A Dark Game

~~Prince Prompto and Assassin Prince Noctis~~

Prompto Week Day 4 (10/22): Alternate Universe

Mildly went overboard on today’s prompt. Kind of has a plot, but is also kind of wordy. Just to let you know. Didn’t have time to edit this one as much as I wanted, but I didn’t want to fall behind on days. I cut it really close though. Warning the POV kind of alternates.

Summary: Prompto is the Prince of Niflheim. Once, he was a beacon of
hope to the people of Niflheim for a brighter future. Unfortunately, things
change. Everything in his daily life is now dictated by the emperor and has
been for the past five years. He has no freedom, and as much as he wants to be
the person who inspired hope in the people again, he doesn’t dare to. Enter
Noctis. Prince of Assassins and heir to the now non-existent Insomnian throne. Sent on an
assassination mission to take out the Prince of Niflheim by a twist of fate,
he’s not expecting to find someone who ALSO wants the emperor dead.

~~~~

When Noctis was selected for this, he had been proud.

Being fresh out of his training and chosen for such a
high-grade mission was an honor. The king himself had picked him in a blind
selection, not aware he’d chosen his own son. So, yes, the fact that his skills
were substantial enough to be recognized by his father was the best thing that
had happened to him in a while.

Though, killing the Niflheim prince didn’t sit right with him.

It was supposed to be a blow to their morale. He was the
only heir to the throne, which since the Emperor was a bit older than his own
dad, there wasn’t likely to have another. So, if he died, and when the Emperor
died, the political environment might be destabilized. He was also the easiest
to target, with little to no guards. Not to mention, like Noctis, he was
beloved by his people. Supposedly.

From where Noct was sitting, that didn’t look like it was
true.

The Nif prince sat in a chair by the window with a blank
expression. Sometimes, he was reading. Other times, like now, he had nothing to
do but stare outside. It wasn’t much of a view, but Noctis figured he’d managed
to find something to watch. And he
wouldn’t move for hours. Not until someone came and told him to get up and get
ready for bed, or training, or any other thing they needed him for. If it
wasn’t time for bed, then he was returned to his chair. Like a doll almost.

It gave him the chills honestly.

Everything about this prince screamed being controlled.
Noctis almost felt like he was doing him a favor. And soon, it would be his
time to strike. He dropped down from the tree he was hiding in, and threw a
knife up toward the Prince’s window as he fell. Soon enough, he warped after
it, hanging off the handle before swinging up and grabbing the window seal. He
closed his eyes to wait for his signal. The Prince had just gone to bed, so it
would be soon.

There was a knock on the door and one of his attendants
stepped into his room. “It’s time for bed your highness.”

The Prince rose from his chair, his face neutral. “Alright.”

He followed his attendant over to his closet and allowed him
to undress and redress him into his night clothes. The attendant then helped
him into bed and brought the covers up to his chin. Every movement was
mechanical and well-practiced. It only took three minutes.

“That will be all your highness.” The attendants voice was
about as dull as Prompto felt.

“Of course,” He closed his eyes. “Good night.”

With that small exchange, the man left without replying and
Prompto was left alone in his bed. As soon as the door was closed his eyes
opened and he stared up at the ceiling. Like most nights, he began to regulate
his breathing as much as he could. He’d found that if he held still and
breathed steadily, he could fall asleep in about 15 minutes. He had it down to
a science almost, considering sleep was the only place he wasn’t so tightly
controlled.

It wasn’t always like this.

Prompto remembered before, when he was younger. He had been
the one to dictate his schedule mostly. He still had to be tutored and learn
the politics of the empire. Combat training as well. But he’d had freedom. He
could stroll among the garden, or play in the unused wings of their home. If he
truly wished to, he could stay up all night reading.

But then he got older, and he had been allowed to go out
among the people to talk to them. To bring their complaints to the emperor as
their prince. He hadn’t realized that his father hadn’t really wanted to hear
their complaints, but had only sent him out to placate them. So, when he had
gotten a chance to speak with his father at one of their rare dinners and brought
it up, it hadn’t ended well.

No, his father had essentially ordered him to shut his
mouth, in which Prompto had retaliated by shouting at him and standing up.
Standing before the emperor had stood, what had he been thinking? A display of
disobedience and major disrespect. One his father had not tolerated.

He had worked quickly. Dizzyingly so. One moment Prompto had
been standing before his father. The next he had been dragged back to his
quarters, and locked in for the night, with a promise of him not being allowed
to leave his room for a week. But that hadn’t stopped Prompto.

Originally, he had only paced around the room, broke things,
and shouted out the windows. Then, he started to escape his rooms and went back
among the people, helping as much as he could where he could before the MTs
found him and dragged him back. It was on these outings that he’d learned all
his father had hid from him. The war on Insomnia being unjustified. Whole
villages disappearing. The experimentation on humans. Infants even.

Then, one night, there was a small uprising. It hadn’t been
huge, only a few brave souls really. Rallying behind him of all things. They’d
claimed he’d be a better ruler than his father, and wanted his father removed
so he could take his throne early. Prompto had been dragged out to the throne
room when they had been caught and watched them die, one by one. But not before
they had been tortured for their information. Like why they had done it. If
there were more of them. And who their families were.

His father made him watch and the memory haunted him to this
day.

But that wasn’t the worst part. His father brought the
families in next. Twisted the children into Daemons to serve in his experiments.
Killed the remaining adults in vicious ways.

“Let them serve as a lesson.” He had said. “You are just as
expendable as them. Never forget that.”

Then he had been punished for inspiring them. He still
couldn’t remember that part. And the thought of remembering made him sick with
fear.

After all that, his father had staged a public appearance.
They had never fought they told the media. Prompto would rule in his own time.
He had to state that he never supported the rebel’s efforts, and that they had
been misguided. They’d be rehabilitated and then returned to the public. He had
to lie to his people. Put on a good show. Make them believe that the royal
family was united and that they’d heard the people’s complaints and were
working on fixing them. There was no need to worry, and that Prompto was now
going to be focusing on learning how to rule effectively by observing his
father.

He would no longer be among them. And that was supposed to
satisfy their people.

It had worked was the sad part.

That was when he’d been locked away. Strict rules put in
place. He wasn’t allowed to so much as move without someone telling him to. He
slept when he was told to. Only spoke when allowed, and even then, it was only
small phrases. Sometimes there were public appearances, with written speeches
and cues for his emotions. He no longer belonged to himself. And if he stepped
out of line he’d be killed. His father had let him know that in no uncertain
terms.

It was hell to be so controlled, but soon enough five years
had passed. Five years of being an emotionless puppet. Of unwavering obedience.
Of being locked in his own mind.

Of the punishments that occurred when he couldn’t play the
part.

But it was paying off finally. Slowly, his father had been
letting him resume his combat lessons. If he was especially good, and did well
in training, he was allowed on 5 minute walks in the garden. (Supervised of
course, but just being outside was nice.) And soon, if he was excelling at an
acceptable rate, his father hinted at eating dinner together again. With these
small allowances, he was waking up after a five-year stupor. He began to pay
attention to his surroundings again. After not being present in his own body
for so long, it was somewhat maddening. He wanted his freedom back.

But…he knew that getting it back might be harder than he’d
expected. Lately, he’d heard the servants whispering. The emperor was getting
more ruthless. And he was worried that this change was a result of that. Which
meant his father had something planned. So, he needed to play along a little
longer. A little longer and he’d…

Well, he hadn’t quite decided if he was going to try and
escape (to Altissia maybe?) or to attempt to finish what those rebels started.
But that was a worry for another day. He could feel his eyes begin to drift
close and nearly dropped off to sleep.

Thump.

His eyes slowly opened again, this time he was listening
intently. That was out of place. His cycle of breathing was broken and he was
immediately awake again. He listened for a little longer and upon hearing
nothing, mentally settled.

But then the alarms went off in the distance. It sounded
like it was somewhere outside his window…Which honestly could be any of the
western sector of the fortress. But it was enough to warrant turning his head.
Once he did he quickly closed his eyes and started to regulate his breathing as
much as he could.

He had caught a glimpse of someone coming in the window.
Which was pretty horrifying in any situation. But his mind was racing. The
alarms going off were clearly a distraction. His mind immediately jumped to his
father staging an attempt. Which meant he needed to make his move now. Leave.
Something! But first the matter of the intruder. He had hoped he was just
passing through, but nope. He was coming right over to the bed. Prompto counted
his footsteps as he moved, and listened to how close he was.

There was an odd crystalline sound and a flash of blue above
him. He heard the person’s clothes shift, and opened his eyes.

His eyes met
surprised ones and he launched out of bed at him, tackling the man in a tangle
of blankets, wrapping his arms around his chest at they hit the floor. He was
fully aware that the man could still stab his back, but he was hoping that he’d
be too off guard to realize it for the moment. But it was better than he hoped,
as he heard the blade fall on the floor somewhere to the left of them.

This was probably not going according to plan for him.

Prompto grunted as the man started grappling with him. He
was a little surprised that he didn’t try to hurt him. He didn’t even try
punching him. He was just currently trying to pry him off. But Prompto had the
upper hand, by way of being on top of him. But then as he was getting up to try
and run for the window he felt the man hit his inner arm, which caused him to
collapse back on top of him. The man then rolled them over, probably to pin
him.

But like HELL was Prompto going to just let him.

