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Ravus agrees so easily. It only takes that lull of silence while Ravus undoes his belts for Prompto to realize just what he's agreed to whilst following his heart. Holy shit. Both of them. Nude. Taking a bath together. The sort of intimacy usually saved for couples. But then again, so is carrying someone around bridal-style whilst fussing over their health.

The boy swallows down a growing lump in his throat, and as he turns around, the butterflies in his stomach kick up into an absolute frenzy. There, mere paces away, sits Ravus. Stark naked in the swirling waters. His tail flicks underneath, and the deformed nubs on his back even try to twitch, making him ache.

He's so handsome. Chiseled as though carved out of marble. Covered in scars with countless stories, badges that tell of a gruesome but resilient past. Yes, Prompto's already seen him topless, but there is something about seeing Ravus in the water with the light dancing through the canopies above that makes this hit entirely different.

He is suddenly so very grateful that he recently woke up with his unmentionables moved to an inside spot. The slit won't give anything away unless he really screws up- plus, the water is obscuring enough to be as comfortable as Prompto can manage being this exposed to a man he's just realized he has a raging crush on.

"W-wow," Prompto gusts, taking a few steps closer to his companion. "Uh, I mean, whoa, the water is chilly! You doing ok? I can, um, help you wash the hard to reach parts on your back. If you like!"

Just play it cool, Argentum, he keeps saying to himself.

That look of wonder, and perhaps something more, catches Ravus off guard. Whatever he's been expecting, this clearly isn't it. While he can acknowledge that in some ways, he thinks Prompto has taken a shine to him, it's never been with the assumption that it's been anything more than the way one could look up to their instructor. A source of something wanted, something admired. Of something to be gained. That's just the way things are. Transactional moments he may gain or lose from, navigated by emotions he barely tolerates. At least, up until recently.

But it's hard to convince himself of all that with how Prompto looks at him now. Asking nothing of him but to care for him. Gaze falling over his form that is so much more than the appraisal of a weapon or tool.

Ravus swallows hard, and glances off. As he pretends the light shimmering off the water is far more interesting, his tail swishes through the current with a slow wagging. He's also struggling for something to say to the kind offer that won't betray the tangle of his thoughts. What he ends up with is... Something.

“I... I seem to have forgotten to bring soap.”

Amazing.

Well, that is definitely the last thing Prompto expects to hear. It serves as a kind of icebreaker- the breath he didn't even realize he was holding leaves him in a bright, gentle laugh. He closes the distance between them more, voice lighthearted.

"Y'know, I could just use the water and my hands for a little. It should still help some, right? You okay with that?"

He's feeling brave now. Even as his heart races- and Prompto, if given the opportunity, will get closer and closer still until he scrambles onto Ravus' lap, reaching his hands around the man's shoulders to gently scoop water, then rub and scritch along his back. He takes extra care and gentleness closer towards the spine and the growing neural spikes, not wanting to bump into them to accidentally cause pain.

"See? Just like that. How is it?"

He knows it was probably the dumbest thing he could have said, but he's not good at this, alright? Ravus thinks to be embarrassed for however long it takes Prompto to finish laughing at him. Then, the indignance sets in, and he looks up from averting his gaze to scowl. Only Prompto is suddenly much closer, and Ravus startles out of whatever stewing thoughts of annoyance he had going.

He doesn't stop the blond from climbing into his lap. Oddly enough, that part isn't altogether that odd. Noctis has been making that exact spot a comfortable one a few times now, and Ravus has acclimated to that specific touch better than most. It's comfortable, and neither of the pair weigh enough to be anything more than a warm, soothing weight on his thighs.

So without protest, there's nothing stopping the other man from gently washing the blood from his back. Leaned into him, Ravus can comfortably set his chin on Prompto's shoulder. It's a convenient way to hide the fact his cheeks are colored a dusky pink. The blond is so quick to touch him, and that shouldn't surprise Ravus, given the way he's immediately reciprocated kind touch before. Yet this is far more intimate. Ravus certainly isn't unaware that they're fully nude, and that the soft fur of his groin is nestled between the blond's thighs. Hm-

Ravus stops himself there, the tempo of his heart picking up with just the idea. He focuses instead on the soft hands that trace along his back. Where he can feel them as dull pressure over his scars, and then in much sharper focus nearer the spines.

