aaaand you're all caught up! If you're just joining us, and skipped right to the end, please note I posted like three chapters today. Go back to the fox and the wolf and start there! I hope you enjoy! Thanks ever so much for stopping by and sharing my story. I hope to update again in the next few days.

Unfortunately, the nap the boys were enjoying did not last long. The prince was the first to wake, blinking at his phone to discover they'd only been sleeping for about an hour. He tried hunkering down and cuddling with Prompto some more, but sleep proved to be a traitor and had deserted him.

A soft murmuring outside the door alerted him to an incoming guest, and Noctis sighed, placing a kiss into the blonde's soft hair before he picked his way out of the bed. Prompto immediately curled up into the warm spot where he'd just laid, and muttered Noctis' name huskily.

The prince was finding that hearing his name said like that did things to him. Pleasant things. Uncomfortably pleasant things.

Noctis opened the door to let his adviser in, eyeing him up and down. He somehow looked more tired and disheveled than before, though he'd obviously at least had a shower and a change of clothes.

"I'm starting to worry about you." Noctis said lowly, trying not to disturb Prompto's sleep.

Ignis nodded. "For the record, I am, too. But it's a matter for another time. We need to wake Prompto soon; he's got a physical therapy appointment in about twenty minutes." The adviser shrugged apologetically at Noctis' bewildered expression. "It must have slipped my mind."

The prince huffed and sauntered over to the bed, calling Prompto's name.

The blonde stirred slowly, a sleepy smile stretching across his face. "I was just dreaming about you." He murmured, violet-blue eyes sparkling.

Noctis smirked down at him. "Yeah, I heard. Sounded hot." He waggled his eyebrows at Prompto, who pinkened to the tips of his ears.

Gods, he was so fucking cute.

Noctis shook his head at the other boy, throwing his thumb over his shoulder at Ignis. "He says you have a physical therapy appointment to get to."

Prompto pouted at them as he resettled himself on the bed. "Can't we put that off till tomorrow? Or the day after?"

He sighed loudly when in answer Ignis lifted one eyebrow at him before turning to the door. "Guess today is fine," he grumbled, pushing himself up and out of bed.

Prompto was apprehensive about the therapy session, to say the least. But Ignis was Ignis, so here he was being wheeled through a set of double doors into a place that looked suspiciously like a playroom for the elderly. Or a gym for really buff toddlers.

And, speaking of really buff toddlers—

Gladiolus smiled and waved from his spot across the room, then turned back to his physical therapist and gestured towards the small crowd that had just entered her domain. She smiled warmly at them and started their way. When Gladiolus went to follow, she whirled on him and pointed to the floor. Sheepishly, the warrior got down into push up position and began counting them off loudly as the woman turned back to the group and headed their way.

She threw a thumb over her shoulder at their friend and grinned. "Does he always think he's that slick? He knows he has three more sets to do, yet thought he could slack off just because you lot came in here."

Ignis gave her a wan look. "I'm afraid, so, Dr. Pralta. It's quite bothersome, really."

They shared a quiet laugh while Noctis and Prompto exchanged dubious glances. The prince, whose usual state of ennui was currently laid to the wayside in favor of nervous shifting and borderline obtrusive hovering, stood to Prompto's side. He stepped closer when the unfamiliar woman got nearer Prompto, who for his part looked grateful for the Noctis-shaped shadow.

"So, let's see what you can do!" She smiled brightly at Prompto, gesturing for him to rise.

"O-ok," he waved off Noctis' helping hand and got to his feet, shuffling along behind her to where two parallel bars were set up a few feet apart from each other with a ten foot walkway running between them.

"Let's see how many times you can walk up and down here without having to grab onto the railing."

The answer was one and a half times. He made it two more full times with the bar's assistance before he had to stop. Dr. Pralta seemed pleased with his results.

Gladiolus had rejoined them by the time he had huffed and puffed his way back into his chair. The bigger teen stood slightly away from the rest of the group, however, shifting from foot to foot every so often. Prompto had never seen Gladiolus so unsure of himself.

It was a little unnerving.

He almost said something, but Dr. Pralta had him moving on to the next area, where apparently he was supposed to do multiple things to a rubber ball.

Over the next hour, the doctor had him move through several more stations, doing various exercises, making little notes in her tablet. The other three hovered near each section, occasionally speaking quietly to one another, but mostly just watching.

