AN:...I'm shit at romance. WHAT HAVE I DONE? But here, have this. I'm tired of looking at it.
On a happier note, Jason got some fanart by the lovely Choco-bruh. They perfectly captured Jason's mood in this chapter, it's so? PERFECT? Clearly, though, I need to give Jason a little happiness, because I can't have you all only imagining him with a sad face all the time. Here's to the beginning of Smiling!Jason :))))
-o0o-
They drove at an even pace down the highway, wind whipping at the five of them but doing absolutely nothing to alleviate the heat. And the bugs, ugh! Prompto hated bugs! They just buzzed around in your ears and made you itchy and got in your food–
Bleh. Not to mention the fact that Prompto couldn't even cuddle properly with all of this nasty heat and humidity. They woke up that morning positively disgusting, practically stuck together with sweat and sodden clothes. At least it distracted from the general mood. It was as if the night before had just been an awful dream, but the distinct lack of their dubiously divine friend and the solemn looks on everyone's faces quickly discounted that theory, no matter how Prompto would rather have focused on anything else, even how uncomfortable he was.
Prompto wasn't sure he believed it. Well. He didn't want to. But the fact of the matter was, Jason had been right about everything so far, and he'd proven himself to be trustworthy. And it wasn't like they could afford to not believe him, not if they wanted to avoid the dark future he painted. Because if they dismissed him, and Jason was right?
Unthinkable.
Prompto was pretty certain that was why Noctis had been so shaken the night before. There was no way any of them were going to take that chance.
Jason was in the same spot Prompto had left him, staring into the dead campfire with distant eyes. He greeted them easily enough when they exited the tent, but little was said afterwards. They packed up camp and left in silence after a cold breakfast, getting on the road without a word.
It was a few hours later and Prompto was going a little crazy. Gladio sat to his right, staring blankly at his novel that Prompto knew he wasn't reading for real. He hadn't turned a page in a good ten minutes. Noctis was pretending to be asleep on his other side, but the tense frown on his face gave him away. He couldn't see Iggy's face, and Jason still hadn't looked him in the eye since the day before. Prompto was pretty sure he hadn't slept, or at the very least, slept outside of the tent. In the bugs. And it even rained!
Prompto didn't like this. Not one bit. Yes, the future Jason described was terrible, but they were setting out to change it! Being all mopey about it was not going to help.
Noctis and Luna and everyone were going to survive, Iggy would keep his sight and they would defeat Ardyn before anything bad happened! They had the backing of the Gods, afterall.
A little voice inside Prompto's head reminded him that the characters in Jason's story had the favor of the Gods as well, and it hadn't ended well for them, but he pushed it down forcefully. Nope. They could do this. If he doubted for even one second he just might fall apart.
"So Iggy, what's next?" Prompto broke the silence with a forcefully cheerful tone.
Ignis glanced at him in the rearview mirror before answering. "We make our way to Lestallum."
"Yeah, but! That will take, like, three days. It's on the other side of the country!"
"Well, we aren't going straight there," Ignis said. "In about ten more miles there is an outpost we should stop at." Gladio shifted, and the three others tuned into the conversation, Noctis opening his eyes to listen. "We need to gather some funds for Jason's armor, as well as invest in another tent. It's much too hot in this region for the five of us to sleep in one tent comfortably."
Something about that bothered Prompto a little. Yeah, more space would be nice, but then...they would have to split up. A sharp stab of anxiety at the thought made him pause. With the way things were now, even that tiny thing could tip them over the edge, and someone could get hurt. Because he knew how that would play out. Jason would be in one tent, and Noctis in the other, the two still at odds even after all this time. And with the relationships between Gladio and Ignis as precarious as it'd seemed the previous morning, and the uncertainty of Prompto's place in all of this still prevalent in his mind–yeah, no. Prompto thought that was a very, very bad idea. He couldn't speak for everyone, but Prompto knew that he, at least, would probably draw too much meaning from any of their choices, and that was just a stress he didn't need right now. He might learn some hard truths he just isn't ready for.
And to be honest, he wasn't quite willing to let any of them out of his sight for long.
"It's weird that you don't make more money when you're literally risking your lives to fight dangerous monsters…" Jason mused, although he still seemed far away, dark eyes distant. Prompto let go of his troubled thoughts for the moment.
"I have little in the way of experience when it comes to the practices outside of Insomnia, but I believe it has something to do with our rank as hunters. The more we defeat, the more gil we earn."
"What about the Arms?" Gladiolus rumbled, putting his book down. "Do we know where any of them are, or were we just planning to happen across them?"
"That would be rather tricky. Unfortunately for us, we don't know where any of them are located. Cor provided us with the last two locations and I assume he is looking for the others as we speak. Now all we can do is wait."
