For Sinikka_von_Wolperting.
This plot bunny came to me literally at 11:30 pm one night, and I shared it with Sinikka von Wolperting. Well, it kinda took wind, and now I owe her the entire thing.I know there are so many kidnap whump fics, and this kinda starts out like many of them. But I promise, it's not my intention to be a copycat and I'm looking to steer this into an original direction and give it my own spin.
Feedback and critique would be much appreciated and gladly received
Beta read by Elillierose.
EDIT: This story is cross-posted from my Ao3. All the King's Men started in June 2018. But I figured there might be some readers who don't use Ao3 but might still enjoy this, so I decided to share this here too after all. :)
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Noctis glanced at his phone disinterestedly: four minutes to the bell. Prompto was running late. While not unheard of for his photographic friend to be tardy, usually he was more careful. Noctis typed him a quick message, asking where he was, but before Prompto had answered, the teacher entered the classroom and told everyone to put their phones away. Shrugging, the prince turned his phone onto silent, and stuffed it into his bag.
But when Prompto didn't show up for the entire first period, nor the second nor the third, Noctis was beginning to wonder. He checked his phone on the lunchbreak - Prompto hadn't read his message. Was he sick? That would explain a lot. If Prompto was sick, he was most likely sleeping. He slept like the dead when he was running a fever; it wouldn't have even surprised the prince if he hadn't heard his phone.
He doesn't see him the entire day. Surely, if Prompto would have been at school, he would have known. They had the last period Calculus together, and Prompto was still absent. Ill it is then, or just hookey, probably binge playing Assassin's Creed, now that he thought about it. The new game was released last Friday, and Prompto had been on and on about it since. Maybe his friend had just valued his entertainment over his education. Noctis could certainly imagine that happening. Not that he himself ever could; Ignis would never let him live it down.
The bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Huffing, the prince packed his books and headed for the main entrance where the black car of the royal household was waiting. Ignis rose out from the driver's seat and circled around to hold the door for him.
"Greetings."
"Hi, Specs," the prince flicked his wrist. "I've got it." Nodding, Ignis returned to the wheel, and Noctis climbed in, earning himself a look from the adviser as he slammed the door shut behind him with a little too much force. Giving the other a sheepish grin, Noctis relaxed himself against the cushions as Ignis pulled out from the parking lot.
They drove in silence for a while. Ignis's phone rang once, and he took it, but the prince paid little heed to what was being said. Something about the budget breakdown Ignis was to present the next day. It sounded tedious, and not really like his business, so Noctis let the man's voice fade to the back of his mind as he gazed outside.
His mind drifted to Prompto, and he dug out his phone. A light frown appeared on his forehead with the undelivered status of the message. Sick or not, eight hours was pushing it. He called Prompto.
It rang.
And rang.
On the sixth ring, there was the sound. Noctis was already about to greet him when the cheery voice of his friend sang, "Hiyoo! Looks like you've reached Prompto. Can't really pick up right now. Message me, okey? Laters!" All but snapping his mouth shut, the prince let out a disappointed huff. He was left staring at the screen as if waiting for it to come alive with a call from the blond at any second.
"Something on your mind, Noct?" Ignis asked, his eyes on the rearview mirror.
"Prom wasn't at school today."
"Hmm."
"He's not answering his phone," there was a hint of worry in his voice. He tried to call again, only to shove the phone onto the seat frustratedly as the call again went into the voicemail. "Dammit!"
"Language, Your Highness," Ignis reminded amusedly; Noctis glared at him via the mirror, and Ignis added more softly, "I'm sure Prompto is just preoccupied. Would you like me to contact him?"
"Nah, it's alright. I'll-" He was interrupted by the beeping of his phone, signalling a received message. "About the time!" Noctis laughed out. "Took you lo-"
Noctis's breath caught in his throat. His eyes flew wide open as the image of Prompto was burned into his retinae.
The front of his school uniform was ripped at several places and tattered with deep crimson blotches. He was sitting on a stool, hands behind his back. And his hair was swept to the side, as if to better present the bruising adorning his left cheek. A disturbing streak of blood running down from his nose disappeared beneath the duct tape splayed over his mouth. Below the picture, it read: 'I'm afraid Prompto is unable to answer your call right now.'
"What the fuck?!" Noctis bolted to sit up straight.
The car swerved as Ignis quickly steered them back to the lane. "Do you mind, Noct?!" he barked. "Might I suggest you refrain from…" his voice faded out as the horrified look on the prince's face sunk. "Noct?"