They eventually ended up wrestling on the floor like two
school kids. It would have been fun if it wasn’t for that fact that this man
had just literally tried to kill him. Speaking of which, if this was an
assassination attempt, this man was doing a poor job of it.

“Will- you- just- STOP.” The man said in Lucian accent.

Prompto froze for a moment, which obviously surprised the
man as well considering they both froze. He was sitting on the man’s legs, one
of his attacker’s wrists in his hand while the other was pushing on his face.
There was a buzzing in Prompto’s ears. He had spoken like a Lucian. A LUCIAN.
Not a Gralean. This wasn’t an attempt by his father. Which was both a relief
and a disappointment. He couldn’t figure out why it was a disappointment, so he
wasn’t going to think about it.

“Holy shit you’re from Insomnia.” He said breathlessly. Both
their eyes were wide as they stared at each other.

But then Prompto heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall
and immediately became panicked.

“Sorry.” He hissed, and used his free hand the punch the man
as hard as he could.

Now. It was by no means hard-enough to knock him out, but it
damn well stunned him. And while he was stunned Prompto used the grip he had on
the man’s wrist to pull him up into a sitting position. After which he
hurriedly dove behind him and hooked his arms under his shoulders and
practically dragged him across the room. The man then realized that the blonde
had him in a hold and was clearly taking him somewhere so he started kicking
his legs.

“Let go! What do you think you’re doing?” He began to call
out.

“If you don’t shut up we’ll both be killed.” Prompto
muttered into his ear.

That shocked the man into silence, which Prompto used to his
advantage by heaving him into the closet and shutting the door. He looked on
the floor for the blade the man had, and thanked his lucky stars that it wasn’t
very far. He darted over and back before the man had gotten back to his feet
inside the closet and stabbed the knife into the bottom of the door seal, effectively
preventing the man from opening the door.

“Just shut up and be quiet please.” Prompto begged through
the door. “They’re coming.”

With that, Prompto scooped the blankets off the floor and
jumped back into bed. Thankfully, he managed to arrange himself as he normally
lay before the door to his room opened, and he closed his eyes, pretending to
sleep.

“Your highness, wake up.”

It was easy to slip back into the calm and controlled
personal he used to deal with this man. His eyes fluttered open in a perfect
pantomime of his usual wake up routine.

“There was an attack in the western hall, where the
researchers are stationed. Was there anything of note here?”

Prompto shook his head and dared a glance at the man. “No. Everything
is fine.”

The man glanced around the room while Prompto was thanking
the six that it was so dark by the closet. When he saw nothing out of place, he
nodded his head in approval.

“Alright Highness. Please return to sleep.”

“Of course. Good night.” He said, and the attendant left.

He waited until his foot-steps faded from the hall and then
leapt back out of bed and crossed the room to his closet. Now that he was at
this point, he wasn’t quite sure what to do. So, he decided to go with what
he’d been good at before being isolated.

Talking.

With a timid knock on the closet door he asked, “If I let
you out of there would you try to kill me again?”

There was a pause, and he could hear the man shifting around
in his closet, most likely to face to door.

“Well…I mean, that’s kind of the only reason I’m here?”

Prompto bit his lip thinking, “O-oh…that’s…”

“Yeah.” The man sounded like he settled against the doors.
“Sorry.”

He in turn also settled against the closet. “Guess…I can’t
let you out yet then.”

“I guess.” They sat in silence for a moment before the man
spoke again. “Earlier you said…they’d kill us both if they found me. Was that
true?”

He nodded his head though the man couldn’t see it. “Yeah.
They’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“That’s…wrong. On so many levels. They’d kill you because an
assassin came through your window?” The man sounded shocked. Good. Prompto
could work with shocked.

“Again, yes.”

“But why? Not that I’m eager to die or anything, but why
wouldn’t they just save you?”

Prompto leaned his head back against the wood of the door. “What
do you know of me?”

“Uh…how is that…?” The mans sounded a bit confused, so there
must not be much out there about him.

Pity.

“Just answer the question.” A deep sigh left him.

The man was silent for a few moments, and Prompto wondered
if he was going to ignore him. But then he spoke. “Well…From our intel, you’re
beloved by your people.”

The surprised him enough to say, “Still?”

“Should you not be?” The man’s voice turned slightly
confrontational, as if daring him to tell him why he shouldn’t be loved.

They didn’t have time for all that.

“Depends on who you’re asking.” He left it at that and said
nothing more.

The man then changed the topic slightly. “…If you don’t mind
me asking…Why would they kill their prince?”

“I think…dad’s been looking for an excuse to…get rid of me
lately.” He inhaled slowly and then exhaled at the same rate. “Anything out of
the ordinary would be enough. Including an assassin coming in the window. Easy
to make it look like you did your job before they could save me.”

Now that he was talking with someone, it was easier to put
together. Obvious almost. The temptation of freedom by allowing him to walk in
the gardens. Learning how to fight again. Tastes of the life he used to have.
Either he was trying to provoke Prompto into running away, effectively removing
him as his heir, or he wanted Prompto to snap and attack him. Which would also
remove him as heir because he’d be dead. He could also be trying to frame him
later. Honestly, there were many things his father could be planning.

“Get rid of you?”

“Kill. You know. One shot to the head. Or a dagger to the
heart… I originally thought you were one of his honestly.” Prompto said with just a hint of bitterness.

“If it’s so bad, why
didn’t you run?” The man spoke softly, as if he feared Prompto stopping. But
that only served to exasperate him.

“And leave my people without a ruler when my dad passes?”
Prompto glanced at the doors of the closet in irritation. “Never.”

The man remained silent, so Prompto, after curling his knees
to his chest and wrapping his arms around himself, continued.

“…My father is not a kind person. I’ve seen what he does to
those beneath him.” A shiver ran down his spine as he added on in a whisper,
“I’ve experienced it.”

“I can’t allow him to continue,” he said a bit firmer, “but
the only hope I have of stopping him is to outlive him.”

“You want to stop him?” The surprise in his voice only drew
Prompto into speaking more.

“I’d give anything to.” He said softly.

“Let me explain,” He then began, “When…When I was younger, I
used to go outside the fortress. Among the people we’re supposed to serve. And
the people told me of his deeds. Of people disappearing into the night. The
unjust war against your people.” He took a steadying breath. “Of experiments
that shouldn’t see the light of day. Upon our own people. Children even.”

“That…Lead to a small uprising of people. In my name. They
wanted me to rule. But it failed. And I’ve been locked away ever since.”
Prompto buried his head in his knees.

“We’ve…Never heard of this. The people were willing to fight
behind you?” The man sounded like he was getting to his feet, so Prompto did
the same, leaning against the doors to reinforce them in case he was trying to
get out.

“They were. It’s been five years since then. I… I doubt
they’d do it now. I’ve been nothing more than my father’s puppet for the same
length of time.” A bit of panic entered his voice as he felt the man push
against the doors. “Please don’t break the doors, someone might come!”

“I’m not.” The man said, “Just let me out, I swear on the
six I’m not going to attack you.”

He continued leaning against the door, “Sorry to say buddy,
but swears don’t mean much around here in case you haven’t noticed.”

But the man kept pressing outward, so with a groan, Prompto
stepped out of the way and jerked out the dagger. Once it was gone, the doors
burst open and the man tumbled to the floor. While he was getting up Prompto
leveled the dagger at him, even though his hands shook.

“Please, I don’t want to fight.”

“Then don’t.” The man stood up and removed the mask he was
wearing, revealing someone around the same age as him. “I’m not going to try
anything. If I was, you’d already be dead.”

At that, Prompto snorted. “No offense, but you kind of botched your first go at me. What’s to stop you from messing up the second?”

The man glowered at him. “Shut it.”

When the man stayed true to his
word and made no move to attack, Prompto lowered the dagger and then went back
to sit on his bed. Wordlessly, the man went over to the chair Prompto spent
most of his day in, and sat down as well.

“So…how are you going to get out?
I’m assuming you can’t leave unless you…well, you know.” Prompto once again
curled up, hugging himself.

“No, I’m not supposed to. But I mean… What
you’ve told me changes things in my opinion. So killing you isn’t an option.”
The man shrugged, at loss for what he should do. The right thing, though it
didn’t feel like the right thing, would to be kill the prince and get back to Insomnia
without looking back.

But then the prince spoke again. “My
death wouldn’t hurt anything, as I’ve said, you’d be doing my dad a favor… And
he’s planning something. I know it. Things are changing around here after years
of being the same… I want to stop him. It. Whatever he’s doing.”

Prompto suddenly came to a decision, and got up from his chair before he could talk himself out of it.

The man glanced out the window,
the rendezvous signal catching his eye. But then he turned his attention back
to the prince, who to his surprise was approaching him. There was determination
and desperation in his eyes in equal measure. And normally, he’d have panicked
seeing someone walking toward him with a dagger in hand. But he didn’t feel
like he was going to be attacked.

True to his intuition, the prince
pointed the dagger at him, handle first. “You’re an assassin, right? Then teach
me. You can’t get near the emperor. But I can.”

“You want to kill your father?”
The man’s jaw dropped. This was… a lot. Too much. The mission has changed too
much. The prince himself was offering to commit regicide. He needed to report
in. NOW.

“He has to die. And soon.” Then
one of the saddest face the man had ever seen crossed the prince’s face. “I don’t
want to, but it must be done. Look how many people have died because of him.
