Melting Point
Fandom: FFXV/Kingsglaive Rating: Fluff. Self-indulgent, diabetes-inducing fluff.
Being stranded turns a regular mission into an impromptu camping trip. In a storm. Crowe and Sonitus work together to herd their glaives (wet cats they swear) to actually sleep. Everybody has a sweet spot- a melting point- and Crowe knows them all.
The day could not get any worse. Crowe had had it up to here with her idiots. Yes, they were crammed in a shitty tent pitched hastily- the thunderstorm raging at the time had allowed for nothing less- but at least they could try to dry out. Her pack of mages were the only sensible ones here, drying sopping clothes with soft puffs of fire magic. The others were too busy griping about their situation- waiting for pickup at a haven after said storm washed their transport out- and not being of any real use. Crowe shook her head at their bickering and turned to see her mages pull out sleeping bags from the armiger, setting up for a damp yet relaxing night. It wasn’t so bad, the storm now a steady downpour rather than the lightning bath it had been an hour earlier.
Sonitus and Axis were the only boys who seemed to have their shit together- changing into spare clothes and settling in, sharing ration packs. Sonitus caught her eye, nodding towards where Nyx, Pelna, and Libertus sat squished together, whining about the stupid flooding getting their boots wet. Crowe sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes in response. She cocked an eyebrow, jerking her chin towards Luche, quietly growling into his earpiece, and Tredd, silently stewing in irritation.
Sonitus rubbed a hand wearily down his face, nodding tiredly. If they didn’t get their respective morons to sleep soon they would be pissy all the next day and then some. He turned back to Axis, grabbing his blades and a whetstone from the void. Axis watched with dark eyes, blinking slowly, hair drying into a floppy mess over his eyes. The glaive snuggled into his sleeping bag, belly down, head resting on folded arms. Ready to watch the proceedings.
Crowe had finally gotten her boys to change and attempt to bed down, but they still wouldn’t shut up long enough for the rain or rhythmic scrape of Sonitus sharpening his weapons to drain some of their tension. A more hands on approach was needed. Everybody has a melting point, and she knew all of theirs well.
She plopped unto Libertus’s back, forcing him down further into his bag with a grunt of frustration. He squirmed, bumping into both Pelna and Nyx, gaining growls from both men.
“We are already packed in like sardines, can you not-” Libertus started, but squeaked as Crowe tickled the back of his neck where his braids left it exposed.
“Can you not. Shut up and get some sleep.” She chuckled, using her weight to pin him, nails following his neck as he squirmed under her.
“Ok, okokok- just get off!” Libertus nearly squealed, much to their amusement. Libertus wriggled, seemed to find a comfy spot, and lay there, still grumbling to himself. Crowe snorted, and then slowly started to scratch across his shoulders, using her nails to get down through his shirt. Libertus groaned and relaxed, asking her to go higher or lower, slowly starting to drop off under the gentle scritches. Crowe grinned to herself as his requests and quips started to slur, his head drooping down. She followed the contours of his spine, gently digging in, until his breathing evened out, deep and slow, minutes later.
“That was quick.” Nyx chuckled, watching from where he lay squished up against his now sleeping brother at arms.
“Magic hands. Now roll over.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Make me-” Crowe wriggled her fingers threateningly at his sides, and Nyx thought better about his actions, rolling onto his front with a grumble. Pelna snickered in the darkness.
Crowe carefully got up and stepped over Libertus’s form as the man started to snore. She settled on Nyx’s back and began to run her fingers through his hair, gently untangling and scritching at his scalp. Nyx made a low noise of appreciation and settled in, turning his head for her to get better access. Once there were no more tangles, she scratched down his scalp, from forehead, to behind his ears, to the knot of bone on the back of his skull. Nyx purred at her ministrations and groaned as she continued, following the path of his spine down. Once she reached his lumbar she started her way back up, this time firmly massaging into the tense muscle along the sides of his vertebrae. Up she rubbed, back along the same path to his forehead. Nyx moaned, going boneless in her hands. Back and forth she whittled away at his tension and irritation until he finally passed out with a groan.
Crowe studied her handiwork, standing and tucking in her snoring “brother” and the “hero”. Idiots, the lot of them.
She brushed her hair out of her eyes and caught the gaze of a grinning Pelna. She rolled her eyes, carefully stepping over to settle behind his head. The young man immediately laid back, setting his head in her lap, his teeth bright in the gloom.
“Eager, are we?” Crowe smiled, ruffling through his hair. Pelna made a happy little noise in response, eyes sliding closed. Ever a cuddlebug, Pelna was always down for physical affection. He turned his head and pressed into her hands, murmuring in quiet pleasure.
Crowe methodically ran her hands through his mop of dark curls, picking out any tangles, earning little pleased noises as she went. They chatted quietly about nothing in particular, frustration draining away now that nobody was actively griping. Crowe ruffled Pelna’s hair, then smoothed it back down. Messing it up, and fixing it. Back and forth.
The young glaive had no resistance to his hair being played with, going slack in her lap. Crowe urged him to slide back into his sleeping bag, which he somehow managed while mostly unconscious. She chuckled, zipping him in, and played with his hair until he was completely unresponsive.
Sonitus glanced over as he switched blades, one now finished. Crowe had made good progress, three down- two to go. Sonitus slowly stood, careful not to step on the lightly dozing Axis, and plopped down up against Tredd. The redhead sat with his knees tucked under his folded arms, chin resting on tense arms. He stared irritably into the dark, lost in his own thoughts. Sonitus put his back solidly against Tredd’s, leaning in a bit to share warmth in the damp chill. Tredd made no outward sign he even noticed but Sonitus could tell he was not quite as tense as he was a second ago. Hard to think you are alone with another body pressed in against yours.
