Areana, at first glance, would seem a poor choice. But I think your laid-back attitude would be a nice contrast to her own very goal-oriented personality. And your resourcefulness would be something she’d admire, and it would lead her to trust you to watch your own back. And if you fall into a depressed state I’m almost certain she’d be willing to lend you her own strength to pull you through until you found your footing again.
Prompto and you would go well together I think. You’re both creative individuals, and his exuberant nature would offset your shyness. Aside from that, I think he’d mildly struggle with knowing you have depression and worry he wouldn’t know how to help. But, like in all things, he’d strive to do his best to support you anyways.
For this ask’s sake, let’s imagine that once upon a time, Galahd had their own ruling family before joining with Lucis. Let’s also imagine that being of royal blood could curb the fighting in Galahd if the empire gets a hold of their descendant. (Using their safety as leverage over the citizens or something.) It’s a well guarded secret on the islands of just who those descendants are, because they still care for the royal family of course, but then then empire finds the records and traces it down the the last remaining heir.
The boy’s S/O.
The S/O is summoned to the council because of this, and whoever they’re dating tagged along for moral support. The council drops the information on them and warns them of the danger they’re in. They’d like them to move into the Citadel to be placed under protection, which the Kingsglaive, who are mostly Galahdian, are all too happy to provide. (They’d heard rumors of the royal family surviving to this day, but to meet them and see them was something else entirely.)
They leave the council and from there, the boys react.
Noctis:
He’d slowly turn toward them as soon as they were alone, his eyes big and mouth pressed into a line. If you could hear his thoughts, they’d all be screaming.
Royalty. For all that is blessed by the Astrals, they’re ROYALTY.
Normally, this revelation is flipped around. He’d never been the one shocked to learn someone was royalty. But now he was, and he’d feel very mixed about this.
He stares at them, trying to figure out if they’re as surprised by the revelation as he is, or if they knew. He can’t peg it down though, because his own mind is a jumble. He’d stutter and stammer, trying to ask them if they knew but they’d probably just kind of laugh it off.
They’d try and act normal, but he wouldn’t be able to let it go. And once he comes back to himself, he’s going to INSIST they move into the citadel as soon as possible because they’re in DANGER. Like, he’s not above throwing a mini tantrum to get them to listen to him.
Like, he’d going to whine, beg, pout, plead, and absolutely latch onto them like a little kid to convince them. Finally, he’d start going through logical reason why they should move in. He’s fairly convincing once he gets his head on straight.
(Honestly, I can imagine the S/O was going to say yes anyways, but seeing Noctis show so many emotions is rare.)
Prompto:
Once they’re by themselves, he cannot suppress the small screech of distress. His face had been pale since the council has spoke, and has yet to recover. The boy is terrified; for them and of them. He’d mutter an excuse and take off to try and process that he was accidentally dating someone of royal blood.
He’d worry about him being a commoner. Like, he can’t even claim a drop of blue blood! (At least not lucian…) Would he get in trouble for dating them? Did this change things between them? Would they have to break up?
Honestly, his mind would be going a mile a minute. Then he’d realize that if they moved into the Citadel, seeing them would be rare. But it was for the best, and he’d want them safe, so he’d start putting distance between them. Hiding from them at every turn. Out right diving into bushes to avoid being seen by them.
He’d be fully willing to let them go. He’d be heart broken over it, but he’d want them to be safe and happy.
(HOWEVER, he’s going to be mildly upset and extremely flustered when they finally catch up with him and shake some sense into him. They’d lay his doubts to rest and wouldn’t let anything change between them. They’d even refuse moving into the citadel.)
Speaking over the music was a challenge. It thrummed through the air, shaking you to your bones. Gladio, thanks to his size, had managed to get to you on the dance floor and pull you into a booth near by. Both of you were dizzy with happiness, and giddy from the drinks.
It was New Years night, and this club in particular had been closed to the public for those close to the crown. Nobles and retainers alike were celebrating together, free from having to worry about press and security leaks. The prince, ordinarily in Gladio’s charge for such a night, had elected to stay in his apartment, bringing in the year with his best friend, and Ignis.
Being the person ‘courting’ Gladio had it’s perks. This was probably the best new years party you’d been to. However, the music was starting to become ridiculously loud, and the air too stuffy for you to handle.
“Let’s leave!” You shouted about the music, your face flushed and feeling giggly.
“Leslie? My name isn’t Leslie…Who’s Leslie?” Gladio was snickering behind his hand. It looked like you weren’t the only one who might need fresh air.
“I said, Let’s leave!” You ended up laughing as Gladio nodded and began tugging you along through the crowd. It didn’t take long to reach the front doors. You went out without your coats, figuring you’d be coming right back in. The cool night air was doing wonders for you both. The the shouts and cheers from inside the club caught your attention.
10…9…8…
When had it gotten so late?
“Gladio!” You shouted when he suddenly swept you up into his arms. Normally not a big feat for him, but with the alcohol in his system, he staggered backwards until his was leaning against the wall with you still in his arms.
