Chapter Text
"Gluteus medius."
Gladio's hand was warm on the small of his back, kneading Prompto's flesh just above and a little to the side of his butt with gentle touches.
"That one good for anything?" Prompto mumbled, words blurring together. It was so comfortable. He wasn't going to get up, ever again.
"Helps you walk."
"Huh," he yawned. "Isn't there a maximus, too?"
"Yeah. That's this one here." Gladio's hand moved to the middle of his butt to grip one of his cheeks with a solid squeeze. Prompto sighed happily on top of his man and pushed his body back into that firm touch.
"Didn't know there was more than one." It was so hard to open keep his eyes open. His goatee was surely tickling the exposed skin of Gladio’s collarbone, but Prompto couldn't be bothered to move. He had just returned from a lone hunt to the tiny place in Lestallum Gladio, Ignis and he had chosen as a safe haven in the darkness of Lucis, still exhausted from days without sleep and proper food.
Sure, Ignis always kept the little freezer stocked with emergency rations in case one of them needed something quick to eat, and he had slept as soon as he had closed the door behind himself, but his body was apparently still not fully recharged.
Then Gladio had turned up and had pulled him back to bed, on top of him. Now, everything was fine. He was warm and safe and fed, in the arms of one of the men he loved. He was fine.
"How do you know all of these anyway?" Prompto was still slurring his words.
"I gotta."
"Huh?"
Gladio shuffled carefully under him, adjusting his grip on Prompto, one hand petting through his hair, the other still covering almost the whole of his bum, some fingers slipping down between his legs, just laying there, not actively touching. It reminded Prompto of how he sometimes used to see people carry a baby.
"I mean," Gladio said, "back in Insomnia. When-" He huffed. "Can't use my sword in the city, can I? With that thing it's all or nothing, hitting someone is always heavy damage or death. And I swore an oath to protect the people of Insomnia."
Prompto heard him swallow.
"So, I got lessons in anatomy. Mostly bones and muscles, so I could protect Noct without hurting people badly. You gotta know where everything is and what it does if you want to place a single, effective punch in a heated situation."
"Ah." Prompto stretched to press his lips to the skin just above Gladio's shirt line. "Makes sense."
"Didn't you get taught as well during training?"
Prompto blushed, glad that from this angle, Gladio was unlikely to see it. "Yeah, but. That was pretty basic, just enough for me to know where to place a shot and stuff. And... there weren't names. Was more like here's how to analyze where to shoot an enemy, nothing specific."
Gladio hummed.
"Noct and Iggy know that stuff, too?"
"Iggy knows more than me. Blood vessels and inner organs and that crap, 'cause he chose daggers and lances early on."
"So… it all comes down to quick and effective combat," Prompto mumbled.
Gladio probably nodded, based on the movement of his hair.
"And... Noct knows all of that? 'Cause he used so many weapons?" Again, it was only Prompto not knowing his shit.
"Nah," Gladio chuckled, "none of it."
"Huh?" That was unexpected.
"Too busy to learn it on top of all the other crap they were teaching him. And anyway, that's what Iggy and I are here for. We're supposed to-" Gladio's breath caught in his chest.
It took several moments before he continued, Prompto just lying on him until he found his voice again. "We're... supposed to always be at his side. To give him strategic advice and, and to guide him with the use of each of his weapons."
A deep sigh lifted Prompto's head up and down. He pushed his hands further down under Gladio, trying to hug him more closely. Noctis was coming back. Noctis was coming back. Noctis was coming back. They only needed to say it often enough and believe in it.
Noctis was coming back.
He stretched his body again, up, closer to Gladio's face, kissing his neck, his beard, his lips. Gladio pulled Prompto closer, returning his kiss gently and, maybe, a little desperate.
In the distance, Prompto heard a door falling shut and warmth was blooming in his chest. Hopefully Ignis would join them in their attempt to drown their worries in each other's affection.