Unbowed

~~Prompto goes toe to toe with Gladio and anxiety~~

Prompto Week Day 6 (10/24): Favorite Trait

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.

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.

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.)

Angsty request here! So the chocobros are fighting against some imperial soldiers and as they go to land the final blow on the last enemy standing, that enemy uses their s/o as human shield. It’s too late to stop mid-attack, and their s/o is injured badly (almost fatally, but not quite). How would the chocobros react a) when it happened b) with the other chocobros while their s/o recovered and c) after their s/o had healed? I know, I’m horrible, but the idea won’t get out of my head!

~~You get a short fic thing. Because I couldn’t pass this up either. (Prompto’s is next.) Gender neutral pronouns for the S/O.~~

Noctis:

They lock eyes once, and he’s moving too fast to stop.

“No!”

At the last moment their eyes closed and their face relaxed, accepting what was about to happen. But then a scream leaves them and their expression turns to one of pain. The strike goes clean through them, their blood running down it’s blade in slow rivulets. Their had reaches out and grabs a hand full of his shirt. They opens their eyes and offer a shaky smile, trying to reassure their love that they’ll be fine. But then they start to sink to the ground.

For a moment, he’s too horrified to process what he’d done. But then he snapped out of it and hurriedly grabbed them and guided them to the ground before they could fall. He made sure they were on their side, so the blade wouldn’t shift and hurt them more. A sun shot sounds over his head, Prompto finishing their enemy with two guns in hand, overheating them both. Not that it mattered since that was the last MT. They were safe from further attack for now, but…

“Ignis!” He yelled, a touch of panic in his voice. This wasn’t something that he could do alone. Pulling out the blade would hurt them, and he wasn’t sure he could do so without them bleeding out without immediate healing. They were already losing too much blood.

In the dirt beside him Ignis lands on his knees after running over, eyes quickly looking over the injury. There wasn’t any other choice but to pull it out. And so he places a hand on their side to hold them steady and looked to Noctis, “On three. Ready?”

Noctis nods and grabs the hilt with both hands, waiting for Ignis’ count.

“One, two, three!”

He pulls with all his strength while Ignis, careful not to cut himself, guides the blade in a straight path. Once the blade is free, Noctis drops it to the ground and rushed back to their side, taking their hand in his. It’s ice cold, and they didn’t so much as move when the blade was pulled. Not a good sign. But it’d be fine soon.

Ignis broke the elixir over their wound after shifting them to their back, and they waited for the wound to seal. For a heart stopping moment, nothing happened. He worried they were too late. They didn’t have another phoenix down on them, the last had been used earlier in the fight. But then they breath, the wound closes, and they are whole.

And though they are asleep, Noctis pulls them close and buries his face in their hair.

Too close.

That had been too close.

It was his fault and he can’t let it go.

They had set up camp at a nearby haven, waiting for them to wake and rejoin them. But the blood loss had been extensive, and no one was sure when they’d wake. So they’d settled in, and were now biding their time with training before night fall. Something Gladio had suggested and that Noctis, to everyone’s surprise, had agreed to.

He should be able to pull out of a warp strike he thinks to himself as he moves. Though he knows that it’s not possible without endangering himself. Stasis is the last thing from his mind as he warps from Gladio, phases through his attack and strikes, warps to Prompto to knock him off balance, then to Ignis. But right as he prepares to attack Ignis, his magic runs out and he ends up full on crashing into Ignis as dead weight.

The momentum sends him rolling off Ignis, off the haven, and to the ground below. It knocks the wind out of him, but he’s otherwise unharmed.

“Noct!” “Noctis!”

His friends call from above him. He opens his eyes and finds the three of them peering down at him in concern.

“I’m alright.” He raises his hand to them to wave them off of coming down after him and rises. Though he doesn’t miss the shared glance between Gladio and Ignis. Probably just put together that he was distraught. He’d been trying to hide how upset he was with himself. They were worried about them too. They shouldn’t have to worry about him as well, especially since…

A sigh escapes him before he finishes that thought, and he begins to walk around the haven to the path that would allow him back up.

“I should of been keeping an eye on how much warping I was doing earlier.” He says in explanation as soon as he reached the trio.

“I’ll say.” Ignis pushed his glasses back up and frowns. “If that ever happens in combat,be sure to use an ether right away.”

“I know specs.” Noctis smiled slightly, but saw Ignis about to launch into a lecture and the smile fell. Before he could start speaking though, he needed to know. “You alright though? I was going pretty fast.”

“Aw he’s fine.” Gladio said slapping Noctis on the back. “He was just about to start dinner, right?”

A rare display from Gladio, taking it easy on someone. Ignis, when faced with that knowledge, let it go. “Yes, I was actually. I’ll get back to that.”

They all departed for their own areas of the Haven. Ignis to his kitchen, Gladio by the fire, and Noctis with his legs dangling over the edge. Prompto would normally be on the other side of the fire doing maintenance on his guns, but instead went to join Noctis.

Prompto snickered as he sat and said, “Dude. I got the best picture of Ignis because of you.”

“What?” Noctis raised his eyebrow.

“Take a look!” Prompto held out his camera for Noctis to see.

On the screen was them from earlier. The light around Noct wasn’t it’s usual blue, but the dark purple of stasis. It was immediately after he’d crashed, as his face was planted into Ignis’ chest, and his arms were trapped between them. That didn’t look comfortable for either of them, and Ignis would at least have a bruise from it.