5…4…3…
Both of you laughed as you adjusted your weight in his arms, lost together in the giddiness of the night. He soon regained his feet just in time to press a soft kiss to your mouth.
2…1…
It started with a gentle pressing of his lips to yours. It was cautious, almost reminiscent of your first kiss. As if scared he’d hurt you, or scare you away… Then his movements became more heated. A soft bite to your bottom lip to gain admittance, tongue slowly exploring the inside of your mouth. He took his time, wanting you dazed, wanting you to feel just how much you meant to him. Eventually, the need to breath would become too much to bear, and you’d have to pull away.
But not yet. Not yet.
“Happy new year.” He whispered against your lips, before continuing his kiss.
So I did a thing. I think I’ll start posting on AO3 as well. Might move some of my longer works over there.
Summary:
After returning from being on the front lines, the Glaive is celebrating surviving another battle with each other. This leads to an interesting moment between the (somewhat) recently transferred in Aramis and long time member Sonitus.
…What if Cor had been more like Prompto after he faced Gilgamesh. Like, imagine a happier bubbly Cor rather than the hardened level headed one he became. Like, he’d settle down eventually probably after saving Prompto from being an experiment and seeing the horrors that the empire was willing to perform on infants I mean what?, but just imagine.
Regis and Clarus, rather than being surprised by the maturity Cor displays after he recovers to being surprised by Cor ACTING HIS AGE.
Cor that still manages to do his job, but regularly runs off to arcades or gets into trouble.
Pranks from him would be scarily well planned. Like. All his training and experience turned against his friends. (Like Regis’s cloak is replaced with one that’s a dark blue instead of black, but only a few people can manage to tell the shades apart. A perfectly timed water balloon falling from the ceiling of a hall while Clarus was only passing through and ends up late to a meeting with Cor.)
Nervous tics. Maybe he chews on his thumb when he’s in social situations. Like, he’s trying to be social but he just never learned how or cared to before. But he would like more friends.
Young Cor actually SMILING.
Dares. He comes up with the worse dares.
“Regis, I dare you to jump from your balcony onto the library roof while you’re only allowed one warp.”
“That’s absurd why would I do that?”
“Knew you couldn’t do it.”
“…Hold my coat Clarus.”
“Regis NO.”
Surprise, he loves sleep as a teenager just like everyone else. And often naps in odd places. (Clarus found him on the top of the citadel with an arm hanging off the edge once. Nearly killed the shield with a heart attack.)
Cor staying up too late and texting his friends at odd hours, from even odder places that only someone with his skills could have gotten to. (A 15 year old with crownsguard training, who thought THAT was a good idea?) Like, imagine the conversations.
“Clarus, look, aren’t those thunderbombs cool looking above the water?”
“How in the infernian’s wrath did you get out of the city Cor?”
Clarus trying to do damage control by tiring him out in training, but the kid, despite his childish antics, has lost absolutely no skill in combat and still gives him a run for his money. Often back fires.
Fist fights. He gets into fist fights with other soldiers regularly over the Immortal nickname.
Pfft, hell, Clarus just ends up being responsible for him in general, and Cor unofficially gets an older brother.
Actually lets people know when he’s scared of something. They never let him live it down that he’s afraid of GRASSHOPPERS. But they also make sure that he’s never burned too badly if caught in a fire attack when they find out he’s afraid of fire.
Keeps candy in his pockets and will throw pieces at unsuspecting people who look like they need a smile. Most often ends up being Regis and Clarus. (Regis mostly gets pelted in the back of the head.)
Hello! Okay, so, I’m Serena and I decided to join the party a little late! Hopefully there’s still some cake left for me~ d; I do a lot of writing on my primary blog but as I’ve finally beaten the damn game, I’ve got a lot of inspiration and love for it flowing through me and decided to go ahead and make a side blog so as not to overflow my main as well as to better connect with this part of the community!
Requests are open, please check my rules before sending anything in though! I will be writing both headcanons and imagines, so feel free to send in requests for either (or both, I don’t mind, just separate ‘em) if you’re interested! ^^ I’m most comfortable writing for characters that were more prominent throughout the game/Kingsglaive as you’re able to get a better feel for them as a character but I’ll try my hand at anyone.
Unfortunately, I won’t be around tomorrow, and didn’t get a chance to write what I wanted for Prompto’s birthday. So, instead you can have a work in progress Wing AU. Unedited so far I’m afraid. But I didn’t want to miss the last day. I hope you enjoy none the less!
Chirp.
The moment the noise left him, Prompto slapped both hands
over his mouth. His eyes widened and he spun on heel to dash out of the
citadel. The woman that had caused the chirp snapped her head toward him and
her own eyes widened. He dropped his hands from his mouth and started sprinting
for the door. The woman gave a surprised cry and he could hear the beginning of
footsteps somewhere behind him. He was lucky they were so far away.
