Chapter Text
Prompto was never quite sure how he felt about autumn. He loved pumpkin-flavored everything, and it really was an amazing time for photography, with the leaves all different colors. But he never quite warmed up after being outside in the chill, no matter how many layers he wore, and he could never tell how badly the fading light was going to affect his mood.
It was always a sort of toss-up season for him, and this year was even more unpredictable than normal.
He had technically been dating Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio since the spring, but it had always been all four of them hanging out together, or Prompto alone with Noct now and then. Which was great, until Ignis and Noct got buried under preparations for the first of the harvest celebrations and holed up at the Citadel together. He hadn’t gotten more than a text here and there from either of them for days.
So it was just him and Gladio, out in the real world as the seasons turned.
Prompto tried not to worry about that as he crunched through the falling leaves in the park down near the river. His favorite park to take photos. And distract himself from freaking out about his boyfriends. Well, one boyfriend in particular.
He didn’t even know what it was about Gladio, if he was honest. Gladio was a great guy and he gave the best hugs. But Prompto just hadn’t quite clicked with him the way he had with Noct and Ignis. Not romantically, at least. And, really, he felt awful about it. He couldn’t figure out if it was his fault or Gladio’s, let alone what they could do to fix it. He liked Gladio--he really did. He just wasn’t sure if Gladio liked him back or was just going along with it because of his obligation to the others. The thought of which almost instantly sent Prompto into an anxiety spiral. Because of course it did.
Huffing to himself, Prompto kicked a few leaves and popped the lens cap off his camera. Stop thinking about stupid Gladio, he told himself. Focus on getting some cool pics.
He turned the camera on and messed with the shutter and f-stop settings to make sure he could get the exposure he wanted. The sun glittering on the river was going to be a tricky background for this shot, but Prompto welcomed the challenge. It meant he wasn’t thinking about his boyfriends, at least.
People passed on the path behind him, feet crunching on leaves and gravel, sometimes talking or laughing. Prompto ignored them as he crouched in the mulch, squinting through his viewfinder as he adjusted the focus. Damn, it would be nice if the stupid wind stopped moving his subjects around and freezing his fingers. Maybe he should have worn gloves in addition to his puffy scarf and chocobo beanie. But that would have been way too smart. It was something Ignis would have suggested.
Ugh, it had only been a few days since they went up to the Citadel and Prompto already missed Noct and Ignis so much it hurt. He was hopeless. Totally hopeless.
“Prompto?”
Prompto bit his lip to keep from groaning at Gladio’s voice. Of course Gladio, of all people, would find him in his favorite park when he was trying to forget about all the awkwardness. Of course. That was just Prompto’s luck.
He swallowed, pasted on a smile, and straightened to turn toward his boyfriend. “Hey, Gladio! Uh. What’re you doing here?”
Gladio gave him an easy smile and a lazy shrug with bare shoulders. He wore his hoodie tied around his waist, leaving him in his black Crownsguard tank top, but he didn’t seem cold at all. “Just taking a run. Have to do something to keep from going stir-crazy while I’m off-duty for Shiva knows how long. You okay? You look freezing.”
Prompto laughed and yanked his chocobo beanie further down before replying jokingly, “Nah, I’m melting, man.”
“Uh huh. That’s why you’re shivering.” Gladio rolled his eyes and untied the hoodie from around his waist. He held it out to Prompto with a grin. “C’mon. Put it on and we’ll get you somewhere warmer.”
“I’m fine,” Prompto protested weakly. He was already wearing a thick sweater and his coat. And he sure as hell wasn’t shivering. Was he? Ugh, why didn’t he have any body heat any more?
Gladio gave him a dry look and dropped the hoodie over his head. “Just put it on.”
Prompto spluttered a few more half-hearted protests, but there was no use arguing. Gladio was the most stubborn man he’d ever met, after all. He shoved his camera into Gladio’s hands and awkwardly yanked the sweatshirt on over his coat. Even though it was Gladio’s size--aka designed to be completely massive on Prompto--it barely fit over his other layers. And it smelled like Gladio, too--sweat and musk, with just a hint of something floral. Prompto found it weirdly attractive.
Okay, so at least Gladio smelled nice.
“Thanks,” he mumbled as he took his camera back, trying not to be jealous of the fact that Gladio was standing there in a tank top, completely unaffected by the weather.
“You sure you’re okay?” Gladio asked gently, taking half a step closer.
Prompto flashed him what he knew was his most brilliant grin. “Yeah, I’m good.”
They stood in awkward silence for a moment, watching each other like nervous animals as Prompto scrambled for something else to say. Why was talking to Gladio alone so hard ?
“You didn’t answer my texts earlier,” Gladio said finally, his voice soft and concerned instead of accusatory.
