healed enough to go on runs but wasn’t fully healed yet. With a huff and a wave of his hand, he dismissed any concerns I had for him.

“I’m completely fine.”

     The pure look of pleading in his hazel eyes made me roll my own, he was full on giving me his sad puppy routine again, knowing what it did to me. With a sigh and a nod, I moved towards the passenger side of Vas’ car. “Fine.” I tried to remain serious, he would be putting himself in danger by tagging along, but the celebratory whoop he gave had me cracking a smile.

     As I opened the passenger door and adjusted the front seat so that he could climb into the back, I waved him over. Before he could get in, though, I halted him with a firm hand on his chest. “Oh, and Shon? If you ever call me Minnie again I swear to Ramuh I will strap you to the hood of this car and have Vas drive you around the entire dustbowl that is Leide, you got that?” A strained smile spread across his lips as he nodded and waited for me to let him slip into the backseat while Vas chuckled quietly and started the engine. I gave him the sweetest smile I could while I repositioned the front seat and slid into it, taking one last look at Lestallum as the engine started and we drove off.

[hipsterscribbles]

—Angelguard - Chapter 3

⇠ Previously | AO3 | Next ⇢

Lost & Found

With the fall of the Crown City still fresh in her mind, Jasz finds herself plagued with nightmares and grief. But she quickly realizes that she's not alone. Not only does she have Iris and the others who escaped with her, but she ends up finding a familiar face in Lestallum.

     All around me there was death and destruction. No matter where I looked I was met with the grisly sight of bodies, bent and broken and half buried under what used to be the magnificent buildings that touched the Insomnian skies. From their metal and concrete graves they screamed, called out to me for help. I moved towards the carnage hoping to save someone, anyone, but quickly found that the scene before me had changed. Suddenly I was standing in front of the Citadel, red hot flames relentlessly licking at the once pristine facade. It was all I could do to hold in the blood-curdling scream as the full scene came into focus. In the middle of the blaze stood King Regis, silently, bravely looking on as the fire spread. My legs felt like pure lead as I tried to run towards him but determination kept me moving forward. I was almost there, he was almost within reach. The last thing I saw was his sad smile before the flames fully engulfed him.

     I jerked awake, blinking furiously as I glanced around myself. It took a moment for the sleepy disorientation to subside before I realized that it was a dream, a nightmare, a grim reminder that we couldn’t save our king. A wave of grief threatened to crash over me as I sat up in my bed and pulled my legs up, knees bent and hugged to my chest while I stared blankly, unseeing, unblinking at the bright blue walls around me. It took almost everything I had but I beat it back, not willing to let it have me just yet. I would need to be completely alone once I was finally dragged under, but right now I needed to be strong for those around me and I couldn’t do that curled up somewhere sobbing and wailing about the things I’d seen while escaping Insomnia. If I didn’t have a roommate I’d barricade the door and get it over with now. As if reminding me that I do, in fact, have someone to be strong for, Iris knocked on the door to our room.

“Jasz? Can I come in?”

     I snorted and shook my head, shifting to sit on the edge of the double size bed and glancing down at myself to make sure my bathrobe hadn’t come undone in my fitful sleep. “It’s your room too, kid.” I’d hoped my tone was light enough so that it wouldn’t alarm her but she could probably tell anyway, she was much like her brother in that sense. Slowly she opened the door and poked her head in to check, I wasn’t fooling her. The look on her face almost made me lose my careful composure. “I’m fine. Come on in.” I flashed a sheepish grin and waved her in, slightly embarrassed at being caught in a weak moment. She seemed hesitant but stepped in anyway, holding up a bundle of dark, folded clothes that I’d recognized as my own.

“Laundry’s done. And we’re going to get some dinner soon, I’m sure you’re starving.”

     I nodded at that and glanced out of the window at the darkening sky, thinking back to the last time I’d eaten. Dustin and Jared had tried to get us something on our drive to Lestallum but my appetite was non-existent at that point. Before that I’d only had a cup of coffee at the outpost, my appetite tucked away behind nerves and grief and the threat of hysterics. And before that I’d only had a bag of pretzels to go with my beer while I sat in my favorite pub to watch the treaty proceedings. All hell had broken loose after that. So it must’ve been over 24 hours since I had a proper meal. My stomach rumbled loudly to punctuate that last thought and I suddenly realized that I was ravenous.

     While I was lost in my own mind for a moment, Iris came over and sat beside me. She’d dropped my clothes on the matching bed adjacent from mine and attempted to smooth down the frizzy mess that my damp curls were becoming. That made me laugh. “It’s no use, I’m gonna have to braid it to keep it from turning into a bird’s nest.” She laughed at the mental image and excitedly hopped up, climbing onto the bed behind me so that she could braid my hair herself. She’d loved playing in my hair since she was little and I didn’t have the heart back then to tell her that stubby little fingers and curls didn’t mix. There were plenty of times where I’d left the Amicitia house with a sore scalp and more than a few strands missing.

     She’d gotten much better at handling my hair now and often took to braiding it in different styles. I closed my eyes and felt myself relax as her nimble fingers quickly but carefully worked in my dark brown strands, starting at the top and working her way down. Within minutes my hair was in its usual style, a single plait down the back of my head with a thick braid resting at my back. I murmured my thanks to her as I stood up, gathering up my clothes and frowning down at the black articles of varying materials. “I’m gonna have to find some new clothes, I’m already roasting just looking at this leather.” Iris laughed and hopped off of the bed before giving me a playful push towards the bathroom.

“We’ll find something for you later. But for now hurry up and get dressed, I can smell the food stalls from here!”

“So I called Noct earlier. They should be making their way here soon.”