“Prompto?!” He heard Noctis call, but he couldn’t stop.
Nope.
He wasn’t going to let one small noise out him to his best
friend.
But he was getting ahead of himself.
Prompto Argentum was adopted, he knew that. His parents were
lovely people honestly, but hadn’t been prepared for what to do when their
child suddenly started growing his wings. Wings were normal enough in Insomnia.
The crystal gave them out left and right. No one knew why, it just was. But
wings like his?
Less than common.
Like maybe one in a million winged births
will result in his wing class common. (And it was a BIG maybe.) Like supposed
to report his pattern to the nearest government agency common. Like supposed to
be given over to the citadel for protection common, because of the abilities
they supposedly granted.
That is to say, not common at all.
His parents didn’t want to give him
up though. They had tried for so long to adopt a child, they weren’t going to
let this take him away from them. And so, they hid him. He grew up hiding his
wings. Though people knew he was one of the winged, they’d never seen them. His
parents had made up some excuse of an accident before he was adopted,
preventing him from flying. Made it a point that he never wanted his wings seen
because of this. Made sure to invest in baggy clothes and wing binders to hold
them tightly against his back.
But he was 15 now, and his parents
were hardly around. He was dealing with hiding his wings on his own. He’d done
his research on his wings, and knew that running into another of his wing class
wasn’t ever likely. But he should have been prepared for something like this
just in case. Especially since he had been planning on hanging out with Noctis
in the citadel today.
A person in his wing class, as one of
their abilities, could always recognize another in their wing class. He hadn’t
believed it until that day.
He had almost reached the door when
he heard the air shattering behind him, signaling a warp. Arms wrapped around
his waist stopping his momentum. He gave a small cry of surprise and hastily
grasped at the door handle. But he was lifted off his feet and away from his goal.
“YOU FOUND ANOTHER ONE!” The woman
shouted, joy in her voice.
Of course, she had to be a
kingsglaive. That was just his luck.
He lightly kicked his feet, and
pushed at her arms, but it was half-hearted. He knew there was no way to get
out of the woman’s hold. She was a trained solider, and he… he was just
Prompto.
“Let go!” He said, wiggling as much
as he could. At the very least, since he couldn’t get her to put him down, he
could make it hard for her. And you never knew, she might listen.
But she didn’t listen and was already
walking back over to the people she had with Prompto tucked under her arm like
a football. “Not a chance. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to meet
another like me?”
He huffed and went dead weight.
“For about as long as I’ve been hiding
I imagine.” He muttered.
They passed by Noctis, who looked
distraught by the state of his own wings, and groaned. Ignis was beside him and
he looked puzzled to say the least. Confused. That wasn’t a good sign either.
If Ignis didn’t know what to do in this situation Prompto had no chance. Gladio
meanwhile was laughing. At least he knew he was way beyond help, but in no
danger. (He made a mental note to get back at Gladio later.)
“Crowe, put the kid down, you’re
scaring the prince.” One of the men said in exasperation, but his expression
was amused.
The woman, Crowe he mentally told
himself, glanced back over her shoulder at Noctis and set him down. However,
she must have known that he was going to try and dart away, because she kept
her arms around him. And then rested her chin on top of his head. He could feel
his feathers slightly puffing up in annoyance, not that they could see them. He
was stuck.
“There, happy?” She asked.
Even though Prompto knew that the
question wasn’t directed at him he said, “No.”
He crossed his arms and glowered at
the men she had been walking with. He knew he should have been panicking. He
didn’t know what to do if they found out about his wings. But being around
another with his wings…it was actually a little calming. Didn’t change the fact
he’d basically been kidnapped right in front of his friends.
He sighed and crossed his arms. “Can
I please go back to my friends?”
“Yeah Crowe, let the kid go. Why’d
you grab him anyways… You know him?” The other man asked while looking Prompto
up and down, a disapproving look on his face.
He was tempted to make a face at him
for that look.
“Nope, sorry kid, you’re the first
I’ve seen and I’m keeping you for as long as I can.” She said, and her arms
tightened around him. He could practically feel the smile from her.
But that was when his friends finally
decided to try and save him. Try being the operative word. They approached
slowly. Gladio was still completely relaxed, but Ignis was a little ruffled.
Probably from Noctis worrying about why Prompto tried to make a break for it.
She was in his wing class though, and people in his wing class tended not to
let go once they decided someone was theirs. Not to mention, it really did feel
like he’d found a family member. And it annoyed him a little, how right
everything felt. No one was ever supposed to find out, and now that they would,
he couldn’t even feel panicked about it.
“Uh…Glaive Crowe, was it?” Ignis said
in a careful tone of voice. “If you could please explain why you…stole, for
lack of a better word, our friend?”
“Because he’s mine now.” She said,
clearly keeping to her word of not letting him go. “I’ll give him back
eventually.”
“Whoops, you’ve done it now Crowe.” One
of the men muttered.
She was standing close enough to kick
him, so she did. “Shut it Nyx.”
