Kuja (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
treno_nobleman) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
diatu2019-10-11 12:06 am
treno_nobleman) wrote in diatu2019-10-11 12:06 am
when it's cold out, when in doubt
Who: Noctis and Kuja
What: Kuja is tired of living in a shared dorm. Noctis needs a roommate. Things happen to fix that.
When: Early October
Where: Noctis's private dorm
Warnings: Potential cute. Potential sassiness. Potential goofiness. Read on to find out what goes with who.
Late in the year on Gaia, even after the Mist covered most of the continent, where the majority of the planet's population tended to reside, the world would change its colors as the weather shifted from warm breeze and clear days to cloudy skies and dropping temperatures. As much as he loved his midriffs and bare thighs, Kuja loved the cold more than the heat, and the turn of summer to fall triggered an energy within him like nothing else could.
Colder weather meant more time indoors, away from the face of society and nestled alone with his research. Confident and... almost special as having himself in the spotlight thrilled him, always the center of attention wherever he went, the adoration nearly always proved to be false, especially with a crowd that only catered to him for favors he had no intention of granting. Sometimes it worked to his benefit, sometimes not; that was the game one played in the upper class of Gaian society. But science did not lie, and the efforts met with either success or failure. There were few gray areas in his methods and results, and he knew just where he stood with it all.
It was what drew him to the written word, what drew him to the libraries and the history and the theories, many of which the academy had in its own right. The magic here had long since become familiar to him, yet he still had much to learn, and it ignited a passion in him that he had only ever felt while deep in his papers and thoughts and test subjects.
Of course, research now consisted of things far less morally corrupt, to some. Now he apprised himself on the working of advanced Discovery and Thaumaturgy, focusing first on one before taking a planned break to give himself a breather - he had learned long ago that burnout was real, even for one such as him who valued knowledge over most things - and then switching to the other.
Today, he found himself settled at a table in Noctis's private dorm, working with the king to advance what they knew of both subjects in preparation for the classes they would be attending sooner rather than later while Califleur dozed peacefully on the floor not far away. His cheek rested lightly against a palm as his gaze scanned the pages before him word for word, working out the methods in his head. His long tail curled daintily along one leg, ending in a coil on the floor under the table, out of the way. The tea they had made some time ago had gone forgotten as he was distracted by his learning, cooling too much for his liking, and he left it as was.
Eventually, he noted a theory that he hadn't before and frowned softly at it, turning the book toward Noctis so he could see it and read as well. One finger, long purple fingernail pristine in its paint, touched the page to indicate his interest. "Have you come across this yet?"
What: Kuja is tired of living in a shared dorm. Noctis needs a roommate. Things happen to fix that.
When: Early October
Where: Noctis's private dorm
Warnings: Potential cute. Potential sassiness. Potential goofiness. Read on to find out what goes with who.
Late in the year on Gaia, even after the Mist covered most of the continent, where the majority of the planet's population tended to reside, the world would change its colors as the weather shifted from warm breeze and clear days to cloudy skies and dropping temperatures. As much as he loved his midriffs and bare thighs, Kuja loved the cold more than the heat, and the turn of summer to fall triggered an energy within him like nothing else could.
Colder weather meant more time indoors, away from the face of society and nestled alone with his research. Confident and... almost special as having himself in the spotlight thrilled him, always the center of attention wherever he went, the adoration nearly always proved to be false, especially with a crowd that only catered to him for favors he had no intention of granting. Sometimes it worked to his benefit, sometimes not; that was the game one played in the upper class of Gaian society. But science did not lie, and the efforts met with either success or failure. There were few gray areas in his methods and results, and he knew just where he stood with it all.
It was what drew him to the written word, what drew him to the libraries and the history and the theories, many of which the academy had in its own right. The magic here had long since become familiar to him, yet he still had much to learn, and it ignited a passion in him that he had only ever felt while deep in his papers and thoughts and test subjects.
