daysofthunder | a lot can happen in twenty seconds [ff15 au]

a lot can happen in twenty seconds [ff15 au]

At some point during the night, Rox woke up and slid out of the bedroom to grab her discarded shirt and bra. She didn't know if Rinka and Aurene were home, and she didn't check. If they had come home maybe they had noticed, maybe they hadn't. Hopefully, they hadn't noticed yet. She knew when she'd passed out in Nyx's arms they hadn't been home, but at this point it was the wee hours of the morning.

She was surprised when she returned to see a handsome, disheveled, bleary eyed Nyx sitting up in bed. Her recovered clothes were discarded and she jumped him. She got him all hot and bothered again and more intimate catching up was had, though this time, Rox made an effort to keep down her volume.

~~~

Rox heard rummaging in the kitchen. She lay draped over a hot, hard, delicious male in her bed. Muscles she'd forgotten existed were sore from the hungry, relentless activity of the evening and night before, but she savored every ache. Because it was Nyx. She opened one eye and peered at the handsome bastard who still slept soundly. She had worn him out, she thought with a pleased smile, quite proud of herself.

But as much as she wanted to snuggle, whichever of her daughters was in the kitchen making food—probably Rinka in all honesty—had awakened her empty stomach. It growled quietly in protest to all the exercise and the lack of calories. Of course, that rumble woke up her bladder, and Rox had to grudgingly and sleepily force herself away from the ridiculously tempting heat of the stupidly gorgeous man in her bed.

She wobbled a bit on her way to the bathroom and after cleaning up, grabbed the first shirt on the floor and tugged it on. Rox realized with a small smile it was Nyx's shirt as it slipped off her shoulder and hung down to her thighs. Good enough. She winced a little as she headed to the kitchen.

Rox patted Rinka's head when she passed by, yawning. She hadn't looked at herself in the mirror. So Rox was unaware that her auburn hair was an utter disaster from sleep and Nyx's hands, and bruises littered her neck and exposed shoulder. "Good mornin', baby," she said, her voice hoarse. She blearily blinked at a cupboard for a mug.

Coffee, yes. And food. She grabbed one of the mugs and put it down before leaving it behind to open the fridge. She lounged drowsily against the open door and stared blankly inside.

She didn't want to cook. Leftovers?

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Nyx gave a little jump at the sudden pinch, snorting loudly at her commentary.

"I can't say if I do or don't, just that I quite like yours as well," he grinned, reaching behind and giving hers a grope as well.

They had to be careful, though. They were going to miss breakfast entirely if this kept up.

"Well just let me know if you need me to clear out for any reason," he told her, giving her a light kiss and pulling away so he could he tug his shirt on. "I'll be around as long as you want me to be, even if you get stuck working. You can whine to me, though I can't promise I'll offer anything more than more sex to help."

Rox reached out to him, her expression concerned after that last comment. Her heart sat lodged in her throat, while her heart hammered. No. No. He wasn't allowed to think that.

"Bull shit," she rasped. "If you think I only want you for the sex..." What, Rox? He could leave? She didn't want to give him up. Her hand clenched on his arm. She grit her teeth.

"I will not whine to you," she said, her voice clipped. "Of course you offer more. You mean more to me than sex, Nyx." She dropped her hand away from his arm and shook her head. She started to put on her leggings with jerky, angry movements. "Who the fuck do you think I am? What the fuck do you think I am?" she muttered roughly under her breath. Was it her confession about work? About her past? Did he think her a whore too after all?

"I won't mention my job again to you." She wouldn't mention anything that bothered her. She never wanted him to think that all she cared about was the sex he could offer her.

Even if he already believed that.

Oh.

That sure was a foot in mouth moment.

Shit.

"No no, that's not--!"

He groaned and put a hand over his face, tilting his head back with a groan.

