It took several long minutes, but the fear in Ignis eased a bit with each pass of Gladio's hand. The tension stiffening his muscles bled away slowly, leaving a keen wariness lingering in the back of his mind. It was hard to think too much with Gladio's scent clouding his mind, but in a way, that was a good thing. It kept him from overthinking things and that had always been a bad habit of Ignis'.

If Gladio called his father, he had no idea. Not while he was tucked away there in Gladio's arms, his mind locked on the heat slowly curling under his own skin and Gladio's scent rich in his nose.

"It's too hot."