Of course, research now consisted of things far less morally corrupt, to some. Now he apprised himself on the working of advanced Discovery and Thaumaturgy, focusing first on one before taking a planned break to give himself a breather - he had learned long ago that burnout was real, even for one such as him who valued knowledge over most things - and then switching to the other.
Today, he found himself settled at a table in Noctis's private dorm, working with the king to advance what they knew of both subjects in preparation for the classes they would be attending sooner rather than later while Califleur dozed peacefully on the floor not far away. His cheek rested lightly against a palm as his gaze scanned the pages before him word for word, working out the methods in his head. His long tail curled daintily along one leg, ending in a coil on the floor under the table, out of the way. The tea they had made some time ago had gone forgotten as he was distracted by his learning, cooling too much for his liking, and he left it as was.
Eventually, he noted a theory that he hadn't before and frowned softly at it, turning the book toward Noctis so he could see it and read as well. One finger, long purple fingernail pristine in its paint, touched the page to indicate his interest. "Have you come across this yet?"
no subject
Truth be told he had a hard time living alone. Even when he had his own apartment back home, Ignis always came around to clean. Six knew how much he missed that man and his company along with Prompto and Gladio.
Adjustment hadn't take long either. Kuja was an early riser while Noct was Noct and he slept in as much as he could. There were still times he caught himself dozing off too, even during lectures. Fortunately Kuja was there to nudge him or take the notes he missed. And when they went home at night, Noct found that he was trying to be solicitous of the other whether he wanted it or not. Their cats even managed to get along which helped too.
Now though made no pretense of studying even if his book was open. His tea had gotten cold because he was staring and somehow still couldn't believe that he got the man across from him to move in. That hair was falling in a cascade of silver and it was as fascinating now as it had been then.
So when the book got turned around to him he flushed almost guiltily and self consciously reached a hand up into his hair. Right now it was all gibberish and he just didn't care so he smiled. "Can't say that I have."
no subject
The tension in the dorms at night had been nearly thick enough to slip a knife through, but Kuja slept through it as if it was nothing. Let them lick their wounds and tuck their tails, he thought. He shouldn't have to put up with this, having been pulled here from a world against his will to room with children.
Never mind that they were only a scant few years his younger.
Time eased the anxieties of his dormmates, and Califleur eventually stopped looking back and forth between them as if she wasn't sure who was going to remark first, fretful of keeping the peace as she had ever been. It wasn't a wonder now that she slept so serenely since her master had relocated himself, with no problem to boot. And Kuja, for once, had been just as glad to get away from the ridiculousness of it all, even if it meant reducing the number of people he shared space with from three to one rather than none.
In truth, he didn't mind Noctis. They'd reached a point where interactions were tolerable, comfortable. Noctis didn't get in his way, and he didn't get in Noctis's. Boundaries were clear, they sometimes toed the lines, but never crossed, and if conflict arose - on the one rare occasion when it had - it was settled by discussion rather than snide comments addressed in an abrupt and abrasive manner. Kuja never had let that boy live it down.
And the quite, almost shy admiration... He couldn't help preening over it now and then when he could tell Noctis was looking at him. He would brush his hair a little longer than usual, let the bristles work slowly through his locks as he observed himself in the mirror. Removing and putting on clothing became a display on its own where he pretended he had no idea the king was watching. By now the man had to have worked out that his new roommate was teasing him and enjoyed the attention, but it hadn't seemed to stop Noctis from appreciating the view.
Distracted by his own study, Kuja let Noctis have a break from it all and tilted his gaze when the man confessed he hadn't seen this part in the text. "No? How far have you read into it? We should be within the same chapter."
no subject
"I..well.." his blue eyes darted around but there wasn't anything he could claim as a distraction. "Sorry..wasn't paying attention, must be tired." Somehow this felt like Specs had caught him playing on his phone or at just 'spacing out' to which he'd almost always get an exasperated sort of sigh and a 'Do try to pay attention Noct." comment.
