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[He hesitated, a flash of uncertainty in his expression. No way he dreamed it..]

We said the weekend, right? To come over?

[Unless the comment was on his colour palette, then Noct had no room to talk. He didn't quite look his short, dark and mildly-good looking self.

Still, when Noct stepped back, Gladio stepped into the house and offered the covered plate of cupcakes to the colourful King before he removed his boots.]

[Noctis accepts the plate and leads the way in, poking idly at the cover.]

We did, yeah. You didn't have to bring anything, though. [He's not bothered, just curious.] Can I open it?

I said I'd bring a surprise, and sure, go for it.

[Under the cover and on the plate where ten cupcakes, 9 of which where decorated with red and black frosting while there was one that was pink and white. All where strawberry and white chocolate flavoured. Except the pink one which was strawberry cheesecake flavoured.]

[Noctis can't help the quiet but pleased noise that escapes when he spies the cupcakes; his weakness for sweets is well known, of course, and they look tasty. He sets it down on the kitchen table to remove the whole cover, revealing the entire plate.]

Are you trying to win my affection with sugar? [It might even work.] Looks good, though. Who's the white one for?

Pyra. Tony had a majority in that one. [Gladio grinned as he walked into the kitchen with Noct and pulled up a chair to drop down into.] Calls her 'Strawberry Shortcake' apparently, so it's flavoured after that. The others are strawberry and white chocolate. Little strawberry jelly in the middle... Hope you guys like them. Worked hard on those.

You made them?

[Huh. He'd never pegged Gladio for a baker. Now he's even more curious. He steps back to fetch a different set of containers to move the cupcakes to, both to keep them fresh and to separate Pyra's from the rest, so none of the household vacuum cleaners eat it before he can let them know. They've all basically got the stomachs of teenage boys.]

Sure did. Taste pretty damn good, too.

[Of course he'd made more, there where several back home and he'd tasted them before bringing some to Noct. He wasn't about to bring a plate full of crap to his friends.]

Nothing too fancy.

I'll be the judge of that.

[He moves all but two in the other container for later, taking one for himself and sitting down, nudging the plate with the other in between them for Gladio if he wants to munch. Also, he sets the kettle to boil, assuming tea's on the menu.]

Thanks for bringing them. You guys want some real ulwaat for later?

[He'd been promised the good stuff so he was expecting a superior cup of tea here, Noct! And yes, he did reach for the plate and pulled it close, grinning.]

Then I hope you like em.

And you got the real deal, huh? I was trying to grow them, before I came here... Had help of course. But I'd be happy to take some off your hands if you can spare some.

It's just from the replicator, but everything about them tastes and looks right, so close enough anyway. I'll send you packing with some, whenever you wanna go.

[He only just arrived, so that's time enough for that later. Right now is time for taste-testing. Noctis first takes a lick of the frosting, then a solid bite of the cupcake itself, making a thoughtful but approving noise as he chews.]

Huh... not bad, big guy. When did you learn to bake?

[He'd take them, replicator or not he looked forward to working with them! Just not right now. He still needed that cup of tea, after all. That and he was really interested in Noct's verdict on his baking. Gladio couldn't help the pleased smile.]

I'm a man of many talents, Noct.

But... Iris and Jared. And then where I was before, someone had to step up and cook so I learned on the job. Turns out I'm not that bad.

Iris, right... I miss her cooking sometimes.

[Noctis watches Gladio out of the corner of his eye, gauging his reaction; it's not meant to be hurtful, but he knows Gladio loves his sister, and wants to know whether she's on the "too painful to talk about" list or the "talking helps" list. With how close their families are and how much she clung to him over the years, she's kind of his little sister too.]

[Oh, it hurt. Gladio missed her terribly. But his smile had become fond at the memory of her. He even laughed as he nodded and finally reached for his own cupcake to break it in half.]

She was a good cook. Maybe one day we'll get to enjoy it again.

Till then, you're stuck with this Amicitia's cooking.

[He smiles faintly at the mention of trying her cooking again - probably not, but a nice sentiment - and just nods. Okay, so Iris is... probably safe. Mostly safe.]

I can deal with it, so long as you're cooking with sugar.

So just sweet things, huh? Alright, I can work with that. I make a mean chocolate chip cookie as well.

[He grinned, broke off a piece of the cupcake and popped it into his mouth. Gladio was pretty easy going here, most topics of conversation where safe with him. He was going to do his very best to be as open and transparent with Noct as he could.]

Can't you make nice cookies instead?

[A dumb joke, but he did grow up with Ignis, so that's kind of par for the course. (Pun for the course? Anyway.)

The kettle's boiling, so he stands up and returns to the counter to make some cups for them.]

[Have an eye roll for your efforts there, Noct. That was awful but Gladio supposed he set himself up for it.]

I can make any kinda cookie you want. You got a favourite kind?

[He settled back in his seat, legs crossed and carried on eating the cake of his cookie. Honestly, he wasn't much of an icing fan, but the cake was real good, even if he said so himself.]

[Even terrible jokes are funny, okay. That's the rule in this house.]

I'm not too picky, really. If it's sweet and tastes good, I'll probably eat it. No raisins or oatmeal, but fruit's okay.

[He returns to the table with the tea, sliding a mug over to Gladio. It's sweet and green, with an accompanying taste of some berry mixture. It's actually pretty good.]

[He reached out when the mug was set before him and pulled it closer, lifting it to take in it's scent. It smelled pretty good. He blew on it and took a little sip. Still a bit too hot but really good. Gladio hummed a happy little sound.]

Noted. And this is real good. Might need to steal some of this from ya too.

I dunno. Good tea's a solid incentive to drag you back here.

[They're doing well, but he needs all the help he can get.]

[Gladio paused, his cup hovering just before his lips. He glanced over at Noct and his smile gentled.]

Tea was an excuse. I wanted to come by. And I'll do it more often, if I'm not in the way.

[There was such a thing as overstaying your welcome, but if Noct really didn't mind, Gladio would probably be around a hell of a lot more often if he was allowed.]

[Noctis frowns slightly at that, fingers drumming against his mug.]

Why would you be in the way?

I'm a big guy, I take up a lot of space! [He grinned teasingly.] And I don't know if you've noticed, you've a full house here. What with people and animals.

[Which was true enough, though also him just trying to be funny.]

I'd like to come by more often.

[He gets a shrug for that, with Noctis waving a hand to dismiss those concerns.]

We've kept you around in way more cramped quarters before. Remember the tent? Or the caravans? Half the time I wondered how all of us fit anywhere.

[Even so, it was (almost) always just the four of them. And when Gladio left, it felt weird. The same can be said about this place- before his arrival, and now when he lives elsewhere. So yeah, Gladio's welcome.]

I liked that tent!

[The protest was made laughingly. But he got it.]

Really need to find a way to get ahold of a tent again...

[Not that there were really lots of places to go camping here like home, but who knew? And that reminded Gladio of something suddenly. He set his cup down and leaned forward a touch.]

Actually, I needed to run something by you... Now if you say no, we can change it. But... Me and Tony, we're opening a bar. I'd really like to name it Insomnia. What'd ya think?

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