Even with Ignis blindfolded and handicapped, he can still avoid the swipes of Gladio's greatsword, retaliating with vicious precision and grace. Something Gladio can only hope to achieve but knows it's far from possible with his physique, of course he's in perfect shape but he's built for being a shield and therefore is bulky and large, muscular and heavy compared to the agile and flexible build of his sandy-haired friend.
"Hey, can we take a breather? I wanna ask you something," Gladio said between heavy breaths, parrying the thrust from Ignis' lance. The Advisor haled his advances and pulling the blindfold up to his forehead, staring curiously at the Shield-to-be.
"Of course. What's on your mind?" The curiosity was mirrored in his voice, the heavy accent hitting Gladio's ears like music.
The elder sat down with a thud, his greatsword falling beside him with a loud clang, Ignis pulled the blindfold off and let it fall to the mat, abandoning his lance beside it with more care than Gladio. "I uh- There's a thing at school and I was wondering with you'd wanna come, Noct and Prompto are coming so thought I'd invite you too," The larger boy kept his gaze trained on the floor as he spoke, barely audible to the other boy.
"Unfortunately I have a prior engagement. Besides, I doubt the school will take kindly to students from other institutions attending," Ignis' voice was unwavering as his stare, studying his companion as if trying to deduce a motive for such a question. "Nah I get it, thought it was a long shot. It ain't so important you and I gotta be present so didn't think you'd come," The disappointment, however hard Gladio tried to hide it, was as clear as day to Ignis and he felt a little guilty for declining.
After a moment of silence the pair mutually agreed to finish their sparring session, not through words but through the silence and slight hostility. Gladio just watched Ignis leave to the locker room with a longing stare, young and hopeless. Though Gladio is flirtatious with both men and women at the best of times so that gives Ignis no reason to think of his interactions with the Shield as anything more than playful banter or purely platonic, and Gladio is having an internal conflict about how he actually feels about his best friend, it's safe to say he loves him completely but whether it's friendly, brotherly or romantic is a mystery. Needless to say, Gladio is utterly confused about what he feels and what he wants.
The event that the young Shield was referring to was the winter school dance, a themed one to be precise, the theme this year happened to be masquerade and both Noctis and Prompto were ecstatic about making their masks, given they could just buy one that looks nicer than the monstrosities they created. Much to Ignis' dismay when it came to cleaning Noct's apartment, glue and glitter everywhere, ribbons stuck in odd places and paper cuttings scattered around the entire apartment like Noctis had been walking while being creative.
"Hey Gladdy, what's up? Lil early for you to be finished training isn't it?"
"Uh yeah, Iggy and I decided to finish up early, Iris you gotta stop playing matchmaker alright?"
"What? Why? What happened?"
"Nothin', look I'm gonna be home in a sec, mind grabbing my stuff outta my closet? I'll talk to you about it later,"
"... Alright… See you in a sec,"
Iris was the one that told Gladio to ask Ignis to the dance, she noticed her elder brother's internal struggle, add that with how much he blabs on about the younger boy while he's at home and it's like they're already a couple. They certainly bicker like an old married couple and act like the mom and dad of the retinue. She's known Ignis as long as Gladio has, often seeing the Advisor around when she went to visit Gladio, play with Noct or when her father brought her along for a while. The boy always aimed to please and overworked himself, even as a child, younger than 17 that is. The caffeine addiction also started when he was younger, to compensate the lost hours of sleep due to too much school work, studies for his future role and more as he grew older and more responsible. Gladio took it upon himself to make sure his best friend went home, slept and ate enough, as well as get the odd day or two off to chill and be a normal person. Those days became rarer and rarer however.
As soon as Gladio got home he immediately hopped in the shower, since he didn't use the ones back at the training hall out of fear of seeing too much of Ignis, the very person plaguing his mind. The last thing he needed was a boner in the shower over him, though the excuse of having an overactive imagination and having young adult hormones might work. Might being the key word.
"Oooo~ Don't you look snazzy, not going in a full suit ay, Gladdy?" Iris wiggled her eyebrows at her brother, eyes focused on his outfit for this evening.
The Shield could easily have gone in his usual jeans and tank top but for the sake of it being his last high school event, aside from Graduation, he dressed semi-smartly. A pale blue shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black dress pants accompanied with dress shoes. Hair clean and restyled casually, he was growing it out so it looked odd at the moment since it was at that irritating length, plain white eye mask hung loosely around his neck.
"Yeah yeah… You gonna be okay till Dad gets back? I don't like leaving you alone at night," Gladio mumbled when he was being brotherly, more than he usually was anyway. He was fully ready to knock someone out if he needed to for Iris' sake, but expressing it with words had him embarrassed because she would often tease him about it.