Speaking of Ignis, his eyes were widened in an expression of confused terror in the picture. His feet had tangled with each other when he’d tried to step away from the prince, causing him to fall backwards, and the spear that had been in his hand was just out of reach and hovering in midair. He’d clearly let go of it in surprise. Along with everything else, his arms were extended straight out from the force of the impact. His mouth was pressed together in a tight line. He looked almost owlish and all together cartoonish.

A laugh escaped from Noctis before he could stop it, and Prompto joined in. “See? I told you!”

“Oh man, we need to get that printed.” He said, a smirk still on his face.

“Oh totally. Blackmail material.” Prompto grinned at him and then they lost themselves to pointless chatter.

If Prompto could help it, he wouldn’t let his friend dwell on the sleeping person in the tent. They all wouldn’t. It was all too clear that he was blaming himself. If they could all distract his thoughts until they woke up and dissolved his guilt themself, then they’d have done enough.

It took them three days to wake.

It was quiet. No one had noticed that they had shown signs of stirring. And so they were alone when they woke. Which they didn’t mind. It gave them time to get their bearings and recall just what had happened. Once they did remember, a sigh left them and they sat up slowly. A wince crossed their face as they did so, and they had to take a moment to let the pain subside before doing anything else.

They pushed their hair out of their face and grimaced at how greasy it felt. It’d been a while then. Before anything else, they crawled over to their bag of things and changed out of the dirty ones. After that, grateful for the tent’s height, they stood up. A dizzy spell hit them, but they remained standing. Time to face the day.

They left the tent quietly, bare feet making no sound as they moved. The boys were all around the camp, Prompto and Noctis sitting at the edge, Ignis was washing dishes, and Gladio was sitting by the fire. It was peaceful, and they were loath to break the peace. But…Noctis. They remembered his face clearly when they’d been hurt. It wouldn’t be fair to make him wait for them any longer.

“Hey guys.” They said softly. They smiled slightly at how startled they all were. But then Noctis’ head whipped around and the sheer look of relief on his face was worth waking up for.

“You’re awake.”

He rose from his spot and crossed the distance between them and him, wrapping them into an almost bone crushing hug. They held him gently in return.

“I’m so sorry.” He muttered into their hair, and they shook their head.

“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault.”

They didn’t know how long they stood together, but the others didn’t see fit to interrupt them. Noctis’ embrace spoke volumes about how scared he was. As if he was pressing his fear of losing them into their hug.

They closed their eyes and pressed their forehead into his shoulder.

“I’m here.” They whispered to him. “I’m here.”

Hi there! I’d like to request reaction scenarios (or headcanons, if easier for you) for the bros who couldn’t reach their s/o after the fall of Insomnia only to be told by Iris (or another member of the Crownsguard) that they were severely injured while trying to escape and still recovering in Lestallum? Love me some angst. ;) Thank you for your time.

D: ….here you go. xD I love angst but don’t know if I do it justice.

Noctis:

Someone very dear to him had been left in Insomnia. And he was headed for Altissia. It wasn’t a good thing or a bad one. It just was. They both knew, when they had first started their relationship, that one day they’d have to depart from one another. Because he was a prince and they…he didn’t want to say they were common but that’s how everyone else saw them. No matter how much they cared, their bloodline, or rather their lack of one, would part them. And he did care. He cared almost too much. And the words Ignis had spoken crushed him.

“There was an attack. The imperial army has taken the crown city.”

He felt sick at first. The king, his father, was confirmed dead. That alone was enough to upset him nearly to the point of tears. But then a moment later he recalled the person who he had left behind, and sheer panic flooded his system. When he had a moment alone, he dialed their number on their phone. But there was no answer.

He was distraught to say the least. He’d lost his father. Had he lost them as well? He knew the answer. Considering that they had been a member of the Kingsglaive, and the king was dead…he knew the answer. That would be when they’d go to observe the city at a distance, and they’d see the devastation first hand. Prompto on his behalf would be calling their phone very 5 minutes during the car ride there, in the hope that they’d answer and prove they were alright.

But upon arriving there’d still be no response.

He’d want to fall to his knees and scream at the world upon seeing the crown city in the distance. At the devastation that befell it. Of the dead he could not reach. Lunafreya’s name was added to the list then, and even his own name. How could life take so much away from him in such a short time?

That would be when they all start calling anyone in the city they know, trying to find out who was alive and who was dead. Cor would pick up and Noctis would demand answers. He’d tell them where to meet him, and confirm the king’s death. Noctis would ask about his ‘friend’ and Cor would only say he’d explain more upon seeing Noctis in person.

It’d give him hope. Maybe, just maybe, depending on what Cor said, they’d have made it out alright. Maybe there was one less name on the list of the dead. Finding Cor had been a challenge on it’s own, considering he had already moved on from Hammerhead by the time they reached there. Cindy would make sure they’re all right and give them directions on where to go.

That’s when she’d mention that Cor had a companion with him. One that wasn’t doing too well.

They hurried onward after that, hope beating in Noctis’ chest. Please please please let it be them. And upon reaching the outpost, they’d point him in the direction Cor was. Upon meeting with him, he’d explain things. About the blades he’d have to find, about the king’s motivations, and that the entire Glaive had fallen for their king.

But the the topic would then turn to the one he had managed to save. Most had died of their wounds, but this one? They had fought tooth and nail for their duty, even after being mortally wounded. It hadn’t been enough of course. Nothing would have been enough to stop the destruction of the city and death of the king. But they had held on for so long, long after their fellow glaives had succumbed to their wounds, that he couldn’t just leave them to die. So he brought them with. Did the best he could even after they went unconscious. And had hunters escort them to Lestallum to be taken care of by a friend of his.

