Visiting Prompto became a treasured part of his routine.
At first he visited the blond because Noctis had said that he got lonely. Gladiolus understood that. A person needed more than one face to keep sane. Gladiolus wanted to make Prompto as comfortable as possible.
Then his dreams shifted from fucking to making love, from desperate kisses to imagined perfect lives. Thinking of the fugitive with his sapphire like eyes made his heart race. He adored each time he got Prompto to smile or laugh, the way his face lit up when he saw him, and all the careless touching between them.
Gladiolus had fallen in love, and he hated it.
If Prompto had been a normal person, Gladiolus could have dealt with his emotions easily. He could have confessed, tried to date him, and let their hearts decide what their fate was. Instead Prompto was like a caged bird. Additionally, he was Noctis's caged bird. Gladiolus would leave their kingdom forever before he interfered with Noctis's love. The prince deserved to be happy more than he did.
Ignis commented upon his predicament after one of their sparring matches while he sipped his tea. They had to be physically ready in case anything happened to their beloved prince or their dear kingdom.
"So, what's his name?" Ignis asked as he leaned back in his own chain, getting comfortable.
Ignis's house was more luxurious than Gladiolus's own. Unlike the latter, he cared greatly for status. In his opinion, how a person lived spoke about their standards. The more muscular man laid on his couch, tired after a good match and content to relax.
"That obvious?" Gladiolus asked back. He found it amusing that Ignis was able to pick up on his feelings.
"You have that look on your eye." A small smile appeared on Ignis's face. "I'll ask again. Who's the lucky guy?"
Guy, because Gladiolus luckily never had to hide his preference for the same sex. Noctis was, until recently, thought to have been only interested in women, if that at all, and Ignis failed to see sex when it came to attraction.
"Prompto Argentum."
Ignis's eyes narrowed as he tried to match a face to the name. "Who? Do I know him?"
It impressed Gladiolus that Prompto was kept secretive enough that not even people like Ignis knew his name.
"Noct's lover."
"Ah."
The smile faded from the man's face, and Gladiolus chuckled in agreement. He could laugh at the cruel hand fate had dealt him.
"Yeah, I know. Sucks we can't control love, huh?"
Ignis neglected to answer his question. "You are not going to do anything, are you?" Suspicion and concern laced his voice.
Gladiolus shook his head. "Nah. I'd like to be his friend, but that's all. I wouldn't do that to Noct."
"Good." There was a pause; Ignis pushed up his glasses. "I understand how you feel, Gladio."
The more muscular man sat up. Ignis rarely talked about love. He leaned forward, and a playful expression occupied his face.
"Do you now? Care to share?" Ignis hesitated to answer, so Gladiolus gave him a little more encouragement. "Don't worry. I can keep a secret."
Ignis took a deep breath. "Noctis. I've been in love with Noct as long as I can remember."
It was strange to hear a friend was in love with someone else in the same social group. Just by confessing it, things seemed altered, though Gladiolus knew he would accept it and things would return back to normal. For now, he had a hard time believing it. Ignis must have noticed because he shook his head.
"Forget I said anything, and don't tell Noctis. I don't plan to, even if things don't work out with him and Prompto." He stood to get some more tea. "Princes marry princess, and Noctis is too kind for anything more."
He learned about Prompto as he spent time with him.
One rainy day Prompto confessed he enjoyed the way the rain felt against his skin, though on that day he made sure to stay sheltered under a tree. He found out that Prompto took care of the courtyard's flowers as a sort of self appointed job. He observed that Prompto slept even more than Noctis, something Gladiolus thought impossible. Many times Prompto would fall asleep on him or be waking from a nap in the grass when Gladiolus came to visit. He kept a gun with him because he was as comfortable with it as he was with his clothes; he adored the weapon and had grown up around them.
