AN: I wrote and recorded song based off of Prompto's chocobo diddy in the game: the URLs are below, the song pairs well with this fic I wrote!
SoundCloud: /user-630401211/ride-promptos-chocobo-song
YouTube: /watch?v=JSWXzTBp8Bg
Prompto ran through the halls frantically. Every turn he made just lead to another long hallway. He was trapped. The thought of leaving this building seemed impossible. He'd lost count of how many hallways he'd gone through and had no concept of how much time had passed.
But he wasn't going to cry. Not for being lost inside a building, no matter how infuriating it was. He wanted to cry but he wasn't going to.
"I feel like I'm just running inside a square," he thought out loud.
He stopped running to catch his breath. He looked left to right and realized that both sides looked the same. In fact, these hallways have been completely empty save for the light fixtures. They were a dingy cement color with murky green floors. Nothing about them was appealing.
"Oh wait," he looked left to right, "which way did I come from?"
He looked back over to his left thinking it would incite his memory. After nothing hit him he decided to just go right. He figured if he ended up backtracking maybe he'd make his way to the entrance.
Walking down the right hallway was the right choice. Instead of connecting to another hallway, it connected to a big open room. Against the far wall was a mirror. He walked closer to it but upon further inspection he realized the mirror was completely covered in dust. Or something? He couldn't see his reflection at all. It was just a big blur in front of him. He stepped closer and tried to rub off whatever collected onto the glass but it wasn't dirty. The mirror itself was just extremely blurry.
"Prompto!"
Prompto woke up terrified. The booming voice came from outside the tent. He rubbed his eyes and made his way out.
"Wha-what's happening?" Prompto asked panicked.
The three men looked at their friend amused.
"Nothing, Prompto, you just overslept, which is usually my job," Noctis replied.
"Prompto, didn't you beg us to visit the chocobos today? I would think you'd be the first person up," Ignis added.
Prompto laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Right, I guess I just haven't had deep sleep in a while, I was having the most vivid dream."
Ignis wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin, "That's not good, are you not sleeping well normally?"
Prompto shook his head, "I don't know, I guess I've just had a lot on my mind lately."
"Like what?" Gladio chimed in.
Prompto looked away nervously, "Oh, nothing really."
"It's obviously something, Prompto," Noctis said as he took a bite of his food.
"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it right now, if that's okay with you guys," Prompto looked down as if ashamed.
The other three men kept silent for a moment before deciding to let it go and finish up their breakfast. It didn't take long for Prompto to catch up. When he finished, the rest were all packed up and ready to head to Wiz Chocobo Post.
Prompto kept to himself even before they arrived but no one wanted to say anything just yet. Noctis went straight to the chocobos while Ignis walked over to the small outdoor dining table. Gladio slowed his walk to keep a small distance between him and Prompto, unbeknownst to the blonde.
"Prompto."
"Gladio."
Prompto answered back without looking at him. He gazed forward walking slightly faster. Gladio noticed and sped up a little bit, too.
"Prompto."
"Gladio."
The scene repeated at a quicker pace than the last. Then silence. The sound of their feet crunching the dirt and grass started to get louder as they both hastened their paces. When Prompto reached the stables, he leaned over onto the fence gate and sighed, "You're gonna make me talk aren't you? About my dream."
Gladio caught up and stood next to him watching the chocobos, "No. I was going to ask if you wanted to ride on the chocobos."
"Oh," Prompto laughed and scratched the back of his neck, "well, of course! We didn't travel this way to not ride them."
"Don't be a smartass."
"Ouch," Prompto winced but smiled nonetheless.
Gladio leaned forward onto the fence, "Why are you being so awkward?"
Prompto looked at him confused, "Why are you being so awkward?"
Gladio smirked, "I didn't think I was."
"Well, I didn't think I was," Prompto retorted.
"Hmph," was Gladio's reply, "stay here."
Once Gladio walked away, Prompto let out another sigh. He was happy to have the moment to himself. The wind hit his shoulders gently. The smell of the chocobo feed, among other things, wafted in and out of his nose. Before he knew it, he was slapped in the back, albeit gently.
"Whoa, what the?"
He turned to find Noctis.
"Out of luck, there's only one chocobo to rent at the moment. We'll have to wait," Noctis said casually.
"Aww, man, I was really looking forward to jumping on one right now!"
Prompto kicked the dirt and shoved his hands into his pocket.