"Just great," Noctis grumbled. "Call me the Waiting King."
"That's not necessarily true," Jason said, ignoring Noctis' grumbling entirely. Jason turned around in his seat, leaning over the head rest to look back at them. Ignis tutted, but didn't say anything. "I may have a vague idea about where some of them are."
"What? Why didn't you say something sooner?" Noctis said, a bit miffed.
Jason's eyes fell to half mast. "Would you have believed me?" he asked sardonically. A shrug and an incoherent muttering was as good as a confirmation, and Jason rolled his eyes, answering the question. "A couple of reasons: one, I had more important things to deal with." He left those things unsaid. No point in bringing up what they already knew. "Two, I said 'vaguely' because I don't know how accurate I'll be. The map is vastly bigger than what I'm used to and honestly my memory isn't the best, especially when I don't think something is important at the time. If I ever played the game again, I would have just looked it up on Google."
Prompto snorted at the nonsensical word, the image of the plushie he had as a kid popping up in his head unexpectedly. "Google? What's that supposed to mean?"
Jason lifted his brows in surprise, then smiled a little. "Only one of the most successful companies in my world. Their search engine is the most powerful and widely used on the planet." His eyes widened. "Wait, do you guys even have internet?"
"Of course we do," Noctis drawled. "What do you think this is, the age of the Founder King?"
"Um. Sure. Right, I guess I remember Ignis using navigation a while back."
"Who knows how much longer that will last," Ignis mused, adding his two cents. "Without the servers in Insomnia running a great deal of access is lost. I have no doubt that Niflheim has taken over our satellites as well…"
"Wait, what?" Jason said, suddenly excited. His eyes lit up unexpectedly, and Prompto smiled in response. "You guys have satellites? Have you made it into space? Did you visit the moon? What about–"
"While all of this is fascinating," Gladio interjected, "we were talking about the location of the Arms?"
Jason deflated a little. "Oh, right. Give me a second." He paused, brow furrowing in concentration. The next time he blinked, his eyes were consumed by a white light, startling the three in the back seat a little. They had all seen him do this before, but there was something unsettling about the sightless way his eyes stared. Prompto wondered briefly about the power Jason had described the night before. Prompto wasn't exactly an expert on the Astrals and their various abilities, but he was pretty sure none of them had power quite like this...Then again, what did he know? He'd barely paid attention to the lessons about the Astrals in high school. It was only the fact that even Ignis didn't seem to know from where Jason's power stemmed that got him thinking it might be more complicated than having the favor of any one God…
A niggling of a memory tickled the back of Prompto's mind, almost like a flash of déjà vu, but it was gone before he could grasp it. It left him unsettled, for some reason. Jason's frustrated noise distracted him a second later.
"What is it?" Gladio asked.
"Sorry, I just…" Jason shook his head, troubled. "It's changed again. Every time I use it, it looks a little different." There was an edge of sadness to his voice, but Jason continued before anyone could ask. "Okay, off the top of my head. There's one in Leide, in the Balouve mines."
"What!? We were just there," Prompto complained.
Jason laughed. "Trust me, you guys aren't ready for that one. Erm. We aren't ready for that one." He grimaced. "Anyway, the second one I've got is in the Disk of Cauthess. Can't go there yet." Jason started pointing at the air, as if a map hovered in front of his face, and Prompto wondered just what it was he was seeing. "Uhm. There's that one behind the waterfall. I don't remember the name, but that kid in Lestallum can tell us where exactly. Costlemark Tower. We are not ready for that one. Ugh, I don't even know how that one will be possible... The top of the Rock of Ravatogh." Jason stalled, then sighed. "I think you get a couple more on your way through Niflheim, but I'm not sure where since I can only remember bits and pieces. That's all I've got."
"That's nine that we know of, including the two we already have," Ignis counted. "And we don't really have access to any of them at the moment…"
"There are others I don't remember the location for, though, and there may be more. I never collected all of them."
"Are there really that many? This sounds like it's going to take forever!" Prompto exclaimed.
Jason smiled tightly. "Tell me about it. And the map is so much bigger now. We've been driving for hours and we've barely made it to the Alistor Slough region…This could take months…"
"We don't have that kind of time," Noctis said, insistent. "We need to get to Luna before she makes the pact with the Archean."
"When does that happen, exactly?" Gladiolus asked.
Jason shrugged wearily. "Got me. It wasn't as if there was an actual time limit on anything, other than an active night and day cycle. It just happened when you reached a certain checkpoint."
"We can't assume that that will hold true, now," Ignis said reasonably.
"How will we know when to go there, then?" Noctis said, frustrated.