     I looked up at Iris as I stuffed my mouth with another bite of rice and curry and nodded, covering my mouth as I quickly chewed. It was my second serving of the night and I still felt like I could go for another. “Did he sound okay?” My words came out slightly muffled as I spoke before swallowing my food, gaining a disapproving look from Dustin. I finished chewing and swallowed before flashing an apologetic grin at him. I realized that our silent exchange didn’t go unnoticed as Talcott laughed at me from across the table. He laughed again as I playfully stuck my tongue out at him before turning my attention back to Iris.

“Yea, he sounded fine. I think he’s doing okay.”

     She smiled and looked down as she idly picked at the corner of the outdoor diner’s red checkered tablecloth, the last remnants of her bread and soup forgotten. I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her, poor kid had it bad for the prince and there was nothing she could do about it. There was a slight hint of pink in her cheeks when I reached over and pat her hand sympathetically but I pretended not to notice and went back to devouring the rest of my food. My mind wandered over to the prince and his guards, settling on one guard in particular. It felt like ages since I saw Gladio though it had only been days. I found myself wondering how things would have been if they hadn’t left before Insomnia fell but then I was suddenly grateful that they had.

“Jasz?!”

     A deep, familiar voice had my head whipping to the side, a relieved grin spreading across my face when I immediately spotted who it belonged to. “Shon!” During all the chaos and grief I’d almost forgotten about my good friend, something that had me overflowing with guilt. I hopped up out of my chair and ignored the curious stares from my companions as I made a beeline towards him. He was standing just a few feet away from our table amongst a throng of other Insomnian refugees enjoying the Lestallum nightlife. I couldn’t help throwing my arms around him and hugging him tightly as I was ridiculously happy that he’d made it out unharmed.

“Ow... Uh hey, careful, Minnie…”

     I quickly released him and looked him over, belatedly realizing that he wasn’t completely unharmed. His left arm was in a sling, though there was no cast or any telltale signs that anything was broken, and there was a good sized bruise covering his left eye. I felt so bad for him that I let it slide when he used his horrible nickname for me. For now, at least. “Sorry! Damn, nice shiner, Shon.” He grinned at that and I swear his chest swelled up just a bit. He was proud of his war wounds.

“Yea, it’s pretty gnarly, huh? I’m so glad you made it out, though! There's a rumor that most of the Crownsguard didn’t make it so I thought…”

     There was a brief moment where he looked like he wanted to tear up and I had to look away to keep my own grief at bay. He shook his head, his disheveled brown hair flopping into his face before he pushed most of it behind his ears with his good hand. It’d gotten a bit longer since I last saw him, the tips fell just past his shoulders. I’d been so busy that I didn’t have time for my weekly swim, which meant I rarely saw him at the indoor pool where he worked. Most of my time was spent at the Citadel, somewhere he couldn’t freely go as a civilian. “Yea, there's only a handful of us left. I was lucky…” I sighed and returned my gaze to him, forcing a smile onto my face. “Look at you, though. What did you do, run into a pole on the way out?” My joke had him grinning but the sadness didn't leave his eyes.

“I, uh, got shot by one of those armored things. And this is from flying debris. I’m lucky it’s just a black eye. They gave me a potion but it might be a few days till I’m back to 100%.”

     He’d gestured to his left shoulder then to the dark bruise surrounding his eye. I let out a low whistle and gave him a playful pat on his good shoulder. Suddenly I was bubbling with curiosity, wondering what his story was and hoping that it wasn’t filled with as much horror and chaos as mine. “So what happened? Is your family here?” I glanced around, my eyes moving from one survivor’s face to the other trying to pick out any that I recognized. When I returned my gaze to Shon he was frowning and shaking his head. I bit my lip as another wave of grief built up, both his and mine. Was nobody spared from this nightmare, then? I sighed and grabbed his good hand with both of mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m so sorry, Shon. You don’t have to talk about it.” He closed his eyes and shook his head again, it looked like it took great effort for him to speak again.

“No, it’s fine. I… I need to talk about it. I need to get it out before it drives me nuts. Can we go someplace quiet?”

     I nodded, fully understanding and wishing I could do the same. But I wouldn’t, now was not the time, for me, at least. I didn’t have the same luxuries that the civilians did, there was work to be done. Keeping his hand in one of mine I led him back to the table where Dustin and Jared pretended they weren’t watching me. Iris and Talcott eyed the both of us curiously as we approached. “Guys, this is my friend, Shon.” I’d barely gotten the words out of my mouth before recognition flashed in Iris’ eyes. She’d heard the name from me a few times and probably from her big brother after that incident at the indoor pool. I still don’t know exactly what happened between the two men… I didn’t give them time to do much chatting, only waiting until the introductions were done before I dragged Shon over to the hotel so that we could talk in private.

[hipsterscribbles]

—Angelguard - Chapter 2

⇠ Previously | AO3 | Next ⇢

Aftermath

The morning after the chaotic events of the crown city's fall brings a sense of grief, humility, and reflection for most. But Jasz and the rest of the surviving Guard must remain strong and be pillars for the civilians at a time where it's most needed. As she sets out for Lestallum with the rest of the Insonminian refugees, she struggles with compartmentalization but stays determined to carry out her duty to her fallen king and the citizens of Lucis.