"I'm not good at this..." he muttered, more to himself than to her, though it was the truth. He could act the cocky hero all he wanted on the battlefield, but when it came to actually saying shit that was meaningful and not horribly misinterpreted, especially with someone he was trying to be vulnerable with and who was also trying to do the same with him, he might as well be as coordinated as a toddler.

"Rox..." he gently grabbed her lower arm, not to pull on her or yank her but to make her stop and look at him for a moment, eyes pained and regretful.

"I misspoke. I was trying to say... that if you need someone to have an open ear to your problems, I want to be that someone, even if I can't offer much in return besides comfort," he managed to say after taking a breath to calm his nerves. "I know the people you work with make shit difficult. That you've just had to grin and bare it for the sake of your girls and keeping a job. I can't make them go away even if I wanted to, but I can at least be something-- someone to come home to who won't judge you for it."

Rox forced herself to take deep breaths, to listen. It was something she'd had to learn to do in order to raise two headstrong young women. The heat in her head made it foggy at first, especially when he said he wasn't good at this, but she forced herself to close her eyes and just hear what he said.

As his words fell over her, she felt relief rush through her like a cold shower. She bit back the urge to sob with the power of her relief, but she kept her control. She noted how she'd misunderstood. Another deep breath and she managed to nod and open her eyes again. At least, she knew how to address it, she hoped.

She met his gaze head on, her piercing pale leaf-colored gaze sharp and determined. "Okay," she said softly. "Let's... get something very clear, Nyx. You are here, because I want you to be. More than anything. I have missed you, you ass. Unless you break my heart, betray my trust in you, or hurt my girls on purpose, then I don't ever want you to leave. I know you will, you have shit to do, other friends, a damn job. But this 'as long as you want me to be' doesn't exist. As long as I want is..."

She stopped. Forever. She swallowed. "Is a non-issue. It's as long as you want to be."

"Yes. Absolutely," he nodded emphatically. Even though he didn't always know the right thing to say and blurted out stupid shit like he had a moment ago, he still knew communication was important. "I want to be here. You're right, I have other places I'm gonna need to be sometimes, but when it's all said and done I want to be here. And I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure you and your girls stay safe and continue to have a good life."

Rox felt her body relax some more and then she launched herself at him; her legs clutched at his sides, her arms around his shoulders, hands in his hair, face pressed against him.

"Good," she rasped, while her heart pleaded with desperate little pants the word 'stay' over and over again.

She took another deep, shuddering breath and then finished relaxing the rest of the way. "So unless you need me to get off," she murmured by his ear, "you can just walk out with me latched on because I don't really feel like letting go just yet unless you need me to."

Nyx let out an oh-so-dignified grunt but caught her easily, arms looping quickly under her legs to keep her from slipping off.

"Well, I do kinda need my hands to eat, but I think I can handle you like this that far," he grinned back at her, nuzzling into her hair.

"For what it's worth... I'm okay with being told I'm being stupid. Don't feel like you have to hide things from me just because I blurted out something like an idiot and stuck my foot in my mouth."

He kissed one cheek, then the other, and started walking out to the dining room finally. Their odd method of returning and the time it took naturally got a raised eyebrow from Rinka before she just rolled her eyes.

Rox sighed softly into his hair and kissed his neck before he started walking out of the room.

Once they got out to the table, Rox finally moved off Nyx. She dropped down lightly, gave her daughters a bright smile and then sat. She took a deep breath. "Smells fantastic as always, baby girl. I'm starved." Her body had been craving calories for what felt like ages now.

She looked for her mug and grabbed it. "Any plans for today?" she asked her daughters.

Nyx took a seat at the place set for him, giving Rinka acknowledging nod in thanks for it. Little doubts still nagged at Rinka's mind but she knew they were coming entirely from a place of concern about her mother. Not anything Nyx had done wrong.

"The boys wanna come over and make cake with us," she answered.

"What, the 'congrats on the sex' cake?" Nyx asked.

"Maybe. Do you want it to be? We'll probably be the only ones eating it."

"Sure. It was pretty damn funny."

