Disclaimer: Not mine
Chapter 5
He looked at the missive from Regis, scowling. How dare they threaten Noctis. Perhaps he had been away from Insomnia for too long. Had the Council forgotten about him, about who he was? It seemed it was time for him to return, once he had wrapped up his current business.
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Ignis didn't particularly like using the canals but he was in a hurry. He swam along the bottom to ensure he remained unseen. He was due at the Citadel, he was going to join in a training session with Noctis and Gladio, Noct had been having a good week and he wanted to train. Ignis would be stopping by Prompto's apartment on the way to see if he'd like to come and watch.
Today, he would suggest Prompto join him at the pools. He had to show him his mer-form, it was past time for him to do so. Was his reluctance to show Prompto part of the reason he had yet to give them an answer? Ignis was worried that was true, that he was partially behind how long it was taking him.
He stopped and stared as something hit the water up ahead and then he saw something sinking….blood…he smelt blood in the water. He sped up as he realised it was a body…hoping it was alive and then he saw something that had his blood freezing and fear filling his veins…wild bright blonde hair. He reached out, wrapping limbs around the limp body, seeing the blood seeping from wounds, pulling him in close. He felt for a pulse, finding a weak one. He clutched Prompto close, terrified, they could lose him without him truly knowing just how much they had all come to love him. Why hadn't they sat down and all told him instead of only Noctis, of giving him that book?
He reached into the Armiger and fit the piece into Prompto's mouth, activating it, watching his lungs expand as air was forced in. It was a good thing all emergency kits carried the equipment necessary to keep a human alive underwater. He took off at top speed through the canals, activating the comm device he carried and calling for a medical team to meet him at the pools to treat a human.
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He couldn't move, everything hurt, heavy… he could feel air being forced into his lungs, like when he'd been stabbed or sick, but he wanted to cough and choke…water…he'd been in water. There were arms around him….or something….he struggled to open his eyes. Had a Glaive found him in the water? He managed to move his hand, and that was not human skin holding him…smooth, narrow. He tried to make a noise but there was something in his mouth, whatever was giving him air. He fought harder and finally opened an eye, looking up as he struggled to focus.
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Ignis glanced down as he felt movement, watching as one glassy blue eye opened, unfocused, feeling relieved that he had managed to wake up, that had to be a good sign. He shifted a hand to run through the blonde hair, just like he did when Prompto had a nightmare about his childhood, hoping he would recognise the touch. His other eye opened, and slowly focused on Ignis and he saw the younger male recognise him, relaxing again in his hold. A weak hand lifted to the breather and Ignis took it, shaking his head. "No," he said and even though Prompto couldn't speak under water, or the language of their kind, they'd been teaching him to recognise simple words. His eyes fluttered, obviously fighting to stay conscious.
He felt his comm buzz but ignored it, too focused on keeping Prompto secure and getting to help as fast as possible. He felt a faint touch to a tentacle and glanced down to see his hand curiously touching, trying to make sense of things. He shifted his grip on Prompto slightly, stroking his hair gently. You're safe, getting you help, he mouthed, and he saw the hint of a smile around the mouth piece before Prompto touched his chest and Ignis knew he was fighting the need to cough up any water he'd inhaled.
He entered the tunnels beneath the Citadel, finding Nyx and Crowe waiting, seeing their eyes widen at the body in his arms.
"What happened?" Crowe demanded as they turned and rushed through the tunnels. The Glaive were used to seeing Prompto hanging around the Citadel, arriving or leaving the pools and most were pretty sure the blond was the Prince's Fourth even if nothing official had been said yet. Why they were waiting when the kid obviously knew the truth about Noctis none of them could work out though….or why he always got out as soon as they began arriving. Personally, Crowe liked the kid, she'd even punched Tredd on his behalf when he'd made a slur about Niff's after Prompto had left.
"I don't know, he was thrown unconscious into the canal. If I hadn't been running late…" Ignis practically babbled and the two Glaive exchanged looks, they'd never seen the Adviser so panicked.
