uhmani | TDM #14

If the main hub and its features don't appeal to you, that's perfectly fine. This is the perfect time to configure your Digitized Technical Friend or your DTF status. A DTF is similar to a dæmon from His Dark Materials in that it is connected to and a reflection of a character's soul. These DTFs take shape accordingly and are projections similar to the NPCs. Think of them as your own personal Clippy except less annoying. Hopefully.

Once that's set-up, there are other locations of the main hub to investigate! You can visit the training grounds, music lounge, library, and onsen. Also, feel free to leave an offering for the deity of sleep (Hypnos) at his shrine! You can even visit The Peacekeeper themselves on the second floor. They're always happy to have visitors! They're also conveniently where you might place a complaint about that status of the main hub and its amenities. Even if you do complain, The Peacekeeper will encourage new inhabitants to set off and find their own place to live out in the simulation.

Granted, the housing market in the afterlife isn't exactly robust. It doesn't help that nearly every place you find has a leaky roof or broken window. No, unfortunately, that will need to be fixed the peaceful way. If you'd like more lighting or even cozier clothes, simulation inhabitants are reminded that 'peaceful interactions' are very important!

It might be a good idea to stick close to someone you know, for now, since even the smallest amounts of intimacy might see subtle changes occurring where they're staying. Perhaps that broken window is now fixed, the grime and dust seem a little less, or the floor doesn't creak quite as loud.

Larger changes, however, will only come after demonstrating more powerful peaceful interactions. If you want new hardwood floors or a fresh coat of paint on the walls, you're going to have to demonstrate how well you 'get along' with others against them first.

THE SEXY COMPENDIUM

Upon arrival to Amani, new inhabitants will be notified almost immediately of the sexy compendium that's uploaded to their DTF! This compendium lists all of the flora, fauna, unique geography, and miscellaneous items in Amani that might be worth looking at.

This database will update with seasonal highlights or places and items that might follow a theme! For example, the current theme is love for Valentine's Day and dragons for The Year of The Dragon!

While established inhabitants already know about all these things, it can't hurt to be reminded of what this simulated afterlife has to offer!

The Dragon Onsen

outdoor pool

dragon statue

blue tint

They suddenly look a lot more draconic than they did before.

Heart Jellies

jellyfish shaped like hearts

Wyverns

Taasunni Beach, and can range far into the Aditus Grasslands

Love Blossoms

gorgeous, pink flowers

pheromones

SEXY STAMP CARD

If you're wondering about these 'peaceful interactions' that keep being mentioned or what the kinks of the month are for... Here's your answer! Upon arrival, all characters will receive a digital copy of their very own sexy stamp card.

Sexy Stamp Card

Issued by: The Peacekeeper

1 2 3 4 ♡

6 7 8 9 ♡

❤

<div style="width:100%;padding:10px 10px 0;font-family:garamond, georgia, serif;font-size:20px;font-style:italic;letter-spacing:2px;text-align:left;">Sexy Stamp Card</div>
<div style="width:100%;padding:0 10px 10px;">Issued by: The Peacekeeper</div>

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<div style="max-width:300px;width:100%;margin:-10px auto 0;text-align:right;font-size:10px;"><a title="code credit!" href="http://10billionghosts.dreamwidth.org" style="text-decoration:none;color:#eee;">❤</a></div>

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Completing peaceful interactions (i.e. kinks) will reward characters with stamps that they can turn in for re-gains and many other things! While the example one here is the standard issued card by The Peacekeeper, players are more than welcome to customize it how they see fit. Have fun with it! NOTES

★ Feel free to check out the sexy compendium and also use whatever is listed there as you like! What's mentioned on the TDM are just suggestions and not only what's available! We want interested players to be able to make their own fun with what Amani has to offer and not feel limited to just the prompts provided here.

★ We are currently at 24/40 slots taken! Anyone wishing to claim a character must have an invite from someone currently in the game and follow the proper rules in place to be accepted into the community!