“I should have stayed. I… I should have…” “Jaszmin…” “I should have stayed… Then maybe--” “No. Nothing could be done. If you had stayed behind you would be lost with the rest of them. You helped save countless lives, do you understand?”      I wanted to shake my head, to argue that I didn’t help save the life that really mattered, but as I stared into the Marshal’s stern blue eyes I thought better of it. Instead, I bit back all that had been bubbling to the surface; grief, anxiety, regret, self-pity, anger, hysteria, all that threatened to cloud over the careful composure that I’d spent half of my life building up. Instead, I nodded and tore my eyes from his penetrating gaze. After all these years I still hero-worshipped him, Cor the Immortal. My friends, what little I had back then, would tease me for having a “crush” on the Marshal but it was more than that. He was what I strived for. His strength and will, his courage, if I could just channel a fraction of what he had I would be satisfied. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see him again after he ran off last night. But of course, I should have known better, Cor the Immortal always finds his way back. Folding my arms beneath my chest I turned to stare at nothing in particular, hoping that my vacant gaze just looked as if I were staring out of the dusty caravan window to take in our surroundings. “Jasz--”      “It’s fine. I understand. We need to move forward.” I smiled over at the teenaged girl with the familiar amber eyes, hoping that I could be reassuring at a time like this. I wasn’t the only one grieving over the death of our king, especially since his death meant that our loved ones’ deaths most likely preceded it.      “Did you get through to Glads?” I knew the answer before the question had even formed itself in my mind. All the Imperial ships and machinery in the air and in Insomnia must have been interrupting our signals, nothing was getting through at a time like this, not even on phones like ours. “No. Noct isn’t picking up, either.”      Iris responded with downcast eyes, a hint of sadness tinting her words. I moved to kneel in front of her, taking her small hands in mine and giving them a gentle squeeze. “Hey, they’re fine. Glads wouldn’t let anything happen to them. And Iggy’s more protective than a basilisk guarding a bunch of chickatrices, right?” She smiled at that and nodded, the reminder and comparison seeming to lift her spirits just a bit. But there was still a hint of sadness in her eyes. All the news outlets had exploded with headlines about the fall of Insomnia, along with the deaths of the king, crown prince, and oracle. We didn’t believe it for a second, of course, but when you hear about something nonstop like this it could plant the seed of doubt in just about anyone’s mind. Thinking of the oracle brought someone else to the front of my mind. I gave Iris’ hands a light pat and stood to return to my spot at the window, bracing myself for the answers to the questions I’d suddenly been dying to ask.      “Any word on Lady Lunafreya? What about Ulric? He was escorting her, was he not?” It was all I could do to keep the hope out of my voice. Yet and still I carried this torch for someone who my heart didn’t truly want. I was such a hopeless case. Nyx Ulric, ever since our first meeting in training he could make me react to him with little to no effort. Even though I’d come to accept what would never be, even though my very heartbeat was for another, he still got under my skin. Even now, missing in action as he was. But the fact remained; I may have had a fling with the headstrong Kingsglaive who thought himself a hero, but I’d fallen in love with the Prince’s shield a long time ago.

“No word yet.”      It was the Marshal who answered and this somehow made the news worse. If anyone would know, it would be him. I blinked away tears, thinking it absolutely ludicrous to start crying now. How many lives had been lost? How many had suffered at the hands of that greedy emperor and his treacherous empire? Knowing Nyx, I imagined he’d gotten Lunafreya out and probably even went back to help anyone that he could. Against my better judgment, I hoped that I would see him, and the citizens that he would undoubtedly save, in Lestallum. They would make it, they had to.

     I slowly nodded, turning away to glance back out the window. As if the dusty surroundings of the outpost weren’t enough to remind us of where we were, the heat had us all covered in a light sheen of sweat. If it’s this hot this early in the morning then the afternoons here must be brutal. The sun hasn’t even been up for that long, for crying out loud! I went to wipe my palms on my thighs out of habit but was quickly reminded of my unfortunate ensemble. It was definitely not a good idea to wear leather pants in the desert, not that any of us had any idea we’d be here in the first place.      With a sigh I turned to look for my discarded jacket, finding it tossed haphazardly on the tiny caravan bed next to Iris. I snatched it up and pat my moist hands on the soft but durable fabric, feeling slightly irritated at the inconvenience. Sweaty hands were a hazard for those of us who wielded swords, especially those who double wielded like I did. I had gloves to help with that but they were leather as well and I wanted to keep them off for as long as I could manage. Monica entered the caravan just as I was tossing my jacket back on the bed. “We’re ready, sir. You will want to put that back on, Jaszmin.”      I frowned over at the black fabric before turning my attention to her, only just noticing that parts of her hair and the shoulders of her cardigan were wet. A quick glance out of the window confirmed that it’d begun to rain, though the drops were light enough not to be bothersome for now. “A little rain never hurt anybody.” I assured her with a tired smile. To say that Monica and I had become close was a reach, but I did think of her as a sort of parental figure. Or maybe more of an aunt, really. She always listened to me complain about something or another and offered sound advice without judgment, plus I loved going to her place to play with her cats. Just like an aunt she would try to steer me down the right path but was never forceful with it, though I thought she’d given up trying to lecture me a long time ago. “I seem to remember you getting sick the last time you said that. The wildlife here are dangerous and I doubt you would want to deal with them and a cold.”      She looked like she was holding back a smile when she said it which in turn almost made me want to laugh. Almost. I nodded and obediently grabbed my jacket again. I’d had one arm through the sleeve when a vibrating phone had us all jumping at the sound. All except the Marshal, of course. He didn’t skip a beat as he reached into his pocket for his ringing phone. “Prince Noctis.”      Finally! Thank the Gods, the signal must be returning. The whole caravan seemed to slip into a deathly silence. Either no one was breathing or I was so tuned in to the Marshal’s conversation that nothing else registered for me. “So, you made it.”      There was only a brief pause as he waved his hand in a gesture that meant we should start moving. Monica was out the door again as I slipped my other arm into my jacket sleeve. Iris had hopped up and was staring at her phone as if willing it to ring as well. I didn’t even bother taking mine out of its spot in my pocket. “Where are you?”      His tone was urgent this time as he stepped out of the caravan himself with me and Iris hot on his heels. “Makes sense.”      There was a longer pause this time as the Marshal patiently listened. I’m usually not the type to listen in on someone else’s conversation but it killed me to not be able to hear what Noctis was saying. I guessed that he would probably be close to freaking out and it made my heart hurt to think of what he must be going through right now. “Listen. I’m heading out to Hammerhead. About the king… It’s true.”      There was another short pause and Iris and I hung our heads, both of us imagining his reaction to that. Although we already knew the truth, hearing it again made my chest ache as much as it did the first time. Like the small break in my heart had to throb to remind me that it was still there. “If you’re looking for the whole truth, you know where to find me. Get moving.”      He’d hung up after that and I desperately wanted to beg him to tell us what Noctis said. A glance over at Iris told me that she wanted to do the same, but one look at the Marshal’s grave face kept our mouths zipped. He stared out at nothing for a few seconds before turning to us. “Monica, I need you to stay at this outpost for when the prince arrives. Jaszmin, you’ll escort Iris and the Hesters to Lestallum. Dustin will accompany you.”      I looked over at the Hesters standing under the shelter of the caravan, the little boy holding on to his grandfather. He looked exhausted but he didn’t look frightened. I’d always thought Talcott was brave and the way he handled this catastrophic event only strengthened that. I glanced over at Iris and smiled when she grabbed my hand. She’d always been like a little sister to me and, to my embarrassment, she had expressed multiple times how we could really be sisters if Glads and I would stop skirting around each other. “Stop being so stubborn and get it over with already!” She’d nagged at me when we were alone one day. “Once they get settled in, come back here. There will be some hunters to escort you to Meldacio where you will await further orders.”      The confusion was mirrored in both my and Iris’ faces as we looked at the Marshal. “Meldacio, sir?” Surely he would want me to stay with Iris and the Hesters. And there were refugees still making their way to Lestallum, shouldn’t I be there as well? “Meldacio is a headquarters for the hunters. What is left of the Crownsguard will lend our services to them. We are still to protect the citizens of Lucis, as ordained by our fallen king.”      His face was still very serious as he looked us both in the eye. First Iris, then me. I nodded and swallowed to force down the lump I felt in my throat, turning to usher Iris over to the car that was waiting for us. We would continue to serve the king no matter what the situation, it was still our duty. And once Noctis was ready to become king we would serve him just as loyally.