He wouldn’t be able to see them for a long time. Cor didn’t even know their name. But the potential for it to be them was what gave him strength to keep moving forward. And even if it wasn’t them…He felt he owed a thanks to this member of the Kingsglaive for fighting for his father until the end.

And when he does get to Lestallum…It’s them. They’re in a wheelchair from how weakened they were, war torn, and despondent. But it’s them. And they’re expected to make a full physical recovery. They have a new scar along their forehead and along their neck from blades. He’s told they also have a few scars along their torso from bullets. It had been a very close call.

But then, it’d be revealed that they don’t remember much of anything. The trauma to their head took their memories away from them, and he’d apologize to them. They’d state he had nothing to apologize for. And on top of that, they’d stand up from their wheelchair, with great difficulty, and kneel before him. They’d state the only thing they do remember is the oath they took to serve the king. And since the previous king had passed, they’d like to stay at his side to serve as soon as they were well enough.

“A Kingsglaive has no purpose without a king to serve.”

It’d hurt. But he wouldn’t want to leave them again. So he’d allow it, and pull them to their feet.

“You stand as my equal now.” He’d mutter. You were always my equal.

How silly they’d been to allow something like bloodlines to part them. And it’d be uncertain if they’d ever be able to be together again with their missing memories. But they would stay by his side. Ifrit’s fire or Shiva’s wind, he wouldn’t let them leave his side ever again.

The others, of course, wouldn’t object. An experienced member of the kingsglaive fighting beside them would be welcome. (Plus, who could bear parting Noctis from the one person he’d managed to recover from the fallen city?) And so, they’d fight beside him, and grow furious with him if he’d try to protect them. Which he would. A lot. He’d fear for them more than he did for himself.

Bonus:

At the back of their mind, they’d felt like there was something important, something they knew they had lost, just within their reach… But they’d never strive to recover it. They pain they had felt every time they tried would keep them from it. And the pain they could see on Noctis’ face would cause them to keep him at arms length.

They’d never recover their memories willingly.

Prompto:

No one but him knew of the person he left behind. He, surprisingly, is very shy about his lovers, past and present. He’d have dozens of photos of his S/O, but those photos would only be for him. ~~Which wasn’t weird…right?~~ He’s not ashamed of them or anything, but he’d be uncomfortable letting his friends know about them for fear of being fun of. And they wouldn’t mind. No, they were patient and kind and loved him unreservedly. And they were willing to wait until he was absolutely sure in their relationship to reveal it.

He came to regret his silly reason for hiding their relationship.

When Insomnia falls, he’s pretty much alone in dealing with the fact they might be gone. The other don’t even KNOW about them after all. And Prompto is horrifyingly good at hiding what he’s feeling.

The other’s would have no clue about the turmoil he’d go through.

He’d still be the perfect best friend, letting Noctis lean on him and pretending he hadn’t lost anything. Which in truth, compared to the others he really had lost the least. And he let them assume that he hadn’t lost anyone important. Gods above it hurt to pretend as if his S/O didn’t exist, but he’d do it. For Noct’s sake.

They’d see the devastation for themselves, and upon seeing the others take out their phone to call those they cared about in the city. He’d subtly send a text to them, and hope for a response.

~~‘Darling, please, please answer if you’re alright. Please.’~~

When days had passed and there was no sign that they had even seen the message, he’d finally break. Mentally and emotionally. The others would worry about him when suddenly, the bubbly gunner would just fall quiet. And stay that way. He’d still be as supportive as ever, but his humor would be almost nonexistent. And though they enjoyed the precision and how ruthless he had become in battle, they’d miss the playful way he used to fight, and the balance he had brought with his actions.

Eventually, they’d corner him and it wouldn’t take much for it to come bursting out. Because he loved them damn it, and they weren’t responding. He was scared, and he didn’t want them to know. He was being selfish by even telling them he’d say. He never wanted to bother any of them with this. And they’d understand. They’d scold him lightly for not telling them sooner, but they’d understand.

They’d let him rest and recover for a while, camping while he worked through his loss. But no matter what they did, he just wouldn’t be the same. Noctis had been supportive and welcoming, and though it would help it wouldn’t heal. Ignis would make an effort to talk more with the youngest of their group, but responses that were sharp, cutting, and to the point would be all he’d get in return. Gladio would try to, literally, smack some sense into him…if only he could get a grip on him. Prompto was a slippery uncatchable little shit when he wanted to be.

Nothing would work and they’d eventually be forced to continue onward with Prompto in his current state. And that’s when suddenly there would be a phone call from their number, and he’d scramble to answer.

“Hello?!”

The voice on the other line was not theirs but he’d fall to his knees all the same. They were alive. Barely though. A coma had them in it’s grips. They had just been removed from the city by some of the few crownsguard left alive doing rescue work and were currently being housed at Lestallum in the hopes that they’d wake up. Apparently they had been caught in the crossfire of a battle. They weren’t sure if it was the MT’s or the city, but someone had set off blast charges. Which caused a building they had been near to implode, and the rubble to knock them into unconsciousness.

From there, they had been taken to a small makeshift hospital where they had been recovering for the past weeks. It was only when they were moved outside the city and were near a power source that their phone reactivated and got their attention when a text notification had pinged. They had hoped there would be someone to contact about them, and Prompto’s number was the first number they tried.

So after being fully updated, with his bros listening in so they knew what was going on, they’d agree to go to Lestallum for Prompto’s sake. To see if there was any hope for his S/O waking soon.

Unfortunately, there was no miraculous wake up. No, they were truly checked out of this world. Which made it easier for Prompto to leave their side to continue on with Noctis. Every time they were in Lestallum though, they’d make it a point to visit them. They were alive. And someday might wake up. That was enough for Prompto.

