Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 7

Noctis didn't try to do anything as Prompto's hands ran all over his naked body, knowing he needed it, to see that he was truly alright. With the attempt on his life, they were being kept in lockdown so Prom wouldn't be going anywhere until it was lifted. He could feel himself shaking slightly under Prompto's touch, overwhelmed by everything that had happened. He…he should be dead.

"Shh," Prompto kissed him tenderly. "It's okay, you're okay."

He knew it was normal for him to be falling apart now they were safe and alone in bed together but he was still fighting to keep control, to keep the tears from falling. No attempt had gotten so close at succeeding since…since the Marilith. They should have been safe!

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Ignis closed his eyes as he heard the muffled sobs from the beyond the door, leaning back against the wall. Good, that was good. It was better for Noctis to let it out then let those emotions fester. Someone had dared to try and kill his Prince! Nothing found so far pointed to the Empire and he wasn't sure if that was good or not. Better the known enemy than an unknown one after all, but the Empire had resources to keep trying unlike most others. His eyes snapped open at movement but it was only Gladio, returning from a meeting with his father. He looked as tired as Ignis felt but he reached down and hauled him to his feet, pushing him into the smaller bedroom. "Gladio," he tried but the older man shoved him towards the bed.

"You can't help anyone if you're exhausted Ignis. Get some sleep."

He huffed but took off his glasses and lay done, doubting he'd be able to sleep for a minute.

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Prompto watched Noct sleep, soothing him when it seemed like a nightmare was starting. He could easily handle a night of missed sleep in order to make sure Noctis was alright. It was a surprise to see him react so strongly to what had happened but Noct was used to being mostly safe he guessed. Despite several years now living among civilians, real people, Prompto knew he still didn't understand a lot.

He knew he could have died when he tackled Noctis, if he'd been a second slower that bullet would have hit him in the throat, severing a lot of rather important things. He probably would have bled out before Noct could have helped him. That didn't bother him, other than taking him from Noctis' side. His life only mattered in keeping Noctis safe and happy, that was his purpose now, not serving the Empire. He loved Noctis, he lived for him. He had things he had come to enjoy, such as his photography, but without Noct he would be empty.

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Regis stood at his bedroom window, looking out over the Crown City, the city never truly slept, active in some way at all hours. With the lockdown in effect, he could not even see his son, it was safer the two of them be guarded in separate sections of the Citadel.

Argentum…Prompto….had saved Noctis. Had risked his own life to do so, Regis had seen the hasty reconstruction of events and a second either way would have meant the blonds death. The odds of the sniper being spotted from that position…even many of their most experienced wouldn't have seen it or wouldn't have been able to react in time if they had. If Prompto had seen it but ignored it, would the Oath have killed him? It likely would have, so was that why he had acted? At first he would have thought so, but he couldn't forget that day in the garden, the unguarded look in his eyes as Prompto watched Noctis.

Prompto had done everything asked of him, had protected Noctis from a threat no one had seen coming, stayed by his side, loved him…perhaps even a mechanical heart could love?

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In the aftermath of the shooting, things changed. Noctis was already living back in the Citadel, Prompto having been convinced to live in his old apartment. Security around all of them tightened and they were no longer allowed out and about in the city as much, certainly not just the two of them. The people had been shocked by the attempt to kill Noctis and no one complained about the increased security in the city, worried by how close someone had gotten to the Prince.

It pushed Noctis more into the spotlight than he had been since graduation. Despite not being an official member of his retinue just yet, Prompto had been granted permission to carry a gun, concealed, and he tended to wear more black as well. Items of Crownsguard gear kept appearing in his closet, obviously in an attempt to ensure he was kept safe as well. As a trainee he could start wearing it after all.

Cor increased Prompto's training and began getting the four of them to train together, wanting them to work well together in case of an attack. They were all a little surprised by how quickly Noctis and Prompto meshed together in a fight, covering each other's weakness, coming up with attacks together, as if they had known each other their whole lives, had trained all that time together…

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She attached the monitor leads, happy that her patient was much more relaxed now than when he'd first started seeing her. She was worried about him; his hybrid body would need 'maintenance' sooner or later and they simply didn't know enough to help when that time came. But the thought of letting another Imperial scientist within miles of him made her blood boil and she knew the King didn't want it to happen either. She also worried about his life expectancy; with the purpose behind the clones and now the organ replacements – how long would he live? Could he live a normal lifespan or would he die young?