"Hey, don't think about that," Nyx warned. "We've got a full medical team standing by." He led the way into the pools and they broke the surface as the medical team rushed in.
Crowe reached over and pulled out the mouth piece and Prompto immediately began coughing to clear his lungs, groaning in pain. "We've got you kid," she soothed as they moved to the edge, Nyx practically warping from the water to pull Prompto out and carry him to where the doctors were waiting to get him onto the gurney. They immediately began cutting the soaked clothing from his body, causing him to struggle.
"Prompto stop, they're trying to help," Nyx told him, trying to distract him. The kid didn't respond and he pulled his own blade, slicing the clothing free and then yanking the emergency blanket over his shivering body.
Prompto curled up on his side, hacking and coughing, bleary eyes meeting Ignis' as the mer pulled himself part way out of the water, several tentacles becoming visible. Prompto's eyes went wide and then he smiled slightly, a hand reaching out to Ignis before going limp, his eyes rolling back. The doctors quickly moved the gurney out of the room and Ignis finished hauling himself out, quickly shifting back to human form, Nyx pulling him to his feet.
Ignis pulled out his phone and dialled as he ran. "Noctis, it's Prompto. He's in the medical wing, it appears he was attacked and then dumped in the canal."
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Noctis let his sword vanish back into the Armiger, flopping down on the bench, panting. He rubbed at his back, feeling the dull ache.
"Alright?" Gladio asked, moving to gently press on tense muscles.
"Might've pushed a bit too much," he admitted.
"Noct…"
"I know, I," he stopped, digging his phone out from his bag, seeing Ignis' number. "Specs?"
"Noctis, it's Prompto. He's in the medical wing, it appears he was attacked and then dumped in the canal."
His phone fell from suddenly lax fingers, skin going pale.
"Noct!" Gladio steadied him, kneeling to look at his face. "What is it?" he scooped the phone up but the call had been disconnected. "Noctis?"
"Prom…" he whispered, tears in his eyes. "He…he…"
"No," Gladio shook his head, the kid had been at work…he was fine, he couldn't be…dead.
Noctis scrambled up, leg buckling, and Gladio steadied him. "Gotta get to the medical wing…Iggy...Iggy brought him in."
"He's alive?" Gladio demanded and Noctis looked up at him.
"He didn't say but…if...if he wasn't….then he wouldn't have taken him there, would he?"
"Right, okay, let's go."
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Ignis stood outside the room Prompto was in, watching as the doctors worked on him. He'd given a report to Nyx, including the location of where Prompto had been dumped, trusting the Glaive to pass it on to the Marshal. He heard running and looked to see Gladio and Noctis, the Prince stubbornly holding on to his Shield as they moved, one leg definitely dragging.
"Iggy!" Noctis called in relief at seeing him and he quickly wrapped an arm around Noct's waist, letting him see into the room. "Who did this?"
"I didn't stop to look," Ignis admitted. "We must hope the cameras caught them, or Prompto can give us descriptions.
"How bad is it?" Gladio asked and Ignis shook his head.
"He regained conscious during the swim and recognised me," Ignis told him. "He breathed in a fair amount of water before I got to him and he was bleeding from multiple wounds." It must have been a group of attackers; they knew he had regained enough skill to take on one or two by himself.
They moved back as the door opened to reveal a doctor.
"Is he okay?" Noctis demanded immediately.
"He's alive," the doctor was quick to assure him.
"But?" Gladio asked and he looked between the three of them.
"His left knee is badly damaged, and he breathed in a considerable amount of water. Most of the blood loss was due to a head injury which is a concern, although he appears coherent and aware, which is a good sign. The main concern is an old injury to his upper spine, he took a very hard blow to the region, we have him immobilised until we can run scans to ensure no further damage has been done."
Ignis tightened his grip on Noctis as he blanched. No one knew like Noctis did how debilitating a spinal injury could be. "Can we see him?"
