Chapter Five: Distraction

"But hey Gladio, 'Mutts of the empire can sleep on the floor where they belong', remember? I wouldn't want to intrude."

Even as he spoke the words, Prompto didn't dare to turn around. He felt as though his whole body was on edge, every muscle taught and ready to run. He was prepared for -expected even- an attack, some form of retaliation. But instead he received only silence, followed by the sound of shuffling footsteps as Noctis and Gladiolus retreated to the comforts of the tent, leaving him to enjoy the gentle warmth of the late summers air alone.

The weather was good even late at night like this and he liked that. After countless days -weeks?- of the damp cold that had seemed to fill Zegnautus Keep, this was a welcome change. Prompto continued to stare off at the horizon, admiring the view. He was entranced by what seemed like a sea of fir trees that reached taller than any machine or building he'd ever seen. Loqi... Loqi had told him a little about the Imperial City, the very centre of Niflheim. Apparently it had structures called 'Skyscrapers' in it, majestic things that Loqi had promised would take his breath away if he were to see them. The Brigadier General had seemed so sad when he'd said that though, but Prompto wasn't sure why. There was a lot he didn't understand still, about people. Emotions.

That was okay. He was learning.

He wondered if Insomnia -the heart of Lucis- had the same huge buildings Loqi had described to him. Noctis had said they'd go to Insomnia soon. He had never elaborated when 'soon' was supposed to be, but Prompto had a growing suspicion that the only reason they hadn't started the journey there yet was because of him. It frustrated him because he didn't understand why and he didn't want to ask, either. So he waited, wondering if he'd ever see Noctis again once they arrived in Insomnia.

Maybe it was all a lie and as soon as they arrived they'd lock him away in a place even darker than Zegnautus Keep.

Prompto sighed to himself as that lovely little thought popped up, trying to push it away. It was ridiculous. He'd met King Regis -Noctis' Father- and the man had seemed lovely. He'd called him a friend. The only other people to ever call him that were Noctis and Ignis ("Gladio too", his mind insisted) and they were amazing people, so King Regis was clearly just as amazing. The bad thought was just that, a bad thought.

Loqi had told him about them many years ago. Apparently they were called 'intrusive thoughts', and they were just the dark spaces in his mind playing tricks on him. Prompto hadn't understood what that meant either, so Loqi had explained all of that to him too.

Prompto had always been fascinated by every little thing Loqi had taught him. It was much easier to understand it all now that he was in the outside world experiencing everything first hand. It was scary, too. So much bigger than those little pieces of the world Loqi had gifted to him when he returned from his travels.

His favourite times had always been when Loqi showed him photos of things to help him understand them better. Prompto frowned at the view in front of him, thinking how the scene looked just like some of the pictures Loqi had showed him on what he'd called the "internet". It'd make a good photo. He brushed his hand over his empty pocket, where he'd once kept the phone Noctis had given him. He'd liked it. It had given him some little thing that connected him to Noctis, Ignis and Gladio, when everything else about him made him so very different.

It was gone now, crushed under the heel of Ardyn's boots within the maze of Zegnautus Keep. Ardyn had taken one look at it and laughed, shaking his head "Machines shouldn't play with other machines, darling"

Prompto's expression darkened at the memory. Ardyn was like the intrusive thoughts. A little dark thing playing tricks on him. They could be nasty. They could make him doubt himself, others, everything and anything he'd ever believed in.

But ultimately? He could choose to ignore them. He could choose not to pay any attention at all. And then?

Then, Ardyn couldn't hurt him anymore. Now that he'd remembered that he felt it ring true in his mind, the sentiment an irrefutable fact.

"Hey Prompto."

Just like that his good mood was ruined, and every muscle in his body was tense again. Gladio was standing next to him and that in itself was a problem, because Prompto hadn't heard him approaching despite the fact that he'd been training his whole life, and a good deal of that training had focused on threat detection and awareness. It was like he had little alarm bells in his mind that rang loudly when something was amiss. Right now his mind was a cacophony of screeching bells. Bells, and fear.

It was so painfully obvious that something was wrong. Not knowing the extents of his training, Gladio had been taking care not to accidentally startle or sneak up on him ever since they'd retrieved him from Zegnautus Keep. In fact Gladio had been limiting conversation with him entirely, seeming to be entirely uncomfortable whenever he had talked to Prompto. Most importantly, Gladiolus Amicitia had entered the tent exactly four hours and fifteen minutes ago, and so -based off of Prompto's previous observation and understanding of the Shield's sleeping patterns- Gladio should have been deeply asleep.

Gladiolus was not asleep.

Just because Prompto sensed the movement as it started did apparently not mean he was capable of getting out of the way in time. A fist collided hard with his jaw with a force that sent him reeling, hands grazing on the hard rock of the haven as he caught himself from falling flat on his back. He stared up at Gladio, suddenly very much aware of just how big the man was.

A boot came crashing into his side and he could do nothing but curl in around it, winded. He coughed, not surprised at the thin sheen of blood that splattered across the ground. He'd bitten his tongue on impact, a jarring force that had seemed to jolt right through his body.

A movement and suddenly Gladio was crouched besides him, a hand grabbing at his hair and forcing his head up, neck craning at an angle that was entirely uncomfortable. He stared, eyes red and wild in the moonlight that illuminated their little camp, washing the colour out of everything even as it provided light. Gladio must have seen something he liked on Prompto's face because he smiled, an unpleasant twisted thing, before releasing the death grip he'd held on Prompto's hair.