"I'll be fine, I've got pizza money and Dad won't be home too late today, mainly cause he knows you're not here…" Iris' spoke with love him her voice when it came to her father but she sorely missed having him around, he was always caught up in work with the King but both his children understood his position. "Hey… Don't be so bummed about Ignis, y'know he's always working, maybe he'll be free after so you can surprise him."
The little minx always knew how to cheer him up. "You make it sound better than it actually is, y'know that? I'm used to getting what I want 'cause I know how to get it but this guy is gonna be the end of me, I dunno if I even have a chance Iris, I still dunno what kinda love it is…" Gladio trailed off, bringing his mask to its proper place and flashing a smile at his sister.
"Either way- You two are real close so I hope it works out. Now go! Have fun and say 'Hi' to Noct for me!" She practically shoved him out of the door, tossing his tie to him after with a warm smile.
The high school wasn't far from where the Amicitia house was situated, within suitable walking distance for sure. Thankfully the weather held up so it wasn't exactly sunshine and heat waves but wasn't raining and only minorly chilly, ideal weather for clearing one's head and going for a stroll. As Gladio passed the cafe on the corner he remembered each time he'd gone there with Ignis, the latter being a lover of coffee in any shape or form, with each visit came fleeting conversations and glances that lasted a second too long- On Gladio's part that is- Ignis kept his professional demeanor and his walls as high as ever. It made the Shield wonder who hurt the poor kid. The more he thought about it, the more he realised he knew very little about Ignis' family or the future Advisor himself, he knew the bare minimum and perhaps a few deeper details that were let slip or found out over the years.
"Hey! You made it! Iggy not coming with?" Noctis came strolling over, Prompto on his heels dressed equally as smart, if not smarter than Gladio himself who now dorned the tie Iris threw at him.
"Nah, he's busy, c'mon let's go." Gladio tried to hide his disappointment but Noctis just frowned after his Shield, Prompto shrugging his shoulders.
"Think he's bummed about it?"
"Definitely. Don't tell him I told you- But- He has eyes for Iggy, like real bad," The smug look on the Prince's face matched with Prompto's knowing stare made Gladio feel uncomfortable to say the least.
The gymnasium had be transformed into a beautifully decorated room resembling a ballroom. Decorations hung from the ceiling and the pillars, tables laden with various foods and white tablecloths, chairs kept at the edges of the room to be out of the way but accessible and a DJ stand could be spotted at the end of the hall. Now ordinarily Gladio might be willing to dance and mess around with girls, many swooning after him for one reason or another, but the one person he wants to be here isn't. The one person he wants to mess around with and dance with has a busy life, one that Gladio struggles finding his place in.
Noctis dressed in a normal white shirt and black blazer, black skinny jeans and ankle high boots, he didn't wear a tie and the first button of his shirt was undone. Looks as though the glitter covering his apartment was exaggerated, Noct's eye mask was covered in blue and silver glitter. If Ignis could see him now, he'd probably freak out and try smarten him up. Prompto didn't look much different than Gladio, but instead of a blue shirt he wore a plain white button up and didn't have a tie either, unlike Noctis; Prompto sported a toned down mask, simply coloured red with a few white sequins as accents. His camera hung around his neck too.
The three friends stuck to one of the corners of the room, talking and joking among themselves until Noctis or Prompto would get dragged off for a dance or two, leaving Gladio alone for most of the night, not like it was a bad thing but he wasn't having as much fun as he would like. Maybe if his mind could shut out the boy plaguing his thoughts for just one night, just maybe he could chill out and let loose. The music was good, the atmosphere was nice and he had friends to hang with, maybe he could even find someone to replace his current interest, since it was nearly impossible and improbable it would be anything more than that.
That was his train of thought until he heard that damn accent, for a second Gladio thought his mind was messing with him, that he was imagining Ignis' voice. But no. After a few moments of frantic searching his eyes locked onto a familiar shade of sandy hair and a smile that melted his heart. There was no more confusion at this point, after seeing that smile Gladio knew that what he felt for Ignis wasn't merely friendship or brotherly love, it was so much more than that. His throat went dry as that intense green gaze settled on him, as though Ignis were pinning him there with his eyes alone. It took a second for Gladio to snap out of his trance and follow his mind, practically jogging to his friends side and stealing him away from his… Friendly female classmates.
"You look as though you've seen a ghost Gladio, are you alright?" There was an underlying tone of amusement in Ignis' voice, a coy grin rising on his face at Gladio's lapse.
"You said you were busy… I dunno if I wanna kiss you or strangle you," Gladio muttered that second part but his friend obviously heard it.
