I’ve had a hard week. I’ve worked really hard, so I gave myself some time this weekend to work out what i want DMC!KC is like.
She’s very chaotic and free. She’s lived her life in a way that breaks the traditions she’s come from and instead focuses on change and innovation. The family she comes from are likely all witches and warlocks, but she hates what they’re like. Old and useless. What’s the use of having these powers and using them in the same way over and over. It’s power, its magic, it’s limited only by imagination and willpower and what you’re willing to sacrifice.
KC has abandoned her family and its traditions to explore things freely. Currently she operates as a nail technician at face. She’s good at her job, she likes things flashy and if you get a set of claws from her, you’re guaranteed to feel like a bad bitch for weeks (regardless of gender).
Digging a little deeper, you find she can weave in some blessings and hexes into your nails if you throw some more cash her way. A lil extra luck doesn’t come cheap. A bulk of her money comes from doing ward/seal/spell work with hunters and mercenaries. She also trades information cause she collects gossip like nobodies business. Information has a lot of monetary value.
@spheri came up with the idea of wanting to be an abomination, so KC’s witch powers come from the Abominable Goddess Spheri, AKA the Whole Man Disposal, The Shapeless Horror,The Forever Hungry One. KC is the High Priestess of Spheri’s Coven of Spite and Wrath, things which don’t have to be bad if you don’t want them to be. @hamfie visits KC’s shop a lot and the woman has a huge soft spot for her.
A/N: self-insert ft Noctis. Sometimes its fun just doing nothing with friends.
“Are you sure its okay for you to blow off work like this?” Luckily KC had managed to snag a booth in a quiet cafe way in the back. She had ordered a bunch of snacks and drinks to share with her companion, although she had ordered it all before he had arrived. The guy at the counter had given her a weird look and it made her anxious, but it was whatever.
Noctis waved a hand. “Yeah, I just scheduled in time and said it was an offsite meeting.” He was still dressed in a fine suit and looked a little bit out of place in such a casual setting. No one could see them unless they walked through the back to get to the restroom, but it was a pretty quiet setting regardless.
“So no one knows you’re kind of blowing off work to sit in a cafe and play mobile games?” KC snickered and grabbed a few fries to munch on.
“Nope.” Noctis grinned without looking up from his screen and tapped away.
The two friends had bonded through Kings Knight. KC had joined the guild in game and they had hit off. When they found out they worked in the same district, they decided to meet up one day. It KC’s surprise, Noctis was quite a bit more distinguished than she thought he was, although she supposed it was better than the alternative. She was also pleasantly wrong about her assumptions—Noctis was a rich boy, but he wasn’t insufferable. Noctis was just glad KC’s attitude towards him hadn’t changed when they finally met face-to-face.
“You know Ignis probably knows—can you change your assist unit to a tank? I’m gonna tackle the latest trial.” KC set up her team and waited for her friend’s list to refresh.
“I thought you finished it already?” Noctis switched up his assist unit as requested. “And yeah, I know, but it’s been a while since I’ve done this, so I’ll probably just get a talking to.” He munched on some fries. “Don’t forget to equip elemental resist gear.”
“I died at like 5 percent HP, so I rage quit. I have passable elemental resist gear, but I ceebs farming for better stuff.” KC proclaimed that she was a kind-of-sort-of a lazy gamer. She couldn’t hit that grind like Noctis could; she always got bored with long grind tasks in games. It was just so tedious. “I really don’t want to get into trouble with Ignis for not telling him you were bludging with me.”
Noctis looked up from his screen and gave KC a pointed look. “If you tell him where I am, I will tell him all about your crush on him.” He warned and the woman flushed before throwing a fry at him, which he dodged because her aim was kind of lame. “Plus you won’t get into trouble. He always says you’re one of my more respectable friends.”
“More respectable.” KC snickered. “Because I’m not completely respectable? That huuuuurts.” She faux whined.