"We won't, not unless we can contact Lunafreya somehow. Doesn't that girl have a cellphone for Christ's sake?" Jason muttered.
Noctis scoffed. "If she did, we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?"
"What about that dog, then?"
"He only shows up when she sends him." This time, Noctis didn't even blink at Jason's casual use of personal information, though his frown deepened a little. They were all growing accustomed to Jason just–knowing things. Even though sometimes it could be kind of uncomfortable how much he knew about them, especially for someone as private as Noctis.
Still, Prompto wished the two would just tone it down a little. They seemed to feed of each other's negativity and it was wearing on them all. But it would take time. Noctis wasn't known for his open, friendly demeanor when it came to strangers. Especially not strangers with bad news. Prompto could only hope it would get better with time as they got to know each other, and Noctis would eventually accept that Jason was just trying to help.
Prompto could only hope.
Maybe they should get that second tent after all, throw them in together and don't let them out till they've talked. He snickered, amused at the thought.
All of them fell into silence again, each mulling over their own thoughts. It looked like Lestallum was still going to be their first destination. Prompto didn't exactly have the map of Lucius memorized, but all the locations Jason mentioned were hella out of their way. Prompto wasn't too thrilled about the way they sounded, either. On top of a volcano? Really?
Houses began appearing from between the short trees of the area, and soon enough, they found themselves in the middle of a small outpost. Shops and a few homes lined the highway, the town too small for even a traffic light. Ignis pulled into a station and parked, shutting the engine off and the five of them exited the Regalia, stretching and groaning after sitting still for so long. It didn't help that they'd been spending most of the past several weeks sleeping on the ground. Aaaaand fighting for their lives. That too.
"Man, what I wouldn't give for night on a soft bed," Prompto groaned, stretching his arms over his head until his spine popped satisfyingly.
"Nothing wrong with roughing it," Gladi said. "Camping is good for the soul."
"Not good for my back, though," Noctis grumbled good naturedly.
Ignis eyed the open market down the street, then pulled out his wallet, checking its contents. "I believe I'll visit the market. We could use a few supplies. Care to join me, Noct?" The prince sighed before nodding, falling into step with Ignis. He feigned boredom, but Prompto could see the small pleased smile on his face. Prompto was glad to see it, even though it filled him with a small pang of unease to watch them walk off together without him…
"I'm going to check out the local eatery," Gladio interrupted Prompto's thoughts. "They've probably got some small hunts we can take care of today." Gladio gave Prompto a short look, then flicked his eyes to Jason, who stood against the Regalia, arms crossed and eyes downcast. Prompto took in the slumped man's drawn features, mouth falling open in a small 'o', before nodding to Gladio. It looked like Prompto wasn't the only one who'd noticed the man's melancholy.
"Sounds good, big guy. Jase and I will hang here, maybe grab some snacks."
Gladio looked at Jason for a long moment with a small frown, hesitating. But then placed a hand on Prompto's shoulder before walking towards the diner next to the station, leaving Prompto and Jason on their own. Jason didn't even seem to notice that the others had left, much less reacted to the sound of Prompto's approach. Prompto paused, taking in the weary man's appearance.
Jason looked tired, almost haunted as he slumped against the car. Dark rings hung beneath his eyes, clearly visible even against his tanned skin. Dark hair sat unkempt against his forehead and neck, wild and almost fluffy in the humidity. It would have been funny, if it hadn't meant that Jason was barely taking care of himself. He was a far cry from the healthy man he'd first appeared to be when they met in Leide, and Prompto couldn't help the stirring of concern settling in his stomach. He felt a little sick, thinking that none of them had really bothered to make sure he cared for himself, too distracted by the drama of late, too distracted by each other. Every time Prompto would think to check on him, to make sure he was alright, something new popped up to turn his world upside down and he'd find himself wrapped up in his own head.
Well, Prompto would fix that. Jason was a friend now, and he looked seconds from falling apart completely. Not cool.
"Hey," Prompto said, and Jason jumped. "You alright, Jase?"
Jason blinked, looking around and seeming to notice that the guys had already left. His eyes settled back onto Prompto before guilt flashed across his face, gaze cutting away. After a second he shook his head slowly, dark lashes hiding his eyes, and it broke Prompto's heart a little. "Did you even sleep last night?" He shook his head again, and Prompto hummed, frowning. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Jason shifted, then sighed heavily at the determined look on Prompto's face. "I...no, I don't. But. I need to tell you. Just not yet." And there was that look in his eyes again, that dread, almost as if he was afraid of how Prompto would react. His expression pleaded with Prompto to drop it, and it only made Prompto burn with curiosity more. But the haunted look in Jason's eyes had Prompto acquiescing, deciding that he really didn't want to know. Even if it seemed like Jason could really use some unburdening.
