Disclaimer: Not mine
Chapter 7
Ignis gasped, eyes closing as he felt….Noct….he was, good, he was obviously with someone he trusted enough to let that close.
"Iggy?" Gladio cupped his cheek and he opened his eyes to smile up at him.
"Noct is with someone," he murmured.
"It's been over a month, you've never been parted this long before, he must have been craving badly," Gladio shifted to his side rather than leaning over him. The funeral was tomorrow and they really needed sleep but…maybe lack of sleep would make their grief more realistic. "At least we know he's alive and on his way home."
"Maybe if we were closer I could track him," Ignis sighed, curling into him and Gladio lifted a hand to run his fingers through normally neat hair and Iggy sighed, pressing into his touch.
"You should feed," he offered, hand moving down to Ignis' neck, massaging the skin, feeling Ignis shiver, seeing his eyes change from green to silver, fangs extending.
"Sure?" he asked and Gladio nodded.
"You're hungry and feedback from Noct will only make it worse," he leant in and kissed him. ignis rolled them, straddling him, without breaking the kiss, their fangs clashing as Gladio's extended in his growing excitement.
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Noctis gently coaxed Prompto into letting him deepen the kiss, showing him what to do, teaching him. it was different, to be the one who knew what they were doing, Gladio'd had experience and Ignis had instinct to guide him making him seem experienced even before he had been. He knew MT's were used to seduce but Prompto had been rather young when he ran so he probably hadn't started that training. He hesitated when he felt his fangs extend in reaction to the kissing but Prompto didn't freeze or pull back, both hands now on his shoulders, clinging.
He broke the kiss to let Prom breath and he moaned, panting slightly, closed eyes opening to stare up at Noctis. He'd never kissed a human before and he touched a flushed cheek, feeling the heat of the blood pooling there. He stroked his thumb over Prompto's cheek as his breathing calmed some. "Good?" he asked and Prompto nodded.
"Yeah," he whispered.
"More?" he asked and Prompto swallowed.
"More?" he asked in confusion.
"How far do you want to go?" he asked to clarify, slipping a hand under Prom's shirt, feeling goose bumps rise on his skin. Bright blue eyes went wide as he realised what he was asking.
"I….I've never…I don't know what…" his cheeks were even redder, and Noctis realised some of hit was embarrassment due to lack of knowledge. Just how little did he know?
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Gladio groaned as sharp fangs sank into his throat, releasing potent venom into his blood stream. It was always good but the venom made it even better and it meant Ignis would feed well.
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Prompto felt his cheeks going red. He knew people were 'together'. He'd seen hunters go off with others, sometimes the opposite gender and sometimes not, that when they were different genders kids were sometimes the result. He just didn't know exactly how. He'd been too ashamed to ask and had never been interested. He'd never even bothered with research into the topic. He knew about touching himself to feel good and assumed that was involved but that was about it. He'd seen kissing too and he now knew that felt very nice. "I….I've never…I don't know what…" he stammered out. He relaxed when Noct kissed him again, clinging to him. He felt Noct move to straddle him, resting over his upper thighs. He wasn't very heavy so it wasn't uncomfortable and it gave a better angle for what they were doing.
He could feel his body reacting like it did when he touched himself except no one was touching him, was it because he liked the kissing? Then Noctis shifted forward and he gasped.
"Good?" Noctis asked and he nodded, it felt really good! He mimicked what Noct was doing, rocking his hips up against him.
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Gladio lapped the blood off of Ignis' throat, healing the bite wound he'd left there before Ignis kissed him again, eyes still silver though his fangs had retracted. He curled up against Gladio who wrapped an arm around his waist, unable to help the deep rumbling purr but he knew Ignis loved getting them to purr. "Better?"
"Mmm…they're still going…I think," Ignis' eyes became unfocused as he reached out to Noctis. "I think his partner is innocent."
"Really? Huh. Hope Noct knows what he's doing."
"He wouldn't do anything risky," Ignis denied.
