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ecosystem-administrator · 9 months

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Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Timeline: 4.5-5.0-ish, no major spoilers Pairing: Maxima/Riol Content warnings: Internalized homophobia, references to patriarchal culture

Riol trips over a secret he didn't expect to be a secret; Maxima has the emotional breakdown he's been repressing for several months; there is, finally, a kiss.

“Have you got anyone back home?”

The question was startling, and Maxima looked down at Riol uncertainly, for a moment envisioning any possible ulterior motives. But what did he have to lose? This wasn’t the Empire, the people here would be friendly to the Populares if they could find any. Or at least less openly hostile than the Empire was. “I gave you all the contacts I had when I first arrived,” he hedged.

That earned him a light smack on the upper arm; he’d been getting more accustomed lately to Riol’s style of physical affection, and just raised a bemused eyebrow in response. “Not what I meant. Like, a partner, a lover. Someone you miss.”

He shook his head. “There was someone…once. After my parents died, I broke things off. I planned to take a more active role in the movement in their place, and I didn’t want hi- them to be in danger.” Very few relationships between men in the Empire managed to last long-term, anyway; although it had hurt, they’d both seen it coming, and agreed it was for the best. There were just too many obstacles to such couples remaining together.

“Sorry to bring up bad memories,” Riol murmured. And then, in a very deliberate and careful tone, “…What was his name?”

Maxima stared at Riol again, wondering how much of the fear speeding his pulse was making it into his expression. He’d slipped up just there, and of course Riol was too quick not to catch it. It was one of the things he liked about the Hyur, one of several things that had him enjoying the company more than he should, entertaining daydreams of continued closeness. He’d already indulged too much, and now his most damning secret was exposed and he would lose this lifeline-

“Maxima!” Riol was shaking his arm, his grip warm and firm and more real than the panic he’d begun to spin into. “Gods, what’s got into you? It was just a question.” He swallowed visibly, and to Maxima’s astonishment, flushed a little. “…Well…” He cleared his throat. “…In the name of tryin’ to be more honest with each other, maybe not just a question. I’ve been really enjoyin’ your company these past months.”

The spiral of increasing panic had slowed, but Maxima was already too much in fight-or-flight mode to interpret what Riol was saying. “I’m sorry,” he managed, his voice wavering. “I-I’ll keep my distance, just…please don’t tell anyone else.”

“What in the Navigator’s name are you talkin’ about?” Riol was only getting more agitated, which was exactly the opposite of what he’d intended, but of course was the expected result even so. At least he had enough leverage not to feel physically threatened, but how was he to endure this social landscape without the one person who actively welcomed his company? But he would live, he would manage, if only he could persuade Riol to keep quiet in the name of the friendship they’d had. “I thought we might have somethin’ goin’ here. If you’re interested.”

“I…what?” Maxima blinked, reassessing the interaction, blushing suddenly as he realized what Riol had meant. Naturally, he realized, if Riol had been signaling that he was scaenicum as well, Maxima wouldn’t have caught whatever codes or gestures were specific to Eorzean culture. He glanced down at the camp; though the outburst hadn’t drawn any attention yet, they weren’t even entirely out of view. “If that was your intent, we’ve already been…incautious.” He lowered his voice, shifting back from the cliffside. “That is… yes, certainly I am, but we’ll need to think carefully about how to keep from seeming suspicious.”

“Suspicious how?” At least Riol seemed to have calmed as well, but he still seemed deeply confused. “It’s not a crime to…” Even as he spoke the words, understanding seemed to dawn, and he scowled deeply. “Ohh, I’d heard Garleans were backwards about- roles and relationships, but I never knew it was this bad… Llymlaen’s barnacled bosom, no wonder you’re so good at hidin’ everything.” He took a deep breath, visibly settling himself down, and got up on one knee so he could look Maxima in the eye more easily. “Listen, Maxima… it’s not like that here. Whatever you like in a lover, it’s not gonna change anyone’s opinion of you. And if anyone gets on my case for who you are, it’ll be because you’re a Garlean, not because you’re a man.”

It was a persistent rumor, of course, that such things were managed differently in foreign lands. That the roles of men and women within the family were less strict and relationships more varied. Maxima had had some hope that perhaps one day it would be possible to find a partner and live discreetly, in a way that his homeland had gone out of its way to deny him; he’d never dared to imagine that such discretion would simply be unnecessary.