Bonus:

Their eyes would flutter open, and from their throat, a raspy voice would ask for Prompto. Luckily for them a nurse would be in their room and hurry and call their boyfriend for them. Hearing their voice would cause him to cry. And he’d FORCE everyone to return to Lestallum immediately. Because they’d woken up. And upon arriving he’d dive onto the bed with them and refuse to leave for a few days.

“You scared me, you scared me, I love you.” He’d whisper over and over to them, and they’d just hold onto him in response.

Gladiolus:

Gladio would hold onto hope that they made it out. Even when the king is confirmed dead and they see the burning city with their own eyes, he hopes. Because it’s all he has for now. Iris had told him that she had gotten out of the city largely because of his S/O. They stayed behind to hold back the enemy while her, Talcott, and Jeremy escaped. They wouldn’t have made it out with out their sacrifice.

~~Don’t call it a sacrifice, they could still yet live.~~

They had been so close to safety, and yet chose to protect his family instead. Damn their bleeding heart to Ifrit’s flames and back. He loved and hated them for their choice. They knew that his family meant the world to him, but didn’t they realize they meant just as much?

But after a few hours, knowing his father had died doing his duty put things into perspective. People died, and that was that. He’d kill his hope with his own hands and close his eyes. He moved on. With pain and a heaviness in his chest, he moved on. He would whisper prayers to the city, and say goodbye to all he knew. He would then turn his back on them, striding to Noctis’ side to fulfill his destiny. As his father did.

Weeks would pass and the thought of them would still sting. But only barely. His grief is quiet, but he manages to keep going, keep smiling, and eventually he does find himself enjoying life again. He really does manage to move on after a month. But then…His phone rings with an unknown number.

“Did you miss me?” they’d ask, sounding breathless and almost manic.

He’d absolutely demand to know where they’re at and want to see them.

“Another time. Just know I love you-” they’d get cut off and he’d realize, holy shit they’re still in the city and fighting.

He’d be proud of them. Even though they’d hung up, he’d ask that they’d raise hell on his behalf. That would be when Iris would call days later. She let him know that they’re alive, but being escorted out of the city by hunters. They were hurt in their last fight, badly so. But Iris has arranged for them to recover under her care. He’d thank his baby sister for that and ask to make a detour in Lestallum.

Of course, since they’re hurt they’re expected not to move around to much.

As if they cared.

Upon seeing him they’d literally fling themself out the second story window of the hotel and he’d be forced to catch them. They’d wince at the contact, but hang onto him all the same. He’d have to carry them back up to their room, and make them promise not to jump out of the window again. They would, and then they’d describe what happened.

The city, for the most part, is safe. The people there have started resuming their lives, going to work and what not. But others…others were prepared to fight and rage against the imperials until death. They were one of them. They weren’t letting anyone leave the city, even if you were just visiting, which made their fighting dangerous. But they had learned to pass the word on by word of mouth where civilians should stay away from.

In one of the fights, their back had been lit on fire, and they’d have burn scars for the rest of their life. “But I think it just makes me look badass.” They’d joke. But Gladio would notice the slight tremor in their hands. Coming so close to dying had scared them. And he’d wordlessly pull them into a hug and they’d relax. He could see through them and that’s why they loved him.

“I’m useless like this. And you have a duty to do. Gladio, just promise me you’ll come back alive.”

He’d promise, though he wouldn’t know if he’d be able to keep it or not.

Ignis:

He’d be so careful to betray nothing of his fears to the others. Especially not Noctis. Losing the one he left behind was nothing compared to losing everything the prince did. But it’d still hurt him. When he had woken up and first saw the news, he had immediately called them. And they had answered.

“Now’s not a good time Ig. Please….You have to know I love you.”

But then there was a commotion in the background, people clamoring and sounding afraid. He ask what was going on and they’d just say goodbye. He’d do a little more research, and find out anyone in the city was had served the king was a target. As a retainer for the royal family, hat included them.

He’d worry and try calling them again later, but there’d be no response this time. He’d go about his day after that, consoling Noctis and the others, and trying to think rationally. Seeing the city first hand was hard, but he’d still hold it together.

It would be that night that it’d hit him. He might never see never see them again he’d realize. And while putting things away, he’d shed a tear or two. But that’s all he’d allow himself. And nothing would change in his relations with the others.

But then, oddly enough, he’d get a phone call from Iris. He’d ask if she meant to speak to Gladio, but she’d respond no. She’s volunteering at a local hospital in Lestallum and was sorting through some of the belongings of the residents and recognized the name of one of them. And found a note in their belonging adressed to them.

“I think it was to be sent to you if they died.”

He’d make an excuse to go to Lesallum and see for himself, hope coursing through his veins. He’d request that Iris keep this to herself, and she would. And upon arriving he’d have no trouble in locating them. They’d be asleep, recovering from blood loss and some interior damage from a high impact collision. But when he’d take their hand, they’d wake up, and smile the brightest smile he’d ever seen on them.

They’d talk softly and he’d listen. They apologize for worrying him, but he wouldn’t allow them to finish. “You’re safe, and alive. That’s all I ask.”

They’d still have to stay in the hospital till they recovered, but after that they’d join Iris, Jeremy, and Talcott at the hotel, and stay with them until they could go home. It would be indefinite when they’d get to return, but they wouldn’t mind. And Iris would sort of adopt them as another sibling. It wouldn’t be until later they say just what happened.

They’d been afraid when the imperials caught up to them, and brought their ship down in flames. They were one of the only survivors to escape the wreckage. The only reason they survived was that they had been found by hunters and taken to help right away.

