Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, Saturday, All Day

[bigdamnprincipal]

If anyone in Fandom could control the weather, they weren't doing a particularly good job with it today. It was quite hot and sticky outside, so the lawn was filled with as many pop-up tents as could be acquired to provide some well-needed shade. There were plenty of cool drinks and moddable food that would hopefully survive the heat--it might not have felt like summer would be ending any time soon, but it was time to celebrate the coming fall nonetheless!

[Flying OCD-free! Have at it and stay cool!]

Comments

[mylandmyrules]

She nudged him back and reached out to touch his hand lightly. "You all did an amazing thing back home and it's not fair that you didn't get to stay and get to appreciate all you accomplished. If I could - " she looked down for a moment to collect herself. "If I could, I'd send you home in a second. It would break my heart to lose you, but I'd do it if I could."

[sword_chocobro]

When Nell reached out for his hand, Gladio turned it, so that her palm could settle in his, and he could entwine his fingers with hers and hold it and give it a soft, gentle squeeze. And he was quiet for a moment, as he tried to think of what to say.

Because there was a lot he could say, but none of it seemed...quite exactly the right thing.

So he decided to just kept it simple. "Thanks, Nell," he said, softly, as he glanced over with a faint, grateful smile. "Don't think we'll ever need to worry about that, but I appreciate that."

[mylandmyrules]

She squeezed back gently, still a bit at a loss as to what, if anything she could say that would help. Finally she leaned in to cup his face with her free hand and lean her forehead against his. "I'm here. Always. Whenever you might need..."

Words failed her, so she shifted to give him a gentle, but heartfelt kiss.

[sword_chocobro]

And wasn't that a nice, elegant solution to not quite knowing what to say? Gladio had closed his eyes a d breathed out with a sort of sigh of relief, of comfort, just from Nell's hand on his cheek, from his forehead leaning against hers. So when she kissed him...of course he was going to lean into that, too, kiss her back, lifting his free hand to mirror hers against her cheek.

"I'm glad I'm here now, though," he said, eventually, pulling back but staying close, forehead, hands, all of it right where they were before, voice barely more than a low rumble from somewhere in his throat. "I wouldn't want you to do that for me. Not if it was just a one-way ticket."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell just held onto him, hands on cheeks,foreheads touching, hands clasped, eyes closed. "I'm glad you're here too," she said. "So very glad you're here with me that it almost makes me feel guilty because I really don't want you to leave."

She'd never imagined it was possible to feel this happy in her life and she was pretty sure this was a one in a lifetime chance for her.

[sword_chocobro]

Gladio let out one of his soft, wryly amused huffs. "Imagine how I feel," he said, "now that there's a part of me who definitely doesn't want to, either."

What a difference a year could make, indeed.

[mylandmyrules]

Oh, how she hoped it was because of her, at least in part.

She kept her eyes tightly closed, but it was possible that a tear or two slipped out anyway. "Then we're just going to have to make your time here as wonderful as we can in honor of those you left behind. Because I know they'd want you to be happy."