"Pleasant," he rumbles truthfully, and hopes his voice is as even as he desperately attempts to project. Just like he hopes his real hand doesn't give away his shaky nerves as he brings it up to gingerly rest on Prompto's back. The pads of his fingers sink into the tender muscles still forming below the skin, where delicate, elongated bones are forming wings. Soft pressure, in slow, broad circles to help loosen the tension there. Reciprocation for the way Prompto handles him like Ravus is something precious.

It...Surprises Prompto a little, how easily Ravus just lets him climb into his lap. A part of him is screaming at this point, panicking over how this is far more than friend behavior. Yet he wants this. Deep in his heart of hearts, he truly does want this. Maybe, it seems, Ravus does too. To share a quiet, gentle moment like this. To rest, and bask in one another's presence.

The silver settles his chin on Prompto's shoulder, and with that a contented sigh escapes the smaller's lips. It shifts to a questioning, slightly surprised little hum at the feeling of fingers brushing feather-light against the forming wings on his back. Then, Ravus starts to massage those aching, shifting muscles. At first Prompto tenses up, wincing at the ache it initially causes- but as he moves in those broad circles and warms up the area, the boy does quite the opposite of being stiff, melting against his companion's chest with another sweet little sound. The malformed wing-nubs even move and try to stretch in response. "Mm, wow, that's real nice..."

Prompto closes his eyes, tries to just ride out the feeling of Ravus' warmth, the hand working at his back, and his own hands continuing their own gentle movements. With where his head rests, he can hear the beating of the other's heart.

It is absolutely racing. There are only a few things that could mean to the blond. Does he dare to hope about one such answer?

"Ravus...Your heart. Are you ok?"

For as anxiously unsure Ravus is about this entire situation, unfamiliar with intimacy, this isn't as terrifying as he might have imagined. None of the pressures he feared manifests. There's no expectation to know things he could never possibly know. Prompto doesn't push him, and doesn't expect a performance Ravus has never rehearsed. No call to desires he's long divorced to protect himself. Just the quiet of their breathing and the river bubbling around them.

That, and the race of Ravus’ heart, apparently.

He's not even realized it, truth be told. Wrapped up in his head and counting the worries down. Letting the lull of peace preoccupy him where his thoughts steadily fall away.

But there's a question there. And as is his nature, Ravus can't help but be honest.

“I am. I think...” He sighs, and draws Prompto a touch closer. “I think it is because I like this.”

Ravus likes it.

He likes them both, naked, in the river together, close like this. Touching gently, helping one another wash. He likes it enough that his heart races, and he even draws Prompto nearer to his sturdy, stable self. He's gentle, kind, someone who understands him from an angle of shared pain.

Most of all, Ravus believes in the blond, fully, and honestly. He's handsome and kind and being around him feels so very safe.

Prompto's own heart feels like it might burst with the way his feelings rise and slam into him like a tidal wave. They hit so hard, overtake him so fully, that his body moves without his mind fully catching up until he's already done what he's wanted to for a while.

Prompto gently guides Ravus' head off his shoulder, gazing right into those striking, mismatched eyes with a smile that could light up the deepest night. Then, with one hand cupping the other's cheek, he presses up and forward, planting a gentle but sincere kiss on Ravus' lips.

Ravus makes a soft noise as Preompto's hand tips his chin from his shoulder. It's curious and placid, his expression one of contentment despite the thumping of his heart. He regards the blond's gentle gaze with the same soft pleasure, and doesn't seem altogether startled by the fact Prompto kisses him. He returns the warm press with the same leisurely affection.

His real hand follows his spine up to gingerly cradle the nap of Prompto's neck as he draws back just enough to meet those bright eyes. There's a dusting of pink across his cheeks that he can't attribute to their training.

"Do I take this to mean you fancy me?"

Prompto can feel the sparks that fly right as their lips meet. He basks in the way Ravus presses back, and so softly cradles his neck in his hand. Oh. He likes it. The look in his eyes, the blush on his cheeks, so telling they destroy any doubts in the skittish blond's mind before they can even crop up.

Prompto's own heart starts thundering off to the races, his own cheeks going a deep shade. What an old fashioned way to say it, too. Fancy him... Like a knight from a fairy tale, to a princess.

"Y...Yeah, it does." He offers a slightly lovestruck little grin. "I can do it again if you need to double check."

Like his words, the rest of him tells that same honest story of his heart. While he hasn't fully adapted to physical affection, learning it comes quickly enough that he's comfortable stealing another kiss. It's quick, just the teasing press of his mouth for a moment, before he trails another down to Prompto's jaw instead. Along the line of soft, freckled skin to his heated cheeks, to press another, chaste and sweet.