This, finally, was simply too much. He was so far from home, and every familiar mountain and valley of his emotional landscape, everything he’d worked through and around all his life, was just insignificant to the outside world, meaningless upon a grander scale. His eyes began to sting, and no amount of reaching could find the calm center he relied upon to maintain his equilibrium; he realized he was holding his breath as if that could still the pain, and when he finally let it go, the exhale shook and the inhale stuttered. He reached for Riol blindly, instinctively, like an anchor in a storm, and without needing to give any further sign he found himself embraced, pulled into the warmth of Riol’s chest as his composure finally crumbled.

“It’s all right, let it out,” Riol said soothingly, stroking his back as he shook with emotion. “That’s been a long time comin’. Yer plenty tough for holdin’ out as long as you have.”

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, though it probably wasn’t as long as it felt like: they’d come up here to watch the sunset as had become a habit, and when Maxima was finally able to raise his head again and breathe clearly, the first stars were only just emerging. Still, it was long enough that Riol groaned with relief when he was able to ascertain that his companion was steadying out, and he sat down on the earth again heavily. “Sorry,” he explained, “Much as I care for you, I ain’t twenty anymore, and that’s not doin’ my knees any favors.”

Maxima couldn’t help but laugh, a little brokenly, as he wiped his face and tried his best to regain his dignity. “Thank you,” he answered quietly. “I…being here… So much has happened.”

“You’ve been through a lot,” Riol agreed, leaning into his side and wrapping an arm around his waist supportively. “…Gods, I wish Thancred hadn’t got dragged off who knows where. Him and his fancy Sharlayan education…he would’ve known what kinds of things I should have told you from the start, where the differences are so I could help you adjust better. I’m good at sneakin’ around and payin’ attention, but when it comes to this diplomacy stuff I’m sailin’ in the fog here and just hopin’ I don’t end up on the rocks.” He grinned slyly and squeezed Maxima’s waist a little harder for a moment. “Good thing you’re tall as a lighthouse, isn’t it?”

He made it seem so easy. Sitting like this, Maxima didn’t feel any less lost, but at least the feeling was less dangerous and more adventuresome. Cautiously, he settled his own arm around Riol’s shoulders in return, accepting the smaller man’s presence more completely. “As for what you said earlier…”

“I’m not askin’ for anythin’ except your company. However much of it you’re comfortable givin’.” He looked up at Maxima seriously. “I’ve never been the type for commitment. We’ve both got too much goin’ to make any offers past here and now, right? But I like you, Max, I really do. At least what you’ve let me see so far. We can start there, and see where things take us.”

“I’ve grown very fond of you, as well,” Maxima admitted. “…The reason I was so alarmed earlier was in part because I had already been indulging in that affection more than I would have dared at home. I was afraid my carelessness had lost me your company.”

“Nah. If I wasn’t interested, you wouldn’t be the first one I’d let down gently. Maybe I’d give you a bit of a break to keep from makin’ things awkward, but we’d still be friends. And we’ll still be friends if you decide you’re not interested, too, all right? Gods strike me down if I ever try to use my position to keep someone hangin’ on when they’d rather go.”

“I know. I’ve seen plenty of abuse of power in my time. It’s not as if the thought didn’t cross my mind, but…you aren’t the type.” Maxima smoothed his thumb over Riol’s bicep, looking down at him speculatively. He’d never dared to be caught staring at the other man’s features before; now, he found he was getting lost in the green of Riol’s remaining eye.

“I’m not gettin’ back up on my knees for a bit,” Riol said with a grin that lit his gaze appealingly. “So if you want a kiss, you’ve got to come down here and get it.”

That was in fact exactly what Maxima wanted, the thought he’d still been hesitating to complete even in the safety of his own mind; so with permission given, he leaned down to press his lips to Riol’s, gently at first. Riol’s arms came up to wrap around the back of his neck, and he wasn’t sure whose lips parted first, but he tasted good, so good that Maxima could have lingered in that moment for an eternity, shutting out all the world in favor of this simple intimacy.

When they did finally part, to his surprise, Riol leaned their foreheads together, the warmth of his skin close to but not quite touching Maxima’s third eye. The further intimacy made Maxima shiver just a little, not having expected a foreigner to be familiar with the gesture, and Riol seemed to realize and pulled back just a little. “Oh hells,” he muttered. “I keep forgetting. You all right?”

