Hey everyone,

I'm back ;). Sorry for the long wait, but real life demanded my humble presence and I was unable to get creative.

Wow, meanwhile so much happened in the FFXV-Universe! A new Brotherhood-Episode featuring Gladio's and Noct's past! And Dius, the unnamed hooded villain has finally officially been revealed! At least his Kingsglaive appearance (which is... admittedly different than I had imagined, lol, but handsome none the less!) His original name is Ravus. But I won't speak anymore about him and his origin, because for some of you dear readers this might be getting into spoiler category. Now I took the holy task upon myself to rewrite all parts of my stories starring Dius/Ravus to match Nomura-san's original vision. Phew... so much additional work ;_; haha.

Either way, dear readers, enjoy this chapter! After watching Episode 3 of the Brotherhood anime, there will be of course all kinds of influences flowing into this story as well :).

bevin: right? I was all "awwww" when I saw the scene between Iris and Noct happen in Brotherhood! Noct is such a darling, I loved how caring he was as he hugged Iris. ;_; I'm so glad!

bruh: Hey :)! Thank you so much for your review! Wow, it makes me so happy to read how much you enjoy reading my work! Please enjoy the next chapter :D.

Till next time dears,

Kamuel

P. S.: all my stories are in the process of proper proof/beta reading now. I will update all chapters as soon as I get the revised and rewritten versions from my lovely beta readers back. Just wanted to give a small heads up to everyone, of why some chapters might change in the near future overnight, ha. Some of you might have already noticed how my writing has greatly improved over the past few weeks, I learned a lot! Yep! And I will continue to do so! All solely for your reading pleasure ;)

Chapter Five

...

Uhm... what exactly am I doing? Isn't it time for me to give each other some personal space?

Prom has long stopped crying, so I don't think he needs me to hug him anymore. Right?

After all, we are both teenaged boys... and we still don't know each other well enough to stay in such an intimate position under the blanket for such a long time. I mean, for the first time I'm sleeping in someone else's bed. Shouldn't this start to feel embarrassing? Didn't Luna preach to me in the past, that invading somebody's personal space like that might be indecent behaviour once I get older? That I should allow something like this to happen only with people I trust fully and truly care about?

Yet... I find myself not able to let go. Somehow, my heart feels heavy with emotional turmoil, touched by Prom's lonely life circumstances, and this makes me want to care for him, to trust and to protect him. These feelings urge me to hold him tightly and to whisper over and over that everything is going to be all right.

There are now so many reasons I feel drawn to Prom.

His shocking tale about his mother made me truly aware of how priviledged and sheltered I had lived my life until now. I became aware of how blessed my own life circumstances are, despite the heavy responsibilities that seem to unstoppably creep up my spine the older I get.

But because of Prom's situation, I suddenly remember quite fondly how much Luna did care for me at the time when I visited Tenebrae to heal my injured body. I was eight years old, didn't understand much from the world, I was as naive as a child could be, an emotional wreck inside and one may say even needy. Luna's care and her protection had felt so incredibly genuine and loving, for it didn't take me long to get completely attached to her gentle persona. Never before had I met somebody so compassionate and softhearted as her. So I couldn't help myself, I hugged her a lot, I did seek out her warmth at every given opportunity because she reminded me so much of my mother...

Well, I admit of getting fourteen years old soon and I still don't understand much from the world, I have yet a lot to learn, but it was Luna's strength and her faith in me that made me grow up much sooner than I would have had without her selfless and kind support over the years. Her words from her latest message gave me the impression that Prom has the same qualities inside of him as she has. So far he truly seems to be as selfless and genuine and the same gentle person like Luna is.

And this time it isn't me who's suffering and who's in a need for emotional comfort. It's Prom.

But my strict upbringing makes me question if it's right to continue to hug him as intimate as I do now. My brain cells scream at me 'Stop this! Isn't this inappropriate?'

Well, is my brain right? Could this possibly be too much? Am I about to cross some unspoken boundaries? Honestly, I'm confused, because neither Ignis, nor Gladio, have ever shared with me such emotionally charged moments before. And those two are my best friends so this fact alone should tell me something. None of their friendly hugs have ever felt that way, have ever felt so meaningful...