Yours and mine.”

“I’ll…see what I can do.” The man
took the blade back from him, holding it with the blade pointed downward, and
not at the prince. “I have to go for now. But I will come back. I promise.”

The prince laughed as he stood
and went to the window. “Even if you don’t, thank you. For my life.”

He then gave a small bow to the
man in gratitude. Considering he was a royal, it was one of the highest honors
he could give just as himself. And upon straightening, the man’s face had
softened.

“Prince Prompto?” He said, making
a choice.

“Yes?”

“My name is Noctis.”

Before Prompto could ask anything
about his name, which might have clued him in to just who he was, Noctis
disappeared in a flash of light after throwing the dagger he’d given back to
him.

Pester Prompto

~~Prompto is sometimes annoyed~~

Prompto Week Day 3 (10/21): Favorite Quote

Honestly, my favorite quote is how he says the, “I would
hate to be that guy” in episode Duscae. Like. You can almost hear the sarcasm barely
concealed. There but lurking under the surface. …plus, his face in that scene
was hilarious. As if he couldn’t believe that Gladio was still giving him crap
about the car.

The alarm was going off, but he didn’t want to get up. No
matter how uncomfortable he was. Pushing a car was no easy task, even with Gladio
on his side. He was sore, and felt too tightly wound. His bones creaked and
protested as he rolled onto his back. The temptation to ask for five more
minutes was like a siren’s call.

He got up anyways.

With a yawn, he rolled to a seated position, bleary eyed but
awake. He rubbed at them before moving to his knees to crawl toward the opening
of the tent, noticing Ignis was already up and staring at him. Gladio shifted awake beside him, eyes opening and locking on the far side of the
tent immediately.

Noctis was still out like a light.

Prompto, upon seeing the unmoving prince, sat back on his legs to wait for his friend to
wake up. Idly he pushed some of his bangs out of his face, the brief worry
crossing his mind about having a bed head. Could one get a bed head if there
was no bed? Another yawn left him at the thought, and he began to wish he’d
asked for those five minutes.

“If only somebody hadn’t wrecked the car,” Gladio said with
a touch of bitterness.

Prompto’s eyes flickered over to Gladio and then away. His
mouth snapped shut and his eye brows pulled together in annoyance as he stared
at the roof of the tent. Clearly someone had woken up on the wrong side of the
tent. Maybe Gladio’d have fared better OUTSIDE with the behemoths.

“Gah. Unbelievable.”

Prompto turned his head away from Gladio, with his mouth
opening in disbelief. It was too damned early for this. He rolled his eyes before turning back to
him, and only just managed to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

“Oh, I would hate to be that guy.” He said. Okay, so he
didn’t manage to keep all the sarcasm out. It was barely concealed. Enough so
that Gladio didn’t hear it. Ignis on the other hand, judging by the quirk of
his eyebrow, noticed it immediately. At the moment though, he didn’t care if Ignis
had picked up on it. He’d heard enough of this YESTERDAY.

But just as quickly as his little burst of anger appeared,
it was gone. Because now he remembered yesterday. The car. He wilted a little
in place and then straightened back up, a sincerer tone of voice now leaving
him.

“Oh come on, don’t be that way. You know I didn’t meant to
do it.” His hands slid down his face and then dropped into his lap. It had been
a mistake. And honest one. But now…

“Of course not.” Both him and Gladio looked at Ignis, who
was staring at the floor. “Sabotage is far beyond you.”

Okay. Owch. He felt his face pull back into a one-sided
grimace at Ignis, who still refused to look at him. Really now, was it pick on
Prompto day? He’d thought that’d been yesterday. He’d just been DRIVING the
damn thing, it’s not like he was being reckless with the car. He’d only been
behind the wheel.

But then it finally registered between the three of them
that Noctis had yet to move. So all three turned to look at him, leaving
antagonizing Prompto for another time.

Summer days

~~Pre-road trip banter with the boys~~

Prompto week

Day 2 (10/20): Favorite Relationship

Just a simple thing of the boys hanging out together.

“You sure? Ignis made extra.” Noctis said, a slight frown on
his face.

“Naw, I’m good. I ate a big lunch before I came over.” Prompto
smiled brightly and waved his hand, letting Noctis get to eating.

Noctis shrugged, letting it go for the moment. “Alright
then.”

They sat in silence, Prompto passing the time by laying in
the grass and watching the clouds. Galdio had gone inside to get, as he put it,
‘whatever Iris managed to burn’ for his own lunch. With Noctis eating, it was
quiet. And peaceful. Considering that they were supposed to be beating each
other black and blue by this point, it wasn’t what he had planned for.

Surprisingly, Noctis had managed to sprain his ankle before
Prompto had arrived. So training was put on hold for now. Ignis was on his way
over to assess whether a potion would be needed. Though, most of the time they
were content to let Noctis heal naturally. But you never knew. It could be
worse than it looked.

Noctis didn’t mind at all of course. He wouldn’t have to
train while healing.

Prompto was startled out of his thoughts when something cold
was pressed to the side of his neck. An unmanly squeak left him and he flailed.
Once he got his wits about him he tried to push the offending thing away from
him. His eyes darted over to try and see what was there, and narrowed upon
seeing Gladio holding the coldness against him.

“Cold! Gladio! Quit it!” He yelped, managed to sit up, and
flop away from Gladio. Right onto Noctis. They both grunted upon the impact,
Noctis holding his lunch high in the air so it didn’t spill onto either of
them. Meanwhile Prompto was half laying in his lap and glaring accusingly at
Gladio. Who was laughing. Prompto stuck his tongue and then continued glaring.

“What’s the big idea!?”

Gladio was still laughing and shook his head to catch his
breath. Meanwhile, Noctis had begun to rest his lunch on Prompto’s head so he
could continue eating.

Once Gladio finally stopped laughing at how offended Prompto
looked, he smiled and held up three popsicles. “I figured these would keep us
cool while we wait for Iggy to get here.”

Prompto huffed and got off Noctis. “You could have just, oh
I don’t know, SAID that instead of freezing me. Look! My neck practically has
frost bite!”

He tilted his head and gestured to the spot where Gladio had
held the froze treat. As if there was an actual mark. There was nothing there of course. Which only made Gladio start laughing again.

“I’m eating yours too big guy. You owe me after that assault on my person.” Prompto said dramatically. All the while, Gladio was passing out the popsicles. He also then, to Prompto’s amazement, shoved his in his mouth and slid it off the stick. So there was none left.

“Try stealing it now.” He said, or that’s what Prompto thought he did anyways. It sounded more like, “Mry eeling ee mow.”

To which, he only rolled his eyes and plopped back down beside Noctis. “I hope you get a brain freeze.”

Noctis had already stopped eating his lunch and was setting it aside in favor of the sugary treat. Prompto was then horrified to hear a crunch come from him, and leveled a glare at him. “Are you really CHEWING on your popsicle dude?”

Noctis only shrugged. “How else do you eat one?”

“With a knife and fork of course. And only AFTER you’ve finished your actual food,” called a voice coming from the doors of the house. The deadpan voice and dry humor could only signal one person.

Ignis crossed the lawn in a few strides and knelt down by Noctis, who had the decency to look a little guilty. He set to work examining his ankle, shooting Noctis a disapproving look every once in a while.

“You’re all heathens.” Prompto sighed, and ate his treat NORMALLY.

We’d know

~~Aranea, Biggs and Wedge reunion~~

~~NOT THE PROMPTO WEEK ONE I originally tagged it as such, sorry!~~

I love that Aranea isn’t really a touchy feely person, but I honestly feel like there’s more to the story of her and Biggs and Wedge. She states they’re not friends, but she trusts them in the game, and so I kind of built on that.

It had been weeks since she’d seen them.

She sat alone in her chambers, arms crossed as she reclined against the back of the chair and stared at the ceiling. Her face was as bland as she felt. That day, she’d encountered the prince’s trio of guards coming back from Gralea. Sans prince and her friends.

They’d explained what’d happened, and that
they’d lost track of Biggs and Wedge. They’d been surprised the pair weren’t
back at her side already, considering it’d been almost two months of darkness
now.

She’d taken the news well enough, but then made an excuse to
leave their company. She had to prepare for more search and rescue flights, needed
her rest, something like that. She didn’t know what she told them, but she hoped it was something
close to the truth. The last thing she needed was for them to think she was upset. Her trio all denied being friends, because that could be used against them. So, let Gladiolus, Ignis, and Blondie believe that she wasn’t worried about them. That her mind was focused on
the task at hand. If they believed it then so could she.

She breathed slowly in and out, centering herself. Then she
stood, sweeping out of the room with her determination back in place. There was
work to be done. And unless she saw their bodies with her own eyes, she’d hold
onto the thought that they might still be out there, making their way back.

“We’d know,” she muttered to herself as she walked back to
her ship, “We’d know.

Words that had been said by the pair a long time ago. They’d
been young then, 15 at most, and Aranea had just been setting out for her training to
become a Dragoon. Most didn’t survive it. And since she was an orphan like them,
and Biggs and Wedge were legally nothing to her, there’d be no notification of
her death.

They all bumped their wrists against one another as a
goodbye, none of them enjoying long emotional good byes.

“We’d know.” Biggs had said, offering a lopsided smile. “If
you passed on I mean. We’d know.”

