4 years ago

Chapter Summary: Prompto learns a secret.

Telling Prompto was long overdue. It hadn't even been possible until Noctis had moved out into his own place since his friend wasn't on the approved list of people in the know about what Ignis really was. Then he'd had to wait a few weeks more until security calmed down and realized that no, nobody was crazy enough to try to take on a squad of crownsguard to sneak into the Lucian Prince's apartment and that no, said prince didn't plan on jumping out any of the twenty-fourth story windows to escape his overqualified babysitters and run amuck unsupervised in the city lost to some misguided bout of teenaged rebellion.

Everything had to appear breathtakingly normal and unremarkable. Prompto came over on a Friday night after school just like always, loaded down with junk food they'd usually try to consume after Ignis departed for the evening to help keep them wired far into the early hours of the morning. It was a perfectly routine kickoff to the weekend for a couple of unindustrious high school students dreading the coming Monday. The only deviation from the norm – tonight Ignis would be staying.

The advisor arrived shortly after Prompto with his own contribution of nourishment, which he used to prepare a truly visionary homemade pizza that would have been perfection if not for the handful of mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes the dragon had managed to conceal beneath the melted mozzarella. Not long after the kitchen was cleaned up, Noctis requested Ignis inform the security personnel he knew kept a little too close of an eye on his apartment that he was about to close all the curtains so that they could play a video game that required total darkness to be experienced in full and to ignore any odd sounds as Prompto couldn't help screaming his head off during this kind of stuff. His advisor seemed suspicious at first but once Prompto joined in with earnest begging of his own Ignis relented and a short while later gave the go ahead. Noctis was quick to see every window in the apartment covered. He then cranked up the volume on a live playthrough of a popular horror game on the PS4 before dimming the lights.

By this point Prompto was watching him with barely contained impatience – Noctis had only told his friend to play along with the added incentive of seeing something top secret for his cooperation – and Ignis crossed his arms, clearly awaiting an explanation. "I don't suppose you'd care to share what it is you're actually planning, Highness?"

Now that privacy was taken care of, Noctis locked eyes with his advisor. "Yeah, tonight we're telling Prompto."

Ignis visibly tensed. His eyes cut over to an oblivious Prompto, gaze piercing, searching for some abstruse criteria that only he could see. Noctis was aware his advisor did not trust easily, especially not with the secrets charged to him by his king, but this was Prompto. The two of them have known each other for a while now. At first, Ignis had politely tolerated the rather forced addition of the energetic, upbeat teenager into his life, but more recently had started to warm up to Prompto. The two of them actually got on quite well, even teaming up occasionally to talk Noctis out of a few of his more reckless impulses. "You wish to keep his knowledge from your father?"

"Yeah, actually. Dad's way too uptight about this. I know you don't like going behind his back, but you know Prompto. He can keep a secret, especially one this important. Plus, he's our friend; I don't like lying to him all the time." There, Noctis had revealed his hand. All that was left was to be patient and hope Iggy took the bait.

Ignis didn't respond immediately, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed; the guilt trip hadn't exactly been subtle but if all went well tonight Ignis would have one more confidant, someone he didn't have to hide from anymore. Also, there was the indisputable fact that if Ignis didn't cave Prompto would be endlessly at his heels fishing for details, most likely in public.

For his part, Prompto stood up straighter, not comprehending the significance of Ignis' scrutiny but made all the more anxious and maddenly enraptured by the mention of the king's secrets. "Hey, what's this all about anyway? It's not one of those you'd tell me but then you'd have to kill me type things, right? Oh man, Ignis has super powers doesn't he? I knew it! Dude is way too good at everything. I bet he has laser vision, or maybe super speed? Can you fly? Wait, is he reading my mind right now?" Prompto hurriedly covered his forehead with his hands. "Please tell me you're not doing that!"

"Prompto, I'm not a telepath," Ignis replied dryly. A pointed look from Noctis, however, pulled a long suffering sigh from the advisor. "Flying, on the other hand, is not entirely out of the question."

Prompto finally dropped his hands away from his face. "Wait, like you can fly a helicopter or something? That's so cool, dude!"