"I don't find myself in doubt. I suspect you do not either." Though his voice is even, finding sureness a little easier this time, he still glances off. The shyness is harder to fight than acceptance. "But I'm not opposed to more of this. More of you." While he speaks, his tail curls around to lay against the small of Prompto's back, and his fingers squeeze gently along his nape. A touch softer, that shyness winning out again, he mumbles, "more of us."

Ravus beats Prompto at his own playful game, and it utterly dazzles the boy. His eyes slide shut, lips settling into a peaceful smile whilst his companion starts at his lips and travels to kiss along his jaw. Like he's savoring Prompto. What a rush that is for one so uncertain of his worth and looks at all times.

"No... I, I don't feel any doubts at all. Even as a guy who, heh, has a whole lot of those a lotta the time." How cute Ravus is, blushing and getting flustered. 'Cute' is about the last word Prompto ever thought he would use to describe the sharp, knightly man...But what else can he call such a shy and heartfelt display? Us, he says, more of us, while his tail curls around the boy's waist. It truly is as though Ravus were torn out of a romantic poem of old, saying such things. It steals Prompto's breath away just as much as the kisses. He wants more of them too, he realizes. So much more than he ever could have imagined before this moment.

Without even thinking about it, Prompto's own tail lifts in response to the Ravus', copper twining around that beautiful deep blue. The gesture feels somehow even more intimate than the whole bathing together thing- at least it does in some deeper, instinctive part of his brain. It feels right. So right. There is a pleased humming sound within his thoughts- Sjerit, voicing her approval.

"How can I, after this? No way. Even if- Even if I still feel some kinda way about myself. I don't doubt how you make me feel." Prompto gestures down at himself with a sidelong tilt of his head.

Prompto's tail curls around his own, and Ravus feels his ridiculous heart kick up to a rabbit-quick pace. The gesture should feel alien, and yet it's like he's known the feeling his whole life, and what it means. A mundane, but loving intimacy. Like holding hands, or curling up together. It leaves him warm and flushed, happily so. The peace that settles over him with worked muscles, the rush of clean water, and Prompto's heat against his skin is pleasantly addicting already.

“You needn't have such doubts,” Ravus assures him, settling a hand on the boy's back again. Just like before, he rubs the still developing wings as he speaks. “Ever. But full glad am I to know I can ease them, even temporarily. However, and whenever, you need me, I am here to remind you of that.”

Leaning in, he kisses amidst the golden crown of Prompto's hair, and rumbles low and deep.

“You must promise me to remember that. Should you ever worry, you will come to me, and I will be your courage, your assurance, once again.” It would make him beyond happy to be that for Prompto. To be strong in his eyes, to have such noble use. A purpose to be proud of, and in turn, earn him the blond's affections properly.

This is no mere comfort that Ravus offers to the insecure Prompto with those words. No, it is deeply intimate, conviction on a level that shakes him to his very core. This man would move heaven itself to be Prompto's rock, and chase off his misgivings. To keep his heart in his hands, safe and happy. He has faith in Prompto that lifts the boy's own to stand just a little taller. Ravus sees so much in him- it was clear from the moment he took the boy under his at the time proverbial wing.

Prompto is beyond moved. Feels worth so very, very much at that moment. He is so, very full of love. The love Ravus gives forward brings it to overflowing.

It is enough to bring happy tears to his eyes. Prompto doesn't even fully realize it, and rumbles back a sound caught between a growl and a pleased coo at the deep sound Ravus makes. The tears at the corners of those brilliant and slitted blue eyes roll down his cheeks, somehow highlighting his touched and gentle smile all the more. No ache of those growing wings could get in the way of his soaring heart.

"I promise. I want you by my side, too, Big Man. But you gotta promise me something in exchange, okay? That no matter what, you'll let me show you some of what Niflheim took away. I...I want to experience the world with you. Help you see all the good there you missed. I wanna make you happy. I know a lot of us do."

Do forgive me for anything you happen to see on the rocky talky. However, I am also lying through my teeth.

Any particular preferences for dinner? I think I would rather do something besides a stew tonight, but I am all for alternative thoughts.

Dude. WHY??????????????? WHAT????????????? DUDE WHAT? wh-

[Ignis can probably hear Prompto let out something between a distressed, disbelieving yell and a groan from a room or so over]

Seriously? What kind of strategy even is this!? Nah, man, I think my appetite is shot, now....