"Good to go?" he asked when she was done.

"Good to go," she agreed, patting his shoulder, smiling when he didn't flinch. "Try not to train yourself into a coma, I've already had too many Guards in over the last months."

"Yes ma'am. Ignis keeps a pretty good watch on us all for that," he promised before leaving.

She recorded the session and then locked the results away, separate to all of her other patient files just to be safe. He had a basic file like everyone but his real file could never be found, not if they wanted to keep him safe.

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He read the reports and frowned; did someone suspect? It seemed more reviews than normal were being made, maybe it was the still heightened paranoia from the attempt on Noctis' life. There was no reason to think that treacherous King had actually begun to suspect something. The MT was still in place at the Princes' side so that plan was still in place. it was doing well at hiding its true abilities while training with the Marshal. There was nothing in its reports to suggest anyone was suspicious. He would keep a closer eye on things but for now there was not enough evidence to suggest anyone knew there were any spies within the Citadel.

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Prompto lounged beneath the tree, grinning as he watched Noctis defeat every high score there was, not in the mood to play himself. Games were fun, like training but without actually having to do anything. It'd been almost eight months since Noct had nearly…and things were finally settling back to normal. He doubted they'd ever fully be like they had before, the attempt had been a bit of a wakeup call for everyone, but things had relaxed some. He definitely preferred it since it meant less people watching them so Noctis felt more able to just be himself and not the Prince. Case in point, Noct looked up, feeling him watching, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before focusing back on the game.

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Regis looked up as Noctis knocked and leant around the door, wondering what it would be this time, even as he waved him into the office. "Everything alright?" he asked, relieved when Noct nodded, slouching down in a chair.

"Dad, you know…about me and Prompto?" Noctis asked, sounding a bit nervous, and Regis nodded, smiling slightly at his son.

It was nice when Noctis came to him about things any son would seek out their Father for. It made him feel normal. The longer he and Prompto were together, the easier it was to accept. His doubts about the boy were slowly fading as he saw how happy Prompto made Noctis. Everything the boy did was for Noctis, far beyond the loyalty the Oath would enforce.

"You two aren't having any problems are you?" he asked in concern.

Thankfully, Noctis shook his head. He seemed…pensive and that kept Regis from fully relaxing. "I just…I'm worried about him."

"Oh? Has something happened?"

"No, I guess I'm just noticing it more but it's always been there. He…he never suggests things to do, he always goes along with whatever I want. It's not like how others have done it before, where they're just trying to make me happy and keep them around, wanting stuff from me, Prom's nothing like that," Noctis quickly clarified.

Regis nodded; he should have considered that, should have expected such behaviour. "What about his photography?"

"With the way security increased?" Noctis shook his head. "He put the course off, so it's really good he moved into my apartment since his parents stopped sending him money. Good thing Guard training comes with a stipend."

That was unexpected…and yet it made sense. The empire would have had to cut off his funding or else risked his cover. "He's managing though?"

"He wouldn't say anything even if he isn't," Noctis grumbled. "I know it's a good thing he doesn't look to me to pay everything but sometimes he's a little too stubborn about paying his own way."

"And you wouldn't change anything about him, would you?" he teased, smirking when his son pouted. "Does Prompto give way to you and what you want in everything, except the money issue?"

Noctis frowned, thinking about it, before eventually shaking his head. "Not everything, especially anything to do with my safety. Sometimes he's worse than Gladio and Specs."

"Good," Regis told him. "Perhaps he simply doesn't have a preference in those circumstances. For some people, the activity doesn't matter so long as they are with the people they love. It sounds like that is how Prompto is. You know what he likes, make sure you take that into account when planning if you're that worried."

Noct nodded, relaxing at the advice. "Thanks."

"Have you considered the future and his place in it, beyond making him the fourth member of your retinue?"

"I'd marry him tomorrow if I could," Noctis admitted.

