Request from Websky.
Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting
Summery: Sickfic with Prompto while still in high school. ^-^ Noctis takes matters into his own hands in taking care of him.
It should have been considered a crime to be this unbelievably bored; honestly, he didn't see the point of being here, not like he would benefit from it in the future or anything. The temptation for distraction was everywhere, the pencil in his hand, the phone in his pocket, and not to mention a certain blond behind him that was normally so prone to strike up conversation with him. He sighed heavily, waiting for the inevitable, 'Noct' accompanied by a light and precise tap on the shoulder. Waiting for nearly five minutes now, pushing six, the expected gesture never came. And, now that he thought about it, it was awfully silent back there. That wouldn't be such a worrying issue if it weren't for the fact that the guy didn't seem to know the meaning of quiet.
Concern now tugging needily at his mind, he turned his head just far enough to peer out of the corner of his eye, coming back a little more than confused to find the spot unnaturally void of life. He glanced around at the varying faces around him, settling on each one as if Prompto had merely just forgotten where his seat was and somehow placed himself in at all possible, the ramblings of their instructor seemed to drift off even further as all his focus went into his silent search. Of course, his investigation came up with not so agreeable results, not surprising seeing as the idea of it was a tad on the ridiculous side; he rolled his eyes to himself for even considering that possibility.
Though, the more he let the idea simmer, the more it nagged at him. As far as he could recall, the other hadn't really missed any days; sure he was late on occasion from oversleeping or some other trivial reason, but he was never this late. His eyes fell to the lead tip of his pencil as it unconsciously dragged across his paper, forming small circles and squiggles, never coming together as any recognizable images. Mindless doodling only there to distract his anxious and hindering thoughts. Delving down into his alter dimension of abstraction and calm, he almost missed the fleeting brush past him; it was subtle and quick, but it dragged him out of his menial task.
Noctis turned back once more, finding the emptiness finally filled with the blond himself, albeit a little unkempt, but there nonetheless. "What kept ya?" he asked, failing at covering his obvious relief with conversation.
Prompto roughly cleared his throat, the action bringing on the sensation of sandpaper grating against the inside, "Slept through my alarm," he whispered, voice coming out broken and forced. He stared back at the raven's prying eyes momentarily, and shrugged gracelessly, "What, it happens. Don't act like you've never done it."
The prince merely held contact with the slightly glossy sky orbs for a few seconds longer, "Whatever you say," he offered his own dismissive shrug; if he wanted to be stubborn, then that was alright. "You're so late, you should have just stayed home."
"Dude, have you seen my grade in this class?" Prompto exclaimed, comment losing all luster with the scratchiness that shaved down its edge, "I can't afford to miss anything." He leaned to the side to being retrieving his things from his bag, solidifying as he was bent over to wait for the assaulting wave of dizziness to disperse; one hand remained clasped on the corner of his desk to make certain he didn't list to the side while he halted. He could hear his friend speaking to him, but it was lost in the cacophony of rings and white noise that slinked into his ears. An unknown amount of time passed before he could make out what the other was saying, and the only thing that formed in his muddled head was his name, "Hmm?" he asked after a couple more seconds,"What was that?"
"I asked if you were alright; you've been staring down for almost a minute," Noctis spoke a little louder than he meant, earning both of them a scolding 'shushing' from the instructor, and in turn he waved a hand of apology. After also tossing in a sideways smile, setting his sincerity in stone, he turned back to Prompto, scanning over his blanched features. "Hey, are you ok?"
The blond nodded cautiously, fearing that doing so with too much energy would send him into another light-headed downward spiral, and if that happened again he wasn't sure he would be able to recover from it. "Y-yeah," he stammered, licking suddenly dry lips, "I'm good." Swallowing the lump in his throat, he decided it might have been a better idea to yank his bag up to him instead of his previous attempt of going to it. With that single step a success, he pulled out the needed items onto his desk, ignoring the few extra items that tumbled out with it; he found replacing them to require a tad too much effort for the time being.
"You sure don't look 'good,'" Noctis quoted, still fixated on the other's face, looking from the pastiness of his face to the contrasting rings under his eyes, "In fact, you look kinda like shit." He slowly reached a hand forward, intending to check the other's temperature, but it was abruptly and harshly smacked aside, the sound resounding quite noisily throughout the hushed area.
