*waves*

I meant to post this before I went on vacation since it was done, but with doing two doubles right beforehand, yeah that wasn't gonna happen. I barely looked it over, I'm not gonna lie, so hopefully it's not too bad. I promise I'll go back over it when I have more time .

Chapter III

It had taken only three days before Prompto was bursting with curiosity.

Everyday that they had lunch with Luna, or 'Diana', Noctis would catch Prompto watching them with prying eyes. Noctis never said her name just in case he'd call her Luna, and the two of them tried their hardest to not give anything away, but Prompto was too smart for that. He knew something was up, so when his blond friend came to him before school the day before the weekend, Noctis had a feeling he couldn't hide it anymore.

Prompto had pulled him to the side of the courtyard and they were now standing in the shadows. Noctis attempted to meet his assuming gaze, but found himself averting his eyes under the scrutiny. Pocketing his hands in his school slacks, Noctis attempted an nonchalant expression. "What's up?"

"Don't even. I know something's up. You and Diana try to not act like you know each other, but I see the way you look at each other when you think I'm not looking. There's something there." Prompto crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Did you meet this girl over summer break and have some summer lovin' when we weren't hanging out or something? You should've told me, dude. She's totally into you. I would've been your wingman."

Noctis' face was blank. "My… what?"

"She likes you, and you clearly like her. I don't know how you guys met, but you can stop hiding it from me. Plus I want to help you get the girl. She's amazing. You shouldn't let her go."

You have no idea, Noctis thought as he studied a pebble on the ground for a second.

The class bell rang through the air and Prompto and Noctis looked at each other.

"So you'll stop hiding it? And stop lying?" Prompto asked; not yet wanting to move until he got his friend's promise.

Sighing, Noctis nodded his head. "Yeah. I will. I'll need to, uh, talk to Diana."

"That's fine. Now let's go learn something."

Noctis watched as Prompto began walking off towards the school. He lagged behind him, his thoughts a jumbled mess, before relenting and walking off towards class as well.

When he entered their class, he glanced Luna's way and saw her beam at him. He tried to return the smile but failed. She appeared to notice something was off and he made a mental note to explain it to her later. If Prompto already believed that something was up with her, he just didn't know the whole truth, then maybe they could still continue to hide it even though he had promised him he wouldn't lie anymore.

This is starting to give me such a headache.

As Mr. Cassius walked in and started their General Mathematics class, Noct couldn't help but let his mind wander. There was a slight pounding in his temples and his gaze was fixed through the window on a nearby tree.

The fact that Prompto could pick up on the emotion between Noct's interactions with Luna, even though some of them were forced or held back, spoke volumes of Prompto's ability to read social interactions.

She likes you. He apparently picked up on that too, something that Noctis hadn't. Prompto was probably imagining things. There was no way Luna liked him. She was four years older than him and probably thought he was like her little brother.

That thought brought a sour grimace to his face.

He was lucky that Mr. Cassius never ever called on him, because otherwise he'd probably get in trouble for not paying attention. It was moments like this that he was thankful for being a Prince because occasionally some people would be afraid to speak to him, although he mostly hated it. Prompto was actually the first person to ever treat him normally even when he called him Prince.

And yet you're keeping this from him. Damn it.

He had to tell Prompto. He had to. Prompto could keep a secret. He normally acted like he was a non-stop talker, and he was for the most part, but if Noct trusted him with something, he would never break it. It's not like Prompto was hiding anything from him either. They were usually so open with each other, no secrets between them.

Now… how do I tell him?

Looking up at the clock, Noctis noticed they still had forty-five minutes before lunch. They were currently doing their History of Ancient Lucis lesson, and Noct pretended to get out his proper notebook and text.

If he wanted to already have this out in the open so all three of them could discuss then maybe he should give Prompto a note? On second thought, Noct figured it probably should be Luna who told him. He'd have to get to her first thing at lunch. It shouldn't be too hard considering Prompto believed they had spent the summer together, or whatever he thought they did.

Waiting for lunch, Noctis devised a plan.

He'd be able to pull Luna aside rather easily, figuring that Prompto would let them have some alone time to discuss them not lying to him anymore, although the actual discussion would be a whole lot different. He would have to make sure that Luna was okay with this, or else, because there was no way they'd be able to get past this without doing so. If Prompto could figure this all out in three days without backstory, he'd figure it all out eventually.