“It’s fine,” Maxima told him quickly, blushing. “That is…it’s intimate, but not unpleasantly so. …It’s been a long time since I let anyone this close.”

“Figuring each other out is gonna take some work,” Riol nodded, but he was still smiling. “I’m up for it if you are.”

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #maxima quo priscus #riol forrest #maxima x riol #cw homophobia #this got too long to edit for pacing #guess what Garlean culture is fucked up #I spent half an hour looking up Latin words to decide what term I wanted for the queer community in Garlemald #in case you're wondering it means 'theatrical'

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ecosystem-administrator · 9 months

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Fair

Timeline: 4.5-5.0-ish, no spoilers Pairing: Maxima/Riol

As an exiled Garlean, Maxima is at the very bottom of the social ladder in the reclaimed Ala Mhigo, and making himself useful means taking on the most unforgiving and unwanted tasks. Unfortunately he's not used to the climate, and Riol is upset after he collapses from heat exhaustion on a courier run.

Consciousness was slow to return. Maxima’s head was pounding even before he was fully awake, enough to keep him from opening his eyes immediately, instead processing his current condition and environment in stages. He felt miserable, sore and sluggish and fevered - he had been working, hadn’t he? They’d had him relaying messages to the salt flats and the workers there…

Someone was speaking in a raised voice, just far enough away to be a little muffled. He focused his attention and realized he recognized it: Riol, the Scion who’d been helping him settle in and gently extracting information about the Empire in the process. Not that Maxima minded, at this point, he’d freely answered any question the other man had thought to pose. Riol had been away scouting for a little while, though, so it was a relief to hear his voice, even clearly upset as he was.

“-lucky he made it back close enough to collapse in the shade!” he was saying. “Because none of ye bleedin’ fools took the care to make sure he knew when to take breaks!” The responding voice was indistinct but sullen. Riol was clearly having none of whatever excuses they were making. “Aye, and the Coerthans know to ask for goggles too, because they come from the snow! I notice no one’s lettin’ them work until they fall over.” Another indistinct mutter, a little more vehement. “Go take it up with the General, if yer brave enough to admit you almost lost us a valuable intelligence asset because you couldn’t be arsed to treat ‘im like every other worker.”

Slowly, Maxima forced himself to open his eyes and raise his head, wincing with every movement. He could vaguely recall the dizzy spell that had started to set in halfway back to Porta Praetoria, and the malaise he felt now was a distant echo of the sweating misery that had seen him stumble into the shadow of a tent at the edge of camp, desperate for anything that would give him a moment’s respite from the beating of the sun. The infirmary was blessedly dark and cool, set into a cave in the cliffside, and he managed to focus his gaze on clean white sheets and a simple curtain between his bed and the next one over.

Footsteps approached, and the curtain rippled. He sat up a little further, in time to catch Riol entering the recovery space. “Easy now,” he said, speaking much more softly than he had been a moment ago. “Take yer time… They told me you were in a bad way when the guards picked you up and hauled you in here.” He looked Maxima up and down, visibly wincing with his one good eye. “You look like shite warmed over.” Nodding to the bedside table, he added. “Think you can down some water?”

Maxima turned to see the glass and pitcher on the little tray table beside the infirmary bed, and nodded numbly, reaching for it with almost unseemly haste. Now that he was awake and aware, he was desperately thirsty, but his hand shook unbecomingly as he lifted the glass.

Riol steadied his arm with a gentle hand and helped him bring it to his lips. “Careful, careful. Get maybe half of that in you, and then wait a minute. If you take it all you’ll just end up losin’ it again.” He reached up with his other hand as if to place the palm on Maxima’s forehead, and Maxima couldn’t help instinctively flinching back before his third eye could be covered, splashing some of the cool water across his arm and the sheets. “Hey, hey, steady. Just tryin’ to check your temperature.” Riol grimaced and shook his head a little. “Sorry, I didn’t think. How’d your mum check if you had a fever?”

Oh. Of course. He lowered the glass, and with his other hand grasped Riol’s wrist, guiding his fingers to press against his forehead at an angle over one eye, from eyebrow to hairline, while avoiding the third eye entirely. “I’m all right,” he managed, and grimaced at the hoarseness of his own voice.