NAVIGATION

F.A.Q. ★ RULES ★ CHARACTER CLAIM ★ LOCATIONS ★ MAIN NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Good to see you, too." Gladio allows himself the indulgence of shifting to stand beside Ignis, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Whether or not they're an item in Iggy's time, he thinks, this much shouldn't be taking too many liberties. And if he doesn't get at least one arm around Ignis, feel the body of the man he loves against his again after so many months, he thinks he might die.

It doesn't matter if it's 'his' Ignis. Iggy is Iggy, and he's here. Just the warmth of those shoulders beneath his arm is a feast after a famine.

"If you just got here, you probably last saw me days ago, but for the rest of us...it's been months. Not having you around has been like driving a car with only three wheels." He squeezes Ignis' shoulders. "Missed you."

This is an incredibly restrained version of what he really wants to say - wants to do - but he's trying to be conscious of where Ignis is coming from, here. Just because Gladio's feeling overwhelmed doesn't mean he has to pass it on.

Ever since he first arrived here, without even truly thinking about it, Ignis had taken the onus on - everything, really. Learning about the situation he was in, gathering resources, figuring out a place to live. All of this with the overlayed impression that he'd been abducted in some way or fashion, adding a sense of paranoia and even further stress.

Meeting with Noctis hadn't... entirely changed some of those impressions. After all, he's with Prompto, now, isn't he? Ignis has been able to learn that much. And if that's the case, he's not going to assume that he would be welcome to just hang about.

Just visit, now and then, to make sure they're eating right.

And be horrified by the inevitable disaster mess that the apartment will be, which he will then inevitably will clean up.

(He'll be surprised when he sees the pristine state of it, which will both be something proud to see, and also maybe a little bit of a disappointment, because the mind is a peculiar thing. It'll all get washed away by incredulousness when he learns the reason for the cleanliness, but hey.)

All to say that... He's been putting a lot on his shoulders, because where else would any of it go?

With a partner, that question becomes just a little less overwhelming.

Like plants perking up in a spring rain, Ignis's shoulders relax at the feeling of Gladio pressing up against them. Seeing Noctis safe and well, that had put him a little more at ease as well, but - this is something different. This lets him breathe just a little easier, and find some steady ground of his own as he leans back into the welcoming solidity that is Gladio.

"I'll make up for being gone so long, then." And if Gladio needed an answer on just where their relationship is from this Ignis's point in time, then the way his hand reaches up to tangle their fingers together is a quiet answer to that.

A subtle show of affection from someone who'd just been adjusting to having something all for himself rather than in dedication to his prince.

"You already are," Gladio replies, smiling as Ignis laces their fingers together. It does tell him, better than any words could, where their relationship stands. It might still be new for this Ignis, while for Gladio it's a comfortably established and stress-tested fact of life, but...the feelings are there, on both sides, and they both know how the other feels, and that's more than enough to work with.

Gladio's not kidding. Just by being here, without even actually doing anything, Ignis is filling the hole that's been in all their hearts. It's not about doing chores or making them meals(although the Six know how much they've all missed Iggy's cooking, they're not ever going to say no). It's just...Ignis. And Gladio wants to make sure he remembers that - that, for all his acts of service, that's not really what they all value.

But for all the relief and soft feelings at play here...at the end of the day, Gladio and Ignis are both servants of the crown, practically to the bone, and in terms of dedication to their service - for all that they demonstrate that service in very different ways - they're a lot alike. Gladio knows an Ignis - any Ignis - dropped into an unfamiliar situation is going to be tense, trying to orient himself, getting a foothold in order to make sure he's able to look after Noct up to the same high standards he always holds himself to. Gladio was much the same when he first arrived. For both of them, duty is at least as important as sentiment, and practical concerns are just as much worth addressing as personal ones. Now that they've reunited, and are soothing each other through this physical contact...it only makes sense for Gladio to set Ignis' other concerns to rest by filling him in. Not just for Ignis' sake, but his own and Noct's. They all benefit from Gladio and Iggy being on the same page as Noct's retainers.

