Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting
Fourth of the ten fics for my 500 follower giveaway on Tumblr. I do these every 100 followers and am currently hosting the next if any are interested. Tumblr name is same as my name on here. C:
"I can't believe you've talked me into doing this," Noctis grumbled to himself, sinking lower into the seat, as if doing so would hide him from all the onlookers. Of course, when you arrived to prom in a vehicle that stood out as well as that one, there was no avoiding curious gazes.
"Come on, Noct, I promise, it won't be that bad," the blond urged, his hand drifting to drape over the other's in a gesture of encouragement.
The prince took a deep breath, steeling himself, still internally debating whether or not he really wanted to do this. Though, he was already here, already here and already in his suit and with his prom date. There really was no turning back now. Well, there was, but one glance over at Prompto, and there was no way he could tell him no. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Alright, if you say so, but you owe me, you know this right?"
The blond quickly waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah, you told me how many times? Trust me, you're gonna have a good time. Plus, it's your only chance, I'm doing you a favor here. If you didn't come, you'd regret it for the rest of your life, I guarantee this." He offered the royal his signature 'this is the best thing ever, nothing will ever beat this' smile. Noctis hated it. He hated it because it was impossible to resist.
Playfully rolling his eyes, Noctis slowly shook his head and finally willed himself to place his hand on the door handle. In the next moment it was open and he was stepping out. He could practically feel all the stares on him. This was exactly why he didn't want to come here. Too many people, and far too many that weren't taught any damn manners in their life. Before he could give any single one of them one of his famous glares, and hand slinked through his own and tugged at it eagerly.
"Calm down, I'm comin'" he half- chuckled as Prompto pulled relentlessly. Just the excitement radiating of the guy was enough to make Noctis momentarily forgot about all the annoyances around them.
Even from out here, they could hear, feel, the music blaring from inside the school. Noctis had to fight the temptation to cover his ears and retreat. But, he had to remind himself, this was for Prompto. He didn't ask for much, this was one of the rare things he asked of him. It was the least he could do, and it was just one night. He could handle that, If he could live through Gladio's training, then he could live through this no problem.
He took another deep breath, and did something that was unfamiliar territory to him, he feigned a smile, put on a mask of enjoyment. Just because he wasn't having a good time didn't mean he had to sour the mood for the other. Good, so far so good, Prompto bought it. Thank the astrals for the poor lighting though, the was seriously helping hide all the signs of facade.
"See?" Prompto shouted over the vibrating beats, "It's not so bad. You just have to give it a chance is all." Noctis didn't get a chance to respond, the moment he opened his mouth, he was being pulled along again. Even if he did want to say anything, there was no doubt in his mind that his words were just bound to get lost in all the noise. Between the music and all the talking and shouting, he could hardly tell what the hell was going on.
But, he supposed there was no need for talking. No, he was in for something so much worse. And he realized after it was too late that he was being guided to the dance floor. Prompto knew how much he hated dancing! At this point, it was like he was just trying to make him miserable, taking full advantage of the night.
Then, again, seeing the look on the blond's face, it was hard to imagine him doing anything to cause the prince suffering. In a way, this was his night. So, he endured it, endured it for everything it was. Though, he allowed Prompto to do all the leading and all the moving around. He merely followed along, constantly hyper aware of all those around him. He couldn't believe he was doing this. No one had ever seen him dance before. Hopefully, with everyone else doing it, it wouldn't seem that weird. Sure, he knew how to ballroom dance. Unfortunately, given his status, that was a requirement to learn.
As the raven watched the other move, he was no longer forcing the smile on his face, it was finally coming to him naturally. He really was in his element, enjoying every second of this. And, dammit, he'd make sure this wasn't a night he'd ever forget, whatever it took.
They kept it up for nearly ten minutes, both of them out of breath by the time Noctis had to slow to a stop as he swiped the back of his hand across his brow. Man, it was hot, with all the moving, and all these people gathered in one spot, it may as well had been a sauna. Instantly noticing his date's fatigue, the blond stopped as well, veering around to stand back in front of the prince.