Prom suddenly heaves out a soft sigh and I can't help a smile appearing on my lips when I feel the side of his tear stained face snuggle against my neck. Ah, what am I doing? I give up! How can I resist his adorable self? I need to stop question everything. This is pointless anyway. Prom is now my friend!

So I finally give in to my urge to rub his back in soothing motions, squeezing his body closer to me with my arms while I feel him embracing me more tightly in response.

What do I even freak out for? Who cares about us hugging each other right now? There is nobody else in here who could judge my behaviour, telling me that it might be right or wrong.

Prom sneaked himself into my heart already. I'll continue to hold him for as long as he needs me to, awkwardness be damned. If anyone should know how important human warmth is, it should be me in the end.

Besides, it's been a long time for me since I've been hugged like that as well... so... this feels comforting... his warmth feels good.

Everything feels so nice that I don't notice how my eyes close... and how I slowly drift to sleep while hearing Prom's soft breaths next to my ear...

...

Well, that didn't take long.

For the first time in ages, I find myself wide awake and unable to fall asleep again.

Yeah, me, the King of Sleep. Awake. Go figure.

The curtains are drawn close, so I can't tell if it's dark because of it or because it's still night.

It's hot. I'm sweating like a piglet and the worst part is, I can't move. At least I shouldn't, if I don't want to wake up a certain adorable someone sleeping almost on top of me.

Well, on top is maybe kind of exaggerated, because in his sleep, Prom thought that my body would qualify nicely to get cuddled up by him like some precious, fluffy teddy bear. His heavy arm lies lazily across my chest, trapping me under his warmth which by now has become too much for my overheated skin. And not to forget to mention, his limp leg almost crushes me now into the mattress as it is thrown over the blanket to cool himself off from the stuffy heat in the room. I guess this is the reason why I can't get back to sleep right now huh?

I huff silently in resignation, but I send Prom a fond smile despite the uncomfortable position I find myself in. After the ordeal he went through, Prom deserves the best kind of sleep that he can get.

I wonder what he's dreaming about now? Hopefully something nice.

And then, in a sudden source of inspiration, I close my eyes and I focus to call for Carbuncle, my dear friend from my dreams.

'Noct, how unusual for you to call upon me when you're awake. What can I do for you?'

'Carbuncle, may I ask you a favor? Could you visit my friend's dreams tonight and make sure that he's protected from harm? He recently had some very bad experiences and I don't want him get any unwanted nightmares. Please take care of him in my stead, can you do that?'

'Of course! You can count on me Noct!'

'You don't know how much this means to me...'

I can hear Carbuncle chuckle in my mind.

'You forgot that I can feel everything that you can feel. I understand. Prom is my friend now too, don't worry, leave everything to me.'

'Thanks Carbuncle... what would I do without your help?'

Another chuckle, and then I hear a cute squeak in affirmation to my request before his presence disappears.

My eyes open to stare at the ceiling in thoughts. My mind can't help but drift back and forth, inevitably drifting back to Prom's upset face full of tears from a few hours ago.

Before he calmed down, he admitted to me that he starved himself because he desperately wanted to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. But then he realized himself that his rash decision was a huge mistake. He underestimated the effects his body would undergo such stress. Eos only knows what could have happened to him if Sius and I weren't there yesterday.

And then, I promised to him to call up Ignis first thing in the morning. I'm sure that together we all are going to find a proper solution. Ignis is a genius, he surely can come up with a healthy diet and a reasonable timetable for Prom's body to adjust to all the changes.

Uhm... but Eos, even the process of thinking makes me sweat heavily right now. It's getting unbearably hot.

But just when I'm about to move my leg in a fruitless attempt to get some cool air underneath the blanket, Prom's arm moves further up, sliding down on my shoulder and ending up almost choking me with its weight. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to be as careful as possible when I slowly push his heavy limb away.

"Mlnnngnhfff... Carbunclehhhghlllmghlngghthankyouumlllnghffffyou'resocute'nfluffymgnglllllfffsocuuute..."

He ends up snoring slightly and I can't stop a sudden, amused snort when I hear him mumble some more unintelligible words about Carbuncle in his sleep. So my fluffy friend has reached the realm of Prom dreams. I'm relieved that at least now Prom is able to dream of something beautiful and nice. I trust Carbuncle to know what Prom needs the most right now.

