Disclaimer: not mine
Chapter 16
Regis walked into the hospital, people quickly moving out of his way, staring in awe, the Guard saluting. He didn't like having Noctis so exposed and away from the Citadel but he'd needed to be seen quickly and so had been brought to the hospital that was closest to the school rather than the Citadel. He saw Gladio standing in the hall ahead, clothing dusty, but he straightened up when he saw the King and his own Father approaching. "Noctis?"
"He lost a lot of blood. His leg was broken and his arm…it looks like he threw it up to protect his throat when one of the MT's attacked him. Ignis used a hi-potion on him in the field. Doctors said there were traces of poison but that he'd bled most of it out before we got to him," he reported.
"Are you hurt?" Clarus asked and Gladio shook his head.
"Noctis and Prompto were the only ones hurt."
"How is young Argentum?"
"He was knocked out, we almost missed him but Noct kept mumbling his name so we looked closer, he was lodged under some of the debris, it actually did a good job keeping him safe. Ignis took him home since he has plenty of medical supplies. When I called Ignis he said he's not showing any of the dangerous signs of concussion. Do you want me to call Ignis in?"
"No," Regis answered. "Knowing Ignis is with his friend will help keep Noctis settled."
Gladio nodded and stepped aside, letting them in.
Regis moved quickly to Noctis' side, seeing they had him hooked up to an IV of blood and fluids, one arm propped up on a pillow, wrapped in clean bandages, one of his legs also propped up. He reached out to gently stroke black hair back from Noctis' paler than normal face and Noct stirred, pressing into his touch. "Noct?" he called softly and slowly blue eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus. "It's alright son, you're safe in the hospital," he soothed.
"D…ad?"
"Go back to sleep, you'll feel better when you wake."
"Pro…."
"He's safe, Ignis is with him. He took a bang to the head but that's all," he told him, watching as Noctis fell back to sleep.
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Ignis sat on the bed, back to the headboard, Prompto's head in his lap so that he could run his un-gloved fingers through blond hair as he read a report on the attack on his phone. He wasn't expecting Prompto to wake for hours yet after having seen him post full moon so he was surprised to hear a soft whine, feel him shifting restlessly. "It's alright Prompto," he murmured, putting his phone aside as sleepy blue eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus on him. "Shh, go back to sleep."
"Ig…" he slurred and Ignis gently got an arm around his chest, pulling him up to sit across his lap, pulling a blanket up around them, sharing what little body warmth he had. He felt Prompto move, curling closer, head over his slowly beating heart. Then he stiffened, eyes going wide, struggling to get up. Ignis tightened his grip, hushing him. "It's alright Prom, you're safe. Noctis is going to be fine too, he's in the hospital with Gladio guarding him. You saved his life."
Prompto was shaking in his arms, high-pitched whines coming from him, his eyes wide. He weakly struggled against him and Ignis pressed a kiss to his forehead, feeling him freeze at the move.
Ignis removed his lips, pressing his forehead to Prompto's, hand moving back to stroke his hair. "It's alright," he promised softly. "We already knew Prompto, Noctis has known since the night after your first visit to his apartment. I found out a few months later and Gladio worked it out when you fell while walking with him. There was no accident with the silverware, I replaced it for your safety, Noctis made sure everything else in the apartment that could harm you was put away as well," he explained.
"K….knew?" Prompto asked, trembling slightly still.
"Yes Prompto, we already knew. Noctis wanted to wait, to let you tell us when you were ready though I warned him you might never say anything, not because of a lack of trust but because it is something you have to keep secret to stay safe." He kept up gently petting his hair. Slowly, a hand came up to clutch at his shirt, Prompto pressing hesitantly closer, and Ignis just held him, rocking him gently.
"Am…Am I going to be…" he whined in distress and Ignis hugged him tighter.