He looked over at his friends and
nearly squeaked. Noctis looked…upset to say the least. Magpies were known to be
possessive. Like, super possessive. So it probably did nothing for his mood to
hear one of the glaive claiming him.
“Prompto isn’t anyone’s.” He said
firmly, but his eyes were speaking a different story. Mine. Mine. Mine. You could practically see the thoughts flashing
across his forehead. He was technically in Noctis’s inner circle. Which Noctis
was probably banking on to get her to release him.
“Nope, I have every right to him
now.” Crowe said, which only agitated the prince more. Prompto remained silent,
knowing that it was true. Wing classes were treated like family. Especially the
rare patterns. Though blood always trumped wings. But, unfortunately, none of
his actual family was here. And the circle ranked below wing class. So he was
stuck.
Noctis was about to open his mouth to
argue, but Crowe cut him off. Her wings slowly opened behind her and wrapped
around both her and Prompto. It was unexpected and everyone froze. Hugging
someone with your wings was considered something only for circles, or pattern
families. Since they all knew she’d never met him before today, and she wasn’t
a part of Noctis’s circle, it was obvious to which he belonged.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone you were
friends with a Kestrel, Prince Noctis?” Crowe said, staring at him.
Instead of answering her, he looked
at Prompto. “You’re a KESTREL?”
His voice rose in pitch with every
word, bordering on panic.
Prompto shrugged helplessly from his
feathery prison. “Uh…surprise?”
Without meaning to, he hid a bit
further behind Crowe’s wings upon seeing Noctis’s panic.
“I thought you were a Chickadee! Like
your parents!”
“I’m adopted!” He fired back.
The two bickered back and forth while
Noctis got closer to the pair, trying to figure out a way to steal back his
friend. Eventually, he settled for trying to pluck out one of Crowe’s feathers.
She wasn’t too happy about that, and with the citadel’s ceiling so high,
threatened to take flight with his friend. Magpies, though fast, wouldn’t be
able to out fly a kestrel. The two dissolved into arguing then, while Libertus
and Nyx both remained quiet and observed them with smiles.
“There hasn’t been a Kestrel in the
inner circle in so long…” Ignis muttered suddenly, and at that everyone fell
silent.
This changed things. A lot. Even
Prompto knew that.
There already was an uproar when
Noctis had been discovered to be a magpie. A pattern that hadn’t been seen
since the rouge queen herself, who had turned Insomnia upside down on its head
during her rule, leading the nation into prosperity. Magpie were thought to herald
a change. And a Kestrel hadn’t been in the inner circle for generations, even though
they had records of every kestrel since the 57th king.
He had been the one who had
discovered that Kestrels have a certain degree of magic in them. He was also
the one, unfortunately, who discovered that if someone killed a Kestrel
patterned person, they gained their abilities. Since that king, the royal family
has taken in all Kestrels to be protected from such a fate, due to the king’s
loss of a dear friend. So far, Regis had only one in his care. And she was
currently holding the boy who would be second in her arms.
“Just what’s going on here?” Suddenly
came a voice from behind them all.
Regis and Clarus were walking down
the hall together towards them, Regis looking rather amused by the groups
antics. Immediately, the glaives, along with Ignis and Gladio, bowed once they
saw who it was. Crowe’s bow was rather awkward considering she still had not
released Prompto.
“Highness.” Ignis said before
straightening. “We have a bit of a…”
Before he could finish Crowe chimed
in, “This boy is a Kestrel!”
Prompto gave a noise of distress upon
hearing her tell the king. Oh six, what if this really did get his parents in
trouble? He once again started to struggle against her hold. “She’s delusional
your majesty!”
He stomped on her foot and she
hissed. But her hold only tightened. “I am not you little-“
“Enough.” Clarus called, a frown
settling on his face.
Prompto immediately settled. He
crossed his arms though, and tucked his head between his shoulders. He looked
like a very upset chickadee then. Which, considering he was raised by two, made
sense. All he was missing was the…
“We need to see his wings, and that
will settle this.”
“W-what?” Prompto looked over at
Noctis’s father with wide eyes.
“Please, show us your wings.” Regis
said it kindly, but his face was pulled tight. To prove it, they needed to see
the pattern itself.
He looked at Noctis, who was
frowning. “Dad…I mean your majesty, he…his wings were hurt as a child. So he
binds them to his back.”
Regis only raised his eyebrow at
Prompto, and he knew he couldn’t lie. His own father would make that face at
him and he knew lying wasn’t the way to go.
“That’s… not entirely true.” He said
softly. “I didn’t want to leave my mom and dad.”
He lied anyways. Let them believe it
was his idea. Maybe then some of the fault would be taken from his parents.
“Wait…So…” Noctis looked pale. “You’ve
been binding your wings this whole time, and they’re healthy?”
“Yes.” He tucked his head behind some
of Crowe’s feathers, and she subtly shifted her wings to better cover him.