Not listening, the prince punched in Prompto's speed dial. "Prompto…?!'
His heart thrummed as he waited desperately for the other to pick up. He let out a clipped roar at the voicemail, and immediately tried again. No answer. "Fuck!"
"Noct?" Ignis asked tentatively, his confused worry now clearly audible.
"Shut up, Ignis!" He didn't even look at the strategist, solely focused on the hollow beeps in his ear. He wanted to cry out as the prerecorded voice of Prompto sung out again. "What…?"
"Noct, what is going on?"
"I, I dunno. Prompto is-" He couldn't say it. He couldn't give a name to this. What the fuck was going on?!
His phone went off again, and Noctis's first reaction was to fling the damn thing out of the window, but he held himself together. Gripping the device almost tightly enough to crack it, the prince panted through his nose as he clicked the message open, fearing what he would find inside.
'I believe I have your attention, Your Highness. Now, young Prompto here has been enjoying our hospitality, and much as I'd like to keep him around, I'm afraid whether or not that is going to be the case is going to be up to you.'
"The fuck…?!" There was a genuine phone number the message was sent from, although unknown to him. Seeing red, Noctis punched the green phone icon. His lips drew into an ugly snarl at the painstaking beeps. Waiting to hear the voice of the sick bastard who was doing this, the prince was positively fuming as the dial tone went on.
Only at the twentieth beep did he finally give up. With a stifled grunt, he cut the call, but only hesitated for half a second before he called again.
It hadn't registered that Ignis had stopped the car. The adviser sat motionless on the front seat, his shaken eyes nailed onto his young ward in the rearview mirror.
There was no answer. About ready to strangle someone right then and there, Noctis let out an enraged bark as he flung the phone to the seat. Panting, he gripped the fabric of his slacks, knuckles white. Prompto was-
His best friend was-!
His phone went off, and the raven practically leaped to reach for it; a surge of fire coursed through him at the unfamiliar number splayed onto his screen. Seething, he tapped on the envelope icon.
'You are persistent, Your Highness, I have to give you that. No phone calls, though. They are far too easy to trace nowadays, I'm sure you understand.'
Noctis read the words over a few times. Then, with a low growl, he went to type an answer.
'What have you done to him?! Answer the damn phone!'
'Now what did I just say?'
He let out a frustrated grunt. 'How the fuck would I even know if he's still alive?! Just let me talk to him you sonovabitch!' He almost smashed the screen in with the 'send'.
"Noct…"
"Not now, Specs."
"Noctis?" Ignis asked warily. "What is it?"
"Prompto's-" God, he couldn't even finish it. "Prompto's-"
"Prompto's been kidnapped." Noctis's eyes squeezed shut, he pinched the bridge of his nose tightly enough for the skin to redden as his lips drew into an ugly grimace.
Ignis's gasp was promptly missed. "Kidnapped?!"
"Yeah," Noctis half-moaned, half-whimpered. "He wasn't at school, Specs, he...he's wearing his uniform-"
"Noct…"
Without another word, Noctis thrust him the phone. Ignis took it, and this time, Noctis wished he hadn't heard the gasp.
Ignis didn't say a thing for a good minute. As he was reading through the exchange, Noctis's phone vibrated with a new message. His face dead-serious, he handed the phone back. Noctis took it, only to glare at the loudspeaker symbol, wanting absolutely nothing to do with it and yet he knew he couldn't ignore it. Desperate fear clutching his heart, he opened the message.
Prompto's voice was raspy, like he had been coughing -or screaming- his throat sore. "Noct?...I'm fine...no need to...worry about me." The message was cut short as Prompto started coughing again. Wide-eyed and his face pale, Noctis's thumb hovered over the replay button until the screensaver time was up and the device went dark.
They sat in silence for a moment, save for the prince's shaky pants. Eventually, Ignis spoke, his voice gravelly as he spoke to the steering wheel:
"Noct? We have to inform the citadel." His reply was a shaken sound. "This is beginning to spiral out of control."
"Like hell we will."
"Noct, you are being blackmailed. This isn't just about you and Prompto."
The prince gasped. Blackmailed. That's what this was? Yes. Yes, that's exactly it, wasn't it? Those sons of a bitches were using Prompto as their leverage. Expecting Noctis to dance to their tune.
No fucking way.
With a blind snarl, Noctis unlocked the phone again, and opened the recent calls. He hit Prompto. He could feel his magic swirling beneath his skin, crackling with his rage as he listened for the dull beeps, not really expecting an answer but refusing to submit himself to being ordered around like some dog, either.