"Okay. I'm here if you need me." Something occurred to Prompto then, as he stared at the sweat collected at Jason's exposed collarbone. There was a tear in the neckline of his rather filthy shirt, unnoticed until now. It was a testament to just how stressed Ignis must be if he hadn't snatched it up to be repaired yet. "Hey, why don't we go get you some stuff? Iggy gave me a little gil after our last hunt, and you look like you could use some new clothes."
Jason shifted a little, seeming a bit uncomfortable by the idea. "Is that alright? Don't we need to save up for more important stuff?"
Prompto felt a little offended by that statement. "Clothes are important! Besides, your hair is a wreck! Do you even own a comb?"
Jason grimaced, tugging at a lock of his hopelessly tangled curls. "No. I showed up completely naked, remember?"
Prompto smirked. Boy, did he. It's too bad he was a little too freaked out to appreciate the sight at the time. He did enjoy watching Jase and Gladio go at it the day before, though...Shirts really were optional. Jason narrowed his eyes, as if he could read what Prompto was thinking on his face. "C'mon, let's go shopping!"
Grabbing onto the other man's hand, Prompto dragged Jason towards the general store, only letting go when he'd stumbled into step beside him. The door tinkled loudly as they entered, old-timey radio spitting out pleasant staticy tunes from a few decades ago. The shelves were sparse, the standard fare Prompto had gotten accustomed to this far outside of the city. Basic food and supplies could be found here, and everything seemed serviceable, if a little dingy.
They wandered down a couple isles selling everything from bags of chips to lengths of rope, when Jason made a small, excited noise in the back of his throat. "Oh, thank God," he sighed, snatching a small container off the shelves.
"Which God?" Prompto asked, and Jason paused, thoughtful, before shrugging noncommittally. Prompto shrugged as well, and spotted what had caught Jason's attention; a small container of rubber bands claiming to be 'multi-purpose' was clutched almost reverently in Jason's hands. Prompto had no doubt he was grateful to have something to tie his hair back. With a smile, Prompto grabbed a small utilitarian comb, heavier duty than what the rest of them needed. No way was his little pick comb going to get through that mess.
Jason took the comb as well, looking down at it as if it were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It made Prompto a little sad that something so simple could make Jason look so happy. But then again, they'd all been forced to live without most comforts these past weeks. At the very least, though, they could take care of their basic needs. "You should have asked for these things sooner, Jase." Not that anyone had bothered to help him out with that. Prompto frowned. Jason probably didn't have any gil to speak of, having to rely on others to provide for him. And the sad truth was, no one had been. A strong swell of protectiveness surged up in the blond then. That wasn't fair. Jason had been helping everyone he came across without ever asking anything in return. He resolved to make sure this didn't happen again.
"Yeah, well," Jason shrugged, not privy to Prompto's thoughts, before changing the subject. "I should help. With the hunts, I mean. You guys shouldn't have to spend money on me."
There it was again! Why did this guy refuse to see his own value, as if it were some great, what, hardship? To buy him a comb? Prompto just couldn't figure out how someone could go through as much as Jason had and still be so inexplicably selfless. Or...maybe selfless wasn't the right word. It was more like, he didn't want to be taken care of, like he was trying to make up for something, though Prompto couldn't imagine what that could be. He just knew that whatever it was, it wasn't healthy. "Dude, you are helping! We wouldn't know half the stuff we did if it weren't for you. Don't sweat it!"
Prompto grabbed a drab grey shirt from the small rack of clothes in the corner of the store and held it up to Jason's chest. He frowned, staring back at the wrack. There wasn't much in the way of selection out here. Oh, wait, was that some Hammerhead merch he spied?
Jason snorted at the t-shirt when Prompto handed it over, pulling it on obligingly. The Hammerhead logo blazoned across his chest on a background of yellow, clunky block letters clashing horribly with the obnoxiously bright color. "Oh my Gods, that is so ugly. We have to get it!" Jason laughed, and Prompto's chest warmed a little, glad to hear the sound. Laughter really was the best medicine.
"Sooo," Prompto drawled, teasing lilt to his voice. They were walking from the store, Jason with a small duffel thrown over his shoulder. He was carefully picking through his long hair with his newly purchased comb, and they still had some time to kill before the guys got back. "I see you and Gladio are getting along better?"
Jason's hands froze. He shot Prompto a look before deliberately going back to what he was doing, separating his black curls piece by piece. "Yeah, what of it?" he said defensively.
