Dr. Lues fumed to himself in his tiny office. No one had come for him. He'd been sure that once the fever had returned, they'd call him to study the results, perhaps run more tests.
But he'd heard nothing. None of the reports that came across his desk were in regards to the boy. Not a murmur of his relapse was uttered in the halls of the medical wing.
It was infuriating.
To add insult to injury, the king had summarily dismissed his request to have the remaining samples taken from him during the testing period so he could run a few experiments, and had them locked away in a secure area of the medical wing.
How could they be so stupid, so blind? Why couldn't anyone seem to understand that the boy was the key? He just needed to prove that the anomaly cells were doing what he thought they were doing; actively curing the Star Scourge as it attacked the boy's weakened immune system.
But to do that, he needed more information.
He opened the door to the refrigerator that housed the samples he was still allowed to work with, grinning to himself as he found just what he was searching for.
He'd just give the boy another strain of the Star Scourge. They'd have to quarantine him, then.
Noctis woke with a start, gasping for air. He tried to chase down the fragments of his dream, but he had only glimpses; an odd plane of different shades and consistencies of darkness, animal-like shapes with glowing eyes watching him balefully…Prompto, naked and grinning.
That was the piece he tried the hardest to cling to, but it also faded quickly, leaving him with a vague feeling of loss and arousal.
Noctis swallowed hard, taking in the boy who lay in his arms. Prompto had shifted during their nap, turning into him as he slept, burying his face in the prince's chest. The blond mumbled happily as his index finger made slow circles in the folds of Noctis' tee. The prince's breathing stuttered to a stop as that hand trailed down to the waistband of his pants, fingers dipping below it to press against the warm flesh of Noctis' stomach.
The raven haired teen bit his lip. He didn't know what to do here. On the one hand, what the blond was doing felt really good. On the other, he didn't know if awake Prompto would be as comfortable with what was happening as asleep Prompto was.
The problem resolved itself when the door to the hospital room suddenly opened, startling Noctis into sitting up and facing the intruder.
"And just what do you want?" He spat, doing his best to shield Prompto from view.
"Hello, Noctis." The king nodded cordially to the prince. "I've come to have a chat."
Prompto was drowning.
All around him the inky darkness undulated and pulsed, forcing him beneath the waves of nothing until he became fully disoriented. He struggled for all he was worth, kicking and straining but found the surface was impossible to reach.
He opened his mouth to let out one final scream and the darkness rushed in, filling him up completely, setting him adrift in agony.
Funny how just as he resigned himself to death, he was saved.
Strong arms wrapped themselves around his torso and pulled him up. His head broke the surface of the nothing and he choked out the black that had filled him. As it left his body, he watched in awe as it twisted and rose like steam.
His feet scrabbled against the ground as his savior dragged him to shore. He scratched and slapped at the hands clutching him, still wild from the near-drowning. But a gentle, familiar voice quelled his fears as he was laid on his side and a warm hand rubbed between his shoulder blades until he finished coughing up the rest of the black.
"N..noct? Whad're you doing here?" He managed, after finally rolling onto his back and forcing the world into enough focus to recognize the shadow above him.
"Oh, Prom." Noctis practically purred, his maroon eyes shimmering in the dark. "There's nowhere you can go that I can't follow. We're connected." He gestured between them as he settled on the shore next to the blond.
Prompto just nodded, forcing himself up onto shaking elbows. Out across the inky expanse, a lone white shape glided across the placid waters as dark things swam below it, more interested in keeping watch on the boys on the riverbank than the creature within their reach.
Noctis walked his fingers up Prompto's chest as his face broke in a slow, seductive smile. "I will always come to save you. Always." He nuzzled against Prompto's arm, kissing lightly at his elbow.
Prompto bit his lower lip, brows furrowed in disbelief. "Of course you would say that. This is a dream."