“Prom!” Noctis sounded upset.
“Miss Crowe, if you could be so kind
as to release the boy, I think we should probably go and get that binder off him.”
Regis said. He then turned to Ignis and continued, “Ignis, if you could be so
kind as to send for someone from the infirmary for a wing check?”
“As you wish.” Ignis bowed and then
left at a quick pace. But not before casting a worried look back at Prompto
before leaving.
“So long as I get him back soon.” Crowe
said with a small smile. She let go and Prompto tried darting for the doors
again, flight instincts kicking in now that he had a chance. But this time
Gladio scooped him up and put him over his shoulders, while Prompto let out a
yelp.
“Glady! Let go! Put me down!” He
said, starting to swipe at his back. “I need to go home!”
They ignored him until he calmed
down, to which Clarus said, “Are you sure he’s a Kestrel? He certainly has the temperament
of a chickadee.”
“If he’s not I’ll cut off my wings.”
Crowe said with a shrug. She was very sure of herself. But then she bowed to
the king. “By your leave, your highness.”
“As you will.” Regis waved a hand at
her and she turned to rejoin her friends. They nudged her with their elbows,
grins on their face, happy that she wouldn’t be alone in the Kestrel quarters
now.
Meanwhile, Prompto once again went
dead weight. Noctis occasionally let out a soft noise, trying to reassure him
as they walked, but he was ignoring him, content to play dead no matter how
ridiculous he looked in front of the king at the moment.
Prompto had this quiet inner strength that I rarely see
portrayed. Or maybe I’m looking in the wrong places. Anyways, that’s
my favorite trait of his. He’s very scattered and flighty. He reacts the most out of the guys, and is definitely the most anxious. But in certain parts of the game, he goes still, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but he gets this expressionless look on his face that just speaks volumes about the situation. This is pretty much a written form of Off the Rails,
and the Hand of the King, two chapters that I felt showed off this side of him the best.
The train rattled down the tracks at an even pace, and the
sound was the only thing that was filling the silence between the four men who
had once been closer than brothers. Prompto had tried to start up small
conversations with all of them, but the only one who even bother talking back
to him was Ignis. Dear Ignis, who’d lost his sight. Like Prompto, no one
bothered speaking to him. No, the other two filled their days with speaking
about him instead, often in arguments.
So when Gladio stood up from his seat after a short burst of
conversation between himself and Ignis, Prompto turned his head slowly,
following Gladio’s movement. He watched with weary eyes, not that Gladio saw or
Noctis cared. By the look on the shield’s face, he knew to brace himself for another
argument. With the smallest sigh, he turned his head back toward his lap,
dropping his gaze to his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Ignis
tightening his grip on the cane across his legs.
He was just as sick of the fighting too.
Prompto had been content just to let them yell at each
other, to ignore them. There wasn’t much else to do, considering Gladio never
was one to let himself feel anything but anger. However, when Gladio’s hand
shot out and grabbed Noctis’s collar, his head snapped back toward them, eyes
now watching intently.
“Maybe when you’re not too busy moping, you can look around
and give a shit about someone worse off than you.” Gladio’s words were all
barbed-wire and razors hidden inside a voice pitched low. Meant to hurt Noctis
more than anything.
That was bad enough as it was. Prompto’s head felt slowly
drawn back toward Ignis, and from the brief glance he’d allowed himself, he
could see that Gladio, whether he’d meant to or not, had hurt him as well. The
two then continued arguing, oblivious to the discomfort they were causing their
friends.
The feeling was back.
The rolling twist in his gut. The feeling of his voice being
stolen away. The one that cause his mouth to dry, his eyes to lower. The need
to check, double check, and triple check his actions. If he made one small
misstep, what would happen? Wouldn’t they throw him away? Could he even afford
to choose a side? Especially since they were so fractured already…
“Enough Gladio!”
Ignis’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, registering
the slight ache hidden under Ignis’s own anger. And suddenly, the need to
remain quiet didn’t feel like a need for the first time in his life. He looked
at the pair and saw the anguish on Noctis’s face as Gladio called him a coward.
In Gladio’s eyes there were traces, of all things, panic. It was hard to keep
his own panic in check with what he was about to do, but he managed. Even in
the face of Gladio’s biting words. He didn’t want the situation to worsen. So,
when Noctis tried to shove Gladio away from him, Prompto stood up and stepped
in.
“Don’t do this-!” He tried to get between the two, placing a
hand on Gladio’s chest and Noctis’s shoulder.
But the second he made contact, Gladio put his hand on his
face with such force, there was an audible smack right before he shoved and sent Prompto
stumbling into one of the seats. Normally, such an action would have left him
feeling like a scolded dog. And he quite nearly did. His face slightly hurt
where Gladio’s hand had been, and he had to brace himself against the back of
the seat he was shoved into.