A few weighted and struggling breaths huffed out of his lungs, heart rate spiking from the rush he felt flowing through him. "I said I'm fine, alright?" he clarified quietly, not at all oblivious to the murmurs of surrounding classmates triggered from his unexpected heated outburst. His eyes flashed around, meeting a few other gazes staring back and he felt the blood rush to his cheeks, embarrassment clouding his onslaught of frustration. "I have to go to the bathroom," he blurted out, desperate to get out and away from the questioning glances and looks he was receiving. His chair was shoved back, the scraping it caused echoing off the walls in his haste to exit.
"Wait, I didn't give you permission to lea-" The teacher tried to warn, but was effectively ignored, losing sight of his student before he had the opportunity to complete his statement. Letting it go for now, he sighed and turned back to finish his lesson, deciding he'd just say something when he got back. Noctis was left speechless, staring at the door the other had disappeared out of and couldn't help but feel a sense of restlessness with the other's behavior; it was strange and off putting to say the least. Totally unlike him to act in such a way, and something was obviously wrong, but he just had to be so damn hard headed about things.
For the remainder of his time trapped in this hell hole of boredom, the prince tapped his foot impatiently, every second stretching on for an unreasonably long time as he watched the hands drag themselves over the numbers. As the minute hand crept closer to the twelve, his anticipation bubbled up, coming to the verge of erupting. "Come on already," he whisper through clenched teeth, gaze glued to the clock and never once darting away from it. Except to glance at the door every now and then. The resonating shrill 'ding' of the bell was like music to his ears, zero hesitation between him sitting and stand standing as he swiftly scooped up his belongings and headed towards the ext; but, he stopped with a quick glance back behind him, staring back at Prompto's things still lying there scatted over his desk. He had almost forgotten those were still there, the blond forgetting them himself in his own haste.
Now with both of their things in tow, he was finally able to step out, head swiveling in both directions in search before choosing one and going with it. Making a bee line for the nearest restroom, the complaints of those he shoved by fell on deaf ears, his courtesy utterly flying out the window at this point; he couldn't be bothered to give people a reason or apology for his moment of coarseness. Slowly, he stepped in, looking from one stall to the next, each of which were currently in use. "Prom?" he called out, expecting to hear the blond's voice in return, receiving nothing more aside from disappointment in return. "You in here?" again, nothing came back to him. Obviously, the bathroom thing was an excuse to fell the awkward situation, but it didn't hurt to be one hundred percent sure.
He breathed out in frustration and concern, wondering where the hell he could have run off to; it wasn't like he had any place he normally fled to when he was uncomfortable or distressed. And, he doubted he would have gone back home, so he believed him to only be skipping class until his next one. For a time, he only stood there, mapping out the possible places he could be in his head, and there was only one spot he could think of that he might wonder off to in order to indulge in solitude and privacy. With a new spark of purpose, he jogged out, teetering on the fence in the verge of breaking out into an actual run. Again, he left all civility behind, finding his friend taking top priority at this time. Though, he did feel a sense of overreaction to this entire ordeal, being sick every now and then wasn't an overly alarming situation people had to deal with, but for some reason, this felt different, it felt more personal.
Stepping outside, the midday pelting rays struck down on him, striking hard as they contrasted heavily with the cooled interior of the building and he found himself shielding his eyes from their berating brightness. Standing there, he gave his body time to adjust to the abrupt change, allowing himself to grow accustomed to the raised temperatures. Able to see without the aid of his sheltering hand, he went back to walking, rounding corner after corner until he finally arrived at his destination. And there he was. Leaning against the side of the building, knees drawn up as he lied his head on top of them was Prompto himself; he was back in the place where they had first run into each other. "Finally found you," he smiled as he slowly strolled over.
The other groggily peered up through damp strands of hair, "Hey," he croaked, voice sounding more strained than earlier, and just as quickly, he buried his face once again, the light honestly stinging his overly sensitive eyes; small stabs of pain jolted through his skull.
"What...what are you doing out here? It's scorching," Noctis crouched in front of him, badgering him to look at up so that he could examine his appearance once more. "Come on, just look at me," he poked at the golden mess of a hairdo. He reluctantly complied, only peering up enough to meet the other's hunting stare.
Prompto opened his mouth to speak, but a few muffled and dry coughed racked through him, prompting him to hide his face once again until the eased away. "Needed fresh air," he finally answered once he was able to talk without the fear of choking on his own words.
Noctis breathed out through his nose, mouth forming a straight and hard line of disapproval, "Alright, get up, I'm taking you home." He didn't wait for an answer, didn't need to; this was a factually statement, not a request that was up to the other. He was taking him home and there were no choices to be had, and no protesting to be made. A few pitiful and haggard whines escaped him as he was tugged onto his feet, Noctis willingly taking most of his weight when he swayed unsteadily on trembling legs.