Well, he hadn't realised Noctis was that committed, but then Noctis was in some ways older than his actual age. He'd been forced to grow up too quickly, despite Regis' best efforts. Even if it was allowed, could he give his blessing, knowing what the boy was? Could he have allowed it with such a lie between them? There was the option to tell Noctis the truth but…would that destroy everything there was between the two boys? He didn't want Noctis to wonder if Prompto's loyalty to him was because of the Oath. But if Noctis wasn't told…what would happen if he learnt the truth from someone other than Regis or Prompto? If the Empire learnt that Prompto had become a double agent of sorts, would they purposely reveal him in order to try and drive them apart? He wouldn't put it passed them.

"Dad? Is…are you upset? I love him, I know I have to marry one day but…" Noctis practically babbled and Regis stood, moving around his desk to take the seat beside his son, taking his hand.

"All I've ever wanted is your happiness Noctis. There are issues that would need working out but you have my blessing to keep him at your side. You would not be the first King to have both a wife and companion." He could not deny his blessing for that, even with the risks. They knew how to be discreet, after all, the Empire still appeared completely oblivious to their relationship. If they knew, surely they would have insisted on Prompto reporting in person to question him on not telling them himself in one of his reports.

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Prompto stared at his reflection in shock, he honestly hadn't thought the day would come. Familiar arms wrapped around his waist, warm lips pressing a kiss to his throat, and he relaxed into Noctis' embrace.

"You look amazing in Lucian black," the Prince murmured, and Prompto laughed.

"I look pale as a ghost!" he argued. A pity he burned rather than tanned, you'd have thought they would have fixed that when tampering with his genetics, then again why bother when MT's never went outside in the sun or wore armour until their body was gone?

He'd been wearing black since returning from his last trip 'home' and being accepted into training, but this was different. This was his uniform, personalised to him, just like Iggy's suits and Gladio's shirtless look. His uniform was a lot more casual; he'd be the most approachable looking of them all and that was okay, apparently it was good to have someone who didn't look so formal in the Retinue. Noct was even talking about having patches stitched onto his vest but he thought that might be a little too casual, he wasn't sure.

"You look great," Noctis promised, fixing the black cuff that covered his barcode. He'd always kept it covered and Noctis had been kind enough to never ask, even in bed. Prompto figured they all assumed he was hiding a scar or something. Though why he'd be ashamed of one on his wrist when his stomach was so badly marked he didn't know. Noctis tugged him around for a proper kiss before stepping back. "I love you but Cor will kill us both if you're late."

"Very good point," Prompto hated being late to things too, that kind of training was hard to break. Lateness had always been punished harshly since it was a sign of thinking, of maybe having a personality of some kind, enough to get caught up in something. Cor was strict but he had never punished him like the Empire, the worst he did was make him run extra laps or the like.

They left the bedroom to find Ignis and Gladio waiting for them. In a few hours, he'd be a full member of the Crownsguard and could be sworn into Noct's Retinue. The Marshal had talked to him about that, they didn't think he'd react badly since he was fine inside the Wall and with using potions, but they all knew there was a risk. It was one he was willing to take though. He was honestly surprised he was being allowed, then again, his first Oath would still hold, ensure he could never use the magic he would have access to against Noctis.

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Cor watched as Prompto took his Oath to Noctis, almost holding his breath, only relaxing when the boy stood up again, showing no ill effects. That was a relief. No one had been able to say there would be none, but Prompto hadn't hesitated. His sheer loyalty to Noctis was incredible, and almost scary in a way, was there anything he wouldn't do for Noct? Still, far better to have all of that loyalty aimed at the Prince and not his old handlers. If he had remained loyal to them…that was the stuff of nightmares.

"Proud of you protégé?" a familiar voice asked, and he glanced over at Titus to find him smirking.

"He's come a long way in a very short time, he's earned this." What else could he say? He could hardly admit that Prompto had come to him partially trained after all.

"A Commoner of mixed heritage in the Princes' Retinue," Titus shook his head. "I bet the Council loved that."

"Doesn't matter, they have no say in this. It would be amusing to see what happened should they say anything," he smirked, imagining Noctis' reaction. That would shock them all, considering the majority opinions of him, though they had improved since Noctis had graduated, even more after the assassination attempt.

It really bothered him that the culprit had never been caught and had never made another attempt. Was someone still out their biding their time? Or had they given up after one failure? There was no way to be sure. All they could do was ensure Noctis had the best protection possible and didn't take any stupid risks.

TBC…