[hipsterscribbles]

—Angelguard - Chapter 1

⇠ Previously | AO3 | Next ⇢

Insomnia Is Burning

The beginning of the end. Still unhappy about being taken off of guard duty during the treaty, Jasz heads to her favorite bar with hopes of drinking the day away. However, her plan soon falls apart once all hell breaks loose in the Crown City. With death and destruction all around her, she needs to concentrate on finding her loved ones and getting out of the city alive.

     The light of the early morning sun slipped through a small gap in the curtains, casting a thin beam of light across the room and right onto my face. As I was slowly pulled from my sleep I squinted over at the offending source of light and rolled over, for once not wanting to get out of bed to face the day. It was kind of weird, the fact that my alarm didn’t wake me up as it usually did when I'm on duty at the Citadel. With a heavy sigh, I sat up and wiped the sleep from my eyes, frowning as I thought through the reason why I wasn’t going into work today. After a few minutes of moping, I got out of bed and did my morning stretches, warming up my previously dormant limbs before shuffling over to the floor to ceiling windows in my bedroom. I pushed back the heavy curtains to peer out at what I could see of the city and sighed again.

     It was the day of the treaty, the day that King Regis would formally surrender the rest of Lucis in exchange for peace and immunity for Insomnia. My gaze raked over the picturesque Insomnian skyline, my eyes moving from building to building, to the busy streets below despite the early hour, then roamed over in the direction of where the wall should be though it couldn’t be seen from the position of my apartment. It was such a bittersweet feeling, the Crown City would be spared but everything outside of the wall would fall to the Empire. Most of the citizens were fine with the trade, it would have only been a matter of time before the Imperials found a way in to destroy us, but there were plenty who were far less than pleased with the arrangements. I couldn’t blame them but at the same time, I could see why this treaty was so necessary. It was either surrender and live to fight another day or fight until everything we had was forcibly taken. With a sad sigh, I moved from my window and headed to the bathroom to start my day.

     After an early morning jog and a long, hot shower, I checked my phone for messages. There was one from Iris asking about my plans for the day. There was also one from Nyx, a continuation of our text convo from last night but I’d fallen asleep before I could answer. I knew I shouldn’t expect anything from Gladio yet but the disappointment was still there as I saw no new messages from him. For one ridiculous moment, I got the urge to scroll through our old messages then internally scolded myself for acting like some lovesick schoolgirl. Instead, I texted Iris to let her know that I’d probably just go somewhere public to watch the ceremony, not mentioning that the somewhere in question would have nice, stiff drinks to go with the show. Then I texted Nyx, trying to liven up my quickly darkening mood. “Happy treaty day!” I found myself smiling at my phone as I quickly received an answering text.

“A joyous occasion huh?”

     I playfully scowled at my phone as I replied, “Not at all. Can’t wait til it’s over so those bastards can get back behind the wall where they belong.” I frowned as I sent the text and threw my phone on the bed, hoping it wouldn’t come across the wrong way. Insomnia had been my home for 13 years now but technically I was from outside the wall too, as was Nyx and the rest of the Glaives. I sighed as I grabbed up my phone again and sent another text before he could answer. “Hope you know what I meant by that. Headed in to report for duty?” I sent the text then belatedly remembered to look at the time. A glance over at my clock made me guess that he was probably on his way to the Citadel at the moment. I was putting on my clothes for the day when I received his next text.

“Yeah, I know. Getting dressed right now, headed out right after.”

     After reading the words on the screen I spared a quick glance in my full-length mirror. Despite being off duty I’d dressed in my “uniform” anyway, out of habit or maybe rebellion. Sturdy black leather pants, fitting but not too tight or restricting. Simple black shirt cropped to show off the tattoo taking up most of the right side of my torso. I paired it with my military style jacket adorned with the Crownsguard insignia and decorated with patches, compliments of Prompto. My leather gloves, a birthday gift from Iggy, were stowed away in my pockets as usual. It couldn’t hurt to always keep them on hand as they made working with my daggers much more comfortable.