“Been through too much for us not to, I think.” Wedge added,
throwing an arm around both their shoulders as they walked her to the train
doors.

She’d only laughed and thrown them a two-fingered salute out
the window as the train had pulled away.

Here in the present, she could only hope that she’d share
that sense with her friends. They’d both been so sure that they were close
enough to know when one of the others had gone out of the world. Growing up
together, they’d always been the more optimistic out of the trio. Trust this.
Hold onto hope of that. She’d never trusted easy, but she sorely wished she
could trust that they were right. That she, like them, would know if they died.

Nothing felt out of place so far, so she kept her eyes on
the horizon for the moment she might see them.

More weeks past, and she was still alone.

Aranea stood at the back of the open hatch of her airship,
staring out over the darkened land below. Her eyes were combing over the rock
for survivors. But all she could see were the daemons. Her hand moved up to the
com unit pinned to the lapel of her jacket and pressed the button to speak.

“No sign of anyone, move to the next section,” she said.

The pilot didn’t response, choosing instead to engage the
ships engines and gunning it to the next plot of land they’d be combing
through. Survivors were being found less and less these days. Soon, she knew,
they’d stop sending out search and rescue missions. No point in wasting the fuel
if no one was left.

With her arm looped through a strap to keep her from
falling, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the air rushing by her. There was no
wind in this darkened world. Not even a breeze. The world was stagnant. As if
trapped in time the moment the sun stopped shining. The artificial wind the
airship created was a comfort in such a time. But she couldn’t dwell.

“Go ahead and shut it,” she called through her com.

She opened her eyes and the moment passed. She watched the
back of her ship close, and the air movement disappeared. Another section to
put behind her.

Another one without them.

Another week passed, and she sat in her room again, working
on plans for a mass evacuation of Lestallum in case the lights went out there
as well. Honestly, she had to refrain from writing that an evacuation was
pointless, because if Lestallum fell then life itself would end. Airships couldn’t
fly forever. It was a depressing thought and the lack of sleep didn’t help her mood.

But then there was a feeling on the back of her neck, making
her look up from her desk. The feeling left a frown on her face, and got her to
stand. She rubbed the spot as she walked out of the room and down the hall to
the outside. She dropped her arm back to her side once she stepped out the
doors, and surveyed what was going on. A truck of survivors had just arrived at
the encampment near the end of Lestallum.

Her gut was telling her to look for something, but she didn’t
know what.

So, she did. She went from survivor to survivor, some all
the way from Gralea, others picked up along the way, listening to them. There
was a certain peace of mind hearing them.

She knew.

She stood up from where she had been crouched down,
listening to a young girl. Her eyes felt drawn to the back of the truck, and
peace filled her for the first time in months.

Biggs and Wedge were helping a few others out of the back, working
together as if they’d never left. She crossed the distance between them all
easily, and crossed her arms.

“Took you long enough,” she said simply. But they could see
in her eyes the warmth she regarded them with.

“Sorry boss. We had a bit of a set-back.” Biggs said, giving
her a two-fingered salute and another lopsided smile.

Wedge finished helping another child down from the back, the
last person, and then walked over to join them. “We’ll tell you about it over a
drink, yeah?”

With her back to everyone but them, she smiled softly. “That
sounds good.”

As the two passed by her, she raised her arm. Both bumped
their arms against hers, and continued by as if nothing had happened. With a
relieved sigh and another moment to ground herself, she then turned around and followed
them.

Branded for Life

~~Episode Prompto Campfire Scene~~

Prompto Week Day 1 (10/19): Favorite Scene.

Just a written form of this scene. Which is nothing new, but I wanted to give it a try for Prompto week. Might as well, right?

Prompto sat on the cold floor of the cave a stared into the
fire. An empty expression colored his face, hurt only being apparent in his
eyes.

He was alone.

It was such a change from the campfires he’d been around
with his friends. Silent all around him, with only the occasional crackle from
the fire. The smoke coming from the flames ordinarily would have made him
happy. It used to signal another night with friends, of laughs and cheers. But
the smell of smoke was making him sick now, and he dreaded the morning, knowing
the smell would stick to his clothes. The last camp fire he’d been at, they’d
all fallen apart. That’s what he’d remember now, he thought. The smell would always
remind him of the tension between Gladio and Noct. Of Ignis being lost in his
own head without his sight.

Of them just leaving him with his photos of happier times.

A sigh left him, and he shook his head. It wouldn’t do to
dwell on that now. He got up and dug through the supplies that Aranea had
placed here before hand. Inside were cans of food, which he grabbed one and
brought it over to the fire to open. Though he couldn’t really say what it was,
it was better than the gnawing hunger he felt. Once the can was opened, he set
it nearly inside the fire to heat.

It didn’t take long for it to be warm enough to eat. The
gloves he had on only let a comfortable amount of heat through them from the
hot metal of the can, and he ate quietly. Or so he thought. He barely
registered that he was talking until the words were already out of his mouth.

“Almost as good as what Iggy used to make.”

Damned him and his damned mouth. He bit his bottom lip and set
the can off to the side, the thought of Iggy’s cooking killing his appetite. And
with that, he was once again thinking of his friends. His loud, cheerful
friends, who probably weren’t even looking for him.

“Well, at least it’s quiet for a change.” He said to comfort
himself. After all, no one else was going to. For the first time since the city
fell, he was truly on his own. He couldn’t count on Aranea. She was as erratic
as the wind. She’d blown in and out of their lives in the past. It wouldn’t be
a surprise if she left him here.

His closest friend had after all.

With a huff of pain, he looked down at his wrist. His face
pulled into a frown, more hurt than angry. He’d been careful. Or so he thought.
Perhaps Noct had seen the bars somehow. Maybe that was why he’d thrown him from
the train.

Did being an MT make him more despised than Ardyn? It was a thought
that had plagued him since he’d fallen. Noctis had went for him, not the Chancellor.
Chose to push him off instead of the man who killed Luna. That…was hard to come
to terms with.

He truly thought Noctis hated him.

Anger bubbled to the surface, even as tears threatened to
spill over. He pressed his mouth into a tight line, and began to claw at the
barcode. Through the gloves, there wasn’t much harm done. Just enough to
irritate the skin.

“Dammit,” he spat.

Without thinking, his hand shot into the fire and pulled out
a stick, embers burning brightly on one end, while the end in his hand had yet
to catch fire.

Enough to burn it away maybe.

He paused in his motion, moving slowly as he stared down at
the offending mark. He held it as far away from him as possible, the stick held
readily. He began to breath quicker, short gasping breaths, preparing himself.
He hated the mark. If he hadn’t had it, maybe he could have been a normal kid.
Just a Lucian with blond hair. Maybe Noctis wouldn’t have thrown him from the
train, and he wouldn’t be sitting on his ass in the middle of a goddess
forsaken tundra.

He grit his teeth and let the stick touch his arm.

For something that hurt so bad, he managed to keep quiet for
the most part. There had been a shout of pain, but that was it. Once he was
sure that the code had been fully burned, he cast the stick away and covered
the back of his wrist with his free hand. He drew it close to him, still
breathing a little harshly. But it was done.

Small shuddering breaths left him. It could almost be
mistaken for crying. But when he peeked under his hand at the burn, he could
see it still. The barcode. Under the burned skin and the pain, it still
existed. And a laugh left him.

“…Branded for life.”

He couldn’t even rid himself of the thing that made him
hated in the world. Which only made him hate himself more than the mark.

Chocobros reaction to their s/o making them watch their favorite horror movie? How would they react to jumpscares?

I’ve been hanging onto this for Halloween season soo… YAY!

Noctis:

He’d be reluctant, but easy to convince in the end.

Lowkey, he’s actually not very good at handling scary movies. But if his S/O wanted to watch one, who was he to say no? So he’d agree, though a little reluctantly. He’d settle onto the couch next to them, and mentally brace himself, telling himself it’s just a movie. It won’t be that bad…

Through out the movie though, it’d be easy to tell that the jump scares are getting to him. He keeps tensing up when one happens. But then he plays it off like it was only him needed to move.

The S/O, since this is their favorite, knows to expect that last REALLY really bad scare at the end before the credits. What they don’t expect is for Noctis to dump them off his lap in mild terror.

He’d apologize as fast as his mouth can move for the action, at least until they start laughing at him. Then he’d pout at them.

(Later that night, he squeezes them a little tighter to himself at every small sound. But he’s not jumpy, he swears.)

Prompto:

He’s already got the popcorn, blankets, and snacks, when can the S/O be there?

He’s the kind of guy who marathons scary movies during this season, handling the scares well enough during the movie. (As in letting himself scream if he gets well and truly startled instead of sitting in silent torture.) The commentary he offers on the plot is golden, except for when he gets really into the movie…

Depending on the movie the S/O puts in, Prompto will holler bloody murder at the scares, which would startle the S/O as well, leading to a mini terror fest. But then they settle down and get back to enjoying the movie after ribbing each other over the scare.

Totally clingy during the scares. Full on, wrap around the S/O with all four limbs clingy. When the movie ends, it turns into a cuddle session.

(He sleeps like the dead afterwards surprisingly, not letting the movie terrors chase him from sleep.)

Gladiolus:

It’s a scary movie, how bad can it be?

