AN: GG: Another Saturday, another chapter! We're getting so close to the end of Part 1! Thank you all so much for following up through the beginning of our long journey!
Today we find out, do the boys manage to talk some more? Are they getting closer to getting rescued?

-

For part of the night Noctis managed to sleep somewhat restfully, then he began to toss and turn as his dream turned. "No, don't- you can't take him, please." As he spoke, his words went from a muttering to louder, till he was finally shouting, "Prom, no!"

When Noctis woke up, he met only the darkness of his cell. He blinked a few times before looking over at the other cell, finding that Prompto was still there, lumped up under his blankets. He didn't move from his spot, seeming still deep in his sleep, never noticing that Noctis had been struggling.

Noctis looked over at Prompto to make sure he was still there before he collapsed on the ground bonelessly. He was still breathing hard and covered his face for a while. Sleep eluded him for the rest of the time, but he just stared blankly at the ceiling, even when he heard Prompto start to stir.

Prompto groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He rubbed his face slowly before letting out a long audible sigh. "Noct?"

"Yeah Prom?" Noctis asked quietly, turning to look over at Prompto.

"I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier."

Noctis sat up at that and turned to face Prompto properly. "Apology accepted. I'm sorry I made you doubt how I feel. But- I need you to know I mean it, I really do love you. You make me smile all the time, I've never laughed more than with you. Why do you think I always want to hang out with you? Why I made sure I wanted to have you at that fucking gala? Because- because you make my world brighter and happier. I don't want to be in a world without you."

Even in the dark, Noctis could see that Prompto was looking at him with wide eyes, full of uncertainty. "And you really mean that?"

"I really mean every word. I submit so much because I think it will keep you safe from them, but it's all a lie. I just want to keep you safe as much as I can, and I would rather swallow my pride on the off chance you are mostly left alone." Noctis replied honestly, making sure to not tear his eyes away from Prompto.

"Noct..." Prompto went to wipe his eyes. "I feel so shitty for what I said now. I wasn't even thinking before."

"You're already forgiven. They- they used what they knew would be a low blow to both of us, just to torture us. I don't even know what the point of it is."

"Sorry, I don't know either. But uh," Prompto moved closer to the front of the cell, reaching his hand out. He tried his best to offer a small smile. "At least we still got each other right?"

Noctis smiled and moved to grab Prompto's hand and squeeze it gently. "We still got each other."

"So those cufflinks, that was all true? That it's really some weird royal Lucis Caelum courtship thing?"

A faint flush appeared on his cheeks at that. "It doesn't have to be cufflinks, but, um, yes, giving the royal symbol is a weird royal courtship thing. Dad apparently gave Mom a set of earrings."

"Skull earrings? Dude, that sounds totally cool."

"You don't have pierced ears! Otherwise you could have some." Noctis laughed.

"O-Oh, really?" Prompto started, chuckled softly. "I think skull earrings are way cooler than cufflinks anyways. But wait! Uh, what about Gladio and Ignis? Don't they have necklaces that have skulls on it or something?"

Noctis messed with his hair a little bit at that. "Oh, yes, they do. Since Gladio's family's been with mine so long, they do similar with the skull jewelry. So, he gave a necklace to Specs when they started dating, and Specs gave one back on their anniversary."

"Aw, that sounds really cute. They always look happy together."

"They are good for each other. It's been fun to see them get together." Noctis confessed.

"Yeah... I guess, or uh, did they know? How you felt... towards me?" Prompto asked softly.

He quickly shook his head at that. "No, definitely not. I only- I could only tell one person how I felt."

"W-Who was that? I get the feeling it wasn't me..."

"Ah, no, it wasn't you. It was- it was my dad. He was trying to get me to tell you after the gala."

"W-Wait!" Prompto gasped, letting go of Noctis's hand. He looked completely flustered. "Your dad, the king, knows?!"

"He's just my dad? But, yes, he knows."

"But he's the king! Sorry... this is still just a lot... I still almost can't believe it. I've been worrying for nothing this whole time."

Noctis gave Prompto's hand a squeeze. "You've been worrying about this, the entire whole time?"

"Well yeah..." with Prompto's free hand he fiddled with a piece of hair. It was such a cute little quirk that Noctis loved. "You weren't the only one worrying about someone else's feelings."

"Yeah? Was the other person. . . you?" He asked softly.

Prompto nodded. "I guess we both were pretty clueless, right?"

Noctis smiled a little bit at that. "Yes, I think we were. But, no more being clueless?"

"Not anymore," Prompto grinned. "So, you think I'd look good in skull earrings?"

"Yeah, maybe? It'd be really awesome to be able to show the world how special you are to me."

Prompto smiled warmly. "You really would tell the world? Would that like, cause some big news or stuff?"

