A/N: I feel I owe an explanation to those who have read my previous fanfictions, I haven't updated in a very long time and I can only apologise for that - the reason being that I lost my cat; Nugget, to unknown circumstances on Christmas Eve and I haven't been doing too well in regards to dealing with his passing. I've tried to act as normally as I can but I've actually lost a lot of interest in the things that I love most - including writing fanfiction.
I've actually been sitting on the first chapter of Override since January - it's spent most of it's time as a note on my phone because I didn't feel ready to share this story, but after reading this chapter many times and rewriting it more times than I can count I've finally decided to share the first chapter and start working towards improving the second chapter.
For those who do read my other fanfiction, I'm sorry you waited for so long, I will return to Nine Tails Jinchuriki soon - I have a few last commitments to attend to then I plan to come back into writing fanfiction again.
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I apologise in advance if there are any typos, grammar mistakes or if it does take me a long time to update this story.
~Fox
Summary: Prompto begins to experience strange headaches and vacant episodes only to learn that he has been acting strangely when they occur. Will he be able to prevent them from happening before his subconscious actions have lasting consequences?
Pairing: None at present
Rating: T - for later use of language
The blond felt the ground beneath his feet shift slightly as his vision blurred; forcing the young man's knees to collide painfully with the cobbled pavement as his legs buckled under his own weight and a searing pain shot through his head like a bullet.
The blond gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to prevent himself from calling out in pain as he brought one of his hands up to massage his forehead and tried to steady himself with the other.
"Prompto?" A muffled voice issued from somewhere nearby; Prompto winced against the sound and let out a low, involuntary groan. "Prompto, are you okay? Can you hear –" The voice seemed to become more and more ineligible as a high pitched ringing accompanied the blond's headache.
A flash of red and a silhouetted figure occupied the space behind the young man's eyelids; Prompto tried to focus on the darkened figure to take his mind off of the increasing level of pain that was quickly building up in the blond's head, but as swiftly as the image had flickered into existence, it was gone again – taking the pain in Prompto's head and the ringing in his ears away with it.
"– not responding, we should get him somewhere safe until we are able to rouse him again." The same voice that had called out to Prompto earlier pulled the blond back into his true surroundings; it was only now that the young man had realised that someone was gripping his shoulders tightly in an attempt to prevent him from tipping forwards and hitting the ground again.
"Ignis?" Prompto slowly let his hand slip away from his forehead to fall back down to his side as he straightened himself up into a kneeling position and opened his eyes – he was temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight that streamed over Prompto and his companions through a gap in the tall buildings that surrounded them.
Prompto blinked continuously until his eyes were able to adjust to the light and the three worried face of his friends came into focus. He let his gaze fall upon the closest of the three men; a bespectacled man with a serious expression – his sandy coloured hair was starting to fall into his face due to an uncharacteristic lack of care; he was close enough to Prompto that the blond could see his own pallid reflection within the older man's glasses. The man was crouched on the floor at Prompto's side – his green eyes carefully scanned Prompto's face as he slowly relinquished his tight grip on the younger man's shoulders.
"Can you stand?" Asked the sandy haired man – who Prompto now recognised to be Ignis Scientia; the royal advisor to the crowned Prince of Lucis – as he slowly offered one of his gloved hands to the blond.
Prompto gave a small shaky nod as he grasped Ignis's hand and the older man aided him to his feet.
Prompto could feel his legs begin to tremble as they struggled to bear his own weight and quickly steadied himself against Ignis and a nearby wall.
"I'm okay," Prompto reassured the bespectacled man with a smile as Ignis tensed to support the blond's weight, "just feeling a little off was all –"
"A little off?" Came the gruff voice of the prince's shield – Prompto's eyes followed the voice to see a tall, well-built man regard him with an incredulous stare. This man had unruly brunette hair that fell to his shoulders but was shaved at the sides along with a jaw beard. A scar adorned the man's face; it stretched vertically across his left eye – Prompto knew that the burly man had acquired his scar during an incident involving the prince, but he did not know any other details regarding its origins as neither the prince nor his shield seemed particularly comfortable in discussing the tale. The blond could see the wings of the muscular man's eagle tattoo extend down the length of his arms from beneath his black open shirt. His amber eyes complimented his rugged appearance. Prompto knew this man to be Gladiolus Amicitia. "You're as white as a ghost!"