"Ready to take a break?" he asked out of genuine concern, looking just as equally winded.
With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Noctis gave a small nod. "Yeah, sounds good to me." This time it was him leading the way. Taking a couple steps, he reached his hand back for the other to take. Once their grasps were firm, Noctis strolled on, making a beeline for the chairs and refreshments lining the far wall.
Noctis gestured to one of the chairs, waiting until Prompto was seated before making his way to the table. He grabbed a couple of cups and filled both of them with punch. Just before he stepped away, he glanced down and released a small swear under his breath. Damn shoes, they never wanted to stay tied. Rolling his eyes, he set their drinks down and made quick work of his laces. As he straightened up, he shivered as someone brushed past him, seemingly in a hurry. He glanced back just in time to see the back of their head, but that was it, and it wasn't anyone he could recognize in such poor lighting.
He straightened up and smoothed out his suit as he grabbed the drinks back up and returned to his date in a matter of seconds. "Here," he offered.
Prompto accepted the cup, wasting no time to take a hefty sip of the beverage. It was like instant relief, but soon after he grimaced slightly at the aftertaste. "Ugh," he complained, glancing in the cup as if to make sure it was the right color. But, it looked fine, and Noctis seemed completely ok with his. Shrugging, he downed the rest of the drink, chucking the empty cup into a nearby trash can.
Noctis took the seat next to Prompto and soon finished his as well. "So, this turning out how you had hoped?" the prince asked, cutting his eyes over to read the other's expression. No surprise, the blond appeared to be completely awed. His immediate response was a quick nod, one which was swiftly followed by a couple of heavy blinks.
"You alright?" Noctis asked, eyes narrowed in worry.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Prompto assured as his gaze locked onto him. Then, as the song changed to a more upbeat one, the blond was on his feet. "Ah man, this is my favorite!" he declared, holding his hand out in invitation.
The prince sighed, they had just gotten out of that mess. "Again, so soon?" he partially complained with an exaggerated pout. All Prompto did was shake his hand as if to tell him to hurry up. "Alright, don't have a cow, I'm getting up." Such an eager one, him. This was quite persistent, even for him. However, Noctis just kept reminding himself what this was for. Just a few more hours. He continued to remind himself of that, like a mantra until the made it back out into the fray.
"What as gotten into you?" the raven asked, watching in amusement as the other, less than gracefully, danced around him. He wasn't even in rhythm with the music anymore. Earlier he seemed to at least be trying, but now…
"Cooome'n Noct," the other whined, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder, and it appeared to Noct it was more to steady himself than anything. Did he just lose his balance? "Don'jus stand there." Now Noctis was raising an eyebrow, his mirth slowly dropping into something more akin to concern. He looked more closely at the other's features, noticing the slight flush of his cheeks. Nothing too strange about that, it was damn hot in here. But, that combined with the way he could barely keep his balance and the way his words merged together, his eyes widened in realization.
"Prom?" he questioned, halting as seriousness overtook his tone. "Are you drunk?" Despite the severity of the question, there was an edge of humor to it, aware of the ridiculousness of the insinuation.
There was a complete mask of confusion on the blond's features as he processed the question. What? Of course not, he had the same thing Noct had, they had been with one another all day. He knew the answer, but he hesitated, as if he truly didn't know himself. 'No', he thought to himself unable to voice that single syllable.
"Prom?" Noctis asked again, now really starting to trouble for the well-being of the other. Prompto slowly lifted his gaze to look at him, and the look in his eyes was enough to tell the prince something was seriously wrong, that and the color that swiftly drained from his face. Ok, something was really wrong now. Finally, though, it looked like he was about to reply. Before he even opened his mouth, Noctis knew what was coming, but it was too late.
In a split second, he felt more than heard, as Prompto lurched forward, retching all over him and the floor. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for him to freeze in shock. It was as if time stood still, the music sounded distant, and he could cleared hear a few gasps around him and felt all the eyes within a few feet on the two of them.
"Shit."