Bad. The answer is bad. For someone who’s big and strong, you’d think that he’d be able to handle a horror movie. But he really really can’t. There’s just something about supernatural stuff that just gets to him. He’s mentally prepared for demons, bad guys, and other PHYSICAL things. He can fight those.

Ghosts? Not so much.

But it’s not going to stop him from spending time with his S/O. He’d try his best to hide his fear, and he does it well. But what gives him away is that every time something spooky happens, he pulls them closer to him a little more each time.

Afterwards, he’ll pretend he wasn’t afraid at all, just worried about them. (To which they’d remind him that they’ve seen it hundreds of time. They were fine.) The S/O would then spend the rest of the night indulging Gladio in small talk. He just can’t seem to sleep.

Must of been all that sugar they had during the movie, right?

Ignis:

His initial reaction? Please no.

He’s the kind of person who’s only ever seen ONE horror movie in his life and that was enough. But with enough badgering, he’d give it a try.

He’s embarrassed that this kind of movie scares him, and with each scare he’d hide his face in his hands. The most common question out of his mouth is, “Is it over?”

But it’d get easier with his S/O at his side. Feeling another person there would settle his mind. (He’s one of those people who you’d think was a skeptic about scary things but no. He’s well aware that there’s a lot that hasn’t been discovered in the world, and this movie’s subject matter could very well be one of them.)

Afterwards, he’d admit it wasn’t so bad, but still startled him a bit more than he’d have liked. From there it would turn into an all nighter with coffee to sustain him (And his S/O should they join him) until the morning. He’d allow himself to feel scared for just that long before trying to put it out if mind.

(Though he wouldn’t want to be left alone for very long for a few days after.)

Distorted Reflections

~~Or, Cor accidentally adopted a Nif general oops.~~

1705 Words ~ General

Note: Had a 3am thought and ended up thinking about it too hard. Basically a what if scenario of Cor and Loqi meeting during the world of ruin in it’s early years, with Cor reflecting on just why he never actually finished off Loqi. I think on some level Cor became fond of him, and then my brain came up with reasons why. The main one being that Cor saw himself in Loqi. And of course I started thinking about Loqi having been a youngster when he joined the army, because he’s in his early 20′s canonically, and being discovered as a sword prodigy as well. Difference between them being Cor outgrew his hotheadedness. Loqi didn’t.

Honestly, this was completely self indulgent. ~~(I’m actually a little pleased that this week has been oddly productive for me.)~~

Enjoy.

Cor looked down at the sleeping man. He was slumped against the wall of the diner, hidden behind the far end of the counter. His knees were curled up to his chest with one arm wrapped around them. Likely, he’d wake with a crick in his neck from his position. His other hand was wrapped around the hilt of his katana loosely, the grip slackened with sleep. The armor that the brigadier normally wouldn’t be caught dead without was nowhere in sight. Abandoned for more practical clothes now that the endless night called for stealth. Especially for people like him who refused to flee to safety.

He’d changed since the last time he’d seen him. Gone was the
patronizing hostility that was usually so present on his face, and instead
there was a weariness that even sleep wouldn’t erase. Dirt was smudged on his
cheeks from the time he’d been on the road, and he looked like he’d lost
weight. A sigh left him when the thought of Loqi being just a kid crossed his
mind again.

A kid that had tried to kill him multiple times, but still.

The first time he’d tried it, he remembered the bravado that
Loqi had when he’d leapt into the fight. A tiny teenager shouting about ending
the ‘great immortal’ for the empire. While someone, likely his handler, was
trying to shush him and talk him out of what was a bad idea. It had made for a
surreal experience. But then Loqi had actually attacked. And to his surprise, he’d
been good with the blade. More so than Cor might have been at that age.

…That didn’t mean that Cor didn’t flatten him though.

When the kid had been beaten down to the point of collapse,
he had clearly expected Cor to end him. With how he was curled up against the
wall right now reminded him of then. He’d been on his knees, his hand holding
the hilt of his sword tightly. He was slightly slumped forward, but that didn’t
stop him from trying to glare a hole through the Marshal’s head. The sword had probably
been the only thing holding him up.

Rather than kill him, as Cor should have considering he was
a Tummelt, he sheathed his sword.

“You shouldn’t charge in so recklessly. That’s the quickest
way to be killed.” He said. He’d left then, ignoring the profanities directed at his
back.

He later found out that Loqi had only been 15 in that first
encounter. The knowledge had made Cor reflect on his own life at that age.

Honestly, the handler had reminded him of Regis and Clarus, always trying to
talk Cor out of picking a fight. Headstrong. Too headstrong. The only reason he
wasn’t now was because being that headstrong had caused him to charge into a
fight with Gilgamesh. And that hadn’t ended well for him at all.

At the time, he’d hoped to be the kid’s wake up call. Like
the blademaster had been for him. But no. Over the course of years, they’d
clashed time and time again. Each time Cor left him with a bit more advice than
the last. To his surprise, the kid did seem to take the advice to heart, but
that arrogance was a hindrance. His undoing with every fight.

Why did he give him advice at the end of their battles? Truthfully,
Cor wanted to see him reach his potential. Curiosity killed the cat and all. But
then he’d switched to those mechs, and it became rare for them to cross blades.
Cor didn’t want to admit it, but he’d wished that he’d been born in Insomnia.
Such talent was wasted in those mechs.

A small snore startled him out of his thoughts.

Loqi had slightly shifted in his sleep and his face was now
completely pressed against the wall. Cor sighed and then crouched down to his
level. He observed him, trying to guess how he’d react to being woken, and
decided to take the chance. His hand came to a rest on Loqi’s shoulder and
lightly shook him until he stirred.

His eyes opened in a daze and it took him a moment or two to
fully wake up. And once he did his hand tightened around his sword. Before he
could draw it out of its sheath, Cor halted its progress by laying his hand on
the base. The glare he shot at the Marshal would have sent lesser men running,
but Cor only returned the stare with a flat look. He half expected Loqi to
start another long-winded speech about killing him.

However, after a moment of staring each other down, the
fight suddenly went out of Loqi and he settled with a huff of annoyance. It was
strange to see someone who had once been so lively in such a muted state.
Though he did shoot him another surly look, as if offended Cor was breathing
the same air as him.

“…If I was a demon you’d be dead.” Cor said quietly,
breaking the silence.

Loqi grunted and closed his eyes, attempting to get
comfortable again. “Good thing you’re not then. If you’re going to kill me,
wait till I’m back asleep. If not, then leave.”

“Not doing either of those.”

One eye peeked back open, “Oh? Why’s that.”

“I’m currently on a hunt for a young kid with sandy brown hair
who some people have seen around here. Runs around with a blade. People are
worried he’s on his own out here.” Cor said, keeping a straight face.

“You can’t be serious.” Loqi hissed as he sat up with a
jerk. Hit a nerve there Cor guessed. The look in his eyes spelled death for
anyone within reach. That only served to amuse Cor slightly. They both knew
that he wasn’t a kid, despite what Cor thought of him.

Cor simply raised an eye brow at him in response. Loqi then huffed
and dropped his head against the wall with a thud. “Well, now you know it’s just
me, so you can go report back to whoever sent you and tell them to stuff it.”

“Not likely. You’d have to tell them yourself for them to
believe that.” Cor stood back up and offered a hand to him.

Loqi frowned and remained where he was. “Right. Because a Nif
walking into the only city left in the world is going to go over so well. You’re
the immortal, I’m sure that title still has some pull. Leave me be.”

Cor had the sudden urge to roll his eyes. Of course he wasn’t
going to make this easy. “Tummelt, you’ve spent enough time out here trying to
atone.”

“Atone for what I believed was right? I’m not out here to atone,
Marshal. I’m here because my chances of survival are higher with the demons
than in Lestallum.” His voice was filled with disbelief at the thought of
atoning for his action with the empire. But a moment of being surprised allowed
his face to shift into an uncertain expression. ~~Had he been so transparent to Cor?~~

Then it was gone again, hidden
behind a screen of confidence in his words.

It was almost believable. After all, ever since night had
fallen the empire’s generals had scattered to the wind. Occasionally, people
would catch glimpses of them in the dark. Moving from place to place. Not daring
to risk the Havens in case one of the hunters got it in their head to seek
revenge on them. And some people did blame them for the world ending.

Due to that, over the past two years the people were seeing
less and less of the Nifs. Demons picking them off over time. Some believed it
was only right they’d fall to the aftermath of their actions. Others sympathized
and wished for them to join them, to lend their skills to the survival effort. Loqi
was one such general, people recalling he hadn’t really hurt anyone outside his
orders. Caligo had been the one to fear, among others, and he was long gone.

Another sigh left Cor and he reached down, seizing the back
of Loqi’s jacket collar and lifting him to his feet. A string of curses fell
from Loqi’s lips as he knocked Cor’s hand away, and stumbling as soon as he put
weight on his legs. With a raised eyebrow, Cor simply stared at Loqi, who
refused to meet his eye.

He kept staring until Loqi answered his silent question.

“…Sprained it running from an Iron Giant.” He muttered it
quietly to the floor, but Cor still caught it.

He shook his head. “You’re dead out here if you try and wait
for that to heal.”

As someone who’s speed was his greatest asset, Loqi surely
knew that the moment his ankle had been hurt it meant death.

“And why do you care, Marshal?” Loqi asked with a sigh of
his own, the exhaustion catching up to him once more.