"Honestly guys, it was just a –"
"Perhaps it's time we sought accommodation, we have been travelling for a fair few days with little to no rest," Ignis suggested; ignoring Prompto's attempts to wave away his friends' concerns as he turned to address the final member of their group, "I'm worried that his condition may worsen if left alone."
The remaining member – a young man who was around the same age as Prompto with ebony coloured hair that framed his face in bangs; completed with a long fringe that fell into his cerulean eyes – took a small step closer to the blond with a thoughtful expression as he slowly nodded.
Prompto had known this young man for many years – and had even been able to become acquainted with Gladiolus and Ignis through their friendship – the pair had initially met at a young age but hadn't become friends until high school due to Prompto's shyness at the time; despite this, the two boys has swiftly become best friends.
Given that his best friend was also the crowned Prince of Lucis, Prompto had soon become more popular with his school peers as well as journalists and photographers – each wanting to know what Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV was like behind the scenes and how they could get closer to the elusive heir to the throne; but the blond knew better than to give in to their questions and simply shrugged them off or made a joke out of his situation – but this didn't stop the likes of Ignis and Gladiolus from finding out about the pairs' misadventures and tomfoolery through the press.
Despite their close friendship, it had still come as a shock to Prompto when the Marshal; Cor Leonis, had come to his house and escorted the blond to the citadel in Noctis's new car; the Star of Lucis – Cor had explained that to the blond that he was to accompany Noctis to Altissia as part of the prince's royal guard alongside Gladiolus and Ignis. Prompto often found himself riddled with doubt; he wasn't sure why the citadel or even Noctis would want someone who had little to no fighting experience at his side for such a perilous journey – in recent days, he had even began to wonder whether Gladiolus and Ignis begrudged him presence as more of a hindrance to their task – especially considering that he was frequently injured or downed during hunts and battles.
"I don't think camp's going to cut it tonight," the raven haired man spoke up at last, "we should stay in town, we're less likely to run into daemons and we'll be able to stock up on potions and stuff here."
"It was just a headache, there's really no need to make a fuss over little ol' me," the blond chuckled as he ruffled his hair timidly, "besides, I feel fine now and we did promise to slay those Bulettes for that lovely –"
"Nuh uh, I don't think so," the burly brunette interjected, "you're in no fit state to be running around in the wilderness on hunts – Iggy's right, you need a rest. Have we got enough money for a hotel tonight?" He added; aiming his question at the bespectacled man.
"I'm sure that our funds should be sufficient," Ignis replied as he pivoted on the spot and headed back through the backstreets of Lestallum towards the Leville hotel, "however, eating may be a problem, but I'm sure I can negotiate with the hotel staff and see if they'll be so kind as to let me use their kitchen – I can use the ingredients we collected earlier today –" the sandy haired man's sentence trailed off; no doubt to mentally form a list of recipes that he could use for their meal that night.
"That means more veggies," the ebony haired prince groaned more to himself than to his friends as he slowly dragged his feet in Ignis's footsteps, "great!"
"We could take on the request ourselves," Gladiolus suggested as he and Prompto trailed along at Noctis's side, "then we can buy some fresh ingredients in the market."
Noctis quirked an interested eyebrow at the brunette, "you think he would let us go off on our own?" He asked as he nodded at Ignis's back.
"The hunt isn't too far from here; Ignis will probably be able to watch you guys do it from the viewfinders near the car park if her really wanted to," Prompto pointed out with a small, light-hearted laugh, "if you head out with the Regalia now, you'll probably make it back just before sunset."
Noctis remained silent for a few moments as he contemplated his friends' words, "I guess it's worth a –"
"Noct!" Ignis's sharp voice caused Prompto, Gladiolus and Noctis to give a startled jump and stare about themselves in search of an approaching imperial solider; they quickly positioned themselves into defensive stances as they readied themselves to draw their weapons at a second's notice – Gladiolus made sure that he was as close to the prince's back as possible while Prompto quickly situated himself directly in front of his raven haired friend. "A prince should not slouch, stand up straight." The sandy haired man snapped in a reprimanding tone.