The first thing that popped into his mind was, he had to get them out of there. For the moment, he didn't care about his suit, didn't care that he was covered in vomit, but the fact that Prompto was still standing there, still leaning over with everyone staring mostly at him. Glancing down, he saw how much of his suit was soiled, and a quick glance at the blond showed that he was spared for the most part. Keeping that in mind, he wrapped his right arm around him, the side that was the least dirtied, and ushered him along.
"Come on, we should get you cleaned up," he said low enough for only him to hear. Then, louder, enough so for all close enough to hear, "There's nothing to see! Get out of my way!" He didn't give anyone any other warning than that as he forcefully pushed passed anyone in his way, Prompto stumbling at his side as they went.
It took some maneuvering, and a few minutes, but eventually he managed to get them into the bathroom. Thankfully there was only one other person in there, and they were out in a matter of seconds.
"Ok, just take a seat," the prince instructed, helping him to lean against the wall. It wasn't the most sanitary, but from the looks of it, he wasn't going to be standing on his own very well. "How ya holding up?" he called over his shoulder as he snatched a paper towel from its dispenser and began soaking it through with cool water.
Swallowing thickly, Prompto finally lifted his head and scanned the other up and down. "M'sorry," he muttered, voice slightly unsteady. One look over and it was easy to see just how humiliated he was; if he was trying to hide it, he was doing a piss poor job of it. "I dunno...what 'appened," he slurred, leaning his head back in pure discomfort.
"It's fine," Noctis assured.
"Your suit though," the blond reminded needlessly. It was ruined, surely he didn't plan on keeping it now. He cringed as he really took it all in, repulsed by the sight of it.
The raven shook his head. "It's alright, I have more. Accidents happen, you didn't do it on purpose." After wringing the cloth out, he crouched down slowly to kneel in front of Prompto. Gently, he began lightly dabbing at his features, getting him cleaned up as quickly as he could. Tossing that one, he swiftly grabbed another and handed this one to him, allowing him to wipe his own face as he needed.
Figuring Prompto was taken care of as best as he could for the time being, he fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed the number he was forced to remember. Almost instantly, there was an answer.
"Hey, Specs. I know we haven't been here long, but I need you to come get us. It's Prompto...I think he's sick." He hummed a couple times and uttered a 'yes' here and a 'no' there. Thankfully, the conversation was over quickly with the promise of being here as quickly as possible.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Noctis checked on Prompto really quick, seeing there was no real difference in how he was faring. Wasn't ideal, but at least he wasn't getting any worse as far as he could tell. Satisfied enough, the prince strolled back over to the sinks and finally began the deed of cleaning himself off. Unfortunately, there was no way to get the smell out… But, as long as he could get the worst of it off, he supposed it would have to do. The last thing he wanted was to make the blond feel worse about this than he already did.
The moment he was done, his phone went off again, a message. He knew who it was and what it was about before he even checked. Relief washing over him, he stuffed the phone back in his pocket and leaned down closer to the other.
"Prom?" he called out, waiting until said person was looking his way. "Mind going for a short walk? Just a short one, and I promise you can take it easy after that, alright?"
Slowly, he nodded, trying to get to his feet, but obviously struggling with the process. Noctis quickly took the unspoken hint and lent a hand, letting Prompto lean on him just as before. "That's it, let's get out of here, Ignis is waiting for us outside."
"Kay," it was short, miserable even.
The raven wanted to make this as quick as possible. To get outside, he would have to get through a bit of a crowd. Not as large as the one that had to cross to get to the bathroom, but enough to cause him a small burst of anticipation. He could only hope that Prompto was out of it enough not to remember any of this. He had a feeling that was hopeful thinking though.
Taking a deep breath, he made sure the blond was steady enough on his feet, and made sure his hold on him was secure enough. "Alright, here we go. Just, follow my lead and keep your attention on the floor. Try not to trip over anything if you can help it." He received a small nod. As soon as he got that gesture, the royal was off. He kept as low as he could, keeping as much attention off them as possible.
