Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and istoleyourcheesecake
This chapter is a bit on the shorter side since I just got back a few days ago and am trying to get back into the flow of things. C: Pace should pick back up soon though.
Noctis simply sat there, perched on the edge of the tub as he stared blankly down at the tiles; his eyes followed along the subtle patterns that were accentuated from the soft lights, small and elegant floral decorations traveled along the edges of each one. The leaves branching off slowly became obscured, lost in the blur of fresh and warm tears as they eventually forced their way up, ignoring his internal objection to them. He swiped the back of his hand across them, trying to clean the slate of the unwanted moisture, but they were quickly replaced, much to his dismay. Frustrated, he clamped them shut and turned his head to the side, biting his lip to stifle any indicating sounds from seeping out.
Everything just felt so... surreal, and he wasn't sure what emotion was the prevailing one, they were all being juggled around, every one having a turn to be at the top. Despair, rage, bewilderment, and at times, betrayal. Despair at knowing that everything he knew was gone, altered forever and never to be the same again. Loved ones were... gone, and others that he knew his whole life would never be seen or heard from again. Anger about the fact that they were so easily stomped on by the Empire, as if they were small fry, nothing but an insignificant nuisance under their boot. He was confused, mainly because he thought he was aware of what was going on, what was supposed to happen, but that was all obviously a facade, nothing but a ploy, a distraction to make things all the easier for the enemy and to play them like fools. And last was the betrayal. It wasn't from the Empire that this one was derived from, but from his own former father; Noctis knew, he knew that the king had to have some sort of suspicion as to what was going on, that something wasn't right about this whole arrangement. And yet, he had the nerve, the audacity, to see him off as if nothing was off and everything was alright. Not even so much as a warning or a hint, only a small goodbye as he stood there acting like they would see each other again.
And now, now it was too late to say anything, the chance for a proper farewell passed; and, now he was left alone to deal with the fallout of the situation. Left to ponder the what-ifs and the possible solutions that could have prevented this whole catastrophe. But, in the end, he worried that there was no right way to have handled this affair. That didn't prohibit him from attempting to mentally figure it all out though, because dammit, there had to have been at least one thing that could have been done.
His fists clenched unconsciously in his lap, fingers gripping the fabric of his pants tightly until his knuckles faded to white. Remembering the presence of the others only a few yards away, he swiftly got to his feet and took the few steps over to the sink. He turned the faucet, ultimately drowning out any small or, to him, embarrassing sounds that may have been produced. After already having to find the energy to go that short distance, he no longer felt as though he had enough energy to return to his original spot, so he remained there, leaning forward so as not to see his own face in the mirror. He couldn't, he knew what he would see would be downright disgraceful, and something that didn't at all reflect who he should be. Instead, all he would witness is a prince reduced to crumbling shambles.
It may have taken him much longer than he had anticipated, but eventually he was able to pull himself together enough not to disturb the others, and with a small prayer that he was correct with that assumption, he turned the faucet off and took one last steadying breath before exiting the bathroom. Easing the door closed, avoiding any squeaks or complaints that may have sounded out otherwise, he glanced over to the clock, blaring red letters staring back at him. Two fifty-nine a.m.. He yawned quietly, not realizing how long he had actually been in there; the numbers almost slapping him in the face as exhaustion washed over him. Noctis practically dragged his feet, taking extra care not to stumble or bump into anything into the seemingly long and tedious journey back over to his bed.
With a heavy sigh and a quick clear of his throat, he pulled the cover over himself, pulling it close to his chest in an instinctual attempt at a sense of security and comfort. He wasn't facing the outside long before he felt the urge to turn in the opposite direction, switching to his other side in order to face towards his friend; as he did so, his eyes blinked a few times as they caught sight of something. It wasn't anything startling per se, mainly just unexpected, him assuming the other to be asleep.
"You're still awake?" he asked, voice barely above the whisper, not wanting to bother the other two who were still lightly snoring behind him.
The blond didn't respond, his gaze merely remained trained on the other's, staring back emptily and non-moving. At this, Noctis propped himself up on one elbow, flicking his eyes away for a moment before drifting back over. "Hey," he called a little louder, swallowing against his small ounce of concern at the lack of reaction he was receiving. "Prompto, come on, you're freaking me out a little here," he half laughed, his nerves getting the better of him.
Still, Prompto stayed looking forward, never so much as blinking, but his breathing did gradually change patterns, quickening in pace, and becoming slightly shallow, almost to the point of hyperventilating. Light mutters soon eased out, incomprehensible, but definitely there, being spoken softly under his breath.