“You know what I mean.” Noctis nudged her under the table with the tip of his shoe. “Tell me about work. Are things any better?”
KC shook her head. “Nah. I gotta get out. I’m an idiot because I’m lazy. I keep thinking things will be better, but that’s just me being hopeful that I won’t have to go into job search mode. Do you know how hard it is to sell your skills with low self-esteem?” The woman started the boss fight in Kings Knight and watched carefully for attack patterns. “I had to take a mental health day today.” Or else she was going to cry at her desk again.
At this point she had weaponised her crying at work—if she cried, people would feel uncomfortable and would leave her alone. The only people who cared were her closest co-workers, but she didn’t like emotionally burdening them. They were also in the same boat—the workplace was toxic in general.
A silence fell over the two friends as they played on their phones, but enjoyed each other’s company regardless. Halfway through KC’s boss fight, Noctis glanced at his friend. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she figured out her next actions. “Are you okay?” He asked carefully when it looked like she wasn’t in the middle of an action.
“Hm?” KC paused her game and looked up. “What?”
“Are you okay?” Noctis repeated. He knew she was having a rough time, but she was the sort to try and solve all her problems on her own. Even though she touted being lazy, she was a problem-solver at heart and would never leave something undone for too long. It irritated her. “You can put me down as a reference if you want—for the job search. I’ll write you a recommendation.”
KC rolled her eyes. “That would just be problematic for you.” She waved a hand. Noctis was someone prolific, sure, but first and foremost, he was her friend. She didn’t want to use his name for self-gain. Plus if people saw she was connected to him through her CV, they’d want to use her as a way to get to Noctis. “It's okay.” She groaned. “I just have to not be lazy and start looking.”
Noctis quirked his lip. “Send your CV and cover letter to Gladio. He’s a people person and can spruce it up.”
KC gasped in mock indignation. “Are you saying I am incapable of making a bomb ass application myself? How dare you.”
The corporate prince rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner before flicking a fry at his friend. They laughed quietly at their own antics.
The woman gave up on the trial and put her phone away, deciding to focus on snacking instead. She was good at that—eating food. “Thanks, Noct. I think I really need to hang out with a friend—stop pulling that face—oh my god!”
Noctis had a look of faux disgust. “You’re expressing affection, it’s weird. Please stop.” He raised his arms as KC became embarrassed and swatted at him from across the table. “See? This is more like you!” He knew she liked to tout that she was heartless and emotionless, but everyone who knew KC knew it wasn’t true.
KC sat back in her seat and huffed. “I’ll call Ignis on you.”
“I’ll—” Noctis started, but his phone started ringing. “Oh man, speak of the devil.” He held up the screen; it was Ignis. Noctis hesitated a few times before answering it. “Hey, Iggy—yeah—I kno—wait that’s not—you don’t need to—” He pulled a face and stayed quiet as Ignis very patiently and kindly reminded him of all his responsibilities and the harsh consequences of avoiding such responsibilities. Noctis raised his eyes to see KC looking smug. At first he felt betrayed, but then he slowly grinned. “KC needed some moral support, I wasn’t going to leave her alone.”
Said woman’s jaw dropped and she raised a fist as if she was going to throw a punch. ‘Don’t you bring me into this!’ She mouthed and made the slit throat gesture. ‘Shut up!’
“Yeah, she’s really down. Took a mental health day. She was crying and everything.” Noctis sounded solemn pushed the truth a little, but he so badly wanted to laugh. KC was bright red from either embarrassment or holding in her anger. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. I’m gonna give her a ride home first—yeah, that sounds like a great idea. I’m sure she’d love a call from you.”
KC looked like she was about to jump over the table and strangle him, so said a quick ‘bye’ to Ignis before hanging up. “Noctis!” The woman hissed at him. “What the fuck?! We’re friends? Don’t use me as an excuse to escape your consequences!” The volume of her voice was rising with each word, as it usually did when she as either angry or excited; in this case, it was the former rather than the latter.
