Do people still use the website? I'm betting on yes. Either way, I'm starting my first multi-chapter Promptis fic! I hope you guys enjoy, as I've been super excited to start this for months now and have a lot in store for it. I go by Promiscuous_Pidge on ao3 if anyone is interested in reading it elsewhere.
Thanks for checking this out!
Diplomacy was something Noctis had hated since he was little.
It wasn't the matter of keeping peace that had him so distraught so much as the effort and sheer amount of meetings it took to achieve it. Since it was mandated that the prince attend gatherings alongside his father once he had been deemed old enough, Noctis suffered through many boring treaty signings and lavish parties throughout the years.
Noctis cast a weary glance about his quiet apartment. He was beyond exhausted from training with Gladio, but Ignis insisted that he pack for the week he was to stay at the Citadel. Of course, Ignis was right in assuming he'd sleep the day away the next morning until he had to leave, but that didn't make him want to get his packing done now any more.
"Almost finished, I hope?" Ignis' cool voice startled Noctis, getting him to turn his head. He hadn't heard him come in.
Regrouping, Noctis folded one of his nicer shirts and placed it next to the rest, sighing when Ignis appeared beside him and re-folded it. "I was almost finished."
"And now you'll be done much faster," Ignis replied, not even sparing him so much as a side glance. The two of them worked to finish packing Noctis' things into his bags, Noctis secretly astounded by how quickly and efficiently Ignis managed to move things along.
It was estimated that his stay would last a week, but he'd prepared for two in the likely chance that he would be coaxed to visit longer. Not that he didn't have clothes waiting for him in his old room, but he had grown more fond of the ones he'd bought over the recent years than those that were chosen for him.
Ignis stood back at a respectful distance. "I suggest charging your phone overnight before packing the cord," he said. "I'll be around to pick you up at noon tomorrow, so watch for my call."
"Yeah, I'll, uh, be ready," Noctis mumbled, zipping his suitcase closed.
A hand rested on his shoulder, dragging him from his brooding. "Noctis," Ignis started, "are you alright?" His mentoring voice had given way to that of a concerned older sibling. Noctis didn't particularly mind, but he didn't want to hear Ignis' speech about facing his responsibilities, which he would most definitely invoke if he told him his problem.
"Nothing's wrong. Why?"
Much to his dismay, Ignis carried on with a hint of a sigh. "Noct, I know you don't particularly enjoy these events." Noctis would have to label that a bit of an understatement. "But if there's a bright side, I don't believe you'll have much to do in terms of speaking. It's only a recognition of peace and a ball to lift everyone's spirits." Right as Noctis opened his mouth to counter his statement, Ignis cleared his throat. "Which, may I remind you, you must brush up on your dancing for. That has been arranged for Thursday, so make sure you are prepared for that." And just like that, serious Ignis returned.
Noctis waited several moments before managing a nod. "I can deal with that," he agreed.
"Well, if that's all you needed to hear, I'll go prepare dinner."
With that, Ignis disappeared around the doorframe, and Noctis slumped down onto his bed. He could deal with the week in theory, he admitted. His real problem was trying to have a conversation with his father. Every time he confronted him about something, the conversation turned to his destiny or whatnot, how he was to lead the kingdom one day and how he needed to search for a suitable spouse to aid him. It was driving the prince to insanity.
He draped an arm over his eyes to block out the light. He wanted nothing more than to sleep through the next week.
After some time, the smell of grilled fish got Noctis up and to the kitchen. He was leaving it up to Ignis' cooking to lift his spirits.
Noctis spared no time in digging in the moment Ignis set his plate on the table. Neither of them spoke as they enjoyed their food, but Ignis would occasionally stare at Noctis for several long moments. By the time Noctis had managed to pick all the remaining bits of fish off of his plate, he had had enough.
"Alright, I admit it. I don't want to talk to him," he said, folding his arms over his chest.
"As I suspected." Ignis adjusted his glasses and turned in his chair to face Noctis. "If I may intrude, I think you're upset over having the amount of responsibilities that you have. The king is only trying to prepare you for what's to come, but it seems you don't want him to."
