bakerstreet | Sentinels and Guides;

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Sentinels and Guides;

Sentinels and Guides Shipping Meme
A Sentinel!AU Meme

There are special people in the world: Sentinels--whose five senses are incredibly enhanced, sometimes to the point of overwhelming and who can easily lose themselves in fugue states--and Guides, the empaths with the ability to ground a Sentinel and focus them. Meant to be the protectors of the Guides, for every Sentinel there exists a guide that is their perfect match. In some universes, when matches are made, a Sentinel and Guide form a soulbond to fill the feeling of emptiness.

How easy was it for you to find yours? How are Sentinels and Guides treated in your universe? Or maybe you're one of the normal, unremarkable people. Do you fear Sentinels and Guides? Despise them?

Rules
1) Post with your character/canon in the subject header.
2a) Choose whether your character is a Sentinel or a Guide
or
2b) If you don't know or don't care, just leave it blank!
3) Information about Sentinels and Guides can be found here and here. Information on 'The Sentinel' which this meme comes from can be found here.

4) All the tagging! Have fun 8D

Prompts
oo1. The Meeting:
How did you meet? Was it at an event organized specifically for finding your other half? By accident? Did you follow a mystical calling to them? Some other way?

oo2. The Bonding:
Do Sentinels and Guides in your universe soulbond? How does it go down? Is there a ceremony or do you just retreat to the bedroom?

oo3. Rejection:
Sometimes Sentinels or Guides propose a match but it's just not perfect. You don't feel the pull or maybe you think there is someone better or maybe you're already claimed. Maybe you were claimed and someone better came along?

oo4. Protection:
Sentinels are meant to protect Guides, any Guides, but it's even worse when they feel their Guide is in danger. They go feral; blind to anything but stopping and killing whoever threatened their Guide or the bond. Maybe someone attacked your Guide or you haven't bonded yet and you feel threatened or maybe you're the one doing the threatening. Whatever the reason, Sentinels in a feral state are dangerous and only their Guides can stop them.

oo5. Lost:
Sentinels often lose themselves in their senses. Either you're a Sentinel who has lost themselves or a Guide that has stumbled on one or a friend trying to draw them out. Unbonded Sentinels will find it hard to escape without a Guide. Or maybe you're bonded already which means you just need yours to come home.

006. Persecution:
Sometimes normal people or the government fear the power of Guides and Sentinels. Guides are empaths, feeling the emotions and sometimes passing thoughts of others and it can make people feel violated. Sentinels often have enhanced strength, which can make them dangerous. So they scorn them, hurt them or in the case of governments, regulate them.

oo7. Death:
Unbonded Sentinels and Guides eventually lose themselves to the empty cavern inside them. Torn apart from the inside by the feeling of something missing. Breaking the soulbond of a Sentinel and Guide is agonizing and horrifying, leading quickly to death for the remaining partner.

oo8. Old-School:
Guides used to be treated on the same level as slaves. Unable to work unless their Sentinel said. Not allowed out on their own. They used to wear collars and couldn't own land or inherit money. Maybe the old ways haven't completely fallen out of style.

oo9. Unbonded:
Nothing is worse than being an unbonded Guide or Sentinel. Always looking for your other half to fill that empty feeling but you probably have friends that aren't your match or who are trying to set you up with someone. Maybe you're skeptical about the whole love at first sight thing and haven't been looking.

o10. Wildcard: Some mish-mash of the above or anything else you can come up with!

Image from weheartit / original meme by

imadeamistake

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John growls and digs his nails into Gladio's arm. There's an unaccountable spike of jealousy at the mention of another Guide being with the other man. It's ridiculous and the part of John not being run by biological impulses at the moment recognizes just how ridiculous that is. Sentinels get help from Guides that aren't their own all the time, especially Unbonded Guides. Even a Bonded Guide might be lent out in a moment of dire need. And battle is a place where a Guide is going to have to serve multiple Sentinels if there's more than one taking part.

Gladio is very clearly a fighter.