Hearing the lunch bell ringing, Noctis broke out of his reverie and tapped on Prompto's shoulder. The blond maneuvered in his seat to face him better, sitting sideways in his chair, and was about to ask him what was up, but Noctis beat him too it. "Hey, can you go down and save us a seat? I wanna talk to Diana. About what we talked about this morning."

"Oh," Prompto replied, making sure to draw out the vowel sound for emphasis. "Yeah, sure, but if you guys start dating then you'll have to help me find someone too. Oo, maybe she has a sister!"

"I don't think so." Prompto frowned. "Sorry. We won't be long though, promise."

His friend seemed to accept this answer, although with a continued frown, and hopped up out of his seat to start heading towards the cafe. He waved to "Diana" as he passed her. She had been patiently waiting at the door for them the entire time.

Breathing in to only let out a sigh of relief, Noctis stood and made his way over to her. She saw his tired face and became worried.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Noctis left the class and she walked with him down to the cafe. "Prompto knows something's up."

"What do you mean?"

He bit the inside of his cheek. "He knows we knew each other before, although he doesn't know how. He said he thought we had met in the summer time or something and were an item." The last part was said with a blush, and when he noticed the redness of her cheeks as well, Noct thought maybe Prompto was onto something. "We have to tell him."

Luna looked around and then pulled him to the side of the hallway. She waited for mostly everyone to walk away before whispering, "Could he keep it a secret though?"

"He kept the secret that you had sent him a letter all those years ago secret until three days ago, and he and I have been best friends for about two years now," Noctis explained as he put his hands in his pockets. The expression on her face told him that she had hoped he had forgotten about that. To be honest, he had been waiting for the perfect time to use it to his advantage. "And that wasn't even really something that needed to be kept secret."

"True," she muttered. "Also I wasn't keeping it from you, you know. I had just been worried because I knew how lonely you were."

Noctis gave her a soft smile. "I know. We can't keep lying to him though. He figured it out in three days. He's bound to figure out more, and at that point he'd be mad at us. You haven't been here long, but I can already tell he considers us a trio now and not just a duo."

It was Luna's turn to smile. She was quiet for a few moments, simply looking down at the floor in thought as she ran over her options. "Okay," she decided as she met his gaze. "Let's tell him after school in your apartment."

The fear in her eyes was easy to read, but he could see excitement as well. It almost seemed like this meant as much to her as it would to Prompto. They had only been a trio for not even a week, but Noct knew that this was the first real time that Luna had friends aside from Gentiana.

Resisting the urge to take her hand, they walked down to the cafe and quickly found Prompto, who was munching on a dinner roll. Noct sat down in front of his best friend and Luna sat beside him. Prompto gave them a bread-filled smile, and then swallowed. "So… should I be worried about becoming a third wheel?"

A squeak came out of Luna's throat and Noctis' entire face turned as red as a Lucian tomato. Prompto just looked confused. "What?"

Noct cleared his throat. "We're, uh… we're not together."

"But you two so clearly-"

"Prompto!" Noct interjected before he could say any more. He dared a glance at Luna and saw she was just as red as he felt. Shaking his head free of the thoughts running through his mind, Noctis cleared his throat again. "We're not dating."

Prompto's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Okay…"

Their lunch break felt rather awkward until Prompto got Noct to talk about a new game app that just released called King's Knight. As they both began to get into a serious conversation over it, Luna went to go get both her and Noct something to eat.

The rest of their lunch break flew by, and so did the rest of their school day. Noctis was able to get Prompto to come over to his place rather easily, and the two of them waved goodbye to Luna as she got into her car. They got into their own as Ignis drove and after twenty minutes thanks to barely any traffic, they were in Noct's apartment with their homework out on the dining room table. Before they could start though, he grabbed Prompto's attention and told him to wait at the table.

"I'll be back in a minute," Noct said as he exited his apartment and ran to Luna's, leaving a dumbfounded Prompto behind.

Two minutes later, and after lying to Irene about why Luna was coming over to his apartment, Noct walked in with a casually dressed Luna in tow, and Prompto stood up in surprise.

"Diana, what-"

"Prompto, please sit down," interjected Noctis as he locked his front door.

"But I-"

It was Luna's turn to interrupt him as she sat down across the table from him, her hands clasped together on the hard wood. "Prompto, Noctis and I wanted to talk to about something we couldn't tell you in school."