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"Of course, we've given him a mild sedative to keep him calm without putting him to sleep, but he is conscious." He led the way into the room and Noctis moved to take Prompto's hand, squeezing gently, feeling very slight pressure in return even as Prompto's head shifted on the pillow and he forced his eyes open.
"Nnnnn…oct…" he slurred.
"Shh, don't try to talk. We're here, you're safe," he promised, using his free hand to push still damp hair back from his face. He looked over as several Crownsguard entered, taking up guard positions. "What's going on?" he asked.
Cor walked in and they all glimpsed the anger on his face as he saw Prompto, the Marshal walking over quickly. Prompto stared up at him, obviously only semi-conscious but he still managed a faint smile. "There was a camera, we have their images. It's only a matter of time before they're caught."
"I want to see."
"Noctis…"
"No Gladio, I want to see what they did to him."
"Very well," Cor agreed. "Your Father is on his way to discuss all treatment options. While magic is uncertain with head wounds, it is better at things such as limbs."
Noctis nodded, if they could use magic quickly enough it could save Prompto from surgery or limping on that leg for the rest of his life. He could power curatives but it took a lot out of him and they weren't as powerful as the ones his Dad could make, plus he could heal without them to a point, he had kept Noctis alive until they had returned to the Citadel after the Marilith attack.
"Until we know more about the reasons for the attack, we'll be keeping him and all of you under guard," Cor added, and they nodded in understanding. Prompto had been seen with Noctis enough that they attack on him could be a prelude to a move against Noctis or any of them.
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Regis stared down at the boy on the bed, shocked by the footage Cor had found. He had done well in trying to escape but then defending himself, despite already being injured. He pulled back the blanket and inspected the immobilised limb, seeing how swollen the knee was. His head had been stitched and bandaged and he was in a brace to keep him from moving. The scans had revealed new damage to the area around the old injury and they were talking surgery.
The Crownsguard were hunting down his attackers, they looked like a group of local boys who'd been out looking for trouble. Lip readers had picked up comments about 'dirty Niff's' in the footage but they were still keeping to a heightened alert, in case it was meant to throw them off.
Regis pulled decided against curatives due to the head injury, instead directly channelling magic into the sleeping teen.
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They curled in Noctis' massive bed together, unable to sleep. In the morning, Prompto was undergoing surgery, and they were all worried. No matter how skilled the surgeon, the presence of curatives and even phoenix downs, such surgery was always risky.
Ignis partially blamed himself, if he had used a hi-potion immediately, then maybe the surgery wouldn't be needed, how much of the problem was from his mad dash through the canals to reach medical aid?
"It's not your fault," Gladio told him before kissing him.
"Gladio's right, you saved his life. He would've drowned before anyone else scented the blood in the water," Noctis murmured, nuzzling at his throat, an arm around his waist.
Gladio ran his hands over Ignis' body, wanting to take his mind off his misplaced guilt and Noctis followed his lead, both wanting Ignis to relax and it would keep all of them from thinking about the morning.
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Cor stood at the foot of the bed, watching Prompto breath steadily, body immobilised to ensure the wound would heal well. They were keeping him in a medically induced coma to give his body a chance to begin healing. They'd caught one of his attackers, the one who had landed the first blow but he was refusing to speak and his parents were wealthy enough to afford the best legal protection. If it went to the courts, there was a chance they would get off due to the rampant anti-Niff attitudes.
The fact that the attack had been leaked to the press was worrying too, who had done that and why? Though it may have backfired on whoever had done it, the article had actually created sympathy for Prompto, not anger or hatred. Especially once the connection was made and people realised he was the same blond in the picture from early on in the school year, Noctis' friend.
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Prompto slowly opened his eyes and blinked, he recognised this room…when he'd nearly died from withdrawal from the treatments….why? What was going on? He tried to move his hand to find it trapped and looked down to see a head of fine black hair resting on the bed, a pale hand wrapped around his. Noct, it was Noctis. He looked around more and spotted two men outside the door, guarding it. What had happened? He licked dry lips and tried to reach for a cup with his free hand only to knock it over when his arm wouldn't move right and Noctis jolted awake, confused for a second before his eyes widened and he smiled.