"How much have you been filled in on?" he asks, which - from experience that isn't even tied to their dating - Ignis will easily recognize as an invitation for him to ask Gladio anything he needs or wants to know.

Frankly, with being grounded by Gladio's presence, it may actually be better for Ignis to focus properly on his duties in this way. It's not even a conscious thing, really, and probably not something he'd ever consciously express.

However... One man can only take so much onto his shoulders before something falters in some way.

...Despite how Ignis Scientia tries to prove that wrong every single day of his life.

At any rate, he's glad to answer that question. "Not as much as I could. I was given prior warning that individuals could be from the same place but not the same time-" Which didn't help him prepare for Gladio looking Like That, but that's not relevant to the briefing. "-and that Prompto, at least, seems to believe what we were told in that we are deceased."

Ignis's rather flat tone says that he's not buying it nearly as easy. If one wants to keep a person complacent, and all the more if it is a large group of people kept complacent, then they need to believe that the alternative situation would be far worse.

If you think you are dead, why not go along with whatever is asked of you in a seeming paradise?

"I've been told that, at least by Noct's approximation, I'm eight years behind him, and further behind you. By Noct's time in particular, there was a road trip that allegedly went wrong in some capacity, although I haven't yet delved into the details on that." It seemed important, of course, but not immediately relevant compared to everything else. "I have also been told that the stamp situation, unbelievable though it may be, also seems to truly work."

"Well, I won't deny the stamps," Gladio says, with a slight shrug. "It really does seem like just about everything you could ask for - no matter how impossible it might seem - can be granted, if you've got the currency. Stuff that works like cartoon magic, even. I've seen it in action, so there's no arguing that. Maybe that's even evidence that we really are in some kind of simulation.

"Whether or not we're actually dead in real life...I haven't bothered much with that. The way I see it, it doesn't change much - not if we're essentially alive here. Our duties are the same, our feelings are the same, so at the end of the day, we're going to keep doing what we do no matter what, right? Not much point getting hung up on things we can't change, whether they're true or not. It doesn't change the here and now."

He pauses. "Although...things like life and death don't seem to work the same here that they do elsewhere. This place hasn't been too dangerous since I arrived - haven't seen much in the way of credible threats, nothing like what we ended up seeing on that roadtrip - but apparently something big went down before I got here. Noct got attacked by something, and Prom protected him...and ended up dying." He cocks an eyebrow. "But as you've seen...Prom's still around. He died, but he got brought back. Given the other unbelievable stuff I've seen, I don't think that's out of the question, and I'm obviously not gonna doubt the kid's word on what happened to him. But that's the sort of thing that can happen here...and that kinda puts things in perspective, in a way."

This is a pretty personal bit of information about Prompto that Gladio's sharing, and he knows that, but ultimately, he thinks arming Iggy with as much information on this place as possible - not to mention the most important things that have happened to their group - is the most important consideration here. He also doesn't think Prom would object to Iggy knowing, even if he might prefer it to be information he gives out himself. (Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd like to largely put it behind him by now?)

He glances down at Ignis. "I know you haven't had the chance to go on a whole lengthy roadtrip with him to get as familiar with Prom as I have, but...he's a good kid, Iggy. Better than we ever knew at a distance. He might not have the training we do, but if that didn't already tell you, he's as dedicated to Noct's well-being as either of us."

He breathes out slowly through his nose. "But yeah...our roadtrip started when I was 23. Lasted about a year. I'm going on 28 now. None of us are from exactly the same time frame as the others, I think, although Prom and Noct are the closest." He huffs out a chuckle. "It's a blast from the past, seeing you at this age again. Almost forgot how cute you were."

A pause. "The road trip...a whole lot happened during that, but I don't know how much of it is relevant to the here and now. I don't think you need to rush to get the details on that to get established here, if you want to take your time digesting everything. Better not to overload yourself more than you're already going to." This last sentence is said in a slightly sardonic, knowing tone of voice.