No longer able to contain his growing worry-encased curiosity, he carefully shook the other's shoulder, calling his name again, even louder this time, almost forgetting about the others at this point. At this gesture, Prompto finally looked over, eyes snapping to Noctis', again locking with his own. But, at least the repetitive mumbles had ceased and his breaths evened out once more, falling back into a normal rhythm. And, even in the dark, he could see the lucidity slowly return back to his vacant gaze, realization eventually taking them back over.
"Hmm?" he asked groggily, swiping a hand across his eyes and pulling it away sharply at the slight moisture he felt there. Crying again? He blinked rapidly a few times, causing a few tears to spill over. "What is it?" he asked, voice clouded with confusion and sluggishness.
The raven-haired mirrored the same bewilderment. "W-were you asleep?" he asked, now considering the possibility that perhaps he was just sleeping with his eyes open. It wasn't exactly unheard of; he's never seen Prompto to it before, but maybe it was the first time.
The gunner stretched his neck to the side, hand wandering up to his shoulder to try and rub some of the settling soreness from the muscle. "Yeah," he nodded, wincing when he turned his head too quickly, eliciting a small pain to travel through his neck. He glanced over at the clock, "Dude it's three in the morning, why are you even still awake?" Prompto lied his head back down, wrapping his arms around his pillow as he hugged it closer to him. As his face mad contact with the material, he immediately pulled it back away and flipped it, deciding it was in his best interest to use the side not contaminated with drool.
Noctis licked his lips at the question with a swift look over to the bathroom, "Just couldn't sleep," he answered vaguely, but there was no need to delve further than that, his tone told all there was to know. "Needed a bit of space, but I think I'm good now."
"You sure?" the blond asked, picking up on the trace amounts of clinging heartache that attached themselves to his voice. "I mean, I'm awake now, if... you know... if you wanna talk about anything, or anything," he still had one eye cracked open, peeking over the edge of his pillow, "All you gotta do is say the word, and I'm here."
Words lost on him, the ability to speak suddenly snatched away, he only nodded, bowing his head and staring down at the sheets as he took another moment of silence to himself. "Thanks," he finally mustered the will to voice his appreciation, "I'll keep that in mind, but for now, I think I just want to go to sleep." Without saying anything else, he turned back around, turning his back on Prompto and lowered himself against his own pillow, relishing in the coolness of it. Behind him, he could feel as the other also switched positions, getting ready to get back to sleep. Soon enough, his steady breathing joined that of the other two, everyone now asleep again aside from himself as he was once more left alone to his prying and berating thoughts.
Before opening his eyes, he could already feel the effects from his lack of any real sleep he got that night, yet his body was showing no signs of allowing him to slip back into slumber. Noctis lied there, all the memories from the previous day still fresh in his mind, and honestly, he didn't feel like moving; the idea of staying right where he was all day really felt like it was the ideal option in his head, but he was aware it wasn't a realistic choice. No way any of the others would allow that, especially not Gladio anyway. So, with a reluctant huff, he pushed himself up and ignored the few tufts of hair that fell into his face. He glanced over, finding Prompto still in the same position he remembered, curled up on his side with his pillow hugged close to his body, a bit of drool dried on the side of his face.
A small scrunch of his nose and he looked across to the other bed, which was empty, both residents having left it at some point. It wasn't until that insignificant realization that his nose picked up on the aromas wafting in from the kitchen area, the sounds of various clings and pops joining the theatrical play of cooking. The more than welcomed smells and sounds served to remind him how hungry he actually was, which was understandable considering he was fairly certain none of them had eaten the previous day.
"How'd ya sleep?" He spun his head around, landing on Gladio who was seated in the corner, a cup of coffee in hand and an open book in his lap, "You were up pretty late after all, so I imagine it wasn't exactly a pleasant night."
"I slept well enough," Noctis pushed his cover back and swung his legs over the side, stretching them with the new freedom they now had. The shield hummed in reply, obviously not buying it for a second, but allowed the younger to be his usual stubborn self, whatever it took to keep his mood from worsening any more than it already was. "What time is it?"
The larger of the two cut his eyes over to the clock, sitting just behind the king, who seemed to have either forgotten where it was, or couldn't be bothered to look over his shoulder. "Almost nine," he grunted, using his free hand to lift his book back in front of his face, continuing where he had left off.
"Noct?" Ignis poked his head around the corner, "Breakfast is almost ready, would you mind waking Prompto up? I doubt he would wish to have cold eggs."
"Sure," he muttered, twisting around. "Hey," he called out to the blond, placing a hand on his upper arm and shook rather roughly, seeing as he could be pretty difficult to rouse at times, "Prom, wake up." His light snores went on, just as steady as before. So, in retaliation, he shoved harder, "Prompto," he called louder, quickly losing patience, his nerves and emotions still being on the frazzled side of things.
