Author's Notes: Happy New Year! This is dedicated to CelestialSkye72, who has been helping me through the muck of Type-0 beauties for a Type-0/XV crossover. Just in time for the new year's, I sought one of those beauties to give to everyone's favorite baby bird, Prompto. After much debating with CelestialSkye72, Nine won the crown of New Year's Chocobo Prince.
This is my first shot at Nine/Prompto shipping. Thank you for bringing in the new year with me, by being here!
"Life is precious! It's not something you should just throw away!"
Those words were tolls in a mind in desperate need of rest. Cold, merciless electricity shredded him, despite him resting in a warm, familiar world. The voices of battle had melted into calm, giving him the room he needed to heal, but the shockwaves rippling through him didn't permit rest. He tossed and turned, fighting every thread in his body for the strength to get up, move, counter attack the damage that had been done. The day's mission against the Zenn had been difficult, excruciating at times, but the wounds his body had to heal from were nothing against the fire swelling inside of him.
Nine wanted the deities to burn him alive. Throwing himself in harm's way wasn't something that had him out of orbit, as it was something he usually did whenever a friend was in danger. Protecting someone you cared for-nothing out of the ordinary, right? And the moment he realized the new transfer student was in danger, he threw himself into the fray, ready and willing to have his heart cut out by the beasts attacking him. Lance in hand, the Agito Cadet was a demon throwing himself against the beasts, putting every thread of his being into keeping them away from Prompto. Sure, the creatures almost succeeded in ripping his arms off, but everything went perfectly well until a certain blonde's face came into view, stained with tears. Worry. Pain.
"Nine! Nine, hang in there! Stay with me! Nine!"
It was strange, being sheltered by such gentle light. Life was something that could be easily lost, replaced, as death wasn't something to be mourned. Lives were lost every day in the battle for their nation's future. And all were forgotten. There wasn't any reason to grieve over what couldn't be remembered, right? But the four transfers turned those facts of life inside out, urging him to throw them away. Professor Scientia, Noctis, Gladiolus and especially Prompto, strange, warm, enchanting Prompto, made those staples of life foreign. Meaningless, even, as their mere presence urged him to acknowledge life's frailty. The beauty behind every star, the melody that broke out over their horizon every morning. Life was something strange, beautiful, wonderful and it was the look on Prompto's face that proved it.
Nine hated himself. Tossing and turning inside of his infirmary bed, he wanted nothing more than the deities to roast him alive. He couldn't explain the blonde photographer's panic, as his wounds would soon heal, but that didn't stop him from hating the look on Prompto's face. Nor did it stop him from hating the sound of his voice, the clear-cut, searing fear wrapped around every breath. The scents of smoke and blood were still present, scorching him as though they were still in battle, filling every nook and cranny of his being with voices. Frantic voices. Urgency. Anger. Noctis. Queen. Fear. Deuce's flute. Prompto crying. Tears, too many tears. Tears that never should have been.
Grimacing, Nine shut his eyes against the onslaught of memories. He was resting, having been put into the school infirmary by Queen, Deuce and Noctis. But despite the warm calm of the familiar world, it was impossible to rest. Luckily, gentle footsteps signaled the end of solitary confinement. He kept his eyes shut, half believing it was a perfectly harmless visitor, the other half of him hoping Ifrit had arrived to burn him alive. The soft voice that cut through his silent reflections let him know it was the former.
"Are you awake? You'd better be. I'm not in the mood to waste time, certainly not on you."
Ah. Queen.
Nine's eyes fluttered open. Anyone else in his position would've turned her away, but she was a friend, a sister, someone he could count on whenever the world fell apart. She was no different from the other cadets, as she was someone he always welcomed with an open heart. "Yeah, I'm up, yo," he told her, his voice coming out as a low moan. It took a strange amount of effort to speak, and it took even more effort to breathe, but the tears on a certain face reminded him to ignore whatever physical pain he was in.
"What's up, Queenie? Everything all right?"
"Not really," the young woman snapped, stepping towards his bed. Keeping his eyes open also took a great amount of effort, but through shockwaves of exhaustion, he could see the scorn on her face. Concern was a faint yet vibrant flame in her eyes. "You're worrying everyone to death, and what you've done to our baby bird is unacceptable. At least you're feeling a bit better, I suppose."
Nine couldn't help but chuckle, despite the growing need to sleep for a thousand years. The original cadets of Class Zero built strong bonds with each other, but none of them cherished life the way they did with the four new transfers around. It was something about all of them that changed things, shaped things, made things grow into new, exciting experiences. And the girls? The girls quickly grew fond of the blonde sharpshooter, referring to him as either their baby bird or simply 'Chocobo'. Prompto could easily have his pick of any of the young women-if they hadn't planted the mental picture of him being a fluffy yellow bird. "You've done nothing but worry him," Queen went on, tapping her foot.
"Would it be too much to ask for you to be careful every now and then? Surely you can wrap your mind around the concept of caution."
"Yeah, about that," the lance wielder groaned, running a hand over his face. Visions slammed into him like Ramuh's meteors. Screams. The beasts. Claws. Prompto's eyes.
Those eyes. Damn, those eyes.
"Sorry. Just had to get in there and save him, y'know? Didn't want those bastards t' hurt 'im. Just did what I had t'do…to keep 'im safe. And he's safe, right?"
Queen's voice softened. Surprising, but when it came to a certain chocobo, it wasn't at all surprising. "He's safe. Frazzled, but safe. You've earned quite a few points with his brothers, too. Noct and the others will be in to thank you later. But in the future, you've got to at least try to be a little more careful. Apparently, your life means something to him."
"Yeah, that's the weird thing about 'im," Nine smiled, remembering sunshine. Light, spilling forth from the same eyes he had just filled with pain. "We all mean something to him. King said something about the dead being forgotten, and Prompto went off on him, yo. Said some stuff about 'everyone's life is precious'. I dunno where those guys came from, but…they're all pretty wacky."
"I know what you mean," the young woman at his bedside nodded, head bowed, voice still as soft as the morning breeze. "I'd rather cut my heart out with a butter knife and hand it to the Vermilion Bird than see him hurt again. Such a weird sensation, wanting to cradle life when we know it'll be forgotten."
"Hey! Who says it has to be?"
Pushing through the darkness threatening to swallow him, Nine regained a bit of his usual self. "Nobody's gonna be forgotten if I keep us all alive, yo," he declared, as though he were explaining a simple math equation. He then sat up, alarming the girl beside him.
"All I gotta do is get back in the ring and make sure I'm stronger than ever! That way, he won't ever cry again, yo! Perfect plan, right? Trey's not the only one with good ideas!"
"You won't be able to do anything if you're dead," Queen growled, her voice gentle, her hands clamped onto his shoulders. She then encased her friend in a hug, suddenly seized by the urge to celebrate his life, their bond, the silence that enveloped them in the infirmary.
It was strange, being in the presence of light so gentle yet so strong, strong enough to challenge the Crystal.