There were some days that Gladiolus would come to visit him only to be met with an empty courtyard and a locked door across it. Today when he visited, he noticed the courtyard was empty and was about to leave when he heard a voice call out to him. The sun blazed overhead, make the outside almost unbearably hot. Gladiolus had left his jacket behind in favor of being cooler.
"We're in here, Gladio."
The voice belonged to Noctis, not Prompto. So the prince was visiting the fugitive currently. As he was invited, Gladiolus crossed the courtyard and opened the door on the other side.
It was his first time entering the room. His first thought was that it was stuffed
Things of all kinds were scattered about on dressers and the floor. Movies with titles he couldn't understand were pilled high in one corner next to a fancy TV. There were pictures of several different countries pinned against the wall. Guns filled a shelf. Various trinkets were here and there, some under a nightstand, some more on top of a beautiful blanket that lay folded on top of a dresser. A large Chocobo plushy sat on the floor close to a large bed.
The room had only two doors. One led back out to the locked courtyard. The other led to a bathroom that had no other exit. Prompto was cut off from the rest of the palace. As he wasn't allowed past the locked door in the courtyard, he was cut off from the rest of the city too.
The room reeked of vomit.
Prompto sat on the floor against the bed while Noctis sat upon it. Both men had their eyes focused on the television in front of them. The dark haired men wore a light tank top while the lighter haired one wore his usual attire. Noctis's expression darkened when Gladiolus entered. Prompto looked his away and smiled. His gaze moved from his face to his completely exposed torso, and his eyes traced his tattoo.
"What's up, Gladio?"
Gladiolus loved the way his nickname sounded from Prompto's lips.
"Nothing much." He glanced around the room, trying to decide where to sit. Sitting next to Prompto with Noctis in the room was immediately ruled out, so, he sat beside the prince on the bed. "What are you watching?"
"Some dumb action movie," Prompto answered.
Gladiolus nodded. He was about to ask what had transpired in the movie so far, but the words died when he saw Noctis leave the bed and move to exit the room. Prompto shared his concern.
"You okay?" Gladiolus asked.
"Yeah, you okay, Noct?" Prompto echoed.
Noctis waved his hand as if to dismiss the idea.
"I've got to go. Sorry."
Jealousy was an ugly thing for the prince. He let Gladiolus visit his lover, but he couldn't stand to watch them interact, it seemed.
Noctis left. Prompto let out a frustrated sigh, and Gladiolus debated if he should run after him or not. He decided to stay put. Trying to get his friend to stay was futile if he truly wanted to leave. By now, he could be on the other side of the palace.
"Moody, isn't he? Prompto asked.
"He's got a lot on his mind."
"He should cheer up. I hear the war's coming to an end." Prompto stood up with a grunt, then set next to Gladiolus on the bed. "Gladio, do you have anywhere to be tonight?" His eyes were lit up with excitement.
"Nope. Got something in mind?"
Gladiolus's mind jumped to having Prompto unclothed beneath him with their names on each other's lips. He forced himself to think about Chocobos instead.
"Let's star gaze tonight!" the fugitive suggested excitedly. "Noct said there's suppose to be a lot of shooting stars tonight."
"Yeah, they come every year around this time." He nodded. "Sure."
"Awesome! Just..." Prompto yawned and fell back onto the bed. Exhaustion swept across his features. "Nightfall's not for a bit. I'm gonna take a short nap."
He reminded Gladiolus of Noctis and pictured them as napping buddies. Maybe that was why they cared for other.
"Gotcha. I'll be outside while you sleep."
As he made to leave the bed, he faintly felt Prompto grab his wrist. The man had a weak grip; it felt like a ghost's touch. He looked over his shoulder at him.
"You don't have to." Then his face turned red. "That is- I- Ah shit."
He was being asked to stay, something that was apparently embarrassing for Prompto to ask judging by his tinted visage. The blond hid his face under a pillow, breaking his grip on the other. Adorable. Gladiolus found the man to be absolutely adorable. Warmth pooled in his stomach at the idea of Prompto wanting him to stay by him. Guilt soon joined the more pleasant emotion as he remembered who else loved Prompto.