Six he forgot how strong Gladio was, and the surprise
registered on his face. Before Altissia, they’d have laughed it off as Gladio
apologized for his actions. Because sometimes he forgot too. And they’d have
all gone back to joking around and goofing off. But the shield didn’t even
bother looking at him, only caring, it seemed, to hurt Noctis.
At the very least, Noctis had glanced at him to make sure he
was okay before going back to the argument.
Prompto watched the two for a bit longer, a frown on his
face as he puzzled over what to do. No longer could he just sit by and watch
his friends viciously rip each other to shreds. They all knew each other too
well not to know just what to say to cause the most damage. And they were all
too hurt right now to be hurting each other.
“Then get a grip! Pull your head out of your ass already!”
Gladio said with the same dark expression he’d been wearing the whole fight.
He watched as Noctis’s jaw clenched and he turned on heel,
leaving them for who knows where.
“Noct!” He turned as well, and meant to follow, but found
himself frozen to the spot when Gladio’s booming voice rang out behind him.
“Leave him.”
Prompto swallowed slowly and watched as Noctis walked off. The
tone of voice Gladio used had only ever been used in combat. And while Prompto
was worried for both of his friends, his mind was screaming that Gladio just
might be the biggest threat to them at the moment. He knew he was hurting too,
but there was no excuse for his behavior.
His eyes narrowed into a sharp stare, and he turned around
slowly. Blue eyes found the shield’s back, and he watched him until he was
through the door. Only then did he let himself relax. He moved to take his seat
back beside Ignis, who had remained silent through-out the rest of the dispute,
and dropped heavily into the seat. That small burst of bravery had drained him
mentally. Physically, he was already exhausted. And emotionally? He dared not
to think of his own emotions right now. He hadn’t even done much good for all
the trouble he went through. They still were fighting, they hadn’t even paid
him any mind really. The whole event, on his part, had been worthless.
But then he felt Ignis’s hand come to rest on his shoulder
and gently squeeze, as if reassuring him he’d done sometimes of value, then let
go to rest back around his cane. Prompto had turned to look at him when he’d
first felt his hand on him, and while Ignis’s expression didn’t change, the
action spoke volumes. They’d never been the closest of the four. So it meant a
lot to Prompto that Ignis had bothered reaching out.
He had to discreetly wipe away a tear or two, mentally
cursing onions to Ifrit’s side and back even though no onions were present, and
then pulled out his phone to distract his thoughts with King’s knight.
~
Fire lit up the night, spreading across the waters of the
Malboro and its descendants, ending that particular line of the noxious
creatures. Ignis stood among the flames, looking toward the heart of it unflinchingly,
unlike the rest of them. The light from the flames blinded them while he was
left unbothered due to his own blindness.
“Is it dead?” Gladio asked gruffly, using his sword to prop
himself up.
Prompto, smiling for the first time in what felt like weeks,
let out a chipper, “It is!”
He practically scampered over to Ignis’s side, making sure
to disturb the water enough so Ignis could hear him coming, and added, “And
it’s all thanks to Iggy!”
Gladio, even though he was still a distance away, let out a
relieved sigh that could be hear by all of them. And for the first time in
days, the kindness he was known for had found its way back into his voice.
“Iggy. You saved us.”
Prompto’s own voice softened as he put a hand on Ignis’s
back briefly, almost too gentle to be felt through his jacket, before pulling
his hand away. “Seriously. We’d be plant food if it weren’t for you.”
“Happy to help.” The ghost of a small smile crossed Ignis’s
face, even if his voice was flat and emotionless.
There was peace among them, the familiar comradery that
they’d built together over the past few months. For a second, Prompto thought
things were starting to look up.
But then Gladio opened his mouth.
“What, no royal commendation from his majesty?” His voice
was sarcastic, lacking the bite it’d had on the train. But it still made
Prompto frown at Gladio, and his hands clench at his side.
“None for you at least.” Noctis said in an almost lilting
tone. His voice reminded Prompto of a pretty bottle filled with poison.
Thankfully, Gladio decided not to drink the metaphorical
poison and let it go as Noctis walked off. Prompto let out a small sigh of
relief and watched as Gladio followed Noctis, and then began to walk with Ignis
as well. But then a small gasp caught his attention, and as soon as Prompto
heard it, he whirled around and had his arms on Ignis in a second flat. It was
almost habit now, catching him.
He helped Ignis back up, pulling him free of the water and
choosing to ignore the curses Ignis muttered to himself. When he had his
footing, Prompto let go. He knew Ignis didn’t like to be coddled. To which
Ignis pushed up his glasses and said, “Thanks.”
“No prob.” He shrugged even though Ignis couldn’t see it,
and stayed at Ignis’s side while they caught up.
Noctis opened the way of the tomb by way of burning what was
left of the Malboro eggs, and they all exchanged little quips to fill the
silence. An improvement over the quiet tension they’d all been feeling for a
long time. Soon enough, Noctis got what they’d come for and they were beginning
to move out, planning to make a bee line for the train now that they knew the
way.
But then Ignis surprised them all.
“A moment.”
