AN: I feel so happy to have reached the point where things are heading uphill. I owe Prompto so much love, for all of Tool so far. His Redemption Road is wide open.
The song for this chapter is Rodney Atkins's "If You're Going Through Hell". I've marked where to start listening again. ^^
Beta read by Elillierose and Bagpipes5K2. Thank you so much, guys. You've given me so much motivation to finally finish Tool, and your suggestions have been direly needed. You guys rock!
Chapter 4
As expected, Wiz wasn't too thrilled about the news. The young man snorted inwardly at the light, yet clearly, disappointed crease that had formed on the farmer's forehead, but the blond steeled himself to see this through. He hadn't meant to upset him, he had honestly forgotten. "So, yeah…" hung in the air.
Wiz didn't say anything for a moment, just nodded slowly, "Well, if ya must go, then ya must go." Then, his face softened, "They yar friends, after all. The drudgery around here ain't running from ya." Prompto's eyes lit up.
"Thanks, Wiz."
"Hehe. Don't thank me, kid. Believe it or not, but I was young once, too, ya know. I wanted to meet up with my pals for a few as well." The kid let out a stifled little laughter, and winked.
"Yeah? When was this, a couple eons ago?"
"Musta been before ya were even a hopeful glimmer in ya papa's eyes, kid," Wiz chuckled, but his smile faded a little as he misinterpreted the suddenly awkward look that had come onto the blond's face. Had he said something wrong? Now that he thought about it, the kid had never talked about his parents. Perhaps the memories weren't that fond. Sighing, the older crossed his arms loosely over his chest, and when he next spoke, it was with apologetic reassurance, "I'll manage with the birds, dontcha worry about that. Now that the water pump works again, all should be fine." He held a small pause, waiting for the blue pair to meet his again. "Go ahead and take the load off for a while, kid. How long do ya need?"
Prompto had drifted into his memories a little. Those words…would there ever be a day thinking about his origins, the true origins, wouldn't rile him up? The sudden silence, the expectant air offered him a subtle clue that Wiz was waiting for an answer. Looking a little taken aback, the sky eyes flicked on and off the man a little, noting the newly-formed frown, this time questioning and…concerned…wondering if everything was alright… A small sound of undecidedness, Prompto stammered a little, "Uhm, a-a couple days should be fine. I, uh, I kinda thought about swinging by Caem, too, now that I'm at it…"
The greyed eyebrows rose a little, then came down with the understanding, and Wiz's smile held warmth again as he nodded. "By all means, kid. I get it that it's important to ya."
Looking sheepish, Prompto simply cracked a little embarrassed smile. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."
"Well. I take it that ya need the truck?"
"If…it's not too much trouble. I'd love to take a bird, but-"
"But it's faster by a car. Of course, ya can."
"Thank you." The old man was about to hush him already, to end the fuss over a relatively small matter, but the way Prompto looked at him then, that gaze shut him up. The look in the sky eyes, it was earnest, it was grateful. But, there was something else in in that look, too. Something fragile that spoke of a meaning that went beyond the words uttered. "No, I mean it. Thanks, Wiz." And the old farmer only noticed that his mouth hung agape a little when he snapped it shut, that captivating gratitude in the other's demeanor had mesmerized him for a moment.
"What're ya talkin' about?" the farmer muttered, breaking the eye contact as a warm shade crept onto his face. "Now, what're ya doin' here, kid? The hay bales ain't gonna stack themselves," he chuckled, embarrassed, but obviously pleased, and Prompto didn't have the heart to keep abashing him. Cracking a small smile and a 'Right', the blond turned on his heel as he headed back out, stretching a little as he went, pretending he didn't hear the amused little snort and quiet shuffling of farm fabrics he left behind.
The next morning, Prompto woke up early. He had slept, soundly, but when the alarm of his phone went off, the blond almost shot up from the bed. Just because he was given a day off didn't mean he was going to slack off on all the chores. Yawning lightly, the gunner got dressed and was out of the trailer in a matter of minutes. The nippy morning air whisked off the last of his sleep as the chill humidity gave him the goosebumps. Shivering, he hugged himself tightly as he skipped across the yard toward the bird shelters.
