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Laurus is the first to notice the cute blond kid walk into the room, looking around with wide eyes. He’s fiddling with his bracelet and sticking close to the walls, but he doesn’t look lost. Just overwhelmed. Laurus nudges Silvia and she follows the direction of his gaze. And scowls.
“You know who he is?” Laurus asks. He assumes its one of the many idiots who tries to to hit on her while she’s got a lance in her hand, but she shakes her head slowly.
“Never talked to him.” Silvia sighs. “That’s Amicitia’s boyfriend. Poor thing.”
It takes Laurus a second to process this—he hadn’t known Amicitia was gay—but once he does he manages to focus on the second part. “What’s wrong with him?”
Silvia sighs again. “I mean, I might just be seeing things but—look, there’s Amicitia now. Watch.”
Amicitia walks into the room with his normal terrifying frown, but when he catches sight of the blond kid walking up to him he actually smiles. Laurus is pretty sure he just has one of those faces that looks scary no matter what mood he’s in, but the kid’s answering smile is decidedly shaky.
He still walks over to Amicitia though, looking uncomfortable when Amicitia reaches out and wraps an arm around his waist. He shifts on his feet, looking shiftily around the room as Amicitia leans down toward him. Amicitia touches a bruise on the kid’s face and frowns when he flinches.
“Maybe we’re just misreading it,” Laurus says, but his voice is so unconvincing it makes Silvia snort. “I mean, you said you’ve never even talked to him…”
“Well, we can fix that,” Silvia says, grabbing Laurus by the arm and dragging him across the room with her.
“Wait, what?” Laurus tries to yank himself free, but her grip is like a vice. “C’mon, I don’t want him to kill me.”
Silvia completely ignores him. “Hey, Amicitia!” she calls, raising her lance in greeting. Laurus waves his free hand too, but his smile never makes it to his face. “You ever gonna introduce your boyfriend to us?”
Amicitia’s boyfriend jumps and turns toward them, reaching for his bracelet again. Amicitia pulls him closer, tightening the hand on his waist. Laurus feels uncomfortable. The kid looks so tiny compared to Amicitia’s bulk, and his smile is downright sickly.
“H-hey.” Amicitia’s boyfriend holds out a hand. “I’m Prompto.”
Silvia utterly ignores the polite gesture in favor of starting a narrow-eyed staring contest with Amicitia, so Laurus shakes Prompto’s hand in her stead. It’s clammy with sweat.
“Hell of a bruise you’ve got there,” Silvia says, not looking away from Amicitia’s eyes.
Prompto’s eyes widen and he looks up at Amicitia before he answers. “Gladio’s trying to teach me some self-defense.” His smile is rueful. “It’s not going so well.”
“You’re getting better,” Amicitia grumbles.
“R-really?” Prompto turns his wide-eyed gaze up to Amicitia again. “It doesn’t feel like it.”
Amicitia smiles down at him and squeezes his waist again. “Really,” he says in the softest voice Laurus has ever heard him use. “It’s only been a month, babe. Give it some time.”
Prompto beams up at him, and he looks way too pleased about the encouragement for it to be a common occurrence. Silvia seems to think so too, scoffing quietly and giving Laurus a disgusted look. Amicitia notices it and turns a scowl on her.
“Problem, Silvia?” Amicitia leans forward threateningly. He looms really well.
“Maybe we should go to another room?” Prompto says, tangling his fingers in the hem of Amicitia’s tank top. “I’m gonna be late for lunch with Noct if we don’t get started.”
Amicitia tsks loudly, but he backs off. “Yeah, let’s get going.”
“It was nice meeting you,” Prompto says, but he only looks at Laurus when he smiles.
Amicitia keeps a hand on Prompto’s back as they walk away, and Silvia isn’t the only person who looks upset.
“You’d think he’d at least try to hide it better,” Silvia growls. “But I bet he knows he’s untouchable. The Marshall and his dad think he’s just perfect.”
Laurus doesn’t say anything. He kind of feels bad for Prompto, but he’s not stupid enough to think he can do anything to help.