“Still burnin’ up, though,” Riol muttered, withdrawing his hand and laying it lightly between Maxima’s shoulderblades instead to help steady him. “Those dumb bastards… They should’ve known better than to send you on that run in the bleedin’ midday heat. It’s the absolute most godsawful time of day to be workin’ out there.”

“That’s why I was the one they sent,” Maxima agreed quietly, letting his focus slowly drift around the room. He wouldn’t normally say such things so openly, but his head still hurt so badly he could hardly think straight, and the conversation was a welcome distraction. “Of course I know what they think of me, but what else is there to do but start from the bottom and earn their respect? I can’t be an outcast to everyone forever, and I can’t go home.”

“And so you let them walk all over you, to give them their petty revenge and prove you can bear up under it.” Riol shook his head. “Dammit all… They almost killed you for it, you know.”

“Only by neglect, at least. Judging by the looks I get on a daily basis, that’s…progress.” Maxima sipped a little more of the water, feeling his stomach turn in warning but relishing the coolness nonetheless.

The silence that hung in the air in response suggested that Riol was trying and failing to come up with a response. Eventually he just sighed and gently took the glass from Maxima’s grasp to set it aside. “Get some more rest, all right? I’ll let the healers know you’re up - and I’ll be back in a couple bells to make sure they’re actually treatin’ you.”

Maxima smiled weakly at Riol as he settled back down into the bed, letting his eyes fall shut again. “Thank you, Riol.”

Riol didn’t answer verbally, but the feeling of gentle fingers in his hair helped soothe his dizzy mind back into oblivion.

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #maxima quo priscus #riol forrest #maxima x riol #hurt/comfort #okay it's not explicitly shippy but they're getting there

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ecosystem-administrator · 9 months

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Call it a Day

Timeline: Post-5.3

Riol has been catching Thancred up on the things he missed while he was out.

“I think that’ll about cover it for now,” Riol said, stretching. “There’s some other little details, but you’ve got the big picture, and Krile’ll never forgive me if I overstrain yer pretty head when she’s just got it back on yer shoulders.”

Thancred grinned in agreement. “Truth be told she’d prefer I wasn’t even taking these reports yet, but I’m more than ready to start taking at least the paperwork aspects off your hands. I appreciate how much effort it must have been to step in for my sudden absence; you deserve the break.”

“Ain’t been all bad,” Riol shrugged. “I always did work well under pressure, so don’t hurry yourself on my account.” He tapped one finger against Thancred’s forehead, just above his now-healed eye. “No need to end up matching again, aye?”

“Who knew that several months of bed rest and constant healing magic was all that eye needed to finish recovering?” Thancred answered dryly. “Will you be staying the night, or is it back to Ala Mhigo?”

“Probably better stay here and head back in the morning.” Riol seemed a little disappointed by the necessity. “There’s nothing so urgent over there that it wants me to risk collapsing from aether drain by porting twice in one day.”

Thancred raised an eyebrow at him playfully. “Not going to miss your new friend out there too much, then?”

He was gratified to see Riol color faintly, even as the other man laughed it off. “I might’ve known ye’d already heard about that. Maxima’s a big boy, the Ala Mhigans won’t eat him if I leave him to his own devices for a bit. Not anymore, anyhow.”

“Glad to hear it.” He tilted his head and met Riol’s eye pointedly. “Does that mean our usual arrangement is called off? …Not that I ought to make myself available tonight anyway, if I stay up too late I think Krile will put me back in an infirmary bed herself.”

Riol shook his head and waved a hand vaguely. “We’re not either of us committed or anything,” he said. “Though…I haven’t been makin’ time for anyone else lately, so I should probably at least mention it to him before you make your way out that direction. But from what I understand of his history, the expectation where he comes from was for folks in his situation to take what they could get where they could find it. He ain’t for the doves at all, y’see.”

Thancred nodded, grimacing a little in sympathy. “A tricky circumstance in Garlemald. I suppose all the concealment has helped him be more useful to us.”

“Aye, seems that way.” Riol pursed his lips and then smacked Thancred’s shoulder gently. “But that’s for going off and leavin’ me to find that part out on me own. I spent months wondering why he was givin’ such mixed signals, ‘cause I didn’t know shite about what social life is like in Garlemald, and he fair panicked when I tried to push the issue not knowin’ why he was so shy. Would’ve been nice to have yer fancy Sharlayan input.”

