...AND A HARD PLACE
The hissing noise deepened as the twigs and branches snapped beneath an immense weight. Gladio and Ignis stood paralyzed as a hooded serpentine head, bigger than the Regalia, emerged from the bushes. Its tongue flicked the air, tasting for its prey. The snake's dinner plate sized scales shone obsidian in the late day sun as it turned its head toward them.
Gladio swallowed hard, not daring to move. This thing was exceedingly bigger than the hunt flyer described. They were in way over their head.
His eyes darted to Ignis, who hadn't moved a muscle either. Maybe if they held perfectly still it wouldn't notice them.
The snakes head inclined towards them, as if it could smell their fear. Its tongue flicked again. It probably can smell fear, Gladio thought. Slowly it reared up, flattening out its hood, its eyes locked intensely on Ignis.
Now fully erect it opened its mouth, exposing its fangs.
Gladio only had an instant to react before a stream of thick green venom shot toward the strategist. He tackled Ignis out of the way as the venom splattered the ground where he stood. Paralysis broken they were on their feet in an instant. The snake looked perturbed that it had missed and took chase.
Gladio knew they wouldn't be able to outrun it. Not without any cover to run to.
"Gladio," called Ignis, "in here."
He turned and saw Ignis wedge his way in between two supporting walls of the dilapidated shack. It wasn't much, but it was the only cover they had. Gladio turned sideways and slid in, the concrete walls scratching his bare shoulders as he moved further back. Rusted rebar and structural mesh stuck out at every corner, tearing into Gladio's clothes as he moved.
The snake followed them, pressing its scaled face into the opening but finding it too narrow to follow. It flicked its tongue out, coming in contact with Gladio's forearm. The shield flinched further back into Ignis. The snake turned its head sideways and pressed in a little, the grout between the bricks began to crumble and give way.
Suddenly a dagger flew past Gladio in the narrow space and stuck right in the serpent's nose. It hissed violently and reared back. Shaking its head to dislodge the dagger it turned back toward them and opened its mouth, bearing its fangs again.
This was it. They were going to die. There was nowhere to run to this time.
The venom glands at the side of the serpents head contracted and Gladio shifted, covering Ignis as best he could as he braced himself for the acidic burn to hit them.
Nothing happened.
Opening his eyes, Gladio turned toward the snake. It tried to spit venom again, but only a few strands of fluid dribbled from its mouth. It hissed angrily and lowered its hood. It began to lazily circle the shack, seeking another way in.
Gladio gave an immense sigh of relief. "Thank the Six," he said. "Looks like someone blew their whole load at once. Hopefully it'll be a while…before…" Gladio slowly came to realize how tightly he was crammed against the strategist. His knee was wedged in between Ignis' legs and both of his arms rested on the wall to either side of Ignis' head. He could feel their hearts pounding from their brush with death. At least that's why he imagined why they were beating so fast.
Their noses were an inch apart as Ignis green eyes gazed up at him. His mouth opened slightly as the strategists hands came to rest on his belt, a thumb grazed the bare skin of his hip. "Ignis?"
Scales thrummed against the corner of the building as the serpent circled them. It wasn't giving up so easily.
Gladio felt his face grow hot as the last few paragraphs of his book came flooding back to the forefront of his mind.
"We're going to die here," said North without any emotion left in his voice.
Vargas didn't correct him this time. Instead he said, "Can I confess something to you? Normally I'd worry about it being awkward, but given the current situation…"
North leaned his head onto his compatriots shoulder. It was almost a relief to be devoid of hope. As backwards as that sounded. "Go for it."
Adrenaline was still screaming its way through Gladio's bloodstream as he looked down at his fellow Crownsguard. He didn't understand what was going on right now, but his body seemed all for it. It was a welcomed distraction from the almost certain death slithering around them. Gladio felt arousal creep through him as Ignis continued to run his bare hands up his midsection.
Green eyes darted to his mouth and back up again. Gladio bit his own lip lightly before resigning himself to it and leaned in.
The wall behind them collapsed as a polar blast of ice racked the area. Shots rang out into the icy air as Noctis warped next to them and helped them up. "Get up! Run! It's coming back!"
"I'll cover you," yelled the gunslinger. Angry shrieks echoed into the air as Prompto hurled another blizzard flask at the serpent, slowing it down. He followed up with more well aimed shots as they fled.
They were half way to the haven when the snake gave up chasing them.
Finally within the safety of the rune covered stone they all collapsed. Prompto was the first to speak. "Was that the snake we were here to hunt? If so I'll pass."