All the attention was making Prompto

nervous

feel loved and supported. He moved through each activity as quickly as he could, and when they were finally done, he looked expectantly up at the doctor.

She studied her tablet for what seemed like an extravagant amount of time, nodding and humming to herself. "You're a runner, right?"

"He's the best member on the track team." Noctis answered for him, beaming at the older woman, who smiled back. Prompto smiled up at him, still breathing a little hard from all the exertion.

"Well, honey, I do think it's going to be a few weeks until you're ready to even think about running again, but your muscles seem to be bouncing back from your trauma quite well. I'll have to confer with your regular doctor, but I think you'll be fine to go back to school on Tuesday or Wednesday at this rate. You'll need to take it easy; take the elevator instead of the stairs, and get plenty of rest, but all things considered, you should be fine."

"Yeah, I'll uh, I'll be fine." Prompto smiled hollowly and rubbed the back of his head. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

A dark cloud passed over the older woman's face as she studied his. Tentatively, she reached forward and placed a hand upon his shoulder, giving him an empathetic smile. "Oh, honey. I know everything is still so fresh, but it will all fade in time. You may never forget, and you may have occasional twinges and bad spells, but I promise there'll come a day when you realize that it's been a whole bunch of days since you last thought about it. And then there'll come a day when you realize it's been weeks."

Prompto let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as he searched her eyes for something…

…yes, there it was. It was that same something he'd seen in his own eyes when he broke the mirror.

She knew. She really knew and understood at least to some extent what he went through. He patted her hand on his shoulder, blinking back sudden tears. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head, finally withdrawing and taking a step back. "It's ok. It was a long time ago, and like I said; it fades.

"Anyway, I'll pass these notes on to your doctors. Gladio, you've healed up quite nicely from your fight with the cab, and I think this can be your last visit."

He thanked her profusely, looking relieved.

Dr. Pralta studied Prompto's face a moment longer, eyes going misty. She nodded to herself, swallowing hard, then glanced around to the others in the room. "You boys take it easy!" She waved them away, shooing them towards the double doors.

They said their goodbyes and left the gym as a group, Ignis leading the way. He checked his watch as he held open the doors, tutting quietly to himself. "It's nearly five o'clock. I must be on my way. Please don't forget your late dinner meeting with your father this evening."

Noctis gave his adviser his patented 'exaggerated single nod with over-the-top-eye-roll' combination he developed as a preteen. "Yeah, yeah, Iggy, we know. How about you clear your schedule for the rest of the night and get yourself some sleep?"

Ignis sighed hollowly. "I'd love to, Your Majesty, however it would appear that literally nothing around the Citadel cannot be done without me. I'm on my way to meet with Mage Spencer, now. Then I have to meet with—"

Noctis drew his eyebrows together in worry. "Seriously, Iggy, take the night off! This stuff can all wait till tomorrow."

Ignis opened his mouth to protest, but Gladiolus beat him to it.

"C'mon, Noct. Ignis is capable of taking care of himself with no help from anyone. Besides, Blondie here looks like he's about to fall asleep. Let's get him back to his room."

Noctis looked obstinately ready to argue further, but Gladiolus gently shoved his shoulder to push him back to where Prompto was nodding out in his chair. With one final glance back to his adviser, the prince began pushing the other boy down the hall, his shield trailing behind.

"What do you mean, he's 'dangerous'?" Ignis was having a hard time keeping the air quotes out of his tone.

Maren Spencer had sounded near frantic when he'd called Ignis that morning and requested a meeting. He paced near the window of the drab little room, muttering and casting furtive glances.

"Are you not listening? He took my magic. It's gone. Do you know what that's like?" The older man's usually sharp gaze was furtive as he ran his hands through his hair.

"I can only imagine—"

"Right, yes, you can only imagine!" Maren sneered at him before dropping down into the chair across from Ignis, rolling his eyes. "I was born with Caelum magic, you just borrow it."

The older man waved off Ignis' indignant sputter. "But now…" he trailed off, shaking his head. He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat and turned his gaze to the window. "That little bastard has taken everything from me."

Though exhausted and more than a little distracted, this comment had Ignis stiffening his posture, nearly rising from his seat. "You'd do best to watch your tongue, Mage Spencer. I'm of a mind to cut it out."

Maren snorted in derision, but had the presence of mind to rearrange his expression into something close to contrite. "You're right; my apologies, I forgot myself for a moment. It's just that he doesn't even seem to be aware of what happened," he continued, "but the end result is all the same."