"Morning, guys," he called out to the animals as he clicked the lights on, and started gathering the greens and hay. The birds eyed his hassling curiously, cawing a little confusedly, as if they were asking him, 'wasn't it just a bit too early for this?' Prompto gave out a little laughter as one of the adults, the male, tilted his head at him questioningly. Pausing to pet him, the blond murmured, "I know, buddy. It's too early for me, too." He went to hand out the food, making sure all the birds got to eat, before stopping by at the trailer to pick up a change of clothes and his shower essentials, and headed to the mainhouse.
The scent of freshly cooked breakfast nearly carried him down the stairs to the kitchen when he was done with the shower and had changed. Wiz was making the usual eggs, but it was the still steaming loaf of bread that had the blond's lips curl up at the edges. Wiz's seed bread was the best! No offense to Ignis, but even he couldn't make better. Coughing a little to let his presence known, Prompto stepped closer just as the older man spun around to greet him.
"Mornin'," the blond jerked his head as a greeting before sitting down to his usual seat on the table. "Oh, and the birds are fed. You don't hafta worry about it."
"Really?" he sounded impressed. "Well, thank ya kindly. Sounds like you've got up early then."
"Yeah, kinda," Prompto shrugged, this time with a cheeky smile on his face, one that had Wiz's eyebrow rise curiously. "You know what they say. Early rise, early head start, or how was it again." The old man laughed heartily.
"Whatever ya say, kid."
They ate languidly, chatting lightly about Prompto's trip and that he'd better make sure to tell the big guy and the missus that Wiz sends his greetings. When they were done, Prompto was about to gather his plate, but the farmer motioned for him to leave it. Saying that he'd take care of it and that Prompto should hurry up and get to packing, he ushered him out. Scratching the back of his neck a little, the blond thanked Wiz for the food, but allowed himself to be shooed away as Wiz gestured for him to just go.
Back in the trailer, he fished out his duffel bag and started gathering what he needed. That's when his eyes drifted towards the kitchen, and the fridge. The photos on the fridge, to be exact, and he sighed deeply, all movement ceasing. The duffel bag dropped onto the bed as he almost slouched into the kitchen. His gaze locked onto the one in particular, Prompto fought a war inside, his fingers tracing the edge of the picture. It didn't belong there. Much as he treasured it, it wasn't his to keep. His hand hovered over it, hesitantly, before the man snorted, his teeth gritting, and snatched the picture off the door, the force of it sending the small magnet flying, but he didn't care. As he looked at their smiling, carefree, smug looks on the paper, the blond felt loss. Indescribable, bottomless loss. He was looking at a world that didn't exist anymore, at people that had gone and passed. All he wanted was to have all that back. He would do anything, would give anything, if only it would bring those days back again. But all the wanting in the world wouldn't bring any of it back, never again, and letting go of the memory equaled admitting it, it was like abandoning the hope. But - Prompto forced his eyes away, fingers gripping so tightly he almost wrinkled the picture - he had promised. All those months ago, he had promised. This time, he would see it through. Forcing his legs to move, he went back to his discarded duffel bag, stuffed the photo into one of the side pockets, and quickly pulled the zipper closed, almost like he was afraid that he might change his mind if he didn't. He didn't touch the side pocket again, barely even looked at it.
A few more things, and the blond deemed himself ready to go. Checking that he had everything, he pulled the trailer door closed behind him.
Prompto didn't know why it surprised him that Wiz was out seeing him off, but the young man's heart leaped as he noted the form leaning against the truck. It wasn't an uncomfortable leap, though. Just, he didn't know how to respond to that. Wiz, he...the whole scene, it reminded him of something. Wiz, he felt like a...a parent...or at least, what Prompto had seen as his last memory of Insomnia. King Regis, seeing his son off…
He took a deep breath through nose to chase those thoughts away as he stepped closer. Wiz pushed himself off the vehicle to give him room to get in; the older man patted the hood lightly as the blond pulled the door closed and ran the ignition. "Well. Safe ways, kid."
"Thanks," Prompto grinned, a bit fazed by the situation, but he tried his best not to show it. He appreciated this, dearly. He just...didn't know what to do, how he should deal with this. His parents hadn't seen him off even when he left for the road trip.
"And ya be sure to tell 'em that I said 'hi'."
"I will. Uhm, well, take care, Wiz. See ya later."
"Bye, Prompto. Take care." And at that, Wiz stepped back, watching as the blond pulled into motion, and he kept his gaze on the distancing vehicle until it swerved behind a curve and disappeared.
(Please click on the song here.)
