Disclaimer: not mine
Chapter 14
Regis continued taking tiny sips of Prompto's blood, seeing the battle more fully than Crowe's recording had been able to show, feeling the boy's pain as he was electrocuted twice, his feeling that something was wrong before they were ambushed. He saw…yes, well, he didn't need to know that much about his son or Prompto. He saw Prompto swear himself to Noctis without hesitation, an Oath Noctis had altered…as if Prompto wouldn't be remaining at his side. he saw flashes of their journey through the hills, of Noctis hearing the announcement of his own funeral, finding the blockade. He fought the urge to be sick as Prompto stabbed himself, desperate to prove he was human. He definitely needed to arrange a session with a professional for him, if they could find one who would agree to see him.
Seeing the two fight side by side…it was like they'd been doing it for years. He saw Noctis doing what he was now, saw them travelling, camping at...the Vesperpool? Noctis too pale, weak, sleeping all of the time, and Prompto caring for him, then a tiny apartment in what had to be Meldacio. He saw Prompto come upon the werewolves, killing them, destroying the collar in horror and then realising just who they'd been attacking but not hesitating to give him blood before carrying him away. He kept going, seeing Prompto's life with the hunters, how he did everything he could to avoid hunting sentients, sticking to daemons and beasts, unless there was positive proof against the attacker. He watched his years in the wilds on his own until found by a Hunter. Saw him kill a vampire and save the child he was draining, only a child himself. Further back to the terrifying journey across the sea, stowing away on boats and trains, Gralea in all its 'glory' and then some kind of facility. What he saw there sickened him, the rows of identical children, shaved heads and too skinny. It was a relief to gently sever the connection and pull back, licking the wound closed.
He looked up to see Prompto's head still resting against Noctis, his son asleep in his arms, his eyes closed and Regis wished there was some way to reverse the process but even if they could remove everything without killing him, he would die from the missing organs. The Magitek Core had been in him so long his body likely relied heavily on it too, having adapted to the energy it put out. He gently lowered the arm he was holding and then reached out to clasp his shoulder.
"Prompto?" he called gently and the boy tensed but slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. He could see the fear and…yes, self-loathing in the bright blue eyes. The sooner Noctis could assure Prompto it wasn't his fault, the better. "If it weren't for the fact your presence is currently secret, I would be awarding you the highest honour available for what you have done for my son," he smiled at him. "You were tortured, brainwashed, treated inhumanly, and yet you have become someone I would be proud to know."
Prompto's eyes were wide with shock. "I…"
"You did not fail Noctis," he swore to him. "If I could undo what they did to you, I would, but to do so would kill you. You are a member of Noctis' Retinue now and will be given the protection that position comes with."
"I…I wasn't supposed to come here. We both knew I couldn't, he wanted to keep me safe, to make sure I had everything I'd need even if blacklisted."
Regis nodded, no doubt Noctis had planned to set him up somewhere relatively safe and ensure he had funds too, though likely he hadn't mentioned that bit yet. Finding some way for him to live in the Citadel would not be easy, he had already spoken to engineers and scientists alike about making a dampener that a person could wear which would help. The Council were not going to be happy about his presence but Noctis had the right to choose his anyone he pleased for the third member of his Retinue.
And…there was maybe one way to restore his body, though he would insist on thorough research before even suggesting it. If he were to become a vampire, it was possible his organs could regenerate. There were records of people with missing limbs or massive wounds that had severely damaged their organs healing during the process. Would the boy agree to such a thing? He loved Noctis but enough to become something he had been born to see as the enemy?
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As tempting as it was to just stuff Noctis full of blood, that would actually do more harm than good. They had to gradually increase the amount his was being given while ensuring he felt a safe as possible. Prompto's presence definitely helped ensure he felt safe, the Prince never letting go of him willingly.
Thankfully, he was no longer so fearful of Ignis either, the Incubus careful to radiate comfort and safety as best he could but the King was the only one other than Prompto who Noctis would let hold him, the parental bond reaching him even in his current state. Gladio was forced to watch and wait in the observation room, Noctis terrified of other vampires, hissing and snarling at several of the medical staff even as he clung to Prompto or his Dad, the reactions fearful and defensive rather than mindlessly violent.
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Prompto stroked his hand through fine black hair, eyes closed, feeling the tug and pull at his throat. It felt strange, Noctis had never actually fed from him before, he'd just nipped and sipped a few times or Prompto had bled into a container for him. That time in the motel didn't count since there'd been magic and mind reading involved and it had been from his wrist, not his neck.