     I replied to Nyx’s text as I gathered up my essentials and left my apartment, planning to hang out with Iris until it was time for the ceremony. “Good luck. Don’t let the Nifs get ya down :)” I was well on my way to the Amicitia manor when I received his one-worded reply. Somehow I could imagine his voice as if he said it in person, it was full of determination, conviction, all hidden behind a playful smile.

“Never.”

“It’s starting, it’s starting!”

     Cheers enveloped me from all sides as I sat at a table in my favorite bar and I looked up in time to see King Regis and Emperor Aldercapt on the large screen tv above the bar. I’d only spared a brief glance before going back to my game of King’s Knight, something that Noctis and Prompto had me hooked on lately. Gladio was just as bad, and Iggy, to my surprise, usually played along. With a sigh I put down my phone and stared at my untouched drink, knowing full well that I probably shouldn’t be drinking at a time like this. Well, I thought, if I’m not of any use to anybody I might as well get drunk and sleep my way into the peace that the treaty's gonna bring. This is what I told myself but so many years of discipline and training wouldn’t allow me to do it, even if I wasn’t on duty. Instead, I let my mind wander beyond the wall.

     I wondered what the guys were doing and if they were having a good time exploring. Knowing Iggy he would try to keep them on track, so would Gladio to a certain extent. But I knew that he, along with Noctis and Prompto, would also try to take full advantage of being in an unfamiliar place. Iggy wouldn't keep them from having their fun as long as it was reasonable. I was smiling to myself, full on making up scenarios in my head about what adventures they would get up to when faint sounds of explosions and tremors pulled me out of my own head.

     I looked up at the television and saw that the scene had cut to the front of the Citadel, which was in utter chaos. The camera had fallen sideways but we could still see the people scattering in a panic, could hear the screaming, could see the large plumes of smoke that quickly clouded the visuals that the camera was giving us. The patrons of the bar seemed to be in as much shock as I was, we all stared at the television in complete disbelief.

     Suddenly a thought came to me. This was the real reason we Crownsguard were put on external patrols. This is what the Marshal meant by protecting the citizens. Had the king known this would happen all along? It didn’t take long for me to snap out of it, for me to kick into emergency guard mode. “Everyone out! Get to the gates! We need to get out of the city!” In hindsight I knew that was completely the wrong way to go about it but, truth be told, telling them to evacuate in an orderly fashion was so not going to work in a situation like this.

     A few people looked at me skeptically but plenty had heeded my warning. The sudden rush to exit the bar was punctuated by more explosions and what sounded like gunfire. We were far enough away from the Citadel to not be in immediate danger but we were close enough that the sounds echoed both in the air and from the television. I quickly moved around the bar helping along any stragglers who were glued to the television screens and didn’t immediately exit, flashing my Crownsguard insignia to anyone who had the mind to question me.

     Satisfied with emptying the establishment I followed the crowd out, pulling out my phone and dialing up the Marshal. When I got no answer I dialed Iris, relief washing over me when she answered in a calm but shaky voice. “Where are you?” I raised my voice so that she could hear my question over the panic but her answer was drowned out by another explosion, this one was louder and somehow sounded more frightening than the others. I looked up in the direction of the blast and nearly dropped my phone as I saw where it was coming from.

“The crystal!”

     Someone had screamed out what we were all observing. The whole city seemed to be at a standstill as the tower holding the crystal was rocked with more explosions. I could vaguely make out the cries of the citizens around me as we watched the protective force field over the city shatter and crumble away. We were no longer protected, the new wall was no more.

“Jasz? Jasz! Jasz, are you there?!”

     Explosions seemed to sound off from all around us now but the sound of my name somehow broke me out of my trance. I’d still had my phone pressed to my ear and Iris was practically screaming at me. I had to choke back a sob, to blink away tears and find my voice again. “I’m here. I’m…” I paused as I glanced around me, trying to get my bearings. Compartmentalization was all a part of being a guard and it was sorely needed now. With a few deep breaths, I could feel my composure coming back to me. “I’m going to get as many civilians as I can to the south gate. Are you alright? Can you make it out?” The panic threatened to overcome me again as I thought about little Iris trapped so close to the carnage going on at the Citadel.

“I’m with Monica and Dustin and the Hesters, we’re headed to the south gate too.”

     I sighed, briefly relieved at some good news in this chaos. “Okay I’ll meet you there--” My words were cut off by even more explosions and gunfire. I looked up to see Imperial ships drifting in over the city, something no one ever thought they would ever see. I squinted up at what looked like people falling from the ships and cursed under my breath as I quickly realized that they were magitek troopers. “Out of the city now! Go!” I tried my best to raise my voice over all the carnage while still keeping a tone of authority. When I looked at my phone I nearly panicked as I noticed that the line had gone dead but pushed the feeling away and quickly slid my phone into my pocket.

     The sounds of gunfire were getting close as I tried to help get as many panicked and confused civilians packed into cars and send them on their way to the gate. As I was closing the door to a particularly packed minivan, the sounds of ricocheting bullets had me ducking. It was so disorienting that I’d barely got out of the way as the minivan peeled off, the tires screeching in its haste. I hurriedly pulled on my gloves and summoned my daggers, my fingers closing around the hilts right as I caught sight of the first swarm of magitek troopers just a few feet away.

     Just seeing those soulless buckets of bolts heartlessly gunning down anyone in their sights lit a fire in me. I was seething, practically seeing red as I charged towards them. With practiced speed and agility, I blindsided the first metal soldier, making sure to keep to its sides and back as I sliced at its arms, torso, then finally the head. The severed pieces of the first had barely even hit the ground before I moved on to the next. I ran full speed at 2 more that were in close proximity of each other, tossing my daggers into the back of the closest one. As the sharp, ornate blades embedded themselves into the metal armor I leaped forward, my hands closing around the hilts and driving them even deeper with the use of my body weight. I’d barely registered the flying sparks and the smell of burning rubber as both I and the heap of damaged metal toppled over.