Prompto hummed to himself, breaking into singing lowly where he could remember the lyrics. A melody from his teenager years, one that used to play on the radio for months at a time. It had been one of his favorites. The young man sighed through his nose. There hadn't been entertainment radio since the darkness came. All the radio equipment had been reserved for emergency communication at the time, and even now, there were things far more important than entertainment. Survival came first still. Aid was the essential; no-one had time for leisure. Music had returned from the radio waves to camp sites and bonfires. And to memories. To moments like these.
Restless fingers tapped the steering wheel, along with the light sways of his head. Prompto leaned his elbow onto the window sill, steering with just one hand as the landscapes swam by him in increasing pace. Tall trees, with an occasional opening where the mosses and bushes had taken over. Where the treeline gave way to the view, in the distance, he could see the massive arcs of stone standing against the skyline like a monument. And, in a way, the meteor site was one, right? Not man-made, but one nonetheless, and it was the natural roughness of it that made it all the more appealing to Prompto. He had been fascinated when he had first seen the breathtaking sight, and it never ceased to amaze him still, no matter how many times he saw it. Gladio had picked a nice place to live, he had to give the big guy that. A nice place, and a nice somebody to share it with. He sighed, a sad smile rising onto his face; he shook his head a little as a memory resurfaced.
"Gladdy, stop! You're embarrassing me!" a bright, fond female voice laughed, the sound of it lacking the bite of her words.
"It's your own damn fault for being so cute," the said man growled back at her, teasingly as he nuzzled her neck, making the woman squirm and giggle with the tickles.
"Sta-ah-ph!"
"And what will ya do if I won't?"
"Guys, get a room!" Chuckling to himself, Prompto rolled his eyes at the couple's antics. He didn't mind, though, not really. Frankly, it was pretty amusing, to see the shield like this. Playful, with his act dropped, completely honest with the woman he held in his arms. It wasn't the Gladio he had gotten used to, but it seemed like it was the Gladio he had always held inside, and Prompto understood that this side of the man would be never presented to him. Suddenly, it felt like he was intruding. Looking at something that wasn't meant for him to see.
It was the humored chuckle next to him that drew his attention, though. Ignis sat on the camping stool, his head tilted in a way from which Prompto knew that the man was listening. There was a soft, sympathetic smile on the man's lips, like he was recalling something from ways back: a fondness he hadn't felt for a long, long time. "Gladio seems to be in high spirits, doesn't he?" the adviser asked, directing his question to the blond, somehow knowing exactly where the other was. A bit taken aback, Prompto glanced at the cuddling couple before returning to the brunet,
"Like a kid in a candy store. In fact, I think I'm getting diabetes here real soon."
"This Miss Mirina seems like an enjoyable character."
"Yeah, she's great," Prompto made sure to sound enthusiastic. He meant it; the woman, Mirina, whom the shield had introduced to be the mystery girlfriend the men had only heard so much about until tonight - Prompto really did like her. She was cute, although she surely had some mouth to her. Reminded him of Iris a bit, to be fair, but Mirina was sassier, not to mention the age difference, too. And she seemed to make Gladio open up a bit more. The way he looked at her, it was special. It was warm and treasuring, and Prompto understood that he was looking at the shield in love.
'Love makes us act like we are fools.' That had never rang more true to the blond than it did as he now gazed mischievously at the couple as they came to sit with them, holding hands and both smiling.
Unbeknownst to him, Gladio had just handed him the most powerful weapon of all time.
Prompto would never let the shield live this down as long as he breathed.
The sun had crept closer to the midday mark, the sunlight now above him instead of in his eyes, and Prompto glanced at the clock, the smile widening into a more satisfied one: he would be well on time. The forested areas of the slowly descending meteor basin were shifting into the grassy plains of the southern side, and the temperature in the car was rising, even with the window rolled down. The bright sun made the vehicle into a miniature greenhouse, and soon had the driver's face gleaming with a light sheen of sweat.
A breeze greeted him, throwing his hair over his eyes a little, and Prompto blinked as he thought he recognized a pleasant aroma in the wind. Did he just imagine it, or did the air smell of the sea? This far inland, it was impossible. Shaking his hair out of his eyes, the blond sniffed a little more, but couldn't pick the scent up anymore. His brows drew a little closer together; funny, he could have sworn he had felt it just now. He tried again, but nothing. Shrugging the feeling off, he turned his attention back to the road. Prompto only barely noticed that the treeline was left behind him, replaced by the lower growth of the Cauthess plains.
"Prompto!" Mirina was beaming when she opened the door, immediately extending her arms for a hug.