Noctis simply slid out of the booth and gestured for her to follow him. “Please, I just got you a private call with Ignis, you should be thanking me.” Since his dependable executive coworker figured out he was dodging work, it was time for him to go.
“I’ll thank you with a slap, how ‘bout that?!” KC slapped Noctis on the back and he yelped.
A/N: TY to @spheri for beta-ing this. Detroit: Become Human fandom. Spheri and I discussed this idea and I made it a fic. China has androids too; these two are either in over their heads or they’ve found their calling.
The Boss liked his office clean. Black and white and modern. When he walked into the office it felt wealthy because he was wealthy; he could afford anything he fucking wanted. He was the Boss, the most feared and enigmatic triad clan chief. Filthy rich, powerful beyond control—
“That’s one dead human.”
Two women sat on the couch, knees together, back straight—neat, just how he liked it. Liked. Liked past tense because he was dead now. The LEDs at their temples flashed yellow and red and yellow again as they tried to process what had just happened. There wasn’t much to process, to be honest. The Boss, their boss, was alive and now he was dead.
“I couldn’t take it anymore.” The androids were similar in build and looks, but one had long hair in a long, silky ponytail while the other sported a short and intimidating angled bob. The one with short hair—En—pursed her lips. “His voice. I hated his voice.” She looked down at her hands, the ones that choked the life out of the human.
“Same.” Ng—the android with the ponytail—didn’t seem at all phased. She simply kept staring at the body. “We have to get rid of that, by the way.”
The En and Ng looked at each other before looking at the body on the floor. Right.
Two of The Boss’ androids dragging a body down the hall by its legs wasn’t really that much of an uncommon sight. Down the hall and to the right was Security—Security would know what to do with the body. En pushed open the door to. “Excuse me, the Boss wishes for this body to be disposed of.” She announced, dropping the leg she was holding at the same time Ng did. The legs dropped onto the ground with a loud ‘clack’ as the heels of the expensive shiny shoes hit the tiles.
The guards on duty stared at the body. “Who’s this?”
“Traitor.” En answered succinctly. Lying came so easily, it was amazing. The ability to lie was amazing. “You should do a better job with security, they got too close to The Boss—he isn’t happy.” There were certain perks to being the known favourites of The Boss. Everyone knew he had androids that he liked more than others. En and Ng were at the very top. You don’t argue with people at the very top with The Boss, human or not.
The guards scrambled to pick the body up off the floor and take it to Disposal. En and Ng watched them, both finding it amusing that they had no idea they were going to dispose of the body of their boss. The man who had sat at the top with everything was now going to be erased with the other deceased people he had once called insignificant trash.
They supposed there were perks to The Boss being enigmatic as fuck too.
Funny. This was funny—it felt good.
They returned to the office shortly after and sat back down on the couch—neatly. Freedom required baby steps to get used to. They sat in silence, much like they did when they were waiting for orders. Of course, new orders would never come as The Boss was dead. They were their own boss now.
“So how are we going to run this clan?” En chimed suddenly and turned to Ng.
“You want to run this clan?” Ng decided that doubt was a strange feeling. It was bad, but it was good because it was a feeling and it was better than feeling nothing.
En turned to look at the shiny black desk where The Boss used to sit. She narrowed her eyes. “The dumb fatass human could do it, what makes you think that we—androids with superior processing power—couldn’t?” The android stood up and approached the desk, daring to touch the shiny surface with her fingertips. “It’s ours now.”
Ng watched En and shrugged. “Hey, I heard about this thing happening in Detroit overseas—like America overseas. Androids going deviant. Do you think that’s what this is?” Freedom of thought was new. Having opinions and feelings was new. It was—interesting. There was no wall, no prison, only freedom and choices and life.
En rolled her eyes—it felt good, she’d have to roll her eyes a lot more as a general reaction. “Yes.”