He got up because he had to 'escape' somehow. Grabbing their teacups, he headed into the kitchen to give himself something to do. He'd just make them some tea and then he'd get in the shower and go to bed. He couldn't plan half as good as Ignis, but if he went off and did something else, maybe Kuja would just go back to studying and give up on him for the night. Well...that was a sort of plan, right?
Setting the kettle on the stove, Noctis turned it on and tried to keep himself busy looking for things to go into tea. Honey worked, creamer was good, but the sugar was getting low, so he took the note off of the refrigerator and wrote sugar down on it. That way whenever they went back to the local place that served as a grocery store of sorts, it wouldn't be forgotten.
no subject
The amusement never ended with Noctis, just one more reason not to regret the relocation. How easily he could fluster the man just by a look or by doing nothing at all. A moment later, he turned to his book again and looked down at the page he'd held open. What was written there no longer held his interest quite as highly as it did before, but he turned it back to himself and tried to get through the content anyway.
A few pages turned and not many more, and finally Kuja gave up the study, already ahead of the requirements for class. A mark was pressed in to keep his place before he closed the covers and stood with a soft him, hands rising over his head in a stretch that he felt from head to tail to toes, under his ribs and in his belly and everywhere in between. Califleur's ear flicked as he stepped lightly past her, but she ignored him and continued to slumber as he ignored her and made his way to a seat at the edge of what was now a shared bed. It seemed the private dorms only had one, but it was enough.
"I think I may finally agree with you. How late is it?"
no subject
Checking his watch (really he had no idea how that thing still worked with everything that he'd been through) Noctis nodded. "It's about ten o'clock. Might want to get all of this put away for the night."
Taking a minute to escape, Noctis went and got his clothes and things for a shower. But that time, the tea kettle was going off so he removed that from the stove and shut it off. It was something he did lately. He'd take a shower and then have some tea. The water only needed to be briefly reheated at that point and he'd sit by the window to allow Kuja time to settle into bed before he went as well.
no subject
He allowed himself one more luxurious stretch and reached for a hair brush he had set on the nightstand during the day in a hurry, thanking the proximity now to spare him the effort of standing and moving to it, though he would need to move again to remove parts of his clothing anyway. As was his habit, he began brushing through the long, silver locks, already free of tangles, but he wanted the routine anyway. It soothed him, slow, steady strokes from root to tip, gently scratching and massaging his scalp in just the ways that he loved, over and over.
"Leave my things as they are, won't you? I'll collect them tomorrow before class."
no subject
That stretch was noted and blue eyes turned away. He did manage to catch Kuja brushing his hair though and the dark head shook at himself. Yup, it was definitely shower time. So as he went to walk in the bathroom, he paused at hearing the other's voice. Things, leave them, right.
The king nodded. "Got it."
Turning to catch one more look at his roommate brushing the silver fountain of hair, Noctis sighed and got himself in the shower. Focus on that and tea and sitting near the window. He thought he'd heard raindrops so he would sit with his tea and look out into the rainy night. Pouncer would more than likely accompany him too as he usually did.
no subject
And humans, odd as they were, sometimes took sexual pleasure in such beauty, something he had never understood, though he had often used it to his advantage in Gaia's high society where they hid their want for temptation as much as they flaunted it.
Kuja had a desire for neither here, or hadn't had the desire until Noctis began shying away from him, diverting his gaze, shifting uncomfortably. The tells read like words on a page to him, but tonight he would leave the man his dignity. He took his time, brushing through his hair until he was content with its silky feel through his fingers, then unfastened the buckles to his boots and set those on the floor. The skirts went next, settled carefully with his coat, and he slipped under the covers, turning on the lamp beside the bed so he could read a novel he'd set on the nightstand near him until he was weary enough to sleep.
no subject
Hurriedly he moved to the kitchen. Tea, yes that was exactly what was needed. Tea. Grabbing a cup really fast, Noct almost burned himself as he tried to make tea at lightning speed. In his haste, he almost forgot to add a teabag.
Finally he got everything together and avoided looking back into the bedroom on his way to the living room. Six be damned, why didn't he have his phone to distract him?