"Oh-ho-ho! Did I hit a nerve, big guy? What was that you said?" He pitched his voice, imitating Jason in an insulting falsetto. "Oh, Gladio! Do you have something to take the edge off? I don't think my body can handle what you gave me last night~"
Jason spluttered. "Wha–No! I was talking about the alcohol!"
"Yeah," Prompto teased. "Because you and Gladio got drunk together. All alone. With no one around. And you totally weren't cradled in Gladio's arms when we found you in the morning."
He blanched. "What?!"
Prompto grinned evilly, summoning his camera and brandishing it. "Here, look! I've got a pic!" Jason took one look at the camera before his cheeks darkened alarmingly. Prompto didn't even have to look to know what he saw. When Ignis, Prompto and Noctis returned to camp, half expecting to find Jason still the nervous wreck he'd been the day before, they instead found said man looking shockingly at home in Gladio's arms, the larger man holding him almost protectively. To make things even better, Jason's shirt had ridden up sometime in the night, Gladio's palm resting against his bare hip, as if halfway in the act of pulling him closer before he'd fallen asleep. It looked, in a word, scandalous. It didn't help matters that Prompto had managed to only capture their upper bodies. He snickered. They made quite the pretty pair.
Jason made a small pained noise in the back of his throat before grabbing for the camera. Prompto drew back with a laugh, holding it above his head tauntingly. "Nuh-uh-uh! Not until you spill!"
"We just–talked, alright? Nothing happened!" But Jason didn't sound too sure about that and Prompto grinned knowingly. Of course, he knew that Jason was probably telling the truth. Gladio was an insatiable flirt, sure, but he wasn't the type of man to push himself on someone who was clearly afraid of him, even if Jason hadn't been by morning. Knowing Gladio, he'd probably been nothing but a complete gentleman. That wouldn't stop Prompto from teasing Jason mercilessly, however.
Jason crossed his arms stubbornly, giving up his pursuit. Good thing too, because Prompto was prepared to run all the way back to the desert if it meant keeping this particular photo. For blackmail, of course. "Well, what about you? Something happened at that hotel, didn't it. You guys were acting all weird when you got back." He lifted a dark brow, small smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "You already slept with Noctis, didn't you? You sly dog, you work fast."
This time, it was Prompto's turn to flush, but as much as the memories of that particular part of the night were more than pleasant, the reminder of the rest had his face falling. He slowly brought his camera back down to his chest, clutching it against himself as if it could comfort him. He stared at it blankly, biting his lip in thought as a swell of unease settled in his chest.
"Prom?" Jason asked gently, brows drawing together in concern at Prompto's silence. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's okay," Prompto said, shifting a bit. Surprisingly, he found that it was. Prompto wasn't the most open of people when it came to his insecurities, usually one to deflect with humor when things got a little too close to heart. But. Something about Jason made him think that he wouldn't judge him or dismiss his feelings. Maybe it was the fact that they shared a strange connection in his mysterious appearance to this world, or that out of everyone Jason had been the only one Prompto could really talk to about all the weird stuff going on, his only confident who seemed just as freaked out by all of it as Prompto was.
Or maybe he was just a sucker for those earnest chocolate eyes.
"...Did something bad happen?" Jason asked tentatively.
Prompto thought about it, then shook his head. "No, not really?" He furrowed his brow, picking at his wristband, and, in effect, picking apart his memories. He began talking haltingly, not sure himself exactly what happened. "So, like, I was super excited, right? I've loved Noctis for a long time. I mean, I practically stalked him in middle school." Prompto chuckled at himself. He really had been a weirdo back then. "So when he confessed, I was like, no way! This can't be true! But then it was, and we were holding hands, and kissing, and I was finally able to touch–" Jason cleared his throat pointedly, and Prompto toned back his fanboy-ing a bit. "Heh, sorry. Anyway, we were making out when I said something about Ignis and Noctis kinda freaked. It turns out Ignis and Noctis were together a few years ago, but broke up because of a misunderstanding. I kind of ended up convincing them to make up, and they're back together now? I think?"
Prompto didn't look up to see Jason's expression. When Jason spoke, it was gentle, probing. "But...what about you and Noctis? And I thought Ignis was with Gladio?"
Prompto hummed, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, I don't know. After they made up, I was going to leave, but then Noctis kind of told me he l-loved me?" He faltered a bit before moving on swiftly. "And he wanted Ignis to join us but Iggy said no 'cause he was still with Gladio and it wouldn't be cool if he went behind his back without him there. And then I kind of, maybe, convinced Ignis to stay and watch...while I fucked Noctis." Jason made a choked noise. "Soooo. Yeah."