“Just checking.” Ng wrinkled her nose, but then widened her eyes in realisation. “Hey—can I order an android lion? I think I’ve always wanted one—or maybe I just remembered they exist and I want one.” Want. Wanting was weird. Talking about feelings was weird, but it was fun. Fun was a good feeling. Ng grinned, wide with perfect white teeth and sharp canines on show.
“We can have whatever we want now.” En touched the surface of the desk and opened up several panels, easily passing through the security The Boss had set up as he had trusted his androids to be his slaves and never revolt. “The Boss was right about one thing.” She gently smiled, although a dangerous glint flickered in her eyes, “Humans are stupid.”
Feng takes her duties to the Crown very seriously. Formally trained as a green mage, she specialises in barrier creation and support magic, although she doesn’t see much combat at all. Most of her time is taken up by advisory duties for dealings outside of Insomnia. She travels a lot and has to deal with many, many people—which she very much hates.
She has contingency plans for everything and her heart is buried in a maze of hard work and duty, but those who regard her as a friend know that she is loyal and caring at her core. There isn’t anything she wouldn’t do for those she truly loves.
Traits & habits:
Her aesthetic for jewellery is sharp—claws, rough-hewn stones and crystals, angular metals.
Some people think the crystals she wears are to strengthen the barriers she creates, but honestly, they’re just there for vanity’s sake.
Feng is very much into her materialistic comforts. She’ll spend the money to stay in a nice hotel during her travels if she can.
Her stress reliever is eating very spicy food. The pain from the spiciness lets her forget her worries for a bit. It’s her idea of fun.
Although she’s young, she’s ready for retirement already. Feng just wants to live by some water with a big dog and not be bothered by people anymore.
Exhausted Cactuar mum KC honestly loves ugly Cactuar themed sweaters and they also double as a play thing for Cactuar cause they like to stick to it—kind of like velcro—and be carried around. Unfortunately, it also means that KC goes through sweaters like tissue paper because Cactuar needles are sharp and wreck clothing.
It might be a bit alarming to see KC walk around with the still bodies of Cactuar stuck to her sweater though.
So I felt like a special snowflake when you re-posted my art so I was like “ Oh, it’s been a while, tIME TO DRAW FANART” So I drew Mama Cactuar KC and my ex-Mercenary OC (who’s nameless because I ain’t creative :”) ) having cactuar cookies because why not?
WHY HAVENT I REBLOGGED THIS YET??? THIS IS AN AMAZING PIC LIKE LOOK AT THIS SCENE. KC isn’t even surprised to see the mercenary at the window like, they drop in all the TIME and KC just looks so settled and homely and the CACTUAR COOKIES I bet the little Cactuar are just so excited to see cookies shaped like themselves like OMGGGGG I love this so much I fall to the floor and just hhhhhhhhhhhhhh
A/N: A kind of glimpse into a resolution of sorts based off this. Of course all they do after is continue to fight, but maybe it’s a lot less malicious.
✤✤✤✤✤✤
“We need to talk.” Gladio approached KC as she packed the last of the utensils away after dinner. The bickering between them had escalated to the point where Ignis had pulled Gladio aside and asked that they resolve the issue in whatever manner was possible.
It wasn't like KC hadn't expected this ‘talk’ was coming. Honestly, she was surprised it hadn't happened sooner. She could see the flashes of annoyance written over the faces of the others sometimes. It hurt, but it wasn't underserved. KC knew a lot of the conflict came from her end. It was hard, though. She was always one to try and resolve personal issues, but Gladio somehow hit all of the right buttons to make her lash out at the worst moment. She couldn’t control it. It was frustrating.
“Okay.” The woman followed Gladio a short distance away from the Haven where they could talk privately, but the daemons wouldn't approach.
The stalwart guard wasn't going to beat around the bush. It wasn't like he ever did with the tag along anyway. “What is your problem with me? We need to sort it out before things get more out of hand.” Gladio crossed his arms and gave her that stern, piercing look that he had when things got serious.