“You’ve grown on me.” Cor said honestly, offering an arm. “Now
come on. You can lean on me until we get to the others.”

“Wonderful.” The amount of sarcasm he forced into the one
word dripped like venom into a beating heart. But he didn’t refuse the help. Rather,
he allowed himself to lean heavily on Cor as they made their way outside.

It was a long walk, one they made in silence and one sided
rude looks, but they eventually came to the small group that Cor had come along
with. Loqi was forced to explain that, no he wasn’t a kid, he was 25 thank you
very much, and yes it was him running around alone. Surprisingly, no one was
openly hostile with him. Rather, when he wasn’t looking, they’d shoot him
pitying looks. He’d been a child when he’d rose through the ranks after all. Who
could blame him for following what he had believed was right?

As soon as they’d secured the truck they’d traveled in and
got on the road, he’d fallen back asleep. Cor on the other hand, stayed awake
and watched the passing landscape, trying to think of a way to explain bringing
an old enemy back with him to Prompto, Ignis, and Gladiolus.

He already had a headache.

Lucian Theif

3846 words ~ General

Note: So this happened. I saw this post and just…this happened. Then I got about half way through and was like…Shit this got stupidly long. ~~One of these days I should have someone beta for me.~~

Anyhow, it’s just a thing with Cor being the one who snuck in and stole Prompto. Threw in an OC to move the story along. Funnily enough, I almost changed the story completely and had him steal two of the clones instead. But I managed to talk myself out of that. Anyways, enjoy.

It was frigid in the hallway, and the dimmed lights only
added to a feeling of being out of place. And he was very out of place since he
was neither one of Niflheim’s scientists, or one of their experiments. Such was
the nature of Cor’s mission though. Infiltrate the facility, find any useful
information, don’t get caught.

Being out of place wasn’t anything new.

However, what was new was all the luck he’d been having once
he was inside the building. The first door he’d managed to sneak through lead
to what appeared to be a staff lounge of sorts, giving him a chance to catch
his breath after being outside in the cold. Not only that, but there had been a
map of the facility with a note on it, labeling a recent add on as where the
Deathless project would be stored.

He’d figured that just the map would have been the Astrals
smiling upon him. But the note? That sent red flags up in his head considering
Project Deathless was precisely why he was here. Could someone have leaked
that? Was it a trap? But trap or no trap, he’d have to check out the location
marked on the map anyways. It’d be a good starting point. And on the off chance
it wasn’t a trap, he’d be that much closer to getting the information he needed
and getting out.

So, he’d left the room and embarked down the hall, making
sure to memorize the way back for a quick escape. Occasionally, there was one
of the Magitek soldiers ambling through the halls on a patrol. They weren’t
very good at it though, considering that hiding behind the occasional box or
around a corner seemed to be enough to keep himself out of trouble.

But then he’d stumbled upon a small shelf with papers on it.

He’d grabbed the top most paper on the stack and frowned. A
memo with an all access pass code to the facility. Ironically, it stated that
the employees needed to stop leaving the passcodes laying around. If he wasn’t
careful, the frown on his face would become permanent. This was entirely too
convenient, the enemy must have known he was coming, and he was probably dead
the moment he’d walked through the doors. No. The moment he’d left Lucis

…That, or he’d done something that’d pleased the Astrals
astronomically.

He could guess which was more likely.

But it had him curious. Just what kind of trap was he
walking into? So, he’d continued to the room, which was, predictably, locked
with a keypad. Warily, he punched in the code from the memo and stepped to the
side as the door opened with a pressurized noise. He drew his blade and waited
until the count of five before stepping out from his cover and rolled into the
room. He landed in a crouch and was ready for a fight, tense and waiting. His
focus was on the area around him, and his intuition ready to tell him where any
strike may come from.

So, it was something of a surprise to find nothing popping
out to attack him.

Cautiously, he lowered his blade and rose to his feet, eyes
scanning the room. Nothing. There were no guards, none of the magitek, or even
any scientists.

“Just what kind of security are they running over here?” He
muttered under his breath and he sheathed his sword and started to look through
the room.

It’d been quiet for almost half an hour as he perused the
documents laying around, hoping to find something of use. Since it was so
quiet, when lights turned on behind him suddenly, he’d been startled. He spun
around quickly, hand already on his hilt when he ended up freezing.

His heart clenched. The documents had mentioned infants he
recalled. He’d assumed that had been for a study of some sort. Assigning case
numbers and such. Instead, he was face to face with an unspeakable act. The
light that had startled him was emitting from seven tanks, and inside each one
floated an infant. All of them drifting in their tanks, unware he was there.

Each tank also had what appeared to be paperwork attached to
it. Perhaps holding what he was looking for. Though he hoped not. Slowly, he
made his way over, and with every step his morals were screaming out that
everything about this was wrong. He approached one of the tanks, picking up its
papers, and slowly inhaled before reading. As he read, his face slowly paled,
and his eyes widened by the slightest of margins.

The realization that this was what he was looking
for almost knocked the wind out of him. He looked at the baby in the tank,
floating inside, eyes closed as if it was sleeping, blond hair floating freely
around him. He’d never been an emotional
kind of man. No. But seeing a child’s face, and knowing what their fate would
be was one of the hardest things he’d ever experienced.

This was Project Deathless.

He dropped the paperwork before he thought better of it,
needed a moment to adjust to the reality he was in. How had Niflheim allowed
this to happen? To let infants be raised for war and nothing else. To be
twisted by demon blood and changed from human to machine.

His hands slightly shook as he picked up the papers to take
them with, recalling just how many of the magitek he’d slain over the years. If
the papers were to be believed, they’d all started out as this. Just a child,
robbed of any other life they might have had.

With a heavy heart, he turned to leave. He had what he
needed. But as he got to the door he paused and looked back. He felt tired and
knew that making decisions when he was tired wasn’t the wisest of choices. But
as he gazed back into the room at the child, he made a choice. He crossed the
room quickly, recalling what he’d read and pressed three buttons.

One to drain the tank, the second to turn off the vital
monitors, and the third to lower the glass.

This wasn’t his best idea, and there was also no way he
could rationalize saving one life, and he knew that this wasn’t atoning for the
countless he’d taken. But his damn conscience wasn’t going to let him walk away
from this child. It was screaming for him to take them all in fact.

But he couldn’t.

Once the glass had dropped, he picked up the child as it
coughed up the liquid and cradled it to his chest. Once the child had finished
coughing, he breathed normally, and his pulse was strong. Considering that the child
had just been submerged in what he assumed was liquid oxygen, his mind turned
traitorous and wondered if the infant was used to switching between air and the
liquid. If so, how many times had the infant been taken out and then placed
back into the tank?

A huff of disgust left him before he could stop it, and he
glanced around the room for anything to cover the child with. If he was taking
him with, he’d need to be covered with something to protect him from the cold. It
was then he noticed the shelves sitting just outside the light of the tanks.
Upon them were heaped what looked like blankets and supplies for the infants.
Bags, food, clothes…

Convenient. Again.

But he didn’t care. For all he knew the child could be a red
herring with false information attached. If that was the case he’d gladly
accept that he’d failed the mission in exchange for saving one of these
children. He quickly packed a bag and filled it with what he could for the
child. Supplies that he’d probably need considering there was no way in hell he
was prepared to care for a child on the way back to his extraction point. Once
a bag was packed and he had it situated on his back he turned his attention to
the baby sleeping in his arms.

As Cor pulled the clothes on him, that was when the child
started fussing. Its eyes popped open and immediately turned watery. Cor
hurriedly finished dressing him and bundled him into a blanket.

“Shh,” Cor scooped the child back up from where he’d lain him
and lightly bounced him, thanking the astrals that he’d seen Regis with the
prince more than once, “Hey now. It’s alright.”

He spoke quietly to soothe the child, and watched the door.
No one was coming so far. But the crying did make him second guess his choice.
Only now did he remember that there were Magitek throughout the halls. Could
the child be quiet enough to make it through them all? Did he dare risk an
alternative route?

But then the baby quieted, and looked at Cor.

Cor without thinking really, offered his pinky to the child.
The baby’s hand grabbed onto him, and cooed, but not happily, no. Rather, he
just wanted to make noise it seemed. Cor kept his face neutral as he studied
him.

Bright blue eyes stared into his and this time a happy coo
did leave the baby’s mouth. Almost as if he was just happy to be looked at.

Cor inhaled slowly and then sighed, knowing this was the
right choice, and turned his attention back to the door.

Back the way he came then. He could make in one shot if he
ran maybe… Wait, shit. Running with a baby. Bad idea. He’d have to go as slowly
as he came, if not slower. Plus, how was he going to explain that the mission
might be a failure? Technically, this was…project Deathless. There was the
paperwork, and he didn’t have to put in the report that he’d pretty much been
guided here… They didn’t need to know he didn’t look anywhere else, right? And
it might not be a red herring!

…

He was so fired.

But, he figured as he looked back down at the baby, it’d be
worth it. If he could get them out of the facility and back to his extraction
point that is.

“What do you think little guy? Can you manage to be quiet
for that long?” He muttered.

The child squeaked rather loudly, but with a smile. Another
slow sigh left Cor, followed by the child reaching up and hitting his nose
lightly.

But that was when he heard footsteps at the door.

His head swiveled up and he froze, as did the woman who’d
began to walk inside.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Sizing each
other up. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have been a problem. She was clearly an
academic. He could have incapacitated her within seconds of seeing her.