John nuzzles into his neck, breathing deep and not letting himself think about the fact that they're about to start Bonding. At the very least, he's well aware that he's going to get covered in this Sentinel's scent. It's the first step and communicates very clearly to any other Sentinel that John is not a free Guide anymore. It's also an advertisement that he's a Guide at all. John's managed to appear as a normal bloke, resisting the call of pheromones from the odd Sentinel he'll pass on the street. And average people wouldn't know the difference.

One of them is going to kiss first and as John turns his head and presses his lips to Gladio's neck, that apparently decides who it is. He should be putting up more of a fuss about this, he thinks distantly, as he lets himself sink down and to the side. He doesn't want to lie over top of the stitches, so this is as good as it's going to get. Gladio's hands are warm on his thighs, even through John's trousers. Really, he's just feeling warm all over, flush with pheromones from his Sentinel. Maybe once this is over and he has a chance to wash off and clear his head, he'll be able to think this through a little better.

There is going to be a whole lot of both of them realizing how ridiculous they're being but their unique biology doesn't give a flick about what they think is ridiculous. Instead, it's driving both of them to bond, and in Gladio's case, to leave behind his mark. What the four of them have has always been very unique and surprised many that it worked - two Alphas, a Guide bonded to one, and an advisor? But no one quite understood their dynamics. It had, for the most part, worked well in their lives, shifting and adjusting as change came. (First Noct's coming out as an Alpha, to Ignis acting as a psuedo-Guide, to Prompto's sudden existence with them.)

This? This... is going to be a lot harder to explain.

It feels better than he has words for to be able to finally do what he's wanted to do on poor Prompto for years, to drag the edge of his jaw against skin and leave behind his scent, strongest right at the neck where John's lips find. It provokes a growl out of the Sentinel and that shift in John's weight gives him the opening he needs. His head moves closer, one large hand leaving a thigh to cradle John's neck instead, nosing in close and breathing in hard at the scent there.

That is no imagined moan that John hears, but one filled with a very different kind of need than sexual. Something even more primal.

"Oh, God..." The words slip out as John tilts his chin up, baring his neck for Gladio's attention. The outside world and its problems are fading into the background of John's mind. The world narrows to the exam table, Gladio's body beneath him, and the sense of Rightness that permeates the air. He wants this, intensely, more than he's wanted anything else in his life. At least it seems like it right now.

He can feel Gladio's emotions intertwining with his own, the push and pull of a Guide and Sentinel as he keeps the other man from zoning out and ensuring his focus on the moment isn't too intense. John can feel the other man's desire, and reflects it back at him.

I want you.

Edited 2017-03-31 22:56 (UTC)

That's all it takes. That moment of submission, of giving, of offering. The predator finds its prey and it strikes.

He tastes blood. It's not a taste he's unfamiliar with - his own, his enemies. He's trained and fought his entire life and blood becomes a thing all fighters grow used to but know too well. This time, though, with his teeth sunk down into the neck of his Guide, it comes with a heady burst of something as close to perfect as could ever exist. A single heartbeat of knowing he would never be alone again, that he had found his other half. All that left him lost would be set right and he would have someone to protect and love.

None or some of those might be the truth, but the bond doesn't care about reality.

His mouth pulls back, but only so he can worry the wound, surprisingly gently. Mouthing over it, licking the blood away, as it already begins to heal in a far more supernatural method than any other. Some say the act of the Bond releases something in the Sentinel's saliva, some say it's something within the Guide, but it always leaves behind its mark at the site of the bite.

When Gladio's teeth sink into his neck, there's a moment of pure bliss, and John makes a sound he wasn't honestly aware he was capable of. It's something like an orgasmic moan, but deeper... and louder. Every part of him is singing, perfectly in sync with his Sentinel very suddenly. His eyes are half-lidded, and his heart beats out a hard rhythm to match the other man's.

The Bond fills up his mind. He can feel Gladio, the connection better than any battle high he's ever enjoyed. John twines his fingers in Gladio's hair, enjoying the afterglow of the bonding as the other man licks over the wound. The bite of a Sentinel is very distinct, a wound that every first-year med student learns to identify when treating Guides to tell if they're Bonded or Unbonded.