And yet, the situation didn't have to be intimate. Noctis napped beside him often, sometimes using him as a pillow. He let his mind persuade him that this scenario didn't have to be any different. Gladiolus laid back on the bed. It shifted under his added weight. Prompto cautiously lifted up his pillow to see out from under it.
"Get some sleep. I'll be here," Gladiolus said.
Prompto smiled. "Okay. Night, Gladio."
It was mere seconds before Prompto fell asleep. The unconscious man moved closer to Gladiolus in his sleep, eventually grabbing onto his arm. Gladiolus happily let him. He watched the movie on the television and listened to the shallow sound of Prompto's breathing until he woke up.
Gladiolus walked through the palace. The wide halls were illuminated by beautiful, extravagant overhead lights and the ceilings bore hand painted works of art. Gladiolus had been walking through the building since he was a child, and the luxuriousness of the place never failed to impress him.
His reason for visiting the palace late at night was that he had left his phone in the structure when he visited Noctis earlier that day. The trip was a nuisance, but it was better to make than to go without a phone.
He opened the door leading to Noctis's wing of the palace. The first thing his eyes took in was the sight of Noctis pushing someone against a wall. The wet sound of kissing filled the air. Though the pinned person had blond hair, it was a woman Noctis was kissing, not a man. A woman with long blonde hair that had grown past her shoulders. Noctis lifted his head from hers to look at the door as it creaked open.
Anger flooded Gladiolus, and his heart ached. This woman was not Prompto. Noctis was kissing someone besides Prompto. The prince was betraying his beloved blond fugitive who deserved nothing less than absolute unwavering loyalty.
"What the hell is this, Noct?!" Gladiolus yelled, throwing out his arms.
Noctis's face turned blood red. He placed his finger against his lips. The woman looked extremely confused.
"Quiet, Gladio!" Noctis urged in a whisper. "You'll wake the whole palace"
"Let them wake the hell up! I thought you were better than this!"
It was hard to believe Noctis was a cheater, despite the proof being right in front of him. He treasured his friends. He sold himself as a weapon to keep them out of the war. It took months for him to open up honestly to him and Ignis because he feared disappointing or boring them. He didn't like to cause people harm, but here he was disgracing his love for the man Gladiolus loved.
Hearing this comment, Noctis shared the woman's confusion. "What? I-What are you talking about? Are you drunk?"
Gladiolus took a step forward. The woman moved closer to Noctis. The prince stayed still, looking confused and blushing red.
"You know damn well what I'm talking about! Prompto Argentum! I never, not in my wildest dreams, thought you'd cheat on someone you loved."
Realization struck Noctis. The prince laughed hard, and the loud booming sound filled the room.
"Prompto isn't my lover, Gladio. I'm straight. I've told you that."
Now it was Gladiolus's turn to be confused. He recalled the two sitting together and how Noctis never let anyone but Gladio near him, how he gave him gifts and paid a great amount of attention to him.
But despite all their conversations, he had never heard Prompto talk about Noctis affectionately, or the prince about the gunman. He had never seen them kiss or touch beyond a friendly way. Like Noctis said, he had always told his companions he never found men to be attractive. Prompto paid more attention to Gladiolus's body than he had ever noticed him paying to Noctis's. His assumption that they were lovers had been an assumption. It was one that their actions seemed to support, but it was an assumption still.
Gladiolus groaned and rubbed his temple. The woman's bewilderment turned to understanding, then humor. He heard her laugh softly.
"Etro, are you serious?"
"Completely. What made you think we were dating?" Noctis asked, tone light.
"You treated him like you were. You gave him gifts like one."
"Prompto didn't have an easy life back home. Is it wrong for me want to give him one here?"