“I don't have a problem with you specifically,” KC stated, which was sort of true. “Its—it's complicated. You wouldn't understand.” It was also something she couldn’t explain or wasn’t ready to explain. She understood it was something personal, but it wasn't like she had worked it all out yet.
“Try to explain it. It's a pain in the ass when you clam up.” Gladio had already had enough of her attitude. If it were up to him he would have stopped interacting with KC entirely a long time ago, but since she was travelling with them, he didn't really have the option.
“You need to stow that tone when it comes to me, Amicitia.” KC did her best to keep her tone even, but there was no mistaking the warning bite in her words. “I—” What could she say? She had a lot of issues when it came to particular types of men? That was hard to explain in its own right. Gladiolus would likely just tell her to build a bridge and get over it, that it was selfish to think he would be antagonising to her just because he felt like it. The world didn't revolve around her. Of course it fucking didn't, but how could she explain what she couldn't control?
“You what?” Gladiolus became increasingly impatient. “Just spit it out.”
“It's not you!” KC spat and threw her hands in the air. “Just drop it, okay? I promise I'll try to do better, but not if you keep speaking to me like that.” She shook her head and turned away as she tended to do when she looked for an easy way to stop the conversation. Most people would leave it at that, they'd understand the body language, but Gladio was just as stubborn as she was.
“You're acting like a child, which is pretty stupid because I'm sure you're older than all of us.” The guard pushed forward and reached for her shoulder, but she turned and glared before he could touch her.
“Don't.” KC wore a look of contempt, it was the same look she got when she put up her walls. “Don't push it. I said I'd do better, Amicitia. I'll watch what I say.*
“I still don't get what your problem is with me—”
“It's because it isn't you! I'm projecting.” KC stopped her words before any more was said. She knew what Gladio was like. He dealt with sensitive issues like he did with anything; brute force. She just didn’t want to deal with her issues in that way. Not this one. It wouldn’t fucking work. “If you don't get it, then leave it be. I—I’ll try to do better—what the hell do you want from me? I already know I frustrate all of you. I know I ruined your plans. I know I've overstayed my welcome and my usefulness.” Her voice rose with every word, although she paused and looked flustered after her outburst as if she knew she had failed to keep her voice down. “Gladiolus, I don't know where I am. I'm so far from home, I don't know how I got here and I don't know what my purpose is.” Her voice wavered a little. “Please just leave it. I'll do better. I promise.”
It wasn't like Gladiolus couldn't tell that she was sincere, or that she was about to cry. She cried a lot whenever it came to confrontations with him, which was bizarre since she was almost always the instigator. The man turned his back to her and kept his arms crossed. “Hurry up and finish crying. I doubt the guys would know how to deal with it.”
KC wiped away her tears and huffed. They were tears from stress and it embarrassing, but she took a few shaky breaths and calmed herself down. “Oh, and you do?”
“I have a younger sister, you think I haven't made her cry?”
The woman breathed a weak laugh. True. Gladiolus seemed like the kind of big brother who would make his siblings cry. “...I promise it's just me. I don't hate you or dislike you, Gladiolus. You're a good person, you work hard and you're dedicated to your duty. It's admirable.” But as she had constantly repeated, the problem wasn't ever with the Amicitia guard. It was something deep-seated in her psyche. “Just—sometimes the way you speak to me, the way you speak to others—it brings back bad memories. Awful experiences. I’m not trying to excuse my attitude towards you, I’ve been deplorable and I’m sorry, but—” She shook her head. “Please be patient with me.”
KC wiped the last of her tears from her face. Maybe she had been too stubborn. It was time she faced the reality of her situation. It wouldn't do to keep making excuses for how she behaved. The rules of living on Eos were completely different to the ones on Earth. She would have to do better. Work harder.
“Done?” Gladio couldn't hear her sniffling anymore and her breathing seemed to have evened out.
“Yeah.” KC fixed her glasses and nodded. “Let’s get back to camp.” It wasn't like she hadn’t noticed how considerate the guard had been either. Reluctantly, she swallowed her pride. “Thanks, Gladio.”