"We're almost there. How're you doing?" the raven asked, keeping his voice low. No that it mattered, he was sure Prompto couldn't hear him anyway. Just a few more feet, and they would be home free. Right before he reached the door, he paused and cut his eyes over. Something caught his attention, and he soon figured out it was the sound of someone laughing. Gritting his teeth, Noctis glared at them, the both of them as they watched on. Noctis didn't know what was so funny about this, but it was starting to piss him off as he felt his face heat up.
One of them...there was something about them...then he was able to put his finger one it. One of them was the guy that brushed passed him. It was in that moment, he knew they had something to do with this. Grinding his teeth together, his body unintentionally moved towards them. But, a soft groan and a light shudder halted him.
He couldn't deal with them right now. His priority was getting Prompto out of here. But, he'd be sure to remember their faces. With a promise to get them back for this, he adjusted his hold on the other and pressed forward. All the while, he tried his best to ignore their proud and amused chuckles.
The moment the cool air hit the blond's face, he straightened up slightly, instantly feeling a little better with the relief of it. "You good?"
"Y-Yeah," Prompto stammered as a small amount of color returned to his features. He still wasn't looking all that well, but it was a start.
"Noct, Prompto, what happened?" Noctis snapped his attention to see both his adviser and shield coming at him. The moment they were joined, Gladio was swift to take over and lift the ailing teen into his arms. The sudden shift wasn't accepted all that well, and Prompto felt his insides churning once more.
"Down," he blurted out, throat burning with rising bile.
It didn't take much observation for Gladio to take the hint. Quickly, he placed the blond back down, and a second later, he was on his hands and knees. Noctis could only step back and watch as the other dry-heaved, nothing coming up as the larger man tried his best to comfort the younger.
Luckily, for all of them, it didn't last long before Prompto was sitting back up, panting lightly and out of breath. "Thanks," the blond slurred, casually leaning against the brute.
Gladio's eyes, in turn, narrowed at the sound of that tone. The vomiting, the speech, the overall sluggishness. It wasn't that hard to put it all together. "Hey Noct?" he asked, a hint of accusation mixed in. "Did you two have any alcohol?" he asked. There was not an ounce of anything other than seriousness in his question.
"What!?" Noctis almost shouted, offended. "Of course not, who do you take me for?"
"Really? Because he's drunk," he deadpanned.
For a moment, Noctis' expression was that of unadulterated bewilderment. Then it hit him, and it quickly contorted into anger. "Sonuva!" he growled, hands clenched at his sides. "It was those bastards," he declared, shooting his attention back towards the school. "I think someone tampered with his drink."
"Why would they want to mess with his?" Ignis asked, already well aware of the situation. And, it was needless to say, he was none too pleased about it.
"I don't know, because teenagers are assholes," he summed up. As soon as those words, his face dropped. "Unless...Oh no, I think it was meant for me," he breathed out, a face shooting up to cover his face. Of course, it was meant for him, and he ended up giving that one to Prompto… How could he have been so careless? He knew they shouldn't have come, should've known that nothing good would have come of this.
Noctis jolted when a hand fell on his shoulder. "Noct, now's not the time to blame yourself or worry about what went wrong. Right now, we should get Prompto back and in bed. I'm sure he'd like to have you nearby. Don't worry about these kids, I'll be sure they receive appropriate punishments once I have a word with the principal," he announced. Even Noctis winced inwardly at the threat in his words.
"Yeah, you're right...let's just get him back. I think he's had enough of tonight." He cut his eyes over to see him back in Gladio's arms, eyes shut tightly as he curled as tightly as he dared. He had enough of this night too, he just wanted it to be over. Exhaling wearily, he climbed into the backseat and scooted over enough for Prompto to lie down next to him. Of course, there wasn't quite enough room, so the blond had to use his lap as a pillow. Fortunately, Ignis was kind enough to lend his jacket to put a barrier between his head and the mess.
The entire way back, guilt wrenched at the raven's core. He should have expected something like this. Him being the prince, of course it made him a larger target for pranks. But this...this was taking it too far.
'Sorry, Prom, your night was ruined. But, I promise, I'll make it up to you.'
I may or may not be adding another chapter to this one to help wrap it up more nicely.