"You're awake," Noctis whispered, sounding utterly relieved even as he squeezed his hand. "How do you feel?"
Prompto grimaced. "W….wa..te" he broke off coughing and Noctis got up, pouring a new glass.
"Here, small sips," he warned and Prompto nodded before wincing, sipping gratefully at the liquid.
"What happened?"
"You were attacked, don't you remember?" Noctis asked, retaking his seat and Prompto's free hand, careful of the IV in the back of it.
Attacked? He grimaced as it began to come back. "Iggy? In the water."
"Yeah, he brought you here. He was on his way to your place to invite you to watch a training session. If he hadn't been running late and decided to use the canal shortcut…."
"M'okay," he smiled tiredly, at least he thought he was.
"You've been out for a week. Dad fixed your knee with magic but they uh…they hit you in the back. The doctors had to go back in, they kept you sedated till last night."
"Damage?"
"They got it all, you'll just need some therapy again when they let you up. You really need to stop getting hit in the back before we both need wheelchairs," he managed a shaky smile and Prompto squeezed his hand, realising now that it wasn't just lingering drugs making his grip weaker. "They got footage of the attack and Cor's tracking them down, they won't get away with this, not like last time," he swore and Prompto nodded tiredly. "Get some more sleep, one of us will be with you all the time," he promised and then leant down, brushing his lips against Prompto's dry ones. "Don't scare us like that again, please," Noct whispered and Prompto tried to answer but he was asleep before he could.
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Ignis stepped cautiously into the room, looking around, seeing the signs of Noctis practically having moved into Prompto's recovery room. He saw the younger man in the bed, watching something, but then he looked over, moving his neck very slowly, and smiled.
"Iggy," he called and Ignis forced himself to approach the bed.
He hadn't seen Prompto since he had woken from the sedatives. Despite his acceptance of the others, Ignis had been nervous over his reaction to him. He'd decided that day to show Prompto, he just hadn't expected it to be in that manner. Though he wasn't sure how much Prompto even remembered. "You look a lot better."
"Not bleeding anymore," he grinned and Ignis chuckled.
"How do you feel?" he asked in concern, he hated the idea Prompto was in pain.
"Okay, looking forward to starting therapy…again."
"You'll get through this lot too," he promised, torn between reaching out to him and retreating. Prompto solved his dilemma by reaching out to weakly grab his wrist. Ignis could feel the tremor in his muscles and he moved closer, gently removing his hand to place it on the bed. "Don't move too much Prompto," he soothed.
"Thought you were leaving," he muttered.
"You want me to stay?"
"Of course," Prompto answered, promptly. "I remember and I'm not scared of you. Cephalopod, right?" he asked and Ignis blinked before nodding.
"Octopus would be the closest," he admitted.
"You thought I'd be scared of you…because of tentacles? Iggy…" he reached out to him and Ignis hesitated but then moved to sit on the edge of the bed, leaning in to hug him and Prompto hugged back shakily. Ignis gently combed his fingers through messy blond hair, holding him, being carefully to help support him with a hand on his back. "I'm not scared of you," Prompto swore softly and Ignis closed his eyes, enjoying the closeness.
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Iedolas causally put the paper down and picked up the next. It was always useful to remain informed over what the public worldwide knew, especially in his own capital and Insomnia. He stared at the headlines and then at the picture of the victim….wasn't that interesting. He looked up at where two young men stood, ready to serve any need he had. They were both blond haired with blue eyes, the faces blank of any expression, eyes watching him for any sign he wanted them to do something. He looked back at the photo and found himself smiling in anticipation, finally, an opening.
He pressed the intercom. "Summon Verstael Besithia immediately." This could be very interesting and useful.
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Noctis waited silently as Prompto stared at the part of his testing that had been kept from him before.
