A/N: Something different! Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story idea. Written in collaboration with Milaya Milen Zeal, she wrote Noctis's parts.

Cats Have Servants

Chapter 1

Prologue

"Prince Noctis!" came the frazzled cry of one of the servants as she ran around the garden, searching for him almost desperately. He chose to ignore her completely from his perch in the tree on the far edge of the royal gardens. As long as he didn't move, she wouldn't notice him and move on. "Oh for goodness' sake…!"

And sure enough, there she went.

Noctis Lucis Caelum sighed heavily as he relaxed against the tree's trunk. He was glad that Ignis hadn't decided to come looking for him… or Gladio for that matter. Either one would've found him instantly in his current hiding spot. Of course, they could still be coming, but at least he had some peace and quiet for the time being.

Being prince of a kingdom had its upsides at times, but now that Noctis had reached full adulthood, the amount of responsibilities resting on his shoulders seemed to have tripled over the course of two nights. Especially now that his father was doing worse and worse by the day. And on top of that, being the prince was one thing… being the crown prince was twice as heavy a burden to bear.

It was no wonder that, with his 20th year approaching, the worries of his kingdom's future were starting to manifest fully. Despite having spent his earliest years the same as any other child of the kingdom—going to public schools, living in an apartment at walking distance of said school with limited funds to keep himself fed and well-groomed—he'd not made a single friend over the course of those years. The closest thing he had to friends were his two retainers, and those had their own worries to think about.

Let alone, they didn't make things easier for him with the rumors going around of him being betrothed to Lunafreya Nox Fleuret (or close to, anyway), making tensions rise with the population in an attempt to win his favor and eye. He really did hate when people tried to get his attention like that. And it didn't make him feel better about that he was supposed to find a bride soon, lest something happen to his father…

God, he just needed a break…

Making a rather spontaneous decision, then, he stood up on the branch and climbed up higher, until he was on level with the garden's walls. The distance was a little more than he had expected, but it certainly wasn't something he couldn't jump.

After some mental preparation, he kicked off from the branch and lunged for the wall. He slammed into the ledge with his stomach, which knocked the wind out of him, before he rapidly scrabbled up the wall, and then slowly and carefully slid down the outer wall. Once he hit the ground, he immediately ran off, never looking back.

It took him way to find the right way to go, but when he finally did, he stretched himself out with a small yawn, before he allowed a small smirk as he began to walk off, barely looking up at people as he went. He believed this place was called "Lestallum", but wherever it was, the place was sure nice and warm. Which was already a plus in his book; that would make this place perfect for napping.

Noctis spent quite a bit of time just wandering around lazily, and no one really bothered him… though some people did look at him weird when he cut them off to get to the opposite side of the road.

'Guess it's impolite to do that here… oh well. Lesson learned.'

He stopped at a nearby shop when he got hungry, and the lady running it was kind enough to give him some leftovers she couldn't sell anyway. It wasn't as good as Ignis' food, but it'd do for now. He wasn't sure how long he intended to stay here, but with how things were now, he could probably stay here for a while longer.

"Grrrrrrrrr!"

Upon the growl, Noctis whipped around in surprise, before his eyes widened in alarm as he spotted a group of beasts that towered over him, their fangs glistening as they closed in on them. He gulped as he took a few steps back, before he spun around and dashed off as fast as he could, not looking back as he heard their enraged barks and growling as they rushed after him.

He managed to duck into an alleyway, where he immediately jumped onto the nearest obstacle he could find where the beasts could (hopefully) not reach him. Unfortunately, one of them got lucky and its claw tore through his leg and he yowled in agony.

'Fuck! Why are such monsters allowed here?!'

He tried to press himself against the wall, hoping they'd give up and leave him be, but no such luck.

"Get away from me!" he hissed out dangerously, as one of them snapped its jaws at him. "Get away or I swear I'll—"

But Noctis didn't even have the chance to finish the threat; since just then, something hit the beasts from the side, throwing them back one by one with yelps of pain. And once they realized this, they were quick to turn tail and run with their tails between their legs.

'Oh god… that was TOO close…' Noctis though as he exhaled and flopped down in relief.

"Are you all right?" his savior asked.

'…am I alright?' Noctis tried to stand…only to yowl as his leg burned in agony, making him flop down again.

"Damn, you're hurt pretty good…" the blonde hissed through his teeth as he carefully picked him up.

Noctis tried not to whine as he was lifted up, because goddamn did that HURTS!

"S-sorry! Hang on, I'm going to get you some help," the young man murmured, carrying Noctis out of the alley. And Noctis could only give a small pained meow as he did just that.

Chapter 1

X*X(Prompto's POV)X*X

Prompto checked out his wallet as he walked home after getting paid from his most recent job. He'd had to photograph the client's family for a family photo, and the work had gone well, based off his pay. He gave a low whistle.

