Disclaimer: not mine

I posted a non-slash one shot with werewolves and vampires if you're interested, called We've Always Known. Let me know what you think please.

Chapter 4

Prompto gasped and then groaned as the tension released, lying on the portable table Ignis had set up in his living room. He'd been stripped to his underwear and then told to lie on his stomach. He hadn't had a massage since he finished therapy and he'd forgotten how good it felt to have the scar tissue moved, it hurt a little sure, but if it lessened the adhesion then he could take the pain. He knew it would be a lot worse if the scars hadn't received massage in the months post-surgery. Ignis worked carefully around the scars from his surgery but added more pressure as he worked his way down his spine, arms and legs. He felt tension he hadn't been aware of just melting away.

Noctis chuckled from where he was curled up on the couch. "Told you Specs is the best."

"Mmm…." It felt sooo good, he didn't think he could move even if he had to. Eventually though, it had to end, and he slowly rolled off the table and yanked his sweatpants back on before collapsing next to Noct on the couch.

Ignis packed up the table and oil, smiling indulgently at the two teens. "Please let me know when you would like another Prompto, your scars need more work to help loosen up."

"I don't want to be a bother," he tried and Ignis pinned him with a look.

"You aren't," he promised, going to wash his hands before donning his gloves. "I am offering my help in ensuring your optimal help."

"Okay, thanks Iggy."

"You're quite welcome."

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Cor placed the file on Regis' desk, face blank unless you knew him really well, which Regis did.

"That bad is it?" he asked as he took the file, not sure he wanted to look.

"It appears this idea has been circulating for some time," Cor admitted, enraged by what he had found. As a child, Noctis had called him Uncle, still did occasionally. He took any threat to his boy very seriously, either of his boys. Those who would consider this would be the ones who would try and stop Noctis' friendship with Prompto and especially his becoming the Prince's fourth, despite technically having no say in that.

Regis opened the file and began to read, blanching white in horror before his eyes hardened in rage. "It seems I have been lax in reminding the Councillors of their place," he commented mildly, and Cor felt the urge to flee. Many forgot that under the ever present calm was a King who had and could face down an army alone thanks to the magic of the line of Kings. He was not easily angered but once he was it was safest to flee. There were signs of such a temper in Noctis, though hidden even deeper in the physically frail teen.

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They lent against the rail overlooking one of the cities canals, eating ice cream and enjoying the oddly warm day for the season. Noctis was dressed in dark grey pants and a green shirt, a jacket on top and a cap on his head. He looked nothing like the Prince in the outfit, letting him walk to the canal two streets away from Prompto's home. Noctis was distracting Prompto from the fact that his test results would be coming soon, even though Prompto thought they were only to clear him for being allowed to visit Noctis in the Citadel. Noctis knew how important the results were and he was nervous. Would he be forbidden contact if Prompto carried even latent genes, despite Prom being their fourth? If anyone tried he would fight it, he knew Prompto would never harm him, he belonged with them.

They finished their ice creams and began walking along the canal, chatting about school and the upcoming solstice while Prompto took photos.

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Cor received the sealed envelope and picked it up, he knew Noctis was with his Father in the pools, so he headed down there to find them. He reached into the water and slapped the wall, knowing the noise would carry and soon the two royals surfaced, swimming to lean against the edge, Noctis' eyes widening when he saw the envelope.

"Prom's?" he asked, and Cor nodded, removing his shoes to sit with his feet in the water.

"Shall I open it?"

"I feel horrible doing this behind his back," Noctis muttered.

"I know son, but better to know now, before trying to explain anything. Go ahead Cor."

Cor unsealed the envelope and pulled out the papers within. The top ones dealt with things Noctis didn't know about, comparing various results to previous tests so he put them aside until he came to the extensive DNA work and sighed.

"Uncle Cor?"

"Eighty percent Human, twelve percent Harpy and eight percent Unknown," he read out.

"Oh," Noctis whispered, closing his eyes and lowering his head. Would the magic take? Would it kill him? bring out the Harpy or even the unknown, and how could it even be unknown?