"I concur," said Ignis.
As the lingering coldness of the ice spell passed Gladio began to notice a wet, throbbing sensation on his back. He sat up and felt back, wincing. His hand came back covered in blood. "Guys…"
He heard Noctis suck breath. "Oh, Gladio. That looks bad."
Ignis was behind him in an instant. "Hold still, this will probably hurt," he said, pulling his tank top aside to get a better look. "Damn."
"What is it?" Gladio asked.
Ignis turned to the two younger men. He tossed the keys to the blonde. "Prompto, get the Regalia. Noct, get me some water and clean rags. Then start breaking down camp. We're going back to Lestallum."
Noctis was already handing Ignis a clean t-shirt and a cold bottle of water. "Sorry," said Ignis, ripping the shirt further away from the wound. "You have a piece of rusted metal in your shoulder blade. It doesn't look too deep, but you're going to need antibiotics or you're going to get blood poisoning." Gladio could hear the tent collapsing as their prince rolled it into an unorganized pile.
Gladio winced as he felt Ignis get a good grip of the piece sticking out of him. "Brace yourself, I'm going to pull it out on three." He took a deep breath. "One…" He yanked it out, causing Gladio to yelp. He bit his knuckles as Ignis flushed the wound with cold water and applied pressure.
"What happened to two?" Gladio groaned.
By now Prompto was pulling up in the Regalia and popped the trunk. Noctis was already tossing their camping gear in. Ignis helped him up. "Come on, let us get you some medical attention."
"It's just a flesh wound," said Gladio, trying to make light of the situation.
Ignis smiled back at him. "Be that as it may, do try and avoid ruining the leather by bleeding on it."
Gladio laughed, hiding his wince.
Ignis drove like a bat out of hell and they reached Lestallum in half the time it took them to get out there.
After a quick trip to the Emergency Room, a few stitches, and a shot of antibiotics later, Gladio walked out with the others with a bottle of painkillers he would never use. They got two of the smaller rooms at the Leville considering they'd made enough Gil on previous hunts to warrant it. None of them gave the slightest desire to camp tonight after what had happened.
Besides, Prompto and Noctis seemed happy enough to have real beds to sleep on.
When Ignis and Gladio were settled into the room the shield dug through his bag and pulled out a flask of good whisky he held on to for nights such as this. He didn't like taking pain killers, they made him groggy. Not a good thing to be when you're a body guard. However, one or two small drinks would at least take the edge off the pain radiating through his back at the moment.
He pulled out his book too.
Ignis excused himself to the bathroom to clean up. Gladio had already washed up as much as he could without getting his bandages wet. He'd drank a potion, but it would take time to mend the wound. When he heard the shower start he threw on his pajama pants and settled down to finish his book.
Anything to distract him from what almost happened in the shack.
Ignis rinsed the shampoo out of his hair, only now realizing how much he'd stank of snake. He'd already thrown his clothes into a garbage bag and tied the knot tight. His shirt and pants were still splattered with venom. Thankfully it wasn't enough to soak through. He just hoped it wouldn't stain, he liked those pants.
Besides the obvious awkwardness that had occurred while he was pinned against Gladio, it warmed his heart to know that the shield was willing to take the brunt of the second venom attack if it had occurred. It would have almost certainly killed him.
Ignis chided himself for his foolishness. He'd risked their lives under the false pretense of needing some stupid peppers for dinner. (Okay, that was only half true. That would have made a delicious meal.) He really had just wanted to get some time alone with the shield while Prompto and Noctis stayed out of harm's way at the haven. He couldn't recall the last time Gladio and him were alone for more than a few minutes.
In the end it was their ward that saved them with Prompto's aid. He would have to thank them more formally in the morning.
Those thoughts out of the way, the feeling of Gladio's muscles under his fingers crept back to mind. The blush of the shields cheeks as they looked at each other inches away. The feel of arousal pressing into his stomach…
Ignis shook his head and turned the water on cold.
It would not do to dwell on fantasies. He was probably only seeing what he wanted to see, not what was actually there. Gladio wasn't like that.
…was he?
Gladio glanced up from his page as Ignis exited the bathroom devoid of his glasses, already wearing his sleep pants and tank top. His hair was still damp and free of products, lying flat against his head. Gladio looked back down at the page before the strategist caught him looking. He took a deep slow breath. His reading hadn't helped the situation at all.
North and Vargas had picked the locks to their shackles, killed a guard, and found their way out of the prison. They'd made it to one of the abandoned Warden outposts and were tending their wounds while they waited for help to arrive.