John had always thought it sounded stupid, and the way Hollywood treated it... Guides tended to get very fluttery when ever it was touched, some going to lengths to hide their marks. Especially in romcoms where the Guide has an intended partner already.

He's just thinking about maybe kissing Gladio again, this time on the mouth, when the door flies open. John freezes, gaze turning to see Angelica standing there with wide eyes and mouth agape. She's a small, friendly, plump woman with dark skin and black hair. She's holding what appears to be the hat stand from the front hall. A few other staff are peeking in through the doorway.

It takes about two seconds for John to put together what this must look like. There's a giant Sentinel licking his neck, blood on his lips. This looks a lot sexier in films.

"Angelica, this isn't-"

She starts to scream and charges for them, aiming to whack Gladio.

Some of what was shown was true. Prompto didn't exactly hide his bond mark to Noct but they all knew that it was an oddly sensitive spot and, once, during a game of truth or dare over a campfire, they had learned that if Noct licked it, it made Prompto go weak in the knees. That... stays within the group.

For a few moments? The rest of the world doesn't exist. Gladio has himself curling up around John, prepared to mark him further with his scent, when the world decides to come crashing back in all at once.

When the door hits the opposite wall and Gladio sees anyone, there's immediately a problem. A huge problem. This is a Sentinel in the moments after creating a bond when there might be few things on the planet less possessive. Angelica might have some serious courage to come at the Sentinel 'attacking' her doctor, but it doesn't stop the pure rage that comes over Gladio like a wave.

Metal meets metal. One second, Gladio was on the table, the next, he's got the biggest damn sword John might ever see in one hand, with John in the other, part way off the table. There's still a fluttering of something blue and beautiful in the air around the sword, showing the path it took up to interrupt the wing of the hat stand.

There's a low growl. Gladio, the one that most know as the one who teases and enjoys a beer and Cup Noodle far too much and is loyal, protective, and cares more than he lets on, is gone, replaced by an outright rage. Something is trying to get at his Guide - something trying to harm - and he would defend that above all else.

The broadsword comes back; half the hat stand hits the floor.

Oh, Christ. John finds himself dragged along for the 'ride' as Gladio rises to meet his challenger. A challenger who is going to get herself killed in about five seconds. The reason Sentinels have Guides is for situations like this. Well, maybe not this exact situation. Bonding isn't something that typically happens in a random clinic room where one party isn't actually known to be a Guide. Had the clinic known, they probably would have known better than to stick an Unbonded Sentinel in the same room with an Unbonded Guide. But John had been able to stave off advances, the pull of pheromones before. Gladio is just... well, he's perfect. And that is highly inconvenient in this moment.

"Out! Get out!" The command is snapped at Angelica who has gone quiet with the appearance of the sword. The other people peering in are starting to move, though. There's another doctor named Paige, her hair hidden by a headscarf, and one of the single orderly in the place, fair-skinned, red-haired man named Thomas. "All of you get out!"

Thomas, at least, has the sense to grab for Angelica to drag her out. Angelica finds her voice again, though. "You leave him alone! I'm calling the police!"

Jesus, this really isn't what they needed right at this very moment. The reality of the situation and the complication of what it means are draining the blissful sense of rightness out of John. This is a mess and now there's damage control. First things first. His immediate instinct is to protect his Sentinel, and that means stopping him from actually committing murder.

John reaches out through the newly-formed bond and gets a blast of aggression and protectiveness. Tone it down. No real threats. He projects that at the other man and adds verbally. "She's not a threat. She's not. We'll sort it out. Calm down, Gladio. Calm down now."

He adds to Thomas and Angelica: "I'm a Guide. Just get out."

That stops Thomas, but it's Paige that speaks up. "You're a Guide?"

"Out!" God, he wishes his abilities worked on normal people the way they do on Sentinels.

Both Paige and Thomas will suffer through a very real growl even with John's powers pushing against his rage, but at least enough gets through that the terrifying weapon disappears in a puff of blue sparks. When Gladio looks back to his Guide, there's heavy breathing and crimson eyes and blood on his lips and he'll be lucky if he didn't pull those stitches in the process. Still, he'll move immediately back to the doctor and bend down until he can pull John close, giving a rough nudge to the jaw so that he could scent that spot again, already halfway healed.

