Work Text:
The stalls of the Sharlayan market were far more often stuffed with foreign volumes than much of edible substance, but on occasion, the grocery market did have some delighting varieties of snacks and crates of choice items for the smallfolk and servants to peruse. It was here that G'raha found himself, led by his nose to the center of a foodstall selling, for merely a few days, delicious skewers from the Eorzean continent. He looked over the provided menu, already salivating for every flavor.
"Which one should I go for first…?" G'raha murmured. Erenville, beside him, put a hand on his shoulder.
"It will be here tomorrow, as well, will it not? Besides, it's not like you're starving," he said.
"But they look so good," G'raha said. "Wouldn't you like one, too?"
"You just bought an expensive world map! What are your finances looking like to spend more money on treats?" Erenville asked. "Not to mention, we came here for actual groceries."
That much was true, and wiht G'raha unable to foist his financial dependency on the mercy of Tataru, he was at a loss on how to respond to that.
"Right. We do need to get the shopping done first…" But he kept looking at everything that was already cooking. Erenville sighed and pushed him along.
"If there's enough in the budget after, we can get something to eat."
G'raha looked Erenville over, then smiled. "Alright. After, then."
They did succeed in getting their groceries, for close to the price they expected. G'raha managed to haggle down a few coins, but in the end, it wasn't enough for a skewer each. He pouted a little from afar, wondering how much of his own money he could spend on something tasty to eat…
"Raha," Erenville intoned. G'raha put his hands up.
"Fear not! I don't believe I've enough at this moment to do much, regardless." He decided he would need to take at least a few extra commissions for the Students, or else find a part-time job somewhere. How hard could it be to wait tables?
Erenville regarded G'raha for a moment, almost impressed that the cool and collected side he seemed to wear like a mask at times could actually be financially useful. Then he realized the man's tail had gone still and tutted. A sad G'raha, he could handle. A disappointed G'raha got mopey to the nines and Erenville was not having it.
"Come on. I've got plenty of money to spare."
G'raha perked up, concern well overtaking any joy that that sentence might have brought. "Are you sure? I'd hate to put you out."
"Don't worry about it. You only get one, though, so make it count."
Thus did G'raha's choosiness and deliberations begin anew, his eyes flicking over the choices until he chose one that was a mix of most of the available ingredients. Erenville made his own choice on skewer and paid for them both, then wandered back to the Annex.
"You're always looking for treats and fun little things. It'd be cuter if it wasn't such a hit to the wallet," Erenville told him. G'raha smiled sheepishly.
"I often eschewed such things when I was younger, wholly dedicated to—" he laughed, evidently embarrassed by what would come next— "to becoming a hero, or a martyr, or something else so grand. Snacks and fun hardly mattered compared to that. I was at the top of my field, the best of the best among Allagan researchers, and for what? In the end, the number of slices of cake I consumed had no bearing on my destiny. The sunbeam naps I sought to avoid would not have stolen any time from me. I lived my entire life in pursuit of a higher purpose… and now I do wish to. So I shall snack and nap my days away around the phenomenal amounts of paperwork which I did not realize Galuf took care of so diligently!"
Erenville smiled, bright teeth showing. G'raha leaned in and kissed his cheek, then floated back to the ground.
"Even to the improper use of magic?" Erenville asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Stop being so tall and inducing me to do so," G'raha teased, earning a snicker. In response, Erenville leaned in for a kiss, then stood on his toes when G'raha went to chase his receding lips, waddling back carefully along the street with a laugh. Once he'd had his fun, they took to holding hands and meandering, groceries secure between them.
"I didn't realize you had such deep reasoning for treating yourself," Erenville mused. G'raha tilted his head in acknowledgement.
"It's new for me, too. You know…" G'raha squeezed Erenville's hand. "You won't be young forever. If there's something you want and you know you can get it, why not go for it?"
"What if that would kill someone?" Erenville countered.
"Therein lies the nuance." G'raha shrugged and grinned. "There may be times when you ought to go without for the sake of someone else's survival. That you are aware of these times means you may well use your best judgment to spare both yourself and someone else from death."
"You speak like you know from experience," Erenville replied.
"I do." His eyes were sad for a moment. Then the past was buried and G'raha trotted along. Erenville cursed himself for stepping on a landmine before catching up and keeping their hands together. He squeezed and got a squeeze back.
"A dozen treats a day seems a little excessive," he deadpanned.