     Without stopping, or thinking, really, I used the momentum to flip myself forward and thrust the red soles of my boots into the second soldier’s chest. While it was falling, I dismissed my daggers from the back of the previous unmoving pile of scrap then quickly summoned them again, just in time to sever the metal and wires of the soldier’s neck as it hit the ground. My feet never left its chest and I felt angry enough to stomp on the glorified toy soldier until I made a good sized dent in its armor for good measure. To any onlookers I might have looked like a child having a temper tantrum but it felt too damn good for me to feel self-conscious about it.

     I’d been quick enough to take 3 of them down before the rest focused on me. As I paused and took cover to catch my breath I counted them in my head, there were at least half a dozen left within range and no doubt there would be more dropping in soon. I hastily wiped at the sweat that was beginning to form on my brow and began moving again, the adrenaline pumping through my veins like never before as bullets whizzed past me. There were two more troopers within range and I made to rush them but a flash from the corner of my eye had me skidding to a halt and scrambling to avoid the blade of a huge, unfamiliar axe. I’d barely skirted out of the way of the weapon as it hit the ground near me, making part of the pavement split open with a resounding crack.

     Another magitek soldier had joined the fray, only this one was slightly bigger and didn’t have machine guns for arms like the others. I was forced into defense mode as I narrowly evaded the strikes of this new soldier, each swing bringing the menacing looking blade closer and closer to my body. Panic was still fighting to overwhelm me as my eyes frantically scanned the damned thing for a weakness, anything that could give me an opening. Before I could make my move, the soldier suddenly lunged at me with its axe raised above its head. It was all I could do to cross my daggers and defend myself. The clang of metal on metal was nearly deafening as the axe struck between my daggers with the blade stopping only inches from my face. Gods why is this thing so strong?! My arms began to shake and a panicked yelp escaped from my lips as I struggled to keep the damned thing from slicing me in half.

“Jaszmin!”

     The relief of hearing my name called by a familiar voice was almost overwhelming. I chanced a quick glance to my right to see Cor the Immortal charging towards me, his hand on the hilt of his Kotetsu and ready to strike. Before I knew, it the pressure of the soldier’s brute strength was gone as the Marshal severed its arms and head with two lightning quick slashes. I had to brace myself to keep from falling into a heap next to downed soldier. “Thanks… for that…” I panted as I dismissed my daggers in favor of leaning forward and resting my hands on my knees, trying not to dwell on the fact that I was seconds away from losing that fight.

“Are you alright?”

     I smiled up at the Marshal and nodded, dismissing his concern with a wave of my hand. I only just noticed the transport vehicles that were now parked further away, with some of our fellow Crownsguard busying themselves with the remaining magitek soldiers. My already pounding heart seemed to speed up double-time as he pat me on my shoulder and ushered me to one of the awaiting vehicles.

     The sound of an airship had all our attention shooting upward and I gasped at the sheer number of ships floating in over the city. The largest one leading the flock looked particularly menacing. They were nearly overhead when suddenly one of the smaller ships was rocked with explosions from the inside. It caused a chain reaction as it veered off course and slammed into the neighboring ships. We didn’t get a chance to watch the aftermath for long as the sound of gunshots commanded our attention once again. There were more magitek troopers coming from all directions, it seemed, flooding the streets and gunning down anyone who had the audacity to fight back. Just the sight of them had my anger flaring up again. I summoned my daggers, meaning to jump back into battle, but the Marshal laid a restraining hand on my shoulder.

     I turned to assure him that I was okay to fight but he was still looking up. I followed his gaze and gasped at the chaos in the skies. The formation of ships was in complete disarray with some of them dropping out of the air like dead flies. The last of the airborne ships careened into each other and began to fall as well. It didn’t take long to realize where they would crash.

“Get out of there! Move! Move!”

     I’d only ever heard the Marshal raise his voice once so I was a little awestruck when he practically roared at his subordinates. As loud as his voice was, it was completely drowned out as the falling ships crashed into one of the taller buildings. Without warning I was shoved into the waiting vehicle, barely realizing that it was already running. I felt myself go numb as I scrambled to the back window and pressed my face against the glass. My eyes, widened in horror, moved from the rapidly crumbling building and the falling airships to the still fighting members of the Crownsguard below. They were in the path of destruction. It was too late for them, they were already lost.

     Darkness settled over the city as the few remaining citizens pushed onward. Every once in awhile the sounds of shuffling feet and mournful cries were interrupted by an explosion. The destruction was well behind us now but the sounds of war still made most of us cringe. I fought hard to keep a brave face for the sake of the civilians around me but Iris had sensed my inner turmoil as soon as she saw me. She walked with her hand in mine and gave it a little squeeze every now and then. Little Talcott clung to my back, nodding off every now and then but jerking awake with the sporadic sounds of war.

     I glanced around, craning my neck in futility as I looked for the Marshal. He’d saved my life but lost many good men and women in the process. After leaving that scene we’d headed for the south gates, picking up any stragglers we found along the way. Once we got close to the gates we had to abandon the vehicle in favor of going on foot since the streets became more and more congested with cars abandoned in panic. One would have thought that the outlying areas were safe but everywhere we looked there was chaos. Destroyed buildings, magitek troopers, citizens running for their lives. I saw more death and destruction than anyone should in one lifetime and no matter where we went it just wouldn’t end.

     The Marshal had run off as soon as we found Iris and the others. He wouldn’t tell me where he was going but I could guess. He never wanted to leave the citadel. He understood and obeyed the king’s orders, sure, but, like the rest of us, he hated it. The Marshal would go back for the king, no matter what the cost. I sighed as I adjusted Talcott on my back, earning a worried look from Jared. My mouth opened to reassure him for the hundredth time that I was okay but the sudden sounds of startled citizens cut off anything I was going to say. A new fleet of airships flew overhead, this time carrying in something terrifying.

