For Promptis Fanweek Day 5: Getting Caught

Trigger Warning: This chapter does contain reference to eating disorders, so if that is a trigger for anyone, please read at your own discretion.

We need a medic!" Gladio bellowed as he rushed through the sticky hot streets of Lestallum. Noct and Ignis were at his back, trying to keep up with his brisk pace and long strides. In his giant arms lay Prompto, white a nd cold as the snow in Niflheim, and dead to the world around him.

"Medic!" Ignis called out, but Noct didn't have the strength to join in. His heart was pounding so hard in his throat, he didn't think any sounds could make it through the tight space. The commotion thankfully had several of the townsfolk heading toward them.

"This way," one man instructed, waving for Gladio to follow him.

The group was led deep into town, farther than they had ever been. They were past the power plant when the man finally announced that they had reached their destination. With shaky legs, they hurried into the facility, and Gladio's temper quickly got the staff's attention. Prompto was hurriedly transferred out of the safety of Gladio's arms and into a hospital bed .

Noctis watched in disdain as a trio of nurses rushed him off down a hallway, and he was left to watch the doors swing closed behind them. Breathe, he told himself. Just breathe.

Ignis' hand fell upon his shoulder a moment later, and he was soothed by the reminder that he was not alone in this—not in the waiting, and most certainly not in the worrying. They all cared about Prompto, and would be relieved when he was in good health again.

"Prompto is very resiliant, Noct. Whatever this illness is, I am confident that he will overcome it," Ignis said, softly. Noctis nodded numbly, then dared a glance to his left where Gladio was standing, but the man didn't offer the same comfort that Ignis had. Instead, he looked about as distraught as Noct did, his face twitching and mouth trembling like tears weren't far off. Noctis was sure it wouldn't last, though; it would probably turn back to anger before he ever let himself cry.

"If anything happens to that kid, I swear—"

"Gladio," Ignis hushed, feeling the need to stop him before he upset Noct further, but Noct wanted to hear the end of that sentence. What would Gladio do? Sue the hospital staff? Take his grief out on Ardyn because, somehow, he had probably caused this?.

Noct curled his fingers into themselves until his nails dug painfully into his palm. He just needed to feel something—anything besides the nauseating ache of worry.

"Calm down, Noct," Gladio grunted, watching as Noct threw his fist against the wall again, looking helpless as tears welled up in his eyes.

"It's because of those bastards in our school. And his parents. They're a million miles away, and still, they're causing him to do this to himself!" Noctis cried, punching the wall again. Of course, it didn't make way for his fist; it only allowed him to make a hard impact with knuckles that would most likely be bruised tomorrow. "Or is it me? Did I do something to make him feel like he wasn't good enough?"

"It's easy to want to blame oneself at a time like this, but just know that this isn't something you did or that you could control. This is an imbalance in Prompto's mind. His vision of himself doesn't line up with reality," Ignis explained.

"Why not?! I just... hate that he felt he had to do this," Noct whimpered, pulling his hand back from the wall and eyeing the red and purple already painted across his knuckles. He blinked back tears.

"You heard the nurse. He's going to be okay. You just need to let him know that we'll help him through this. All of us will," Gladio assured him, patting Noct's shoulder with a strong hand.

"We will stay here in the city until he's regained his strength. Don't worry, Noct, we will do everything in our power to fix this," Ignis promised.

"Go on, Noct. Just talk to him. Standing here upset isn't helping either of you." Gladio squeezed Noct's shoulder before letting his hand fall back to his side. Noct breathed in, knowing that Gladio was right. He wiped an arm across his eyes, drying the tears before they could drip down his face.

"He's got a wonderful companion to confide in. Simply show him your support," Ignis encouraged, and Noct headed for the door to Prompto's room, hoping the knot in his stomach would soon unravel itself.

Noctis didn't know if he had ever been more relieved to see anybody in his life. Prompto was sitting up in the hospital bed, dressed in a white robe that matched the tinge of his still pale face. His back was propped up by pillows, and Noct wasn't sure if he could have held himself up on his own—maybe it was best not to ask.

"Hey," Noct greeted.

"Hey, Noct," Prompto greeted back with a smile. So casual, as if nothing had happened at all, Noct thought, stomach remaining unsettled.

"Sorry to make you worry," Prompto added, a little more solemnly.

"That's okay. Just..." Noct trailed off and slowly made his way into the chair next to the bed. He leaned over to rest his elbows on his knees, his hands folding together loosely. He let out a sigh before he asked, "Are you okay?" His low gaze wandered up to meet that of his friend.

"T'yeah. I'm fine," Prompto said, half laughing, half scoffing. "It's no big deal. Just low blood pressure. I'm good now." He raised his hand slightly to show off the IV that was connected to it, secured by a few strips of medical tape and gauze. So, they're feeding him through a tube, huh? Noctis shivered at the unnatural method of keeping him sustained. Does this mean he's still refusing to feed himself?

"Yeah. And the nurse said it's from lack of nutrients. Have... you been eating?" Noct asked slowly. The smile slipped from Prompto's face, but he somehow pulled it back into place before replying.

"Of course!" he nodded, vigorously, but Noct tilted his head slightly, looking skeptical. Prompto bit his lip, wondering how he could get around this. "I mean, maybe I skimped a little on the Cup Noodles the last few nights, but who needs that much meat and butter in their noodles anyway?"

"And before that?"

"I had the rice bowl that Ignis made. Delicious," Prompto smiled, but the nervous twitch between his brows gave him away. Noct could actually remember Prompto pushing his food around a lot on his plate that night. At the time, Prompto was being so chatty, he'd figured he was forgetting to eat his food rather than play with it. Noct might have seen him take a few bites of rice, but he certainly hadn't touched any of the stuff on top. It had probably ended up as Chocobo feed by the end of the night.