"You did say you wanted cake, and I like baking," Aurene added, glancing at her phone to see if the guys responded at all. She couldn't really call it a 'welcome to the family' cake, because she didn't honestly know how long Nyx was going to stick around. Maybe eventually it could be one, if he ended up staying long enough.

She did know one thing for sure, though. She was absolutely going to get icing on Prompto's nose at some point today. For funsies. It would probably make him smile. Or pout. Or something like that. She'd enjoy seeing it, anyway.

"Do we all get to help with the baking, or is that too many bakers in the bakery," Rox said, teasing between bites. She was already halfway done with her meal. She really had been starving. Nyx had ridden her hard last night.

If the girls wanted to be a thing between them and their boyfriends (even though neither girl was actually dating said boys), Rox was fine with that. She knew her girls. She was totally fine with letting them have run of the kitchen. She'd taught them both well. "Let me know if we're missing anything and I can always run to the store and get some more if you need it."

"Too many, but if you're willing to grab us supplies we'll make sure to save you slices."

"Am I being voulentold to go shopping with Rox?" Nyx asked, his eyes lighting up. He didn't mind if he was, but clearly the dynamic between him and Rinka had been established, and it was one of mild hazing and giving each other shit.

Which Rinka was absolutely willing to meet him on.

"Too domestic for a Glaive? Even one who wants cake?"

"I can be domestic. I buy my own food. I even cook. Sometimes."

"I'uuuunnooooo I don't think you're up to the challenge, Mr. Ulric," Rinka grinned as she crunched down on a crispy strip of bacon.

"Watch me."

That seemed to be the dynamic between Rinka and everyone she was even remotely close with. Which, honestly, was fun to watch for Aurene and was a good sign for Nyx.

"How good are you at cooking?" Aurene asked curiously, wanting to know if there was going to some sort of chef game show competition in the house with the new addition of Nyx.

"Mom and Rinka taught me a little bit, but I feel better with baking. The measurements ... Safer for me," Aurene admitted. Plus, you know, sweet things. And bread. Lots of bread. What could she say, she loved her carbs.

She didn't know how much Nyx knew about her and Rinka's conditions, but he was going to find out she was a little trauma-filled autistic child soon enough anyway.

Rox herself didn't know if Nyx could cook. If any cooking had been done and shared among the kingsglaives when she'd been a part of it, she'd been the one to mostly do it. Just like Nyx had said the evening before when he had called her out on it; she had kind of mommed her fellow glaives too. To her, comrades-in-arms took care of each other.

She had spent so long trying not to think about it, but now with Nyx back in her life... She couldn't help but wonder how badly losing her connection to the glaives had damaged her. Thank the Six she'd had Rinka, and then Aurene, to stave off the loneliness.

"Everyone has their strengths." She slide an amused glance toward Nyx, knowing he was just playing along with Rinka ribbing him. "Aurene bakes better than both of us, and Rinka has already surpassed me in cooking great food." They were still young, but they practically didn't need her anymore. "Too bad we're making cake and not Aurene's chocolate chip cookies. But we have them on a limit. Because if she bakes them they will be all Rinka and I will eat for days."

Rox chuckled. "Now I only hold the secrets to making ice cream and old school Galahdian cuisine." And the former wasn't even that either girl couldn't do it. It was just easier to buy it. Besides, Mom's hardcore 'trenches ice cream' didn't taste as nice.

"At least someone in this city holds that secret. Lib is still salty about not getting good Galahdian food around here."

Rinka blushed with the compliment and mumbled something into her food, avoiding everyone's gaze. For all her boasting she was still surprisingly shy about the fact that she enjoyed cooking at all, and that like her mom, it was less about the food itself and more about sharing it with people she loved, even if for a long time that had been a very small pool of people.

A pool that had grown exponentially since Aurene met Prompto.

Luckily Nyx was about to make her feel a lot better.

"Well... I don't burn water?"

Code for: I can feed myself. Doesn't mean it's good.