Noctis' already bright eyes lit up further, and suddenly he was on Prompto, hands on either side of the blond's naked (wait, when did they become naked?) body as he kissed first at the taut flesh near his navel, then slid his lips up to tease a pert nipple. "Prom, this is so much more than a dream."
Prompto moaned quietly, torn between being distressed and aroused. "Noct, I—"
"I would never hurt you, Prompto." The prince's eyes narrowed and hardened, but the freckled boy knew the sudden anger was not directed at him. As if to prove so, the raven haired boy dipped his head again, running his tongue around Prompto's areola, before kissing back down his stomach slowly, uttering passionate assurances the entire way. "I love you. I worship you. I would burn down all of Eos for you."
The sudden grip at the base of Prompto's rapidly hardening cock was unexpected, but surprisingly welcome. Noctis gave it a slow stroke, searching his face for any hint of reticence. Finding none, he planted a long kiss to a pale inner thigh before placing another—wetter—one to the base of Prompto's dick.
The jolts of pleasure that kiss wrought were so strong they began to wash away Prompto's resistance. He found himself breathing harshly, his hips bucking, trying to encourage the prince to continue. Noctis chuckled hungrily in response, pumping Prompto's cock slowly, increasing the pressure of his fingers one by one from pinky to index and back again as he stroked.
"I want to please you. Can I please you, Prompto? Let me help you feel good."
The blond shifted, reaching down to run trembling fingers through soft blue-black hair. "I…I just…I don't know, Noct. Even now, here, I don't know if I can—"
The prince smiled devilishly at him and maintained eye contact as he licked Prompto's dick from balls to tip, relishing in how it threw the freckled boy for a loop. "Let me show you how it's supposed to be. You're so beautiful, Prompto. I don't want to take anything from you; I only want to give. I want you to know how much I love you. Let me, please?"
Prompto wanted to make a smart remark, something like 'well, if you're gonna beg', or 'put your money where your mouth is', but he couldn't. The pure, lust-fueled beauty of the raven haired boy before him stilled all his remarks, and he found himself nodding jerkily, breath hitching in his chest a little as Noctis' warm mouth closed over the tip of his cock and slid down.
And, gods did it feel good. Prompto whimpered a little when Noctis lapped against the bottom of his cock as he took him farther down his throat, easing himself into taking all of the blond's length. Soon, he was sucking in earnest, his head bobbing up and down quickly as he hummed and licked and teased and moaned. Every so often, he would pop it out of his mouth and pump it slowly while he placed hot kisses all over Prompto's inner thighs.
Prompto let out a salacious moan, his breaths fast and shallow. He bucked his hips up, thrusting into Noctis' hand, chasing the warmth and friction.
The prince chuckled darkly as he settled himself on his elbows between Prompto's legs, sucking on his own fingers to lubricate them before pressing gently against the tight ring of muscle of the other boy's entrance, keeping his glowing eyes locked on Prompto's.
The blond wanted to protest, he wanted to tell Noctis to stop, that he was scared, that he didn't want to hurt.
But, he also wanted to say yes. Yes . This all felt good, it felt right. And besides, it was a dream. None of this was real, not the near-drowning, not the curling darkness, the resurrecting swan, the whispering—
So he said yes. He gave in and this magical dream version of Noctis gave him a look that was both hungry and sated; violent and gentle. He planted his feet and thrust up as Noctis took him in his mouth again, sliding first one, then two fingers inside him. They brushed against his prostate and Prompto saw stars. He bit his lip hard as a buzzing built up to an overwhelming crescendo as Noctis expertly played him for all he was worth. He tried to warn Noctis as the wave of pleasure crashed down, but the prince just increased his pace, thrusting his fingers in rhythm of Prompto's thrusting hips.
And then…
…and then he was coming. Noctis swallowed him deep, working his throat around the blond's cock, milking every last drop out of him while Prompto's muscles began to twitch and spasm out of control.
Prompto flopped back to the ground bonelessly, his ears still filled with an intense satisfied hum that slowly faded to low, angry voices.
…wait, what?