"Man, some people just get lucky in life with their money, huh?" he murmured to himself, tucking the leather item away in his pocket and fiddling with his camera. Suddenly, as he walked, he heard furious barking and looked up sharply, watching in horror as a pack of stray dogs chased after a black cat into an alley.

Determined to save the poor cat from a horrible fate of being possibly eaten by the dogs, the blonde snatched up heavy wooden stick from the side of the alley before running after them. He saw how one of the dog's claws had struck one of the poor cat's hind legs, and he growled angrily.

"Back off!" he shouted, slamming the stick into one of the dogs' sides, drawing a pained yelp from it. Prompto then drove off the rest of the dogs in a similar manner, before going to the poor cat.

"Are you all right?" he asked it, feeling almost stupid. Of course the cat wasn't okay, but he felt silly for asking. However, when the cat tried to stand, it yowled in agony, and flopped right back down.

"Damn, you're hurt pretty good…" Prompto hissed through his teeth, before he gently scooped the cat up, hearing it try not to whine. "S-sorry! Hang on, I'm going to get you some help," he told the injured feline, before rushing off to the nearest vet he could find.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Prompto practically almost burst into the vet's office he volunteered at, calling out to the doctor that worked there. "Dr. Hesse! I've got a hurt cat here!" he yelled.

"Prompto? What are you talking about? You don't have a cat," the older woman said in a confused voice, rounding the corner. She then spotted the cat in the young man's arms, and gasped before her gaze steeled. "I'll take care of it. Bring it to the back," she ordered, before disappearing into the treatment area, her ponytail whipping around the corner.

The blonde was quick to hurry into the treatment area once one of the receptionists let him back, seeing as he didn't have his card key with him, and carefully set the cat down on the procedure table.

"He's definitely hurting," he told the brunette. Dr. Hesse nodded, before looking to one of the technicians.

"Draw me up 0.16 milliliters of Buprenorphine, now," she ordered, and the tech nodded before drawing up the medication and handing the syringe to Dr. Hesse. "Now, let's get a catheter in his front leg," she said, and Prompto helped hold the cat carefully so the technician could place an IV catheter for medication administration. "There we go. Now for some pain relief," the vet murmured, and administered the Buprenorphine perfectly, providing the poor cat some pain relief. "What happened to him?" she asked Prompto.

"Well, I saw him being chased by a pack of stray dogs, and I chased them off, but one snagged its claw into his leg," he explained. "Will he be okay?"

"He'll be fine once I stitch it up," she soothed. "Granted, he'll need some pain medication to go with him after I treat him…"

"Would it be okay if I took him?" the blonde inquired.

"You've never had a pet before, though, Prompto, let alone had to administer medicine for one," Dr. Hesse pointed out.

"But then he'll end up being euthanized at the pound!" he protested.

"…All right, he'll stay with you, but if it's too much for you, you have to take him to the shelter," she conceded.

"I'll be fine, and so will he," Prompto smiled.

"Then let me get to work. I'm sure he feels good right now, but the feeling won't last forever," the vet sighed. "Now, go ahead and wait in the lobby. I'll have Tashina bring you back when he's done."

"Yes, ma'am," the young man nodded. "Thanks again, Dr. Hesse."

"Anytime, Prompto," she smiled. And with that, Prompto headed to the lobby, where he tried to distract himself by talking with Tashina. It didn't last long, however, as he was worried about the poor cat being treated in the back. Finally, however, Dr. Hesse called him back, and he hurried into the treatment area, where the cat was waking up.

"Hey there, buddy, how ya feeling?" he asked softly. The black cat sleepily looked up at the words, before it yawned widely. Once it'd shut its mouth, it curled its legs under itself and settled there lazily. Prompto chuckled at the response, or lack thereof from the cat, and he smiled.

"He'll be fine as long as he rests and takes his medicine," Dr. Hesse told him. "I've already got his medication ready. Some Buprenorphine for oral administration should help."

"How long until the sutures can come out?" he asked.

"In 10-14 days, as long as he's healing well," she replied.

"Sounds good. You're the best, Dr. Hesse," the blonde smiled.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Prompto," she laughed. "Now, we've already pulled the catheter, so he's ready to go. Remember to take off the wrap from it once you get home."

"Will do," he nodded. And after he'd gotten the pain medicine and the carrier, he carefully placed the cat into the carrier, shutting it before bidding his friends at the clinic farewell and heading home. "I'll bet you're hungry," he murmured once he did get home, opening the carrier door and letting the cat out. The cat looked out from the carrier for a moment, curiously, before he slowly walked out, tail high as he began to explore.

"I need to call you something other than just 'cat' or 'kitty'," Prompto said thoughtfully as he watched the cat explore his apartment. "Oh, I know! How about 'Nox'?" At the word, the cat's ear twitched and he actually turned to regard Prompto, tail twitching a little bit.