"I…I don't understand…" wide blue eyes looked from him to Cor.
"The war, as you've learnt is about more than what the average citizen knows. Niflheim is ruled by a several clans of Harpies and the Emperor himself is an Isonade, a shark-like creature with a tail covered in barbs, that grows to incredible size. Both species are the natural enemies of merpeople," Ignis explained and Prompto went even whiter.
"I….I have harpy in me?"
Noctis hated hearing that tone back, just like when he'd been telling them about being a clone. He walked over and grabbed Prompto's hand, squeezing. "It doesn't matter what's in your DNA. Just like the whole MT thing doesn't matter. You're one of us," he swore, leaning down to press their foreheads together. Finally, he felt Prompto squeeze back, nodding slightly.
"Can you still…the bond…?" Prompto whispered and Cor slipped from the room.
"We don't know what will happen," he admitted just as softly. "It could have no effect at all and that's what we're all hoping for. It's only twelve percent."
"But?"
"But there's also the Unknown…that adds up to twenty percent," he hated admitting they didn't know what would happen. He reached out to gently trace his fingers across Prompto's cheek, smiling when he felt Prom press into his touch. "No matter what, we'll be at your side."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Prompto asked and Noctis flinched slightly.
"I didn't want to worry you, we've been researching, trying to find any evidence of what could happen. I'm sorry."
"No more secrets?" he pleaded and Noctis nodded.
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Prompto wrapped his arms around Ignis' neck as he lifted him from the bed, gently settling him into the wheelchair. He was really looking forward to leaving the room. It didn't look like a hospital room anymore, not with the guys and Cor forever bringing things by to make it more like home. He wasn't really looking forward to therapy, to finding out how much he'd have to rebuild, he remembered all too well how gruelling it was. But he also wanted to get his independence back as quickly as possible, get back to class.
The University had been told of the attack and he had been given the semester off without any penalty, they had even sent him a generic get well soon card. With the Marshal himself being the one to tell them, what else could they do? His apartment would be waiting for him when he was ready to move back…but maybe he wouldn't?
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Verstael looked down at the photograph and then the file he had brought up. So, the stolen clone had survived and integrated itself into the Prince's inner circle. Did they think the clone was no threat? How foolish. He smirked; every clone carried a piece of him within it. In a way, they were all his children, at least until they were fully converted, it kept them under control. He had wrongly assumed the clone dead, or he would have acted before.
With the attack, it was likely he was recovering within the Citadel itself, that was very handy indeed.
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Gladio grinned as Prompto transferred himself to the wheelchair. Therapy was going well, even if the kid was getting frustrated at times. It was understandable, Prompto was used to being independent and hated being back to how he'd been after the first attack. There had been less damage down this time, but the old wound had been badly aggravated, causing lingering pain and weakness.
Noctis was very willing to do what he could of the exercises with him, it wasn't like it'd hurt. They'd been exercising together since the winter since it saved time for them to do them together and it let them give each other encouragement. He liked helping them, it gave him time with Prompto to continue getting to know him.
He thought Prompto was almost ready to agree to the bond, despite everyone's worries about how he'd react to the magic. The last thing any of them wanted was to watch him die….or become the enemy, literally. The thought of losing the bright teen who made them all so much happier just by being in the same room, it hurt. He was strong though, look at everything he had already survived, surely he could come through magic as well.
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Noctis practically held his breath as Prompto was helped up onto his feet and then he was holding onto the bars to keep himself upright. His arms shook but he carefully dragged a foot forward, taking a step and then another. Noctis cheered and Prompto grinned at him.
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Verstael ensured he would be left alone, his 'children' guarding him, before settling into place and closing his eyes. He reached out for the essence of his wayward son; it would be difficult with so much distance between them but it would not stop him.
He didn't know how much time had passed but finally he felt it, the essence of the missing child, so bright, pained…sleeping deeply, but he reached out to coax it into waking. It was time for his son to join his brothers.
TBC…
Shorter chapter because I thought this part should be its own chapter.