Then finally, finally I'm free to move my body because Prom turns on his back. Phew, he doesn't wake up when I'm moving around to find a comfortable position myself. Hopefully I can get some more needed sleep, I'm sure that later today I'll need all my energy to help Prom finish his huge amount of homework.

And then I can't wait for us to have some serious fun together...

...

"...ctis? Noctis!"

Prom shakes my shoulder a few times too many.

"Hnngg... " I don't want to wake up yet, waving his hand away when I feel my mind to be on the verge to fall asleep again. It's so snugly and warm here... Prom's bed is soooo soooft...

"Noctis, please, wake up!" Prom whispers desperately, sounding anxious to my ears, so I turn my head to my new friend to glance at him sleepily.

"Why? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I feel so tired. And in addition to that the morning sun manages to blare directly into my eyes and I would love nothing more than to pull the soft blanket over my head to shut out the whole world around me. But the growing worry for Prom's wellbeing helps to conquer my weaker self, at least a little bit.

"You need to get out of bed. Now. There are people waiting for you in the living room..."

I blink my sleepy eyes a few times in confusion, forcing my foggy brain to catch up with reality when I see him wringing his hands in obvious discomfort.

Did I hear right?

Did Prom just say there are people in his living room?

"Uhm, who is it?"

And why does Prom seem to be so scared?

"Please hurry up, I think they are going to murder me if I don't get you there any second now."

Okay, this sounds ominous, surely he's exaggerating. It's probably only Ignis and Sius, they are the only ones knowing of my true whereabouts after all. So I decide that this can wait a bit longer.

But just when I'm about to turn around to sleep a bit more, Prom shakes my shoulder again.

"Noctis, I beg you, you need to get up."

With eyes squeezed tightly shut I take the fluffy pillow with me as I lift my upper body up into a somewhat sitting position.

"Do I really need to?"

Prom squeezes my shoulder once, whispering urgently, "Yeah, this is really important."

I can't stop a huge yawn as I throw the pillow and the blanket to the side. My movements slow.

Very slow.

Prom sighs impatiently and his hands grasp my own in a sudden move to pull me swiftly up from his bed.

My wide eyes blink a few times, impressed with Prom's strength, not having expected to stand on my own feet so quickly.

"Hurry!" He whispers one more time, glancing back over his shoulder as if anticipating a sudden attack from an enemy.

"Okay, okay." I try to calm Prom down after another huge yawn almost manages to tear my jaw apart. "I'm up now. I'm getting there." Or so I continue to say, because my feet are still glued to the cold floor as they yearn to hide themselves back into the warmth underneath the soft blanket.

"Noctis!"

I chuckle. "See? I'm already one step closer to the door."

Or maybe not.

Prom quirks up a brow, not believing a word I say. Well, I wouldn't believe myself either, I'm one step away from falling backwards on his incredibly soft bed, whose cozy presence behind me is so hard to ignore at the moment.

I rise my hands up in an attempt to rub my tired eyes, my lips pouting in defense to the harsh treatment I receive this morning, but Prom's patience is over when he instantly takes a firm hold of my hands to push me towards his living room.

Any smart words of protest die in an instant before they can even reach the surface of my tongue.

And I feel my bare feet screech to a sudden halt when I finally get to understand the true reason of Prom anxiousness.

Yeah. Trust me, I'm definitely awake now.

"Good Morning, Noctis. Take a seat, we have a lot to discuss."

Eos no.

Why?!

This isn't fair! This fun weekend turned suddenly into a nightmare.

"Good Morning, Father." I hear myself say in a subdued sounding voice. Dreading what is yet to come.

My father looks me up and down, his face slightly amused.

Well, I guess he's impressed about my personal teddy bear armor. The wrinkled pyjama too big for my petite and lean body, the collar is especially too wide, which makes me look as being swallowed up completely by the pink fabric. I appear to be even smaller than I truly am because of it and I grit my teeth in frustration. I want to grow up already! When do I get the famous growth spurt anyway? Ignis and Gladio are already light years away from my height. I swear they both resemble trees, it's not funny anymore.