However, the child in his arms posed a problem.

Her face, one of shock and fear, slowly turned into narrowed
eyes and a hardened gaze.

“You…You’re Lucian…no?” Her voice was quiet and the words thickly
accented. The woman sounded like she’d hardly spoken a word of Lucian until
this point. But he still understood, and nodded slowly, his own eyes
scrutinizing her, trying to figure out what she was doing.

“Yes.”

She glanced back at the door, giving him a moment of panic
at the thought she was going to go get help. But then she stepped into the room
quietly, and pressed the keypad beside it to shut the door.

“Quickly…The child… She said, turning back to him, her
expression pleading.

“You…want me to take him?” He asked, confusion running
across his face freely. He was anyways, but he’d expected her to have the
opposite reaction. Like trying to stop him.

She nodded and then beckoned him to follow her over to the
computer. He did, though slowly. She placed what looked like a jump drive into
the man computer and began to sort through files. Over her shoulder he watched
the screen. Data from the project streamed across it rapidly, and his grasp of
Gralean only allowed him to catch small phrases, or part of a word. Something
about demons? He frowned and tried harder to translate faster, but she moved
from file to file too quickly.

Eventually, after minutes of silence, she stopped, closed
all programs, and pulled out the drive. Her eyes met his as she handed him what
was probably the most information Lucis would ever have on the Magitek. He took
it from her, looking up with absolute confusion. She shrugged and gestured to
the tanks.

“Project…Deathless.” She scoffed. “Many die.”

She shook her head, “It’s… This is not what…”

She said something in Gralean, which he took to mean she had
meant to help the people. Which he understood how sometimes people could be
twisted against themselves. He could hear the regret in her words. Perhaps she,
like him, hoped to save at least one of the children from a life as a machine.

She gestured to him to follow her again and he did,
tentatively. At the back of the room, a secret hall opened, and she stepped
through. He peeked inside, and jumped when the child suddenly babbled. He’d
almost forgotten he was in his arms. Of all things.

The woman turned and looked at the child fondly, almost with
what Cor could call longing as well. But then she faced forward.

“This path leads to the…The-” She muttered what sounded
like twenty different curses in Gralean before snapping her fingers, “-the
entry hall.”

“No Magitek?” He asked, an eyebrow raised as he followed
her. He knew following her blindly like this was stupid. It was. But part of
him honestly wanted to believe that some shred of human decency could be found
in this facility.

“Some.” She said, and he stopped in his tracks.

But then she held up her wrist, a silver band with a small
red light going off every few seconds. “They won’t attack.”

“What is that?” He asked, starting to follow behind her
again.

She glanced back at him, and then gestured to another
doorway. “Electronic pass. They don’t attack.”

“That’s handy.” He mutters. Maybe if they had that in Lucis
as well…they could use the Nif’s tech against them.

Almost as if she could hear his thoughts she added, “Also
tracks. It… records our movement. We can’t leave.”

“We?” He frowned. Did she mean him and her, or her and
someone else?

“Scientists.”

She then stopped and pushed him into a room.

“Hey-!”

“Shush!” She stepped in front of the doorway and blocked it
from view. Rounding the corner was one of the Magitek security details. She
dropped her gaze to the ground, but held up her wrist. There was a moment where
it paused, but then it soon continued, not bothering to look inside the room
she was blocking.

They waited a few moments until it was out of sight before
she let him step back into the hall. They then continued at a fast pace.

“Hurry. The timing…” She shrugged as she walked, giving up
on trying to get what she wanted across to him.

He understood though. Kind of. He could only guess, but he’d
hoped she meant that if they timed it right, no further troubles would happen
across them. And it was true. They went down hall after hall, with her in the
lead, and came across nothing else. Soon enough, they were back into the lobby
he’d started in.

She’d then paused in the room, and turned to look back at
him. “May I…?”

She gestured to the baby and he nodded. So, she stepped
closer to him and placed a hand on the child’s head, who burbled at the
contact. Up close, he could see that she was about his age. Maybe a few years
older possibly, but still in her twenties. And there was a definite sadness in
her eyes as she looked at the baby.

Without meaning to, he asked, “Why are you helping me?”

The question, he thanked his lucky stars, didn’t offend her.
Instead, a small smile crossed her face when the baby’s hand wrapped around one
of her fingers.

She said quietly, “Let me at least save this one.”

He looked up at her and watched as she pulled her hand away
from the baby’s grasp, and then took a step back.

“Go. In that file, you have the…names. You have the names of
scientists here and other…Facilities? Who don’t want this.” She said, returning
to the determined mindset from earlier.

“If you don’t want this, come with me.” He said without
thinking. That same longing from earlier crossed her face.

“I can’t. Go out the door and-” she held up her wrist,
“-Magitek will come.”

“We could out run them. You could come to Lucis.” He knew
that what he was saying was a lie. They’d likely be caught. But there was a
slim chance they’d make it. And, like before, it wasn’t sitting right with him
to leave someone who, for all intents and purposes, was being forced to carry
out these inhuman experiments.

She shook her head. “We do not expect to be saved, Lucian.”

He stared at her for a few moments, and opened his mouth to
try and convince her to take the chance. Even though he was already taking one
with the child, he was willing to try and get her out too. But then a voice
startled both out of their conversation.

“Oh dear. A Lucian is making off with one of our star
experiments.”

The voice sent chills up both their spines, and Cor whirled
on heel to face whoever it was. The woman paled, but stood up a little
straighter upon seeing who it was. And in his arms, the baby began to fuss.

“Chancellor.”

“Sunna.” The man strode into the room with a smirk on his
face. “One of our researchers assisting a Lucian. What would Besithia say?”

“Who are you?” Cor, though he knew it was dangerous, drew
his sword and held it in front of him one handed. An attempt to keep them safe.

“It doesn’t matter. Consider me a friend.” He grinned even
wider, and Cor felt very uneasy.

“You’re no friend.” The woman, Sunna he recalled, said.

“Aw,” The Chancellor feigned being hurt by placing a hand
over his heart, “And here I’d brought a gift.”

Cor watched as the man reached into his pocket and pulled
out what looked like a metal key of some sort. Beside him Sunna stiffened.

“The key to your freedom Sunna. Imagine. No more hurting
those children you seem to adore. No more learning from Besithia.” He smiled.

Cor glanced at her, and saw that she was looking at her
wrist. But then she looked up and her eyes narrowed. She was going to refuse,
it was clear on her face. Before she could respond, Cor cut her off, seeing an
opportunity to get her out of there as well.

“What’s the cost?”

The man smiled, and instead of answering, tossed the key
over. Sunna’s face was bewildered as she caught it. “No cost. I merely wish to
aid you in your mission.”

Cor grimaced, “There’s always a catch.”

“Oh…Alright. I wish for you to return my map to where it
was.” The man laughed as Cor visibly paled.

“You…It was you?”

“Oh yes. We knew of your mission months ago. Or rather I
did. And I saw an opportunity.” The man out stretched his arms, gesturing to the
whole facility. “This facility. Easy to get into and out of wouldn’t you say?
And if Sunna had the resources, that thing on her wrist wouldn’t have stopped
her from leaving. She’d have been able to get out of it I’m sure.”

“But alas, no matter how much I told Besithia that the
security was lacking, he has not listened. And so…” He gestured to the three of
them. “Once he hears that not only a scientist escaped, with one of the experiments,
and at a Lucian’s side none the less…He’d have no choice but to better our
security.”

The reason sounded as insincere as they came. But Cor wasn’t
going to question it any further. He recognized a snake when he heard one. So
instead of responding, he turned to Sunna.

“Hurry, take that off.”

She startled out of whatever thoughts she’d been having and
moved to comply. She looked…hopeful almost. And soon enough, the bracelet
clicked open and dropped to the floor. She kicked it for good measure, sending
it sliding to a stop at the man’s feet.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” He said, almost playfully,
“Unless you’ve changed your mind. I’m more than willing to take the child
back.”

He held out his arms at the same time Cor tightened his hold
when the baby let out a soft coo. “Not on your life.”

“Oh? Pity, and I thought we were friends. Ah well.” The man
then turned on heel, and began to leave. As he left he called back over his
shoulder, “You’d best hurry on by the way, the other scientist will be waking
soon.”

When he was finally gone, they both stood in stunned
silence. But then they both turned into a flurry of movement. He placed the map
back where he’d found it, note and all, and sheathed his sword. Sunna accessed
a box of jackets, for when the scientists had to go outside and put one on,
alongside a hat and gloves. She then took an extra one out as well and hat as
small as she could find.

She then walked over to Cor and then arranged the hat on the
baby’s head. “For the child, the blanket will not be enough.”

She said in
explanation, and gestured for him to hand him over. He did so without
complaint. Sunna could be trusted, he was sure of that now. She tucked the
bottom of the coat over the baby’s feet before zipping it up and tucking the
rest around him, creating a makeshift snowsuit. Then she picked him back up and
cradled him to herself. In her arms, the child began to drift back to sleep.

“We need to go. That man…” She started, but Cor stepped
forward and to the door.

“Come on then.”

He felt like she had more to say, but it was better to leave
sooner. Considering that he originally was sure he’d failed the mission, and
only just now realized that he was coming back with the project data, one of
the experiments, AND a researcher, he did NOT want to tempt his luck by staying
any longer. What she had to say could wait.