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Noctis rested his head over Prom's chest, hearing his heart pounding and his core humming louder than normal even as he slowly brought his breathing under control. He licked the blood from his lips, shocked that Prom had offered his throat, allowed him to bite. He hadn't taken more than two mouthfuls, not when Prompto had lost so much blood recently. He was purring in contentment now.
Prompto really did know nothing about sex, how that was possible after living with hunters for years he didn't know. Then again he had been a kid when they took him in, they may have kept him away from that and then when he got older everyone could have assumed someone else had given him the 'Talk'.
He felt fingers threading through his hair again and smiled, nuzzling into his shirt. He felt better, even though it wasn't fully what he'd been wanting. He wasn't going to push Prom though, not when he was so…innocent, not something he would have imagined with how worldly he had seemed since they met.
He didn't want to move but things were going to get uncomfortable soon. "Need to change," he mumbled and Prompto groaned but he heard Prom shuffling a hand through a bag and then a clean pair of pants was dropped on his chest. "Thanks." He wriggled out of his current ones and used them to clean himself before putting the new ones off. Prompto needed to change too though, he sighed and rolled off him so he could change.
"Was…was I okay?"
Noctis sat up and smiled at him. "It's not a competition. The idea is that both people involved enjoy it and feel good. Did you?"
"Yeah," he admitted with a soft smile.
"So did I," he assured him. "Thank you."
"So when people go off alone together, that's what they're doing?" he yawned.
"It's part of it," he kissed him again. "Go to sleep, I'll explain more if you want later."
"Kay," he closed his eyes, relaxing.
Noctis smiled when he fell asleep straight away, pulling the sleeping bag up and over them before curling against him to sleep. he did wonder if Iggy might have felt any of that….
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It seemed like the entire city was lining the streets as the procession of cars drove through the city. But there were no cheers or happy chatter. The city was draped in the black of mourning for a life cut short far too son. Noctis was not a very public figure, but he was their Prince and the people mourned with their King. The King had kept the pictures of Noctis being shown to a minimum, no one knew it was to help keep his son safe on his trip home.
Masses of flowers had been left before the Citadel to show the peoples grief and condolences. Those who had attended school with Noctis had been hounded a bit by the press before the Crownsguard had intervened. Thankfully, they had all kept their silence.
Regis stepped up to the podium that had been set up, Clarus and Cor with him. Gladio and Ignis stood off to the side, heads bowed in grief, both looking tired. No one knew it was because they had been up most of the night, enjoying the feedback from Noctis. They were just glad they didn't have to speak, only the King would.
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Prompto fiddled with the small portable radio while Noct drank his morning blood. "You sure you want to listen to this?" he asked and Noctis nodded. "I guess most people don't get to know what is said about them at their own funeral." He got it tuned and put it down to see to his own breakfast. They listened as the commentator explained the mood of the people, the way the city was draped in black and flowers. Noctis flinched slightly when his Dad was described and then his own two Retainers, all described as exhausted looking.
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Noctis sealed the container and put it down, listening to the descriptions. He had a feeling he knew why Gladio and Ignis looked tired. Ignis had probably felt what he was doing last night so the two of them had likely been occupied as well. Ignis did need to keep fed after all, especially with such a public event. Obviously the Council hadn't believed him when he claimed Noctis was still alive. His kind were very rare and without knowing about Ignis feeding from him, they would have no reason to believe it was more than a hunch. He did kind of hope Iggy had gotten revenge on them for doubting him.
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He listened to the broadcast with a frown. Two teams had been sent to secure the Prince, neither had reported back and so were assumed dead. Had they killed the boy? Or was the funeral a ruse? Some expensive and irreplaceable equipment had been sent with those teams, what had happened to it?
Then there was the massive increase in Glaive presence in Leide, the blockades into the area had been attacked, one destroyed fully. That would seem to indicate that they had been right to place them.
"Summon Chancellor Izunia and General Glauca."