Ignis leaned back and took off his glasses so that he could pinch the bridge of his nose. "That's impossible. He can't take your magic."

"Well, he's done something to me. I'm at my wit's end, obviously, or I wouldn't be coming to you."

Ignis rose from his seat, pulling out his phone. "Insulting me is probably not the best way to request my assistance. But, I'll help you anyway. You're lucky I'm in a charitable mood."

Maren rolled his eyes. "I thought you were in a cutting-out-tongues mood."

Ignis glanced at him, forest colored eyes glittering with a rare malice. "Well, that act would be charitable to all of Lucis. I may still consider it for later."

They fell into silence for long minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. A gentle tapping at the door broke them from their respective reveries, and Ignis opened it to reveal a servant bearing a tray holding a steaming cup of tea. She bowed to him graciously when he took her small burden and scurried back down the hall.

Ignis sauntered over to Maren and offered him the cup. "Drink it all as quick as you can. It's best when it's hot."

Maren took the cup and sniffed its contents, wrinkling his nose at the bitter scent. "What is it?"

"It's a tea made with echo root. If you have a blockage to your magic, this should clear it up in no time."

When the older man cast him a dubious glance, Ignis rolled his eyes and gestured to him impatiently. "If you don't trust me for anything else, you can definitely trust me when it comes to status enhancing recipes."

Mage Spencer took a deep breath and downed the tea in three big gulps, glaring at Ignis as he coughed around the horrid flavor. "Tastes like courel shit."

Ignis nodded, a mischievous glint to his eye. "Where do you think echo root grows?"

By the time the trio had made it back to the room, Prompto had fallen into an exhausted sleep. He didn't even stir with Gladiolus gently gathered him up and deposited him in the bed, while Noctis rearranged the pillows and covered him with the blanket.

The big warrior watched him a few moments, ensuring he was fully asleep before finally stepping from the bed. "He looks so small." He said, emotion creeping its way into his tone.

"Yeah," Noctis agreed, tucking a tuft of blond hair behind a pale ear. "But he's getting stronger every day. And did I tell you that he told Cor off? Poked him in the chest and everything."

Gladiolus whistled low, impressed. "Seems like he's bouncing back pretty well, then. Maybe even getting a bigger set of balls."

He looked like he'd continue on, but the murderous glance from Noctis stopped any further words from coming.

They wandered over closer to the door, each sitting down in one of the plastic chairs against the wall. Noctis nudged Gladiolus with an elbow, the other grunting at him. "How are you doing? You haven't been around as much as I'd expect you to be, considering."

The warrior shrugged, running a hand through his dark hair. "I know, and I feel bad about it. I've just been dealing with my own stuff, I guess."

Noctis nodded sagely. "Iggy stuff?"

Gladiolus made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. "Does everyone know about that?"

Noctis chuckled softly. "No, you're pretty good at hiding your shenanigans. Iris told me a few months back that she read about it in your diary. Couldn't be easy, watching him fall for another man."

"Yeah," the warrior replied, his voice thick with contained emotion. "I'm dealing with it. We're friends first, you know? Any other feelings I have go second to that."

Across the room, Prompto whispered 'yes, yes, yes' as he shifted in the bed. Gladiolus bit back a laugh, his cheeks going ruddy as he glanced from the blonde to the raven and back again.

"Uh, is he…?"

Prompto then murmured Noctis' name in that way, answering the shield's question. Gladiolus grinned at the embarrassed expression on the prince's face, punching him in the shoulder lightly. "Have you…?"

"What?!" Noctis whisper-yelled, smacking his shield back. "Not that it's any of your business, but no. I wouldn't….couldn't…Prompto's not ready. It's only been a week since…since…"

"Shiva's tits, Noct, I didn't mean it like that. With everything that happened, everything still going on, I would never think that. I was asking if it was official. Are you boyfriends now?"

"I…I think so? We've kind of talked about it, but—"

A pained gasp from across the room interrupted the prince's train of thought.

"Prom?" He asked gently, getting to his feet. He strode forward, his stomach already lurching in concern.

Something had happened in the scant few moments since he'd left the blonde's side. He was still curled up on the bed, but his face was scrunched, eyes darting back and forth wildly under tightly closed lids. His breaths were quick and ragged, coming and going in little wheezing puffs.

"Prom?" The prince called, pausing a few feet from where his love lay. Gladiolus was close behind, a concerned expression upon his handsome features.

