13
"So, what do you think Ardyn was talking about?" Gladio asked, cupping his bottom lip between his thumb and the joint of his right index finger, crossing his left arm across his chest as his eyes turned to the now peacefully sleeping blonde. "You know. About Prompto having a 'skeleton in his closet'? The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not sure." Ignis thought to himself, sincerely hoping that if it was even true at all that it wouldn't be something too terribly serious. But the odds seemed to be very likely stacked towards the latter. "Perhaps when he wakes, we should confer with Prompto about this. Surely he could enlighten us to the facts rather than mere baseless theory."
Prompto had been sleeping for a few hours now since he'd passed out again. Noct remained by his best friend's side, practically refusing to remove himself from his spot beside him. Not that they could blame him. His best friend had been kidnapped, imprisoned, and endlessly tortured by their worst enemy, and all Noct had been thinking of since it happened was that it had been his fault from the very start.
"Maybe." Gladio said, keeping a close eye on their two youngest members, finally taking a seat himself, allowing himself to finally relax now that all was temporarily calm. Though he knew that as soon as they stepped out of the safe room all hell was bound to break loose once more. An annoying realization as much as it was more than likely a factual one. "But I'm not sure it's something he'd wanna talk about if he hasn't already, y'know?"
"Yes, that is true..." Ignis observed, turning his unseeing gaze in the direction of the sleeping blonde. "If it's something he wouldn't even trust us enough to divulge... it must be rather severe..."
Ignis didn't want to think that Prompto was keeping a horrible secret from them, especially since it was Ardyn who had put the idea in their heads in the first place. If anything, he wanted it to not be true, but the advisor couldn't help but be curious about it.
"You two don't seriously believe his ass, do you?" Noct fumed, still harboring a deeply rooted hatred for the villain in question. Not for a second taking his eyes off of the blonde boy laying peacefully beside him, finally getting the rest he deserved. "He's fucking lying."
"Perhaps. But still I find it would be preferable for us to at the very least ask Prompto about it." Ignis answered, noting the younger man's unspoken concerns about the subject at hand.
Ignis knew Noct well enough by now to know how distressed he was by the possibility that something really was going on with his best friend that none of them knew about, but there was no sense in skirting around the subject after all of this.
What they needed now above all else was answers.
"It would be best for all of us to get to the bottom of the matter quickly." Ignis continued on. "And quite frankly, I'd rather not cause Prompto any more distress than we may have to."
"I just wanna get him outta here..." Noct sighed, not wanting the blonde to have to spend another second in that godforsaken fortress. But without his powers, Noct knew he couldn't just call Umbra and have him take them back in time so that everything would be okay.
And even if he could, it wouldn't do anything to fix the present.
No matter what they could or couldn't do, nothing was going to make Prompto's situation any better, and all of them hated that. All they wanted was for the blonde to be well again, but it seemed that that was just going to have to wait for now.
"We will, Noct." Gladio assured, taking a step toward the distressed young man, placing a hand on his shoulder. Trying to offer even the slightest bit of comfort to his friend. "We've just gotta be a little patient. Besides, there's not much we can do without your powers anyway."
"Well then, we'll just have to get them back." Noct observed, thinking over his present and quite literally powerless situation.
Gladio was right, without his powers he couldn't summon his other weapons, curatives were almost useless, and he couldn't even call Umbra to lend them a hand by taking him to the past to figure things out. The best thing for them to do would be to try and figure out a way to unseal his powers.
"Then maybe we can actually help Prompto..."
"We won't be doing anything so long as Prompto remains in this weakened state." Ignis retorted, recounting all that had come to pass since they had finally reclaimed Prompto, as well as recalling what he had said before Gladio had started their current conversation. "As I said, I think it best we find something for Prompto to eat when he awakens. It would help him regain his strength faster."
"Right, good idea." Gladio nodded, turning his eyes downwards towards the sleeping blonde. Prompto had always looked relatively small to Gladio, being as much of a twig as the kid was. But now he just looked frail. "There was water and first aid in here, so it stands to reason there should be some rations stashed somewhere too, right?"