Thankfully, with someone going to stop Angelica from dialing the police thanks to John's admittance, the room becomes quiet again. With all of the 'threats' gone, Gladio can start to calm down with John's Guidance. Unfortunately, it also means for the first time in many, many minutes... he starts to think.

John will feel the exact second that Gladio realizes what in the Hells happened. The Sentinel stiffens up hard and pulls back, staring at John with wide eyes slowly fading back to amber. They flicker down to the healing bond mark, then back up to John before summing things up nicely.

"...fuck."

John tilts his chin up in submission once more, the motion reflexive. He's really going to need to work on overcoming that reflex because it's a rather embarrassing one. His own anxieties about looking like a stereotypical Guide who's been swept off his feet are to one side, though. A Sentinel in a rage in the middle of a crowded building in a crowded section of town is a recipe for disaster. He whispers gentle words of assurance as he Guides the other man down from the rage, lets Gladio scent-mark him as much as he wants.

Tries to ignore the half-erection he's still sporting in the middle of all of this...

When Gladio finally comes to, it's another splash of cold water that effectively removes at least one difficulty for the doctor.

"Yeah," he replies. 'Fuck' does about capture it. "So, uh... full disclosure, I'm an unregistered Guide."

Which is a major no-no in the UK. John's aware of that... as had been his commanders in the Army. It was a unit 'secret,' though. An Unbonded Guide was useful, after all, and servicemen have each other's backs on that sort of thing. Or at least John's team had had his back. A little bit of extra cash had ensured that the doctors who'd examined him before enlisting and after he'd gotten back made certain it was kept out of his medical record. And no one had particularly been looking for it when he'd been a kid. He and Harry had found out by accident when John had Guided a Sentinel who was bullying Harry in her class into zoning out. The kid probably hadn't known what hit him. And John certainly wasn't going to volunteer the information.

In any case, the efforts to hide had drained his meager savings account, but it had kept him safe, away from whatever forced socials and couplings the government liked to encourage. Except now he'd gone and done this himself. John can't help raising a hand to feel for the mark burning itself into his skin like a brand.

"This... might cause a few problems." Mainly for his commanders and the men in his unit. And for John. With luck, he'd avoid jail-time. Most normal people are sympathetic to Guides, at least. In the irritatingly paternalistic way parents are sympathetic to their young children. But one problem at a time.

"Shit." Add that in there as well. Gladio steps back from John despite every bone in his body demanding he doesn't, rubbing a hand over his face. Shit, shit, shit. He just- he just fucking bonded with a total stranger in another country. An unregistered Guide on top of it.

At the mention of it causing a few problems, Gladio gives the doctor a long look (you think, Doc?) before sighing. "...definitely going to cause a few for me, at least." From his pocket he pulls out his phone, a sleek little black thing that has to be tougher than it looks, and unlocks it with a motion of his thumb.

He's got to make a phone call and already he's dreading it. Given what just happened, where they are, what John just told him... he needs more help than he has right now and that meant one person. Hopefully they can keep it quiet.

Looking over to John (his Guide, fuck that is going to take some getting used to), he says, "...I've got someone who can take care of it. Just... hang on a minute." What in the Hells else could he say? He knows absolutely nothing about this man. It's all like out of a really, really bad movie and he can taste blood in his mouth.

He picks out a contact and hangs his head into a hand, still a bit on edge. John only hears half the conversation.

"Noct, I've got a problem."

"How drunk are you?" With a followed snort of amusement.

"...A real problem." Growl. "I need you to send Iggy to pick me up at-" He pauses, recalling, than gives an address.

"You need a ride? I don't call that a real problem-"

"...give him some cash. A good chunk of cash. Bribery level cash."

"...I expect to know what's going on when you get back. I'll get him."

"Thanks." He hangs up the call and sighs. "Do whatever you need to with the people who saw us. We're going to hope enough money keeps them quiet, then you're coming back with me."