It rang.
And rang.
Eventually, the voicemail came on again, and Noctis tore the device from his ear with a frustrated grunt. "Fucking answer me!"
For a moment, there were only his heavy pants.
"Noct-"
"Ignis, do me a solid and shut up, will you?!" he barked. "I-"
His sentence cut short when his phone went off. His heart skipping a beat, he eyed the loudspeaker symbol for a critical second before he clicked to play the audio clip.
He immediately wished he hadn't.
In the background, he heard the familiar Chocobo theme ringtone Prompto had set for Noctis. Panic audible in his voice, Prompto pleaded, "...nono...no...no, you don't need to-" Noctis's heart plummeted at the stomach-turning crunch and the "Aaaaagh!"
The audio clip cut off, and Noctis was panting raggedly through his nose, whimpering lowly into the hand clasped over his mouth. His eyes like saucers, the prince stared at nothing as the echoes of Prompto's agony assaulted him.
He gagged into the hand a little, squeezing his eyes shut as he fought the desperate cry building in his throat, fighting to get out. His fingers dug into his skin as he screamed into his palm.
The signalling tremors ran up his hand before the sound for another received message played out. Teeth sank into a quivering lip, and he gulped; blinking a few times to chase away the moisture that had gathered in his eyes, the royal opened up the image.
Shot from behind Prompto's back, the red contrasted hauntingly with the fair skin where the zip ties had grazed his wrists. The two broken fingers stuck out in an unsettling way. His dominant hand, Noctis noted, whimpering quietly. God, he was sorry! He was so sorry. He would have gladly had someone crushing his entire arm right now if only it could have undone what was done to Prompto.
But it didn't. Nothing would, as below the picture, the ruthless words solidified this sudden wakeful nightmare he had been dragged into.
'Now, allow me to make myself clear, Your Highness, I do not like having to repeat myself. No phone calls unless I specifically say so.'
Another message.
'But please, do try me if you like.'
On the front seat, Ignis sat his arms crossed, facing the road. His expression was stern as he uttered warily, "Do I even dare to ask what that was about?"
He sounded calm, but Noctis could see below his adviser's demeanor. Ignis was six small words from freaking out.
Noctis's red-rimmed gaze was lost and confused as he looked at the brunet, and couldn't help hating himself some more. How Ignis fought to keep himself in control, even though he was obviously shocked beyond words...and how Noct himself had done nothing but barked at him since the first message…barked, and made things worse for Prompto! He was pathetic.
Swallowing back the salt that threatened to surface again, his voice only slightly above a whisper, he muttered, "They broke two of his fingers." Then, after a small pause, he added, "It's my fault, Specs."
Ignis was out of the car before it properly registered. The back door was thrown open, and Ignis's arms were around him, pulling him close. His first instinct was to fight it, but as the grip only tightened, Noctis tensed up for a few seconds before going slack in Ignis's arms as he now pressed into the embrace.
"Never...never even for a second think that it's your fault!" And Noctis gasped at the adviser's tone. So close to a growl it didn't even sound like Ignis anymore. "Those people who are doing this, they are the only ones at fault," the man was murmuring into his hair as the steely hold tightened.
"Ignis…?" Hissing, the prince grabbed ahold of Ignis's arm, like a drowning man holds onto driftwood.
The phone went off again. "Stop it," he mouthed, not even really saying it. He didn't want to know. No more.
It beeped again, and all Noctis wanted was to let go and surrender to the streams. He wanted to be dragged under and just die.
Gulping loudly, Ignis pulled away. "We should…"
"Yeah," the prince nodded just once. The phone vibrated in his hand again to signal the third unread message.
Images.
Images of him and Prompto. One of the two of them wearing their school uniforms and walking at the mall.
One of just Prompto, holding a half-eaten cone of ice cream and smiling.
One of them together, taken about a week ago, when he and Prompto had gone to a gaming arcade. He recognized that place. Gladio had been with them, too. The shield was in the picture, too, standing farhter back, with him and Prompto in the front, their attention on something in front of them, a screen, looking so damn exhilarated…!
Noctis knew what this was.
This was a scare. A reminder of just how much he had to lose. And also a way to tell him how close they had already come without anyone realizing. They had been at the arcade with them, and not even Gladio had noticed anything. A way of telling him that no-one close to him was safe. An attempt to freak him out.
He was freaking out. He wanted to scream!
That smile...Prompto, gone. Forever. He couldn't fathom the thought.