They all paused where they were and turned to face him.
Prompto looked him up and down, trying to see if he was hurt in the fight and
just hadn’t said anything. But nothing seemed amiss, aside from how waterlogged
they all were.
“Is everything okay?” Gladio asked.
Ignis put both hands on the top of his cane, and held
himself tightly, as if bracing himself. “It bloody isn’t. And I won’t suffer
this pointless bickering in silence any longer.”
Prompto let out a small huff of surprise. Ignis, level
headed Ignis, had finally snapped. Even though he sounded tired, the echo of
anger lingered in the air. Prompto dared a glance at Gladio and Noctis before
returning his eyes to Ignis.
“Let’s be frank. My vision hasn’t improved, and probably
won’t.” He spoke with finality that cut them all deeply. Probably himself the
worst. Noctis stood at his side and looked at his advisor with an expression
that was profoundly sad.
Prompto had to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent
himself from letting out a strangled noise of distress. Vision. He’d known in
his heart that it wouldn’t return. But the conversation before they’d faced the
titan was always in the back of his mind these days, causing him to hold onto
hope for his friend that his vision would return. So he could see the world
clearly again.
“Yet in spite of this…” Ignis squared his shoulders and
opened his eyes for the first time since the accident. “I would remain with you
all. Til the very end.
Prompto opened his mouth to agree, not bothering to think
twice about it. Because how could they leave Ignis behind? However, Gladio cut
him off before he could voice his thoughts, causing him to turn to look at him.
“Sorry, but I object. War is a matter of life and death.”
Gladio shrugged, as if expecting that would be the end of it.
Prompto thought differently. The anxiety he felt coiled
tightly in his chest, but rather than allow it to run rampant, he turned it
inwards. Compressing it down into something like a stone. Like metal. Something
that would refuse to break. Something that would sink into a sea of calm. He
stepped between Gladio and Ignis, his eyes burning with anger and
determination, his hands still tightly closed at his sides. He’d never felt so
steady before in his life.
“But we’ll be there!” He said it like it was the most
obvious thing in the world, his face passive aside from his eyes. Gladio found it
hard to meet them.
“It’s not about us looking out for him!” He said, voice
raising. He tensed, as if ready for a physical fight. Something that Prompto
now recognized was a show to hide the underlying emotions the shield felt.
That allowed Prompto to be unflinching, eyes never once
leaving Gladio’s.
“Uh-huh. Well then he should be free to choose.” His voice
was plain, echoing Gladio’s own confidence in his words. But his eyes slightly
narrowed, and he lifted his chin a little higher as he stared the shield down.
On the off chance he was wrong, and Gladio was about to get
violent, he was very willing to try his hand against the shield.
Gladio’s face turned to one of frustration, and for the
first time in a long time, of fear. He gestured to Ignis. “There’s more to it
than what he wants.”
Prompto’s unblinking eyes allowed him to catch it. That
moment of fear. Gladio was scared for Ignis.
Before Prompto could respond, Ignis’s own raised voice met
the night air. “I know full well!”
The gunner turned around to look at his friend, a moment of
sorrow crossing his face.
“I won’t ask you to slow down.” Ignis said, his eyebrows
pulling down into a frown, “If I can’t keep up, I will bow out.”
The words hurt Prompto, who couldn’t imagine letting Ignis
leave on his own. He didn’t want any of them to leave. (Even if he thought that
they one day might leave him.)
“What says his majesty?” Gladio said, a dare in his voice
for Noctis to also side with Ignis and Prompto. A small sigh left Prompto, and
he allowed his face to turn from sorrow into complete exhaustion. It would be
up to Noctis in the end, whether Iggy stayed or went. Prompto mentally said a
prayer to Shiva that he’d send none of them away.
Noctis, for the most part, looked so lost. As if the thought
of losing another friend was too much for him. His eyes were dull and lifeless,
even as his lips parted to speak. Prompto looked at his friend, and realized just
how big of a toll everything was on him. He’d known, of course, that Noctis was
hurting. But in that moment, the pain was so clear on his face, it became a
genuine fear that Noctis might actually never smile again.
“Noct, you are king.” Ignis said, speaking in a quiet tone,
as if he could see the expression on Noct’s face. “One cannot lead by standing
still. A king pushes onwards always, accepting the consequences, and never
looking back.”
He turned from Noctis then, and walked toward Gladio. To
Prompto’s eyes, it was as if Ignis could see where all of them were. “Gladio,
Noct will take his rightful place, but only once he’s ready.”
At that, the determined expression returned to Prompto’s
face and he turned to face Gladio again, at Ignis’s side. As if daring him to
speak against all of them. But it was as if the fight had gone out of Gladio,
and the brief flash of defeat on his face didn’t sit right with Prompto. But it
was necessary.
He wasn’t going to lose any of them. Not because of each
other at least.
Gladio turned from them then, and sighed to himself quietly.
“Have it your way. We’re still taking a big risk. We better all be ready.”