"Come on Prom, its rude to ignore someone when they're greeting you. Or didn't they teach you that in Niflheim?" Prompto just shook his head and tried to push himself up on shaky arms, adrenaline rushing through him, leaving him invigorated but skittish.

"I don't- I wasn't-" But then there was an elbow connecting sharply with the back of his neck. It sent him right back down to the floor, the world swimming out of focus. That had been close to a sensitive point for sure. If Gladio had hit just a bit lower with a little more force, he could have damaged the cervical vertebrae, severing his spinal cord. Just like that he'd be paralysed for life, or maybe just dead. Prompto wasn't sure which was preferable.

"Hey, how about we take this a little further away from camp, yeah? Wouldn't want to disturb Noct with how fuckin' pathetic you are."

He flailed as he was picked up but that just made Gladio chuckle, the sound dark and unpleasant. Then he was falling, Gladiolus carelessly throwing him over the side of the haven. A desperate cry of pain left him as he landed on the rocks a few metres below, breathing fast and panicked as he tried to scramble to his feet. He needed to get up, needed to run, needed to-

"Yeah, no, not so fast."

Prompto could only groan in pain as Gladio lifted him up by the neck with just one hand, a brutal reminder of just how incredibly strong the Shield was. Prompto jerked as he was dropped to the ground once more, white blotches dancing in front of his eyes as his head cracked on the rocks. He felt the warm rush of blood as skin split above his eye, right across his forehead. There was blood getting in his eyes and he reached up wish a shaking hand to wipe it away, only for his wrist to be seized in a tight grip.

"Prom.. there's something you have to understand." Gladio pulled him around so he was lying in the dirt on his back, his breath leaving him in a pained cough as the man straddled him, placing what felt like his full weight on Prompto's stomach and chest.

"You've tricked Noct and Iggy into feeling responsible for you, yeah? I understand, kid. You're lonely. Don't have anyone to go to now you've gotten that Brigadier General prat killed."

Prompto turned away at that, staring at the rocks and dust by his head to hide the tears welling up in his eyes, slipping silently over his nose and down his cheeks. Loqi was.. he'd gotten Loqi killed? He'd tricked Noct? He felt his body start to tremble, a fresh wave of tears forming.

"I-I didn't mean to. I didnt realise-" he was cut off by a hand slotting over his mouth, Prompto directing a confused, wet gaze up at Gladio in response. The man shook his head slowly and Prompto thought that perhaps he looked a little disappointed. Sad even. The almost gentle expression didn't match his violent actions of seconds ago and that left Prompto even more on edge than he'd been before.

"Shh. Mutts of the Empire don't get to talk. I don't care if you didn't mean to do it. You're probably too stupid to even realise you were doing it, yeah?"

Prompto didn't respond. Couldn't, with the hand pressed so tightly over his mouth. It was hard to breathe with Gladio still sitting on him and he could feel his focus slipping, a fuzzy grey starting to impose on the corners of his vision. Gladiolus seemed pleased by his lack of response, a grim smile twisting at his lips as he leant closer, so close that Prompto could feel the man's breath on his face.

It smelt stale, foul, as though chunks of rotting meat had been left in his mouth for days without brushing. It was a putrid scent that made Prompto instinctively try to cringe away. He didn't remember Gladio ever smelling like that before, the man was hygienic enough. Ignis hadn't even cooked them any meat based meals recently, so why...?

"Now Prom, here's what we're gonna do. You stay the fuck away from Noct and Iggy. You don't talk to them unless they talk to you. You're like a parasite, sucking away their time and energy. Noctis has better things to worry about than some stupid fucking MT"

With his free hand Gladio twisted to reach into his pocket, Prompto watching in confusion as the man pulled out a potion. He screwed his eyes shut just in time as Gladio poured it over his face, feeling his split skin begin to stitch up almost immediately.

"There, now Ignis and Gladio won't waste more time asking you about those injuries. See how that works?"

Prompto nodded even as tears continued to slide down his face, leaving little trails of salt over his skin. Gladio returned the nod and after a moment drew his hand away from Prompto's mouth, the blonde gasping in lungfuls of air. Slowly Gladiolus drew back so that he was sitting up straight again, even as he kept his weight on Prompto's stomach.

"Good boy. If I see you taking up even a second of their time unnecessarily, we'll have another one of these little meetings again. I won't go so easy next time."

Without another word Gladio stood and walked away, off into the surrounding trees. Prompto didn't know what the man was doing in the trees but he found he didn't quite care. Instead he just lay there looking up at the twinkling stars in the sky above, wishing he had a potion to apply to the rest of his body.

It was only hours later that he moved, and even then it was only because he could hear the moaning and creaking of a daemon nearby. His whole body ached in protest and he had to stop for a minute as his ribs felt like pure fire. After allowing them to settle as much as they would he dragged himself back up the incline to the safety of the haven. There he collapsed by the fire, curling in on himself in a tight ball, unable to stop his shivering.

What followed was a long night, Prompto flinching at every noise that sounded just a little too close. And when Noctis found him the next morning, in exactly the same spot he'd collapsed.. well, was it all that surprising that he found himself a little reluctant to engage with the Prince?

He was just a distraction, after all.