Chapter 2 of the cutest fluff story!
"How old to do what?" Ignis asked, his voice clearly surprised by Prompto's question.
He figured it would be a bit of a shock, but he was prepared to answer whatever was thrown at him. "Yeah. This baby was kind of just left at my door tonight. So I was thinking… I could maybe adopt her?"
There was a soft sigh. "Prompto, you're only 17. Freshly graduated from high school, you can't just adopt a baby. It would be best if we contact the authorities to let them know the situation."
"No!" Prompto interjected. "I can't just… I don't want to give her up. I don't care how young I am. I've taken care of myself for years now, I can manage a baby."
"I just cannot see how you will be able to manage. You'll be going to college soon enough or getting a job won't you? It surely would be a struggle to manage those things along with raising a child."
Prompto sighed, sitting down on the couch. "Ignis please… you don't understand how much this means to me."
"Perhaps if you were to tell me then I would be more understanding," Ignis replied.
With a deep breath, Prompto nodded even if he was the only one in the room. "Well as you know, I've supported myself for a while. My parents… just never were around for me when I needed them. So this baby, Scarlet, was just left by her parents, they don't even seem to care. I'm reminded of my own… and so, I just want to make sure she doesn't end up like me, unloved by her parents."
"I see. I can understand your viewpoint, but I am sure we could find her a good, stable home."
"I don't want to take that risk! My parents adopted me, clearly being seen as a 'good, stable home' and look what happened!" Prompto hissed. "They leave for months on end, leaving me to do everything myself. Barely even write or call me or anything! They send me money just to make sure I have enough to pay for bills! There was also money once to buy food, but once I was old enough to cook they stopped with that extra money. They told me I could do things on my own, that they weren't going to continue to be responsible for me! I'm tired of being alone everyday when I come home, with no one to talk to. I don't want to have that same situation happen to Scarlet! I can be better than those people! I can be what my parents won't be!"
There was a pause, and Prompto was glad he had a moment to catch his breath. He could only hope that his words hadn't been too much. He hadn't even realized how much he had built up over the last few months… or perhaps it had been much longer than just a few months.
"I'm sorry Prompto, I didn't know the full story. I apologize for my dismissiveness from before. I can see how much this means to you."
Prompto's heart started to race. "S-So? You'll help me out?"
"I shall do what I can. Aside from the baby, was there any supplies?
"No, there wasn't," Prompto answered. "Just Scarlet, the carrier case thingy, and the medical files and stuff with the parents' names being cut out."
"Then I shall buy some supplies needed and bring it by tonight. If you have those records, can you tell me her age?"
"Eight months," Prompto replied. "And she's just the sweetest thing. And thanks Ignis, really."
"Of course. I will be over shortly. I would say you should probably call Noct. Let him know the situation."
"Right. That's a good idea. I'll send him a text to let him know. So see you soon?"
"Yes. I will be leaving to pick up some supplies now. I will give an estimate of about 20 to 30 minutes."
"Okay thanks Iggy. You are seriously a lifesaver with this."
"Alright, Prompto. See you soon."
After saying goodbye, Prompto went back to the kitchen and walked over to Scarlet. Her eyes were starting to close, but when Prompto came closer she opened them back up and smiled. Prompto took her back out of the seat and carried over the couch.
"Okay. Gotta get a cute picture of us. For one, to start off our new life and memories together and two, gotta prove to Noct that I'm not making this up."
With Scarlet in his lap, he held out his phone in front of them and opened up the camera app. Right away Scarlet seemed to be curious by their image in the camera. She babbled and tried to reach out to touch the screen.
"Hey, hold on! I want to get a picture. Can't do that if your hand is covering the lens."
Prompto scooted Scarlet back a bit, and tried to hold out the camera a little further. Scarlet still tried to reach, making some grunts and other sounds as she wiggled in his lap.
"Okay! I get it you are curious, but let me just…" he snapped a picture of the two of them. "There we go. See? All good."
Quickly, Prompto sent a text to Noctis. He tried to make it as quick and simple as possible all while Scarlet still tried to reach for his phone.
Found baby at door. Mine now. But a sweetie!
After the text he sent the picture of the two of them and put the phone to the side. Scarlet wanted to reach for it, but Prompto turned her around to face him. "Hey, we can play with my phone later, but right now I just wanna look at you."
He hadn't really taken the time before to look at her, but now that he was sure that Scarlet was sticking around he took a moment to see all of her features. She was a baby who had fair skin, maybe a bit lighter than his own. Her eyes were big, wide, and a beautiful bright blue. Her hair was an adorably light shade of red, a hair color that was just as uncommon in Insomnia as his own blond color.
"Aw, cute little redhead. I wonder if your hair will be super curly or wavy," Prompto said as he ran his hand over her head, feeling the soft fluff of her hair. "We'll find out together though. Get ready Scarlet, cause we got a lot of learning to do about each other. And I promise you Scarlet, I will be there for you. I'll be the best parent you'll ever know."
