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[lucianprince]

"Hey, this is Noctis. Leave a message."

And this is Carbuncle! 👋 I can take any message you want to leave for Noct, no sweat.

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[hasitsthorns]

In Rosie's mind, it was plenty intimate. In her mind, it was. In Ardyn's mind, too, it seems. He looks to her for confirmation and she glances back to the younger man. That's the problem, isn't it? In Noctis' mind, well... Had they even considered what he'd really wanted out of this, too? Rosie thought she had, maybe, but in actuality- He mentions them looking into each other's eyes, being able to kiss, whispering secrets, and that paints a pretty clear picture of where things went wrong. Even tipsy as she is, the woman realizes it'd only likely contributed to his feeling like he was looking at their relationship from the outside rather than being truly invited in.

"So, if you guys want to know something," she starts, settling in next to Noctis as her tail curls around her lower half. For as much as she wants (and needs, almost) the reassuring affection she's trying to be respectful of his space too. So, for now, she just nervously fiddles with her tail. "I, uhm. Dating isn't new to me, exactly, but it was rare that it was like this. Authentic, I mean." As authentic as it can be in a sexy simulated afterlife. "Where I really, really wanted to spend time with you both and just... get closer together. Going out, having some drinks, a good time..." She's rambling, she knows, but trying to find the point again.

"The point is, I want to be with you too. Both of you. I'm sorry that it didn't feel that way. We were trying, of course, but this is all... kind of new ground. For all of us, really, I think. So I just-" It's here that her voice catches as a fresh wave of emotion catches her off-guard. She brings a palm up to her eyes to catch the tears spilling over suddenly.

"Ah, sorry. Sorry, this isn't. C'mon, I know, this isn't about me but- Agh. Just, sorry, give me a moment. I mu-meant what I said though. But I understand if it's too little too... too late."

[tartaric_jester]

Ardyn nods, just listening as Noctis talks, trying to understand. Then he grimaces as Rosie's tears start to flow. He doesn't try to interrupt, just... take it all in. He puts a hand on Rosie's scarred back.

"I think I see now."

Ardyn sighs, looking up at the ceiling. "Our big secret, Noctis--the biggest secret of them all--was that we both want this to be... real, I suppose. Me, Rosie, and you, together, and not just for sex. I've been acting like it's already real so much that... well, I think I forgot it wasn't. As Rosie said, as far as we're concerned you're already with us, not just some observer, interloper, or fling. Perhaps we were too casual, as a result."

He lets out a breath. Frustrated the Scourge may be, but it's calming. "I purchased an apartment with three keys, and there won't be more. I've made up my mind, you see: I'm not giving either of you up, ever. And if you don't like it, well, you'll just have to kill me." He gives a faint, wry smile.

[lucianprince]

Rosie starting to cry catches Noctis off-guard, too. His brow furrows with concern, but he's really not sure what to do about it, other than--

"Nah, it's not, but..." He trails off, not sure where to go with that thought because he still doesn't understand exactly why this date was so important to them. Important enough for Rosie to shed tears over it. And Ardyn, for that matter, earlier. And yeah, Noctis caught himself agreeing to another date at some point, and he did mean it, but did they really take that so seriously?

Ardyn's the one to finally explain it. The biggest secret of them all - that gets Noctis' hackles up a little. There's more? Did he really just...stumble ass-first into something they planned out ten steps ahead of him, like he always does? The thought jars him into more sobriety.

We both want this to be real. Real, Ardyn says, and not just for sex. Noctis can't honestly deny that the thought makes something pleasant flutter around in his chest, but the way Ardyn says it makes it crystal clear that it was their plan that they just expected him to go along with, never even knowing that it was one.

"...you both want this to be real. As far as you're concerned. You've made up your mind. It seriously didn't occur to you to tell me that and ask me what I wanted? And you somehow thought keeping me in the dark and making the decision for me would make it feel intimate?"

There is some anger there, but it takes a backseat to disbelief and a kind of too-familiar frustration. He can almost understand where Rosie might have gotten the impression that this would be fine with him, but Ardyn? Of all people, Ardyn knows better than anyone - knows intimately - how long Noctis has been struggling with feeling like he had any choice in much of anything. What anger there is isn't for Rosie, but for Ardyn, who should have known better. There's a small part of him that can't help wondering whether this was more deliberate than Ardyn's making it sound, but for the most part, he dismisses it.

"Look, I'm...I'm not saying no, but I can't just shrug this off. You can't keep all this stuff to yourselves and expect it to just spontaneously become real for me. Of course I felt like an observer, what else would I feel?"

[hasitsthorns]

They did take it so seriously, it seems. At least, Rosie had. She's been taking all of this far more seriously than maybe she should have. It shows in the way that she gives a little half-choked laugh at the mention of the three keys and a new batch of tears overtakes her just as she thought she was calming down. Funny, in a way, how much she worried about Noctis and Ardyn being beyond her reach then... only to realize the idea hurt so much because she wanted to be with both of them if they'd have her.

Rosie shakes her head though at him mentioning them keeping secrets being more intimate. She inhales deep and gives a shuddering exhale to steady herself. "No, we... I, at least, I agree with Ardyn that I just. I thought going on this date was me telling you I wanted this to be real. I don't actually tend to hope for - let alone ask - for dates or anything more out of my rolls with other people here."

She gets infatuated and easily swept away in emotion, sure, but she tries not to hope for anything too real. Seteth and Byleth have been the exception, not the norm. And even with them both she just kind of stumbled into her relationships with them rather than trying to set things down that path. Even Ardyn had been an exhilarating whirlwind of intense trysts leading to a recognition of the messier parts of herself. It lended itself to a surprisingly comfortable intimacy almost immediately.