Turning his eyes to the cabinets on the other side of the wall, Gladio observed the area.
"I'll check."
"I just hope he gets better soon..." Noct sighed, gently taking Prompto's hand into his own as he kept vigil over his closest companion. The air of melancholy surrounding him only grew thicker with each passing moment Prompto remained asleep with no telling when he would wake again. "We can't do this without him."
Keeping his eyes on Prompto, Noct watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, taking solace in knowing that he was at least a little better off than he was before. And now that they were all back together, things could only get better for him. At least that's what Noct hoped, though he knew full well that the possibility of their situation worsening was all too real. But so long as Prompto was safe from harm, Noct found that he really couldn't care less about most anything else.
Sitting again in silence, the brothers waited. Keeping vigil at Prompto's side they waited for him to wake again, knowing it would only be a matter of time. Having done all they could for him, the three had hoped the danger was behind him now and that the blonde could rest easily.
Keeping Prompto's hand held securely in his own, Noctis waited patiently for his best friend to wake up again. In his sleep Prompto looked so peaceful, a barely detectable smile had found its place on the boy's face now that he was safe and sound among his friends.
Waiting a short while longer, Prompto's fingers twitched, gripping the blanket underneath his free hand as a quiet moan escaped his lips.
"Prom?" Noct gasped, straightening from his slouched state while Ignis and Gladio too turned their gazes to the younger members of the group.
Squeezing Prompto's hand again, Noct watched as Prompto's face contorted for a moment before his eyes slowly opened, revealing the beautiful blue color once more for the brothers to see and behold.
"How do you feel, man?" He asked, practically firing out his questions without really giving his friend the time to properly answer before moving on to the next inquiry. "You okay? Are you in any pain? Where does it hurt?"
"I-I'm fine..." Prompto nodded slowly, taking a moment to allow his mind to wake along with his body.
In truth, he did feel fine, at least in comparison to how he had been feeling the last few days. But his body did still feel hurt. With all the wounds he had sustained at Ardyn's hands, Prompto was honestly surprised he had healed at all, and he was fully aware that it could take even longer for him to really get better. But for now, the gunner definitely still felt the effects of Ardyn's handiwork.
"But I feel sore... everywhere..."
"I'd be concerned if you didn't." Ignis spoke up, walking slowly over to the young man, stopping just shy of Noctis by the blonde's side. "All things considered, even that feeling is an improvement."
Taking a seat beside Noctis on the side of the bed, the advisor placed a hand gently on Prompto's leg, still quite worried about the young man despite his calm and collected demeanor.
"Do you think you can handle something to eat? After everything... I'd imagine your stomach is a little sensitive right now." Turning in the direction he assumed Gladio was, Ignis tried to keep suppressing the concern in his tone, trying to appear strong for the youngest brother but some of it began to sneak through. "Have you found anything, Gladio?"
"Just some more water. And a couple of ration packs, nothing too fancy." Gladio answered, taking some of the contents from the cupboard before walking back over to his friends. Letting slip a quiet sigh when he laid eyes on their blonde friend. The poor kid had been through so much the last few days, and none of those things were good. But at least now there was hope for him to recover now that the four of them were back together. "Hope it'll do, cause it's all we've got at the moment. You think you can handle food right now, kiddo?"
"I think so." Prompto nodded, his attempt to sit up quickly foiled by Noct gently pushing him back down, still more than a little worried about him.
"Easy, man." Noct cautioned, easing the blonde back down onto the mattress, a definite air of worry in his voice paired with the concern overtaking his gentle gaze upon his best friend. "Don't push yourself too much."
"I'm fine, Noct." Prompto protested, slowly moving his hand over and placing it over top Noct's own, wincing for a moment as the wounds in his arms stirred as his position shifted. "Still a little worse for wear... but fine..."
True, he still felt a great deal of pain, that was inevitable with what little the others could do for him without Noct's powers. Without the royal magic the brothers were all but powerless. Not even potions worked very well without enhancement from the power of the Armiger and other such royal boons.