He’d be worried about how close they’d come to death, but all in all just thankful to the six they lived.

Okay, I need something angsty and emotional. While unknowingly being mislead, but Chocobros are tricked in attacking and severely hurting their pregnant S/O. She survives and so do child, but that the aftermath for that?

Owch.

TLDR; Basiclly blame Ardyn for everything.

Basic info: I picture their S/O having just found out they’re pregnant and not quite showing yet. The boys are fully aware of this, but they allowed them to accompany them so long as they stay out of combat…

Noctis: He really didn’t mean to. He had honestly thought it had been Ardyn coming toward him. And in the ensuing fight he hadn’t put the pieces together fast enough. It had been a long and drawn out fight, and Ardyn for some reason wasn’t fighting back, only defending. Eventually, he’d grown tired of chasing after him. He summoned the Star of the Rogue and thrown it in a perfect arc. It sunk into the wall and pinned him by his neck against it. But Ardyn only laughed. His hands were cut and bleeding from where they stopped the edges of the blade from cutting into his neck, and he still laughed. But then the vision of him flickered, revealing his S/O with her eyes wide and panicked as they watched him.

He’d curse and rush over to pull the star free from the wall and catch his S/O as she collapsed from relief that he had finally stopped attacking her. But she’d flinch at the contact with him. Her body would be riddled with deep cuts and gashes from trying to defend from him, and she’d be losing blood quickly. He’d scoop her up with no hesitation and rush to where the rest of their party was, demanding help. She’d pass out soon after, and they’d rush to heal her.

Once her cuts were taken care of and healed for the most part, they’d let her rest. Noctis wouldn’t leave her side, but nothing would prepare him for when she wakes up and absolutely FREAKS when she sees him. Like, ‘pulls a knife from her boot and tries attacking him’ freaks. He’d have to pin her down after getting the knife from her and try to get her to listen to him.

She’s kick and scream and cry because she was scared of him though. His heart would be tearing to pieces in his chest but he would still try to reach her.

The other would leave them be, figuring they’d need to sort this out for themselves. Once she stopped fighting him, he’d just switch to holding her while sitting behind her so she didn’t have to see him. He’d hold her firmly, almost squeezing her, just to reassure her, and himself, that she was safe. She’d still be shaking and her tears wouldn’t stop, but at least she would let him hold her. It would be silent in the tent for a long time. He’d whisper quietly, to himself and to her, about how sorry he was, and how it was inexcusable, and he put her and his future child as such risk. He wouldn’t ask for forgiveness, as he’d see his actions as unforgivable.

But she’d still say I forgive you. She wouldn’t do much else for a long time, other than let him hold her. Because she had been scared damn it. Not for herself though. Her life was nothing compared to the one that was growing inside her. She was grateful that nothing seemed to be wrong with her midsection, but just in case the next time the group was in a city or town, she’d discreetly visit a doctor to check that her child was still growing alright.

And once she was sure that they were okay, she’d gladly allow herself to grown closer with Noctis once more.

Prompto: Both he and his S/O had been taken by the MTs from the train. He when he fell and she when the MT’s had first started bombing. They would have been held together at first, and that would be when she’d reveal that she was ‘pretty sure she was pregnant.’ So when they decide to separate the two, Prompto does NOT take it well. He fights like hell, terrified of what may befall her when they’re apart. She’d be no slouch either, and fight just as hard. But without their weapons, there’s not much they can do. Prompto would take a hard strike to his temple that would disorient him, and his S/O would be overwhelmed and dragged off while screaming for him.

While apart, Ardyn would start planting the idea that the other was being turned against them. He’d reveal Prompto’s origins to his S/O and lie that he was still susceptible to being turned into a ‘real MT’. To Prompto he’d lie about his S/O being changed into an MT as they speak. And to drive the lie home he’d tattoo a barcode of her own on her wrist. He’d then lock them into a room with their guns in hand, with a wall between them. He’d warn them that the wall would soon rise up and that they’d be stuck fighting the one they love. The only question would be who would shoot first.

They’d both raise their guns to where they know their S/O is standing on the otherside. Both would be prepared to shoot. But Prompto’s reflexes are frighteningly fast, and the second he catches a glimpse of the tattoo, he pulls the trigger. But it’s not a killing shot thankfully. It’s a straight shot through the shoulder. She falls to the ground though, because a gun shot is a gun shot after all. And when she cries out in pain he realizes his mistake.

He’d rush over to her and cradle her to himself, pleading with her to stay awake. She would reach up and try to comfort him, just glad that what Ardyn said wasn’t true. She still had him. They wouldn’t be separated after that, but locked up in the same area as Noctis and co draw closer to rescuing them. Prompto would be strapped back into his restraints and she’d have her arms tied behind her back and dumped unceremoniously on the floor in front of him.

They’d eventually be saved, and she’d be near passing out until they give her a potion, and after that she’d rush to Prompto’s side to comfort him. He’d be trying not to cry, but the guilt of knowing he SHOT her would be killing him inside. She’d take the lead then, following Noctis and fighting at Promto’s side, watching both their backs. She knows that he’d be too emotionally unstable to be of much use in a fight. And though she knows of her condition, she’d make sure they got out safely.

Once they’re out and staying in a hotel, she’d lay with him, pulling him to her and letting him rest his head on her stomach. She’d promise that no permanent damage was done, and that everything was alright. He’d be extremely upset at how understanding she was being. He would want her to be angry with him. But she couldn’t. She knows what they went through. She fogives him for what he’d done, but the challenge would be getting him to forgive himself.