"Twelve percent is not a lot Noctis," Regis offered.

"Yeah but the Unknown takes it to twenty percent, that's one fifth total," Noctis pointed out.

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"I've never seen a test come back with Unknown," Regis admitted, sharing a look with Cor, something about the MT process? Or something else they didn't know about Niflheim?

"How often do we run tests on those from Niflheim?" Cor asked and Regis nodded, that was true. What else may lurk on the other continent or its waters?

"So what does this mean?" Noctis pushed, he was scared for Prompto. What if something brought the Harpy genes from dormancy to being active? Would it be enough to physically transform him? Mentally? He could lose his best friend. He never wanted to see those happy blue eyes cold and hard with hatred for him.

"That we move carefully," Regis answered gently. "I believe the magic will take, it may take more to overcome those aspects, it may not. Anything we do will be his choice, fully informed." He did wonder if the boy would open up to Noctis about his own truth in exchange.

"Not yet," Noctis shook his head. "I'll talk to him during the holidays. So…if he wants to be alone to think or even… he won't be forced to see me every day in class right off."

Regis thought Noctis was not giving Prompto enough credit, but his son did not know the secrets Prompto held. "Very well, now, you have a session with Gladio soon, don't you?"

Noctis groaned but lifted up and Cor offered him a hand, helping him from the water. He left them to dry off and dress.

"I would like to meet with Prompto first."

"Regis?"

"It is about time I met the boy and I want him to know that it is his choice to tell Noctis or not, that he will not get in trouble if he does. The need for secrecy was impressed quite deeply after all."

"Where?"

"His home, I do not wish to make him any more uncomfortable than necessary."

"I'll set it up, I won't tell him you're coming." Cor picked up the other pages to look over. "No obvious changes from his last tests beyond hormone levels within normal ranges for a teenage boy."

"Good," Regis nodded and then dove down, wanting to make the most of his last few free minutes for the day.

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Prompto was nervous, Cor had called, he was coming this afternoon. The test results must have come through. He knew it was silly, he felt no different so surely nothing had changed, right? He grabbed a bottle of Cor's favoured juice and put it in the fridge to chill, making sure he had some snacks available as well. No one would ever guess he was addicted to chocolate, but Cor had a real sweet tooth. The knock came and he went to the door, grinning at Cor but then frowning as he spotted a man with him…a man dressed casually yet with a knee brace and beard….his eyes went wide in shock as he recognised him from the TV…

"Breath Prompto," Cor gently nudged him inside so they could come in and then led him to the couch.

"I….you…King?"

That got a warm chuckle as the King removed the cap he had used to help hide his identity. All Prompto could do was watch as the King settled himself in his Dad's armchair while Cor went to the kitchen to get them all drinks. "Relax Prompto, this is an informal visit, you are not in any trouble," the King spoke gently.

Prompto forced himself to take a deep breath and then another. "Your majesty," he finally got out and the King smiled.

"Please, Regis will do. As I said, this is an informal visit." Regis accepted the glass from Cor and Prompto took his own, glad his hands weren't shaking.

"About…my tests?" he chewed at his bottom lip as Cor sat beside him, leaning into him a little.

"Your tests were fine Prom," Cor immediately told him, catching the glass as Prompto sagged in relief.

"Oh, good…that's good," he whispered, it was a relief. He'd thought they were, but how would he really know?

"Indeed," Regis agreed before sipping at the juice. "I thought it time we meet properly."

Properly? They'd never met at all, had they? He considered it. He'd been told the King had ordered him not to speak of his past, that the man knew everything…he just hadn't realised he'd actually seen him at some point. "You saw me? When Cor brought me here?" he hated the idea that the King had seen him like that. No…there had been another time, he had half thought he'd dreamed it, off the King being there as he recovered, confined to the bed and connected to a mass of tubes and monitors, unable to do anything for himself, even his breathing had been controlled by a tube down his throat. He'd liked to think the King had been there and now it seemed that was real and not wishful thinking. The King had stared at him and he hadn't understood what he was seeing back then but now he knew it had been sadness and compassion.