"What the hell, Ignis?" Noctis burst angrily as he, Gladiolus and Prompto instantly relaxed their guarded stances. "Don't do that, I thought we were being attacked!" Noctis picked up his pace and stormed past the bespectacled man, "jeez, are you my mother or something?" He muttered in a sulky undertone.
Gladiolus gave an exasperated sigh as he and Prompto continued to follow Noctis and Ignis.
"He wouldn't be on your back so much if you shaped up a little and started acting like a prince, you know," The brunette murmured to himself, "in any case, there goes our chance to do the hunt today," Gladiolus massaged his forehead with an irritable expression before he turned his attention towards the blond at his side, "how are you holding up, short stuff?"
"Huh? Oh!" The question had caught Prompto off guard. "I feel fine; I really don't understand why you guys are making such a big deal over a headache." He flashed a grin at the older man – but inwardly he was beginning to feel fed up with repeating the same sentence over and over again like a parrot only to fall on deaf ears.
Gladiolus regarded the younger man with a surveying stare, "just let me know if you start feeling dizzy again, I don't mind carrying you to the hotel."
Prompto felt the heat rise to his face as a red blush crept across his freckled cheeks while the brunette smirked to himself in amusement, "I – I don't need to be carried thank you very much, I've already told you that I feel fine." He said more forcefully than he had intended; he was somewhat relieved when Gladiolus's reaction was laugh rather than take offence.
"That's the most colour I've seen on your face in the past hour," the prince's shield sniggered; making the blond's face redden even more, "lighten up, it was only a joke." The brunette reassured Prompto as he clapped one of his hands on the younger man's shoulder – nearly knocking poor Prompto back onto the floor.
The group soon approached a hotel that was hidden away in the south western corner of Lestallum. Despite the industrial layout of Lestallum, throngs of ivy poured from the roof and the odd balcony of the Leville hotel while potted plants rested at the base of each pillar near the hotel's entrance. Black flags were erected either side of the hotel's front doors; both embroidered with gold lettering that simply read 'The Leville, Lestallum' beneath the hotel's insignia. White tables and chairs were placed on the top of the steps – near the oak, double doors – above which a glass and metal structure that bore the same logo and wording that had adorned the black flags. In the centre of the clearing in front of the Leville stood a large water feature; that was decorated with grand palm trees as well as other shrubs and flowers. The hotel's appearance stuck out in a built up area such as Lestallum, but there was something about the Leville's appearance that strangely complimented the industrial town.
The more Prompto stared at the hotel, the more detail he could see. The blond faltered in his footsteps while he quickly fumbled for his camera and brought the viewfinder up to his eyes as he began to focus the lens of the camera to ensure the perfect shot of the Leville hotel.
With a slight frown, the blond cast his eyes about himself until he found a few sturdy looking boxes nearby - he carefully placed them one on top of the other in the spot where he had been stood seconds ago and clambered cautiously on top of them before he brought the viewfinder back up to his eye.
"Prompto?" Gladiolus whirled around on the spot as he noticed the blond's absence from his side.
Upon hearing the brunette's voice, Noctis and Ignis turned to face the blond in fear that he had fallen once more as Prompto pressed down on the shutter button and snapped his shot. He brought the camera back down away from his face; clicking another button to view his photograph on the small LCD display screen.
"A genuine shot of you guys," Prompto told his friends cheerfully – holding his camera above his head and giving it a small wave to draw the other three's attention towards the device, Noct, you should see your –"
Prompto's sentence was cut short as another stabbing pain pierced through the blond's head and caused a wave of nausea to settle over him; he took a sharp inward breath through gritted teeth and clapped the palm of his free hand to his forehead while the other hand subconsciously relaxed his grip on the camera along with a twitch of his arm – causing the device to hurtle to the floor with a crunching sound of broken glass.