"Uh. Wow." Jason paused, swallowed. He seemed a little pale, and his eyes were comically wide. Prompto would have thought it was funny, had he not known there was probably a similar expression on his face. "So that conversation yesterday morning…"
"Iggy basically said he'd 'reconciled' with Noctis and then you showed up. I kinda thought we would, y'know, talk about it but then we had to meet up with Cor and you told us about the end of the world…" Which left no time for discussion, naturally, and left Prompto in a somewhat uncomfortable lurch. He didn't know where he stood, and that terrified him. What if Noctis decided Ignis was the only one he really wanted, he didn't want Prompto anymore? What if Ignis didn't like Prompto like that in the first place?
What if he'd ruined the relationship between Ignis and Gladio?!
Prompto hadn't missed the way Gladio had backed off, as if separating himself from the rest of them like it was just over between him and Ignis, like he was getting out of the way or something. It seemed so wrong, because Ignis and Gladio had been together for as long as Prompto had known them. He just didn't know what to make of it and he didn't like it.
Jason, for his part, looked completely flummoxed, as if he wasn't quite following the conversation. Eventually, he settled on, "That sounds...rough, man. I'm sorry. Um. Isn't it kind of selfish of Noctis to want you both?"
Prompto blinked, then laughed a little. "Well, if it's selfish of him, then it's selfish of me too. There was no way I was gonna let Iggy walk out if I had the chance to have them both. At the same time!" Prompto smiled dreamily, remembering that night with a little jolt of excitement. The look in Ignis' eyes as Prompto picked Noctis apart, the sound of his voice, the way Noctis had felt beneath him, Astrals...But his smile faded a little. He'd seemed okay with it at the time, but what if Ignis didn't like the idea of Prompto and Noctis together? The two had history, after all, and Prompto had practically begged him to stay.
Jason put his forehead in his hand, smothering his eyes but doing nothing to hide the pained grimace on his lips. "This is so messed up," he mumbled, almost inaudibly. Prompto had to agree. They really should have talked about it more. The longer they left it hanging, the more insecure Prompto felt, a heavy pit in his gut making him nauseous when he thought about it. Ignis didn't say anything about him, and Prompto was a little afraid to show him affection because of it.
Jason addressed him clearly then, dropping his hand, though his face was still pinched with confusion. Prompto couldn't blame him. He was pretty vexed himself. "Okay, well, I think we'll have some time for you guys to talk it over tonight. Who knows, maybe all of you will make up and join one big happy pack." He said it with sarcasm, but it was lost on Prompto, who lit up at the statement.
Prompto gave a startled laugh. Now that was an idea, one that sent a little thrill of excitement up and down his spine. "Dude, that would really be something! It's super rare for an amor quattuor to stay together, though." His heart fell a little. Especially for him. He never expected even one person to like him, let alone Noctis, Ignis and Gladio, the three he cared about most in this world, to love him like that. If Ignis made up with Gladio, then the three of them would probably decide someone like Prompto wasn't worth the trouble.
Noctis said he loves you, Prompto thought, but he shook it off. They were all saying a lot of things. The other night was incredible, and the past few week more than he could ever have hoped for. He should just be grateful he even got that much...Now that Ignis was back with Noctis, Prompto should back off. Noctis would always be his best friend, and Prompto was okay with that.
He was.
When he looked back up, Jason was just staring at him. Prompto tilted his head questioningly. "So, I have to know. Is it common in this world to have more than one lover? And what was that word you said? Armorcatro?"
Prompto wasn't exactly sure he understood the question. There Jason was again, asking strange things. He was so mysterious sometimes, different enough from the rest of them that at times it was almost as if they were speaking different languages. Sometimes, they were, actually. Like, what was 'money'? And who the heck was this 'Christ' he kept invoking? "Amor quattuor? Well, I dunno what the exact translation is, but it's just a super formal way of saying four lovers. And, yeah? I mean, four is kinda rare, but it's pretty common for people to seek out others until their relationship is totius." At Jason's blank look, Prompto laced his fingers together and held them over his heart. "It means whole. Are...you saying that's not how it is where you come from?"
Jason laughed incredulously. "No. Most cultures only accept monogamy, and only between a man and a woman at that. Things are changing slowly for same-gender couples, but it's still considered somewhat taboo in most places. To have a polyamorous relationship–and between men? It's almost unheard of, scorned even."
Prompto was appalled. "But. Why? Why would anyone care about same-gender lovers? And what if your relationship isn't complete without your alii?"
Jason ran a hand through his hair, looking to the sky as if seeking answers there, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'need a freaking dictionary…'. Prompto, not for the first time, was feeling as though they were speaking on different wavelengths. "I could ask you the same things. How on earth does a relationship with three people work, let alone more? Don't you guys get jealous? As for the same gender thing, well….there's a long history behind that. I feel like we'd be here all day if we got into it."