"Hey, Mir," the blond returned the gesture. "How's it going?"
"Well, you know…" she shrugged, gesturing towards her clearly protruding stomach a little. "But heavens! Where're my manners? Come in! Gladio's been looking forward to seeing you so much!"
"He has?" Prompto's eyebrows rose a little. "Really?"
"What do you mean, 'really'?" she mimicked his tone. "Gladdy's been on and on about you for days. C'mon." Turning to talk to someone further inside the farmhouse, she called, "Gladdy! Prompto's here."
After a moment, the telltale thumping of heavy steps came closer, and from the basement door emerged a shirtless Gladiolus, wiping his hands onto an oil-stained rag. As the former shield's eyes landed onto the blond, the man's entire demeanor seemed to lighten up. Prompto offered him a toothy grin, "Yo."
"Prompto!" The men hugged briefly before the host pulled away, giving the other a quick once-over. "You've lost weight."
"Have I?"
"All skin and bone. Add a dark wig, and you'd pass for my sister," he teased.
"Ha-ha. Hilarious," the blond snorted, then got more serious. "What're you workin' on?"
The shield sighed through his nose. "Truthfully, I was fixin' the boiler. The damn piece of junk won't keep the water hot. You mind givin' me a hand with that? You were always better at this sorta stuff."
"Sure!" Prompto nodded, then smirked, "You gonna put a shirt on, big guy?"
"What's the matter?" the shield called his game. "This too hot for you?"
Not fazed, Prompto just scoffed, "I thought you're a married man."
"He sure is," Mirina reappeared behind her husband, and pecking a quick kiss onto his cheek, she pushed a ball of cotton into the man's hand. "Put a shirt on."
"You're in this with him, aren't ya?" Gladio chuckled as he pulled on the fabric, conveniently missing the wink Mirina gave the other.
"You boys play nice now, will ya?" she fixed Gladiolus with a meaningful look before turning back to Prompto. "You wanna drink?"
"I'm good," he declined with a small shake of his head, then crossed his arms at the brute, "So, whatcha say was the matter again?"
All it took to fix the boiler was a few spare parts and a couple of adjustments, an easy-peasy when you knew what you were doing. After cleaning themselves up a little, the men sat around a garden table, sipping their beers.
"So, how've you been?" Gladio asked, the amber eyes narrowing a little at the subtle, yet there, flinching of the other.
"Pretty good." Aiming for casual, only coming out as downhearted and dubious. The shield's brows furrowed, so Prompto hastily added, "Wiz offered me to take over the ranch after him. So, there's that. Oh, and he says 'hi', by the way."
"That's...great news. Congrats," Gladio gave a little salute with his bottle, one that the blond returned, although a bit haphazardly. The dark man took a gulp, letting out a held breath before, "But that's not what I'm askin', though, and you know it."
Prompto averted his eyes, knowing exactly what the other was on about, and frankly, he had feared that this would go to this at some point. He just hadn't expected it to be quite this soon. "I'm fine," he insisted stubbornly.
"Sure doesn't look like it to me," his tone held concern, not scolding, and Prompto sighed deep. He couldn't deny it, not exactly. How had he been? Like shit. And he had been busted about it, too, the look on Gladio's face was enough to tell. Prompto said nothing as he turned to look away, hearing the low sigh that carried the undertone of a grunt, "Prompto…"
"I know."
"What's going on?"
Prompto's throat clenched, a soft sound of hesitance slipping out. Feeling like he was an accused on trial, the blond avoided the amber eyes, all the while knowing that they saw right through him still. He sighed, his chin dropping. "I...I had that dream again," he eventually admitted as it became all too obvious Gladio wasn't going to let him get away with it. "It's been almost a year."
Understanding without being told what it was that had the younger man so upset, the shield leaned back into his seat, averting his eyes. Neither of them said anything for a while; Prompto's breath hitched a little at the recollection, Gladio looked like he was looking for the right words. What he came to choose was:
"You still thinkin' about it?" Gulping quietly, the other simply nodded. "Prompto...it's been eleven months."
"I know."
"We've been over this, you need to move on."
"I know!" the sky eyes snapped back at him, glaring a little, then, "Sorry."
The older man didn't seem bothered, though. Instead, he looked eerily relaxed, holding the beer on his lap as he gazed into the distance. "Don't be. But you need to stop living in the past, Prom. You need to let go of him."