"But, don't you have to get...to class?" he inquired in between labored pants, the small and simple action already draining him of most of his remaining energy.
Noctis answered by draping one of the blond's arms over his shoulders, "It won't hurt me to miss a few, my grades are decent enough." He tossed in a reassuring grin, not sure if those glazed eyes caught it or not, "Just don't worry about that."
Alright," he surrendered, the idea of arguing tiring him out more, so wanting to avoid carrying out with it. Without meaning to, he realized he had been leaning more heavily against the other as they walked, Noctis practically supporting all of his weight by the time they were halfway to his house. "Sorry," he muttered, hoping the other knew what he was apologizing for. Even if he didn't, he still tried to remove some of himself off, tried to walk mostly without the assistance of someone else and regretting it almost instantly. His vision swam, and his legs tried to buckle with the uninvited over-exertion.
Luckily, Noctis was quick to readjust, shifting the other more onto himself to help keep him upright, "Whoa, easy, I got you, alright?" Pulling him closer, he felt the draft of unnatural heat washing over him in waves, it was far too hot for him to be out here, that much was for sure. "Don't try to push yourself if you don't have to."
Prompto nodded, hot puffs of air panting out against the other's neck as they walked, and the need to finally get where they were going so he could just collapse onto something was about the only thing motivating him to keep placing one foot in front of the other. He almost felt like crying when he could finally spot the small structure, relief only but a short distance away now. That beautiful image slowly started to fade though, blackness invading the edges of his sight as tendrils reached out and caressed his vision; a surge of fear coursed through him at this, his heart speeding up and breath catching up to match. He could tell they had slowed drastically, and he wanted nothing more than to sprint forward, but his body wasn't cooperating. The voice of Noctis was echoing around in his head, but the only thing his brain processed before it checked out completely was a fleeting '-ompto!'
Everything was burning, his head, his body, everything; his blood had to have been replaced with magma, it would have been the only explanation as to why he could feel himself being scorched from the inside out. The next thing that hit him was the overwhelming sensation of confusion; he had no idea where he was, the last thing him remembering was Noctis basically dragging him. Slowly, his jumbled memories and mangled thoughts pieced together coherent recollections. Right, they were on their way to his place. That would clarify why he felt softness beneath him now, despite how uncomfortable and warm it all felt. His breath hitched when he felt the same dry and rough prickles in his throat and couldn't stifle the few coughs that forced their way out, causing him to wince with the stinging they brought on.
Instinctively, he turned to his side to curl up and try to alleviate the discomfort he felt residing in his chest. As he rotated, he felt something slide off his forehead, but he really couldn't be bothered to see or feel what it was. "Finally awake?" he tried to pry his eyes open at the sound of the voice, though he was having a bit of a hard time accomplishing this minimal task. A slight shift next to him, and he felt the object being draped back over his face and he just now realized the slight coolness it provided, giving him temporary relief from the fire the swarmed him. He moaned silently at the pleasant chill it brought upon him, wishing he could cover himself wholly with this same escape. "You, uh, you need anything?" Noctis asked, feeling a bit awkward now as he wasn't used being the one doing the care taking.
Prompto nudged his head in a failed attempt at a denying gesture, the movement sending stabs of agony into the side of his skull in minor droves. "No," he croaked out, the word almost inaudible, presenting the blond with more urges to cough to try and clear the soreness that blanketed it.
The prince watched on, the sound of the hacks sending shivers down his spine, the sounds being so unpleasant and painful sounding, and he knew all to well what they felt like, pity washing over him for his friend. Gazing down, fresh beads of perspiration rolled down the side of his face, streaming down before ultimately dripped off to join the small quarter sized stain directly below his chin. Reaching over, he lifted another rag out of a bowl of chilled water, wringing it out and swiping it gently across his pallid face, clearing it of its glisten for the time being; it wouldn't be long before that shine would resurface. "I'll be right back," he laid the material back next to him and stepped back out into the kitchen, foot steps echoing around the empty space as he grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water.
For the first time, he glanced around, eyes landing on the sink ad the single plate and glass that occupied the inside. It gave him this empty and eerie feeling deep down, one he couldn't quite put his finger on. A couple more arid coughs pulled him from his pondering, and with glass in hand, he quickly sauntered back into the bed room and sat himself back on the edge of the bed. "Got you some water, I know you have to be dying of thirst."