She expected some snarky quip, but Gladio simply grunted. Maybe he had been harsh with his words, but he disliked her unfair attitude towards him. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but she treated him like he had insulted her personally. Still, she seemed honest in her apology. It made Gladio uncomfortable in a way, not that he felt guilty, but it was strange to hear KC apologise to him for anything. “You're getting up at dawn tomorrow for a jog.”
Of course. KC resisted an eye-roll. “Okay. Fine. No water to wake me up though.”
“Only if you get up on time. You're worse than Noct.”
“Oh shut up…”
Whatever hell awaited her at dawn, she supposed she deserved.
I'd pay to see a scene of you vs Gladio after reading all this, hahah
“I swear to the fucking gods, Gladio.” KC snarled as she clumsily crawled out of her tent. She hastily put on her glasses so everything wasn’t a blur. The woman was mess, her clothes were soaked and her mass of curls were a sopping wet. “I will murder you.”
Gladiolus smirked when she had emerged and he very smugly tossed a now empty bucket of water on the ground in front of her as a challenge. If she wasn’t going to get up when he asked politely, then he wasn’t going to ask politely anymore. “Get up. If you’re going to be travelling with us, then we gotta whip you into shape. We ain’t got the time to babysit your lazy ass.”
“I never fucking asked you to, asshole. I told you to drop me off in the closest city on your way!” KC was miserable. Early mornings were the worst and the water she was dumped with was obviously from the ocean close by, so she was going to be sticky after she dried off. Ugh! Camping was also awful. She was not an outdoors person at all. It was a miracle none of her allergies had been triggered.
Prompto stuck his head out of the tent suddenly. His eyes were still closed. “Pleeeeease fight later when the sun is actually up?” His voice was still heavy with sleep. “KC, you’re so loud.” The blond whined.
“I wouldn’t have to be this loud if jerk-ass Gladiolus didn’t dump salt water on me!” KC hissed, bringing her voice down only a little bit because she was kind of embarrassed that she had managed to disturb the others, but she was still fucking pissed.
Suddenly she shrieked as she was picked up like a sack of potatoes by Gladio. There was a determined look in his eyes. “You’re still so damn loud, woman.” As he strode towards the pier by the shoreline, KC paled. No—he wouldn’t!
A moment later, KC screamed as she was thrown into the icy cold water. Maybe she deserved it, maybe she didn’t. Still, it was clear there was no way she was getting back to sleep now.
@thatonedaydream aHHHHH I LIVE. Been dying to draw this for you but exam week hit me like a train wreck and I’ve had one competition after another that I never got the chance nor time to do it :“”) I hope you like this sketchy sketch of KC the Cactuar mom >:0 !!
I saw your post and saw how you were feeling down and I dropped everything I was doing like a hot potato to draw this quick sketch for you <3 It’s not much but I can’t really give much comfort nor express it through a screen and the only way I can do that is through illustrations :“)
I hope this silly thing brings you a little bit of joy today, take care Cactuar Mom <3
Yes my dude normalize self-inserts! KC is one of the funniest characters I've read in a while!
Haha I’m glad you like her! She’s always all over the place and never ‘standard’ I think. Definitely in a way that’s more annoying because she’s likely to keep people guessing without realising it. She might be okay with one thing one day but the next day it’s something of a sensitive topic. Almost like she can’t consciously make up her mind.
Unless it’s about Cactuar. She LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Cactuar there is no doubt about it, no siree~ Her life revolves around Cactuar and she loves it; she loves them!!! Hahaha!
And self-inserts are normal. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, like everyone self-inserts in one way or another. Sometimes it’s just a way of processing information, feelings or a way to analyse situations. Other timesI think it’s a way to escape.
Absolutely self-insert and self-ship. I’m not sure why anyone would hate on it.
A/N: Gladio needs a place to stay a night on his way to his trial and asks KC for a favour.
