Pt.1

Brightness shown over a world that only known darkness for ten years. The first tendrils of light creeped over the dead trees, casting shadows. Where there was once grass was now desolate cracked earth and bones, leaving massive gorges in some areas. People shielded their eyes with their arms or clothes as the burn of the sun slowly rose higher through the sky.

Screams of all kinds haunted the air. Demons from the starscourage were screaming in outrage as sunlight pierced them, disseminating their bodies to ashes. Children who never knew the sun were crying out in pain and fear. Adults couldn't shake their disbelief as the dizziness from the light entering their retinas began to hurt. The few animals that survived began hiding from the unknown source of light in the sky.

Etro looked from beyond as the light Noctis fought for casted its glow on a starving and half-dead star. The few divine that remained watched in sadness, indifference, or regret. The King of Light's sacrifice came far too late and at too high a price.

"Bahamut." The Goddess of Death called from her domain of the Tree of Life. She was at the crossroads of all. Dimension, time, and space did not matter.

The Draconian reluctantly appeared before her, floating in the air. Etro was one of the elder gods. He knew she was not pleased with how the Six handled the starscourage.

"You disappoint me." the Goddess' soft voice drifted everywhere and nowhere. "Reset the world."

Bahamut shook his head, shaking the space around him. "If we reset, the starscourage will still exist."

"My blood has paid the price." Etro hissed. "Reset and Noctis will receive boons."

"If time is turned back, the price will not be paid." Bahamut growled.

"Time remembers." Etro replied. "The star remembers." A dark purple glow began around her astral body, creating an eerie light against the Tree of Life. Stars moved as the Goddess formed hands into a cup. From her body sprung forth orbs of light.

"We are not allowed to—" Bahamut began but was silenced by Etro's glare. Her eyes were giant red flames. The shadows of death crawled at her feet and around Bahamut.

"I am the mother of everything." Etro wrapped the orbs in an aura, leaving them floating in the protective circle. "YOU young ones could not solve the issue without killing the star. I shall reborn our heroes and save the abandoned healer."

Bahamut bowed his head to the elder god. If it was Etro's will, he would do it. "As you wish."

Etro nodded. "Far too many children have come through here. You Six will be guided by me from now on." She clapped. The dark purple aura from her astral body burst forth across everywhere. The orbs of light floated away.

The Eos in which Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladiolus died for was bathed in the purple glow and reborn anew.

It was during their fourth year of friendship that Noctis proposed to Prompto to magically bond.

The day had a clear blue sky and strong sunshine made all of Insomnia glow. School had ended for the week and all the students rejoiced, ready to celebrate their weekend. It was Saturday and Noctis had called Prompto over of course. The two had been playing video games since noon. They were taking a break as Prompto attempted to make them dinner in the kitchen. Noctis was utterly clueless when it came to cooking; although, he's recently picked up basic things like toast and eggs.

Prompto was cheerfully humming as he made them chicken fried rice. He wasn't the greatest chef but living alone most of his life had taught him at least how to do boxed dinners. Ignis was out of Insomnia and he didn't feel healthy eating pizza twice in one day. His diet was already ruined this week with those three pepperoni slices.

Noctis just waited on his couch, staring at the TV. Prompto had shooed him away from the kitchen after he had chopped the chicken up, claiming that "anything more and we'll have another burnt frying pan." The prince didn't pout and just gave his friend a glare silently. It was maybe twenty minutes later when Prompto exclaimed he was done that Noctis finally decided he wanted to ask Prompto about what's been bothering him.

"Prom." Noctis called out to his best friend. "Come here please."

"Just a moment!" Prompto spooned some fried rice for them both on the prince's black dinner plates. The blond then set them on the dining table before bounding over to Noctis. "What's up? The food will get cold if we take too long."

"Sit down." Patting the spot beside him on the couch, Noctis continued, "I want to ask a serious question."

"Okaaaayyyy." Prompto replied curiously as he sat down. "Why so serious Noct?"

