Author's Notes: This piece is dedicated to fiftyshadesofanimetrash, and anyone else that ships Prompto x Iris. Happy New Year!
Oh yeah. If you're even a tiny Prompto fan, watch the Prompto amv called 'worthless'. You'll be doing yourself a huge favor.
"Prompto! Prompto, what's going on?! Whoever's in there with him, you'd better watch out because I'm about to kick your sorry butt into next year!"
She had to reach him. Had to get to him.
Time was not on her side. She threw her weight and panic against the door, unable to reach him by turning the doorknob, unable to reach him by calling his name. The flowers she had whisked to his front door had fallen to the floor, their precious colors glowing in the scattered beams of evening light. Her heart, body and spirit were focused entirely on reaching him, saving him from whatever daemon had crept into his room.
The others were gone. Prompto had bolted from the others to mask sadness and worry, claiming their earlier jobs had tired him out. The others had let him off the hook, hiding their drive to find special New Year's presents for their one and only baby bird. And surely he'd be all right on his own, safely tucked away in Lestallum's inn, right? Their connection to their photographer let them know the second he was in trouble, just as they could sense each other's pain. So the others were most likely on their way, sensing their gunner's distress signals. Iris, in the meantime, would do everything in her power to reach him.
Iris continued using herself as a battering ram against his door. If someone's in there, hurting him, hot damn am I gonna give them a beating they'll NEVER forget!
Success came a second later, the door falling off its hinges and alerting her to the world within. Much to her astronomical relief, there wasn't anyone causing Prompto to cry out. Unfortunately, the room's sole occupant was doing just that-crying out, at the top of his lungs. Writhing in his bed, fighting against his dreams, visions that should've been guiding him through serene sleep. "Wake up," Gladio's sister cried out, flowers left behind, shaking him by the shoulders like a ragdoll. Tears began to paint her cheeks.
"Wake up! You've gotta wake up, Prompto, wake up! It's me, Iris! Come back to us! Come back to me, Chocobo, c'mon!"
His eyes flew open a second later, causing a meteoric blend of relief and sadness to crash into her. For a second he remained detached from her, although his eyes were wide open. Detached from her and the world they knew, from the world that kept him safe. But then the light of realization returned to his eyes. Eyes fluttering, tears painting his cheeks, he looked at her with sadness that broke her like a twig.
"Iris? Is it really you?"
Before she could answer, he cast his arms about her neck, head bowed, more tears painting his cheeks and the sheets. Shock held her for a moment in time, coming from the magnitude of his heartache, but then she answered the call to action. She wrapped her arms around him, refusing to let go, ready to fight Ramuh if the beast threatened to separate them. "It's okay," she murmured over and over again, gentle, loving, patient, rocking him back and forth. Not at all willing to pry, but putting every fiber of her being into comforting him.
"It's okay. I'm here. It's okay. Everything's okay. It's okay. I'm here. I've got you."
She cried, not out of fear or concern for herself. Her well-being wasn't anywhere near her line of thought. She cried because he was crying, cried because she hated the sound of tears, cried because she hated it whenever he was anything less than happy. "I'm here," she sobbed, rocking him back and forth, stroking his back, hating whatever force had given him nightmares. She'd fight the Astrals themselves if they had sent those dark visions to him.
"I'm here. It's okay, Prompto. I'm here. Don't cry. Please don't cry anymore. I'm here. I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe, so please don't cry anymore."
She remembered. She remembered the fallen flowers and bounded to her feet, desperate to get back to him in no more than a few seconds, but knowing the flowers could lift his spirits. "Here," she said, pushing merriment into her voice, gathering the glittering flowers into her arms. She soon rushed back to him, cradling the flowers she had bought from Lestallum's market.
"Flowers! I got them for you. They're your new year's present. I hope you like them!"
Confusion lit his face like a gentle candle flame, sending a tidal wave of relief through her spirit. His nightmares were being left behind, in favor of a safe, welcoming reality. "Flowers? For me?" he asked, frowning. Iris couldn't help but giggle through her tears, picturing a tiny Chocobo tilting his head.
The photographer's voice was frail, hoarse, but he was there. There. With her. Not in his nightmares. "Shouldn't you be the one getting flowers?"
"Oh, shut up and take them," Iris ordered, after giving a quick kiss to his forehead. "They're all yours," she pressed on, pressing the bundle into his arms. "Beautiful and bright, like the morning sun. Like you! Happy New Year. Are they okay?"
He looked at her, trembling, as though she had just given him a galaxy of stars. Not at all able to answer in words, he threw his arms back around her neck, crying softly, flowers tucked in his lap. She held him as he cried, still unwilling to pry into the dreams that had taken him away from her, but ready to fight the gods themselves to keep him safe.
A short while later, the other stars in his sky returned, finding him in Iris' arms. She quickly diverted their attention away from the tears in his eyes, telling her brothers he was simply excited about the upcoming new year and couldn't keep himself from crying. 'Give him your presents, guys,' she demanded shortly after. 'I gave mine. Now it's time to give him your presents for the new year!'
They did just that, having turned down Prompto's offer to give them presents, wanting to let him know he was wanted, loved, needed in their tiny family. He ended up with not just one but two new cameras, one from Noctis and the other from Gladiolus, the two of them apparently failing to coordinate, but the thought was worth more than all of Eos' gold. Ignis salvaged their idiocy by buying his young friend a round of new film and a scrapbook.
And all of them gave him the warmest of wishes for the new year, letting him know he could stay, forever and a day.
He spent most of the night in tears, robbed of words by the kindness of those around him. They hugged him, ran hands through his hair and planted kisses on his neck, teasing him about being a 'baby chick that's always quick to cry' (in Gladiolus' words).
At the end of the night, wishes for the new year were made in the wake of a countdown. Prompto regained his voice long enough to join in the countdown, joining hands with Noctis and Ignis, happy to not be holding hands with the young woman that would set his face on fire. Gladiolus might not have killed him for having cheeks as red as cherries around Iris, but a certain confession would have to wait.
At the end of the night he was smiling, beaming from ear to ear, having voice one wish for the new year: "I want us to stay like this, no matter what happens.'
He didn't voice his other wish, though, which had a lot to do with a certain young woman.