Noctis reached out and shook Prompto gently, but received no response.

puffwheezepuffwheezepuffwheeze

"Prom?! Wake up!" Noctis shook him harder and when there was no response once more, he rolled the younger boy onto his back.

puffwheezepuffwheezepuffwheeze

Noctis practically crawled on top of the blonde, gripping the front of his shirt and shaking him in earnest, much to Gladiolus's astonishment.

Within moments, Noctis dropped Prompto back into the bed and lay down on top of his prone figure; the room itself had begun to shake, throwing the shield to the floor along with a few pieces of medical equipment. The shaking subsided as fast as it'd come, and the prince raised himself back up on trembling arms.

Below him, Prompto's eyes were open to slits, but he stared up at nothing. His body had gone completely slack, breaths still puffing out in small gasps, but showing signs of slowing.

"Prom? Prompto?! C'mon, Prom, look at me." Noctis shifted his weight again, planting his hands on the other boy's shoulders.

Slowly the violet-blue eyes found Noctis's, his gaze staring through the prince at something no one else could see. "S'too much, Noct. I can't…" his expression suddenly twisted in panic. "She's here she's here." His hand fumbled up to grip Noctis's shirt, looking at him clearly for the first time, eyes glittering in shame. "I thought I'd killed you." He intoned sorrowfully, just before his eyes rolled back and he dropped into the pillows on the bed.

"Prom?! Gods, get a doctor in here, Gladio!" Noctis collapsed on top of the blonde, pleading with him to wake, but the boy's eyes remained stubbornly closed.

He went to shake Prompto again, but found himself fighting against strong arms that were dragging him off the bed. As Gladiolus pulled him free and the medical staff rushed in, Noctis let out a wail like a wounded animal, collapsing back against his shield as his love was blocked from view.

Noctis' visage sent a shiver down Prompto's spine. The prince faced away from him, standing on the shore of the flat black lake, dewy skin shimmering in the light that the blonde produced. He was naked, as was Prompto, and the scar on his lower back rippled as he shifted position, rolling along with his muscles. If the blonde had been paying more attention, he may have noticed it grow and stretch ever so slightly, claiming a little more flesh as it spread.

But, there were more important things at hand.

Prompto licked his lips as he stared at the perfectly round cheeks of the raven haired boy's ass, fingers twitching at his sides in his need to reach out, touch, caress—

"There's so much here, my love." Noctis gave him a half smile over his shoulder, hair ruffling in the non-existent breeze. He half turned, beckoning the blonde closer.

Pinkening a little, Prompto did his best not to stare too long at Noctis' half-hard cock as he sauntered forward to stand next to his prince, the swirling inkiness receding a little at his approach. "What is it?"

Maroon eyes met gold, the space between them becoming heated.

Noctis' face fell, twisting in genuine regret. "You've been so woefully underprepared."

"For what?" Prompto reached out, running his luminescent fingers down the taut muscles of his prince's arm. His very nice arm…

Noctis' smile was melancholy as he turned to stare wistfully across the expanse. "For everything." He shook his head as if to rid himself of his train of thought, and turned back to Prompto. "It's no matter. I'll teach you. I can show you the way." Noctis' warm hand found his own, the prince squeezing his fingers as they gazed into each other's eyes—

—souls—

—before he pulled Prompto forward, using his free hand to cup the boy's cheek and draw their faces together. The kiss was soft, but hungry. Soon Noctis was slipping his tongue past trembling lips, encouraged by the sweet low moans that his love gave as the blonde clutched at his waist.

The prince pulled away only long enough to begin kissing and licking at Prompto's jaw, ear, neck…

"Yes, yes, yes…" the freckled youth whispered as Noctis' hands traveled around his back and down, grasping his ass firmly and pulling them together as he bit down on the sensitive spot where Prompto's neck met his shoulder.

The blonde yelped, but did not pull away. "Six fucking hell, Noct." His whisper echoed across the nothing, warping and twisting and repeating back to him.

A sudden sloshing at the shore behind Noctis alerted them that their pleasured moans and soft whimpers were attracting the things that lived within the darkness. Prompto stiffened under the prince's ministrations, his own hands clawing into the soft flesh of Noctis' back as he leaned to the side, looking over the other boy's shoulder.

One of the forms began creeping up to the shore, a mass of shifting shadows only slightly different from the darkness around it, seen mostly due to the intensifying light Prompto was producing. It rumbled a growl, dragging its large body closer.