The blond teen turned to Noctis with furrowed brows. "What about?"

Noct sat down next to Luna, and watched as Prompto looked at the both of them like they were hiding something. Thankfully, they wouldn't be anymore.

Luna knew it was her time to speak up, and she looked at Noctis quickly for confidence before squaring her gaze at her new friend across from her. "Prompto, what we are about to tell you could endanger my life," she stated. He studied her in reply.

Taking in a deep breath, Luna let it out slowly and shakily. Butterflies felt like they were going crazy inside of her stomach and chest. She just hoped this wasn't a mistake. She liked Prompto greatly.

"I'm…" she started quietly. "My real name is Lunafreya Nox Fleuret." Prompto's eyebrows shot straight up, and Noct was glad he wasn't eating or drinking anything.

Luna could see the millions of questions in his eyes and continued as calmly as she could.

"Just over a month ago my life was threatened by the Empire in a way that wouldn't have killed me, but would still put me in danger. My brother and adviser found out and devised a plan to help me escape. With the help of King Regis, I now live in Insomnia, next door to Noctis. They dyed my hair and it takes over an hour to apply my camouflage of make up."

"She's also wearing fake contacts," Noct added.

"I'm living here in secret, and we didn't want to tell you for fear of my life or now yours, but Noctis told me we could trust you, and we didn't want to lie to you anymore. Can we trust you?"

Noct noticed how hopeful she sounded at the end as he watched her. He could practically feel the loneliness radiating off of her, and knew she needed someone aside from him just as much as he needed someone aside from her. Turning his sight to Prompto, he saw him with his mouth agape and his eyes wide. He could see the wheels turning in his friend's head, moving way more quickly than either him or Luna could fathom.

After a few seconds, Prompto nodded. "Yes," he breathed. "Of course you can, I just-"

"I know," Noct agreed. "When I figured out that it was her, we had huge talk about it and I was pretty angry. ...Not at her, but at my dad, Ignis, Gladio might know too…"

"How long have you know who she was?"

Noctis took in a breath. "A little under a week."

"And how long have you been living next to him?" Prompto asked Luna.

Biting her lip, Luna looked down at her hands. "I've been living here for about a month now."

Silence seemed to stretch over them, all three lost in their own minds.

Noct felt a sense of despondency; a certain fear that Luna may have to be in hiding for the rest of their life if they were lucky. If they weren't lucky, she could be attacked and killed at any moment for escaping-her brother too. He'd be without her, or he'd die protecting her.

I need to be training with Gladio more than just once a week now. He would also have to listen to Ignis and read all of his political reports too. He needed to know everything that was going on, know everything he was up against.

He had to save her.

"So, um…." Prompto started in an effort to break the silence. "Do you wanna do your homework with us, Luna?"

The lack of an honorific didn't go unnoticed by the royals, and they both gave him a tired, but happy smile.

"Sure," she said as she stood from her seat. "I'll go get my books."

Once she had left the apartment, Noctis moved his own books closer to him, but Prompto grabbed his attention.

"I'm glad you guys told me," he muttered while looking at the table. "I-I know it couldn't of been easy, and I swear I won't say anything, but…"

Noct felt something in his stomach twist uncomfortably. "But…?"

Prompto raised his eyes and stared his best friend down. "I want to start training with you and Gladio. If she's in any danger, I want to help protect her."

"Prompto…" Noctis sighed. "You don't have-"

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. Plus, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't help protect my best friend's future girlfriend."

Flames felt like they erupted behind Noctis' skin and he sputtered for a moment. "I-I told you earlier…"

"I know, I know, but come on Noct. Everyone can tell. Even a plebe like me!"

Noctis threw a crumbled up piece of paper at him and Prompto attempted to dodge it with a laugh. Luna came back through the front door at that exact moment and held back a giggle when she saw Noctis' foul looking face and Prompto's snickering expression.

"Did I miss something?"

"Oh, we were just-"

"Prompto was just being an ass, but I took care of it." Noctis glowered as he picked up his pencil and slid his notebook closer to him.

Prompto laughed, and patted at the seat next to him. "Come on Luna. Let me see if I can help you with math. I know you said you were having trouble yesterday."

It had taken some doing, and a lot of sweet talking, but Noctis was able to persuade Gladio into training Prompto as well on their training days.