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They rode silently through the Hills, always on the lookout for danger. Very few people ever ventured beyond the low foothills that bordered the Slough. The Hills themselves weren't that hard to cross, it was the wildlife that kept everyone away. Behemoths roamed freely as did Coeurl packs, at night the daemons were nasty, and there were only two Havens in the whole Hills. It meant that Noctis had to secure their camps every night, burning magic and blood he really needed to conserve for the trip through the desert.
They stopped up against a rock wall, giving them one safe side to the camp, two hours before sundown. The terrain up ahead was too heavily wooded to risk with the dimming light levels. Prompto set up the tent and got a fire going while Noctis worked his magic, literally and then they sat side by side in front of the flames while Prompto's dinner cooked, the only hot meal he was getting a day. Noctis finished off his canister of blood, he would need to restock in the morning.
Noctis reached over and took Prompto's hand in his own once they were down tugging him closer and Prompto moved willingly. He really wished one of the guys was with them to handle the coming discussion, but they weren't there, it was up to him….something he hadn't expected to have to do for another century or two with his own kid. How was he even meant to start it? Was he just meant to ask if he knew where babies came from?
"Noct?"
"Do you…want to talk about what you asked?"
"Oh," Prompto hesitated. "This is something I should know, isn't it?"
"Yeah, no clue how you don't. Didn't any of the hunters ever talk to you about relationships or sex?"
"No. Sex? I think…some of the older kids said something a month or two before I ran but I wasn't really paying attention."
"You knew what kissing is though."
"That I've seen. Saw two guards once, people in Gralea, all over Lucis, hunters too."
"Do you…know where babies come from?"
"I've seen animals give birth," he offered.
Well that was better than nothing. He was so glad he didn't blush easily. "You know men and women's bodies are different."
"Yeah."
Noctis nodded and paused to consider what to say first.
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"Ignis, come in," Regis waved him in and Ignis entered the room, shutting the door behind himself.
"You wished to see my, Your Majesty?"
"Can you sense anything from Noctis other than that he is alive?" He asked, nodding at a chair so Ignis sat. Ignis hesitated to answer which was odd. He must have sensed something then. "Ignis?"
"He was with someone two nights ago, before the funeral. I believe he was the one to initiate it, after so long apart…."
"I see. He admitted to Cor that he is travelling with someone who saved his life, it seems likely that was who he was with." They all knew that Ignis' feeding came with potential side effects but no one had expected them to be separated for so long or over such a distance. He just hoped whoever it was, they were as trustworthy as Noctis believed. "Is he close enough for you to pick up if they run into trouble?"
"Perhaps, I'm not sure."
It was obvious he didn't like admitting his lack of knowledge. It was not his fault, there had not been an incubus born in centuries, the gene had lain dormant in his family without anyone remembering. Which meant there was no one to teach him, he had to rely on old stories and his own instincts. He'd had a horrendous time during puberty, trying to learn to control his growing powers with no one to teach him.
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Prompto rode quietly, unable to stop thinking about everything Noctis had told him. a few things he'd heard and seen over the years now made a lot more sense. He'd known that a relationship was between two people, that it meant they kissed and went off alone, touched each other in public by holding hands or touching their faces, that was why he'd told Noct to stop. He hadn't realised there was so much more to it than that, though it did explain why his body reacted the way it did to certain things. Some of it sounded rather strange but…he was curious.
He had been taught that vampires would bite each other because it felt good, he just hadn't been told exactly what that meant. Obviously that had been what the older clones had been speaking of, it also why they put out pheromones and stuff they did to draw them in, it wasn't just to make them trust them. Now he was really curious about how it had been kept from the press. If he had, he may have been a bit more embarrassed when Noctis had been purring and offering his throat.
Now that he knew….if Noct asked….he glanced over at the vampire who had his cap on again, shielding his face. They were high in the Hills and while the tree cover was good, the sun that made it through was strong. Now that he knew what being with someone really involved, he was very glad he'd never tried, there would have been no way to hide the hum of his core, or the port in his arm if it'd been touched. Noctis may be the only one who would ever accept what he was and still like him beyond that.