But despite all of that, thankfully Prompto still felt much better than he did before.
"Besides, if I'm gonna eat I have to sit up anyway."
"I guess." Noct sighed, conceding to Prompto's sound logic. But still he was worried, and he had every reason to be considering everything that had gone down as of late. "Just take it slow, okay?"
Sliding his arm under Prompto's back, Noct slowly helped him up while Gladio scooted over, quickly taking the pillows and situating them so that the could still support Prompto as he sat against them. Gently laying Prompto's back against the newly placed pillows, Noct let his hand linger on his friend's shoulder. Not only was he worried about Prompto's health, he was also worried about what would happen when Ignis inevitably decided it was time for them to ask him about what Ardyn had said earlier. He didn't want to cause his best friend any more distress but Ignis did have a point when he said that Prompto would probably be able to offer more insight into the idea that he might've been hiding something from them all this time.
And to be honest, Noct hoped that the truth was that it wasn't true at all.
"You've had it pretty rough..."
"Y-Yeah..." Prompto sighed, remembering all of the horrible tortures that had been inflicted upon him over the last few days. But everything was alright now, his friends were there with him, and they wouldn't let anything happen to him again. They had already told him as much before, and they certainly weren't going to let that turn into a lie.
Least of all Noct.
If he had anything to say about it he'd put Prompto under twenty-four hour guard for the rest of his life just to ensure that.
"It's been... awful..." Prompto's voice was low like a whisper, garnering only more concern from his friends.
"Well, that's all over now." Gladio assured, placing a free hand on Prompto's shoulder in a show of comfort. "Promise. Now, think you can eat for us?"
"Sure." Prompto nodded, repeating his previous answer.
He really was starving now that he thought about it. He hadn't eaten since his little escapade in the frozen wastes of Nifleheim, and even then he hadn't eaten very much. Prompto's stomach growled so loud Cindy could probably hear it all the way in Hammerhead. They'd given him some water earlier before he passed out again, but water was far from food, and nowhere near as filling. Especially since he had only managed to get down a small amount, even with Gladio practically treating it like he was bottle feeding a baby. To be honest, food sounded heavenly, even just a few crappy ration packs.
Anything at all would be better than nothing at this point.
"I'll do my best."
"That's all we ask." Ignis said gently, hoping that once the blonde was fed that they could ask him about Ardyn's little assertion before. It was going to eat them all up until they knew for sure if it was true or not, and Ignis hoped that even if it was true that it wouldn't be as severe a matter as he feared. "Just do the best you can, Prompto."
"Sure, but uh..." Prompto began, a slight hesitance overcoming his tone for a moment.
"What is it, man?" Noct swiftly inquired, grabbing his friend's hand more or less on a reflex. The presence of the blonde's warmth in his grasp already beginning to assuage his quickly rising worries. Staring Prompto directly in his perfect blue eyes, Noct couldn't help but still worry at the observation of unease in the flawless color. "Are you okay? Something wrong?"
"Y-Yeah, Noct, I'm fine." Prompto nodded, answering the question honestly so he wouldn't worry his best friend any more than he clearly already was. "It's just..."
Glancing down at his arms for a moment, Prompto looked back up at his friends, a little embarrassed about admitting his problem, and to be honest he kinda felt bad. They had all gone through so much trouble for him already, but still he knew he couldn't hide it from them. After all, they had already seen it once before.
"My arms. I... I still can't really..."
"I see." Ignis observed, recalling the slight incident before. "Not to worry. We're here to assist."
Smiling softly, Ignis was just glad that Prompto was recovering, even as slowly as he was without proper medical supplies or even a few potions to spare.
"Do you mind, Noct?"
"No, not at all!" Noct answered swiftly, immediately springing into action to help his friend. Taking the water and ration packs from Gladio, he set to work making sure Prompto could eat. "Just take it slow, man. Eat too fast and your stomach won't be able to take it, got it?"
Noct offered a small smile as Prompto nodded in response.