Sonitus inspected the edge on his blade, noting how the day of Magitek slaughter had worn down the edge. A single whetstone would be sufficient, but with Luche and Tredd still firmly brooding he pulled his favorite set of whetstones out of the void, setting them down in front of him. A fine polish would be needed tonight- coarse stone down to fine stone. Starting with rough stone he dragged it down the blade, evenly, rhythmically. Tredd took no notice, still rooted in his thoughts. Sonitus smiled to himself and started to sing softly into the night air.
Axis looked up, startled out of his dozing, and then settled down. The Bellum clan was known for its songs and dances. Songs to work to, to make labor pass and keep spirits up. Dances to keep their joints flexible and to keep coordination high. War chants to intimidate enemies and to cheer warriors. But their secret weapon was known only by few outside their clan. A Bellum lullaby sung in safety to someone they cared for was incredibly potent. Axis had seen it in use several times- if you were quiet and kept your ears open a non-bellum could hear the clan’s magic at work. Lucians scoffed at the notion of magic outside the Lucis Caelum and Oracle lines, but the Galahdians knew better. There are older magics than that of kings.
Sonitus sung gently as he polished his steel with a fine whetstone. It was an old Galahdian song, in an even older dialect, but Axis could follow along, mouthing the words. It was about the ocean, waves on the sea, rocking the sailors to sleep, the waves holding her children close, bidding them goodnight, sailing on stars….
Axis was unaware of where the tune of the song faded into that of dreams, but Sonitus registered the sudden lack of motion from where Axis was following along. Amusement washed through him and his attention turned back as Tredd made a low noise of irritation and slouched further. Sonitus continued on, willing warmth and safety to flow through the tune.
Tredd was a fighter, Sonitus would give him that. He could feel the redhead nodding off against his back. Tension slowly left his muscles, leaving exhaustion in its wake. Tredd fought back as best he could, struggling to stay awake. Stubborn like a kid fighting sleep.
Sonitus sang ever softer, the song naturally looping, designed to lull even the most valiant of souls. Tredd slid down onto his sleeping bag, grudgingly turning to curl around where Sonitus sat. His eyes closed of their own accord, the rhythm hushing his growl of irritation to a muted grumble. It took only a few minutes more for the furrow between his brows to relax and a few more for his body to go slack.
Sonitus did not stop singing as Tredd started to snore, just in case. Crowe stalked over carefully after tucking in her pack of mages. Sonitus stood as slowly as he could, desperate not to wake Tredd, who was snuggling into the warm hollow that he vacated. Sonitus's face made an interesting sight, cringing in the dark at any errant twitch from the man under him, yet still managing to sing. Even though Tredd clearly was out he kept moving as if dealing with live explosives.
Crowe bit back a chuckle, gently tucking the bag closed around the sleeping Furia. She turned and gave him a tired smile and turned to the last glaive standing. Sonitus met her gaze and nodded in agreement, gathering up their sleeping bags. They picked their steps silently over to their prey.
Luche sat cross legged on his sleeping bag, pouring over terrain maps by a tiny flame dancing in his palm. The shadows played across his face, deepening beneath his eyes. If they had just moved a little faster they could have outrun the storm, but no, dropships just had to be waiting in just the right spot to ruin their return. It was almost as if they somehow knew the Kingsglaive would be returning that way over the plains...Luche growled low in his throat. Drautos had better get his intel together or he swore to Ramuh…
Crowe snatched the map out of his hands, earning a startled half-yelp, and then the beginning of a curt telling off before she pressed her palm over his mouth.
“Don’t care, Luche. Bed. Now.” Crowe snarled as Sonitus spread their sleeping bags alongside his. The blonde flinched when Sonitus wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging him down. Luche squirmed in Sonitus's arms, resisting, until Crowe forced herself into his space. She wriggled in, grabbing his arm and forcing him to wrap around her. Luche froze in a mix of exhaustion and shock. Crowe scootched back until her back pressed firmly against Luche's chest. Sonitus completed the Lazarus sandwich, cuddling forward against his back. Luche wanted to protest but no noise would come out. Crowe and Sonitus shared an amused smile- Luche's mind only shut up when holding someone or being held. But. Both? At the same time?
Luche couldn't hold any train of thought anymore than he could hold a handful of air. The gentle expansion and contraction of Crowe's breathing in his arms, her head tucked in under his chin, hair tickling his throat. The soft whisper of Sonitus's lullaby in his ear, a solid arm, warm and heavy, draped over his waist. A soft spot to lay down and comrades keeping out the chill and damp. Muted rainfall outside…
Crowe whispered back and forth with the captain’s second, talking about nothing of importance. Sonitus grinned to himself, feeling the hardness of Luche's shoulders relax gradually. The blonde slowly melted into the curves of Crowe's body, curling around her and holding close. Sonitus snuggled in closer, mirroring, still singing, weaving his spell.
Crowe started nodding off first, drifting in and out of the conversation. Luche huffed in amusement, allowing himself to enjoy the moment for once. Sonitus almost rolled his eyes. The only way to get the mother hen of the kingsglaive to rest was if another glaive and/or glaives needed cuddles themselves. Luche eventually gave into the fog clouding his mind, following Crowe into dreams.
Sonitus chuckled silently, settling in himself. Nobody could resist the song.