leave him for me

By: Strange and Intoxicating -rsa-

Author Notes: he drabble was based on the song "Leave Your Lover" by Sam Smith. I had never heard of it before, but it was really a pretty song.

leave him for me

Prompto looked up at him through the rain, shivering through the cold. He couldn't keep his beating heart at bay, the sound making even his teeth quake.

He was ridiculous. This was ridiculous…

But Prompto didn't know what to do, because this was Gladio, and it always had been Gladio, hadn't it? Ever since he had met the guy, watching him when Noctis dragged him to the training center to do a little practice. Or maybe it was the first time he showed up at the high school, wearing his baseball cap backwards, the outline of feathers barely traced upon his skin. Maybe it was even Noct's seventeenth birthday, where Gladio had held his hair back while he puked up stringy, filmy liquor and noodles.

Prompto wondered if Gladio remembered dancing with him at his graduation, because Prompto couldn't forget it. He couldn't forget the mouth on his, the tickle of lips brushing against his, of tongues and light touches and a thumb running down his cheek to push his chin up.

He wasn't sure when it had started, because it had kind of always been there. It hid in the background, stalking and waiting, but never coming out into the light.. except that once, just that once. He knew that Gladio knew, and Gladio knew he knew, and it always seemed that both wanted to say something but there was never a good time.

It was better for them that way. It was better for Nyx, too.

Nyx. Such a nice guy, and so much like Gladio. He could remember the way Gladio had shrugged his shoulders when explaining that he "maybe sort of kind of had a thing" going on. And that "maybe sort of kind of thing they had" became "yeah, we're kinda screwing around." Then, later, it became, "we've been thinking maybe like moving in together."

Moving in together.

There were only so many steps on the stairs, and Prompto was watching Gladio climb up the while he clung to the railing, trying to keep himself from going over. What was next? Marriage? Babies?

"Prom, what the hell are you doing out here?"

Prompto turned to look at Gladio. The other man had an umbrella in one hand, his workout bag thrown over his shoulder. He held out the umbrella over Prompto's head, the umbrella too small for the both of them. A sheen of water dripped down his exposed arm, and Prompto stared at it trickle down, not wanting to look up at Gladio's face.

"Dude, it's cold. You're gunna get yourself sick. Did you need a ride home?"

Prompto looked back at Gladio's truck. Oh. "Uh, no. I just—"

"I can give you a ride back, it isn't that far. I'll call Nyx and tell him I'll be home late." Gladio reached into his pocket for his phone, but Prompto leaned forward, under the umbrella, to grab the man's hand.

"No, no! Don't…. don't. It's okay. I'll walk home. I just…"

What could he say? He had been running the words over in his head for the last hour as he waited for Gladio to finish, and each one sounded more ridiculous than the last.

"What's wrong?"

Prompto let go of Gladio's arm ,crossing his arms in front of him, then quickly uncrossing them to shove into the pockets of his hoodie. "I just… It isn't a biggie. I shouldn't have come—"

Prompto went to turn, but Gladio's hand grabbed at his arm. His skin felt like fire, like untold promises.

"Prompto—"

"Leave him for me." The words bubbled up and out, over the top of the dam. It felt like freedom and despair, honesty and the cruelest thing he could have done.

He expected Gladio to pull away, for the disgust to bloom across his face. Who was he, just a scrawny and useless commoner. (And worse was the secret tattooed onto his skin, but Prompto couldn't think of that, not right now.)

But that wasn't what the other man did. Instead, Gladio let go of his wrist and lifted his hand to cradle the back of Prompto's neck, pulling him forward.

"Prom…"

Prompto pulled at the man's shirt, digging his fingers into the shirt. "I know I'm not as good as he is… but…" Prompto swallowed, feeling his throat fight against the words. "I just…. I wanted you to know… I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"Prompto…"

Gladio's hand was warm against his cheek. He ran his thumb down his wet skin, leaving a tingling sensation that made something in his belly curl up. How silly, how foolish, but in that moment….

The rain didn't matter.

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