manspreading | inbox; hadriel

[in a house of four rooms, prompto doesn't mind being the odd one out sharing beds. he's small enough to fit in the same bed as noctis; he would never dare to intrude on lunafreya's space, much less king regis'; gladiolus has that gross-smelling blanket, but he's grown used to camping in tight spaces with the bigger guy.]

[the thing is, he misses ignis quite a bit. it's not the same without him here. he hates mentioning it to noctis, because prompto knows just how guilty he feels over it. how noctis seems to blame himself for a lot of what's been going on and what has happened. even if they talked out the whole situation with his getting pushed off the train and being held captive by the empire, it feels a lot like noctis can't make peace with himself over it.]

[(in that same vein, prompto wonders if it's because noctis knows now. it's terrifying.)]

gladio are you awake

[which is why now, unable to sleep and in the middle of the night, prompto fusses with his phone and under the sole light of the screen sends gladiolus a message. he's standing by the door of the crownsguard's door.]

i can't sleep

[ Gladio isn't the world's deepest sleeper, as the guy who usually keeps first watch. It's definitely true that their living situation leaves something to be desired, even if it's better than being cramped in their tent at one of the many camps in Duscae and Leide. Back then he wasn't sharing a roof with the once-dead King of Lucis.

Gladio's phone buzzes. He rolls over and grabs it off the weird not-quite bedside table, only to notice Prompto at the door. ]

Hey. [ Really, he doesn't even have to read the message to know what's up. Gladio wipes a hand down his face and sits up, cocking his head. ] What're you standing around for? C'mere.

[seeing how his intention was to walk in soon as he got confirmation from gladiolus that he was awake, prompto easily steps inside after the other speaks. he pockets the phone and--shoeless but still without proper sleep wear--sits himself down at the end of the bed.]

[a deep breath and a moment later, he turns over his shoulder to glance at gladiolus]

It's weird not to hear sounds like in camping, huh...

[because he knows gladiolus loves camping, even if prompto tends to bitch and moan about it, much in par with noctis' more delicate sensitivities about it. but this is clearly not what's keeping prompto from being able to sleep.]

--sorry for waking you, Gladio.

[at least he sounds sincere]

Yeah, sleeping under the stars... it'd be a lot better than this.

[ He waves off Prompto's concern, scooting closer to his younger friend. Really, he might not be Noct but he's still Gladio's responsibility. ]

Don't worry about it. Not like I was getting much rest anyway. What's up?

[it's only been a couple of days and things like the stars are easily missed. prompto misses the open air, the real sunshine, clear blue skies, especially...]

I don't know, I just...

[he picks his feet up, crossing his legs and holding onto his ankles with his hands. he's clearly struggling to get some words out here.]

[he misses ignis. he misses the regalia. he misses noctis. he misses gladio. he misses them, struggling with food and deciding whether to camp out or spend a bit more at a hotel for once. he misses living a relatively normal day to day with his friends.]

[chin nearly pressing to his chest as he looks down, knees pressing close, and folding his arms around them, it's clear he made himself upset.]

I miss Iggy.

[is what he manages to choke out, quiet, quietly.]

[ Gladio releases a sigh. It's weird, the three of them, hanging out without their calming force and guiding light in a lot of ways. Ignis may not be one to show initiative, always deferring to Noct's judgment when it came to when and where they went, well, anywhere, but without his cooking almost every night and his morning nagging and his Ebony obsession, things haven't been the same.

Ignis would have been able to sort Noct out without kicking his ass. Ignis is just way better at all this than Gladio. It'd be frustrating if he hadn't come to terms with it long ago. ]

Me too.

[ It's more than that, though. He can tell. Gladio sets a hand on Prompto's shoulder and squeezes, reassuring. ]

You wanna talk about it?

[the shoulder squeeze is what makes him tilt his head upwards again, and his expression looks troubled, like he's trying hard not to cry even though he's very dang close to it.]

[prompto struggles, because what he wants is selfish; what he worries about--it's all selfish.]