Ignis was watching, ready to help pull Noctis off if he didn't stop drinking before it began to get risky.
It had been three weeks and Noctis looked fully healthy again, all test results coming back normal, and yet he was still feeding a lot more than normal. More depressingly, he still showed no signs of recognising anyone or understanding them. One of the times the King was with Noctis, Gladio and Ignis had taken him aside to ask what he knew about the feral state and to explain more. They had to be so careful in trying to bring Noctis out of it or else they could leave him permanently damaged, he may never remember anything or only have a handful of scattered memories, could remain unable to speak…so much could go wrong.
"Please be okay," he whispered and then he felt Noctis lapping the wound with his tongue, sealing it. Noctis pulled back, staring at him curiously, and Prompto smiled at him, gently wiping a stray drop of blood off his chin. "All done?" he asked, not expecting an answer so he froze when Noctis gave a jerky nod, seeing Ignis straighten up in his peripheral vision. "Noct?" he whispered, searching those dark blue eyes, but there was no recognition. "Can you understand me?" he asked and Noctis tilted his head to the side before something seemed to…slip away and then he was cuddling against him as if nothing had happened.
Prompto looked at Ignis, bewildered. "Did he?"
"It's a good sign," Ignis whispered. "The process is gradual but he definitely showed signs of understanding you even if only for a few moments." He reached out and gently clasped the hand that wasn't supporting Noctis' back. "It will take time for him to be aware for longer periods.
"He still didn't…"
"Memories are usually the last to return, it's not concerning." The 'yet' remained unsaid. Ignis squeezed his hand gently and Prompto nodded slowly, not pulling away.
He liked Ignis and he knew causal physical contact was just part of who he was. He could feel Ignis, differently to how he could feel Noct's magic in himself, the link between them. He knew that for some reason, Ignis liked him. Just because they were both tied to Noctis? He glanced down and smiled at the sight of Noctis sleeping again, it was all he did, feed and sleep.
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Ignis carefully brushed Noctis' hair for him, glad that he was finally allowed to freely touch and hold him. There had been more scattered moments were Noctis seemed to understand them but they never lasted long, his responses always non-verbal. He smiled when Noct actually purred for him, pressing into the brush, obviously enjoying it. he set the brush aside and ran his fingers through his hair instead, Noctis melting against him. "I miss you," he whispered.
Noctis tipped his head back, blinking at him, and then he frowned slightly, reaching up to touch Ignis' cheek and he automatically pressed into the hesitant touch, getting a real smile from Noct for the first time, a human expression and not just an instinctive reaction. He moved from behind Noctis to sit on the chair beside the bed, gently taking his hands in his own, thumbs rubbing tenderly at cool skin.
"Are you hungry?" he asked gently, keeping eye contact, seeing the hint of comprehension and then Noctis jerked a nod. "Alright, let's take care of that." He went to stand but Noctis surprised him by tightening the hold on his hands. "Noct?"
Noctis stared at him, seeming confused, but about what? Then Noctis let go of one hand, reaching towards his face and Ignis stayed still, barely breathing, as Noctis clumsily took his glasses, studying them. He looked back up at Ignis and then at his glasses, frowning slightly, obviously trying to work something out. His lips parted and Ignis waited, praying he would speak, but nothing happened except a brief look of frustration. It was more than he'd shown so far though. He was obviously thinking, not just reacting.
"Noct? Can you understand me?" he asked carefully and that got another choppy nod. "Do…do you know who I am?"
Noctis tightened his grip on his glasses and Ignis wondered if he'd have to get his spare pare but then Noctis held them up to Ignis' face. He looked at Ignis then the glasses and was obviously trying to tell him something…
"Specs," he whispered the childhood nickname and Noctis smiled again, patting at his cheek. He lost his grip but Ignis caught them before they hit the ground, seeing him fade away again. It didn't matter, nothing could upset him at that moment. It had only lasted a minute or so but for that brief time…Noctis had known who he was! He had even tried to speak. The 'treatment' was working.
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Nyx kept his body relaxed as Gladio emerged with Shooter…Prompto, the boy staring at him warily. "Amicitia," he greeted before nodding to the blond. "Good to see you on your feet kid," his greeting got a stunned look.
"Uh…"
"I was on the team trying to get to you and the Prince and then on the one that brought you both in."
"Oh," the blond nervously chewed his lip. "Thank you."
"You're a good shot, best I've seen," he offered, seeing pale cheeks tinge red. It was hard to think of the kid in front of him as an MT, or at least partially one, Scientia had said the process was incomplete. Nyx had the feeling he didn't want to know what the 'process' involved. He offered his hand, seeing the flash of surprise. "Nyx Ulric," he introduced and the boy hesitated but then took his hand.
