sweetestsurrender

"Thank you." Noct said softly. "Really. This means a lot to me." And it did. Even if it spawned from a dare over a Keychain.

"No sweat, kiddo. It's good to get away now an' again. Could do with some relaxation myself." He grinned and took a deep drink from his can... and regretted not just bringing the whole cooler over. But it'd be fine. One now, the rest later when the sun went down.

Noct offered a bashful smile and returned his eyes to the water. "I wish every day could be like this."

"Lazy." He teased, even as he stretched out his legs and dropped a hand behind himself, relaxing and being just as lazy as his comment.

"You'd get bored after a while. Doin nothing seems fun when you've so much to do. But as soon as you stop... You'll last a few days and then start to go mad with nothing to do." There were only so many fish Noct could catch, after all.

"Not that...I wish everyday could be this quiet." He could deal with being busy if he could just get the world to queit down.

"Ah." Gladio took another drink of his beer and looked thoughtfully up at the sky. "Yeah. Suppose the world could do with a little peace and quiet now and again."

"It's all so noisy." Noct grumbled. "So many voices, always pulling me in different directions." He sighed. "Not here, though."

Gladio was still gazing up at the sky contemplatively. He was quiet, but he'd heard Nocts words. He understood where he was coming from. So... maybe he could work with it?

"... How bout we make a deal?" He asked and finally moved his gaze from the clouds to Noct. "No more skipping training. And once a month we'll take a long weekend out and I'll take you anywhere you want." Sadly he didn't think he could get away with every week. But a weekend a month was doable.

Noct looked at Gladio for a moment before shifting his focus to his own hands. "I would like that. Could I..." He stopped himself before he finished his thought, berating himself for asking too much.

"Could you...?" No way was Gladio letting that slide. You couldn't start to ask a question and then just leave it alone or expect him not to demand an answer. Even if Gladio's tone was more curious than demanding. He was open to negotiation.

Noct bit his lip. This wasn't even something he had talked to Ignis about. "Could we have like a code or something I can use if...if the world gets too much?" It was hard to explain. He wasn't trying to get out of work, honestly, but sometimes the world was too much for him.

Gladio as quiet for a long moment. He watched Noct, brows knitting slightly. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and deep.

"... That bad, huh?" The tone was near gentle. They weren't 'on the job' right now. They were away from it all, a day of relaxing just the two of them. Gladio had already decided he would take it easy, on both himself and Noct. Without the pressure of obligation and duty, it was easier.

So part of him did understand. He just hadn't realised how bad it was.

"Alright. What code do you wanna use?" See? He was open. He was listening.

Noct blinked back tears, grateful Gladio was listening to him. "Maybe something I wouldn't normally say? Like...I need to go do calculus or something?"

He huffed a low laugh and nodded. Of all the things to choose...

"Can work with that. But..." He held up a finger. "You get to use it once a month. Anywhere, any time. Say the word and we stop what we're doing." Gladio thought for a second before nodding to himself. "That'll be our trigger to come away and do this. If you don't use the code it defaults to the end of the month. How's that sound?"

Noct nodded. He idly turned his reel. "Training isn't bad." He reassured. "It's all the stuff I have to do before I get there." When it was just Noct and Gladio, Ignis or Prompto, it was fine, but it felt like every person he had to deal with before that drained Noct of his energy little by little.

"Glad to hear I'm not the biggest contributor. But the point remains. Whatever it is, it stops... As much as I can do it anyway. There's gonna be times I won't be able to take you away immediately. But if you can hold on, as soon as there's a chance, I'll get you where you need to be."

Gladio took his job seriously. Yeah, Noct could be a brat. He could be lazy. He could drive him up the wall and down it again. He wished he'd apply himself more, pushed himself more, committed more. But Gladio also realised, if belatedly, he couldn't push Noct as hard as he wanted. Noct would give his best, Gladio couldn't expect more than that. The kid had so much potential. He'd be an amazing King one day and Gladio could see it with ease. But not if they burned him out. So if this was what it took to energise Noct again, so be it. He was willing to do whatever it took.

Noct nodded, finally able to look back over at Gladio. He offered him a small smile. "I know it sounds really weak and lame...but thank you for taking me seriously." It took a lot to admit, especially to someone so hard-working like Gladio. "I'll do my best."

"Hey... You can talk to me, alright? I know you'd probably prefer one of the others but I'm not here to make your life harder. I can work with you, if you work with me. I think we can find a balance." Gladio finished off his beer and sat himself up a bit straighter.

"If you wake up with extra energy and a sudden impulse to train harder, tell me. You want something slower? Let me know. Things stressing you, pissing you off or gettin you down. I need to know." Because all those things could put a strain on Noct, on the training they did, his mental health. It was all connected and they were all important things to Gladio. "I'm your Shield, Princess. Remember that. I'm not just here to take a bullet for you. I can protect you from a lot more... if you tell me."

It was nice to hear. If made Noct feel better knowing he could tell Gladio how he was feeling. He didn't like Gladio implying he would have preferred someone else.

"It's not that I want to talk to someone else. I just...really didn't want to disappoint you. " Gladio's opinion mattered a lot to Noct, even if it didn't seem like it.

"You can only disappoint me in two ways, Noct. Hiding when you're hurting. And not givin me your best when you're able. I'll never ask for more than you can give. But I rely on you to tell me when you've hit that limit." Gladio wasn't a mind reader. Sometimes he could guess... But he needed Noct to speak up more. Not just wait till shit got too much and everything imploded. That was a sure fire way of pissing Gladio off too.

Noct reeled his rod in and set it down next to him. "I'm working on that. Talking more. That's why I asked for a code. For when I can't voice what I'm feeling." He was never much of a talker, and less so when it was about his feelings. "I'll do my best to be honest from now on...and to give training my all."

"I get it, I'm not sayin you aren't! Just clearing up that whole 'disappointing' me thing." Gladio gave Noct a smile then. "You don't have to spill your guts and tell me your inner most feelings. A hint is all I've ever needed. But this code works just as well."

And he hoped it would work. With some of the pressure off and knowing he had an out if it was needed, maybe Noct would be able to relax a bit more?

Noct nodded. "I know." He reassured. "I just wanted you to know that I'm making an effort." He smiled. "Thank you, Gladio."

"And I want you to know I see it." He grinned right back. "You're welcome. Now... You done fishing? Can we start grilling these guys?"

Noct looked at the fish and nodded. "Yeah, let's eat." He stood up and grabbed the cooler. "I'll fish more later."

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