“Daemons!”

     While some of the refugees screamed out, the rest of us just looked on in exhausted horror as Niflheim released its favorite weapon. The city of Insomnia would be torn apart by daemons and there was nothing any of us could do about it.

[hipsterscribbles]

—Traditions Pt. 4 - Gladio x Female OC

⇠ Previously | AO3

Jasz finds herself conflicted when the situation quickly goes from playful to intimate. The decision between doing what she thinks is right and what both she and Gladio want is a tough one and she needs to make up her mind before things go too far.

     “Cut it out, Glads.” I’d hoped I spoke with enough conviction because, truth be told, the feeling of his rough fingers on my skin felt divine. His touch had sent what felt like an electric current through me, coursing through my veins and heating my skin all over from the inside out. I wanted him to continue, to tell him how his electrifying touch made me feel more alive than anything I’d ever felt. It felt right but it was, in reality, wrong. I needed to rein myself in before things got out of hand.

“I’d say I’m sorry but--”

     “But you’re not. Yeah yeah.” I couldn’t help but smile when I peeked over at him with one eye. He was so cute when he did that, he looked a bit sheepish yet somehow smug. Like he knew very well that I didn’t actually mind as much as I tried to make it seem. Like he was testing me, an opponent circling and feinting and falling back only to do it all over again, trying to reveal any weakness he could use to his advantage. I bit back a sigh as I realized that was exactly what he was doing, had been doing for years. He knew I was the most stubborn person around and yet he still tried. And it didn’t help that he knew deep down how I really felt about him. I hadn’t directly told him, of course not, but anyone who paid attention could easily tell that my sometimes standoffish attitude was not for my benefit but for his. And no one was as aware of me as he was.

     I opened my other eye as I watched him mimic me and float on his back, his own eyes closed as he drifted a short distance away. Carefully and quietly I shifted back to a position where I could tread water, into a position where I could see him more clearly. It was wrong, so wrong, but I let my eyes slowly rake up and down his form. I eyed his face, his neck, his broad shoulders, his muscular chest, his well-defined abs… And I stopped there, refusing to let my eyes go any further. I’d already gotten an eye full when he stepped out of the shower rooms and had to laugh to keep myself from gawking with my tongue hanging out. He’d looked like a god, still wet and glistening from his shower, and his new swimsuit did very little to hide his potential. I almost sighed, almost gave myself away as my eyes trail back up his body to his face. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. I wracked my brain to figure out a way to keep myself from crossing a line I would regret crossing later.

     I grinned as an idea came to me and I swam backward a bit to get the distance I needed. With my arms out to my sides and my palms facing front, I thrust my arms forward, trying to cause the biggest wave possible. My hands, while not exactly small, weren’t huge either so it wasn’t that impressive but it did the job. I watched as Gladio sputtered and wrenched himself upright when the wave hit him full on in the face. I could barely contain my laughter as he blinked at me, the look on his face was one of betrayal and it promised revenge. I knew where his thoughts were before he even moved and that had me scrambling to escape.

“Oh, it’s like that, huh?”

     I squealed as I tried to paddle away from the oncoming waves and splashes, much more sizeable than mine due to his much larger hands and superior strength. He laughed as he sent wave after wave at me, some of which I’d successfully dodged but I caught a few full on. As I pushed my dripping hair back from my face and wiped my eyes I heard him paddling towards me. Another squeal left me and I tried unsuccessfully to paddle away from him. The laughter couldn’t be helped as his long arms reached out to me, catching me with little problem. I tried to fight his iron grip in vain and could only look at him with a mock scowl as he lifted me over his head. “Don’t you dare…” I playfully warned him. His only reaction was to grin while he tossed me upwards and away from himself. The fact that I’d completely expected him to do it allowed me just enough time to hold my breath before I hit the water not far from where he was. He was laughing louder than before when I resurfaced which made me grin ruefully at him. “That’s funny, huh?”

“Hilarious.”

     He’d barked out his reply in between fits of laughter but the mischievous glint in my eyes had him backing up. “C’mere, I’ll show you hilarious.” I pushed my hair out of my face once again and began swimming after him. He’d turned to actively swim away from me this time, laughing the whole while, but I was the faster one on land and in water. I’d caught up to him and clung to his back, planting my hands on his head and using my weight to push him down under the water. There was more laughter as I started to back away, fully expecting him to retaliate. So when he grabbed onto me before he resurfaced it wasn’t fully unsuspected. What I didn’t expect, though, was the way he'd pulled me into his arms, a grin on his face as he blinked the water from his eyes.

“Alright alright, you win, girl from the City on the Sea.”

     This is wrong this is wrong this is wrong. The thought kept repeating in my head but I couldn’t find it in me to make him let me go. Sensing my hesitation he pulled me in tighter to his body. My head was reeling at the sensation. Being in his arms was a feeling that I would never forget. It felt like the world had melted away, that it was just us and there was nothing to distract us from each other. It was a feeling like coming home and getting comfy on the couch with snacks and the tv remote after a particularly long day. It felt like I belonged here in his arms like this. With a sigh and a weak smile, I raised a hand to push back his wet hair which was long enough at the top to fall just above his brows and drip water into his eyes. From there my hand moved downwards, my fingers trailing behind his ear and down the length of his jaw to rest my palm against his cheek. His amber eyes seemed to smolder as he stared at me, the grin slowly fading from his face. His expression became more intense, determined. His eyes trailed down to my lips which parted under the weight of his gaze. My breathing quickened as his head began to lean towards mine and my eyes slid shut. Expecting. Anticipating. Wanting. This is wrong! It was a wake-up call, my mental voice, like an alarm that always seemed to go off at exactly the right (or wrong) time. “Ah. Glads. We can’t…” If I doubted my words I’m sure he did as well. We both wanted this.