"Like it, huh?" the blonde chuckled. "Then I'll call you Nox. How about some food? I bet you're starving after that ordeal." As he spoke, he began to rummage through the cabinet, finding a can of tuna. "Nox" didn't respond to the question, but he did come over to watch what Prompto was doing. The young man smiled warmly at the newly-dubbed Nox, and cracked open the can of tuna. He then carefully warmed it in a small bowl before setting it before his new companion. "Here ya go."

Nox walked over slowly, sniffing at the tuna curiously. For a moment, he didn't seem prepared to eat it, but in the end, he moved a little closer and started eating, his tail coiling around his body.

"There, I bet that's better, huh?" Prompto smiled softly, reaching over and gently petting Nox's ears. Nox didn't look up at the petting, but his ears did twitch at the touch, as he continued eating up the fish. "I'm gonna need to get more if you like it that much," the blonde teased lightly. He then removed his hand from Nox's ears with a sigh. "Well, I'd best fix myself something to eat." With that said, Prompto then proceeded to reheat some leftover green curry soup from last night.

As Prompto was working on reheating it, though, there was suddenly a bump to his elbow. And when he looked over, it was to see Nox standing on the counter, watching him calmly with his large blue eyes.

"What, you want some? It'll probably be too spicy for ya, buddy," Prompto laughed. The cat didn't reply, though his tail did sway a bit behind him lazily. "You're too cute for your own good," the blonde smiled, petting Nox's ears again. Then the microwave beeped, signaling the soup was done heating up. Once the young man pulled out the soup, however, he looked at the time. "Aw, jeez. Time for your pain meds, Nox."

Nox tilted his head, following after Prompto along the counter. Prompto then pulled out one of the pre-measured syringes from the medicine bottle, and then went over to Nox.

"Now, please be good and don't claw the shit out of me for this," he murmured. "It's gonna make you feel better." Nox regarded the blonde for a moment, before his eyes went to the syringe and he began to back up slowly. "Oh, no you don't," Prompto said firmly, and swiftly reached out, snagging the cat by his scruff and holding him close. "It's gonna help, I promise!"

The cat meowed pitifully in Prompto's grasp, trying in vain to wriggle loose. "Nope. This is your kitty pain medicine. And like a good kitty, you gotta take your medicine!" Prompto huffed, and stuck the syringe into Nox's mouth as he meowed, shooting the liquid medicine into his cheek before removing the syringe. "There we go! Not so bad, huh?" The cat meowed unhappily, still trying to wriggle loose from his grasp. And, Prompto could be wrong, but it looked like he was glaring at him.

"Don't get mad at me! I'm just trying to help!" Prompto pouted, before letting Nox go. Immediately, Nox bolted, almost knocking Prompto's soup on the ground before taking a flying leap onto the back of the couch. "Careful, or your sutures are gonna rip!" the blonde chided, before grabbing his soup and sitting on the other end of the couch from Nox. "Look, I'm sorry, but it'll keep you from feeling the pain from your laceration, Nox." And with that said, Prompto turned on the TV, turning it to some random show.

Nox was still 'glaring' at Prompto, as he curled up on the edge of the back of the couch. However, the blonde ignored him for the time being, as he instead ate his soup. He knew Nox wasn't happy about the pain meds (what cat would be?), but he needed to learn it would help. Nox didn't make a noise, before his attention seemed to be drawn to the TV, and he watched it curiously.

Prompto chuckled. "Something catch your eye?" he teased lightly. Of course, there was no response, as Nox continued to watch the TV…up until it ceased to be entertaining and he curled up, shutting his eyes silently. "Sleep tight, buddy," the blonde smiled softly, before he put his bowl on the end table. He then snagged the throw blanket at the end of the couch before curling up underneath it, allowing himself to be lulled to sleep by the sounds from the TV.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Several hours later, Noctis blinked his eyes open lazily, before he stood up and yawned, stretching himself out as he did. Done with that, he began to walk along the back of the couch, before he hopped down to the armrest and then to the floor to continue his exploration. As he went about, he glanced to Prompto as he slept on the couch. Snorting softly, he continued moving along the room, before he hopped up to the windowsill, peeking outside.

He was sure his father had realized he was missing by now and sent out a search party. Problem was, no one actually knew he'd left the kingdom entirely. So even if the party was sent out, it'd probably take a few days before he was found.

'Just my luck… while he did save me, he's also making me take that disgusting stuff…' He resisted the urge to sigh. 'I should probably figure out how to get out of here soon…'

As a laugh track resounded from the TV, Noctis frowned at it before he hopped down and moved over to where Prompto had tossed the remote. It took him only a moment to find the "off" button and flip the TV off.

'Better. That thing was noisy…'