"No one else knows Prompto. You shifted back before anyone else reached us, and I brought you home unseen. We've told them that you took a hit to the head and were unconscious when Noctis was attacked, half buried by rubble so the MT's didn't notice you. Gladio dug you out while I tended to Noctis and then I brought you home as you were coming around and lucid. If they find any blood from you at the scene they should assume it's from the headwound, and there's no reason to run an infection test."
"Why?" he stared up at Ignis and he saw the faintest flicker of gold in his eyes even as Prompto pushed himself more upright, leaning in, head on his shoulder, and Ignis shifted his grip to support him, feeling warm breath on his throat, Prompto's nose rubbing the skin, before slightly too sharp teeth rested on his skin and he knew what Prompto was doing.
Ignis just rubbed his back, heart rate steady, unafraid. "We all care about you Prompto and we will keep you safe," he promised. He felt Prompto remove his teeth and then felt him rubbing his cheek against his shoulder, whimpering softly. "Noct is pack, isn't he?" he asked, feeling Prompto nod. "We saw you defending him while trying to get down to you. You were incredible," he praised.
"You don't…hate me?"
"Oh Prompto, no. We don't hate you. You are our friend and we love you. You aren't evil or dangerous and when Noctis is King he is going to make it legal for you to be here."
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Prompto clung to Ignis. They knew….they'd almost always known… and they still looked after him, still let him into the apartment, left him alone with Noct. How could they trust him so much when he had lied to them the whole time he had known them. Would it be different if they knew he'd always been a wolf that…that he'd been just like the attackers once?
It felt so nice, to be held, feeling Ignis gently rubbing his back, soothing. He was tired, so tired, but he didn't want to sleep, not yet. "Pack?" he asked quietly.
"I would be honoured," Ignis whispered back, gently lifting Prompto's head to look into bleu/gold eyes, smiling at him. Prompto wrapped himself around Iggy, holding on tight and Ignis just held on back.
"I…I wasn't infected," he whispered and felt Ignis nod.
"I suspected as much, or at least a very young infection age. Are you really an Argentum?"
He'd worked that much out? "No…"
"Our current theory is a refugee from Niflheim, found by your adoptive parents and brought to the city as their 'nephew'," Ignis told him and Prompto stiffened slightly. "Where you were born doesn't matter Prompto, it's who you are that is important."
"Even…even…." Could he say it? he glanced down at his wrist, covered by the long sleeve of Noct's uniform shirt. Shakily, he undid the cuff and rolled it back, revealing the stark black lines.
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Ignis watched Prompto undo the cuff and roll back the sleeve, revealing stark black lines marring pale skin. He couldn't help hissing softly in anger, but his grip was gentle as he grasped Prompto's arm, running his fingers over the lines, finding they were raised. "Who marked you like this?" he demanded, able to feel his fangs were fully extended and he took a deep breath, forcing them back.
Prompto was shaking in his arms and Ignis gently rubbed the branded skin. "Shh, it's alright, I'm not mad at you," he promised. "I would however like to introduce whoever did that to you to my Spelldaggers," he admitted and Prompto snorted shakily.
"Planning to take on the whole army and government?" he asked, voice tense, flinching back as if expecting a blow and Ignis frowned.
"The government?" he asked in confusion. "We hear so little of the citizens, are you saying the Empire brands its own people now? Or just the werewolves?" He felt Prompto shaking and pulled up another blanket, worried about him. He was exhausted from shifting and fighting, he needed sleep but he obviously wasn't going to until he told Ignis whatever it was.
"I…I…" Prompto pressed into his hold before pulling away from him, sitting with his knees to his chest, arms locked around them. "I'm an MT," he choked out and Ignis blinked.
He was what? That wasn't possible. "Prompto…"
"I wasn't born, I was made in a lab. Trained all the time to fight….to kill…they'd strap us down and inject something and it hurt…it hurt so much. I don't…I don't remember how I got out, just remember waking up on the shore."
"Prompto…" Ignis didn't know what to say. "I saw you, your eyes are wolf gold, not red."