It still made Prompto wince a little. He’d meant to respond to Gladio’s suggestion they hang out, but then he’d nearly had a panic attack trying to figure out what to say and decided to come to the park instead. Not that that had helped him avoid this situation at all. He chuckled self-consciously and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Yeah...sorry. Got kinda distracted.”
Galdio’s expression was unreadable as he stared at Prompto for a long moment. He smiled weakly and reached up to rub at the back of his neck. “Got time now? There’s a coffee shop not too far. Grab a drink with me?”
Prompto’s stomach twisted, but he smiled anyway. Coffee alone with Gladio. The idea was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. Could they manage to have a conversation on their own that wasn’t painfully awkward? “Uh. Sure. Yeah. Sounds good.”
“You don’t have to,” Gladio backpedaled quickly. “Just thought it might be nice. You. Me. Talking. Coffee. You know, boyfriend things.”
“I got it, Big Guy.” Prompto chuckled again, glancing down to turn his camera off and replace the lens cap. He didn’t want to make Gladio think he wasn’t interested. He just needed to figure out what the hell was happening. They could make it through a coffee date. Right? “Let’s go.”
Gladio gave him a strange look, but motioned down the path with a tilt of his chin.
Prompto hung his camera around his neck and stuffed his hands into the pocket of Gladio’s hoodie, curling his fingers together to try and warm them up as he fell into step beside his much bigger companion. “So...how long do you think Noct and Iggy are going to be trapped up at the Citadel?”
Gladio shrugged. “Couple days, probably. Maybe a week. Noct’s got to learn a whole new part this year, now that he’s old enough.”
“Oh. Right.” Prompto had forgotten that the prince was supposed to give a blessing or something during each of the harvest festivals, once he came of age. And Noct had turned twenty just last month. That was why everything was weird this year. Right.
“You know Noct,” Gladio continued after a moment, his voice soft over the crunching of their feet on the gravel path. “It’ll probably take him a couple days just to get the words down, and that’s not counting whatever ritual shit he’s got to do.”
Prompto swallowed a groan. He’d gotten used to spending time with Noct and Iggy and Gladio all together over the last few months. Being without two of them for a week or more sounded absolutely awful. But he’d done it before. He could do it now. It wasn’t like he was completely alone this time, right? He still had Gladio.
He glanced up at the Shield as they walked. Gladio smelled good, he was handsome as hell--especially in the golden autumn light--and nice, and funny, and stronger than anyone Prompto knew. So why couldn’t he just relax and enjoy being around him the way he could around Noct and Ignis?
“What’s up?” Gladio asked quietly.
Prompto spluttered and blushed. He hadn’t realized Gladio had noticed him looking. “Oh, uh, it’s nothing. Just thinking. About stuff. You know. Nothing important or anything.”
“You know, it doesn’t have to be important for me to want to hear about it.” Gladio gently nudged Prompto with his elbow. “That’s what boyfriends are for, right? Talking about all the little shit?”
“Oh. Heh. I guess so.” Prompto chuckled self-consciously and rubbed at the back of his neck, turning his gaze away. “It’s nothing. Really. Sorry.”
“Yeah.” Gladio shoved his hands in his pockets. “Right.”
They walked out of the park in awkward silence, turning back onto the crowded streets and toward the coffee shop Gladio had mentioned.
It was a small, rustic shop, all painted in soft pastels and floral motifs. Almost every table was packed with Insomnia University students, laptops and textbooks scattered everywhere. Some acoustic version of a pop song Prompto vaguely recognized played under the chatter as he and Gladio pushed inside.
The crowd and the prices on the board behind the counter made Prompto feel suddenly very out of place. For all that this place looked quaint, those prices were outright absurd. Well, at least the place was warm.
Gladio’s big arm wrapped around Prompto’s waist, gently urging him forward.
They threaded their way toward the counter, through the maze of tables and chattering students, and Prompto tried his hardest not to feel claustrophobic or hemmed in. He shrank a little closer to Gladio, though, using the Shield’s bulk to make sure he didn’t get jostled about too much.
Prompto wound up ordering a hot chai with pumpkin syrup, but only after Gladio chastised him for trying to order a small black coffee because it was the cheapest. The upside of his boyfriends knowing his tastes: they never let him get things he didn’t like just to save money any more. Of course, it was hard not to feel guilty when they spoiled him like that. Especially Gladio, with this awkward...thing between them. It felt weird, to let Gladio buy him expensive fancy tea when he wasn’t even sure about what was going on.
They settled at the only open table they could find, a small one wedged into the corner near the windows. There was only one open chair, so Prompto perched in the windowsill, knees curled up near his chest, and snuggled further into Gladio’s hoodie to stave off the chill from the glass. He rested his mug against his knees and watched the steam curl up from his chai instead of looking to Gladio.