Raising the water bottle to Prompto's lips, Noct slowly poured, knowing that having something already in his stomach before eating after so long would be beneficial to the blonde. Gladio stood by on the sidelines, watching as Noct took care of his best friend. Occasionally glancing over at Ignis, it seemed they were both thinking the same thing.
Once Noct and Prompto were finished, they were going to have to ask what could be an extremely difficult question for the blonde to answer. In all honesty, if they could let the subject go, they would do it in an instant, no hesitation. But the thought was eating away at them, and they knew Noct was thinking about it too. The thought that Prompto could be hiding something awful from them was just something they couldn't shake.
And it was something that they all needed to know the answer to.
As Prompto slowly ate what little they had for him, Ignis worried about how their next conversation was going to go down. But unfortunately, he also knew that no matter how much or little he worried, nothing was going to change what was going to happen.
Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to ask.
"Prompto...?"
"Yeah?" Prompto replied, turning his baby blue eyes to their prestigious mom-friend, raising an eyebrow at him in curiosity. "What is it...?"
"Well... there's something we would like to discuss with you, if that's alright?" Ignis wondered, feeling the raising levels of concern coming from Noctis and Gladio as they knew full well what was about to happen. None of them wanted to talk about it, but they also knew that if they didn't they could never just let the sleeping giant lie. "I apologize to bring this up at such a time as this, but it is a rather pressing matter."
"Uh, sure...?" Prompto answered, also beginning to become concerned.
Ignis's tone was serious like always but there was an undertone of worry and uncertainty. A tone he had never heard come from the adviser before in all the years he had known the man.
Needless to say it was more than a little worrying.
"I-Is everything okay...?" Prompto's trepidation was palpable. "I mean you guys aren't, like... mad at me for getting kidnapped? A-Are you...?"
"No! Astrals, Prom, no way!" Noct interjected almost immediately, quickly shaking his head as he gave Prompto's hand a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. "That's not it at all."
Already worried by Prompto's fears Noct wished they didn't have to do this. But in his heart he knew they must.
"We aren't mad at you, Prom. No way in hell." He reassured his friend, however his eyes avoided the baby blues staring back at him just the same. Not really sure how to go about asking. "It's just... Ardyn. He told us something, a-and we just want to know if it's true..."
"Ardyn...?" Prompto asked. His body tensed at the sound of the man's name, more than a little terrified of him after everything the man had put him through since the train. "W-What did..."
Taking a deep breath, Prompto dared continue to wonder, though he feared he already knew that they were going to say.
"What did he say...?"
"Well, he wasn't exactly specific or anything." Gladio began, annoyed by just the thought of that bastard and what he had insinuated. "But he said you had a uh, a 'skeleton in your closet'. Something you've been keeping from us. We just wanna know if he was telling the truth or not. And trust me, we wouldn't even be asking if we could say it wouldn't bug us not knowing."
"O-Oh..." Prompto sighed, turning his gaze away from his dear friends before lowering his head, unable to look at them now.
The insinuation they were inquiring about was more than a little true, and he'd been hiding it for as long as he could remember. And the last thing he wanted was for them to know. But it seemed the cruel winds of fate did not favor him. He was more than familiar with that considering all had happened recently, not even counting the trials and tribulations of his life back in Insomnia.
"I... I see..."
"Prom...?" Noct questioned, an air of worry and deep seated concern washing over his tone, worried and quite frankly scared of what his despairing best friend was going to say.
No matter what the answer, Noct knew it wouldn't change how he felt about Prompto. He was his best friend, and he meant everything to Noct. And not even a stupid dark secret could change that.
"Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, it's just..." Prompto sighed once more, shaking his head dejectedly before turning his eyes back up to his best friend for only a moment, Noct's eyes widening as he caught a glimpse of the glittering tears lining Prompto's own perfect blue eyes. "I just... didn't want you to know..."
"I see... so Ardyn was telling the truth after all..." Ignis thought, taking a seat as he worried about the potential severity of the secret Prompto was going to have to divulge.
"What?" Noct gently coaxed, putting his arm around Prompto's shoulders as he scooted closer to his best friend, careful not to disturb his friend's still injured body too much before placing his free hand gently on the blonde's arm. "Didn't want us to know what...?"