Noctis struggled for a moment. He was never good at communicating his feelings with anyone besides his father. But Prompto has proven to understand him more than himself half the time. "What do you think about us?"

Prompto titled his head still confused. "What do you mean?"

Noctis reached one hand and cupped Prompto's hand within his own. Prompto returned the gesture and said nothing. "Do you think we can be friends for the rest of our lives?" What he was about to ask Prompto was totally selfish. As a prince, he was constantly told and taught that he should put his people and kingdom before himself. His schedule was rigorous in lessons and combat training that until recently he rarely did anything considered relaxing. It was why he rarely ever saw his dad or had friends outside of Prompto, Ignis, and Gladiolus. The latter two worked for him and it was with great hesitation that Noctis wanted to ask this of Prompto. If anyone found out, then Prompto's freedom would be taken away like Noctis'.

"Noct! Of course, I do—I mean even now you make time for little ol' me." Prompto laughed nervously. "What's brought this on? It's not like you."

Noctis gave a self-depreciative smile. "It's our last year of high school. It's just—everyone says friends can grow apart after school and that's normal. I just want to be part of the few that stay together their whole lives." He squeezed Prompto's hand. "I know it's silly. After this graduation, what little time with you I have will be cut even more. My duties at the palace are increasing as you know, and my dad expects me to attend every meeting with the council and meet foreign ambassadors. I can't even dream of going to college with you."

"Oh." Prompto looked down. His face twisted into something between melancholy and understanding. "I see. You want to give me a warning in case I'll never see you again."

"No!" Noctis shouted. "That's not—that's not what I mean." He swallowed. "What I'm really asking you is to stay by my side." Prompto opened his mouth to say something, but Noctis shook his head. "You can take as much time as you'd like before you decide but I want to bond with you. It means you would be stuck with little ol' me for the rest of your life." He gave a shaky laugh.

Blue eyes were wide open at Noctis' declaration. "A magic bond? Isn't that like—marriage basically for you Lucii?"

"If you put it that way—yeah." Noctis shrugged helplessly. "Anyone bonded to Lucis royalty is obligated to serve and live with them the rest of their lives. That's why I want you to think carefully Prompto. If anyone from the palace found out, you would have to become Crownsguard or my personal retainer at least." He places both of his hands on Prompto's. "I want you to make your decision freely. Don't think if you turn me down we won't stay friends. This was just the easiest way I could think of to have you constantly at my side, despite the discrimination the nobility and palace servants throw at you. It's a really selfish request on my part."

It was silent for a long moment. Prompto was speechless. When he came over to Noctis' apartment to play games this was the last thing he thought would happen. He gazed at Noctis silently, taking in the defeated way his shoulders sagged. It reminded him of that lonely boy he met so long ago when they were kids. Noctis shouldn't feel that way. EVER. Prompto made a vow he wouldn't let Noctis be alone to himself and Lunafreya. "You're not saying this because you think I would leave you alone, do you?" Prompto had a nagging suspicion that Noctis was asking for more than just fear of growing apart naturally.

"Maybe." Noctis whispered. "You're my first friend—my only friend that treats me as just me. Not just because I'm the prince or because I'm rich but because you genuinely like me. I haven't had anyone else like that besides my dad. Gladiolus and Ignis were obligated to me at birth and while I know they care for me in their own way, it was forced. When we stop spending as much time together, who's to say you won't get tired of waiting for me?"

Prompto started tearing up. "That's not cool bro. You can't declare all these feelings without expecting me to cry." He gathered up Noctis in a tight hug. "This is so unmanly."

Noctis wrapped his arms around the shaking bond. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give you a difficult decision." The prince sniffled himself.

"No," Prompto cried into Noctis' dark blue hair. "it's not a difficult decision. I don't need to think about it." He pulled back and blue met blue. "How does the process work?"

"Prom—I" Noctis was stopped by a finger to his lips.

"How does it work?" Prompto asked again. "What do I need to do?"

Noctis gulped and wiped away at the few tears that escaped his eyes. "Ugh, just let me explain." He rubbed a hand on Prompto's back. "It will take a minute."