[so, a sob choking his words into quiet gasps as he speaks, he attempts to just put it out there]

Thi-this isn't fun anymore. It's... all messed up, and it hurts. Noct is... he's in so much pain, and I can't... I don't know what to do... What can I do? Iggy's not here, we're not in Eos anymore, [a pause to sniffle, shutting his eyes tighter only causing tears to spread onto his eyelashes] I should've done more...

[now, blaming himself is not going to make things better, and he knows that. by 'fun' he means not that he thought the trip was going to be shits and giggles all around, but he never expected to come out of it with so many dead, some missing, one of their own permanently scarred, and his best friend living constantly under the painful weight of what's to come next.]

I do-don't know, how to help...

[but in the end this is what chokes prompto the most. he's not so skilled in combat as gladiolus is, or as technical in his approach as ignis, but he's always prided himself in being able to keep everyone's cheer levels high. but to do anything foolish and silly seems almost like a disservice to everything that they've gone through up until now]

[ It was never supposed to be fun, but the words die on his lips before he can make the mistake of saying it. Prompto's not like the rest of them, he didn't spend his whole life training, knowing deep down that one day he would die on the battlefield, serving a kingdom and a crystal because it's what he was born to do. Gladio's just a normal Crown City citizen, a kid who signed up to see his best friend off to a wedding, and even after Insomnia fell and everything came crashing down around them, at the end of the day they could pretend they were just four guys on a road trip. Having a good time. Holding off the inevitable.

Gladio knows this is true. Their little road trip adventure was a gift from Regis more than anything. They could've all died at Insomnia or had the wedding postponed or had it go a million different ways than how it went. Even knowing how it goes still feels somewhat surreal to him. But it's very real to Noct and it's just as real to Prompto. ]

Don't blame yourself. [ Okay, that comes out a bit rougher than intended, but it's the first thing that matters here. None of this is Prompto's fault. He doesn't have the bloodline, the responsibility any of them do. ] Just you being here with Noct... it's done him good. You know that, right?

[ Noct, who became so reserved, who barely spoke after the Maralith, had only opened up after he started hanging out with Prompto. Their friendship was obviously important to both of them, and as Noct's guardian, Gladio could only be thankful for the spark of joy Prompto had managed to bring to the prince's life. ]

Right now, Noct... he's dealing with a lot. And he wants to run away. [ And Gladio blames him for that and is completely against it, but you know. Gladio sighs, squeezing Prompto's shoulder again. ] You just gotta keep being you, okay? You're... you're not like me or Iggy. You don't have to stay with His Highness, it's not your job or anything. I know that means a lot to him. Even if he'd probably never say it out loud.

Edited 2017-02-16 01:44 (UTC)

[perhaps this is why prompto feels so comfortable with the guys, even though his life--compared to theirs--is so different. everyone looks after him in one way or another, and they don't treat him like he's of lesser significance because of how differently he was raised or how much he lacks in experience in these kind of circumstances. it takes him by surprise any time anyone reminds him that his strength and importance stems from being himself. from being noctis' friend.]

[it is perhaps inevitable, then, to sometimes wonder if he really was all that separated from the crown prince's path--considering his past (but he needs to look beyond that, really, lest it continues to grow anxiously inside him).]

Ye-yeah...

[gladiolus' words pull him back, anchor him to what he can do, no matter how minimal. his face looking down at the hands on his lap. he knows he can trust what gladiolus is saying; there's no reason for him to lie about it--about anything.]

[prompto takes a deep breath, clearly flustered (because being of use is one of those things he's always wanted to be--)]

I don't... want him to think he's on his own.

[he turns his head slightly to the side, towards the other, bangs matted down and covering his eyes a bit; softly, he speaks, because earnestness and genuine caring comes gentle to him.]

You being here with him is also important to Noct, I'm pretty sure of it... [even if you did beat the shit out of him] I'll try harder for-- for all of you.

I promise.

fwd dated 2/15ish

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text, 3/12

oh child

Re: oh child

ohhhhh child......

Re: ohhhhh child......

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shortly after they figure noct left...!?

poor son

hold him

soon.... soon

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