Your appetite best not be. You're eating whether you like it or not.

[Why is this a threat-]

At any rate. I really did expect better of you, Prompto. I thought you would be more than familiar with what reaction trolls most desire.

Orrrr I could go out on a run and just worry about food later >: ) !!!! lol

[Playing with fire. Literally, here. Prompto knows better.]

Okay, like, I get what you are going for here, right, but that does not make it any less WEIRD as HECK to see, dude! Come ON. I am so allowed to cringe.

Very cute. I would not recommend it, Prompto.

At any rate, I am not wholly sure you do understand it, but very well. I simply thought it best to counter your reaction for when you saw it on your own.

What, that ur trying to mess with him? I mean, yeah, clearly. I would just assume u were hacked or in trouble if I saw it myself before u said anything, lol? That or planning something like the strategy pro u are ig.

But ur rly gonna keep a guy from running? Gotta upkeep my physique! Get the good brain chemicals from moving around, bla bla bla! ; )

I can keep you running in place with ease, my dear.

And it isn't merely to mess with him. Rather, did you see his reply to Noct?

Yea, and cringed and died a lil at that too.

[Actually, it really upset him. Logically Prompto knew Ardyn was doing his thing and trying to stir shit. But it still struck a nerve for the boy to where he had to go on a pretty long run and try to clear his head. Too many emotions at once.]

What, so taste of his own medicine or smth? That still is messing with him lol!!

No.

I'm denying him.

Look at how much he delights in being told how revolting he is, how much he should be hated. I dare say the man has a sadomasochism problem that would fascinate untold numbers of psychologists. If we simply keep behaving as we are, then that only satisfies him.

Now. What is the opposite of that?

Ravus doesn't expect what he offers to be returned in any way. There's no deal here to sell and no agreement to seal. What he gives, he gives willingly. His own happiness derived from what he provides, and not what he receives. He asks nothing of Prompto, save the reminder that he's here to be his strength. Yet the blond offers something back in turn without prompt. Something stolen a hundred times over from Ravus, until he'd ceased to guard it altogether.

There's a long quiet that Ravus holds between them, like the promise troubles him. In some aspects, it does. He doesn't wish for charity or pity, he doesn't wish to be dragged about just for the sake of it. The time he's spent with people now, he's learning that he enjoys when they want him there. It makes the impossible, daunting task of trying to relearn social grace easier. Seeing their lives, having the chance to be a part of them... It's not something he's sure he always deserves. Yet if it makes Prompto happy, then Ravus can't deny him either.

“Only if that is truly your desire. I cannot tell you how to feel, but I won't be pitied. If you seek me, I will be there. If you ask me, I will stay at your side. But do so with desire, and not a bleeding heart. Then I can promise you.”

Prompto's expression falters- prone to worry as he is, the long pause leaves him to wonder just what is going through Ravus' head. Did he say something wrong? He also knows, luckily, that it won't take long to find out. Not with the kind of honest man he is.

Ah. Pity. That sort of thing doesn't suit a knight, does it? The blond shakes his head gently, copper tail giving the blue one it is twined around a reassuring squeeze. "Y'know, people have told me that I think with my heart too much sometimes, but I don't feel it bleeding specifically right now," he gazes up to meet Ravus' eyes, a small, shockingly shy smile on his usually loudly expressive face. "Nah, pretty sure it just is really happy. Happy that you want to be with a dork like me, for one. It's grateful as well, y'know. That when you saw my secret-" He taps the leather wrap around his right wrist with a claw- "-you didn't pity me. Just...Understood. In a way no one else ever did or probably ever could understand. I felt seen, and maybe like I could see you, too. I see something, and it feels familiar. That's why- That's why I want you to promise, and why I want you to see more of the good things in life. Not because I feel bad for you, but because it would make me happy to show you new things and be there at every step. Because you deserve it. Pity would be offensive to a guy like you. You and me, we're alike. We both want people we love to be happy, and would do anything in the world for it. It works like fuel, right?"

He never did forget that vulnerable moment, and how Ravus treated him after the accidental reveal of his origins. He never stopped appreciating it, or wondering just why he felt seen through. When the feelings started to blossom to a point where Prompto could no longer deny them, it all began to make more sense.

"If you wanna be with someone like me out of your want for it, then believe me- I feel the same to you."

o....

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH. OK OK, I see. >:)

Uh does that mean I should b acting like a total weirdo to him or something???????? B...nice???????

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text; @shu

Un: Chocobro

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