The last thing he needed was his head being a complicated mess of new information and he wasn't sure what to do with it.
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"We'll be out of the Hills tomorrow," Prompto told him as he began eating the stew made from the remains of Noctis' meal. The temperature had been rising steadily all day, the tree cover beginning to thin. They had refilled every water canteen they had to ensure they had enough, though it would still need careful rationing to last until Hammerhead.
"The Glaive should be deployed throughout Leide, if we're lucky we'll run into a team tomorrow. They should know we're avoiding roads."
"We could also run into imperial troops, all it takes is one seeing us, or a drop ship picking us up on scanners." As he spoke, Prompto rolled his sleeve up and began wrapping a bandage around his right wrist before replacing the band he wore to cover the barcode.
"Why?" he pointed at Prom's wrist.
"Normal scanners can pick up on the barcode through clothing. I don't know how strong the ones on a ship would be. Hopefully the extra layers of bandage will block them. I've looked over the map, there's nowhere to stock up on ammo out here so the less fighting the better."
"There's a way…to have unlimited ammo," Noctis admitted softly.
"What?" Prompto looked at him, obviously confused.
"I can hook you into my magic, into the Armiger. With that, your weapons could be stored in there and you would then summon them to hand when needed. It would also supply all the ammo you need."
Prompto stared at him with wide eyes. "Um….that sounds like a really big deal and not something you're meant to offer to just anyone."
"Only people I trust," Noctis agreed. "Usually, only human retainers, to give them an edge against any non-human opponent. Ignis is linked in," because his powers ran to seduction and sex, not battle. Gladio as a vampire had his own magic, though not as strong as Noct's, he could store his sword and shield though. "Even once I'm home, you'd have access, for as long as you live. The only way it'd stop would be if I broke it, or you did something the magic saw as a betrayal. I'd know if you died and you'd know if I did, you'd have a minute or two to grab anything you stored in the Armiger before the magic dissipated. You could store all your gear in there if you wanted to."
Prompto was still staring at him, looking a little lost.
Noctis shifted around to face him fully, taking his hands, squeezing gently. "I trust you Prompto, I care about you. The thought of you out here, blacklisted by the hunters, cut off from easy access to things like ammunition…I hate it. I don't want anything to happen to you just because you helped me."
"Noct…" he whispered shakily.
He smiled softly and then kissed him briefly. "Please, let me do this."
Prompto swallowed but then nodded. "Okay, if you're sure. What do I do?"
Noctis summoned a piece of paper and wrote the Oath on it. It wasn't the one Ignis had sworn, or Cor to his Dad, but Prompto wouldn't be remaining at his side like a normal Retainer. He handed it over and Prompto read it before nodding. Noctis offered his hand and Prompto took it before reading the words on the paper.
"I, Prompto Argentum, will be to Noctis Lucis Caelum faithful and true, and love all that he loves, and shun all that he shuns, according to the Astrals law, and according to Lucis' principles, and never, by will nor by force, by word nor by work, do ought of what is loathful to him; on condition that he keep me as I am willing to deserve, and all that fulfil that our agreement was, when I to him submitted and chose his will," Prompto read out, eyes widening as crystals of blue magic swirled around their hands. If anyone ever found out what Prompto was, the wording of the Oath would help assure them that he held no loyalty to the Empire.
"I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, accept your Oath. It is right that those who offer to us unbroken fidelity should be protected by our aid. And since such and such a faithful one of ours, by the favour of the Astrals, has seen fit to swear trust and fidelity to us in our hand, therefore I decree and command by the present precept that for the future such and such above Prompto Argentum be counted with the number of Royal Retainers." The magic surged around them before sinking into Prompto's skin. "In accepting your Oath, I offer what protection I can give you, my friendship, and my magic." He waited for a few more seconds and then let go of Prompto's hand. "Formalities are over."
"That felt…weird and cold but also good," Prompto admitted.
"Now you just have to learn how to use it," Noctis grinned and Prompto smiled back.
TBC…
So that was a slightly altered medieval vow of fealty and response found online.