There was more to his words; Gladiolus knew him well enough to understand that. It was like putting a puzzle piece in the correct place. His actions were not that of a lover, but of a man trying to repent for his sins. Prompto was the representation of that. He was the soldiers that war demanded be killed. Spoiling the fugitive was the good Noctis wanted to do.
Gladiolus felt like an idiot. At least that meant Ignis was an idiot too.
"Oh Etro... Sorry about all that, Noct."
"Don't worry about it," the prince said.
It was with a burst of joy that he realized if Noctis didn't love Prompto, there was no reason he shouldn't try to. He could confess without disrespecting his friend. Before he ran off to do so, however, he needed to salvage what he could of his first meeting with Noctis's beloved.
Gladiolus turned his attention towards the woman. "And sorry for making such a horrible first impression. I'm not a mean guy, promise." He held out his hand. "I'm Gladiolus Amicitia, and a close friend of Noct."
The woman shook his hand. "Stella Nox Fleuret. Nice to meet you, Gladiolus."
"Are you a fan of ribs? Or chicken wings?" Gladiolus asked.
"Both, actually," Stella answered, amused.
"Then come to my house next Friday. Iggy's cooking both, and any friend of Noct is a friend of mine, which means cook outs. Noct will show you the way."
Noctis interrupted. "Gladio! You can't just make plans like that. Stella might-"
"I would love to come," Stella said. She wrapped her arm around Noctis's own and took his hand. "You don't need to get embarrassed on my behalf, Noct."
Noctis rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and looked away.
Yet another assumption Gladiolus had made about the prince was wrong. Noctis was not a jealous lover. He was a normal one, and he acted as shyly with her as he did with them when his was younger and just starting to befriending Gladiolus and Ignis.
"Great! See you there. I've got something to do, so I'll see you two lovebirds later."
Noctis would complain to him later about being called a lovebird, but it was worth it. He waved goodbye to the two and then ran to the courtyard.
It was a short trip. Stepping into the garden, he spotted Prompto lying in the grass as he worked to unlock the door that separated the two halves of the flower filled area. The blond stood after hearing Gladiolus enter. Like always, Gladiolus was welcomed with joy and cheerfulness. Prompto was a blessing in unhappy times.
Instead of the normal exchange of greetings, Gladiolus placed one hand on the man's shoulder and another on his cheek. The intimacy of the touch failed to escape Prompto's notice. His eyes widened. Then his breathing grew heavy, and he leaned into the touch.
Gladiolus kissed him.
He felt pure bliss.
The contact was short lived. Briefly the blond returned the kiss, but he quickly stepped back and shook his head. He waved his hands out in front of him as if to further separate himself from the tattooed man.
"N-No, we can't." Fear filled his voice. "I'll-I'll kill you."
Kill him. Gladiolus had been rejected many times in his life, but not because a relation ship would 'kill him.'
"Prompto-"
"Besides, you don't want me. I'm not a nice guy, really."
That was a lie if he ever heard one.
"Prompto-"
"And I'm selfish. Horribly selfish. Ugly, too. You haven't seen me without makeup-I've got scars everywhere."
"Prompto."
"Yeah?" Finally, the blond stopped his self-hating ramble.
"You're none of those things, and even if you were, I wouldn't care."
And to show that, he kissed the blond again. This time, Prompto didn't move away. There was a small moment when he didn't react, but then he wrapped his arms around Gladiolus. The contact was light, unsure. The taller man pulled him against him. They kissed, and kissed again, and again. Gladiolus had to remind himself that he was awake.
Prompto briefly broke the contact to speak. "Gladio, if things don't work out, promise me you won't hold it against me? I don't think I could take that."
The answer was given before Gladiolus had time to think about it. "Of course." What was Prompto afraid of? That he'd kill him? It was a laughable idea, and Gladiolus would have laughed at it if Prompto hadn't spouted out insecurity after insecurity after it.
The promise took a weight off of Prompto. "Thank you," he whispered.
Prompto initiated the next kiss.
Gladiolus was in love, and it seemed he was loved back.