Gladio: Ardyn would plant seeds of doubt in him. Whispered words of her being a spy, planted evidence against her. But the nail in the proverbial coffin would be when he lures her outside of the camp to meet with him, and arranges for Gladio to ‘stumble’ upon their meeting. Not wanting to believe that his S/O would betray them, he’d listen while hidden. However, Ardyn would be prepared for this, and ask after the child she’d be having. She’d not respond, and he’d ask if she had even told Gladio about it, or would that make leaving with him too hard?

She be confused, as she hadn’t been planning on leaving and CERTAINLY NOT with him. But Gladio would take her silence as confirmation for two things. One, that she was with child. His child specifically. And two, that she was planning on leaving.

Oh he’d be pissed.

He’d go after them both with his great sword, and she’d summon her own to block his sword. Of course though, it would look like she was protecting Ardyn. All this time, Ardyn would have been earning her trust, which is why she blocked the blow. They’d glare at each other over their blades and spring apart. She’d tell Ardyn to leave, as the two of them had things to discuss.

The fight itself would dissolve into sickeningly sweet endearments spat at each other along with veiled insults.

“Gladio, darling, perhaps if you’d keep a fucking clear head we could actually talk about this!”

“Sweetheart, my head is clearer than it’s been in! A! Long! Time!”

It’s literally a clash of titans, and neither come out of it unscathed. Gladio will be sporting a new scar on his arm from where she nearly cleaved it in two. She on the other hand, is sporting a mottled and bruised body, especially her middle.

What snaps them out of it is when she suddenly throws up blood from one of his strikes he had landed on her. She’d pull her hand away from her mouth and see the blood on her hand, and suddenly she’d be scared. So scared, her vision starts tunneling.

“The baby.” she say. And then her eyes would roll into the back of her head and she’d pass out.

Gladio, seeing his foolishness, would rush forward and grab her, haul her to the car and basically throw everyone else into the car without warning. (He’d literally dump Prompto into the back seat still inside his sleeping bag with a poor confused sunshine fluff struggling to understand what’s going on.)

HE’D also be the one driving.

Prompto would be screaming the whole way, and Ignis would just keep his eyes closed and pray to the six that they’d survive. Noctis would have an arm around Gladio’s S/O and be ready to warp away just in case they wreck…

Gladio is a terrifying driver after all.

They’d get to a hospital in one piece and she’d be rushed into the emergency room to check her over. He’d mention that she was also pregnant and they reassured him that they’d check on that as well. A few hours would pass and she’d be allowed visitors. (Her and the pregnancy made it though okay.) He’d go in and ask for privacy to speak with her.

They’d discuss, calmly this time, what had happened and exactly what was going on. He’d be overjoyed that he was going to have a child, but horrified at how close it had been to being lost. Now she’d be pissed and slap him as hard as she could. (She’s no soft woman, and Gladio has to fight off the darkness that’s trying to creep over his eyes afterwards.)

“You BELIEVED him?!” She’d began to rant, and there wouldn’t be any love in her insults as she verbally tears him apart. He’d shut her up with a kiss and she’d settle down. They’d talk about how they clearly needed to work on trust and their tempers to prevent something like this from happening again.

Ignis: Ignis would be fully aware that his S/O’s pregnant, and would be almost suffocating her with affection and attentiveness daily. But then Ardyn would send MT’s after the group and have them cornered at the edge of a cliff. They’d be lunging at them, and shooting, and there’d be no where to go but down. Which wasn’t an option. So they’d fight. And when it seems like they’d get out unhurt, one MT slips past their guard.

Ignis’ S/O would get struck in the face, the blade of a lance cutting their cheek. But that wouldn’t be all. To dodge the subsequent attack they’d be forced to take another step backwards and knock into Ignis. He’d, not realizing it was them, promptly grab their arm and slam them to the ground. He is not a weak man.

She’d feel something inside her crack and gasp with the pain. For the rest of the fight she’d be out, and Ignis would be horrified at what he’d done. But there’d be no time to help her, as they were quickly becoming overwhelmed now that they were down a person. They’d fight hard and recklessly so they’d be able to help her sooner. And as soon as they’d triumph, Ignis would rush to her side to heal her.

Meanwhile, she’d be having trouble breathing. To the point where she’d start seeing spots. Perhaps a rib punctured her lung. Perhaps she just simply has weak lungs that could stand the high impact of when he slammed her. Point is, she stopped breathing and Ignis is panicking. Potions wouldn’t work, and he would desperately look for a phoenix down. When he finds one he wastes no time in using it on her.

It works.

She sits up from where she’s cradled in his lap with a gasp, inhaling as if each breath was her last. (It nearly was just a bit ago) He’d latch onto her and apologize to her in hushed tones. She’d shake her head and press a kiss to his forehead.

“It happen’s Ignis.”

They’d hold each other and just close their eyes. She hadn’t been out long enough for it to affect the child, but just in case the next time they’re in a city Ignis takes her to a doctor and gets a full check up done on her and their unborn child. She agrees to put his mind at rest.

FFXV/RWBY AU

I have no idea why, but this has been kicking around in my head the past couple of days. It’s almost non-existent, but still. I figured I’d put it here.

They’d all be the same age in this AU to keep things simpler.

Naturally they end up together on the same team.

Noctis is the heir of one of the governing council seat in Mistral, but ran off to join Beacon Academy to be a hunter instead. (Why? Who knows. Maybe he just felt like seeing the world.)

Ignis and Gladio are his friends and worry about him. So both follow him, to hopefully bring him home. (They actually both end up joining the academy as well, oops.)

All three’s applications were accepted.

