Chapter Text
“I believe it best to at least take a coat with you, Estinien.”
Aymeric stood directly in front of the dragoon, a thick coat folded nicely in his arms as he stared the other down. It was going to rain, this he knew by the ominous dark clouds looming in the distance, growing ever closer with each moment that passed. After consulting with the skywatcher earlier in the morning, they too confirmed his fears - a frozen mix of rain and snow was headed towards the Holy See, and would arrive before the evening.
Showers, and perhaps thunderstorms were rare as is in Ishgard - but when they did happen, the rains were frigid, and brought forth a dangerously slick sheet of ice on the ground the next morning.
Estinien gave nothing but an unamused grunt in response, his head turning to glance at the far wall away from Aymeric, almost as if he were admiring the masonwork of the stone.
“Rain is nothing new to me. I’ve been through it many a time without a coat, and this will be no different.” Though he appreciated the offer from his concerned Lord Commander, coats were… not something he often took pleasure in wearing.
Not only that, but trying to fit one over his armor? Well, that was near impossible. As well as highly impractical, due to the sheer amount of spikes and horns.
“Estinien, please-” A loud huff from the dragoon cut Aymeric off, his armor clanking against the stone flooring as he turned to grab his lance from its resting place against the wall, securing it to his back.
“I’ll return later," Estinien growled, trudging towards the exit with nary a single glance back to Aymeric, "keep that coat for someone who actually needs it.”
Estinien was gone through the door before Aymeric could even deliver a line of protest, and once he was sure the other was fully out of listening distance, he gave a loud, infuriated sigh. Honestly, he could be frustrating to deal with sometimes. Cold, blunt, and entirely stubborn. Even if Aymeric had learned to deal with it by now, it did little to nullify the worries eating away at the back of his mind.
Defeated, he trudged over to his desk and flopped the coat messily over the back of the seat before resuming his nightly paperwork.
--
It rained for what seemed like ages. Two days, if Aymeric was counting properly - frigid rains that left the streets of The Holy See seeming like a ghost town as most flocked to seek shelter and hide away inside their own homes. He didn’t blame them, for what it’s worth. Here he was doing exactly that, arms propped on the windowsill as he watched the downpour in silence.
Relaxing as it was, he was still worried about his dear friend. The tea he carefully swirled in his mug was even incapable of keeping his mind fully calmed, despite the usual relaxed expression he wore. Snow was one thing, but frigid rain was another. Getting dried and then warmed after being out in it for so long was a difficult task - he’d only had the fortune to partake in it once in his life, and it wasn’t quite an event he’d like to relive anytime soon.
He only hoped Estinien was faring better than he did at that time, the memory of numb hands and freezing bones all too familiar in the back of his mind.
“Lord Commander?”
The sound of a voice from the doorway called him back to reality, his head slowly turning to greet the other with a small smile.
Lucia was walking towards him briskly, a handful of papers in her arms, tied neatly together in twine. “Seeing as how these need to be sent off, I’ll be needing to take my leave of you early tonight. Everything else has already been tended to, the knights are firmly in check, and I’m going to make one last round in the barracks to ensure that things are going smoothly before I turn in for the evening.”
Aymeric gave a slow nod, following it with a slight wave of dismissal with his hand. “Thank you, Lucia. Get some rest.”
He resumed work on his tea, which he noted was now nearly gone, and waited patiently for the usual retreating footsteps as she would turn to leave.
However, that moment never came, and Lucia spoke once more after a minute of silence. “A moment if I may, Lord Commander?”
This time, Aymeric placed his mug gently down on the sill and stood tall to face her. A nod was her sign to continue. Lucia cleared her throat.
“I… as well as the other knights, have noticed you haven’t been properly resting as of late. May I ask if something is troubling you?” Worry was evident in her tone, and quite frankly, the question was one that had been asked to him many times in the past.
A smile found its way to his face, though there was little he could do to hide the exhaustion his cold eyes carried. “The downpour has been pulling me down, I’m afraid. Weather changes tend to… deter my usual mood. You’ve nothing to worry about, for I’ll be fine as soon as it clears.”
Lucia quirked a brow at his reasoning but gave a slow nod all the same. Readjusting the papers in her hands, her eyes didn’t once glance away from him. In fact, Aymeric could tell she didn’t fully believe him - despite what she wanted him to think. It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last, that Aymeric tried to shoo the subject of his health away from her in order to put her worries at ease. Yet, worry she did, and he knew that fact all too well despite his efforts. Lucia was sharp, but the Lord Commander was an expert at reading her eyes that showed more emotion than her demeanor would let on.