"Prompto Argentum." He glanced back at the isolation room and Amicitia gently gripped his shoulder, urging him on.
"Come on blondie, let's get you kitted out."
"Where are we going?" he asked as Nyx fell into step with them.
"You can't stay in the iso ward all your life, so the King's had some scientists working on getting a portable dampener unit made," the Prince's Shield explained.
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"What?" Prompto couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Did you really think we'd keep you locked up in there?" the vampire asked, looking down at him and all he could do was shrug slightly. "Not happening, Noct would never allow it so it's better to have something sorted before he's back on his feet."
They walked through the halls, Gladio and Ulric walking so they blocked peoples view of him as best they could. When Ulric opened the door to a lab he froze, unable to keep walking as he saw scientists, his breathing speeding up.
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Gladio felt the blond freeze, heard his heart begin to race, his breathing becoming almost gasps and he mentally swore at their idiocy. He pulled Prompto down the hall so that he couldn't see the room, gently urging his head down. "Breath Prompto, come on, follow my breathing. You're safe, no one is going to hurt you," he murmured over and over until his breathing eventually slowed. "That's it, I've got you. I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised, gently pulling Prompto into a hug, rubbing his back.
They really hadn't thought this out properly, they'd thought it would be good for him to leave the isolation wing, stretch his legs and see more of the Citadel. Bringing him to any kind of scientific room though… what had they been thinking? They should have made them come to Prompto and then taken him on a walk.
He felt Prompto shudder against him and moved his hand from his back to run through his hair. "That's it, you're okay."
"P..pl…ease…" he begged and Gladio slid down the wall, seeing Ulric take up a protective position nearby.
He held Prompto in his lap, gently rubbing his hair and back, doing his best to calm him. "Shh, it's alright," he kept whispering protection and comfort until finally Prompto began relaxing. "That's it, you're alright."
"Please….I'll be good…don't let them…"
Gladio nudged Prompto's head up, seeing the fear in his eyes, and he felt even worse. "Prompto listen to me," he urged, brushing now sweaty blond hair back from his face. "Can you hear me?" he asked gently and Prompto blinked before nodding lethargically. "No one is going to hurt you; I won't let them. We'll be right beside you the whole time. We're just here to look at the dampener, see if it works, okay? No needled, scalpels, restraints, nothing. I promise." He stood slowly, helping Prompto to his feet, walking very slowly towards the room. "See, it's okay," he encouraged.
Nyx turned and smiled at Prompto. "No one's going to touch you kid," he promised as well.
They got Prompto into the room and a woman approached, eyeing Prompto warily but her expression softened at the obvious fear in his expression. "We have a prototype ready," she addressed Gladio and he nodded. "Please, come this way," she led them through the bustling lab and into a side room where a man was leant over a bench with some tools.
He looked up at them and set the tools aside. "Perfect timing, all done." He backed away from the bench, keeping his distance.
The woman went to the bench and picked up what he'd been working on, a thick, heavy black band. "This is the prototype, to be worn around either wrist. It should actually run off the power put out by your…" she gestured at his chest and Prompto flinched slightly.
"Will that hurt him? Doesn't his body and new implants need that energy?"
"According to the readings we were given, there is considerable excess energy being produced, likely due to his body still being very organic," she explained. "He'll need to be monitored just to be safe, this is a prototype after all. I suggest a good gym work or two, or some form of combat training, something physically demanding, to ensure the drain then isn't dangerous. It's waterproof so there will be no problems showering or even diving with it." She held it out but Prompto didn't move so Gladio stepped forward to accept it.
"Which wrist?" he asked gently and Prompto slowly raised the one with the barcode which made sense, might as well use this thing to hide it. He wrapped it around his wrist, doing it up, being careful it wasn't too tight. "Feel anything?" he asked and Prompto frowned, staring at the black band, Gladio suspected the King's hand in the colour choice, marking him as protected by the Crown. "Prompto?" he asked and he heard a scoff from across the room, Prompto flinching again.
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Nyx stayed quiet when Prompto freaked out, kicking himself for not seeing that coming. The kid had escaped a lab where he'd been mutilated, of course he'd see a scientist and lose it. Though it was good to see not even a second of violence in that meltdown. He didn't want to think of what it must have been like to have his body so mutilated but part of him couldn't help wondering what it was like, if the kid could feel what had been done to him.