Rinka let out a snort that she tried to cover with a cough.

"Mom's gonna have to teach you how we do things around here then."

"If that's the case then consider me a willing student."

Aurene leaned back in her seat while munching on her food.

"I get the feeling you're a willing student if Mom's involved, whatever it is," she commented. Now that she was seeing this for what it was, she was going to take every opportunity she could to join in on the playful hazing. She was also keeping an eye on her phone while trying not to be too impolite about it, just in case Prom or Noctis texted to say they were close.

A blush stole up to Rox's cheeks at Aurene's comment. Her gaze flickered to Nyx and then back to her food as she ate another bite, though she was pretty sure Aurene was right. "To be fair," she said after swallowing. "I don't think there's much I can teach." She taught her daughters, yes, but the things she'd taught them were practical skills that Nyx mostly already knew. Self-defense, combat, survival skills. Things that were taught to her when she was a child surviving in the hellscape of war. Taught to Nyx too. "Except for cooking."

She thought for a moment about cooking with Nyx and felt her cheeks warm up again. "Warning though, girls. You may not want to be in the house if I'm doing cooking lessons with Nyx. Not," she quickly added, "because we'll be inappropriate. But mostly because," her blush darkened. "I think it's kind of romantic and I might act uh, unusually..."

Cute? Girlish? Mom was mom. Not a peer. Not yet anyway. She was the hard ass who protected them and would fight any and every monster to protect them, human or otherwise. She didn't know how her daughters would react to their mother being... lovey-dovey with the man she'd waited for, albeit unintentionally.

"You're already acting--"

Rinka stopped herself, deciding that, while the hazing was normal among them, this was also the first time she'd seen her mom so happy and content, the least stressed she'd been in a while, and Nyx really did act as though he wanted it to continue. Wanted to be the one that was making her smile like that.

He could have left at any point this morning, could have decided this little family wasn't worth his time, but he was still here, giving Rox looks across the table that could only be described as loving.

"If you're worried about us seeing a different side of you, Mom, don't be. We want you to be happy and we like seeing it happen," Rinka finally settled on saying.

photog: i swear to the six i could bring down titan himself on noct and hed still sleep through it

"Though if you want us to clear out and give you two some privacy, you only need to say the word," Aurene added. She was happy to see her mom happy, too. She barely knew Nyx but already he was scoring points with the girls, just by making Rox happy.

She glanced at her phone when she got that text.

aurene: No surprise there lol. Did Sleeping Beauty finally wake up? If not maybe we can get Rinka to give him a kiss and be his Prince.

Rox felt more heat crawl up her face, but she was grateful her girls weren't weirded out by her behavior. They could've seen it as Nyx taking her from them, or have been grossed out that their mother suddenly got a sex life, even though she'd always been frank and open with them about the mechanics of that kind of thing. Unlike other moms, Rox hadn't used euphemisms to talk about periods, sex, hormones or threats. Both her girls responded to honesty and bluntness, and Rox had been mostly raised by gruff career soldiers who had been equally blunt.

Though Astrals knew they'd struggled through explaining her period.

She smiled at Aurene. "I will, but I don't think it'll be necessary." If Nyx and her started kissing a little too much in the presence of her daughters, she was absolutely positive both would skedaddle quickly. She then turned her gaze to her eldest. "Thank you, baby." Her smile turned rueful. "To be honest, I honestly thought I'd given up on Nyx years ago. I was surprised to find out I actually still carried a torch."

Her gaze moved over to Nyx. "I certainly didn't think he still carried one for me, of all people."

Edited 2024-05-17 00:35 (UTC)

Rinka's more 'cringe' reactions were really just. Teenagers being teenagers and her being a pain. Really, she couldn't be happier for her mom.

But that did lead her to ask.

"Why did it take so long?"