Prompto just finished at Signal Academy and was accepted to beacon.

Prompto and Noctis literally crash into each during the initiation ceremony.

Ignis and Gladio had it planned that they’d make an attempt to find each other first, then locate Noctis while in the forest.

Noctis and Prompto make their way through the forest, and arrive at the objective at the same time as the Gladiolus and Ignis.

Noctis grabs one of the chess pieces and bolts with Prompto in tow, who runs with him even though he doesn’t quiet get why they’re running.

Gladiolus and Ignis also grab one of the chess pieces and take off after him.

Eventually Prompto gets tired of running and shorts stops, pulling Noctis backwards.

He didn’t realize how close behind the other two are and they all crash into each other.

Intros are made, and things get sorted out for the time being. They ultimately decide to talk about what they’d do later. They begin to work together to get back safely.

They arrive safely back with their chess pieces. (None even realized they had grabbed the same ones.)

Prompto’s a bit horrified when the headmasters uses his first name when picking team names.

Prompto’s name is considered extremely odd since it’s neither a color or from nature, So he actually prefers going by his last name, Argentum, because it fits in with everyone else’s a bit better

I can picture a hilarious scene happening where, when all four boys are on stage, they announce his name and they’re all like, “Who the hell is Prompto?”

Up until that point, he had give his name as Argentum, and so has to fess up to the other three that, surprise, his full name is Prompto Argentum.

Then they hear their team name.

PIGN. They’re team Pigeon. With Prompto being their leader.

Of Temperance (Prt. 2)

*Summary: A series of connected vignettes on how an OC meet’s the four chocobro’s. Warning, a lot of liberties were taken.

Meeting the Prince was the quietest of all the meetings.

It was their first dancing lesson, and he looked very…enthusiastic about being there. He was sitting on the floor of their studio, leaning with his back pressed against the wall. His eyes were closed, and at first glance he just seemed to be bored and resting with his eyes closed. However, being able to hear the snoring was something of a tip off that the prince was actually deeply sleeping.

Alec sighed heavily and pressed their fingers into their eyes and rubbed them. They’d never had a student fall asleep on them. With a huff the stalked over and crouched down in front of him. They tilted their head and tried to decide what they’d do. Wake him by yelling or shake him? In the end, they decide on neither and simply reached out and plugged his nose.

With his air supply so suddenly cut off, Noctis sputtered awake. At first he glared at the one who dared disturb him. But then it dawned on him where he was, and he connected the dance studio to the person in front of him. Presumably his instructor. His face immediately began to burn when he realized that he had already been caught sleeping in class and they hadn’t even met yet.

They beamed brightly at him, and he had the sudden sinking feeling they didn’t appreciate finding him asleep. “Welcome to the world of the living! Now that you’re back, you ready to get started?”

“Uh…Yeah?” He said hesitantly.

“Good!” They stood up in a fluid motion and pulled him to his feet. “My name’s Alec in case you don’t know. And we have exactly 6 months before you have to be able to dance at the king’s ball.”

He was about to cut in but they did’t pause in their talk. It didn’t help that he was suddenly rendered speechless when they grabbed his hand and placed it on their waist and took his other hand in theirs in the most basic of forms.

“The king’s ball, as you probably know, has been something of a tradition for ages. It’s held annually, but only adults are allowed to go. And this is your first year in attendance correct? Don’t interrupt.” They had placed their other hand on his shoulder, and when they saw him try to respond they frowned and mildly scolded him. “Anyways, it’s not every year we have a prince in attendance. And considering your lacking knowledge of the most basic of courtly dances, your father sent you, and your friends because I’m assuming they’re going to be in attendance with you, to my mother’s academy. Keep your hand here.”

They guided his hand back onto their waist, as he had let go while they were speaking. “My mother taught your father this too. And my grandfather taught the beloved queen before Regis, may she be at rest. So, I guess we’re next in this odd tradition. Now, pay attention and remember where your hands are. This is just a simple box step.”

They used their feet to guide his to their places, one at a time and step by step. Noctis was a bit tongue tied at how they seemed to be rushing things. He suspected they were a tad nervous, but didn’t want to point it out. When they were satisfied that he had the basics, they nodded and pushed him a little faster through the step. For a moment he thought it was rather easy, and there was no way it was going to take six months to learn this. But then he stepped down onto their foot and they winced.
“S-sorry.” He looked up from their feet and they shook their head.

“Happens all the time, don’t worry about it. I lost count of how many times Ignis has stepped on me. And don’t even get me started on PROMPTO.” They snickered and he couldn’t help but chuckle along with them.

They spent the rest of their time together talking about nothing, and just going through to motions. Muscle memory would be key and they wanted him to memorize this. And there was never an awkward moment, though there were a few times where Noctis stumbled or stepped on them again. But they were good at keeping thing moving fluidly. When their time came to an end, they both felt as if they had made another friend.

Meeting the fourth of the quartet went smoother than they expected. Smoother, if the definition of smoother was ‘most stressful’.

They had yet to meet the infamous Galdiolus Amicitia, as he had skipped about a month’s worth of lessons. Which wasn’t too big of a surprise. He’d texted the first week to let them know just how useful he thought dance lessons were in the first place, and that he wouldn’t be attending. Now, it was rather petty of them they knew, but they had gone straight to Ignis with his attitude. They felt it unfair, considering the lessons had already been paid for, that he’d walk out of lessons with them without having learned a damned thing.