When the guy who'd been working on the band scoffed he glared, it was obvious what he was thinking, that Prompto was no better than a machine, that he shouldn't have a name but the number on his wrist. The engineer flinched back from him…human, brave but stupid to be so obvious around a vampire in protective mode like Amicitia visibly was.
Nyx turned his attention to Prompto, looking for any sign of discomfort or illness from the energy drain.
"M'okay," Prompto whispered.
"If anything happens, just take it off. You're staying in the isolation rooms, right?" she asked Prompto directly, unlike her co-worker. Prompto glanced up at her and nodded. "Then your condition will be monitored, so if anything does happen we can check the data."
"Thank you," Prompto told her and she offered a small smile.
"Come on kid, let's take a walk, see how that goes," Gladio offered, nodding to the staff, before the three of them left.
They walked the corridors; glad they were mostly empty once they reached the isolation areas.
"How're you doing?" Nyx asked after about half an hour. Slowly he reached out a hand and wide blue eyes watched him but the kid didn't move so he gently ruffled wild blond hair. "Feeling any different?"
"No, I'm okay."
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Ignis lay on the bed with Prompto, Noctis sleeping between them. Technically it was beds, the one from what had been Prompto's room had been brought in to give more room since Noctis wanted contact. He was enjoying getting to know Prompto, working to draw him out of his nervous shell. He had been a Hunter, had the courage to run from the Empire, which meant the nervousness and quiet was likely due to the most recent trauma and the stress of Noctis' condition, likely being in the Citadel wasn't helping that either. Every smile or laugh was a victory.
He was also getting Prompto used to him touching him casually. Most of the time the blond didn't seem to notice or mind but he'd stop if he tensed. He had not been violated the same way Noctis had but he'd been forced to watch. That he had clung to him that first day after waking and had let him touch him since was amazing. Was he pushing down his own trauma to help Noctis?
Ignis was trying to think of what sot of role he could have within the Citadel. He may have the skills to be Noctis' Cor, or at least a good grounding that could eventually translate to it with further training. He knew the King had had a fourth member…a mechanic? But that was not a role that would be needed for Noctis since he was unlikely to leave the city again after all of this, even if he did fully recover.
Perhaps he should arrange for some educational supplies to see what took Prompto's interest.
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Regis sat on the chair, smiling as he played with his son, Prompto watching them even as his hand lazily ran up and down Noctis' back. So far, the device appeared to be working without any side effects, thankfully. Noctis patted his cheek and he looked back at his son who smiled at him. His times of being able to understand them and even communicate were getting longer even as his need for blood was beginning to lower to more normal levels. His ability to actually recognise them was less frequent but every time it happened it made him so happy.
"Was I ignoring you?" he asked teasingly and Noctis nodded. He reached for him and Regis gently wrapped his arms around him, feeling him cuddle in against him. "I love you Noctis," he murmured and Noctis pulled back, staring at him. "Son?" he asked after a minute.
Noctis licked his lips, throat working. He opened his mouth, lips moving, only to frown. Regis watched his lips closely; glad he knew how to lip read form watching the occasional surveillance video. His heart leap as he realised what Noctis was trying to say…Dad.
Regis laughed and leant in, kissing his forehead. "Yes Noctis, it's me. You know me," he smiled shakily and Noctis reached up to touch his beard.
He tried to talk, touching his throat, looking frustrated, only to stat when Prompto wrapped an arm around his waist. He turned his head and his eyes went wide.
"Noct?" Prompto asked softly and then he gasped as he ended up on his back, Noctis on top of him, lips pressed to his.
Well…he definitely recognised Prompto.
Noctis pulled back to let him breath and Prompto laughed wetly, tears in his eyes. He reached up to gently trace a pale cheek and Noctis pressed into his touch, smiling. This was the most like himself Noctis had been yet and it seemed to be lasting longer too.
"I've missed you so much," Prompto told Noctis who frowned in confusion.
He looked around, eyes widening as he recognised where he was. Then he looked from Prompto to Regis, beginning to panic and Regis held his hands up.
"Easy Noctis, calm down. Everything is alright. Prompto is safe here, I promise." He knew why Noctis was panicking to realise Prompto was in the Citadel. "He's a member of your Retinue and he brought you home at great personal cost. I will not allow anyone to harm him," he swore and Noctis stared at him, panic slowly fading. He held Prompto's hand tightly and Prompto smiled at him.
"I'm okay Noct, everyone's been nice, promise," Prompto assured him as Noctis gently ran his free hand over his body, obviously looking for wounds.
So far, he didn't seem to remember what had happened to them and Regis prayed he never remembered what had been done to him when collared.
TBC…