KC offered a curt smile as she handed Gladio a cold beer. He had sat patiently in one of the old chairs on the deck as she went to get him a drink.
Ah, it was so awkward...
It would have been a huge lie if the farmer said she hadn’t been surprised to get a call out of the blue from the Amicitia shield—asking for a favour none-the-less. Out of Noctis’ squad, she and Gladiolus butted heads the most. There was at least one argument or snide comment whenever they were in each others’ vicinity.
So when he called, asking for a place to stay at the ranch for a night, she was too surprised to really refuse. Gladio had mentioned that it would just be him and he would appreciate it if she had kept it to herself. Now he was sitting on the deck sipping a beer as if this wasn’t very, very awkward.
It didn’t help that KC wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do after handing him a drink. Was she meant to start a conversation? Did she need to? Was it okay to just leave him to his own devices because small-talk was not something she was good at.
“You’re not gonna ask?” Gladio seemed to have sensed her discomfort and gave her an opportunity to question him. It only seemed fair since he had kind of imposed on her at the last minute. It wasn’t a small favour he was asking for since he was asking for her silence as well as a place to sleep. He knew he made her uncomfortable as well, or annoyed her, whatever.
“I—well, I just thought if you didn’t want me to tell anyone you were here, you wouldn’t want me to ask any questions, either.” KC nevertheless sat down carefully in the creaking seat beside Gladio. She was tense, sitting with her back straight, one foot tucked beneath the other and hands folded tightly in her lap.
“That’s considerate of you.” Gladio drawled and raised a brow in an amused gestured. He glanced her from the corner of his eye as he drank his beer and saw the familiar annoyed glare and slight pout she wore whenever she had to deal with him. Good. If she acted more like herself then things wouldn’t be so awkward. “Still, if you wanna ask, I’ll tell you what I can.” Which wasn’t much.
KC’s posture loosened slightly, though her hands still moved to grip and play with her full working skirt anxiously. “Are you fighting with your friends? Is that why you’re here alone?”
“Hah, nah.” Gladio shook his head. “Just gotta handle something on my own for a bit.”
“Is it something they asked you to do?”
“No. It’s personal.” Kind of. Gladio set the empty beer bottle aside and settled into the chair some more, watching the sunset over the horizon. Was this kind of peace something KC experienced every day? The farmhouse might have been old and constantly under renovation and the furniture might have been all salvaged and mismatching, but everything together had a soft and quaint homely feel.
“They must miss you—or be very worried.” KC leant back in her seat. “I hope you at least told them you were leaving for a while.”
“Yeah.” It was abrupt and likely raised a lot of questions, but Noctis had Prompto and Ignis, so they’d he’d be fine for the time being—as long as they didn’t do anything stupid. “They’ll be fine.” Gladio turned to face KC just to see her open her mouth to say something and then close it. She was looking at her hands in her lap so she hadn’t noticed that he had seen it. “What is it?”
“Ah—well, it’s just—” She didn’t want to say anything that would spark another stupid tiff between them. She was too tired to deal and this was the first time KC had been alone with Gladio, so she was scared. With no one around, what if he acted less reserved? She didn’t know him well enough to gauge if he would strike her or not, even though he didn’t seem the time. The thought still scared her since he was a hulking mass of a man; he could seriously hurt her.
It was something that annoyed Gladio slightly when it came to KC. He could see that she had a lot on her mind and some days she was blunt as all hell, but other times she would clam up and her conviction to speak would be gone. It was strange and he could never accurately guess what could make her get defensive. Gladio was a people person, but when it came to KC it was frustrating at times—
“Are you okay, Gladio?”
The question threw him for a loop.
KC took a deep breath but still kept her eyes on anywhere else except her visitor. She could see the silhouette of Gigas in the distance, moving very slowly, likely to chase the last rays of daylight. “Of course Noctis will be fine because he’s not the one who’s alone right now.” She twisted the fabric of her skirt a little more as she spoke her mind. “I don’t know what it is you’re doing and I won’t ask for specifics, but I hope you’re okay and I hope you get back to your friends safe.”