Before the blond could reregister his surroundings, the raven haired prince was already at his side to offer Prompto a hand to step down from the boxes - Noctis gave his friend a comforting squeeze on the shoulder as soon as he was sure that Prompto was on steady ground.
"You need to lie down," Noctis frowned at his best friend as he began to guide Prompto towards the hotel again, "you look like you're going to pass out, Ignis have we got any potions left?" He shot his question at the sandy haired advisor.
"If we've any left, they'll be in the trunk of the Regalia," the bespectacled man replied.
"I'll go, you guys keep an eye on Prom," Noctis detached himself from the group – leaving Prompto in the care of his trusted shield and advisor – as he quickly spun on the spot and began to run in the direction of the car park, "I'll be as quick as I can!" He called back over his shoulder before he turned a corner and disappeared out of sight.
"I'd rather he didn't go alone," Ignis murmured under his breath as he strode towards the remaining pair and stooped down to pick up Prompto's camera; inspecting the damage that had been caused by the fall as he returned to his full height. The sandy haired man then beckoned at Prompto to follow his lead as he pivoted on the spot again and continued towards the Leville; pausing only to glance over his shoulder to ensure that the blond has complied with his silent request – while the muscular brunette remained close to Prompto's side the whole time.
After a quick exchange at the hotel's front desk, Ignis led Gladiolus and Prompto up a set of stairs and into a vast suite that contained two large beds as well as a pair of leather armchairs and a matching sofa with a glass coffee table in the middle. Large wooden doors with shuttered glass panels led out onto a balcony; which looked down upon the vast opening and the water fountain between the tall buildings – Prompto could hear two men singing from somewhere outside as Ignis pulled the balcony doors open to let fresh air gently blow through their hotel room.
Prompto's eyes were drawn towards a huge, metal structure that decorated the wall between the two beds; the pipes invited the industrial themes of Lestallum to collide with the elegance of the Leville. Two potted plants stood in the corners of the room and a scattering of picture frames situated above the two beds completed the décor of the room. Another door led off of the hotel room to what Prompto assumed was an en-suite bathroom.
The blond approached the closest bed to get a better view of the photos in the picture frames; each contained a different view of Lestallum – the more notable pictures included that of the Disc of Cauthess, a woman beaming proudly at the gates of the power plant, and King Regis cutting a ribbon at the grand opening of the Leville – the blond wondered if he should remove the last picture before Noctis arrived to spare his friend's feelings or whether the photo's absence would only draw the prince's attention even more.
"Lie down before you fall down." Gladiolus instructed the blond – he then watched patiently as Prompto awkwardly perched himself on the edge of the bed he was stood next to and kicked his shoes off before the brunette turned his attention towards Ignis. "We should've told Noct to bring back some ingredients for you; do you want me to call him quick?"
"No need, I still have yet to talk to the staff –" Ignis replied as he crossed the room towards the door that led back to the hallway "– bear with me, I'll be right back."
The bespectacled man swiftly departed from the room; leaving Gladiolus to curiously inspect the room – he opened the drawers of one of the bedside cabinets to nose around inside before slowly closing it again and stepping onto the balcony to appreciate the view – while Prompto continued to glance about himself uncertainly in the time it took Ignis to return.
"Good news, they're happy to let us use their kitchens." Ignis announced as he closed the door behind himself again. "As long as we're willing to clean up after ourselves."
"That's a fair deal," the brunette replied.
"I think we've got some schier turmeric and Leiden potatoes in the Regalia," Ignis mused aloud, "maybe some sweet peppers and chocobeans too –"
Prompto let his mind wander while the two older men continued their conversation; the blond thought back to the comment that Gladiolus had made earlier when Noctis had pouted and grumbled after Ignis had lectured the prince.
The younger man cleared his throat before he spoke up to address Ignis and Gladiolus.
"Hey, so what was Noct like as a kid?" Prompto enquired curiously as he swung his feet onto the bed and made himself more comfortable.
His question was met with bewildered stares from the prince's shield and advisor.