"I would, and yes, it would. But dad approves, so, that's what matters, right? Having your parents to back you up?"

"Hmm, nice that your dad has your back. I don't know what my parents would think. But, that doesn't matter. What matters is us."

"That is what matters. Is. . . is everything alright with your parents?" Noctis asked carefully.

Prompto looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it now."

"Alright, we don't have to talk about it."

"Since we clearly aren't going to get back to sleep, can we talk about us?"

"Yeah, we can do that." Noctis agreed while giving his hand a squeeze.

The halls weren't safe, not when Regis was marching down them with a death glare. Everyone would scurry out of the way to steer clear of him, not wishing to get in the way of his rage.

He burst into the meeting room where his other Crownsguard were already waiting. "Do we have answers yet?!"

Cor stepped out of his office to stare down his king. "Your Majesty, I believe I can help you get some answers. In my office, please."

Regis breathed in before following after Cor. "What have you discovered?"

"Regis, I can't have you coming down here terrifying the Guard." Cor chastised his lifelong friend. "But, I have good reason to believe I have found the leak in the Wall guard that allowed them through the Wall."

"I want him brought here this instant! If I can't terrify him down at the wall, I will terrify him up here. I will no longer stand around anymore waiting, something must be done."

"I can take you to see him in a moment. I took him into custody just this hour. However, I need you to take a moment to breathe. Regis, this isn't good for you."

"You saw what they did in that last video. I have held back long enough! I cannot let them torment my son any longer. I should have done this from the start!"

"And what good are you to him if you overextend yourself being angry at the world and unable to be there for him because you've been stomping around and breaking computers." Cor replied blandly.

"We are doing our best, I assure you. If you terrify all of my people though, they can't do their job appropriately. And we are starting to get a break on cracking their encryption to discover their IP address. Do not make my job harder than it needs to be."

Regis sighed, backing down to sit in a chair. He ran hand through his hair, which was much more of a mess than before.

"I know. I just can't stand it, the humiliation they are putting him through. It isn't fair."

Cor sighed and gave a small nod. "I know, they are being terrible to him. I understand this must be hard for you. Promise, We will do everything we can to get him back to you."

He gave a pause to let them both sit and settle with that for a moment. Then, he said, "Are you ready to see our leak?"

Regis regained his usually calm composure. Leaning forward on his cane, he nodded. "Show him in."

With a little nod, Cor got up to go fetch their prisoner. Soon, he came out with a young guard in shackles who was forced to stand in front of the king looking terrified.

"You stand here today, Cassius, on charges of treason. You may commute your sentence by assisting our investigation. Will you be able to assist in our investigation?"

Cassius stared, barely able to open his mouth. "Uh, isn't this supposed to be in a court or something?"

"You stand before your King in a trial for treason. I am your judge and jury now." Regis snapped. "You have one last chance to help reduce your sentence. Do you have anything to tell us before I send you to the gallows?"

Cassius placed a hand over his neck. "P-Please! I was just the messenger! I had no direct involvement other than getting them out of Insomnia and receiving the encoded videos to send here!"

"Which gate did they leave from? And in what vehicle did they have?" Regis asked in a sharp voice.

"They were in an unmarked black van. G-Gate 7 too. A Leide license plate, but I don't remember the numbers."

"Thank you, these are good leads. For now, we'll take you back to custody. Your assistance will be noted. You won't be put in for the death penalty." Regis replied as he waved Cassius away blandly.

The man nearly fainted, only to be caught by Cor and brought outside where other guards were waiting to take him away.

Once he was gone, Cor headed back to Regis. "Now, Your Majesty, we can finally proceed forward with the search."

"Yes, we can. Do you have teams ready to start searching in the appropriate areas? And what of the encryption you mentioned?" Regis asked.

"Yes. I have the men ready to head out. The encryption we got from the last video comes from the southern Leide area," Cor answered.

Regis made himself take a deep breath while his hand clenched around his cane. "How soon can you start your search in the area? And how long do you think it will take to find where they might be?"

"We will start right away, but Regis, please rest. We will find Noctis and Prompto and return them both safely."

"I need to be there when you get Noctis back. I refuse to make him think I didn't care while he was gone." Regis argued.

"But Your Majesty-"

"I will rest as you request of me, but the moment you head out to get them, I will be there. I will help bring my son back." His tone booked no argument.

Cor opened his mouth to argue again, but then he stopped. He knew it was pointless at this point. Regis was stubborn, especially when it came to his son. There would be no stopping Regis from doing what he wanted at this point. "Very well. I will alert you."

Regis gave a small smile at that while he stood. "Thank you. I look forward to your alert. And be sure to let me know of any other updates." He tilted his head a bit before heading out of the room in a quick march from the room.

-

AN: Riku: Ahh finally the confession has worked out! And also Regis has a plan... what's going to happen... we only have one chapter left...