At the offerings of sweet and magical water, the blond was immediately trying his best to sit up, struggling quite a bit with the simple function, automatically needing even more assistance just to lean against the head rest. "Thanks," he muttered, eyes casting downward. Noctis gave his returning nod and eased the glass into the other's hands, making sure he had a solid hold on the container before releasing it.
He waited until he had consumed a decent amount before asking the question that's been simmering in his mind since the moment he walked into that class room earlier, "So," he started, pausing before continuing, "What's the real reason you came in today. If you felt so terrible, why didn't you just stay home. And don't give me that 'it was your suffering grades,' crap; I want the real reason."
The blond lowered the glass to his lap, fingers glancing over the rim of the glass, throat tightening at the logic behind his foolish decision, "Well...it's just that..." his voice faded out, delaying answering the question honestly. "This is gonna sound dumb, I know," he cleared his throat again, "It's just too quiet here." His face heated up again at the admission of that, it sounded weird and ridiculous once it was out there in the open. "I dunno, I guess I just don't like being alone when I'm sick, and thought it would be better if I just went in, and yeah," he began rambling, trying to sound out his reasoning in a manner that made it alright, in a way that would make sense to the other without making him sound too needy or irresponsible.
To his surprise, Noctis didn't laugh at his explanation, or even crack a smile as far as that went, in fact, he looked almost...sympathetic maybe was the word for his expression. "Makes sense," he breathed out, taking the glass from the other's gripping hands and placed it back gently on the table, "Still, could have stayed and just called someone or something ya'know. It wouldn't have been a big deal." He helped Prompto to lie back down, "Would have been a hell of a lot better than you pushing yourself like that; you nearly gave me a heart attack passing out like that, just so you know."
The blond's eyes darted around shyly, "Oh, right, I guess I could have," he sighed, relishing in the softness of his sheets, nearly jolting back up when the sound of a phone going off broke the quiet atmosphere. Noctis retrieved the device from his back pocket, rolling his eyes when he read the caller's name: Ignis. Nothing got passed that man, and there was no doubt in his mind that he already caught word of him skipping the rest of his classes. Really, the guys hovering dedication could be pretty irritating all the time.
"Hello?" he huffed out, already pulled the phone a few inches away from his ear to spare it of the incoming nagging that he had been expecting, "Ig- Hey liste-" he grit his teeth at the constant interruptions "Specs, please," finally the voice on the other end came to a stop, allowing Noctis the opportunity to explain, "Look, something came up. I uh, I don't think I'll be back tonight, alright?" He waited as more lectures flooded from the speaker, "I know, trust me, it's a good reason, alright?" At least, the berating words settled into that of normal and welcoming tones and civil conversation, "I'll try to be back tomorrow, but I can't tonight. I promise I'll make up for it...Alright, I understand...Bye," he clicked it off, staring at it for a few seconds longer before stuffing it back into his pocket. "I swear, he's worse than an overbearing mother sometimes."
Prompto chuckled lightly at that, "Yeah, I can see it," he sighed, shivered a bit and tugged the cover more tightly around him, "Sometimes I do wonder what that must be like, but then hearing the way others describe it, it tends to sound a little less ideal."
Noctis chastised himself for that comment now, already forgetting the other basically raised himself, "I mean, it's not all bad, I guess," he shrugged, offering the blond a soft smile, "It has its ups and downs though, like anything else." He glanced over to find Prompto's eyes locked on him, listening intently to what he had to say. "But, I suppose having someone to breathe down your neck can be pretty nice in these types of moments."
Prompto hummed in agreement, "I guess," he replied, turning back over onto his side to cough a couple more times. A moment later, the cloth was dipped back in the cool water and draped back over his forehead, "He does sound rather nice."
"Try to get some sleep, alright?" Noctis placed a supportive hand on the other's shoulder, squeezing lightly, "And don't hesitate to say if you need anything, that's what I'm here for after all," he averted his gaze feeling heat rise himself now, "Just don't overdo anything again, or I'll kill you myself."
The blond nodded, peering up at his best friend through tired and half-lidded eyes, the need for sleep dragging him further and further away, "I won't," he answered sleepily, "And thanks, by the way."
"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it," Noctis brushed off, warmth flowing through him at being appreciated as he was. Realizing for the first time just how much having someone to look after him really meant to someone who wasn't used to such luxuries. So, being the one to fill that position was something he wouldn't mind doing from time to time.
If anyone has requests as well, feel free to leave a comment or PM me with what you want. I just ask that it's nothing x rated, but romance is still alright, and just know that I'm best with hurt/comfort, but it doesn't have to be that, can be just about anything.