Thancred couldn’t help but laugh a little sheepishly. “My apologies. I’ll just have to make it up to you both when I’m fully recovered.”

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #thancred waters #riol forrest #maxima x riol #just for completeness because it is part of that whole saga

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ecosystem-administrator · 9 months

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Check

Timeline: 4.5-5.0-ish, no spoilers, you know the drill by this point slkfjsd Pairing: Maxima/Riol Content warnings: discussion of sexual history/preferences, brief mention of eye trauma

Having finally confessed their mutual interest in each other, Maxima and Riol discuss their histories and preferences.

It was Riol’s room they retired to; in a military encampment, privacy was always a luxury, but it was one afforded to professional rogues in the name of the secrecy of their work. The quarters were small, but they had thicker walls than most here, and more importantly still a door that could be locked. Maxima still felt deeply self-conscious about following him there, despite Riol’s promises that no one would judge them. A lifetime of hiding his preferences told him that there were certainly eyes upon them that would wonder what he was doing in the other man’s quarters, or worse, that would guess it outright. Even if there were no consequences for such things…

“Hey. You all right?” He realized Riol had already locked the door behind them, and was looking up at him with concern. He placed a hand on Maxima’s upper arm and squeezed gently. “If you’re not up for it, we don’t have to do anything tonight.”

“No, I…it’s fine.” Maxima took a deep breath and let it out slowly, shoving back all thoughts of everything outside this room. “It isn’t you that worries me, so taking more time won’t make me less worried.” He laid his hand over Riol’s and guided them over to sit on the bed, Riol settling down beside him. “A lifetime of secrecy is just a difficult habit to break.”

Riol nodded sympathetically. “Aye, I was figurin’ public affection would be off the table for the foreseeable future. And speakin’ of, now that we’re proper alone, we should talk about what is on the table.” He leaned backward on his hands, grinning lazily, the v-shaped gap in the collar of his shirt stretching to show off a little more of the top of his chest. “Now, I’m a veteran of the sordid side of Limsan taverns since I was old enough to hold the right side of a dagger. I’ve tried plenty and seen more, so yer not like to surprise me with anythin’. As fer me own tastes,” his accent always got just a little thicker when talking about his homeland, Maxima had noticed, as if he was a little self-conscious about how far from it he’d come, “I’ve always preferred to keep things playful, and so long as everyone’s havin’ a good time with it, I’ve never much minded whose bits wound up where.”

Maxima blushed but nodded slowly. “Although I’ve had few relationships,” he began delicately, “there are places in Garlemald where one can go for…like-minded companionship. Indeed, many gathering-places which favor a progressive political philosophy have a similarly accepting mindset when it comes to other matters.” His thoughts drifted back to a smoky bar a few blocks from a run-down theater, and he wondered if he would ever get to see those faces again. “So although my prospects were necessarily rather more limited, I haven’t wholly lacked for opportunities.” He could feel his blush deepening as he continued. “And given the lesser scope of available partners, I’ve always been…adaptable. You probably know that there are different lineages of pureblooded Garleans not unlike Highlander and Midlander Hyur; some of the smaller variety find taller companions a daunting prospect, while others are eager to test their limits. Though overall the, ah, enthusiastic sort make more interesting partners in my opinion, I never developed a preference for one act over another.”

“Are there really?” Riol seemed fascinated and delighted by this new thread of information. “Wouldn’t you know it, I always just thought Cid was real short.” He shook his head, “Anyway, it sounds like we’re pretty much aligned. Anything you can think of that I oughta avoid or be warned about?”

Maxima shook his head. “Not particularly. Ah, but…” He reached out and cupped the side of Riol’s face gently, brushing his thumb over the edge of his lover’s eyepatch. “What about this?”

“Yer all right, I ain’t sensitive about it anymore.” Carefully, Riol removed the patch, letting Maxima see the scarred tissue and sewn-shut socket. “Surgeon had to take what was left of it out, and the damage was too much to fit a fake. Healed up as clean as anyone could ask, though, and it doesn’t hurt or anything. The patch is a courtesy to other folks, I got tired of the queasy looks when they noticed the scar.”

“I’ve seen worse.” Before Riol could question the assertion, Maxima leaned down and brushed their lips together, running his other hand through Riol’s hair now that the strap of the eyepatch would no longer impede the movement.