Prompto, Noctis - they'd both done their best to give him what information they could with all of them being surprised by the sudden reunion (or even knowing it was a reunion). Ignis appreciates both of their contributions.

However... Him and Gladio were trained for this sort of thing. And, really, Gladio knows him best when it comes to working together in this manner. It may be a lot of information, but he appreciates it, how it addresses the things he's most concerned about and wondered.

Especially when it comes to hearing what happened with Prompto. Just a glance down at Ignis is enough to to see the way his jaw has clenched ever so slightly, matching the pinch in his brow. His duty, of course, is always going to be to Noctis. That won't ever change, which Gladio knows even better than anyone.

And yet, at the same time... For as much as he's loyal to Noctis on a deep and personal level, there's also a more objective part. A part that says that his duty is also a duty that helps the people as a whole.

He's glad that Prompto is deeply loyal to Noctis, he really is. Those who get to know him all understand this, in Ignis's 100% unbiased opinion. However... Surely Prompto never signed up up for giving up his life, back when he was trying to hide behind trees so that he could work up the nerve to make a new friend.

It feels as though he's failed, in some way.

He'll have to make it up to him, for doing so much for Noctis when neither he nor Gladio were there to do their duty. Prompto always seemed to stress about eating healthy even as much as he succumbed to the temptation of, say, a good burger. Ignis is sure he can think of something that should fulfill both areas...

In the meanwhile, however, Gladio gets a whole bushel of spinach smacked into his face, which is then left there. "If you have time to flirt, then you have time to help me get the ingredients necessary for tonight's dinner," he says, moving on along down the stalls. He's not pulling Gladio along, but he also expects he doesn't need to. "Do we have anymore details on the event which occurred before your arrival?"

Gladio makes an indistinct sound at being smacked with the spinach that somehow conveys both exasperation and amused fondness at the same time. He takes the bundle from Ignis, and sure enough follows him readily through the market. He'd fall easily into step with him on most days, under any circumstances, never mind having been separated from him for months and not wanting to let the man out of his sight. "Already planning meals? I'm not surprised, but do you even know for sure where you're going to get a kitchen?" Of course, as far as Gladio's concerned, from the second they were reunited, Iggy was guaranteed to be staying with him. They're dating, he's got the space, he assumes there aren't any other arrangements in place, it's just the obvious conclusion. He's just idly wondering if Ignis was really shopping for ingredients before he actually had a place lined up to do anything with them.

Or maybe, having heard that Gladio was here well ahead of their actual reunion, Iggy was banking on Gladio's own conclusion before he ever actually saw or talked to him. Which, in a strange way, Gladio is pleased by. Iggy's immediate welcome into any space he occupies is something he'd want any version of Ignis to assume so readily it wouldn't even occur to him to ask.

And if Iggy isn't sure he has a kitchen...well, Gladio wants to let him know he has one. A whole apartment, in fact. ~~As long as he doesn't toss out any of the contents of the cupboards.~~ The question is mostly to find out whether or not Iggy already knows this.

"Not a lot of details," he says as he shadows Ignis. "Mostly because I didn't ask for many. The kid was pretty messed up about it, as you can imagine, and I didn't want to push him. And Noct...apparently some weirdness happened with him that blotted out his memories of what happened there, and Prom avoided filling him in for a long time because he didn't want to upset him. I set the kid straight on how he needed to be honest with Noct, let him help him through it at least, so I think that's sorted out now. From what little intel I got, I think it involved a dragon. But from my own personal experience, things like that definitely don't crop up often here, and that might have been a one-off thing. So I don't know if knowing the details of that incident are really going to prepare us for anything that might come in the future, anyway."

"Even so, it's better to be prepared or cross out any potential issues if we can." At least, that's the way Ignis prefers to do it. Gladio may be the King's Shield, the one to bear and push back against whatever may go after Noctis... but that's not how Ignis does things.

He'd rather take things out ahead of time, neatly, if at all possible.