"What if I phrase it this way?" Noctis frowned, scooting his chair in a little closer to Prompto and staring up at him with worried eyes. "Have you been starving yourself?"

Prompto's eyes darted from side to side, then down to the bedsheets. His lip curled inward, his hands knotted together in the space between his legs.

"I can't end up like I was back then. And lately, I feel like I'm heading down that road," he admitted, meekly.

"Why? Because you eat a hearty supper every night? Half the time, it's the only meal we have during the day!" Noct was on the verge of sounding frustrated, but he wasn't mad. He was just struggling—trying his hardest to understand what would drive his beloved friend to such desperate measures. "Besides, think of how much you burn off every day. We're on our feet a lot, and out fighting, and—"

"I know," Prompto interrupted, not wanting to hear any more reasons why he was 'wrong' for what he'd done.

"Prompt..." Noctis said, voice softening when he realized he'd upset him. Prompto's head was hung low, and his cheeks only had colour now because of his embarrassment, Noctis was sure. Tenderly, Noct reached out for his laced hands and pulled one of them into his own. "Is it the food itself? Because Specs has offered to make anything you'd like. If you don't like what we're having, you can always have something else. He doesn't mind."

Prompto dragged his gaze away from that spot on the bed, and pulled it towards Noctis, whose blue eyes were still glowing with concern. His brows were slanted, his gaze soft, as was the rest of his expression. Prompto let out a low chuckle and let his head fall again.

"You're too good to me, Noct," he hummed, gently.

"I'm not. Not too good to you. I just... treat you like this because you deserve it," Noct promised, but he could see the hesitation—the doubt, even—that was twisting up Prompto's features. "Why don't you feel you deserve it?"

"You know why, Noct. You know what my life's been like." Noct didn't need him to explain what that meant. He knew it meant neglect—from his classmates and foster parents—and as a result of that, total insecurity.

"And now, we're headed for Altissia, where I'll meet Lady Lunafreya for the first time. She's a huge part of the reason that I talked to you in high school, you know? So I feel like... I need to show her I'm worthy of your friendship."

"Hey, you are worthy. You don't have to prove that to anyone," Noctis announced, sternly. "What the hell does it matter what she thinks anyway? You're my friend."

"I know. I just... want to be the best I can be. For a prince. For everyone, really."

"I get that, but... This isn't the way to do it," Noct said, voice weakening. Prompto glanced up at his friend's distraught expression, his worried eyes and tight, downward-curved lips. The genuine concern wasn't something Prompto often received—not from his oblivious parents, and certainly not from his peers; they'd given him looks of pity perhaps, but nothing like this. The look in Noct's eyes, the way he wordlessly told him how important he was... It overwhelmed him, and he could feel himself wanting to break down.

"I want to understand. Just... just help me understand," Noctis pleaded, mustering some strength to his voice so Prompto would know he really meant it. His eyes begged for answers, and his expression continued to tug at Prompto's heart. This was Noct, Noct who accepted him no matter what he looked like or where he came from. If he was willing to try and understand this sickness of his, then he might as well embrace the opportunity. It was humiliating, and absolutely terrifying, but maybe he should try to talk it out with someone, and there was no one in the world that he trusted more than his best friend.

For several minutes, the room was filled with silence. Noctis simply waited, holding Prompto's hand and brushing his thumb against the back of it. He felt antsy, like he just wanted Prompto to hurry up and tell him what was going on in his head, but he clung to the part of his inner calm that was telling him to be patient, and it paid off. After a while, Prompto forced himself to open up and explain, his whole body trembling as he spoke.

He told Noctis about how it started before they had 'officially' met, back when he'd been trying to lose weight, and diet and exercise hadn't been giving him the quick results he'd wanted. He'd tried not eating for a few days, but the hunger had driven him to the point where he couldn't take it anymore, and he'd started back on his diet of salads and veggies, but not before he'd dropped a couple of pounds. Unfortunately, the idea that he could starve himself had never really left his mind; instead, it stayed there as a last resort if he ever became unhappy with himself.

"I know, it's terrible. And so stupid. I don't want to have to do this, Noct," Prompto confessed, tears slipping down his freckled cheeks. It was hard letting the truth out, letting Noct see this vulnerable side of him that he'd wanted to keep secret from everyone.

Noct let out a breath of relief. At least it didn't seem like Prompto was in too deep yet. They could try to right this before it became a serious, recurring problem.

"We'll help you, okay? We'll make it so you don't feel you can't eat anymore. Ignis can make some different meals for you. Fish, salads, whatever you want. Even those horrid vegetables you like so much," Noct smirked, making Prompto release a tearful chuckle. He clutched Noct's hand a little tighter.

"Thanks, Noct. You really are the best."

Noctis offered him a smile. "I should let the guys know you're okay," he said, getting up from his chair, but his hand remained linked with Prompto's. Prompto's gaze followed him as he stood, and they exchanged soft smiles.

"And listen. I don't need you to be skinny. I need you to be healthy. And there's a difference, okay?" Noct said softly, squeezing Prompto's hand. Prompto let the words sink in, then he nodded, clutching Noct's hand in return, silently thanking him.

"I love you," Noct murmured, leaning over to steal a kiss, which Prompto eagerly returned. Lips moved tenderly and carefully against lips, and Prompto knew in the gentle gesture that he was dearly cared for. He was safe with Noct, even now that he'd been caught. Even now that he knew how far he could fall.

"I love you, too," Prompto whispered. He would get through this. He wasn't alone.