“The hell we can’t…”

     I shook my head and opened my eyes, hoping to convey how serious I was with a look. “No. We can’t.” I watched the emotions flash across his face. Desire, need, disappointment, and then a fractured sort of calm. He’d  barely gotten his emotions in check but I could tell that he had to really work at it, and even then it was slipping from him. The disappointment was still apparent. “I’m sorry...” I whispered, fervently meaning it. I wanted to let go but I just couldn’t. “We can’t. Not tonight. Maybe… Maybe when you’re older.” The words slipped from my mouth before I knew what I was saying. There wasn’t that much of a difference between our ages -- only 2 years as a matter of fact -- so why did it matter? Just what was I proposing? I was distracted by his sudden snort, the disbelieving sound making my eyes open to warily eye his face.

“If you think I’m some inexperienced kid then--”

     I shook my head again and grinned, of course he would be thinking that way. I’m no fool, I know that girls pretty much threw themselves at him and that a few of them gained his attention as well. And that was fine with me, that was the way it should be anyway. “It’s not about your experience, okay? We’ll talk about it another time, it’s getting late.” He didn’t say anything but he let me push myself out of his arms. The sensation was nearly painful and the water felt colder than when I first entered in the pool. With a sigh I swam to the edge and pulled myself out, turning to see that he hadn’t moved at all. He grinned sheepishly up at me when I gave him a questioning look, shaking his head and waving me off.

“I’m, uh, gonna need a minute. To get things back under control.”

     I would have laughed if I weren’t the one responsible for that. Instead, I nodded and turned away to head into the women’s shower rooms, fighting the urge not to turn around and jump back into that water with him. Fighting the urge not to give in to exactly what both of us wanted.

     When we both finished our showers and was dressed again, I’d tried to apologize once more but he only shook his head, smiled, and told me to stop apologizing for something I thought was necessary. I’d thought him very mature for that and I didn’t miss that he’d said what I thought was necessary. He was perfectly fine with the way things were going, I was the problem. I’d had to suppress a sigh at that and ended up slipping my hand into his. We were holding hands when we left, our fingers intertwined like lovers, so when I went to wave goodbye to Shon like I usually did I noticed that he looked particularly sulky. Men. He was usually such an upbeat person but now he just looked like a kid who was told he couldn’t have dessert before dinner. It was kind of funny but somehow a bit sad and I’d found myself wondering about the exchange between him and Gladio earlier. I’d also begun to wonder if our friendship would be strained from now on and the thought had me dreading my next visit to the pool. Great. First Gladio now Shon, I was really fucking up when it came to my friendships with these guys. It wasn’t like I meant to and I knew that I wasn’t completely at fault for that, but it still made me feel ridiculously guilty. Suck it up, Jasz, it’s not like you have to date everyone who wants you. I had to internally remind myself. And yet, the guilt still remained.

     On the subway ride back to Citadel Station I leaned my head on Gladio’s shoulder. Besides a few strained words we had both been silent since we left the pool. I stared down at my hand still enveloped his and started debating with myself about the decision I’d made, something I found myself doing often these days. On the one hand, I liked Gladio, really liked him. There was no doubt in my mind that I’d end up falling in love with him sooner rather than later. And I knew for a fact that he felt the same way about me, he wasn’t so shy in telling me exactly how he felt about anything, never had been. But he was basically born to give his life for the prince -- the king of our future. We, as the next generation of Guard, were lectured plenty of times about how we needed to be careful of distractions and relationships could be one hell of a distraction. I was positive that I would only make things harder for him and I didn’t think I could live with myself if something happened to the prince because I’d distracted his shield. And if the shield himself got hurt because of me...

“So I was thinkin’...”

     Gladio’s voice pulled me out of my reverie and I found myself thankful for the distraction. With the way my thoughts were going I would have ended up depressing myself. I shifted a bit to grin up at him and playfully poke at his chest with my free hand. “What’s this? Glads is thinking? Somebody call the tabloids this is news!” He chuckled at me and let go of my hand so that he could drape his arm around my shoulder and ruffle my hair. It was still a bit damp from my shower and I’d decided not to put it in the single braid like I usually did, so I had to scowl up at him for potentially leading my loose curls down the path to a tangled, frizzy mess to deal with later. He chuckled again as he helped me smooth out the minor tangles he’d already caused.

“I’ve been known to do that sometimes. I’m not just made of muscle, you know. But I was thinkin’ that there’s gonna be a pissed off 8 year old waiting for me when I get home.”

     I laughed at that as I imagined little Iris Amicitia standing at the door with her tiny arms folded across her chest and an angry pout on her cute little face. She’d definitely be mad at Gladio for skipping out on his birthday, she enjoyed them probably more than he did. I nodded as I followed his train of thought. “Big bro’s in big trouble. How’re you gonna make up for it this time?” In my head, I ran through the times when he’d spent the better part of a week trying to apologize to his little sister for missing his own birthday party and wondered if bribing her by getting her whatever she wanted would work this time. As Iris got older she got smarter and craftier when it came to handling her big brother. Gladio shrugged and pulled out his phone, ignoring all the missed calls and texts that no doubt became more surly as they progressed.

“Gotta call my dad. Looks like we're gonna have that party after all. A small one, just the Amicitias and a Felinus. We’re gonna have to pick up a cake, you up for it?”

     I tried not to let on how happy I was to be included in what he thought of as a family activity but no doubt he knew it anyway. A smile spread across my face and I nodded in agreement, this sort of social gathering I could deal with. “Let’s do it. We should pick up some balloons and party hats too, for the full effect.” I grinned at the look on his face as he groaned. He wouldn’t disagree, though, this was more for his sister than for himself and she would love having balloons and hats to accompany the cake. I silently admired Gladio as a big brother, he was so protective of his little sister both physically and mentally and he would pretty much do anything for her. It was so endearing and it only made me fall for him even more.