Ignis gave a small, uncomfortable cough as he carefully contemplated his answer, "well, I guess you could say he was rather –"
"– Obnoxious," Gladiolus supplied for the bespectacled man, "arrogant, irresponsible and if my memory serves me right, I remember that he had a particular disliking for vegetables," the burly man paused for a moment and pretended to be in deep thought, "so he was really no different to how he is now." He added with a mischevious chuckle.
"These doors aren't soundproof, you know," came Noctis's voice as a mere disgruntled growl as the hotel room door slowly swung open with a creak to reveal the prince.
Noctis lent against the wooden doorframe; he threw a vial of potion into the air only to catch it again and repeat the action continuously with one hand while his blue eyes locked with Gladiolus's amber ones. "I had a feeling that we might need two potions, it's a shame I only brought one of them back with me."
"Like you could even lay one finger on me." Gladiolus retorted with a confident smirk.
"Play nicely," Ignis warned the pair as he snatched the vial out of the air and turned to Prompto; decidedly ignoring Noctis's pounce at Gladiolus, "and don't break anything; I dare say that we won't be able to replace any damaged goods at this time."
"– I'll show you arrogant and obnoxious!" Noctis barely managed to tackle Gladiolus; he used the awkward placement of furniture to his advantage and tripped the brunette until both men fell to the floor in a heap.
"I'll talk to myself then, gentlemen." Ignis sighed wearily before he perched himself on the bed beside Prompto; who was watching the prince and his shield wrestle. "Drink this, Prompto; it may help alleviate your headaches." He handed the vial to the blond then gently pushed himself off of the bed. "Try and get some sleep too – if you need me, I'll be cooking dinner in the kitchen."
"Right," the blond nodded; turning the vial over in his hands to examine the shimmering blue liquid inside before he cast a hesitant glance at Noctis and Gladiolus, "I'll try anyway," he added with a small laugh.
Ignis frowned at the pair as he swiftly crossed the room and instantly put an end to their playful fighting with nothing more than a reproachful glare, "when you two are quite done, Prompto needs some peace and quiet to rest."
With an uncomfortable silence hanging over the room, the prince and the brunette slowly regained their full heights, straightened themselves up while dusting themselves off before they quietly slid into the two leather armchairs – sharing a guilty glance as they did so.
"Why don't you two make yourselves useful and go get some ingredients from the Regalia?" Ignis suggested in an almost threatening tone as he pivoted on the spot.
Noctis groaned and rolled his eyes, "I was just there, why didn't you call –" His complaint faltered under the sandy haired man's gaze.
Gladiolus and Noctis watched silently as Ignis left the hotel room while muttering something about respectable behaviour under his breath – as soon as the suit door closed with a small snap, Noctis and Gladiolus shared another guilty glance which quickly escalated into fits of sniggering.
"That job is definitely off the cards, isn't it?" The ebony haired man smirked as he rested his head on the back of the chair and stared at the ceiling.
"And whose fault is that?" Gladiolus riposted playfully.
"I'd say it was a joint effort," the prince shrugged; pulling his phone out of the pocket of his black cargo shorts to play a game of King's Knight before he then called over to the blond on the bed, "how's your head, Prom?"
"Its fine," Prompto pulled the stop off of the vial and sniffed the potion inside curiously, "you heard Iggy, I only need a little rest – but I suppose a potion won't hurt." The blond mused more to himself; he then swigged the potion back in one gulp and gave a slight shudder – despite the taste, he found that he was already feeling much better than he had mere seconds ago; a heavy weight that he had barely noticed seemed to shift somewhere inside his head, making the blond feel noticeably perkier.
"Don't let us keep you up then," without moving his eyes from the screen of his mobile phone, Noctis rose from his seat and gave Prompto a small wave as he headed towards the door, "otherwise we'll never hear the end of it from Specs."
"We'll wake you up when Iggy comes back with dinner," Gladiolus reassured the blond with an encouraging smile as he followed the prince's lead and the pair left Prompto alone in the hotel room.
When Prompto was gently shaken awake by Ignis, his eyes fluttered open to see that the hotel suite was dimly lit by one of the bedside lamps rather than the wall and ceiling lights; giving the room a warm glow.