With an irritated sigh, Noctis turned away. "Of course I don't want him to. I know I have to marry someone soon and become a king and a million other things, but that doesn't bother me." He gripped his fork as a stress reliever, making himself take a deep breath. "I just hate how he treats me like some pawn in a chess game, and I'm supposed to replace him one day without a word. I never even get to speak to him. Everything is about the kingdom, but when he uses me for something, I feel like he forgets it's me."
He didn't know whether to be surprised or not that Ignis looked as if he didn't know what to say for a brief moment.
Eventually, after Noctis released his grip on the unfortunate utensil, Ignis gathered their plates and spoke to him over his shoulder.
"I understand where you're coming from. It doesn't exactly feel fair, the hand you've been dealt, but have you considered the possibility that the king is only doing what is necessary?" The water from the faucet drew a pause in the conversation, and Ignis only spoke again when it stopped. "He does what is best for you and the kingdom," he continued. "It simply isn't possible to completely satisfy personal matters and one's duties."
Noctis was taken aback. Of course Ignis would tell him the truth and not what he wanted to hear, and he usually trusted his opinion in the end, but it still did nothing to improve his mood on the subject. "I know," he managed to grumble.
"Good," Ignis responded absently with a brisk nod. "It's important to recognize that His Majesty tries his best. If you need any more reassurance, I suggest speaking to him about it once we arrive at the Citadel tomorrow."
After some time had passed and Noctis assured once more that he was packed and ready for tomorrow, Ignis bade him farewell and left the apartment, leaving Noctis in a stifling silence.
The apartment he had considered comfortable and roomy now trapped him in his own discontentment. He considered walking around the place to work off his nerves, but stopped short at the windows that lined the far wall.
Frozen, Noctis scanned the vast expanse of skyscrapers and the bright lights that poked through the clouded afternoon. He refrained from touching the window with his hand, but he was close enough that his breath still clouded the glass and obscured his gaze. With a huff, he slid the door open and stepped out onto the balcony and into the cool air.
Noctis folded his arms on the edge, leaning forward with a frown. All of the buildings were structured and planned, organized to exist for their specific purposes. Ignis' advice stuck in his mind, and he hated it. He longed to rid himself of the structure and purpose he was supposed to live, he wanted to tear down the skyscrapers and see where he could go on his own.
It was then, with white knuckles gripping the railing and a sparked determination in his chest, that an abandoned idea took its hold once more of Noctis' will.
It didn't matter that he had his duties; he was going out.
The limited light shining on the capital was quickly diminishing. Noctis pulled his hood tighter on his head and walked briskly along the side of the street, hugging the wall the best he could. Though he was sure nobody would recognize him without obscured features, the pounding in his chest told him to take no chances.
Familiar smells of corner shops and sullied puddles of water followed Noctis through the streets and alleyways he trusted would lead him to where he wanted to be.
After roughly an hour of walking past unsuspecting passers-by and using the directions he'd searched up before he left, Noctis arrived at what he believed was the unloading dock for supply trucks. He ducked around a corner to where he could see a concrete yard looming past a chain-link fence. Beyond that stood several closed entrances embedded in a concrete block of a building.
His hopes were confirmed when a large metal storage door screeched open to reveal a dormant delivery truck. A burly man with oil-stained clothes emerged from the darkness behind the truck, shouted something to a person Noctis couldn't see, and hopped into the vehicle. It started up with a loud roar that made Noctis' heart race. He wanted to turn back right then and head back home. Tomorrow he would go to prepare for the agreements, endure a few days of formally being a prince, and return to his normal life.
Only he didn't know if that would actually happen.
Just as he was fixing to use his pent up nervous energy to sprint half the way back to his apartment, the truck pulled forward and around to another closed entrance, and the man opened the back of it. The opening was facing away from him, so Noctis couldn't get a glimpse of the interior or its contents. It was almost his chance to hop on it, but he couldn't get his mind to coax his legs into taking him there. It was a crazy idea, and he knew it.
Memories came flooding back from his time at the Citadel when he couldn't take the authority's watchful eyes anymore. Ignis couldn't convince him that sneaking out was a terrible idea, and he always accompanied Noctis on excursions outside, even though Ignis was always blamed for it. He could feel the excitement of back then, only now it was tripled, adrenaline sending his mind into a breathless panic that made his knees shake.