"If it were something like a dragon, that would have people talking... so I'll inquire elsewhere." If Prompto has just gotten over that discussion with Noctis, Ignis would prefer not to open up old wounds.

That can be a problem for the future. "As for the kitchen matter... It turns out that Noctis and Prompto have taken to living together. To celebrate everyone's good health, I had plans to borrow their kitchen for a short amount of time, so that it would be easier for us to enjoy the food fresh."

...And he leaves it at that, for just a second, inspecting the firmness of some garlic. Gladio's womanizing was quite well known, after all, and Ignis suspects his skill and face match rather well. So he can tell just what his boyfriend was circling around to, with that oh-so innocent inquiry onto what kitchen space he planned on using.

Ignis just won't let him have that so easily.

At least... Not how he'd expect it.

"However, after all the clean up, I suppose I will need a bed to return to."

"Fair enough," Gladio concedes. He does tend to be the person who responds to the more immediate, concrete threats, while Ignis is the man picking up pebbles in the paths of his lord. What their priorities are in how they protect Noct is different - so while Gladio hasn't felt the need to probe deeper into the dragon incident, as long as there's no dragon around and no sign that one will be an issue in the future, he's certainly not going to object if Ignis wants to. They each have their own ways of protecting Noct, and support each other's efforts even when they don't directly supplement them. "You're right that other people probably heard plenty about it."

At the suggestion of Iggy using Noct's kitchen, Gladio scoffs a little, with a quirk of his lips. "Bold of you to assume two guys who can't and don't cook even have a kitchen," he remarks, "much less one that's both ready and sanitary to use." Actually, they do have one and it's kept clean by magic, both things Gladio knows; it just seems like sketchy logic for Iggy, of all people, to be operating on. But the way he's talking...Gladio thinks Iggy might be having him on on purpose.

So he plays along, in his own way. "Can't imagine where you'd find a bed in this town," he says casually. "Or, at least, can't imagine where you'd find an unoccupied bed in this town."

"If they have moved into an already constructed apartment, then there will be a kitchen," Ignis says flatly, although he concedes fairly quickly after with, "The state of the kitchen is more questionable."

But then again, he'd already been prepared to step into a mess, and planned that accordingly. Frankly, he's hoping that Prompt may still be overtaken by caffeine, and that such excess energy can be used to silently judge him into cooperation to put things in the trash. That'll expedite the process.

Now, expediting the process with Gladio... Different matter. Ignis keeps perfectly calm, even as he decides the garlic is good enough, and moves onto the lemons.

"No unoccupied beds, is that so?" he asks, as though this is a very normal conversation to be having. "Then it seems that I will simply have to hope my fortune holds up, and that the kindergarten lesson of sharing was a universal one. I'll have to ask for recommendations."

"Oh, finding someone to share a bed won't be a problem," Gladio says with a chuckle. "It's more finding someone you'd want to share a bed with that's the issue."

He's definitely shifted to be closer to Ignis, in a way that isn't subtle and isn't trying to be. He's still keeping up the charade, though, since Iggy's doing the same.

"You've always been pretty particular in that area, haven't you?" This does open up for Gladio to get fired back on, very openly, which Gladio isn't unaware of.

"In contrast, I've noticed you were always more flexible," Ignis retorts dryly, harking back to the infamous womanizing days which seemed to get Gladio in hot water. That charisma never eased up even when the flirting had (before Ignis ever stepped into the picture); he has no doubt that the charisma is even worse now.

Which does bring up a concern, since that would make him a menace in a place like this, but...

Ignis drops a lemon back into place. Well, he knew that going into a relationship that Gladio had been a terrible flirt, and still was in some ways. But he'd trusted that Gladio wasn't malicious about it, and wouldn't do anything that would harm him in their relationship. Ignis reminds himself of that.

...Yet the difference between an Ignis who's been with Gladio for years and an Ignis who's just started the relationship is that he has to tell himself this a few more times in his head to really push it in. Being so serious at this age hasn't done him any favors either.

"I expect you'll have some proper recommendations."