All the while there was an intense tension between the two of them. Gladio was utterly torn between finishing the chapter and throwing the book into the wall in frustration. Fuck, why did the story have to be so compelling and infuriating at the same time?
It was this books fault he'd nearly kissed Ignis in the first place.
…Right?
Gladio glanced up again as Ignis checked his phone and tapped away for a few moments before plugging it in to be charged. He walked over and sat down on top of the floral duvet cover of the other bed. "How is your back?" he asked.
Gladio took a sip of his scotch. "Tender," he said. "And it itches a little, but that's good. Mean's the potion's working."
"Would you mind if I have a sip of that?" Ignis asked.
Now Gladio did look up from his book. "You sure? I've never seen you drink anything stronger than wine."
Ignis shrugged. "I'm sure I'll manage, but if you don't want to share, that's understandable."
"No, you can have as much as you want." Gladio held the flask out.
Ignis took it and downed a decent swig before handing it back, coughing lightly. "Thank you, by the way. You saved my life. Twice if you include when the snake ran out of spit."
Gladio took another sip and screwed the cap back on the flask. "Don't mention it. It's literally my job."
"To protect Noctis, not me."
Gladio paused, "Well, you got me there. Guess I like having you around, Specks."
Ignis smiled. "The feeling is mutual." He leaned forward and laced his fingers together. "Shall I be the one to address the elephant in the room?"
He didn't say anything. He'd been afraid of this. He dog-eared the spot in his book and closed it before putting it aside.
"What happened out there today?" asked Ignis.
He put his hands out to his sides in an obvious gesture. "We wildly underestimated a hunt."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
Gladio sighed. There was no dodging this one. "I honestly don't know."
Ignis appeared to ponder this answer for a moment, his face expressionless. Gladio wondered what was going through the strategists head. "I have a proposition," he finally sad. "We could, A) Not talk about it every again and pretend it didn't happen, or B) we could recreate it and… see what happens."
Gladio considered this for a moment. Part of him really wanted to go with Option A, but then he would be in the same predicament as the book characters he was so vexed with at the moment. He was sure that if someone was reading this scene they would be thinking, 'Just kiss him already!'
"What do you want?" Gladio asked.
Ignis swallowed. "I'm not terribly fond of Option A."
"Me neither."
They stared at one another for a moment, debating how to go about this when Ignis took the initiative. He stood up and closed the distance between the two beds. "Say stop if any of this is uncomfortable."
This whole thing is uncomfortable, thought Gladio, but he just nodded.
Ignis put his hands on his shoulders as he sat down in Gladio's lap, lowering his fingers until they rested on his hips beneath his shirt. "I think this is about where we left off," Ignis said, tracing his thumbs along the ridge of muscle.
The last time they were caught up in the heat of the moment. Their emotions were running high and adrenaline was pumping. Now… it felt much more intimate.
Before he knew it Ignis' lips were on his. Gladio closed his eyes as they remained like that for a few seconds. It was chaste, but already he felt his face grow hot and the spots where Ignis traced fingers along his torso were on fire.
He'd known Ignis for nearly a decade. They'd trained together countless times and while Gladio had admired the strategist's skills and physique, he'd never even considered this. Suddenly he felt like he'd missed out.
Where was Option B when they were teenagers?
The kiss was over as soon as it began. He opened his eyes inches from Ignis'. The strategist's green eyes were blown out in the dim light of the room. Ignis lightly chewed his lip before he said, "Did you feel any-mmmf." Gladio didn't let him finish as he leaned forward and took his mouth in his again.
This time the tentativeness was gone as Ignis opened his mouth and devoured Gladio's. He tasted of scotch with an underlying tone of cinnamon toothpaste. Gladio reached down and grabbed Ignis' ass, pulling him closer. Ignis' nimble hands worked their way up his back, hesitating only when fingers reached the edge of the bandages.
The thin layers of their sleep pants did little to hide Gladio's arousal as it pressed into Ignis'. He thrust up into him, earning a moan from the strategist. Gladio liked that noise. He did it again and soon they were grinding wantonly into one another.
In no time they'd shed each other of their shirts and laid down on the bed. Gladio had dipped his hands down the back of Ignis' pants and gotten a firm grip on his toned ass. He was reciprocated with hot, open mouthed kisses along his pulse as Ignis laced his fingers through Gladio's hair and held fast. When he felt teeth against the tendons of his neck the spring loaded coil of orgasm began to wind itself up within him.