John gives him a look back. Gladio was the one who decided to press John's buttons. They could have gotten through this with him just nudging the Sentinel along to relax and everything would have been fine. Gladio would have gone on with his life, stitches intact and maybe a little confused, and John wouldn't be standing here with a new scar and unwanted Bond.

Not that unwanted, at least now that he has it. There's a sense of security that comes with it that's never been there before. Whatever had been missing isn't crying out anymore, either. John rubs his eyes as he listens to Gladio's half of the conversation. 'Noct.' So that's the helper.

"Coming back where, exactly? I do have a job." He probably doesn't have a job anymore and he wants to go with his Sentinel, but hell if he's just going to roll over and go along with it. Some boundaries need to be established in this very sudden and very unexpected relationship.

This is about to get more awkward, if possible. Gladio hesitates, something he rarely does, and a hand comes up to rub the back of his neck. After a few seconds on how exactly to phrase this, he ends up just spitting it out. "It'd be a lot easier to explain somewhere private, and I don't need a lot of people over hearing this." He already knows the look he's going to get from Ignis on this when the other man arrives.

A breath - he can still smell John, isn't sure that helps. "I work for the Caelum family." There are few people on the planet who wouldn't know that name. "I'm the Shield for Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum." ...Noct. "And right now, I need to make sure this stays quiet." Because it would be a field day in the tabloids if it got out.

John's mouth falls open and he just stares. Stares for a very long moment. "Fuck." Yeah, that's still covering things pretty well. He just got himself bonded to someone Important, which is even worse. How could tabloids not get ahold of this? Is he just supposed to... what the hell is he even going to do?

Okay. Right. It is what it is and now they need to deal with the consequences of it. This is fine. This is absolutely fine.

"I... don't suppose Prince Noctis has been looking for a physician?" Coming up with a plausible reason for him hanging about with the man's Sentinel Shield is going to get awkward. It also means John sort of needs to hide this mark. He tugs the collar of his shirt higher. But any Sentinel is going to know what's going on the moment they catch his scent and smell Gladio all over him.

Yep. Fuck pretty much is the right of it. Gladio rubs his neck, then actually is inclined to look at his shoulder. Didn't manage to pull the stitches and the doc actually did a neat job of the stitching.

This is going down in a burning, fiery crash of terribleness. ...Yet a part of Gladio doesn't even care because it's happy as a clam that he finally found his missing other half. Oddly makes this easier to bear in one sense and a thousand times worse in another.

But still, John's a quick thinker because that's a surprisingly good idea and that approval shows in Gladio's face when he looks over. "Right now, that might have to do. I'll suggest it to to Iggy. The rest... if people don't know what you are, there's been stranger stuff that someone Awakening very late in life."

"Hell of a late bloomer. Yeah. Sure." Sure. Well, then. At least they're sorting this out together. John can't help a small burst of affection and pride at his Sentinels approval, then shakes his head. That needs to stop. It's strange. It makes him feel lighter somehow when it really shouldn't. It also makes him want to lean up against Gladio, which he absolutely does not do.

Strap on your boots, Watson. "All right. I'll go talk to Angelica and the others. Hopefully they haven't told... everyone." Hopefully. "There's also one condition I have for coming with you. We need to stop by my flat." His lonely, drab little bedsit of a flat. "Agreed?" He's not actually in a position to be making demands, but he's going to try to.

"Weirder shit's happened. That whole meeting the right Sentinel thing... or something. It's still going to be kept quiet as much as possible until we've got no choice. I don't want this reflecting badly on Noct." There, that tone. There is something in that tone of voice that suggests something that might be very strange for a Guide to hear - there is someone else. There's someone else that this Sentinel would protect even over himself. That's not supposed to happen; that sort of affection and protectiveness is usually reserved for their Guide alone once a Bond happens.

Maybe neither of them are exactly 'normal'.

Gladio grunts an agreement about the flat, gesturing for the doctor to go out and deal with the others. He's going to wait out front and make sure no one comes in or goes until Ignis comes and this is handled the best they can for now.

