Summary: Prompto and Noctis find an intruder in their motel room.
(Humour, Cute, Silly, Established Relationship)
A fountain of toothpaste sprayed from Noctis' mouth and onto the bathroom mirror at the sound of the shriek from the next room. The prince stared at his wide-eyed reflection through the white dots and dribbles of paste, and spit the rest into the sink before hurrying out into the bedroom of their motel room.
On the dingy bed across the room stood Prompto, who had himself pressed into the corner where the headboard met the wall, his body quivering slightly.
"What the hell?" Noctis asked, voice wary as he met his friend's equally perturbed gaze.
"Okay, so, you know how I hate bugs?" Prompto started, in a higher register than usual.
"Yeah..."
"Well, check out that monster!" Prompto pointed a shaking finger at the floor, just a few feet away from the bed. Noctis' gaze followed Prompto's directions until it found the suspect. His stomach squirmed at the sight.
The six-inch long, slimy, black insect had too many legs to count, each one a bent, fuzzy limb that made Noctis' skin crawl. Its extensive body wriggled unnaturally as it crossed the floor towards him, as if it had waves running sideways through its frame.
"Whoa!" Noctis panicked, arms jutting out to the sides, and knees bending slightly, ready to leap out of the way if need be.
"Kill it, dude! Kill it!" Prompto yelped, feet alternating as they popped up off the mattress in a little dance of terror.
"Hell, no! You know I can't stand them either!" Noctis grunted, then made a panicked noise as the giant insect looked like it was heading for his feet.
Noctis leapt sideways out of its path—Prompto let out a shrill laugh as he did—and scrambled toward the foot of the bed, clambering up onto it in seconds. Battling giant insects in the wilderness was one thing; taking on tiny creepy-crawlies in a closed space was a totally different situation.
"Noct, come on! You can't hide up here, too! Who's gonna get rid of it now?" Prompto whined.
"I'm thinking you can," Noctis smirked, stepping over the heaps of blankets to reach Prompto's corner. Prompto fought back as Noctis grabbed his waist and pushed him forwards; he dug his feet into the mattress as his so-called friend tried to push him off the bed.
"Noooooo! Noct, don't!" he yelled, and when he felt Noct winning, he went limp in his arms, making himself as heavy as possible. He fell to his knees, and the prince caught him under the arms.
"You moron," Noctis sighed.
"A moron you fell in love with," Prompto made sure to remind him, his voice light and melodic.
Noctis let him go, allowing him to crumple on the edge of the bed, then he took up Prompto's position in the corner. He eased himself into the space, but Prompto quickly followed him to the hiding spot. This time, Noctis decided he would be nice enough to let Prompto stay.
"Eeeeeew, that is beyond disgusting," Prompto grimaced, watching the centipede stop in the middle of the floor, its antennae bobbing as it tried to get a feel for its surroundings. Noctis' arms wrapped around Prompto's waist and pulled him in against him so that they were chest-to-chest. Prompto's head was still turned enough to keep an eye on the repulsive being that insisted on invading their space.
"Yeah, I changed my mind. I don't want you touching that thing. I'd never be able to look at you the same if you got that thing's guts on you," Noctis cringed, but Prompto only snuggled in closer to him, drawing his attention away from the bug and nestling his head in against the prince's shoulder.
"And that would be a real shame," he grinned, darting a tongue out to give Noctis' neck a teasing lick, which under the circumstances, made Noctis shiver in a not-so-pleasant way. All he could picture was that revolting centipede leaving the same wet, tickling sensation on his skin.
"Hmm, not exactly the reaction I was hoping for," Prompto sighed.
"Aaaah, Prompto!" Noctis gasped, eyes bulging as the bug on the floor changed direction and headed for the bed.
"That's more like it," Prompto smirked contentedly against Noctis' neck.
"That's not what I meant! Look!" Noct exhorted, tapping Prompto's hip urgently to get him to turn around. The gunman did so obediently, spinning his head with a quiet 'huh? ' before spotting the centipede coming at them like it was on a mission.
"Eeeeww! Ugh, disgusting!" the boys whined, and they only continued to release comments such as those, their voices becoming higher-pitched and more frantic the closer the bug came to the legs of the bed.
Prompto was pressed so far in against Noctis now, Noctis was afraid he might mash them both so far into the wall, they would become a part of it. Or maybe they would just get so wedged in, they would be stuck there for good. As long as that revolting thing on the floor never reached them, he would settle for either of those undesirable alternatives.
They both let out a surprised squeal when the door to their bedroom swung open, and Gladio and Ignis stood staring at them with dark eyes. They definitely didn't look impressed.
"It's an insect," Noctis said, forcing his voice back down near its usual range, and hoping he was appearing calm, but with his and Prompto's death grips on each other, he didn't figure that was likely.
Ignis rolled his eyes at them and adjusted his glasses, eyeing the small creature that was feeling around the bedpost. Gladio strolled fearlessly over to it, and while keeping a stern eye on Noct and Prompto, he stomped a foot down on the being.
Ignis was sure the two young men on the bed were going to be sick from the noises they made, and the way they let go of each other to hold their nauseated stomachs. Gladio continued to stare at them with a gloating look, one that said ' This is how it's done, boys .' Unfortunately, those boys were too disturbed to notice.
"Are you kidding me, Gladio?" Noctis gagged. He was practically doubled over on the bed, his face white and his curious eyes wanting so desperately to see the mess that was left under Gladio's boot, but he wouldn't let his gaze wander there.
"Had to do something to shut you guys up. We could hear you crying from next door," Gladio grumbled, folding his arms.
"Ah, really?" Prompto groaned, looking a little embarrassed as he slumped down to sit against the headboard.
"You were making quite a racket," Ignis agreed, though he didn't appear as irritated as Gladio did; he merely stood there brushing off his clothes, paying as little attention to the boys as possible.
"Well, how 'bout next time you don't wait so long to come over here when you hear us 'crying' then," Noctis said, pushing himself to stand back up and lean against the wall. Gladio smirked as their eyes met.
"Not gonna happen. Not now that I know we'd be interrupting your cuddle time," he said, with a knowing glance at Prompto. Noctis' gaze flew toward the gunman, who gave him a shrug and a sheepish smile.
"Don't tell me you're agreeing with him," Noctis frowned.
"What?" Prompto innocently defended himself. "He's got a point."
Noctis sighed. It was a good thing Prompto was cute. At times like these, it certainly played in his favour. He was right, though. Even Noct had to agree that this particular 'cuddle' session had been fun, despite the terror.