Prompto nodded and slid off Noctis' lap (when did he get there?). "Yeah, us commoner folk don't know much about magic." That got a grin out of Noctis.

"Well," Noctis coughed. "there's basic magic everyone knows—like the healing potions and ability food enhancements, right? Everyone has a little magic; magic is basically a person's life force combined with their will and natural energy. I call it Eos magic; my tutors never gave the magic a name even though it's different. It gets complicated when you add magical objects like the crystal and other holy treasures from the Six. Those objects enhance a person's natural magic and can cause major damage if the person does not know how to control it—that's why I'm always learning new control techniques and safety spells. Then you have the royal lines like the Lucis family. We are direct descendants from the Gods and therefore have Astral magic like the Six. We are charged with looking after holy objects that could corrupt regular human's Eos magic. When someone's magic is corrupted it turns into the starscourage, causing them to turn into daemons or die. Also, we have to keep power out of evil hands."

Prompto turned all this over in his head. "Didn't we learn this somewhere in history? The Starscourage, right? Was it caused because Eos magic got corrupted by the holy objects?"

Noctis nodded. "Yes. Unless a person has or can tap into a large amount of Astral magic, magical objects can easily corrupt a person. Not many people can just tap into Astral magic—that's why Cor is so special. He tapped into it and got recognized by the Six."

"And now he's Cor "The Immortal." Huh, I always thought that was just a nickname." Prompto concluded.

"That and he has been around for about a hundred years I think." Noctis chuckled. "It's funny to call him old man and watch his eyebrows tick."

Prompto laughed. "He's so scary when I see him at the palace but that image is funny."

"Yeah, anyway," Once they calmed down Noctis continued, "Only three people in history have tapped into Astral magic. Also, those holy objects have a personality of their own—we think their tests from the Six although no one really has a definite answer. They can still easily corrupt someone with Astral magic if the person is not careful. The crystal speaks to me with this weird energy—hard to explain. It hasn't done anything yet to warrant alarm but that doesn't mean it won't."

Prompto grimaced. "So, the crystal constantly speaks to you? Like in your head?"

Noctis shook his head. "Not constantly. Only every once in a while or while I'm drawing magic from it. Usually, it'll just ask me to try this or that spell. It'll be the same for us when we bond. We'll be able to communicate with our own energy and it'll be a unique wavelength no one can access unless we allow it."

"Really?!" Prompto's face enlighten with a bright smile. "Awesome! So, I don't even have to text you."

"Ha,ha," Noctis laughed mockingly. "It's perfect for when we want private conversations. I'm not sure if there is a distance limit though. The crystal is a holy object so it's powerful. Our magic will be strong but I'm not sure if it can travel far."

"I've never asked before but," Prompto hesitated. "do you not have this kind of bond already with Gladio? That's what the Kingsglaive do, right?"

"Not exactly." Noctis shook his head. "I haven't bonded with Gladio or Ignis yet. It hasn't felt right but I will have to when I take the crown if I hadn't already. As for the Kingsglaive, they borrow magic from the crystal through a spell my dad performs. It's not as strong as a magical bond and they're not directly linked to my dad either."

"So…" Prompto thought some more. "This magic bond will be purely for us?"

"Yes," Noctis agreed. "purely for us. After we do it, we don't even have to let anyone know yet if you're not ready. I'm pretty sure by the end of school we'll be okay."

Prompto smiled. "Yeah, we'll be okay." He slapped both hands to his cheeks. "Alright, let's do this! So, what do I do?"

"One more thing." Noctis sighed. "It's a very intimate thing Prompto. Our magic will be inseparable. You'll have my Astral magic and I'll have your Eos magic. There must be complete trust in each other. We'll be in each other's heads 24/7. We also…might feel attraction for one another."

Prompto tilted his head. "You mean attraction-attraction? Like gay as rainbows attraction?"

Noctis sweat-dropped. "Yes, simply put." He was slightly nervous about Prompto's reaction to that.