Riol kissed him back willingly, and when Maxima straightened up again he found that the Hyur was following his movement smoothly, until the smaller man was fully settled into his lap, warm and solid and surprisingly comfortable. “I’ve got more than that I can show, and wouldn’t be surprised if you had a few yourself. Let’s take our time getting to know them, yeah?”

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #maxima quo priscus #riol forrest #maxima x riol #this was meant to be the one where they finally fuck but #they're both over thirty so they're talking things out like adults #and I ran out of time to write the sex part #maybe that'll be a future fill #maybe I'll come back and write it after September #even though nothing actually happens I like the intimacy

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ecosystem-administrator · 9 months

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Unwind (Free Day)

Timeline: 4.5-5.0-ish, no spoilers Pairing: Maxima/Riol Content warning: Alcohol

Riol gets a care package with some decent liquor from his old friends, and decides to share it with his newest friend.

The thing was that Maxima was so polite. Too polite. Unreasonably, maddeningly, unfailingly polite. To the point that one could easily come to believe that it was all he was, as if he hadn’t wound up here because he believed strongly enough in coexistence and reconciliation that he’d been willing to stake his life - more than once! - on reaching out to people who considered him a dangerous enemy.

It made him quite a mystery, and every tiny crack Riol found in that facade made him curious to know more about what lay underneath it. That was probably why, when his old friends in the Company of Heroes sent him a care package including a pretty little bottle of something expensive, sharing it with the exiled Garlean was the first thing that came to mind.

They were sitting atop one of the many red stone cliffs, now, watching the sun set over the Lochs and the stars come out. The alcohol was mellowing Riol enough that he leaned into his companion’s side a little. Again, as always, he felt Maxima tense and then relax, and tonight his tongue was loosened enough to say something about it. “If you don’t like bein’ touched, you can say so, y’know. I’m not gonna get offended or anything.” He shook his head a little. “Yer a right puzzle to figure out, if you don’t mind me sayin’.”

“It's all right,” Maxima volunteered, sounding a little distant with his gaze on the horizon. He pulled his attention back to look down at Riol. “I don’t mean to be…difficult.”

“Yer not! And that’s the thing about it!” He was getting too emphatic - dial it back. “It’s ‘I don’t mind’ this and ‘I can handle’ that, and if I wasn’t good at my job, I wouldn’t know a single damn thing about what you actually like or don’t like.” He nudged his friend with an elbow for emphasis. “It shouldn’t oughta take a rogue to figure out you can’t handle eatin’ spices.”

There was a pause, but Maxima’s answer was amused. “You told me I should start getting my food from the Coerthan mess tent because the door was taller.”

Riol grinned up at him. “And I was right, wasn’t I? I still see you duck through it, but you don’t have to bend in half at least.” He took another sip from the flask before adding, “And yeah, I saw you barely pickin’ at portions fit for a Lalafell and fillin’ up on bread at the Ala Mhigan tent, so I figured the folks come from the snow might cook a little more to your taste. My point is, you could’ve asked. No one here wants to see you starve.”

“No one?” Maxima asked, quietly but emphatically, and Riol instantly regretted his choice of words. But he deliberately returned to a lighter tone the next moment, “I suppose there is something to be said for a little more openness. …I’ve grown very used to…ensuring that I don’t seem overly inconvenient to anyone. It’s a habit I developed well before I defected.”

That made a lot of sense, actually. He wasn’t just playing polite for the people here; he’d been carefully hiding his opinions and personality back in Garlemald too. “Well, there’s no time like the present to start unlearning old habits. Here,” he handed Maxima the flask again. “First thing, stop worryin’ about sharin’ this equally. Ye’re at least a fulm taller than I am, I’m not gonna be mad that yer puttin’ more away than I could handle.”

Maxima took the flask, looked from it to Riol and back again consideringly, and threw his head back to take a sizable swallow from the contents. Riol tried not to watch the way his throat bobbed as he drank, instead paying attention to how easy and fluid the movement had been. He’s done that before. What I wouldn’t give to see him with his hair down proper, someday. The literal image flashed through his mind of Maxima with his long hair down around his shoulders, and Riol had to glance away before he started blushing like a teenager. Oh, I’m in for it, aren’t I?

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #maxima quo priscus #riol forrest #maxima x riol #cw alcohol

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