Prompto's eyes snapped open, angry murmuring bringing him back to the waking world. He'd shifted during his sleep, and his head was now pressed against Noctis' chest with the prince's arm wrapped protectively around him.
"…no, I'm not leaving while you have a chat with Prom. He needs his rest; you can just leave him the fuck alone."
"Noctis," Prompto stiffened when the other voice turned out to belong to the king himself. "I have had quite enough of your mouth. I've been patient with you up to now, but I'm done. You will not use that insolent tone with me any longer, and you will do as I command."
Any remaining feelings of satisfaction the dream may have left him with evaporated immediately.
Noctis' heart beat faster beneath where Prompto's head lay and he tightened his grip on the blond. Further protests were on his lips, but he stopped when the freckled boy pressed a trembling hand against his chest.
"It's okay, Noct. Can't very well refuse the king, am I right?" He tried to send the dark haired teen a reassuring smile, but it came out crooked and nervous. Noctis stared in his eyes for a few long breaths before nodding and helping Prompto sit up while he got out of the bed.
Noctis took a few moments to fluff the pillows and ensure the blond was comfortable. He leaned down and gave Prompto a quick kiss to the forehead before fixing his father with a defiant glare. "I'll be back in thirty minutes with our lunch, and I plan on staying here the rest of the day."
Regis very obviously kept himself from rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't dream of stopping you, son. We'll see you in thirty minutes."
Noctis grumbled something under his breath as he headed out of the door, letting it shut gently behind him. Once sure he was gone, Regis turned to Prompto and offered him a placating smile.
"Hello, young man. I trust you are feeling better?" The king's voice was confident, his expression open and honest.
Prompto glanced down to his hands, which twisted in the blankets nervously. "Uh, yeah…yes, sir. Getting stronger every day. I feel up to leaving, now, if you want me to."
Prompto flinched a little when the king let out a chuckle. "That is the furthest thing from my mind. As far as I'm concerned, you may stay here as long as you wish."
"Oh, ok." Prompto glanced up shyly at the older man, biting his lip. "Are you mad about…me and Noct?"
Regis' expression faltered. "That's a more complicated question. But, maybe after we talk a bit, I can help you understand."
"Uhm. Yeah. I guess?" His hands closed tightly on the blanket, twisting it between slender white fingers.
Regis contemplated for a moment, doing his best to figure out a way to approach the subject without causing the blond any further undue stress.
He finally settled on the beginning being the best place to start. "Tell, me, Prompto, how much do you know of how you came to be here, in Insomnia?"
The boy shrugged his slim shoulders, keeping his gaze focused pointedly away from the king. "Parents say I was born in Niflheim. That I was liberated from a lab, or something. That's how I got this." He pulled up his wristband to show the king his tattoo, quickly covering it again before tucking it under his other arm, hiding it from view. "They don't know anything more than that. Or if they do, they haven't told me."
"I see…" Regis began, only to be interrupted.
"…and I know that you're probably not ok with your son hanging around a Niff , much less dating one, and I know that I'm like..damaged goods, now. I know that, I can get why you wouldn't want Noct being around me. I know I'm fucked up, and that I'll probably never be ok, that I'll just cause trouble to everyone, I can't even sleep for gods-sakes, not without weird fucking dreams and when I'm awake, I keep getting flashes, like even people I care about suddenly become him and then I'm back there and I…I…"
He was hyperventilating, drawing his knees up to his chest, ignoring the pain it caused. A warm hand suddenly appeared between his shoulder blades, rubbing soothing circles as the king settled his weight on the bed next to the boy.
As the small blond continued his litany, the king decided to save his admission to and apology for his hand in the increased tests that were run on Prompto while he was in his coma. That is all he'd come for; to seek forgiveness. But, right now, this was more important.
Slowly, tentatively, he drew Prompto further into his arms until he was fully holding him. Regis settled his chin into soft blond hair and murmured quiet reassurances to the trembling blond while he cried.