Chapter three - It's a Secret!

The two men sat in silence for a moment. Prompto tried but failed repeatedly to control his tears, but once they had come, it was like a floodgate had been opened. The only thing to do was to let it run out. Noctis too was emotionally exhausted, he had just gained back his best friend, and at the same time relieved some of the pent up emotions that had been haunting him. So when Prima walked back over to see if their ice cream was there yet, they both took no notice.

"Daddy! Prom! Whats wrong? Did they run out of ice cream?" She asked, the threat of tears could plainly be heard in her voice.

Noctis looked from Prompto to his daughter, and made the best effort to put a smile on his face. "No, Prima. Prompto just agreed that he was going to stay a while."

"Yeah," Prompto unsuccessfully tried to wipe away his tears again. "I'm just so happy that I'm staying that I started to cry. You'll learn that I'm kind of a crybaby."

The smile that appeared on Prima lit up the room. "Yes! You're staying!" She then threw herself onto Prompto and gave him a death hug. "Daddy is going to be so happy!" She whispered into Prompto's ear.

For a second the world stopped, and Noctis just felt his world click into place. Prompto had left him with a huge hole in his life, but now that he was here, he felt like that hole never really existed in the first place. For the first time in years, he felt like his future was on a bright path, and he didn't know what it was, but when he was near Prompto he could almost feel his cold-self slip away. But this happy moment inevitably had to slip away, too.

Prompto, who was holding Prima against him, started to look a little green, and sweat appeared on his brow like he was coming down with a fever.

"Prompto? Are you alright?" Noctis said reaching out to his hand, but Prompto quickly shied away from the touch. In the next moment, he was pushing Prima into Noctis's arms and running.

"Prompto!" Noctis called after him. "Prima you stay here! Don't move an inch!" and Noctis ran after him. He knew it was stupid to run after his friend and leave his daughter behind, but he had just gotten him back and he was not going to let him go again.

Noctis found Prompto in a horrible state in the men's restroom. Prompto was puking uncontrollably in one of the stalls, and looked like he was dying, with his super pale skin and his whole body shaking.

"Prompto, are you alright? What just happened?" Noctis asked hesitantly as walked over to his best friend, reaching out to put his hand on Prompto's shoulder. But before Noctis could touch him, Prompto slid out of Noctis's reach and backed into a corner.

Noctis just stood there in shock as Prompto stared at him with a mixture of regret and frustration coursing through him. This had not been the way Prompto wanted Noctis to learn his secret.

"Prompto, I…" Noctis started, but Prompto quickly cut him off.

"Please Noctis. Please don't come near me right now. I don't think my body could handle it." Prompto whimpered as another bout of puking overtook him.

"What can I do to help you?" Noctis proceeded to kneel at Prompto's feet.

"There's nothing you can do, Noct." Prompto's voice started to fade out as his body was no longer capable of consciousness. "This is happening... because of my own mistakes,"He gasped in pain, "and I have to... fix….it…" At that moment, Prompto passed out.

"Prompto? Prompto. Prompto!" Noctis yelled as he tried to shake his friend awake but the more he touched him the more ill he looked. Whipping out his cell phone, Noctis called for the royal ambulance. It was one that was only supposed to be used if a royal family member was hurt, but Noctis didn't care. He best friend could be dying, and he had to do something.

The Ambulance arrived in a matter of minutes. When it arrived, Noctis ran out of the shop and quickly gave them orders. The paramedics rushed into the building, strapped Prompto on a gurney, and loaded him up. Noctis had wanted to ride with them, but Prima was still in the shop…

"Prima!" He took off running towards their booth, which had just seconds ago seemed like a happy place. To his relief Prima was still sitting in the booth. Though she looked like she had been crying.

"Daddy! Did you find Prom?" She sniffled.

Noctis didn't know what to feel, his best friend had just been taken to the hospital, which was terrifying enough, but he had left his daughter here all alone. What if something had happened to her? What if she had been kidnapped? He couldn't handle just the thought of it.

"Prima, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone. Were you scared?" He had sat down and pulled her to his lap.

She sniffled again, "No... I was just... Yeah. Daddy, I was scared that you wouldn't come back for me." She began to cry softly in the nook of Noctis' neck.

"Oh, Prima. I will always come for you. You're the most important thing in the world to me." He felt her give a slight node. "But we have to go, Prompto is going to the Hospital and we need to be there for him."

Prima went still, "Is he going to be okay, Daddy?"

Noctis looked down at her, and not being able to lie to that tear stained face, he admitted, "I don't know."