Her bicolored eyes leveled at Nyx. He didn't squirm under her gaze, as intense as it was, but he certainly had to cough suddenly and rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Uh. Well. Full disclosure. I was an idiot. Thought I had more chances than I did, flubbed the chances I did get, sat on my ass for entirely too long and nearly lost out entirely until that night when we brought Prompto here. That was the kick in the pants I needed, but then I got stuck on a bunch of missions because my CO was salty about using the Glaives to find one civilian kid."

"Who just happens to be the princes' best friend. You really got shit for that?"

"Sure did. Drautos is a hardass on the best of days. Anyway, I finally slapped down a time off request just so I could come here and actually have a conversation with Rox, and, well..."

"You were shirtless in our kitchen the next morning."

Nyx laughed and held his hands up in an amused shrug.

"More or less."

The part about his CO giving him shit for utilizing the Glaives to help find Prompto irked her for obvious reasons related to her own feelings for the guy, but on a logical level she supposed she understood why he was upset ... Still, Prompto was important to Noctis and that should have been enough reason to get the Glaives involved. Aurene looked visibly irked at that comment, and she sat back with her arms folded over her chest.

Don't worry, Nyx, she's not irked at you, She's irked at your CO for not considering her bestie/love interest important enough to look for when he was in danger. Thankfully they had found him in time to make sure he got the care he needed. She actually was grateful to Nyx for helping as much as he had when that whole thing happened.

"I guess fifteen years of building sexual tension will do that," Aurene finally said. What? She had no reason not to say it. It took less than two years for her to be lusting after her best friend, she could only imagine how bad it would be for these two.

Rox leaned back, now that she had cleaned her plate of food and had at least three pieces of toast, and shot Nyx an amused glance. He summed it up nicely, but it certainly made it sound lighter and less devastating than those years had been. But Rox had never hidden the truth from her daughters. Rinka had asked and while Nyx's answer was certainly his side of things, it wasn't hers.

She turned back to her daughter and crossed her arms. "Yes, and no, Aurene," Rox said quietly. "His first flub gave me hope he'd show up one day. The rest of the glaives, the only family I had left, had cut me out. When I saw Nyx again... Well, let's just say I thought he had cut me out too. So if there was sexual tension, it kind of died there. But, I guess, unconsciously I just measured up every guy I met to Nyx and found them all...just not him." She shrugged.

"I messed up too," she added, looking over to Rinka this time. "I should've demanded he talk to me and not ignore me. I should've called him out. I didn't. Instead I went home, licked my wounds, took care of the only person, and not long after that two little persons, who loved me. My one attempt to really move past him... Well, yeah." They'd already talked about it. "After that I just gave up because it wasn't worth the damn energy. Nobody was Nyx and I couldn't have Nyx, so fuck it." She shrugged again. "What surprised me was how easily it was, after all this damn time, to fall right back into talking to him." And finding him stupidly attractive.

"Of course, thanks to Drautos, I spent a month convincing myself that he really didn't care because he'd came back and was just as quickly gone." She turned back to Aurene and motioned to her phone. "If it wasn't for Prompto and Noctis, I figured Nyx would never have come back into my life."

Her attention went to him and she gave him another rueful smile. "So I owe the boys. For, if nothing else, giving me the chance I never took myself."

"You should thank them," Rinka commented, directed it mostly at Nyx because even if Rox had also remained quiet when she could have spoken up, it was that night that prompted him to even try to do anything regardless of how long it had taken him to actually get around to it.

"Intended to. Though I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna get an annoyed eye roll from his highness," Nyx smirked lightly. He finished up his meal and stood to start taking plates to the kitchen. Least he could do was offer to be on clean up duty so the girls had a clean place to make their cake.

"Probably. Especially if Prompto is making Prince Grumpypants get up early on a weekend to come over here."

"I did suggest maybe Rinka could give Prince Sleepyhead a kiss and be his Prince, but still haven't gotten a response to that," Aurene added with a smirk, glancing at her phone again to see if anyone had responded or if there was an ETA on when the guys would be here.

Well, she'd certainly get a response from Rinka soon enough, if anything.

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