John really can't begrudge the man knowing where his loyalties lie. They've literally just met. John wouldn't expect the Sentinel to drop all his other relationships suddenly... even if it's sort of the standard expectations that a Guide will do. Luckily for them both, John's very unattached. He takes a few deep breaths to steady himself and looks around the clinic office knowing this is probably the last time he's going to be here. He spots his cane where it's fallen over and goes to fetch it, confusion overtaking his expression before he looks down at his leg. He's been walking around on it just fine and it hasn't hurt since the interplay of pheromones had started between him and Gladio.

Ella had said it was psychosomatic. Bloody hell.

Angelica slaps him when he explains. Thomas is extremely perturbed, and Paige seems fascinated. Luckily, the trio has enough decency to have kept mum about what they saw. Paige demands to see his bonding mark as payment for holding her silence, and John has to endure being prodded by his fellow doctor in one of the back rooms for several minutes. She also takes some of his vitals, which makes him want to curl in on himself in shame. They're all normal, of course. Guides aren't exactly the most visible sorts. That had played well for John through his life.

When he heads out, he's handed his lab coat and stethoscope in, and he's wearing his standard black jacket, leather patches dotting it. The cane is curled in one hand. The sting has gone out of his cheek, but it's still pink where Angelica's nails had left their mark. John clears his throat as he moves to just stand next to Gladio. "They've said they won't tell anyone about what happened. I texted my sister, as well. She... knows about me. Said she'll stick to the late bloomer story if anyone comes to ask her about me."

Edited 2017-04-01 03:10 (UTC)

There's already so much completely unstandard about them that they can just keep throwing things on the pile.

After getting his clothing back on, feeling a faint flare of pain as he put his arm over his head, Gladio waits out front, sitting on the steps, looking imposing. The wait isn't an easy one; he wants to know what's going on inside and there's still the deep driving urge to be with his Guide while the bond is so new, but he can focus now. The Guide... his Guide... has done his job.

How where they going to handle this? There's a guilt spreading in his chest, a feeling he's rare to feel and it only pisses him off to feel. There's no stopping that connection once it's started but... damn it.

He looks up at the sound of John's throat clear, frowning slightly at the comment about his sister. Right now, if John says she's trust worthy, then... well. He'll have to trust that. He goes to say something more when he recognizes the car coming up - Iggy's gotten damn good at driving on the wrong side of the road - and gives a quick wave to catch his friend's attention before looking to John.

"...I don't know what's going to happen after this point," he says quietly, seriously, "but regardless, I'm going to make sure you're okay, no matter what." Even if it's new, even if it's going to possibly make things very difficult, there's a duty he has to the man he's bonded with and he'll make sure that's done and done right.

There's an impulse to reach out and squeeze Gladio's shoulder in reassurance, but with the stranger in the car watching them, he just stays where he is, taking up a military at-ease stance and nodding politely when Iggy looks his way.

"You don't need to worry. I can manage. Have done for a few years more than you've been around." It's a gentle reminder, but a reminder, nonetheless. There's still the matter of boundaries to establish with someone he barely knows. For now, John knows that he likes Gladio, that the man is loyal and trustworthy enough to serve a prince, that he knows well enough to call for back-up when he's in over his head, and that he has a very high pain tolerance.

"Who's that, then?" It's not Noct. John knows that well enough.

"Ignis Scientia," Gladio keeps his voice low as he stands up with a grunt. "Advisor and a good fighter and a better cook."

And, as it proves to be, a very intelligent man. He comes up to the pair of them and looks Gladio over, then the stranger beside him, giving a slight nod in return before focusing on the one he knows. "How bad is it?"

"..." Gladio's lips thin and after a moment, "meet my Guide."

There's a momentary widening of green eyes behind sharp glasses, then they narrow and refocus on John. He gives the man a once over, the kind of gaze that can dissect someone in an instant. "Ah." A very knowing sound. "How many?"

"Three. They're inside."

Ignis nods and with that, ventures inside. Gladio ends up sighing, not looking at all happy. "Car. I'm going to get chewed out so I'll make sure to let him know we're stopping somewhere first."