Prom wrings his hands again while standing next to me, his wide, fearful eyes meeting mine for a second. When I see him swallow down in obvious horror that THE King of Lucis is visiting his humble home, I send him a soft smile to calm his fears. At least I try my best to look collected and cool from the outside, not letting the growing dread inside of me getting the upper hand.

Sending Sius a suspicious look, I feel betrayed when he avoids my eyes, so I proceed to sit down on the chair opposite to my father with a pout.

The King himself being here can only mean one thing and one thing only.

I'm busted.

I worry my lip with my teeth, scrambling some intelligent excuses in some miraculous hopes that he allows me to stay.

"You didn't introduce me to your new friend yet." He says after some long seconds of silence.

"Huh?" I look up in shock.

He surprised me. I thought he would start to lecture me immediately.

"Your new friend." my father repeats, looking at Prom while asking, "Tell me, what is your name?"

"I-it's Prompto Argentum, sir."

"Prompto, come closer, sit down with us."

I watch how nervous Prom has become, his legs slightly shaking as he pulls out a chair to sit down next to me as instructed.

Underneath the table I place my hand over his trembling ones, trying to soothe his nerves a bit. Making him understand that I'll take all the blame, it's all my fault anyway. Even if it weren't, I would still take all the blame because this would be the right thing to do, I care for him that much already.

And then my father says something that is even more surprising to me.

"Sius, prepare a slight breakfast for us, some hot chocolate would be greatly appreciated."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Sius leaves, I open my mouth to apologize first. But my father is rising his hand to stop me.

"Relax, I'm not mad at you Noctis. Sius told me everything. While I understand your motivation for what you did, why didn't you let me know beforehand of your admittedly reckless plans? Did you fear that I would reject your request to befriend Prompto?"

I stare at the table as if the inanimate object could dissipate the sudden tension in the room.

"Yes." I reluctantly admit to him.

My father sighs gravely, looking thoughtfully at Prom and me for a while.

The tension is growing and I take Prom's sweaty hand properly into mine to squeeze it gently. I feel him squeeze my hand in return, which in some mysterious way gives me a lot of strength to oppose whatever decision my father deems worthy for my future.

I snort out a laugh in my mind. This feels as if I'm about to wed Prom and looking for the final approval. Such a silly thought, that all of a sudden I can feel my cheeks blush because of it. Where is this ridiculous thought suddenly coming from?

"Noctis, surely you understand by now that you are not allowed outside the palace without sufficient protection. You could have gotten your friend in danger."

I roll my eyes inwardly. Of course I know! I've been lectured about it too many times already. I still remember the incident with Iris, Gladio's sister, well enough.

So I say, sounding stubborn to my ears, "That's why I had Sius with me. I didn't go alone this time, I was prepared."

No matter what my father says, I won't leave Prom.

"I see." is his puzzling reply, sounding amused.

I narrow my eyes at him, despite feeling ridiculed I stay stubborn when I add, "Gladio teached me to fight, I can take care of my friend myself now."

"Really? How about you, Prompto? Can you fight? Would you be able to protect my son if a dire situation should arise?"

What's this? An interrogation?

"Y-yes, sir." is Prom's nervous answer.

What?!

With a curious frown I stare at Prom's profile. Despite his trembling hand holding mine, his eyes are curageous as he looks at my father.

"How?" my father frowns as well. It's clear as a day that he anticipated Prom to say no.

Prom swallows dryly before replying, "I know in Lucis it's frowned upon, sir, but I know how to handle guns to protect myself. My father taught me. He... served Solheim's forces in the far past, before he quit his military service to care for my mother. In order to do that, he fled the country for us to be able to live here in peace, the only peaceful place left on Eos. On our difficult journey to Insomnia, I had to learn to protect my family, sir."

My father's wide eyes are almost as large as mine. With this statement, Prom managed to take the wind out of my father's sails.

I can only stare and gape openly at Prom.

His family isn't native to Lucis? He was born in Solheim, the Golden Land? Prom's true origin is from beyond Niflheim's borders?

And in top of that, he can wield guns?

Eos, I think I'm about to keel over dead from my surprise...

I won't lie. The sudden excitement at hearing these news makes me almost jump in my seat!

As I continue to stare in impressed wonder at Prom, all kinds of feelings suddenly start to overflow my heart...

...

To be continued.