"Takes years for eyes to change, mine…mine were dark purple. Shifting didn't hurt but I was remembering less and less about what happened when I was the wolf, woke up covered in blood, hurt… they used to make us stand outside in the snow and then bring out older MT's. anyone who flinched or moved they…..they killed and ate them," he hid his face in his arms and Ignis felt sick.
He could smell Prompto's fear and self-hatred. If he had grown up like that…no wonder his self-esteem was so bad. His opinion of the Argentum's skyrocketed too, to take in a child soldier and help him grow up to be as good and kind as Prompto was, they were amazing. He slowly reached out and lay a hand on his arm, feeling Prompto flinch. Did he really think? It just made his actions at the school even more laudable, he had known exactly what he was facing, he may have even known those wolves as a child, and yet he had stood his ground, protected someone he had been taught was the enemy for almost a decade, unless he'd spent several years alone in Lucis.
"Come here Prom," he whispered, tugging at him until he slumped towards him and Ignis pulled him back into his arms, curling around him, rocking him. "You are so amazing," he praised. He didn't believe for a second that Prompto was a plant or anything like that. No, his fear of the Empire, of them hating him for his past, it was too real. "How old were you, when you escaped?"
"Eight."
He'd somehow made it across the continents at eight. "Were you alone for long before the Argentum's found you?"
Prompto shrugged slightly. "Don't know…Dad found me. I…I wouldn't have made it much longer," he admitted quietly. "There's not much food or water in Leide. I'd shifted for a fight, defending myself, I must have smelt Dad's food cooking. He had a gun but…he didn't shoot, he just filled a bowl with water and gave me the food. Sat with me all night till I changed back, looked after me. He was the first person to not flinch, to look after me, to…to give me a choice."
"A choice?" he gently rubbed Prompto's back.
"To try and come home with him, or he would've taken me to Lestallum where I might be accepted, he'd get me a place to live and pay for it."
"You chose to come here," Ignis whispered and Prompto nodded. "That was very brave." That got a small shrug. "Come on, time to sleep some more, I'll make you something to eat later." He shifted around on the bed to lie down, wrapping himself around Prompto who went utterly limp, whining softly. "You're safe Prom," he promised. "You are Prompto Argentum, not who the Empire wanted you to be."
"Unit 05953234," he offered and Ignis hugged him tighter.
"You are a person, no matter how you were born," he swore. He felt Prompto gradually relax, sleep winning and he remained in the bed with him, calming the nightmares before they could take hold.
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Prompto woke to the amazing smell of Iggy's cooking and sat up, confused for a second, before it all rushed back. He got up and stretched before looking around, seeing Ignis' jacket hanging on his closet door, his shoes on the floor nearby. He'd stayed….even knowing the full truth he had stayed with him. He grabbed clean clothes and got in the shower, scrubbing extra to remove the scent from shifting and then being in bed for most of the day, though he almost didn't want to, because entwined with his own was Ignis' subtle scent and Noct's stronger one since he'd been wearing his clothing. He'd said he wanted to be pack, though that was before he knew Prompto was an MT, would he change his mind now? But…he'd stayed. He got dressed and downed his meds, heading downstairs to find the TV on, showing the school and he stared in horror at the images.
"Breath Prompto," a voice whispered in his ear, an arm around his waist and he slumped into the hold, taking in a shaky breath.
"How…" he swallowed. "How bad is it?"
"Fifteen confirmed dead so far," Ignis answered, steering him to the table where a large meal, heavy on the meat, awaited. "Over two hundred injured to varying degrees."
The large meals, the guys always having snacks on hand…he groaned. "How did I not realise you knew when you keep stuffing me with food?" he felt like an idiot after the explanation of how Noctis had rearranged his apartment, the cutlery changed, now realising they had bene feeding the very high metabolism of a werewolf as well.
"We did our best to hide that we knew and I think you just didn't want to see it?" Ignis offered. "Your bag has been found on campus, I called in and reported to the school authorities that you are alive, though injured, and being cared for by the Crown, which strictly speaking is correct. Your parents called, I assured them you are alive and only took a hit from some debris. You'll need to call them both, I think the fact MT's were involved has reached the news beyond the city now. Do they know?"