"I did, at that point we honestly thought you would not survive," the King admitted.

So he'd seen him while he was going through the withdrawal, wonderful, not just after. Prompto didn't really remember anything after he'd begun vomiting up Scourge but apparently he'd nearly died many times before his body had purged it all and had begun responding to the treatment to bring his fever down and rehydrate him. He'd seen that and had let Noct hang around him? He glanced up at the King…Regis but there was no disgust on his face or in his eyes, no pity either…just compassion, like when he was a kid. "I'm sorry you saw that," he whispered.

"I am not," Regis told him gently. "I have seen your strength and will to live. I also know of the odds you overcame due to the attack, though I did not see you then. I am glad you were able to share your story with Noctis, that you have been a friend to him these last few months. He has lived an isolated, lonely, life since he was injured."

"I...uh…"

Regis smiled softly at him and he blushed, ducking his head. "Noctis does not know of your past before Insomnia. Hiding it was an effort to keep you safe, to allow you to grow up as normally as possible. However, you will be an adult soon, able to make your own choices. For now, you have my permission to tell Noctis and his retainers. It is up to you if you do and who among them you tell if you decide to."

"Oh," Prompto was shocked. He could tell Noct? Did he want to? He didn't like keeping secrets from his only friend but…he was also terrified of losing him. How could Noctis want to be friends with an MT? Even if physically he was pretty much human. He knew mentally he still wasn't quite normal. "But…I'm not normal. I've got a barcode, a port…I take photos cause otherwise I get itchy for a gun…"

"Prompto," Regis called, and he closed his mouth, hands clenched together.

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Hearing the boy babble about what made him 'not normal' in his own eyes hurt. It seemed there was more left mentally than he had believed, he had left such things to Cor. He'd known of the barcode and port obviously; those had been in the initial reports. He had not known the poor boy still felt the urge to shoot, though it did explain the ever present camera Noctis had mentioned. He glanced at Cor, torn…for the boy sake he had gone through therapy to break his training…but for the Kingdom and his sons safety, would it now be better to let him use that training? Or would such a thing destroy Prompto? Could he find a balance between who he had become and what he had been born to be? "If you wish to test your skills, Cor can take you to the Crownsguard shooting range."

Blue eyes went wide in surprise. "I..I…thank you? I don't know…"

"Testing your skills will not destroy you Prompto, even working on them regularly won't," Cor spoke up.

"How do you know that? What if there's more buried in my mind?"

"I don't believe it. You are far stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"I…I'll think about it?" he said, and Regis nodded.

"Perhaps one day you will consider applying to the Crownsguard," Regis offered as he stood, he had meetings to attend soon and would need to get back in time to change. Prompto scrambled up to let them out, bowing awkwardly to him before they left.

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Prompto collapsed on the couch, he couldn't believe it. He'd met the King! He had seemed so…normal, except a few times his tone had been impossible to ignore, Regal. His love for Noctis was obvious as soon as he began speaking of him and he hated that he felt even the tiniest bit of jealousy. He was so lucky to have been given parents at all, even if they were rarely home since he had regained the ability to look after himself.

He had permission to tell Noctis the truth about him. could he do it? What if Noctis turned on him? the attack that had nearly killed Noctis had been arranged by Niflheim, though they had never publicly admitted it, which meant there had likely been MT's involved. Even if they hadn't been, they were the frontline troops in every battle, killing Kingsglaive and Crownsguard by the dozen. Unlike the forces of Lucis, they seemed never ending thanks to the way they were made and not truly born. Even if Noct accepted what he was, could Iggy? Could Gladio? Or would they see him as a threat, try to separate them? He didn't know what to do.

The idea of holding a gun again, of shooting, even if only at target sheets…it scared but also excited him. if he could be sure of his skills, his ability to not give in to old training….he could help keep Noctis safe, could joining the Crownsguard which would enable to remain in the city and give him the funds necessary to find his own place. It scared him, what if he got lost in seeing targets everywhere? What if he wasn't as strong as Cor and the King believed? He'd lose everything then; he'd have to be locked up or killed to keep others safe. He'd worked so hard to be a normal person, so hard that he hadn't detected his attackers until it was too late. Could he find a middle ground?