As the phone went off yet again, Noctis hated the way he clicked on the envelope symbol almost eagerly. He feared what he would see. But he also feared what would happen if he didn't.
'I believe you understand the situation, Your Highness. Now, this doesn't have to get nasty. Just do as you're told, and no-one has to get hurt.
The phone will ring in exactly ten seconds. I suggest you answer it.'
Noctis had just finished reading as the screen begun to flash with an incoming call, the all too familiar unknown number screaming at him on the caller ID. Sharing a quick glance with the adviser, Noctis slided to the right.
The voice on the other end was mechanical, warped beyond any hope of recognition. "Put it on the speaker." Only grunting in understanding, the prince hesitated for less than a second before hitting the icon.
"It's on."
"Excellent. See, Your Highness, you can be reasonable."
Noctis was going to kill him. If it was the last thing he did, he would tear his heart out with his bare hands!
"Now, I'm assuming young Master Scientia is there with you. Say hello, Ignis."
One glance at Ignis was enough to tell Noctis the adviser would rather swallow nails. His eyes positively flaming, Ignis glared at the phone with the fire of the very sun as the voice spoke,
"Fine. If you refuse to talk to me, perhaps you'll talk to your friend."
There was a pause, then a jolty yelp. Something incomprehensible was being muttered farther away from the microphone, before another voice spoke. Morphed, but they could guess whom that voice belonged to:
"Ignis…? H-hey. It'd be super awesome if you could...say hi." Shaky. Frightened. The men exchanged a shocked look.
Prompto's breath hitched with a held-back whimper. "Ignis…!" He was speaking through grit teeth.
Looking like he was ready to breathe fire, Ignis almost spat, "Hello."
There was a distant gasp of relief before the kidnapper spoke. "Ah, Master Scientia. How nice of you to join us. Now that the three of you are done catching up, allow me to get to the point."
"What the hell do you want?!" Noctis snapped.
The voice had the audacity to chuckle. "Patience, Your Highness. I was getting to that." The speaker held a short pause. "Simply put, we want money."
The men shared a doubtful look.
"Now, this doesn't have to get ugly. You give us what we want, we give you what you want."
Noctis was about to spit something sharp, but Ignis cut in. "State your terms," he forced the professional tone. There was a brief silence.
"Eight hundred thousand Gil, in cash."
Fuming, Noctis mouthed the number. Eight hundred thousand?! Mercifully, the prince kept quiet this time, though, as the voice continued,
"I will contact you with the drop-off instructions at exactly 8 pm tomorrow. You have 26 hours." As if to add insult to injury, he added, "You try to contact us unauthorized, Prompto suffers. You try to find us, Prompto dies. You fail to answer the call, Prompto dies. I'm sure I don't need to go into specifics what will happen if we don't get the money."
Before Noctis had time to erupt, the hollow 'clunk' at the other end left them with static.
Noctis slumped against the backseat with a roar. "What the fuck?!" He swept a palm down his face. "Shit…!"
Ignis had withdrawn. Arms crossed, he leaned against the car next to the open door. "We need to inform the court of this posthaste." His calmness was a fraud. A facade the man forced - to protect something, Noct presumed. Be it him, or himself, he didn't care. He appreciated the effort.
Too bad it brought him little comfort at the time.
If they failed to do exactly as these fuckers told, Prompto would die.
What was he doing, trying to stomach that?
With a deep sigh, Ignis settled back onto the driver's seat, but didn't pull on the move.
"Noct…"
"I know-"
"No, you don't! We have a situation at our hands, Noct. They're counting on us to solve this. Prompto is counting on us to solve this!"
Shocked, the prince stared at the adviser like he had just physically slapped him. Rage bubbled in him again, and he wanted to explode at Ignis - but what good would that do? Ignis was right. Of course Ignis was right. This wasn't about him. This wasn't about Prompto, either. It was something grander. These people, they knew what they were doing. They were ruthless, and dangerous, and they had got too close already. This was about all of them. He couldn't do this alone.
Taking a deep breath, the prince spoke lowly, "Let's get out of here." He didn't want to spend another minute in this place. The car, the street, everything was crumbling down on top of him. As Ignis pulled back onto the driveway, and soon began to speak on the phone in a low voice, Noctis let his mind wander. Back to Prompto, who was being held a prisoner somewhere, hurt and fearing for his life.
'Don't worry, Prompto,' he sent out a silent prayer. 'We'll get you out of there. I promise you'll be alright!'
And then…
And then, Noctis was going to skin the bastards who had dared to do this.