Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Day 1: Matching

It wasn’t how Gladio was used to waking up, but when it did happen, he knew it was going to be a good day at home. The smell of sizzling bacon and freshly ground coffee drifted to the back of his home where he was still laying snug in his shared bed. Although, the smells coming from his kitchen told him that he was no longer sharing his bed with anyone at the current moment, a rare way for him to wake up. Azalea normally was the second to wake up and would stay in bed for a while just to snuggle with him until he had to get ready for the day.
Their days off from work never seemed to happen at the same time. With Gladio’s highly demanding job, any day that they had off together was spent resting. Now it was different. Today was the start of a well deserved week-long vacation for the two together, and Azalea wanted to start off on the right foot. She would always do something like this, plan ahead to make the most of their time together, even if most of the time was spent just lying down with each other.
Gladio rubbed his eyes and sat up, scratching the back of his head where it laid on the pillow. He let out a yawn, one comparable to that of a bear with just how exhausted he felt, but at least the smell of coffee was starting to wake him up. He shuffled out of bed to use the bathroom and brush his teeth, soon letting himself meander into the kitchen.
Of course, Azalea was too preoccupied to notice him come into the room, making sure the food never burned and touching up the seasoning. She was humming something under her breath, an old rock ballad they sang together in their childhood, it was one of his fondest memories with her. Gladio had to admit to himself, watching her in her element was simply magical. He pulled a chair out at the kitchen bar and sat himself on it. The noise of the chair scraping on the floor pulled Azalea out of her own thoughts and she looked back at him with a smile.
She let out a soft, “Good morning,” before getting back to work. Gladio could never disturb her when she cooked, and he had to admit, she gave Iggy a run for his money with her cooking ability. He remembered when she and Iggy had a friendly competition and saw how her cheeks would puff up in frustration when it ended in a tie, she always hated losing. Gladio chuckled to himself, thinking of how it took a few days for Az to be able to have normal conversation with Ignus again instead of short answers. Ignus understood of course, he had known her just as long as Gladio had, since childhood.
Gladio was so lost in thought, he didn’t realize he had spaced out and started staring until a coffee cup was set in front of him. He admired the small Nordic rune tattooed on her ring finger before it disappeared in merely a second. He looked at his own hand, the same rune tattooed on his own finger to match. When he looked back up, curious blue eyes tried to read his face but failed to draw a conclusion.
“Everything alright, Gladdy?” She asked with genuine concern, her own anxiety starting to bubble a little. Gladio nodded, picking up her hand off of the counter and giving it a small kiss on her tattoo.
“Everything is perfect, Mrs. Amicitia.” Azalea blushed and he wished he could capture that look forever. She bit her lip and pulled her hand back gently, even now his romantic gestures left her feeling flustered and awkward. He adored that about her and it made him want to shower her with even more compliments.
When she was able to look back at them, they both opened their mouths and in unison said, “Happy anniversary.” Yes, this week was definitely going to be good.

Chapter Text

   It wasn't often that she caught him asleep. He always fell asleep after her and woke before she did. Today seemed to be a golden opportunity for her, though. Azalea couldn't seem to help herself and ended up watching him sleep. She didn't know for how long, she had stopped counting the minutes.

   He was gorgeous when he slept. Gladio was beautiful regardless, but there seemed to be an extra layer of beauty to his peaceful rest. The way his brows seemed to relax for once, when they always looked to be furrowed with concentration during fights or in the midst of a good story. His lips were slightly pursed and hung open just the smallest bit, so she could see the tiniest bit of his teeth. Azalea always reminisced about how soft his lips felt against her own, obviously he used Chapstick often enough for them to feel the way they did. He breaths were light and airy, so much so that she was unsure if she actually heard his breathing, but every now and again he would let out a light snore, a small confirmation that he is still very much a human and not the perfect god she would compare him to. Her eyes roamed from his mouth up to his eyes. Gladio's eyes were one of her favorite things about him. How they held so much light and vitality no matter what their situation was. She could sense conviction and love just from one look into his golden irises. For now, they hid themselves away behind his eyelids, his eyes darting back and forth behind them, reminding Azalea that he was still deep in his slumber. His long and thick lashes gently brushed along the tops of his cheekbones, the same way that they would slightly tickle her skin when he would nuzzle into her neck. At a closer glance, she could see that his beard had grown out the tiniest bit from the day before, something a person wouldn't notice normally, but up this close she could see the slight difference.

   In their shared bed, he held onto Azalea as if she were a teddy bear to him. He rested on his back with her snuggled safely into his side, the blanket only going high enough to cover her shoulders but not his own. He didn't mind, though, as she acted as a space heater to him, and he found her slightly plump frame to be comforting, or as he put it, "Squishy and warm." Despite his drastically different bulk, Azalea still found the most comfort when she was asleep on his chest. She would say that laying on his harder form was more comfortable than even the softest bed in the world. When he would come to bed late at night, he didn't have to pull her in, she instinctively made her way into his arms without waking from her own slumber. They both knew it was where they belonged. He would always fall asleep petting her scruffy, short hair and to the sounds of her soft breathing. 

   Azalea had mindlessly started to stroke his cheek with her thumb, just admiring him. Eventually, she would start to trace her finger along the scar on his forehead and along his cheek with the lightest of touches. She leaned forward to kiss his face lightly, on his scars, on his nose, his cheeks. Lost in her own thoughts about how lucky she was to have him and her own affection, she hadn't noticed that his eyes had stopped moving or that his lips were no longer hanging open. She left featherlight kisses everywhere she could reach from her position, everywhere except his lips. She was sure it couldn't possibly wake him up, but how very wrong she was. It wasn't until she saw him smirking, that she even pulled back a bit. 

   "You know you can open your eyes now, right?" She spoke to him, knowing full well that he was awake now. 

   "A prince can't be woken up without true loves kiss," Gladio smiled more, his eyes still closed and relaxed.

   "I'm pretty sure that the story is about a princess, not a literal god, but...." she hummed to herself, considering it for a little bit, a small pout forming on Gladio's face with how long she was holding off. She saw this, giggled to herself, and leaned down to place a kiss on his lips. When she pulled back she saw his beautiful golden eyes once more and her smile brightened. "Good morning, sweet prince."

   "Good morning, my beautiful queen."