Just like Noct had suspected, Gladio knew about Luna, and completely understood why Noctis wanted to start training three days a week, although he still didn't have the faintest idea as to how close they were. Noct preferred it that way, but if Prompto kept on teasing him, he was gonna find out eventually. The Prince wasn't looking forward to that, but at least Noct could now beat Prompto's ass for "training" purposes. Which he was currently doing.

Prompto had a wooden sword, but the key word in this instance was 'had'. It was flying across the room as Prompto fell on his ass. He was rubbing his wrist in the place where Noctis had hit it to devoid him of his weapons, and he was wincing. He was wearing a pair of jeans, along with a t-shirt and was fitted into a safety vest and some elbow and knee guards.

"Dude… could you be a little bit easier on me?"

"You wanted to train," Noctis said as he walked closer to him, swinging his own wooden sword around in a playful manner. He was fitted the same as Prompto, only he was in his Prince fatigues. "This is how Gladio trained me. He never went easy on me."

"Damn straight," the older man agreed. "We started training right after his accident once he was fully healed and I was never soft on him. He used to hate me for it."

Noct rolled his eyes and glanced Gladio's way. "You also were a huge asshole when I was younger."

"Yeah, well, I thought you were a stuck up Prince."

It was Prompto who spoke next as he forced himself to his feet. "What do you mean? He still is a stuck up Prince."

Noctis took one of the small wooden daggers hidden in his fatigue pocket and hurled it at Prompto's chest, returning him to the floor out of surprise.

"Hey!"

"Talk shit, get hit."

Gladio let out a bellowing laugh at his place from the floor. He was sitting with his legs crossed and his back against the wall. His own wooden sword was lying across his lap, having not been touched in half an hour.

The three of them had been in the training room of the Citadel for over an hour now. They were starting out with Prompto's defense, much to the blond's dismay, and while he still sucked, he was getting hit less than he had when they started. It was mostly Noctis attacking with Gladio coaching from the sidelines. They were waiting on four other Crownsguard to show up before they started Noctis' training.

It had been almost two weeks since he had found out about Luna, and barely over a week since Prompto was told. Prompto had been at two trainings before today, and Noctis had been constantly training with two or more combatants.

He no longer had a hard time anticipating moves like he had during the first surprise of multiple offenders two weeks ago. He had quickly gotten accustomed to constantly watching his back, and his flexibility that him and Gladio had been working on was coming in handy. Without barely even trying, Noctis could avoid attacks by either simply moving out of the way, or by doing some low grade gymnastics. He just needed to learn to warp.

Looking at his personal bodyguard, Noctis swung his wooden sword until it was resting against his shoulders. "Hey Gladio?"

The older man sat up straighter against the coldness of the wall and raised an eyebrow. Prompto was still sitting on the ground, babying the small mark left on his chest from the blunt wooden dagger. "What is it?"

"When am I gonna learn to warp?"

A thoughtful expression graced Gladio's features and he put a hand to his chin. "You know, I'm not sure. The King never did specify."

"But I have the power right?"

"Yeah," Gladio gave him a nod. "It's an innate power you were born with, just like extracting elemental energy. You should be able to do it."

"Can you do it?"

"Yeah, I can. The King gives the power to the Kingsglaive, and the sworn shields. I was taught how to do it a few years ago-"

"-you just don't like to." Noctis finished as he walked over to him. Prompto was laying down at this point, taking the time to relax before he might have to fight again.

Prompto had heard about warping before, during one school day when Noctis was discussing his training. He sighed wistfully, "I wish I could warp."

"Same," Noctis agreed as he walked to the middle of the large room. "Does it only work with weapons or can I use this thing?" Noctis waved his wooden sword at Gladio.

"It only works with weapons."

Pursing his lips a little bit, Noctis gave Gladio a pleasing look. "Can I choose one?"

"You're not ready for real weapons yet, Noct," Gladio answered with a scowl.

"Why not? I've been training every week since I was ten years old. I'm seventeen now, almost eighteen. I'm in my last year of high school. Why can't I?"

Gladio's scowl worsened and he stood up, his long sword fitting itself into his hand with ease. He was wearing a pair of sweats, sneakers, and a hoodie. He was forgoing a hat on his head today and his growing hair was touching the back of his neck.