"I don't want to," the blond hissed bitterly. It was the pain speaking now, robbing him of reason as the loss tore at his heart again, merciless and undulled.
"Noct's dead, Prom. You're not."
"And you think that's fair?!" Prompto tried not to snap as the words burned on his tongue. So long had he wanted to speak them. So long had he waited for justice. He was done waiting.
Gladio looked a bit taken aback at the reaction; as he gazed into those ocean pools, now blazing and vivid like two furnaces, for the first time, the former shield really saw the anger, the sorrow that the younger had held inside, harbored for so long. He let out a breath through his nose. "It was his destiny, Prompto. There was nothing we could do. Noct did his duty, and so did you. So did all of us. All we can do now is carry on." The blond's teeth had sunk into his lip as he tried to keep it from trembling. Shaking his head a little, Prompto turned his eyes to the sky, as if it would hold the answer. "Look. I get it that it's tough, but ya need to let go of it. You've got things to live for. Ya have your whole life ahead of ya. Didn't you just say that Wiz wants you to take over the ranch for him? There's a goal for ya. You've got a future."
Faint tear tracks had run down the younger man's cheeks as the shield kept talking. Letting out a shaky breath, he sniffled a little. "I know," Prompto almost whispered. "I'm tryin'."
At a loss for words, Gladio let out another breath as he backed down a bit. Allowing Prompto some space, he averted his eyes again and didn't say anything more for a while. Then, "I miss him, too, you know. Hell, like damn. But some things ya...ya just have to deal with."
"So, you too…?"
"Um-hm," the other grunted, then took a healthy sip of his bottle. "Used to beat myself over it. Thought that I should've done better. Been better. Damn good any of that ever did to me."
Prompto didn't say anything, just listened. Heat crept up his face and ears as he recognized himself in the other's lament, and stole a sideways glance at the man. Gladio. The King's unbreakable shield. Gladio had been through so much, and had pulled it off. He was strong. He was sturdy. He kept going. Prompto admired him for it. He admired him for a lot of reasons. He had gotten over it, had built himself a life, a family. He had a future. He would have wanted to be like the man next to him, a survivor. Instead, he felt like nothing. A waste of space and life, clinging onto his own weakness because he feared of failing should he try to break free from it.
"There was nothing we could have done, Prompto."
"I know."
"I know you do. Just, try to focus on other stuff than that," the dark man offered, a hint of apology in his tone.
"Thanks, Gladdy. I'll, I'll try," the gunner said, his voice weak, but at least the shield had meant it kindly. Offering him what he hoped to be an encouraging smile, Gladiolus thought it best to change the topic,
"So, you...wanna hit a hunt in the morning?"
"I, uh…" the blond averted his eyes again, a hand finding the back of his neck a bit nervously. "I thought about swinging by Caem…"
"Uh, Prompto…!" Gladio rolled his eyes.
"I wanna go, alright?!"
Snorting, the older man simply shrugged. "Alright. Just…" it was left hanging in the air as words failed the man. The unvoiced wish shared between them, Prompto simply nodded, knowing what the man had wanted to say.
"I know. Thanks."
"Just, take care of yarself, kid."
"Oi! I'm not a kid anymore."
"You are if you keep acting like one," the other smirked, patting the younger man friendly on his shoulder, a gesture Prompto playfully pushed aside. "C'mon, champ. I'm pretty sure that's the roast coming outta oven that I smell." With a small gesture, he lead them both back inside.
They ate with a good appetite, the small party chatting and having a good time. Mirina wanted to hear all about the chocobo ranch, practically drowning the blond in congratulations on his offered post. And at some point, when they had finished the dinner and sat comfortably, talking, the couple eventually dropped Prompto the bomb. The baby was due in about four months. And they wanted Prompto to be the child's godfather. Dumbstruck, nearly to the point of dropping his drink, the gunner could simply gawk at the two of them, then sputter incredulously, that of course, yes, of course, he'd be honored to be a godfather, absolutely! Overwhelmed, Prompto felt his heart leap, warmly, happily, as his gaze went between the two of them, their smiling faces, grateful, happy, and he found himself smiling, too. Honestly; not the practiced smile he offered for facade. This one came from within, a true expression of feeling and...Prompto found himself wanting to hold onto that.
The rest of the night was spent in much the same manner, the three of them enjoying themselves, drinking and laughing until late into the night. As the next morning came, Prompto left them with his very fond farewells, and, before the sun had reached its summit, headed south.