With a shake of his head, Jason continued to brush through his hair, a lot more successfully than he had been earlier. Without all the tangles, it fell just past his shoulders in long waves. Once he'd done that, he tied back his bangs with one of his new rubber bands, leaving the rest to hang on his shoulders. He looked better, more refreshed without it hanging in his face. He gave Prompto a smile, dark brown eyes glinting with little flecks of caramel, Prompto noticed for the first time. They were brighter, unobscured. "Anyway, I'm sure you guys will work it out. At the very least, there's no way Noctis isn't into you. He told you he loved you, for Christ's sake! It'll be alright."
"Heh. You say the weirdest stuff sometimes," Prompto smiled back a little tremulously, reassured by the warmth in Jason's eyes. "Yeah. Yeah! You're probably right." The world Jason came from sounded kind of sad. And lonely. Prompto couldn't imagine being so limited in who he could love. Compared to that, his relationship problems didn't seem so bad. They might be at war, and he might not know quite where he stood, but at least he was allowed to love them.
Although he changed his mind a little when he spotted Noctis and Ignis making their way towards them. They were walking close, each carrying a brown bag in one hand and absorbed in conversation. Prompto couldn't help but notice how beautiful they looked together. Without him.
Jason nudged him in the side, and when Prompto looked at him, he nodded towards the two with a reassuring smile. "Go on. I bet you anything that if you went up and took both their hands, they wouldn't push you away." He pushed Prompto, who stumbled forward. "Go on, git!"
"Okay, okay!" Prompto was about to do just that when he paused. "Hey, Jase. Thanks. You're a good friend." He smiled fondly at the man. They might not be in the best circumstances, but Prompto was genuinely glad Jason was here.
Jason looked surprised by his words before scowling playfully, shooing Prompto away. Prompto happily did so, practically skipping to his to l-lovers–Yeah, lovers. He could say it to himself now. It would be alright.
Yeah, Prompto was glad Jason was here, and not just because he could help them prevent the tragedies looming over them like a violent storm in the distance. Even as tumultuous as Eos was becoming, if Jason's world was as he said, then maybe he was better off here.
Taking a bracing breath, Prompto shook off his fears and Ignis and Noctis with a smile. Without hesitation, he slipped between them, not settling until both of their empty hands were warm and reassuring in his.
Noctis startled, surprised, but smiled soon enough. "Hey, chocobo. Have fun shopping?"
"Yes," Ignis said as well, doing nothing to pull his hand back. Something eased in Prompto a little as he wasn't rebuffed. Far from it, actually. Ignis squeezed his hand a little, giving him a tiny reserved smile, and his heart jumped. "Jason looks a little better. Did you find everything he needed?"
Prompto blinked, surprised. OH! That was why they didn't invite him along. He felt a little silly, now. With a wide grin, he nodded, warmed that Ignis and Noctis hadn't just been ignoring Jason's needs. They'd trusted Prompto to take care of it, probably because the blond was the person Jason was most comfortable around. Suddenly Prompto was reading Gladio's concerned look in a new light. Heh. He'd been in on it too.
Noctis frowned a little, but it was without heat. He avoided Prompto's gaze. "That's...good," he said grudgingly, and Prompto nudged him in the side playfully, bringing Noctis' smile back. Huh. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard for Jason and Noctis to get along as he thought.
-o0o-
Jason watched as Prompto practically skipped down the street to meet Noctis and Ignis, who meandered closer, in no rush. He shook his head as Prompto squeezed in between them, taking both of their hands as if it were no big deal, showing none of the trepidation he had shown Jason only moments before.
Ignis smiled easily in that reserved way of his, doing nothing to shake Prompto off or expressing any annoyance at his presence. And as Jason predicted, Noctis' eyes lit up as they did every time he looked at the blond, though Prompto seemed willfully ignorant of it. Maybe because that's the way Noctis had always looked at him.
The Prince looked good that way. Happy. It was an expression Jason never expected to see turned in his direction, that was for certain. And it was no wonder why: Jason always gave him nothing but bad news. When he looked at his friends though...Yeah.
Now if only he would get that dumb hair out of his face and give his rather striking eyes some light, Jason might even consider him handsome. Grudgingly, of course.
The three meandered down the road as a unit now, hands joined and Prompto swinging them playfully at his sides. Ignis said something with an indulgent smile and Prompto lit up like the sun, laughing loudly. They looked good together, Jason had to admit, despite his reservations about the nature of their relationship. He had been raised dramatically different after all.
A hazy image of the encounter Prompto described rose unbidden in Jason's mind–Ignis watching, maybe from across the room, while Prompto pinned Noctis beneath him–Jason shook his head, banishing the image with an incredulous flush of his cheeks. He did not need to be thinking about them that way. Not if he wanted to keep his sanity.