Prompto seemed to sense that something was about to go down and since he was still laying on the floor, he rolled to safety against the wall and sat up. There was no way he was gonna miss this.

"You think you're ready for real steel?"

"Hell yeah. If I'm gonna protect Luna I need to be able to defend myself against real weapons, and not just wooden swords," Noctis fired back- the intensity and heat rising within the room as the two of them began to pace against each other in a circle.

For every step forward Gladio took, Noctis took a step back. After a few seconds of a stand off, Gladio threw his wooden sword behind him, and the clanking sound it made against the floor seemed to create some nerves in Noctis' stomach.

Prompto almost wished he had popcorn.

Within a split second, Gladio had summoned his long sword and was rushing at Noctis. The Prince had barely enough time to think before his wooden sword was clashing with the blunt side of Gladio's; the wood cracking loudly until Noctis jumped back and did a one handed back flip to further his distance.

"What the hell, Gladio?" Noctis shouted, fury burning in his blue eyes as his sneakers slide a few inches against the shiny wooden floors.

Gladio took his sword in both hands and ran towards him again. "You say you're ready for real weapons," he raised his long sword high above his head and brought it down-Noctis barely escaped and felt the wind from the swing as he dodged it. "Then let's fight with real weapons!"

The sworn shield maneuvered his blade right before it would've pierced the ground, and sliced into the air on his right towards Noct at a diagonal angle. Noct used his nearly broken wooden sword to take the hit before it could meet his body, and the piece that was barely hanging on ripped from itself and flew to the side.

"I don't have one you idiot!" Noctis argued as he grabbed for the other dagger that had been hidden in his other pocket. Using it as a diversion, he threw it at Gladio with all of his might using his right hand and raced towards the nearest steel weapon that was hanging up on the wall behind Gladio.

With ease, Gladio used the wide angle of his sword at the hilt to block the attack that had been aimed at his face, but it gave Noctis enough time to reach the Engine Blade.

He grabbed it, took hold of it in his right hand, and threw it right at Gladio's feet. A strange feeling he had never experienced before took hold, and before he knew what was happening, his body glowed blue and his entire being had transported itself to the Engine Blade. His hands reached the hilt in the span of not even a second, and he was kicking Gladio in the side while using the sword as a way to balance himself.

The older man had been in the middle of turning towards Noct when the Prince kicked him right under the ribs. He flew a good five feet and landed on his side, his sword being released and clashing against the floor before disappearing in a blue haze.

Noctis had fallen to the floor after kicking him, and was currently sitting on his behind, eyes wide as he took in what he just did.

Prompto wasn't fairing much better, his mouth and eyes wide open as he sat stunned, having just witnessed everything that had happened with the perfect seat but not really comprehending it.

A few moments past by, and Gladio groaned. It seemed to break both of the teens out of their stupors and they both rushed to him.

"Gladio!" Noct nearly yelled as he skidded onto his knees and attempted to roll Gladio onto his back.

"Are you okay?" Prompto worryingly asked as he reached Gladio's other side.

The older man groaned and put a hand to the place where he was kicked, not daring to apply pressure to the already painful area. He winced, and before too long he was chuckling.

Prompto and Noctis shared a look of befuddlement.

"The hell are you laughing at, Gladio?"

"You…" Gladio wheezed as he attempted to reintroduce air into his lungs. "You just did… your first warp strike."

"Yeah, and it was so cool," Prompto boasted before noticing Noct's glare. "... But, ah, you're still hurt! We have to take you to a doctor!"

The door to the training room flung open and Ignis and the other Crownsguard that were supposed to fight Noct darted inside. "What is all the commotion? -Gladio! What happened?"

Gladio was still chuckling, albeit in pain, as Noct's retainer came to his side. "I challenged Noct and… he performed his first warp-strike."

"And it was awesome!"

"Prompto!" Scolded both Noct and Ignis as they attempted to get Gladio to his feet. It was a rocky start, but as soon as he was standing, all four of them began limping towards the infirmary down the hall with the Crownsguard behind them.

"Do you think the nurse could look at my wrist?" Prompto inquired as they exited the room. "Cause it still hurts."

I'll give you guys that fourth chapter when I get back. It's already done, but here's a taste.

Next time on Eclipsed:

-the fearsome threesome becomes a fearsome fivesome

-Noct/Luna development oh yeah

-Irene makes a discovery

Bye guys!