"This was supposed to be something special. Something that said how serious I was about us being more. I guess I thought that was clear but it wasn't. I'm glad you still want to try again, maybe, and I'll..." A glance to Ardyn before looking back at Noctis with a misty-eyed smile. "We'll try to be better about being more upfront about what we want. Starting now, even!"

She straightens up all the way to her tall ears and looks at Noctis with newfound (even if still slightly snotty) confidence. "I want to be with you and Ardyn. I don't want you to feel like an outsider anymore with me because that's definitely not how I feel about it all. If anything, I'm the odd one out since I'm not from Eos but...! I hope that clears things up to start. I know you might still need some time and that's okay, but I promise I'll work on being better about expressing things like this!"

[tartaric_jester]

Ardyn can't help feeling frustrated, and unusually defensive. He wouldn't have had to go to such measures if Noctis would simply spit out his own feelings. And Ardyn's hardly a dater, what did Noctis think they were getting at with that? Ardyn was trying to be considerate of Noctis' feelings in not coming on too strong. Where does Noctis get off being disappointed in Ardyn?

But Rosie adapts more quickly, and Ardyn takes a breath or two as she speaks. That adaptation is, perhaps, a good thing to emulate at present. Besides, Noctis is spitting out his feelings now, isn't he? And when he's less frustrated, Ardyn actually appreciates that Noctis often doesn't overthink things. Like Rosie isn't, right now.

"I wasn't... I wasn't trying to make decisions for you, Noctis. I just wanted to show you a good time. The benefits of dating Ardyn and Rosie, so you could make your own decision." He sighs. "And if I never came out and said it, perhaps it wouldn't sting so much when you decided that the idea was insane. But to put it plainly, all I truly want is to have the two of you in my life, however I can fit in yours."

He raises his hands, palm up, as if to show that they're empty. "Well, that's it. Rosie and I have said our peace. What do you want, Noctis?"

[lucianprince]

Something about the way Rosie straightens up and explains herself as if she's making a declaration strikes Noctis as adorably earnest. From the way Ardyn's looking at him, Noctis expects an argument, but instead, Ardyn seems to have calmed down by the time Rosie's finished. Which in and of itself says something, Noctis thinks, now that it's a little easier to think. ...maybe he should drink more water.

His kneejerk reaction to what Ardyn says at first is defensiveness of his own. How was he supposed to make a decision when he was never actually offered the choice? And it would hardly be the first time Ardyn had maneuvered him into a corner--

But no, Noctis knows that's unfair, and once he pauses to take a breath or two of his own, he knows he doesn't actually believe it, either. Ardyn's been one of the few people in Noctis' life who has made it a point to ask what he wants, lately. And Rosie's the one who told him it's okay not to conform to whatever's expected of him. It's one of the reasons it feels good to be with them - they know just as well as he does what it's like to fight to figure out who they really are without the weight of what others want them to be.

And even as he's thinking this, Ardyn keeps going. And this, Noctis knows for sure is no deflection. No, none of this was manipulative or malicious, they weren't deliberately keeping secrets from him. They're just...well, human, for lack of a better word. Maybe he saw shadows that weren't there simply because he's so used to their presence. Being intoxicated and drained after an intense orgasm while he was feeling eerily detached didn't help either, he's sure.

He thinks for a moment, before he lifts his gaze again - to Rosie, first, and then to Ardyn. "Well...the idea just might be a little insane. Doesn't mean it's a bad one, though." He smiles a bit. "What I want...is the same thing you want." He's not sure when he decided that, but it was well before they all stripped out of their clothes, he knows that much.

"I want both of you, for real. I want to feel like...like I belong here, by your sides. Like there's a place for me, not set apart, but as one of you." A pause. "Maybe...I didn't recognize that place when you offered it because I've never had one before. Not like this."

[hasitsthorns]

She gives a glance back to Ardyn and a reassuring smile. Of course, she understands it isn't easy to be quite so honest and vulnerable so he gets a small chu against his cheek as a reward for doing so. On her end... For all that Rosie has wanted to be human nearly her entire life, she sometimes fails to see the ways she utterly and inescapably is. She is better at communication than she used to be but obviously still has some work to do. Work that, as she said, she's willing to put in and especially if it means what he wants is what they want.

Her ears give a little twitch at those words specifically as she turns to look back at Noctis. She lets him finish, of course, but he might be able to see the way her pupils widen slightly like a cat about to pounce and her tail gives a couple of quick, sharp swishes while he speaks. To her credit, she does wait until he's done even if it grows increasingly difficult. "You do belong here!" she chirps cheerfully before just

bridging that small distance left between them with a soft tackle of a hug. She's also kissing him because, look, she's a little abuzz with emotion but also still sticky and slightly aroused. Even so, she does recognize that she might still be crossing a line though, and pulls back to ask: "Wait, sorry- Is this okay? I hope it's okay, I just- I got excited."

[tartaric_jester]

Ardyn accepts the chu with relative grace. Emotional vulnerability isn't his favorite form of risk-taking, but the reward helps him not second-guess too much.

He's not surprised when Noctis makes his choice, but he is a bit relieved not to feel like they need to dance around the obvious anymore. "Just so," he agrees with Rosie's assessment. Noctis belongs here with the two of them, and Ardyn hopes the younger man remembers that the next time he feels either the pull of destined duty or the pangs of isolation.

He breathes out a sigh and shifts his posture, lounging against the back of the now-stained couch, watching his lovers--it's official, after all--with a fond smile. There's no hurry to rush into the pile, he thinks, since they have all the time in the world... but when the invitation from Noctis comes, Ardyn doesn't hesitate. He shares in the contact they've all been longing for.