He gave a pointed glance at Noctis, as if needing to get one
last shot at the king in, and then began walking back the way they’d come.
Prompto let out his own sigh one more, of relief, before glancing at Ignis and
Noctis. Judging by the look on Noctis’s face, he wanted to speak to Ignis
alone. Which was fine by Prompto. He turned from them then and hurried after
Gladio, planning on trying to keep him from returning to the anger. If he could
keep him off balance, even if he didn’t know how to do that, maybe things had a
chance of getting better.
Honestly though, all it would take was a hardened stare from
him. Gladio was used to the flightly blond from the start of the trip. The undaunted
way he’d held himself was a reality check. If Prompto, one of the most scatter
brained of them all, had to change to drastically to deal with him, perhaps he
needed to change as well.
The way back was uneventful, thankfully. They were all fatigued
in all ways. The elevator ride back up was silent once more, each other them
digesting the change that the events of the mine would create.
Noctis, to everyone’s surprise, was the one to break the
silence.
“You guys mind if we stop in Tenebrae?” He said it
carefully, as if he was walking on a sheet of glass hundreds of feet in the
air.
He hadn’t started a conversation ever since he’d woken up in
Altissia. It was a startling change, but a welcome one. Perhaps he was now
healing from the deaths he’d experienced, instead of only hurting.
“Might as well hop off!” Prompto said, the cheer also
returning to his voice. But the face he was making out of sight of Noctis was
at odds with his voice.
He was staring at Gladio, who was staring right back, with
the same face from the mine. As if daring Gladio to say no.
He was still very willing to try to smack some sense into
him if it came to it.
After a pause, Gladio nodded his head, breaking the stare. “If
it helps him move on.”
Prompto then, for the first time in months, smiled genuinely
at Gladiolus.
Prompto and his parents communicate through pictures
Prompto Week Day 5 (10/23): Favorite Outfit
Kind of a plotless drabble of Prompto when he first got the uniform. I think I read somewhere that he wanted to show his parents but they weren’t home. So I kind of took from that and went from there.
Prompto stood in front of the mirror in his parent’s house,
staring at his reflection. The uniform suited him well. As it should since it
had been tailored to him and him alone. He adjusted some of the seems to lay
where they should, and straightened a wrinkle or two on the jacket. It was
strange seeing himself in one of the uniforms he’d often seen around the
citadel. Even stranger to think that it was because he was officially a part of
Noctis’s guard.
His arms shifted at his side, like he couldn’t sit still. It
was reminiscent of a bird adjusting its wings. The sleeves were something he
wasn’t used to, and made the jacket feel heavier than he’d have liked. But he
found he didn’t mind. He’d grow into it, he thought to himself.
With a smile, he lifted his camera up to the mirror and took
a picture.
A polaroid was soon churned out of the camera and he grabbed
it before it could fall to the floor. He set that first one aside, and then
took the jacket off to take a picture of himself in just the shirt and vest. Specially
made without sleeves. He preferred the vest to the jacket, liking the silver
that spread across the fabric.
He set the camera and second picture down by the first and
went to change out of the uniform. Back into his mundane red shirt and pants.
He was supposed to be at Noctis’s place already, helping him pack his things
for the move back into the citadel. And soon, when they got back, Prompto would
be moving too.
Things were changing. And as he folded the uniform and put
it carefully back into the box it was stored in, he felt like it represented
his future. Like his most important moments would be while he was wearing it.
By his friend’s sides and at Noctis’s back.
But then he realized how cheesy he was being in his mind and
laughed.
He stuffed the box into his luggage, a single small
suitcase, and then shut it. With that he went to put it by the door for the
morning, so he could just grab it and go. Only then did he go back to the
pictures, which had developed by this point, and turned them over. He’d have preferred to take photos on his nicer camera, but there was no time to get them printed. So the polaroids would have to do. Grabbing a
nearby pen, he wrote a message on the backs to his parents.
He’d wanted to show them, but finding them not at home wasn’t
a surprise. He was used to it and had long since grown out of resenting them
for not being around more often. Which is where pictures came into play. If
they couldn’t be round to see him first hand, he could show them through the
lens of a camera at least.
Once he finished writing his message, he pinned it to the
cork board his father had hung up for him during one of his rare moments at
home. ‘So we won’t miss any of your photos.’ Sometimes, if Prompto was lucky,
they’d leave him a photo of their day too. With one final smile at the pictures
of himself in the kingsglaive uniform, he grabbed his keys from the bowl he
usually kept them in, and left home to help his friend prepare for tomorrow.
Then, when he left in the morning dressed in his fatigues, he noticed the pictures
were gone and a small note had replaced them that stated, ‘We’re so proud of
you!’ in his mother’s handwriting. As way of thanks, he grabbed the polaroid camera and took a selfie, smiling brightly in the morning sunlight, and pinned it on the board to develop. He took the note with him, and then stepped though the door.
Imagine Final Fantasy 