XXX

Prompto woke up with a start. He didn't know where he was, and all he could remember was… Oh. Yeah, I puked all over that bathroom and passed out right in front of Noctis. Uhg, why did that have to happen? It had been going so well, he had finally gotten to meet Prima and admit his feelings to Noct, so how did it end up like this? He knew it was his own fault, he thought he was being careful, but he hadn't accounted for Prima jumping on him, or the handhold Noct had given him. It had just been too much.

He sighed. Maybe he should just leave. He already had been too much of a burden on Noctis before, and this was just the icing on the cake. He knew he had been fooling himself, there was absolutely no way he could be with Noctis like this. Leaning back, he finally took notice of where he was.

Prompto was lying in a white, pristine room, hooked up to a heart monitor that was steadily making a soft beeping noise. He had been changed out of his traveling robes, and now wore a white button down shirt paired with white sweatpants- that were actually really comfy. There were windows lining the walls that were all drawn shut, which made the room have a more solitary feel to it. Then his eyes found the one thing in the room that made his heart stop.

Noctis was slumped in a cushion chair that had obviously been put in the room for him. His head rested against his fist, and it looked like he had been there for hours. Just seeing him in that vulnerable position made Prompto's heart stop and stutter. All he wanted to do was jump out of this bed and capture those lips like he'd done so long ago, but he knew he couldn't right now. And maybe not ever again.

Prompto leaned back once again, ready to accept his fate. He would forever be at arm's length from the one he loved. He heard a rustling sound, turned his head, and found Noctis awake, staring at him with an intensity that he had never seen before.

"Prompto, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Noctis asked with a look of relief, but Prompto could tell that really wasn't the thing that he wanted to ask.

Prompto smiled, "I'm feeling better Noct, thanks for… you know," He looked down. "Getting me here and all that."

"Anything for my best friend…" Noctis looked uncomfortable, like wanted to say more, but didn't quite know what to say.

There was an awkward silence between the two. Noctis was relieved that Prompto was okay, but his mind kept going back to that moment in the bathroom when Prompto had yelled at him to not touch him. What did he mean by that? Was he embarrassed by him, or was there something more? Something that Prompto hadn't told him about yet?

Prompto knew Noctis was going to want to know what happened and why everything had fallen a part so fast, so Prompto was about to say something but suddenly stopped. He had rehearsed this conversation so many times in his head but now that he was here the words wouldn't come, so he just sat there, staring at the floor on the verge of tears.

Realizing that Prompto wouldn't say anything, Noctis got frustrated. He had to get his answers or it would drive him crazy. So he decided to be blunt. "Prompto… What happened back there? I mean, everything was fine, and then… it just... wasn't. What are you holding back from me?" He gave a soft growl, and brushed a hand through his hair before continuing, "I don't understand what's going on. Please, just tell me."

Prompto's heart ached at the turmoil Noctis was going through and he knew it was finally time to tell him the truth. The real reason why he came back home, to the crown city, and back to Noctis.

Sighing, Prompto stared at the ceiling and finally found the words that would break his heart along with Noctis', "You know when I left, I thought I was doing the right thing. You had to focus on Luna and your Kingdom, not on me. I thought I would just get in the way. And for awhile it seemed like it was true. Lucis was how it should be and you, at least from the papers I read, seemed happy. Especially when Prima was born. But I guess that happiness was a trick for the public, and I fell for it. My mistake of leaving cost me, Noctis…" A tear made its way down Prompto's cheek, but he boldly continued, "About a year ago, when Luna died, I got a visitor. At first I didn't recognise her, but after awhile I realised that it was Gentiana."

"Gentiana? She visited you?"

"Yeah… She told me I had wronged you, and in turn wronged the gods. So," He gulped, looked up at the ceiling once more and whispered, "she cursed me."

Prompto eyed the ceiling, making patterns in his mind, waiting for Noctis' response, which didn't come straight away. Prompto couldn't bare to look at Noctis and see all the raging emotions that he was sure were going through Noctis head right now. He had caused so much pain for his best friend, and he wouldn't be surprised if Noctis threw him to the street right now.

But Noctis only felt numb as he asked the next question he knew would be the final blow. "Prompto? How did she curse you?"

A soft humorless chuckle escaped Prompto, and he finally looked at Noctis. "I can never touch you, or apparently Prima. If I do, eventually I'll die, but if I stay away from you, then that'll kill me too. See my problem, Bud?"

Noctis just stared at Prompto's sad expression and he suddenly couldn't stand it. Where despair should have been for Noctis, there was only determination, and it told him that there had to be a way out of this.

"Is there any way to break this?" He asked urgently

Prompto didn't answer right away, but finally he muttered "...I have no idea."