“Okay,” Gladio said eventually. His own mug clicked gently as he set it on the tabletop and the chair creaked as he shifted. “What the hell’s going on?”
“Wh-what?” Prompto finally turned toward Gladio, eyes wide and the tips of his ears turning pink.
Gladio sat with his arms crossed, his elbows braced on the table. His golden eyes bored into Prompto with an intensity that could have set something on fire. “How long have we been dating, Prom?”
“Uh. Six months? Ish?” Prompto had the exact day saved in his phone calendar, but he’d always been bad at remembering dates. “I think?”
“Six months,” Gladio repeated quietly. He uncrossed his arms to fidget carefully with his coffee mug. “And we’re sitting here not talking to each other, like we’re on some failed first date. Or like you’re going to break up with me and don’t know how to do it.”
“What? No!” Prompto spluttered and nearly spilled his chai in his haste to turn toward Gladio. He bumped his shin against the table, rattling Gladio’s cup, then smashed his shoulder into the wall, but finally managed to face his boyfriend. “I’m not breaking up with you. Promise!”
Gladio didn’t look convinced. His jaw tightened a moment before relaxing again and he sighed. “Okay, fine. Then tell me what’s wrong.”
“N-nothing’s wrong!” Prompto protested, hoping really hard that Gladio would buy it and knowing immediately that he wouldn’t. He winced and looked down into his steaming mug for a second. “It’s fine. Really. We’re fine. I’m just...it’s fall, you know? It always makes me weird. Sorry.”
“Yeah, Noct mentioned something about that,” Gladio said thoughtfully, still studying Prompto. He frowned and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. “But this isn’t just a fall thing. It’s been going on for a while now. I just don’t know what ‘it’ is. You gonna fill me in or what?”
Prompto sucked in a sharp breath and frowned at his chai. He restlessly tapped the side of the mug to watch the ripples in the liquid as he tried to put his thoughts together. Finally, he sighed and muttered, “It’s just that...I don’t know, Gladio, it feels like...maybe you’re not all that into me? I mean, I wouldn’t really blame you or anything--I’m nowhere near as hot as Ignis or Noct or you--but, like, I don’t want you to feel like you have to date me because I’m dating them, you know? It’s stupid. I didn’t want to bug you with it. Just...forget I said anything. It’s all good.”
Gladio ran his hands over his face. “Prompto, this is exactly the kind of thing I want you to bug me with. I’m dating you because I want to, okay? Not to make things easier with Iggy and Noct. We’re all big boys; we could handle it if one of us wasn’t into someone else. But that’s not what’s happening here. We all want to date you. Even me. Promise.”
Prompto wanted to believe him. He really did. But how could he? Things were just so...awkward between them. Gladio never kissed him, never invited him to spend the night, never gave him shoulder massages, never did any of the other sappy little things he’d seen Gladio do with the other two. Well, except hugs. And he’d brought flowers once, when they’d first started dating. But compared to what he did for Ignis and Noct, that was practically nothing.
“Yeah,” he finally choked out, taking a long sip of his chai. “Okay. Sorry. I...I’ll remember that from now on.”
“You better,” Gladio growled quietly, softening the words with a little smile. He reached over to ruffle Prompto’s hair with one big hand. “We love you, Prom. Just...try to believe that.”
Prompto smiled tightly and wrapped his hands around his mug. “I will. Sorry, Gladio.”
“Don’t apologize.” Gladio shook his head. “Just trust me.”
Prompto forced his smile to strengthen a little and took another sip of his tea, now that it was cool enough to actually drink. Then, more than fed up with the topic of conversation, he quickly asked, “Hey, did you see the new chocobo racing game that came out last week?”
Gladio blinked, but rolled with it. “Not yet. You get a copy already?”
“Yeah, Noct got it for me.” Prompto’s smile turned more genuine as they began to talk about things he actually knew about, instead of emotions and relationships. It was way easier to gush about video games and new cutting-edge graphics. And being into the conversation made it easier to ignore the weird looks Gladio kept giving him, too.
Eventually, Gladio got a text and announced that he had to go.
Prompto walked out of the coffee shop with him, wincing a little as the cool autumn air hit his face. Just when he’d finally started to warm up.
“Hey.”
He looked up at Gladio. Would he finally get a kiss goodbye? “What?”
“I’ll see you soon. Okay?” Gladio smiled and pulled him into a fierce hug, completely enveloping Prompto in his big, tattooed arms. “Remember what I said.”
Prompto hesitated a moment before hugging back. His arms barely reached all the way around Gladio’s girth. So much for a goodbye kiss. He should have known it would be too much to ask for. “Yeah. See you.”
He stood outside the cafe for a moment, watching Gladio trot down the street. It wasn’t until the Shield was out of sight that Prompto realized he was still wearing Gladio’s hoodie.