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"Got plans for the holidays?" Prompto asked as he leant against the railing. He didn't know why Noctis was so fascinated with the canals, but he thought it was far too cold.

"Just the usual. There's the usual party and Dad will spend Solstice itself with me in our apartments. Will you be working more?"

"I picked up a few more shifts. Will you be able to come over at some point, there's some stuff I need to tell you," he couldn't help fidgeting a little at the admission. He was really going to do it; he was going to tell him everything and pray he wouldn't leave.

"Yeah, I was actually going to ask to come over because there is something I need to tell you too," Noctis admitted from where he was leaning beside him.

One week of school left before vacation began and Prompto was glad for the break but he was nervous. What could Noctis have to tell him? Should he tell his secret first, in case Noctis wanted nothing more to do with him? He spun as he heard Noct gasp, saw his white knuckled grip on the rail. "Noct?" He shifted, wrapping an arm around his waist, were his legs paining him? They'd been out too long; they should have gone back ages ago but Noct had been feeling so good. "I've got you, let's get back to the house."

"Can't," he gasped out. "No time," he wasn't making any sense.

"Should I call Iggy?" he asked and Noctis nodded.

"He…augh! He'll come…get you…it's okay Prom. I'll…be okay," he whimpered and then used his grip on the rail to pull up.

"Noct?" He asked in confusion as Noctis pulled away and then vaulted the rail. "NOCT!" he screamed in terror as his best friend leapt into the canal. He scanned the still water, but he could see no sign of the Prince as he scrambled for his phone, dialling Ignis' number. What had happened?

"Scientia," the absent answer meant Iggy was busy and hadn't checked caller id.

"He jumped! He was in pain and he jumped."

"Prompto?" Ignis sounded surprised and Prompto heard him give apologies then a door closing. "Calm down, tell me what happened," he commanded and Prompto forced himself to breath.

"We were at the canal, Noct likes it. We shouldn't have stayed so long without his chair…he was in pain and he...he jumped in. I can't see him," he choked back a sob.

"It's alright Prompto, just keep breathing. Can you make it home?"

"Can I…you have to find Noct!"

"Noctis will be fine. Right now I am concerned for you, you need to get home. I will come pick you up and bring you to the Citadel where what happened will be explained and you can see for yourself that Noctis is alright. If you can, pack an overnight bag," his soothing voice helped calm Prompto a bit.

"O…okay," he started walking, stumbling occasionally.

"I shall be there soon," Ignis promised.

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Ignis hung up with Prompto and dialled Gladio, informing him of what had happened and to expect Noct's arrival via the pools. He walked swiftly through the halls, sending the King a message with what he knew had happened. He got in the car and drove for Prompto's home. He found the door unlocked and the ground floor empty, so he headed upstairs only to find Prompto in his bedroom with a duffle bag, sitting on the floor with his arms around his legs. "Prompto," he called gently, kneeling down. A glance showed that he had packed the bag at least. "Come now," he held his hand out and Prompto stared blankly, worrying him before he blinked.

"Iggy?"

"It's me, have you got everything you need?" he asked gently and Prompto nodded shakily. "Then let us leave," he reached out and helped the younger boy to his feet, taking his bag for him. they headed downstairs and Prompto looked over at the couch where Noctis' chair sat. "I'll come back for it once I have you safely in the car," Ignis told him, leading him to the car and getting him secure in the passenger seat. He then returned to grab the wheelchair and Noctis' school bag and uniform jacket. If he had been in his chair this would not have happened, was Noctis taking too many risks with his extra freedom? What would have happened if they had not been near one of the cities canals? He had risked being exposed had they been on the walk to or from the canal. Did Prompto have the upper body strength to carry Noctis if such a thing happened? Would he have even tried, or would he had 'freaked out'. He packed them in the car and then drove them to the Citadel. Noctis' plan to tell Prompto over the holidays would now have to be brought forward. He only hoped that once past his panic and shock, Prompto could accept them.

TBC…