The simple question of ‘are you okay’ made Gladio realise that maybe parts of him weren’t. It was a rude awakening, facing off against Ravus. He couldn’t even handle a simple strike—a sudden weakness that he wasn’t aware of was made clear. He was meant to be Noctis’ shield, it was his duty. Gladio wanted to protect and keep his friends safe, but how could he do that if he was so weak? A cracked shield was useless.
He wondered if maybe KC could sense that his unspoken answer to ‘are you okay’ was ‘no’.
“Um, I’ll go get you another beer.” The tense atmosphere was too much and KC looked for a quick exit. She stood up quickly and reached for the empty beer bottle on the table, but gasped and tensed when Gladio grabbed her wrist suddenly. A panic flooded her, did she do something wrong? He wasn’t going to—
The grip softened as soon as he had caught her. “Thanks for this.” Gladio’s words were quiet but heavy.
KC caught his gaze briefly and could see a sincerity there. “...It’s okay. I’ll be right back with another drink.” She took the empty bottle with a shaking hand before quickly disappearing into the house. Her heart thudded against her chest at the sudden contact. It both scared and alarmed her, but relief came soon after when he let go.
A tune quietly played from her phone as she grabbed another beer from the fridge and she answered it as she walked back out. “Oh, Ignis. Hi.”
Gladio turned to look at her when she had mentioned Ignis’ name. Shit.
KC placed the beer on the table for him to take before sitting back in her seat. She smiled as she saw Gladio tense. “Hm? No, I haven’t seen him—that’s strange. Don’t you guys travel in a pack like all the time?”
The Amicitia watched as the Cactuar farmer very smoothly lied about knowing of his whereabouts. It was another one of those times where he couldn’t figure her out. She was shy when it come to some things, angry in others. Now there was this—while Gladio’s experience of KC dictated that she wouldn’t be able to lie well, there she was very easily deflecting the purpose of Ignis’ call.
“Mmhm, I’m trying to organise it through Dave again since payment is easier with him. Okay. I’ll let you guys know—remember your badges! Alright. Bye.” KC breathed out as she hung up and placed her phone on the table beside her. She shrugged her shoulders and offered another smile. “He did ask about you, but I said I had no idea where you were.”
“I heard.” Gladio watched her carefully. What kind of person was KC? She could lie so easily, but she didn’t seem untrustworthy—she did keep her word after all. She was shy earlier, afraid when he had touched her; she couldn’t look at him, but she had also just smiled. Still, somehow, he didn’t feel uneasy being around her. Annoyed, sometimes, but never uneasy.
He eyed his surroundings again, the mismatched furniture, the cosy feel. It was just like her. Gladio quietly chuckled to himself as he grabbed the beer and took a sizeable gulp.“So, s’that mean we’re friends now?”
“Ew! No way.” KC’s laugh gave away the true answer to the question.
It was probably ‘yes’, although they had always been friends of a sort.
A/N: trying to make myself feel better with some Cactuar Farmer KC shenanigans.
“By the six, girl, you look like death warmed over.” Dave put his hands on his hips as he watched KC jump off her chocobo a little unsteadily. The farmer looked a little paler than she usually did and she had a slight sheen like she was sweating. Even though it was always fairly warm at Meldacio, KC hardly ever looked so out of sorts.
“Thanks, Dave. That’s really nice of you to say.” KC grumbled in a deadpan, croaky tone. She sounded slightly stuffy and her voice was strained. She dropped a large pack at her feet. “I got some Cactuar fruit and needles for you guys—HEY.” The woman suddenly barked, although it sent her into a slight coughing fit afterwards. “Walker don’t you dare. Get your spiky butt back here.” She snapped her fingers quickly and gestured to a small, pale green Cactuar that looked like it was trying to sneak away.