Prompto paused. "Noct…you know I'm bi-sexual so that type of thing doesn't bother me?"

Noctis looked at Prompto deadpan. "No, I haven't noticed all the posters of naked guys in your bedroom. Duh! But I'm a friend not some random guy off the street. You don't feel uncomfortable at all?"

"Truth be told you're an attractive dude." Prompto shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some level of attraction for you. The bond might make us feel attraction, right? It's not forcing us into doing something we wouldn't want? Then it's cool."

Noctis face-palmed. "I swear you take too many things in stride. Lie down for me." Noctis got off the couch.

"Okay." Prompto laid back on one of the couch pillows. "Now what?"

"It's about to get really gay." Noctis says as he straddles Prompto's hips. "Do I have permission to touch your upper body?"

Prompto blushed. "Uh—I guess."

"Last chance to back out Prom." Noctis says as he slides his hands underneath Prompto's dark grey shirt.

The blond shook his head. "No! I want this as much as you. Now…do what you need to with my expressed permission." He whispered as Noctis brushed noses with him and pecked his lips.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Noctis chuckled. "I'm sorry about the slight pain that will come." He bent down to kiss along Prompto's neck, sucking here or there. "Once I get your heart rate up, I'll release my magic to latch onto yours and if your magic agrees they'll twine together."

Prompto moaned as Noctis bit a particular spot underneath his ear, feeling cool hands rub at his sides. "Couldn't-ah-I have just jogged for a minute or something?"

Noctis started kissing his jawline. "Not…intimate enough." His magic had manifested the white crystals in the air around them. The air tinted a magneta color and Noctis could feel his pupils change. "Can you feel me Prompto?"

Prompto slid his hands into Noctis' hair as he felt something heavy in his chest. It felt like something was pulling air out his lungs and not just because Noctis was worshipping his neck. "It's-hah-heavy in my chest."

"Good." Noctis said as he latched to one of Prompto's ears. "Don't reject me." He whispered.

Feeling a warm tongue in his ear one moment, Prompto felt the heaviness in his chest increase and the next moment he felt this warm energy surround him—them and everything went white for a second as he felt Noctis bite his neck hard.

He gave a whimper as he came back to his senses. He could feel Noctis, not just on top of him, but as this cool presence in the back of his mind. It was disorienting, feeling him twice at the same time. It was a sensory overload he had to get used to.

Noctis breathed in heavily as he withdrew from Prompto's neck. This was his first magical bond so he had expected it to be intense. What he didn't expect was to feel a shock go through his body as he bit Prompto, making his senses blank white for a few seconds. "Are you okay?" He panted.

Prompto didn't answer for a minute, trying to get his barings. "I think so?" He pressed his forehead against Noctis'. "That was…"

"Unexpected." Noctis finished as he stared into his best friend's blissed out eyes. "Much more intense than I thought."

"Was—was that not supposed to happen?" Prompto gaining more awareness.

"No, it's supposed to be intense." Noctis cupped the blond's face. "I'm not sure we were supposed to feel that much pleasure though. I've only heard about pain mostly."

"Huh." Prompto shifted his arms to pull Noctis closer. "Well as long as we don't blow up it's fine."

Noctis shifted so that he and Prompto were cuddled against each other side by side. "I'm sorry. Dinner's cold now." He said sleepily. He could see Prompto drifting off as well.

Prompto shook his head. "We have a micro-yawn-wave. Sleep?"

"Sleep." Noctis agreed before both boys sailed to dreamland together.

Their new magical bond was vibrating back and forth between the two, humming with contented energy. Unbeknownst to the boys, the crystal glowed an eerie blue in response. It was pleased with its second master's choice in bond mate.

Magic Bonds:

Must be created by two trusting/willing parties

Will create a 24/7 mindmeld (Star Trek term) connected by body and soul

Constant contact between both parties

3 months-1yr to solidify

Can accidentally tear/fray if parties are apart for too long in early stages

Sexual tension/desires will occur but are not forced