"Not exactly." Ignis moved away from the two younger teens to the center of the living space where Noctis has already pushed all the furniture back against the walls. "It will likely be far more efficient if I just show you. I'll ask you to stand back if you don't mind, and for the love of Shiva, please do not panic."

Prompto leaned in close so Noctis could catch his bewildered murmur, "Why would I panic?"

The brief flash of Ignis' transformation was well concealed by the apartment's blackout curtains and thankfully Prompto's resulting squeal of excitement could easily be misconstrued as a result of the videogame feed blasting in the background.

Also thankfully, Prompto managed not to freak out at the revelation that one of his closest friends just so happened to be a fantastical creature of legend. He slowly approached the dragon now casually curled across from them on the living room floor, hand held out as if he expected Ignis to sniff it or something. "Man, th-that's really you? Why didn't you say something sooner? This is so awesome!"

"I suppose I can never be sure of what reaction I'll evoke. Not to mention, my mere existence is a matter of upmost secrecy to the crown, I hope you'll understand, Prompto." Ignis was a little harder to read as a dragon — at least for everyone not getting an empathic read off him through a magical connection. The only visible sign that Prompto's attentions had flustered the advisor at all was the extra fluff of his feathers.

"Dude, you can totally count on me!" Prompto's tone was as light as ever, easily playing down the lingering tension in the room, but there was something in the set of his shoulders and the determined gleam in his eyes that gave away the seriousness of his pledge. "I won't let you down."

Ignis dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Of that, I have no doubt."

Ignis' easy acceptance had Prompto grinning ear to ear. He boldly stepped into the dragon's space, barley able to keep himself from poking at the lustrous feathers. Ignis couldn't exactly smile like this but his eyes gleamed as he lowered his head well within Prompto's reach and allowed the younger teen easy access to his curving red horns and the prominent crest of feathers at his crown that kinda resembled the way he styled his hair fluffed up like a cockatrice sometimes. Prompto handled the rare opportunity with unexpected reverence. "Wow, so soft."

"Yeah, unless he doesn't want them to be," Noctis remarked in an off-handed manner.

"Wait, you can change them? Like, how?" Prompto eyes could not possibly get any wider as he checked out the deadly sharp crystalline spikes positioned near the back of Ignis' jaw.

"It's rather simple really; in situations of duress their makeup is instinctively altered, increasing in durability and sharpness. Think of it as a natural defense, if you will. My feathers are impervious to fire and strongly resistant to elemental damage." Ignis' effortless way of projecting that same lecturing, no nonsense tone while explaining his own physiology without making it sound the least bit like bragging just seemed to add to Prompto's awe.

"Basically, if you make him mad his feathers can cut you." Noctis smirked when Prompto suddenly pulled back from where he'd started ogling the hawklike pattern on Ignis' wings.

"Wicked," Prompto exclaimed. "So, what do we do now?"

"Oh, I was sorta thinking that for once we'd try doing what the guards actually think we're doing." Noctis shrugged with well-practiced nonchalance. "You know, sit around the TV playing video games like normal people."

"Stranger things have come to pass I suppose." Ignis relaxed further onto the area rug that took up most of the living space, stretching out with feline-like grace before resting his head on neatly crossed forepaws. Noctis was pleased his friend didn't seem inclined to alter back into his human form. More often than not Ignis was reluctant to spend much time as himself even though Noctis knew it was more comfortable for him.

Prompto seemed to take the behavior for the good sign that it was and eagerly plopped down at the dragon's side to lean against his shoulder. Noctis claimed his advisor's other side and together they played some tacky shooter game that had Prompto screeching at jump scares and Ignis nitpicking the story's subpar plot. By the end of the night they were all passed out on the living room floor in a hopeless tangle of feathers and limbs. Noctis counted it as a win.

So… unfortunately, after this chapter updates are going to become a bit more sporadic. Life has just been really hectic lately and it's eating into my writing time. I am not by any means giving up on this story. I already have an ending that I'm working toward and there's so much more I want to do with Dragon!Ignis and the other bros. I hope you guys will stick around for what comes next. As always, thanks for reading!