"You won't have to wait long," Gladio interjected out of nowhere, "I rented it for us."
"What?" asked both Noctis and Prompto.
Prompto continued, "What do you mean for us?"
"You're riding behind me," Gladio ended.
Noctis looked at Gladio approvingly before checking on Prompto. The other boy started to sweat at the idea and he swore his cheeks were red.
Noctis cleared his throat, "Something wrong, Prompto?"
Prompto shook his head, "N-no, no. Nothing's wrong, but I-I-I think I'll just wait till we all can ride together! It'll be more fun that way!" He laughed nervously.
Gladio bit his tongue to hide the oncoming smile, "Don't waste my money."
Noctis did a worse job at hiding his smile, "Yeah, Prompto, don't waste his money."
"B-b-bu-but Gladio is so big, there won't be much room for me."
"You don't have to flatter me, a simple thank you would suffice," with that he sent a wink Prompto's way.
Noctis bit his lip to stifle his laugh and patted Prompto on the shoulder, "You love chocobos. What is it that you keep singing? 'Wanna ride them all day?' I think Gladio's taking you up on that offer."
"Coming or not?" Gladio asked before stepping inside the fence. He grabbed onto the reigns of the chocobo and waited for Prompto.
"Time is money, Prompto," Ignis called from afar as he busied himself with his recipe book.
Prompto gulped and walked through the gate. He could practically hear Noctis grinning ear to ear. As he approached the chocobo, Gladio held out his hand. Prompto feigned irritation and latched onto it before being helped up onto the golden animal. Once he was seated, Gladio hopped up in front of him swinging his legs over the head of the chocobo. He held onto the reigns with one hand and used his free hand to guide Prompto's arms around his waist. Prompto couldn't get any redder.
"Not exactly what I had in mind," Prompto confessed.
"Exactly," Gladio replied, "get out of your head."
With that he lightly whipped the chocobo with the reigns and the pair galloped away.
Most of the ride was met with silence. Gladio was content steering the chocobo as Prompto created as much distance between the two as possible, given the circumstance. Occasionally, Gladio would look behind to make sure his companion hadn't fallen asleep. The more time they spent on the field riding, the happier Prompto seemed to get. He was enjoying himself, even if he was trying hard not to.
Gladio spoke up, "You don't have to tell me about your dream. It's none of my business."
The other boy blushed, "It's nothing really. It's just this weird recurring dream."
"Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something," Gladio offered.
"I guess."
They rode for hours, stopping every now and then to give their chocobo some water. When the sun began to set they decided to head back to the post. Gladio let Prompto take the reigns for the trip back home.
When they arrived back, Gladio made sure he was the first to hop off the chocobo. He gently pressed Prompto's shoulder to stop him from moving as he got himself off. When he steadied himself on the ground, he held his hand out again for Prompto to take. Prompto hesitated a moment before letting Gladio guide him down to the ground.
"We thought you two were gone for good," Noctis joked as he walked closer to the two.
"Yes, we started to lose hope of ever seeing you two," Ignis joined in.
Gladio smirked and Prompto scrunched his face in embarrassment. He hadn't noticed how much of the day had passed.
"Wow, time sure flies when you're riding chocobos," Prompto reminisced.
"How about you two join us over at that RV for some grub," Noctis suggested while walking away, arms behind his head.
Ignis shifted his glasses and followed Noctis.
"Thank you."
Prompto looked away from the tall man. Gladio smiled.
"It's nothing."
Prompto ran through the halls frantically. Every turn he made just lead to another long hallway. He was trapped. He'd lost count of how many hallways he'd gone through and had no concept of how much time had passed.
"I feel like I'm just running inside a square," he thought out loud.
He stopped running to catch his breath. He looked left to right and realized that both sides looked the same.
Walking down the right hallway was the right choice. Instead of connecting to another hallway, it connected to a big open room. Against the far wall was a mirror. He walked closer to it but upon further inspection he realized the mirror was completely covered in dust. Or something? He couldn't see his reflection at all. It was just a big blur in front of him. He stepped closer and tried to rub off whatever collected onto the glass but it wasn't dirty. The mirror itself was just extremely blurry.
"What's wrong with—" crack "—oops!"
He looked down to find his glasses. Except for being a little bent, the glasses were still good. He put them on and the mirror in front of him was no longer blurry, but it wasn't his reflection he was seeing. It was Gladio's. Prompto took a second before smiling back at him.