The reception was almost instantaneous, the gasp and unexpected jolt upwards caused Noctis to flinch away, narrowly avoiding taking a headbutt to the face. His once steady and relaxed breaths were now escalated into full-blown pants, panicked and fear-driven. Wild blue eyes darted around for a few seconds before ultimately landing on Noctis, and he could have sworn he saw relief flood them at the sight of him. Prompto lifted a shaky hand and ran his trembling fingers through dampened hair. "Morning," he forced out, feigning calmness; his voice had an edge of uneasiness and surprise to it.
"Uh, good morning," he replied, offering a small wave, "Everything, um, alright?" He slowly relaxed, seeing that the other had done the same, there was no longer the risk of him getting in the line of fire.
The blond nodded carefully. "Y-yeah," he stuttered, "You startled me a bit there." He leaned his head forward, bending it cautiously to get the new kinks out of it, a small wince being earned from the movement. "Do we happen to have any of those pain killers left?" he asked almost bashfully, "I think I might have pulled something or something at some point."
"We should have some," Gladio answered, closing his book and placing it to the side, "I'll go check." This at least gave him something to do after having read the same paragraph at least four times since he picked it back up. He reached the bag containing their medical supplies in a matter of a few long strides and started digging through it until the telltale rattle of the pills caught his ear. Wrapping his fingers around the bottle, he lifted it from the bag and scanned over it, making sure it was the correct stuff, and with a small grunt, tossed it onto the bed, "There ya go, remember, only two of those things."
Prompto gave a quick thumbs-up, "Got it," he replied, tossing his own side of the cover back in order to get a glass of water; the small action was enough to make his shoulder tense slightly and another wince graced his form along with it.
"Noct," Ignis called again, "Come get your plate."
He complied, pushing himself up and rounded the corner before sitting himself next to Prompto who was already sitting at the table, fresh glass of water in hand and a couple capsules in the other. As soon as he got both of them down, he lied his head down on his arms as if the effort of holding it up was too much. His own meal was placed on the table in front of him, completely untouched and practically ignored aside from having been pushed out of the way. "Keep that up and you're gonna get hair in your food," Noctis teased, elbowing the other lightly in the side.
In response, he moved his arms a little further outward in order to basically contain all strands within the small area. "There," he mumbled, burying his face closer in the crook of his arm as he waited for the medication to kick in. The achiness ran down his neck, across his shoulders and now seemed to have traveled halfway down his back. And the strange part was, nothing else hurt, just concentrated in that one area. Then again, he does remember being pretty tense after that certain... incident from the previous night. After a moment, he groaned audibly and sat back up, getting frustrated at how much time was passing for it to take effect. "So," he started, trying to strike up conversation, flashing a wary glance over to Noctis, "What are our plans from here?" He kept his eyes low, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
Both him and Ignis could feel the strain enter the air at the question, and clearly it was something that wasn't received well by the other. "How the hell should I know?" he practically snapped. But, his features softened as soon as his own voice bounced back to him, "I mean, I'm not sure what we should do at this point." His face dropped much in the same way Prompto's had, but for obviously different reasons, "Like I said, we can't exactly go back, and Luna isn't even here yet. In fact, I have no idea where she even is right no-" his breath hitched at that realization. That's right, he hadn't heard anything from her or about her since everything happened. "I have no idea," his fists tightened in his lap.
The blond leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest, "Oh yeah, there really hasn't been any mention of... that."
"Still, dwelling on it isn't going to solve anything, there is still a need to formulate some sort of course of action for when the time comes that we are able to execute it," the adviser spoke up, forever the voice of reason, driving their attention forward. "We are all just as concerned for her well-being, as well as everyone else, just as much as you are, I assure. But, we can't focus too much on that right now."
"He's right, ya know?" Gladio agreed from behind him, "There are more important matters to worry about right now." Noctis' teeth ground together subtly at that, of course, more important things than those he cared about. "You also have to remember, she's a tough one, perfectly capable of handling herself, so I don't think there is much to be concerned with when it comes to Luna."
There was a small noise of confirmation from the gunslinger. "Yeah dude, I'm pretty sure she puts all of us to shame," he gave a light punch of reassurance to the other's arm, "Just don't think about it too much." That was easier said than done, but he gave them all a soft smile regardless of what he was feeling. Despite not agreeing with any of it, he still appreciated the thoughts and the care they had. After all, they were all rather shook after a tragedy such as that, so he was grateful for the attempts.