"Iggy," he managed to get out, "where are we going with this?" He really didn't want that mouth to stop working his pulse, but the questions had to be asked. "This is new to me."
Ignis stopped for a moment and propped himself up against Gladio's chest. "How far would you like to go?"
Gods, that accent had never sounded so erotic.
"However far you want to go," something dawned on Gladio, "but I don't have any supplies." Gladio certainly hadn't expected to be getting laid on this road trip. So at the moment he was woefully unprepared.
Ignis seemed to consider for a moment. "I have supplies. Though I hope they'll be big enough." He wiggled atop Gladio's member, eliciting a sharp breath from the shield. "Let me check," he said before sliding off him. His skin cold from the absence.
Rummaging through the side pouch of his luggage Ignis pulled out a small gold package and a tiny vial of lubricant. "Always ready, aren't you."
"Semper paratus," Ignis said as he tossed the gold package to Gladio, before pulling his own sleep pants down. Gladio took a moment to appreciate the gymnast physique and the erect member pointing at him before Ignis crawled onto the bed up to him and kissed him again.
Gladio felt Ignis fingers trace down his chest and abs until they reached his waistband and pulled down, freeing his member to the cool air of the room. Ignis broke the kiss and traced his tongue down over his collar bone, over a nipple, and lower. "I've thought about doing this a few times in the past," Ignis admitted, sending a little jolt down to Gladio's already raging hard member.
He couldn't think of any witty comebacks before Ignis ran a tongue along his cock. "Six, Iggy," he gasped as he took as much of Gladio into his mouth as he could. Ignis was good at this.
Looking down he realized that the strategist had already cracked open the vial of lube, his free hand hidden beneath him. Ignis took him as far as his throat would allow and Gladio had to grab onto his hair and pull him off.
He regarded the look on Ignis' as if for the first time. His hair disheveled, spit all over his flushed face, his free hand still working behind him. Gladio had never even considered he could look like this. If he hadn't seen the transition then he would have thought it was a different person entirely.
"You're too good at that. You'd better get up here or this might end before it starts."
Ignis wiped off his chin. "If you insist," he said sitting up and squeezing more lubricant into his hand while Gladio tore the condom package open with his teeth. He rolled it on just before Ignis applied more lube onto him. Once he was sufficiently slick Ignis crawled back up to him. "You just lie there, I'll do the work. Don't want to aggravate your injury," he said kissing Gladio before biting his lip lightly as he pulled away. For once Gladio wasn't going to argue.
Ignis sat up and took Gladio's member in his hand and lined himself up.
Gladio put his hands on Ignis' hips and took a deep breath. No going back now.
Slowly, agonizingly, Ignis slid down on him. His face winced a few times until he was completely bottomed out. Gladio's head was swimming as Ignis adjusted. "Fuck, you're tight."
Ignis didn't reply, he just took a few long breaths in and out of his nose as he became accustomed to Gladio. A moment later he began to move and his green eyes looked down on Gladio in a way that was indescribable. Lust mixed with predatory.
A moan escaped Gladio's throat as Ignis swiveled his hips just so, eliciting a gasp of his own. He must have hit a spot he liked because he repeated the process again, and again, and again until Gladio was thrusting up to meet him.
Gladio toed the edge of orgasm for longer than he thought possible. He wanted Ignis to come first, but he was running out of time. Reaching down he took Ignis cock in his hands and stroked him quickly as he bounced on top of him.
Soon the strategist pace became erratic as he dug his hails into Gladio's chest. "Gladiolus," he gasped before coming all over the shields hand and stomach. Gladio didn't waste any time as he sat up and grabbed Ignis hips, shoving him down on to his cock roughly until he came too, moaning loudly into Ignis' chest as he did.
He kissed Ignis' sternum as he wrapped his arms around the smaller man's waist. When the panting subsided he said, "I'm so fucking glad we went with Option B."
Ignis ran his fingers through Gladio's mane. "I'm inclined to agree. Although I think there is one unforeseen downside to all this."
"Yeah? And what would that be?"
The strategist sighed. "Apparently you are rather loud in bed, and I'm willing to bet good Gil that his Highness and Prompto heard us. Assuming we didn't interrupt anything on their part."
Gladio made a face and looked up at his new lover. "What do you mean?"
Ignis chuckled. "For such an intelligent man you can be quite oblivious at times."
X~X~X
Gods I love these two.
I don't often write from Gladio's point of view, so this was a bit of an experiment on my part.
Thanks again for reading. Check me out on Tumblr and reviews are always welcomed. -^_^-