Ignis told them where he could be found when they stated they were going to drag him to his lessons by his ear. Though he didn’t say anything against it, and even gave them a fair warning the Galdiolus could be difficult. He wouldn’t even go when Ignis had asked him to. Then they saw that look on his face and knew that there was something he hadn’t told them. And they quickly found out what it was upon reaching the training arena for the recruits for the crowns guard. Apparently, like them, he was the child of an instructor. Difference being his family specialized in combat. But still.

They were not expecting a GIANT.

They had barely asked a recruit where Galdiolus was, or rather demanded to know, they heard a gruff voice say, “Behind you.”

The recruit scurried away with a look of terror on their face and Alec frowned at the reaction. Surely he wasn’t that scary. They turned on heel, ready to give him a piece of their mind only to come eye to eye with his chest. They blinked and then craned their neck backwards to look up.

…Sweet mother, what had they done to get him as a student?

Unfortunately, they were so caught off guard that the first thing to pop out of their mouth was, “Whoa.”

Then they shook their head and took a step backwards so they didn’t have to crane their neck so far, and he had the audacity to laugh of at them. They crossed their arms and waited for him to quiet himself before speaking, their cheeks turning color. They knew they were a tad bit on the short side, but standing next to him seriously made them feel like a child again. No wonder Ignis laughed. Even they had a hard time picturing anyone dragging him by anywhere by his ears.

“So you’re looking for me?” He finally said after settling himself, a wide grin on his face.

They nodded, their face still burning. “Gladiolus ‘won’t dance’ Amicitia I take it.”

He frowned but the amusement never left his eyes. “The one and the same I guess. I take it you’re…”

He paused and then frowned for real this time.

Alec’s eye narrowed. “You don’t even remember my name, do you.”

He shrugged and didn’t meet their eyes in embarrassment. “To be fair, it’s been a month since we spoke…”

“Which is why I’m here.” They sighed. “You haven’t been showing up for your classes. At all. And you’re still listed as one of my students. As one of my students, I fully expect you to be in your sessions and-”

“Yeesh, when did ballerinas become bounty hunters?” He drawled, turning his head to hide his smirk. He didn’t want them to know he was messing with them. It was kind of funny seeing someone so small trying to scold him.

Their mouth dropped for a moment before they could collect themself, “Excuse me?”

Their arms dropped from their chest and they seemed a bit stunned by how offended they felt. So they marched over to where he was standing and jabbed him in the chest before launching into a rant.

“Now listen here Tiny!” Gladiolus blinked at the nickname, but was curious enough to let them keep going. “You are currently listed as one of my students, and as such you are expected to show up and learn something! IF you’re not going to attend, then tell whoever it is who paid for the class to get a refund so I can drop you as a student. I can’t have you walking out of my class having learned NOTHING! You are messing with my reputation and I WON’T HAVE IT.”

Alec, at the end of their rant, looking like a small bird with its feathers ruffled, sent a scathing glare at Gladio when he started laughing. Again. While his eyes were closed and he was distracted, they muttered to themself, “Well, Ignis didn’t object to it…”

So without really thinking it through, they reached up and grabbed his ears and pulled him down to their level. “Ignis said you’d be difficult.”

The got Gladio’s attention and he fell silent, shocked that this person had actually GRABBED HIS EARS. When they were satisfied they had his attention they let go and crossed their arms once more.

“Now, I know you don’t think much of dancing, but you will be attending the king’s ball in 5 months. No student of mine is going to walk into something that important without knowing what to do. So either quit or start showing up.” They narrowed their eyes, “Am I clear?”

He blinked and shook his head, shaking the surprise away. “Yeah…”

They then smiled almost too sweetly, and said, “Great! So see you tonight at 6.”

They then pushed past him and walked out, with a triumphant smile on their face. Neither seemed to notice that a small group of the trainees were watching them with amusement. Nor did they notice Ignis when he stepped out from where he had been observing the event. He couldn’t keep the chuckle from leaving him as Gladio saw him and walked over to speak with him.

“Really Iggy?” They both watched Alec disappear around the corner, their grin still in place. “You siced a rabid pigeon on me?

“Well, they’re perfectly civil when you DON’T call them a ballerina.” Ignis shrugged. “…And I honestly didn’t think that they’d actually grab your ears.”

Gladiolus laughed at that, and asked, “So, you wanted to meet up to talk about something?”

Ignis nodded. “Yes. Combat lessons for someone who wants them.”

His head tilted. “I’ve already got Prompto, who else would to learn how to fight? And why me?”

“Well, I don’t rightly know. And I may have mentioned something about knowing someone who might be able to help.” Ignis got that look in his eye again, and Gladiolus frowned.

“Alright…Doesn’t answer my question, but I’m willing to meet with them if they’re serious about learning.”

Ignis huffed with suppressed laughter. “That’s good. Because you’re meeting them at six tonight.”

“I…already have a meeting then as of five minutes ago…”

Ignis raised an eyebrow.

“…You mean…”

“That’s right ‘Tiny’.” Ignis smiled, “And for future reference, their name is Alecto Sollertia.”

Now there was a name he knew. “From the Sollertia family? Like the ones that received the king’s commendation?”

Ignis shook his head, “And you called them a ballerina. No wonder they got so riled up.”

Gladiolus sighed. What a wonderful first impression. Though… “So what’s an artist want with learning combat?”

“You’d have to ask them that question, I didn’t pry.”

It was then the conversation turned from Alec and onto other things. Gladio went to his lesson that night, and talked it over with Alec about them learning a form of combat. Which they decided to merge both lessons into one, spending some of their meeting time on dancing, and some on fighting. Slowly, not that Alec noticed, Gladio shifted the lessons completely from dancing to fighting. Which was fine by him.

Though he never got his answer on why they want to learn how to defend themself.
Not until much later.