They were...friends now. He thought. At least, Jason felt that way. He shook his head, smiling a little when Prompto laughed again, open and bright.
Jason marveled how a man with so little self esteem managed to be so carefree when it came to sex–Jason still couldn't get over what had allegedly happened the other night, jeezus–but seemed to scoff at the idea that anyone could actually love him. It was absurd, if for no other reason than Prompto seemed like a really easy man to love.
Jason twirled his new comb in his hands absently, one of the very few luxuries he'd been afforded for weeks, looking around out of curiosity to see what the reactions of the townsfolk were. But the three hardly got a glance, other than a woman who smiled at them fondly as they passed her flower stand. Incredible. This world really was something else. Just another reason to want to protect it, he mused.
Prompto was lucky. They all were.
"Yo," Gladio greeted, walking up to the car where Jason lounged. He was grinning when Jason looked over, amusement lining his features, and Jason found himself smiling back with ease, something that he didn't think was possible only a couple days ago. It was easy to see the friendliness in Gladio's eyes when his own weren't clouded by fear. "Well, well, well, you clean up nice, baby face."
Jason scoffed. This guy was relentless. "If by 'clean up nice', you mean 'you look better without that rat's nest on top of your head', then yeah, I guess I probably look a bit better."
"Hm. Was wondering when you were going to do something about that. You look good." Casual compliment delivered as if it were no big deal, Gladio waved at the three men, who'd stalled at the flower shop, Prompto chatting animatedly about something or other. Ignis noticed and the three made their way over.
Jason glanced surreptitiously out of the corner of his eye at Gladio. Huh. Even though the man's supposed lover was clearly with two other men, he didn't seem jealous in the least. He wondered idly about what Prompto had revealed about this world, and if Gladio would actually join them.
He couldn't imagine it. Well, he could, but certainly not long term. Then again, if his past relationships taught him anything, he couldn't even imagine himself having a successful relationship with one person, let alone three. Or more. How did they do it? How did they control the jealousy, the fear that they would be left behind for someone else?
But, wait, Noctis had been jealous of Jason, when he'd gotten close to Prompto, but not the others. Maybe that was because Noctis considered Ignis and Gladio a part of his–what had Prompto called it? Amor quattuor? He really needed to take notes or he wasn't ever going to know what the heck they were talking about. That kind of explained it, though. Jason wasn't a part of that. He was just glad Noctis didn't seem threatened by him so much any more.
Incredible. This world really was turning out to be something completely different than the Eos he knew. He wondered just how much he actually knew of this place, and what else about this world would surprise him.
In any case, Jason decided he would stay out of their way tonight so they could talk things over. It sucked that he probably wouldn't get any sleep for a second night in a row, but. He hadn't wanted to bother them last night, butting into a conversation he had no right to hear. Especially not after the way he'd seen them, connected in solidarity during his tale, then holding each other in sleep as if being so close was their natural state; always had been, always would be, like a tapestry woven together to make a whole work of art. Heh. Toitus. So he'd stayed out of it. Jason wasn't the kind of man to get in the way of other people's happiness, especially not Prompto's. The dude deserved every happiness that came his way. He smiled a little, folding the comb and slipping it into his new duffle.
Besides, he had a lot to think about. They had a tentative plan now, and that was great, and he had no doubt that now that it was out in the open, the five of them–six, including Cor–would be able to figure out some way to defeat Ardyn.
But he still hadn't told Prompto about his origins. Jason sighed, withdrawing into himself again as he got back into the Regalia, completely oblivious to the other four's chatter.
What the hell was he going to tell Prompto?
-o0o-
AN: Jason and Prompto seem to have more in common than they think. Silly boys.
Bit of world building there, along with a heap of character development. I think it was fun to have that conversation from Prompto's perspective. Lol, can you guys imagine what was going through Jason's head? Cultural differences y'all. I live for them. If anyone was wondering, Jason was raised Christian. But you've probably guessed that, based on his choice of curses. I'm having a lot of fun with the idea of 'lost in translation'. :)
amor quattuor–the love of four
Toitus–whole (I totally pictured Namine saying "It means you'll be whole!" when I wrote it lol)
alii–others
...I don't know anything about Latin. The only reason I did it in another language was because I wanted not only the idea for the relationship dynamics to be foreign, but the words as well. Feels more romantic that way :) I just google translated the phrase 'the love of four' to see what it would come up with. If it's wrong, someone please correct me. PLEASE!
Next Chapter: Jason gives the guys some space. Gladio has a decision to make.
...I just want my bbs to be happy.