The coy grin was replaced with a neutral expression. "I for one would rather not be strangled, and- I never said I was busy- Merely that I had a prior engagement. Which I did and it just so happened I finished earlier than anticipated. Would you rather I leave?"
"So you ain't opposed to a kiss? I'm kiddin'... 'Course I want you to stay dumbass, you just surprised me is all. What's with the get-up? Your suits at the dryers?"
Ignis merely chuckled and sighed heavily. "Well, if I intended to blend in and surprise you, so I needed to look the part. I was here a full half hour before you realised, what gave me away?"
"You're damn accent, no-one round here has that posh kid voice of yours, still you look good. I mean it, you look normal for once and it suits you, loving the bedhead by the way, you nap before and use hairspray?" Gladio quickly brightened up now that his regular banter with his best friend was here.
Although he wasn't certainly lying about Ignis' looking good, not that he didn't on a regular basis, the guy is like walking perfection and it's damn near impossible to ruffle his feathers. Now however, the three piece suit had been abandoned in favour of a plain black button down, black jeans and black trainers, the first 3 buttons of the shirt were open and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His usually pristine sandy hair was now looking like a bedhead; sticking up at odd angles but it didn't look bad at all, just the opposite in fact. Hell even his glasses had been discarded this evening, donning a black and silver eye mask instead.
"Not all of us need hair product for a natural look Gladio, you clean up nicely yourself, I actually feel quite under dressed standing beside you, even though you aren't dressed overly smart. As for the accent, I'm afraid I can't shake it, I didn't intend on being within earshot of you this early but… Not all plans work out, hm?" There was a light in Ignis' eyes that made Gladio feel flustered and warm, those damn eyes were mesmerizing but he couldn't look into them for too long, mistakes could be made and Gladio would do anything not to jeopardise his friendship.
"Maybe not… Hey, wanna get outta here? I need some air," Gladio said, he did want to leave but he was unsure of what Ignis would say to that, especially since he seems to be in a good mood.
The Advisor was silent and stared off in the crowd for a second, turning his gaze back to Gladio with an innocent grin. "Certainly."
The larger boy took his smaller counterpart by the hand and lead him through the crowd, ignoring the astonished and curious stares as he passed his classmates, Noct and Prompto could be seen at the end of the hall gawking at the pair. Ignis didn't seem to mind much. Inside it was warm and stuffy but outside it was chilly and crisp, the fresh air was a welcome relief to both boys after spending so long surrounded by people. It was even snowing a little, much to the surprise of the pair.
Gladio had a hard time keeping his eyes focused anywhere but the wonderful boy beside him. The lighting from the street lamps illuminating his features and the snow caught in his tawny hair only made Gladio want to take a picture, catch this moment forever since it was such a rare occurrence. Instead he settled for creating a mental image, taking in every detail; The fresh snow sticking to the messy locks, the lights emphasising his facial features just right, nose slightly red from the chill, lips curved in a content smile, green eyes ablaze with a fire Gladio only wished he'd been able to see. Truely picture perfect.
"Gladio…" Ignis' voice cut through his daydream, Gladio once again the focus of that intense stare. "Is there something on your mind? I've seen the same look on your face on Noct plenty of times, namely when he's got a secret he's itching to tell."
The Shield felt himself blushing at Ignis' sudden question. "You got me. I've got a secret- That I wanna tell- But I dunno if I should let it slip." Ignis just gave him a puzzle look, a slight frown on his brow, averting his eyes to look elsewhere.
"That so? Seems to me you've been considering it for a while now. Would you like my opinion?"
Gladio could feel his hands sweating in his pockets, gaze shifting from Ignis to the sky and back again. "Sure. Any sage words of Advisor wisdom for me?"
"Perhaps. The simplest solution would be to talk about it, the more… Difficult solution- So to speak- Is to continue to make yourself suffer by staying quiet." He didn't look at Gladio until he finished and a moment after, glancing over at his older friend as if analysing him.
"Are you ever wrong?" Gladio risked a hefty laugh, his grin widening when he glimpsed that sweet smile appearing on Ignis' face.
"It's certainly a rarity. Regardless, you know you can confide in me if you need to."
Gladio opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, unsure of whether it's wise to speak up or stay quiet. Sure it was unlikely Ignis would scold him tremendously for having feelings but its the effect it could have on their relationship that worried him.
"I'll think about it, thanks Iggy. C'mon, I'll buy you a coffee, better than going back in there."
Ignis said nothing more but followed after a brief glance at Noct, who he knew was perched with Prompto behind the shrubs, the Prince's friend almost choking on his water when Ignis winked at him subtly.
"Dude! He just winked at me! Iggy just winked!"
"Shut up fanboy!"