For a moment, Lucia closed her eyes, before shaking her head in defeat.
“Very well. So long as you’re taking proper care of yourself. Pray, get some rest tonight, and preferably soon.” She gave a quick bow and a few parting words of dismissal before finally leaving out the door. Aymeric knew there would be a freshly brewed mug of tea on his desk in the morning, as well as an appetizing meal, rather than the usual piece of bread he would steal away for himself.
Lucia was one to spoil him when life wasn’t treating him the best, and oh, how he was thankful for her - though she may consider her actions to be small, they did wonders for his mental, and physical health.
Slowly, he sank into his seat, pulling the chair close to the desk as he propped a single arm up in favor of resting his head in his palm. This paperwork wasn’t going to finish itself, and despite his racing thoughts of worry about Estinien, he needed to focus. Focus, take a few deep breaths, and pick up his quill and write.
Which he did.
Which, he tried.
There were a few signed signatures on a couple select papers that he managed, but after that, he once again found himself at a complete loss. With a frustrated sigh, Aymeric’s face fell into his hands. This was near impossible. His mind was too far gone, the drive to finish this forsaken paperwork being fully nullified by sheer worry for the stubborn dragoon.
He’d given up on trying to get this done right now.
After dousing the lanterns around him, Aymeric left his Seat in favor of returning to his quarters for the evening. Perhaps laying in bed would do him good. Sleep was needed, he noted, given the way his eyelids were sagging and his eyes stung. It was only then that he realized he had maybe three hours, give or take, of sleep in the past two nights.
After removing his armors and leaving nothing but his pants and short sleeve shirt beneath, he carefully stoked the fireplace to keep the embers burning, before curling up in his bed and closing his eyes. There was nothing to worry over. His mind attempted to continue reminding himself of this - Estinien often took several days for his missions to be complete. It was the norm, even during their days as Temple Knights. Everything would be fine, he repeated, his mind slowly working its way into a soothing quiet as sleep gripped at him.
It was perhaps fifteen minutes later, and on the edge of sleep, when he heard the telltale creak of his door opening. Assuming it to be Lucia delivering a nightly snack to his quarters, as well as checking on the fire, he made no move to acknowledge the presence, eyes remaining gently shut. That was, until the door was slammed closed as something heavy thudded against it, jarring him awake as his eyes snapped open.
Raising himself onto his arms, Aymeric’s eyes found home on someone that made his heart nearly stop.
Estinien, and looking completely worse for wear.
Even from here, he could tell the dragoon was shivering, soaked to the bone despite his armor, and struggling to keep himself upright, a single hand resting on the door’s handle to keep him steady. Aymeric flew from the bed and was at his side in a second, gently grabbing his armored hands and resisting the urge to hiss and pull back when he felt just how frigid they were. Drawing Estinien over towards the fire, he urged him to sit on the couch as he grabbed a blanket from a nearby drawer.
“I told you.” Aymeric scolded, placing the blanket beside the dragoon as he moved to help him out of his armor, piece by piece, “I told you to wear a coat and be better prepared for the downpour.”
The helmet was the first piece to be removed, only so he could see the pained flicker of Estinien’s eyes as he looked everywhere but the other elezen, teeth chattering. “I didn’t… I didn’t think-”
“Aye, you didn’t think.” Aymeric snapped, finally ridding Estinien of his chestpiece with minor help and tossing it to the floor with a thud. The greaves followed suite, as did the pants, until Estinien wore nothing and was reduced to a shivering mess as he clutched at his arms. “Ishgardian rains are never to be taken lightly, Estinien.”
The Lord Commander’s voice was cold, though his hands were gentle as he wrapped Estinien in the blanket he had previously retrieved. Thankful for the article of warmth, the dragoon gave a pleased sigh. It wasn’t long before Aymeric stood again, retreating to the adjacent bathroom before returning with towel in hand, seating himself next to him.
“I was worried sick.” He began, fingers easing the tie from Estinien’s hair, and the dragoon fully allowed him, his wet hair falling just above his shoulderblades. “I thought something may have happened to you. That you’d frozen thanks to the awful weather. That you would have perished, and we’d have no word of what happened.”
Estinien’s eyes trained on the crackling fire as Aymeric took the towel to his hair, rubbing his scalp and drying it the best he could. He stood still, allowing the fire to warm his nearly numb legs as his fingers gripped tight at the woolen blanket pulled around him. He deserved this scolding, he knew - but it wasn’t often that Aymeric got this angry at him. Just the way his voice hissed with each word, and the powerful rumble of command that his tone held… Estinien’s eyes narrowed into a near pout.
