"If all I had to do to get someone to fall for me is show them my bookcase, I really should've done that more often. No need for it, now though." Truly, had he ever wanted all those other people? It was more the chase and the possession that drove Gladio there, but Ignis was someone he wanted to keep, not as a trophy, but as a partner.
He caught the emotion in Ignis' voice, and with a softened expression, he caught his lips as well.
"Ignis Amicitia?" Gladio tried. "I got you that eagle ring because I figured you wouldn't go for a tattoo. It's really only for shields, but... Well. It's important to me." Not to mention, Ignis always seemed fond of Gladio's tattoos. It was most definitely attraction rather than envy, though. Gladio found it kind of hard to even imagine Ignis with any body modifications above an earring.
@painedprince
"Only your bookcase, yes." Ignis agreed dryly. "Showing someone what you had hidden under your bed on a first date might have sent them running." Obviously he hadn't done so, but they were both more than aware that they had some measure of similar tastes.
The kiss was a good thing, soothing distraction from teasing and invitation for heat and intimacy. Combining a little bit of everything loved and cherished, hiding nothing. Nearly overwhelming in its own right, but it was long and soft and perfect.
It took a few seconds to catch his breath, as much from the kiss as from Gladio's words. "If it's important to you, then it's important to us. Though, I think you're right about the idea of a tattoo like yours being rejected." He did go a little bit quiet, at that point. The kind of easy silence that suggested he might be thinking about something deeply while he idly gave a light scratch of fingernails over the back of his fiance's neck. "I might not be... so opposed to a smaller one..."