Aha. Gladio wonders if this is what this whole hard-to-get shtick was always leading up to. He thinks his Ignis would trust him enough by now to know he wouldn't sleep around on him - at least not without Iggy's express permission - but a younger Iggy who's just started dating him? One a lot closer to Gladio's former lady-killer days? This is probably to be expected.

"I wouldn't know," he says, glancing down at Ignis sidelong. "I've been sleeping alone pretty much the whole time." Which is no small thing to say; as Gladio's old habits suggest, he's always had a pretty high sex drive.

There is the matter of Noct, but...Gladio's not quite sure how to bring that one up. But also, Noct is definitely not someone who falls in the realm of casual sex, either.

What did I tell you? Ignis tells himself, even as the rest of him feels somewhat more... settled. Maybe parts of him that he'd not been paying much mind to in the wake of everything else.

At least that makes the next thing to say some all that more easier. "Then it appears as though you have space to spare," he says, returning a similar sort of sidelong glance.

"Yeah, technically," Gladio acknowledges, pretending to study a hanging string of garlic. "The thing is, I've kind of been reserving that space for my boyfriend. Been waiting a long time for him to show up."

His arm, meanwhile, moves to slip loosely around Ignis' waist, a casual gesture of possessiveness. Just in case it wasn't obvious he's teasing Iggy back, the arm speaks loud and clear for him.

For the first time in what's probably been a very long while, considering the period of time Ignis is from... There's actually a quiet burst of laughter, muffled as Ignis turns his head to the side and hide it in his hand.

"Is that so?" he says after, the amusement impossible to hide in his voice despite his best efforts. A lemon, and a lime to match it, are picked up together after meeting his standards. "I suppose I won't be able to match up against someone like that. Still, it is somewhat unfortunate." He leans back slightly against that grip. "I had actually been planning to invite my boyfriend over to the meal I will be making at Noct's loft. All of his favorites, so long as I could find the ingredients."

Oh, that's going to be boosting Gladio's ego for the next week. He grins broadly, arm tightening around Iggy's waist. Nothing feels better than getting his too-serious boyfriend (including the more recent versions of him, who might be more teasing and sarcastic but aren't necessarily more prone to open mirth) to burst out laughing. He couldn't have asked for a better reaction.

"Lucky son of a bitch," he says, still grinning. "Well, if you can't find him...maybe I could take his place for the evening. And you could take my boyfriend's place in my apartment. Y'know, in the interim."

"Ah, so you would make a homewrecker of me," Ignis says, exhibiting an incredible ability to keep his face straight even while he says complete bullshit. But his hand still rises up, grazing across the arm wrapped tight at his middle, before returning to the grocery shopping.

"I expect the accommodations to be worth the mark on my reputation, then."

"Myself, too. But I think if my boyfriend could see how hot you are, he'd understand." Gladio smirks.

"As for the accommodations...if they fall short of your standards, we'll just have to rearrange things until they're acceptable." Now the conversation is starting to shift into something a little more directly honest. Gladio doesn't think Iggy would find any aspect of his apartment unacceptable, aside from perhaps the ratio of Cup Noodle to cabinet storage space, but if there is anything, he's more than prepared to change it around for Ignis, and he wants Iggy to know that. They'd spent enough time in each other's spaces prior to leaving Insomnia that each of them already had tweaked their places for the sake of having a regular overnight guest with predictable tastes, though Gladio supposes this Iggy might be early enough in their relationship that he might not have experienced that (or at least not the full extent of it) yet. Then with all the cohabiting that had taken place during the roadtrip and beyond...they've never officially lived together full-time in an established home before, but from Gladio's own breadth of lived experience in their relationship, he thinks they're well enough suited to each other for it to work out just fine.

Considering the brief way that Ignis's movements slow as he takes in that show of genuine sentiment, it's still very much a new experience for him, in more ways that one.

