Alrighty! Did someone say drabble? I heard drabble.
They didn’t handle loud noises very well. So seeing the grey clouds hanging in the sky above them wasn’t a very comforting sight. But they figured that had enough time to get home before the storm. Part of them prayed to the six that it’s be a quiet storm. The other part prayed for their anxiety about it to go away. But that didn’t happen.
Clearly.
All it had taken was one thundering boom from behind them and they had jumped almost a mile in the air with a squeak. They clutched their chest and turned around, eyes wide with fear. But then they relaxed, slightly, and frowned when they recognized the source of the noise. Gladiolus Amicitia. Who had tripped and fallen on the ground behind them. He was only an acquaintance, but even they knew he wasn’t clumsy. There must be something on his mind they figured.
They quickly darted over and began to help him back to his feet without being asked. Not that they were much help considering their size compared to his. It was like a mouse attempting to pull a cat to it’s feet. But it was the thought that counted, right? And so long as they didn’t make a fool of themself in front of him, especially him considering how much they liked him, they’d be fine. Meanwhile, Gladio huffed in embarrassment and gratefully accepted their help.
“T-that sounded like i-it hurt. Are you a-alright?” They asked once he was back upright. It was a little hard for them to speak to him properly. They didn’t really talk to him much, and their nerves prevented them from making an effort to fix that. But then again, it wasn’t just him. The same was true for almost everyone else they knew. They just weren’t very good with people in general.
He grunted and then answered, “Yeah, I’m fine, just didn’t see that rock there.”
“O-oh.” If they didn’t know better, they’d say that his face was a little rosy from his fall. They glanced at the ground and tried finding the rock, but couldn’t see one. Perhaps he kicked it off the road when he tripped.
He glanced down and then back up at them, coughing before saying, “You can let go now.”
“Oh!” They repeated and hurriedly let go of the arm they had grabbed. They then took a step back and hid their hands behind their back. “S-sorry!”
They glanced up at him and saw a weird expression on his face. They should have been paying attention dang it. They should have noticed they hadn’t let go, and now he thinks they’re weird, and he’ll probably avoid them and …their imagination began to run off with those thoughts and they couldn’t really handle it right then. So they did the only logical thing they could think of. They promptly turn around and began to walk away without another word.
Gladio was a little confused by the sudden departure, but didn’t let it daunt him.
“Hey wait!” He called, and jogged to catch up with them. Which, to their annoyance, it had only taken a second for him to do so. His stride was much larger than theirs after all.
They stopped where they were and turned to face him. Their expression questioning why he’d called for them to wait. (Those thoughts still began to pick at the back of their mind.) But that was when the sky decided to remind them it was still cloudy. Another crash, this one having nothing to do with the guy in front of them, shook the air and they squeaked again, covering their face. A slight shake settled into their shoulders and they had to remind themself to breath.
“Are you alright?” Gladio asked, leaning down and sort of brushing their hair out of their face to try and see them better. Never mind that their hands were in the way.
They had to count to ten before they could manage to pull their hands away and look up at him. And even then, they couldn’t trust their voice. So they nodded, lowering their shaking hands and looking up at the sky with panic.
When they felt comfortable enough they whispered, “I’m…I…Just…l-loud noises scare me.”
They looked off to the side, not wanting to meet his gaze. They fully expected him to make fun of their for their fear. But instead he only hummed in understanding. “Do you want me to call someone to get you? I can if you think you’ll have trouble getting home on your own.”
They shook their head no. “No one to call. I live on my own.”
He frowned at that. “So what do you do during other situations like this?”
“Wait it out.” They laughed humorously, their fear making them bold. “Nature doesn’t give me a choice to do otherwise.”
They eyed the sky wearily, feeling their fear begin to take over a bit. The next one would probably make them scream with how much anticipation they were feeling. They exhaled shakily. “I’ll be fine. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
They went to walk away again, but stopped when they felt a hand circle their wrist. “I’ll sit with you until it passes.”
Their eyes widened and they turned back around. “E-excuse me?”
“I said I’ll sit with you…if you’d like that is.” Gladio once again coughed into his hand, trying to cover the slight redness rising to his cheeks.
They were about to reassure him that, no, they’d be alright. But it seemed like the storm just wanted to mess with them, and another crash sounded from the sky. They flinched and spoke without thinking. “Alright!”
He look almost as surprised as them. “R-really?”
If they hadn’t been so freaked out, they’d probably have noticed that was the first time they’d heard him stutter. Ever.
“Y-yes.” They mumbled. “Can we please just go?”
He nodded and offered his hand to them. “Lead the way.”
They gladly took his hand, forgetting how this might look to others for the time being and just focusing on getting to their home. Gladio thanked his luck and the six for this. Ordinarily, they’d turn and run off from anyone who tried speaking to them after a few minutes. And plenty at school had tried to speak to them. They were just…awkward around others. Even he could see that. But somehow he was tagging along with them to their house. (And even holding their hand.) Perhaps the six were smiling down on him today?