It was his fault for refusing to listen in the first place.
“I apologize.”
Aymeric’s hands stopped for a moment as he stared at the other, eliciting a sigh from his lips. Pulling the towel away, he carded his fingers through the other’s hair, and Estinien leaned slightly into the touch as they moved closer to his face, desperate for the warmth they provided. The other elezen took notice of this, running the back of his fingers across the cold surface of his cheek before cupping it gently.
There was silence between them then, the only sounds being the crackling of the fire and the pelting rain against the thin windows that lined the room.
That was, until Estinien gave a surprised grunt as Aymeric hoisted himself up and onto his lap, arms wrapped firmly around him as he buried his face against his shoulder. It took a moment of struggling with the blanket thanks to the added weight against his body, but he eventually freed his hands enough to wrap his arms around the other in return. Leaning back against the couch, he reveled in the warmth brought from the fire and the body heat from his partner.
“Are you getting warmer, now?” Aymeric’s voice was quiet, calm, and thankfully a complete 180 from his earlier tone as he nuzzled his face against Estinien’s neck, the cold skin slowly turning warm the longer he held himself there.
He received a pleased hum in response, and soon the blanket was pulled taut around both of them, Estinien gripping tight and holding Aymeric as close to him as physically possible.
Estinien could feel the way the other’s lips curled into a smile as a gentle kiss was placed against his neck, earning a shiver and a huff as warmth drew to his face.
Aymeric was always capable of doing this to him. It didn’t take much to warm himself when the other was around, especially when pressed this close. Given that he was naturally a bit warmer blooded than the Lord Commander, he never truly found it strange, and it was certainly not something unwelcome.
“I can feel my legs again, if it’s any consolation.” Estinien felt the quiet puff of laughter against his neck, a small smile curling at his lips as he traced circles against Aymeric’s back with his fingers. “I’m beginning to think, mayhap, you serve a better heater than the fire.”
The elezen in his lap grinned, shifting so their faces were aligned and eyes locked. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Gently, Aymeric pressed their lips together, a single hand finding home on Estinien’s cheek as the kiss was eagerly returned by the dragoon. It didn’t take much to flood more warmth to the nearly frozen dragoon’s cheeks. Expertly gliding his lips across his lover’s seemed to put Estinien at ease, with the way his limbs relaxed and felt less rigid as time pressed on.
Admittedly, holding him in a kiss and a firm hug was one way to calm him down and warm him the fastest, as Aymeric quickly found. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t relax him as well, however, as the comfort he currently felt just by being in Estinien’s arms was more than anything else could provide him with. Those arms only wound around him tighter as his lips pressed more firm against his partner’s, pressing, and holding, until pulling away with a final nip to his bottom lip.
If he was honest, it was a little difficult to stifle the laugh that threatened to emerge as he saw the tips of Estinien’s ears burning as red as his cheeks, eyes half lidded and staring fully in wonder at the one in his lap. It was cute, and the will to resist placing another quick kiss against his lips was thrown fully out the window. They both needed this, as was apparent by how quickly Estinien returned the peck with one of his own.
“Now?” Aymeric’s voice as a quiet whisper against Estinien’s lips as he repeated his earlier question. “Are you warm?”
The question was met with Estinien pressing their foreheads together, drinking in the steel blue gaze of Aymeric’s eyes. A warm smile tugged at his lips, one he’d only truly permit his lover to see, yet one only said lover was capable of pulling from him. Truly, everything about Aymeric seemed to shoot a surge of warmth through the dragoon’s body, be it his calming gaze or the way his arms wound firmly, and protectively around him.
Estinien gave a pleased sigh, “yes, quite so. The chill in my body is completely gone, thanks to you.”
“Ah, good.” A quick response, met with Aymeric gently bumping their noses together. He moved himself then, pulling his legs up against Estinien’s side and shifting his body against the dragoon as he settled his head against his shoulder. His smile refused to fade, even as he closed his eyes and focused purely on his partner, feeling the soft rise and fall of his chest as he took even breaths.
Estinien settled a hand against Aymeric’s arm, trailing it lightly up and down in a comforting gesture as his head tilted back to rest against the couch. His own eyes were falling shut. This current position, while he couldn’t move much lest he risk moving Aymeric around, was fully comfortable.
Actually… much like the other, he hadn’t received much sleep the previous nights, either.
“Estinien?” The whisper of his name earned a grunt from the dragoon, whose arm shifted to pull Aymeric just a tad closer, if it would even allow. “Welcome home, and…”
“And?”
Aymeric gave a huff of laughter, “next time, wear a coat.”