After all, even before the day that he ever officially met the little toddler that he'd dedicate his life to when he was barely out of the same age... It had always been very clear to Ignis that just about everything he was and ever would be would be in service to the prince. While it's perhaps not really occurred to him yet, it's truly fortunate that he took to some duties quite well, such as cooking, treating it as much as an enjoyable challenging hobby as much

Because otherwise... While he's always been considered as much as any person in a civilized society, there's still very little that is for him and himself alone.

Ignis doesn't regret this, not necessarily. He loves Noct, completely and utterly, even when they've so recently struggled and clashed with one another. If he were given a wish to go live his own life while ensuring Noctis was still safe and healthy, he doubts he'd take it. This is a life he wants, being by Noctis's side.

Yet just because he wants something doesn't mean it's all his heart actually wants. Doesn't mean it's lacking empty spots which, as it turns out, can't be filled by only just one person.

Gladio had filled that spot surprisingly well - or perhaps it had only been a surprise to Ignis, at an age where he was sometimes too lost in his own head to realize the obvious fact that maybe it was a hole that only someone like Gladio could fill. Two men completely dedicated to another, with roles and expectations that they put upon themselves almost as much as (if not more than) others around them. Would anyone else be able to understand their lives as much as they do?

And with this person... He'll ease up some of his own space, in consideration of what Ignis might want.

The feeling in his chest that's come with Gladio, soft and aching but warm, is one that Ignis thinks... he would like to keep for a long while yet, if he could.

"Well... If it's you, then I imagine there will be little to complain about." He says this without knowing the full extent of the Cup Noodle problem. Still, for now until that discovery is made, Ignis squeezes his own down over Gladio's. "Show it to me when we've finished shopping." Admittedly, the shopping might take a bit. All of these new ingredients have got him a little bit excited, and he wants to get some things that won't just be for tonight but rather later experimentation.

"Sure. I'd offer to let you do the cooking there, too, but if we're feeding Prom and Noct as well, it makes as much sense to make the food over at their place as it does having them come over to mine." A beat. "Ours."

Gladio has to admit, he likes the sound of that.

He behaves himself for a minute or so longer, letting Ignis go back to market perusal, before he speaks up again. "Hey, Iggy?"

"Well, it might not hurt to still stock our own fridge," Ignis says lightly, quietly appreciating the sound of things as much as Gladio does. It's not something he's yet to think about too deeply, but... Yes, he rather does like the sound of it.

By the time Gladio speaks up again, Ignis has already managed to get a decent haul going on that will no doubt at least double before they leave. "Yes, Gladio?"

"Give me that bag for a sec." And Gladio takes it from Ignis' hands, setting it down on the ground for a moment. Then he turns Ignis to face him, cups the other man's face in his hands, and kisses him like a sailor reuniting with his fiancee after having been at sea for years.

"What?" But it's not as though Ignis actually stops him, trusting in his boyfriend that he relinquishes the bag well enough. With his brain still mostly having been on the subject of what he'd make for dinner tonight, he's not quite as quick on the uptake on just what Gladio is looking for when he turns him around.

Not until he pulls him close, and their lips meet each other after what feels as though it's been far too long.

It was not too long ago when he last saw Gladio - hair shorn short, still clad in loose clothing. And yet the sheer longing in Gladio's kiss is impossible to stand against, to do anything but return. His hands brace against those sturdy arms for a moment, surprised, but they're in action soon enough. Go to find that long hair, so new to him, tangling in it and enjoying the feel of it there.

"Couldn't wait until we'd left the market, could you?" he says, breathless against Gladio's own lips when he has a moment to speak.

"Are you kidding?" Gladio murmurs, their breath mingling warm between their lips. "It's amazing how long I held off. You know how bad I've missed you? Even just stupid banter like this." One arm is around Ignis' waist now, the other hand still cupping Ignis' cheek. "Doesn't matter how far back you are. It's still you, and that's all I've been wanting."

He bumps their foreheads together, gazing into those beautiful eyes. Eyes that actually look back at him, see him. How long has it been since he's had that? A lot longer than a handful of months, that's for sure. Drinking in that alone...he could do it for the rest of the day.

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