Being introduced as someone's Guide is... a strange sort of thrill. It's nothing John's ever really wanted, but he'd be lying to himself if he didn't say it felt good. Of course Ignis' once over is about like being non-verbally sandblasted and assessed for clues. John endures it, staring impassively at the other man. He's suffered worse scrutiny in Afghanistan, and even during basic training.

"Well, seems like a bloke who'll get things done before laying in, at least." There's that to be said for him. "He's not gonna... threaten them or anything if they refuse to take the money he brought, is he?" Because that's something John won't tolerate. He'll march right back into that clinic after Ignis and drag him out, himself, if he thinks he's going to pull that crap.

The Guide glances back toward the door, but does move to the car, sliding into the back seat.

"No." At least that he can safely say, do a little soothing of his own. "He'll get creative if they won't personally take the money. I bet that clinic is going to get the highest donation it's seen in years." He flashes a half-smile towards John with that, knowing the doctor had seemed intelligent enough so far to get it, before he also gets into the car. Nearly on the driver's side - he's used to American cars, forgive him - then into the passenger side. Why will be quickly obvious as he adjusts the seat back as far as it'll go, grumbling about tiny English cars.

The door gets shut, a pause of silence, before Gladio rumbles, "...I'm sorry." An apology is a very rare thing out of him but in this case, the things he's done are worse than the norm. He might not have had much control and he hates that. He's worked damn hard over the years to perfect how much control he does have as a Sentinel... gone in a flash.

That's all right then. John quirks his own lips when Gladio smiles at him. It's going to take time to figure out the dynamic and personalities of the new people being thrown into his life because of this. The doctor is fairly quick on the uptake, though. That's not just his nature as a Guide, either. He'd been a keen listener and reader of body language well before his Awakening. He'd had to be to figure things out at home. Mum and Dad worked too much to pay much attention, and Harry was never going to be the responsible one.

At the apology, John does finally sit forward and rest his hand on Gladio's shoulder. "Hey, I'll complain about it, but that's on me as much as you. Should've told them to send you to Paige--Dr. Khan--when they told me you were a Sentinel. Could've zoned you out and gotten away, too." Probably. His head had been a mess once the pheromones were filling the room. "And, well, I'm more keen to blame biology. Bloody inconvenient finding someone who drives you mad in a random London clinic room. Sorry I'm not..." Young? Handsome? A standard Guide? Appropriate for those in the service of royalty? "What you might have expected."

That reminded him. Gladio turned in his seat, looking at the doctor with an odd expression on his face. That wasn't going to do, if this was going to work out. "You're not," he said bluntly, "but I didn't think I was going to get a Guide by nature. You're a hell of a step up from being forced to Bind with someone, so you can start there. I doubt I'm what you expected any more." The corner of his mouth lifts, briefly.

"But... damn are you strong." That tone in his voice? He had been, still is, impressed. "I've had to deal with a lot of Guides in the past but they can't do half of what you do unless they're Bound."

There's a part of his pride that his Guide would be a powerful one. He's already seen that now in John a few times just in the short time since they've met and good. That's how it should be.

They're compliments he's heard before, and they make John flush with pleasure coming from Gladio. Or they're words he's heard before. Sometimes as compliments, sometimes as irritated comments from the Sentinels in his unit who resented a Guide who could match them, but whom they couldn't actually have. The resentment had never carried very far or very long--everyone knew it was better to have that skill than not--but there had been grumbles. Particularly from the more aggressive ones. John had been a captain, though. That lent its own credibility, even beyond his abilities as a Guide.

"Yeah, I, uh... never really expected to be Bound." He'd rather been hoping it. Into the mid-30s and no match? Surely that had to be home free! Surely. Reality has a way of knocking a man down a few pegs when he gets over confident, of course.

The Bond is still new and heavy between them, and John can't help raising his hand to brush along the underside of the Sentinel's jaw. His ears are tuned, listening for Ignis' return so that he can pull away, but for now he'll indulge.

"You're not so bad, as far as unexpected goes. I like your sword." That's not actually a euphemism in this case. "I was guns and short swords over in Afghanistan, but a couple of the blokes in my unit had ones like it." Enjoy that new tidbit of information, new Sentinel.

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