Prompto nodded and swallowed the food in his mouth. "Yeah, I told them a few months before I started at the school. First time I ever shifted with Mom, never wanted to risk it before. Dad's always with me for the moon when he's home though."
"You were concerned you would attack her?" Ignis asked and he nodded, staring at his plate, forcing himself to use the cutlery when his poor stomach was demanding he grab it and stuff it in his mouth. "Prompto, eat how you feel comfortable with and need," Ignis said and Prompto glanced up. How did he do that? Was it some secret vampire power? Ignis smiled gently at him and Prompto gave in.
"I hope you don't mind my company for a few days, but we are in lockdown. Noctis and Gladio will be returning to the Citadel as soon as he is discharged from the hospital. It is a precaution, until we find out how this happened. I spoke with Lord Amicitia and rather than risk travelling, he agreed I should remain here to watch over your recovery and ensure your safety. While you have been seen with Noctis, as far as we are aware no one has tracked down where you live so we should be secure here. If necessary, we'll move to Noctis' apartment."
That made sense, even if he had clearance for the Citadel, it would be risky letting them in if the place was on lockdown, better to move them somewhere secure in the city, and there was always the basement training room for them to retreat to there.
"Prompto, do you want to tell Noctis and Gladio what you told me?" Ignis asked as he was finishing the meal and he froze, unable to help feeling the flash of fear at them knowing just what they had allowed close. Ignis reached out and put his hand over his, squeezing gently. "It won't change how they feel about you Prompto, well, they may be even more in awe of your strength of character than they are already."
"What?"
"Prompto, you live in a city full of people your instincts must scream are either the enemy of prey. You have submitted to Noctis' protectiveness without hesitation. I assume that a few of the times you suddenly remembered you had something to do were because you were becoming overwhelmed, but you left rather than react. You have let all of us close, even at your most vulnerable. Even Gladio has admitted he's not sure he could go through all of that every day without snapping. That you spent eight years going through horrors I likely cannot fully imagine or understand and yet have become such a wonderful young man…" ignis shrugged slightly and Prompto felt his cheeks burn, they really had thought a lot about what it was like for him to live there. "If you do not wish to speak of it again, I could inform them," the offer was so tempting but in the end he shook his head, no, he should be the one to tell them.
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Noctis sank into his bed, still feeling exhausted and longing for his apartment. He hated lockdowns. He vaguely remembered his Dad coming to see him in the hospital which had been a big risk and he knew he wouldn't see him again until the lockdown ended. It wasn't a good idea to have them anywhere near each other, where one strike could end the Royal line. It was why his rooms were in a different wing to his Dad's.
It was a relief to know Ignis was with Prompto, guarding and caring for him. Gladio had managed to use a brief period of privacy to explain the cover story. The last thing he remembered was Prompto saying sorry and then throwing himself at an MT. Gladio had confirmed Prompto had shifted, even worked with him to take one of the MT's down. Ignis had even managed to touch him in wolf form before he shifted back.
Seeing the reports of the damage to the school made him feel sick. Had he been the target? Was his attending school the reason his classmates were now dead? How had MT's even gotten into the city?
He wished Ignis and Prompto were with them, but no one was allowed in or out now and it was too dangerous for Prompto to come. He just…he wanted to tell his best friend it was okay. He remembered the look of fear, he'd really thought Noctis was going to shoot him with silver, he hadn't even realised he had the gun in his hand still. Despite the danger to himself, Prompto had killed the MT, had sucked the poison and stuff out of his wounds, had been willing to give him his blood if more MT's hadn't shown up. He had no doubts that Prompto was loyal to him, not because he was the Prince, but because they were friends, Pack like he had discussed with the guys. He had no problem with being Prompto's pack and he wanted to tell him that himself, soon.
TBC…