And so, for what she hoped was the last time, Sunna keyed in
the code and opened the door to the outside. They both then stepped outside,
and departed, the tracks left behind them disappearing as the snow quietly fell
around them.

Bleh, I’m just going to call this done. Anyhow, I saw a gif of Monica in her Crownsguard uniform(I think) somewhere from the Comrades closed test. And Loved how she looked. (Yes with a capital ‘L’) So I broke out the old drawing stuff and did this. I got through to the half way mark and realized I had drawn her hair part the wrong way and had to flip the drawing. But yeah. I don’t entirely hate it.

would you be willing to continue that iggy/childhood s/o scenario? like they spend time together during the Moogle Chocobo Carnival (bonus if the group stalks them lolol), and maybe a proposal on a gondola during the fireworks? muchly appreciate extra fluff. thanks!

omg. Yes. Totally willing. A+ prompt here.

During a visit to Lestallum the boys(And Iris), despite Ignis’ wishes, manage convince his S/O to come with them to Altissia.

This is of course, after they’ve grilled him till he’s burnt about their relationship for the past few months. (They can CLEARLY see he misses them. After all, they used to see each other everyday…~~They still haven’t found out about the two’s old living situation. Ignis managed to keep THAT under wraps thankfully~~.)

He’s rather cross with the boys, and his heart does slightly falter when he thinks of them travelling with them when any number of things could happen…

But ultimately, after spending almost every moment of his time traveling next to them, he’d figure out he was glad to have them beside him, worried or not.

~~Prompto is actually kicked to the backseat because if he’s taking them along into danger he’s damn well going to spend his time behind the wheel holding their hand.~~

As they’re finishing up a few last minute things, they do go along with them on hunts for extra gil and such. Which freaks him out because ‘it’s DANGEROUS’.

Which results in them KINDLY reminding him that they can handle themself in a fight.

And by kindly, I mean joining in on one of the boy’s training sessions and not pulling their punches. (Literally, they’re not above just straight up throwing a punch in the middle of battle while they wait for their weapon to return to their hand.) ~~lowkey headcanon that this particular S/O specializes in using giant shuriken.~~

He wouldn’t be so concerned for them after that, but he does wish that they would STOP flinging their weapon away from themself. Because he knows they know how to fight with it in hand.

Anyways, they get the things to finish the boat and start their journey to awaken the leviathan.

Most of the trip there Ignis is letting them lay across the back seat of the boat and rest their head on his lap. Seasickness hits them without mercy, and the most he can do is try and keep them asleep and relaxed.

It would be a sight for the boy’s to see, not that they’d be watching closely of course(~~they totally are ).~~_,

Ignis wouldn’t be much different from usual, he’s still composed and unflappable and almost seems like he has no emotions toward his S/O around them. (And the S/O the same way around the boys, which is kind of sad. The others sort of LIKE seeing Iggy so relaxed and like seeing the sweet way they treat each other.)

But…there’s small thing they’d never seen him do before. Like running his hand through their hair absentmindedly. Or occasionally looking down at their face like he’s reading words written there. Sometimes, underneath their own conversations with each other (they didn’t want to bother Ignis and his S/O) they’d hear him whispering reassuring things to them, and occasionally they’d catch them reminiscing quietly about memories that were between the two of them and them only.

They’d never seen him so…attentive. Even without showing his emotions, his actions betray the love he feels for them.

Upon arriving and the boys see something and would want to dart off immediately without explanation. “And you both HAVE to come with us.”

He’d be super suspicious of why, but wouldn’t be able to place exactly what made him so. ~~Perhaps it’s because they just won’t stop grinning.~~

They’d get a room right away so they wouldn’t have to worry about it later and spend the night just exploring the town. Ignis would be happier than he’d been in a while and so would his S/O. They’d all have dinner together and just let themselves relax for a moment. It’ll be a week before they can arrange an audience with the council woman, and Luna is recovering before she can see them, so they’ve nothing to do.

(They end up spending about three weeks in Altissia before the summoning.)

It’s only the next day, when Ignis wakes up with his S/O in his arms and sees that the other three are gone that he knows for certain that something is UP.

As it turns out, they’d been hanging out with them all night to ensure that neither of them saw the signs and advertisements for the Chocobo Moogle Festival! Surprise for them!

They’d leave them a note on the desk that they’d basically ditched them for the day, and to go have fun with each other.

They’d sort of look at each other and just know that they both were debating on just going back to bed. But, not wanting to hurt the other three’s feelings, because clearly more though than they’re usually capable of went into this. (Because lets face it, the only one who actually plans things on this level is Ignis.)

So they’d get ready for the day. And it’s remind them of their apartments in Insomnia. Without even realizing they were doing it, they’d fallen into the old habit of adjusting the smallest things on the other.

It’d be just little things. They’d help him fix the sleeves on his jacket just so…He’d help them put on their necklaces and bracelets…It’s be so normal they wouldn’t realize they were doing it until they’d adjust his glasses ever so slightly and their eyes would met.

This would be one of those rare moment that they’d both be sort of embarrassed. It was terribly domestic of them, something neither was used to acknowledging. It just ‘was’ with them.

He’s then smile in appreciation and gently grab their hand, press a kiss to the knuckles and lower their hands. A silent signal that they were ready.

…On second though, upon seeing all the yellow they were NOT ready.

Both are slightly shocked at how the city had changed over night.

And naturally, their first experience of the carnival is Kenny the crow…

They go to sit on a bench to sort of…just let everything sink in.

Cue Kenny’s creepy head turn and scaring the crap out of them both.

They’d end up falling off the bench with flailing from Ignis and a yelp from them. And the crow would just cackle before wandering off. They’d look at each other and just KNOW that today was going to be an off day. (Especially when they hear a laugh that sounds suspiciously like Prompto’s suddenly being cut short, as if someone had attempted to muffle it.)

“…Should we…?” “Just let them have their fun dear.” They’d know that they were being followed.

Knowing they were being followed would sort of start a game between the two of them by accident.

What would get the loudest reaction out of the three following them?

It goes back and forth, Ignis suddenly slipping into one language, and his S/O replying in a completely different one. (Also a game between each other to see who messes up their conversation first.)

A small, “What the hell?” from the prince could be heard somewhere behind them. Point for Ignis because he started that game.

The second? Ignis would be playing the shooting game, both deciding to try winning those seats for the firework display. (And staying in the suite had it’s appeal as well…)

But then, when he’d completely distracted they lean forward and wrap their arms around his shoulders from where he’s sitting and whisper something in his ear. It was just an embarrassing memory, something they’d held over Ignis for YEARS. And being reminded of it so suddenly causes him to lose his composure and his cheeks turn a VERY dark shade of red.

The other three, thinking they’re being quiet and they were out of range would whistle and say out loud, “Whatever they whispered must have been something else to turn him THAT color.”

Three points to his S/O.

From then on it’s back and forth until they’re both tied at 23 points.

They’re walking along one of the docks to sit at the end of it and laugh together. It’s been a fun day so far.

He’d been perfectly gentlemanly all day, their arms had been circled together as they walked, he’d putting a guiding hand on their lower back when he didn’t want to get separated, and he’d always check with them to make sure they were alright.

They in turn had been very affectionate. Whispering sweet nothings out of earshot of the others, reminding him of different memories and pointing out the different things they though might interest Ignis.

So, in a conspiratorial whisper, they decided to end the game in a big way. They had enough medallions to get the suite and fireworks seat. And they wanted to rest before seeing the show. And they really wanted to see the other’s reactions to what was about to happen.

In a planned move, he suddenly sat up from where he had been leaning against their shoulder and shoved them off the pier.

They could literally hear Prompto screech across the distance in a shrill tone, “HE DID NOT JUST-” before they went under the water.

When they surfaced they laughed so hard they had trouble catching their breath. Ignis would reach down a hand to help them, but instead they’d pull him in as well.

They’d then laugh together, sneaking a kiss before getting out of the water.

After stripping off as many outer layers as they could while still preserving their modesty, they would say just LOUDLY enough for the three people following them to hear, “We should head back to the hotel and see what the others are doing.”

“Shit.” could be heard and then rapidly fading footsteps.

Upon arriving back they’d greet the others and pretend they hadn’t seen them all day, and then they’d take turns in the shower.

The other three would pretend to be enamored in their phones, but would watch them fall into their habits again. (Not creepy at all guys…)

They really had never seen this side of Ignis. They knew he could be affectionate, but this was a whole other level.

Ignis would help dry their hair, and they’d tease him by saying it would be fine air drying. He’d press a kiss to their forehead after they comb his hair back for him.

Small things that were really killing them all with sweetness.

They’d finish getting ready and head out to the fireworks show, content and happy with one another.

Ignis and they would sit in the gondola and just…think of all they’d been through and talk about it.

They had been through a lot. And they loved each other.

When the show starts their attention is only held by it for a short while. Because the other would catch their eye in the light.

Like so many of the major changes in their relationship, it would be unplanned.

“Marry me.”

They’d look at him, and then smile at him genuinely. “Okay.”

And it just as simple as that.

However, in a nearby gondola, the three are sitting and cheering for their friend. But thankfully, it’s drowned out by the blasts overhead. IF Ignis had known they were there, he probably would have waited until later to ask.