Ignis wasn't with him this time, probably for the best. If he was caught, he didn't want Ignis getting wrapped up in his punishment. But he remembered why he needed to do this, and reminded himself that it would only be for the night. He could make it back in time, and it would appear like he was never gone.
Meanwhile, the oil-stained trucker had disappeared back into the building. Not allowing another moment to chicken out again, Noctis ran forward, scaled the fence with little grace, and landed with a thud on the other side of the concrete. Heart still pounding, he sprinted towards the truck. A door opened from a distance, and Noctis warped the rest of the short distance, turning and climbing into the half-open back of the truck as quickly as he could. It was dark, void of anything aside from a few empty crates. After a frantic assessment, Noctis picked one in the back and tucked himself behind it. He pressed himself against the wall, doing his best to keep to the shadows as he listened to the man outside speak once more.
"Truck's all ready to go," he said. Someone else replied, but their voice was too muffled for Noctis to hear. "Yeah, I got room for all of it, don't worry. Quit buggin' me so I can get there before midnight." Noctis didn't know if the rest of the conversation was of any significance as the door was slammed shut right after. And that was it. He couldn't turn back now.
It felt like hours of breathing in the stuffy air until Noctis could feel the vibrations of the truck starting up again. He sighed, though he wasn't sure if it was from relief or disbelief, and slumped back against the empty crate.
This was one of the trucks responsible for bringing in extra supplies for the upcoming week that Insomnia didn't already have. Some careful investigation showed that this particular excursion was destined for a place called Galdin Quay. Noctis could only assume what it was picking up, but it wasn't of consequence to him.
Noctis had begun dozing off against the rumbling wood when the truck slowed to a stop. Confused after having not moved for several minutes, he peeked through the slats in the crate in wait of whatever was going on. The door to the truck clattered open, and Noctis ducked once more into the recesses of the dark, pulling his hood down over his head.
He was sure they'd discovered his presence and were coming to kick him out, or worse, arrest him. Of course, it was an idiotic idea that never would have worked. He held his breath as the low light crawled through the space. The man holding the door open looked in with a scrutinizing gaze, never stopping on one particular thing. Noctis recognized him as one of the border patrol of the entrance to the city.
"Alright," he droned, "you're good." As he began shutting the door, he heard an indignant "I told you I had the papers for this!" from the truck driver.
As soon as the lock sounded securely in place, Noctis crumpled to the ground, gasping for air; he hadn't dared take a breath during the exchange.
Looking around into the darkness once more, he had to fully wrap his mind around what was going on when the truck rolled forward. Finally, he was out of the city.
The water held an unusual chill as the sun's morning rays began filtering in. Fish were swimming about, the scales on those closest to the surface glinting in the light. Not a single unpleasant sound could be heard at Prompto's distance from the shore.
Prompto had been visiting the area more and more over the recent weeks. A little too close to the land for his comfort, he'd originally done his best to stay clear of any people that happened to be passing by. But with the secret thrill of dodging and hiding from the population and the inexplicably better tasting fish he found near the wharf, he was continuously drawn back.
He hummed absently—he only knew one tune—while he used his tongue to pick out the remaining bits of fish stuck in the crevices between his teeth. All the while he was lazily flicking the end of his tail as he drifted precariously nearer and then further away from the looming wooden structure.
A school of fish darted past him in a flash, and his urge to give chase got the better of him. Without a second thought, he twisted and followed the glistening scales from a short distance. It was more fun that way.
The fish were oblivious to their stalker, which Prompto found wildly entertaining. They would make a sudden change of direction, and Prompto made a game of getting too close so that they would scatter. Once they fell back into formation, he took up his position in the rear and did it again.
He played this game until he felt his body was warmed up. He had eaten already late into the morning, so he decided against snatching another fish. He was surprised when he noticed how far he'd gone. Often he'd allow his mind and body to wander, but the shoreline in the distance was one he didn't recognize. A long imposing structure loomed above the water in an unbroken line, and Prompto felt the need to shy away from it. The fish he was toying with were long gone, and Prompto swam deeper into the water where he could get further from the land. He didn't mind staying in the area to explore it, but he wouldn't go closer until it was dark.
With one last wary glance at the strange distant shoreline, Prompto dove down into the water until it was well out of sight.