They eventually lead him right to their house, and let go of his hand to fish for their keys in their coat pockets. Right when they found them and were about to open the lock, the thunder rang out again. They dropped their keys and wrapped their arms around themself. Gladio, simply wanting to be there for them, bent down, grabbed the keys, and opened the door. He then circled his arm around their shoulders and ushered them inside the house.
When they recognized they were inside they breathed a sigh of relief. But then they realized they had company and looked over at him. His arm was still around them and he was watching them, with an almost concerned expression. Like he was afraid they were going to bolt into the depths of the house and never return. They were tempted to honestly.But instead, they offered to take his coat and pointed to where he could store his shoes.
“It’s not often I have visitors,” They said softly, “We could just go to the living room if you want.”
He nodded, not opposed to the idea. “That sounds fine. Which way?”
They pointed to a nearby doorway. They both took off their coats and removed their shoes before going any further into the house. Once that was done, they led the way into the living room and made a beeline for the couch. There they had a throw that they wrapped around themself before curling into a ball and peeking out at him.
“Y-you can sit down…Sorry by the way. Normally I’m a little better at playing host.”
“You’re doing fine.” Gladio side with a small smile, “It’s understandable since you’re a little preoccupied with being a burrito.”
They felt their face flush and buried their face in the blanket with them and quietly whined, “Don’t make fun of me.”
It was then they could hear the rain start and the both were silent for a moment. Gladio was listening for any signs of thunder. They were already convinced that it was coming and began to shake again. When no sound was forthcoming, he turned his attention back to them and gave them a soft look.
“Here, make some room.”
He suddenly crossed the room and sat beside them without waiting for them to scoot over. They squeaked indignantly and wiggled to try and get a bit further away. But then he put his arm around them again and pulled them back over near him.
“I think it’d help if you had something steadying you.” He muttered. He was grateful that they had their face covered. They couldn’t see how red he was getting. “I know I don’t like facing my fears alone.”
And though they were loath to admit that he was right, it did help. Having something warm around them and, surprisingly, hearing his heartbeat was helping ground them. So they didn’t try wiggling away again. But they kept shaking. Nothing was going to help them stop.
“Alright. If you need to move though, just tell me and I’ll shift over.” They muttered, their voice shaking almost as much as they were.
Then both fell into a comfortable silence.
Night soon fell and the storm, after hours of pouring down, finally showed signs of letting up. There had been a few times when the thunder had come back, but with Gladio beside them to shush their frightened cries, it somehow wasn’t as back as it could have been. And they were nearly enjoying the company.
Gladio on the other hand was a bit appalled that they’d normally just go home during something like this and just sit here, terrified and alone the whole damn time. He was really glad he had run into them when he did. The though of them coming back to an empty house and doing this on their own, again, was horrible. Hopefully, after today, it wouldn’t happen again. And now that the storm was over, he could actually tell them what he had been planning on telling them before they had revealed their fear.
“H-hey. Uh…can we talk?” He started, slightly lessening his hold on them.
They peeked out of the blanket and nodded. “S-sure. I don’t know how much of a conversation we can have with me so flustered, but I’ll listen.”
He nodded and then continued. “So…there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
“Me?” They grew a little curious.
“Yeah, you.” He inhaled slowly and then exhaled. “I’ve…I’ve liked you. For a really long time.”
They froze and then looked at him in the eye while very quickly turning pink. “R-really?”
“Yeah. Like…since I first saw you if I’m being honest.”
Thy blinked at him and let the blanket fall off their head. “A-are you serious?”
He frowned at having to repeat himself again. “Yes. I am serious.”
They’d fall silent for a while, and he’d end up looking away from them. “If…If that makes you uncomfortable, I can go.”
He stood up, fully prepared to leave and forget about what he just said. But then a hand shot out from the blanket and grabbed his wrist like he had done earlier. “No! I mean…no. It’s just unexpected is all.”
They looked up at him and tried to pull him back onto the couch, their face beet red. “I know I’m a little out of sorts right now. But…I can honestly say the same. I like you too.”
They did their best not to hide when they said that, but they couldn’t meet his eyes. He didn’t care. His heart was pumping wildly upon hearing what they said. Possessed by the moment he leaned forward, pulled the blanket back, and pressed a kiss to their forehead. A small hum of surprise came from them, but that was about it. When they finally worked up the courage, they stopped hiding and looked at him again.
He was faced away from them and almost as dark red as they were. A small chuckle left them. Coming down from the fear they had felt led them to being a bit braver than usual. So they reached over and turned his head toward them. Right before pressing a kiss to his mouth.
This time he was the one who was surprised. But he grinned at them all the same. They knew they didn’t know each other that well outside their crushes. But they were willing to get to know each other. Especially after they realized that Gladio was the kind of person to sit with someone when they’re afraid. And Gladio was drawn to their quiet demeanor, and felt the need to just…be there for them. And for each person, they looked forward to discovering what they could about one another.