Anything beyond their room's balcony now seemed to fall into darkness – making the young blond wonder how long he had been asleep.
"I have prepared a meal for us," Ignis announced as he carefully stepped aside to let Prompto sit up.
Prompto felt a blanket fall off of him as he stretched his limbs and yawned groggily; he quickly caught the blanket before the material could fall to the floor and examined it curiously – he wondered who out of the three other men had placed it over him – but quickly dismissed the matter as Ignis spoke again.
"I hope you don't mind a garden curry."
The smell of mixed spices hit the blond nostrils as he eagerly crawled to the end of the bed towards the source of the smell – he was only just realising how hungry he was and how much time had passed since he was able to eat a proper meal. "It smells great, Iggy." He beamed excitedly at the bespectacled man as Ignis handed a bowl of curry to Prompto. "It looks great too; I can't wait to try it."
"Are you joining us, Noct?" Gladiolus – who was positioned in the armchair that he had occupied earlier – called over his shoulder towards the shuttered doors.
The raven haired man had perched himself on the railing of the balcony; he was staring down at the civilians of Lestallum on the cobbled pavement below while the breeze of the night air carefully caressed his face. He perked up when his name was called and deftly slid himself off of the railing before he re-entered the room and glanced over at the food that Ignis had prepared.
In the meantime, Ignis had made himself comfortable in the armchair that had been occupied by Noctis previously and watched expectantly as the prince collapsed onto the sofa and reached for his food – the sandy haired advisor deliberately waited until Noctis had taken his first bite before he started to eat his own meal.
"I've gotta say Specs, you really know how to turn vegetables into something delicious," Noctis commented with a surprised expression.
"Well, you've got Noct's seal of approval, so it's gotta be good," Prompto mused aloud with a chuckle; digging into his own curry, "so what's the plan for tomorrow?" He asked after swallowing a mouthful of food.
"That depends," Ignis replied, "we'll see how you're feeling."
"I keep telling you guys, I feel fine."
"Maybe so now, but it might be a different case in the morning – another day in Lestallum won't hurt."
"Have we got the money for that?" Gladiolus enquired.
Ignis pursed his lips and turned the curry over in his bowl with a thoughtful expression, "perhaps we ought to relocate to a camping ground tomorrow instead."
"Or," Noctis piped up in a suggestive tone, "Gladio and I could go and do that hunt and a few other jobs for the local shops and we could stay here again tomorrow night?"
Ignis remained silent on the matter while he regarded the ebony haired prince with a calculating stare.
"Come on, Specs – we could really do with the extra gil and we won't have to constantly watch our backs while we're in Lestallum," Noctis urged his advisor, "we can handle it, right Gladio?" He prompted the brunette to aid in his argument.
"That and Prom's still looking a bit peaky – he needs a decent amount of rest and he won't be getting that if we're travelling from one camping ground to the next." Gladiolus joined in; he cast a worrisome glance towards Prompto.
"Pair of liars." Prompto mouthed silently behind Ignis's back while Noctis winked at the blond to get Prompto to play along.
"Besides, it couldn't hurt to put our faces out there to the local tipsters and businesses," the burly brunette pointed out, "that way we'll be able to pick up more jobs and requests when we return in the future."
"We can even pick up more ingredients while we're out, what d'you say, Specs?" Noctis finished with a grin.
After a few more moments of consideration, Ignis finally let out a defeated sigh, "fine."
The sandy haired man frowned as Gladiolus and Noctis gave each other a high five with excitable looks upon their faces.
"But you are to be back in Lestallum before sunset and if you run into any trouble you are to call Prompto or myself straight away," Ignis told the prince and his shield in a warning tone before he then turned his attention towards Prompto, "which leave you and I, would you mind helping me tomorrow?"
"Sure," the blond nodded enthusiastically, "what are we doing?"
"I've managed to obtain some maps of the surrounding area; I thought that it'd be wise to mark any procurement points for future reference."
Prompto felt his enthusiasm dampen slightly, but was able to hide this from the older man with a wide grin, "yeah, sounds like fun."