"N-noct…we're not alone…" Prompto whispered, pulling Noctis with him as he tried to scramble back. But Noctis only shrugged. "There's always others here." He grinned again, maroon eyes glinting mischievously. "Let them watch." He waggled his eyebrows and playfully lunged forward again, planting firm kisses on Prompto's freckled shoulder.

"But Noct—"

The prince gripped his ass hard, one finger slipping between the cheeks to rub against Prompto's entrance as the raven haired boy bit into his shoulder again. This action short circuited his brain momentarily, his accompanying moan both one of pleasure and nervousness.

"You can push them back if you want." Noctis grinned to him and dropped to his knees, pulling Prompto forward so he could kiss each thigh slowly. "You're the one in charge, here."

Prompto ran his fingers through Noctis's dark tresses, still eyeing the creature on the shore. It had stalled its movements, and watched him back.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, my love, you've been kept down so long, you don't even know what you're capable of. But I can show you everything." He raised up and nuzzled against the blonde's belly, his tongue darting out to leave little wet spots as he kissed down the soft patch of hair leading to Prompto's rapidly hardening cock.

"Noct—" Prompto protested, but was cut off as the prince began lavishing attention on his balls, the blonde's hard dick resting across his handsome face and dripping beads of pre-come into his blue-black hair.

The sloshing started up again, and Prompto bit his lip, eyeing the creature once more. To his distress, another was joining it, rising up out of the inky darkness to stand proudly in the odd light.

His knees nearly buckled when the prince ran his tongue slowly from his ball sack to the tip of his dick and back again.

The creatures crept closer.

Noctis wet his fingers in his own mouth, staring seductively into Prompto's eyes. He then pressed one dampened digit to the other boy's asshole, teasing it again as he took the head of the blonde's cock in his mouth, flicking the slit with the tip of his tongue.

Several needs were warring within Prompto.

There was an intense desire to reach with both hands into Noctis' hair and thrust himself into that wet warmth. He wanted to watch the prince's eyes tear up as he fucked his mouth.

There was also the need to push him away, to say no, to retreat from both him and the creatures on the shore.

But more than anything, Prompto wanted control. He wanted to stop feeling like a bystander in his own life. He wanted for everything to just…to just….

"Stop!" There was no quiver or quake to his tone; only authority. And, much to his surprise, everything did just as he asked.

It was if time was frozen. The creatures on the shore ceased their movement; even the liquid black's gentle undulations stilled in mid-swish. At his feet, Noctis had his warm lips still wrapped around the bonde's cock, but he'd stilled with his tongue pressed flat against the bottom.

Prompto took a step back, breath quickening as he had to carefully disengage himself from Noctis' tongue and fingers.

The prince remained unmoving; his lips held the 'O' shape, his glowing eyes still meeting where Prompto's gaze was only moments before. One of the prince's hands grasped his own cock in mid-pump, a bead of come glistening in Prompto's shimmer, suspended in the air between Noctis' dick and the ground.

Heart racing, Prompto gave Noctis a wide berth as he approached the nearly indecipherable edge where the inky darkness of the lake met the shifting shadows of the shore.

He kept his distance from the creatures while also keeping an eye on Noctis as he stood there, watching the horizon, where a tiny white dot was the only thing that moved in the unrelenting darkness.

He bit his lip as the approaching vision resolved itself into the swan he'd seen the first few times he'd come here.

Only this time, the top one was gone, and only the reflection remained, skimming upside down just under the surface of the black.

"I thought I killed you." He said, voice laced with genuine sorrow.

Laughter echoed around him in the darkness, and he straightened up in surprise.

"I've been dead a long time, little one." Her voice was light and strong at once, a tone of regality.

Prompto took several stumbling steps back as the reflection reached the shore, its light brightening the closer it got to him, intensifying to an almost blinding level.

Prompto threw up an arm to shield his eyes from the radiant glow before him. All around where the swan had been was white; it forced the darkness back, pushed it with an invisible barrier that swept the creatures on the shore up in a sudden torrent of shadow, trapping it all like water in a glass.

Panic the likes of which he'd never felt before cascaded through his chest, leaving him cold and sputtering. A ringing sounded off all around him, drowning out the noise of the darkness that moved like molasses and the thundering of his heart. The ringing and the light grew so

loud

and

so

hot

that

suddenly

there

was

nothing.