"It's okay, Prompto." Gladio assured, his tone more gentle than the three men were used to hearing from the shield, but it was certainly a welcome change. "You can tell us."
"Yes, go on." Ignis goaded, hoping Prompto would open up to them. "We're here for you."
"W-Well it's just that..." Using his slowly returning strength, he moved his free hand, placing it lightly over his right wrist. Fiddling with the bands he wore over it for a moment, Prompto re-positioned them as he braved his deepest fear. "MT's, they... they have those code prints..."
Moving his hand away, Noct and Gladio could finally see it.
The barcode he'd hidden all this time.
"Just like I do..."
"Do they?" Noct questioned, his eyes trained only on Prompto's face as he listened to his friend and brother speak. His body stiffening for only a moment at the insinuation Prompto was making, worried only about how Prompto was feeling right now. And now way was he going to make him feel any worse. "Never looked."
"Yeah..." Prompto sighed, his eyes darting around the room, trying to avoid eye contact with his friends.
He couldn't bare to look at them, not now. Not if what he saw in them was what he thought he would see.
Anger.
Disapproval.
Hate.
"So as it turns out... I'm one of them..." His heart ached, fear rising in him as he spoke to his dear companions. What were they thinking right now...? "I couldn't tell you... I just couldn't..."
A tear fell from Prompto's eyes, trying to hold back the oncoming wave of despair threatening to spill over, but still some made it through.
"But still, you guys are like... the only friends... I've ever known..."
"Prompto..." Noct whispered quietly, his own heart aching for his best friend. He had no idea...
"I just wish... t-that things could stay the way they were..." Prompto sniffled, tears falling from his eyes before he could even try to stop them.
They couldn't still want to be his friends now, could they? There was no way.
Not after learning that he was the enemy all along.
"Why wouldn't they?" Noct asked, giving Prompto's hand a squeeze, he knew Prompto well enough by now to know what he was thinking right now. Noct could almost feel Prompto's pain and anguish overcoming him as he quietly cried. No doubt in Noct's mind that Prompto thought that by telling them the truth, he had just lost his only friends in the world. But as far as Noct was concerned, the blonde couldn't have been more wrong. "Who cares where you were born?"
Prompto's tear filled eyes widened as his head shot back up, hardly able to believe what was happening. There was no way Noct could be okay with this, there had to be a caveat somewhere didn't there?
Glancing quickly around to Ignis and Gladio as well, not even they seemed to be very phased by what he had told them anymore. Like they had come to terms with it right then and there.
They had to be playing some kind of trick on him. There was no way they could still want him after being told the truth like that.
Or at least that's Prompto had thought. But it was becoming increasingly clear that he couldn't have been more wrong.
"I don't see you turning against us." Ignis reassured, offering the distressed blonde a gentle smile. His tone was much softer and kinder than his typically stern and commanding one he had adopted over the many years of needed to keep Noctis in line back in Insomnia. "Not now, or ever."
"That's right, kiddo." Gladio chuckled, taking a few steps towards the youngest brother he placed his strong hand on Prompto's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze as Prompto's baby blue eyes turned to briefly meet his own. "You're one of us. A brother through and through."
"T-Thanks, guys..." Prompto blushed, turning his eyes away from Gladio as his hands weakly gripped at the bed sheets once more. "But still... I can't change where I came from... what I am..."
"Since when does where you come from matter to you?" Noct inquired, raising an eyebrow at his most cherished companion, looking Prompto directly in his perfect eyes as the blonde looked up at him, surprised at Noct's question.
Grinning slightly, Noct lightly and playfully punched Prompto's shoulder, being careful and mindful of the bandaged stab wound still residing there.
"You never once treated me as a prince."
"Never so much as a 'Highness'." Ignis chimed in, chuckling softly to himself as he thought back on the many years they had known each other now.
"B-But I..." Prompto stuttered.
Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined they would be so cool about his true self. In any of his versions of this conversation, they had all but cast him into the void themselves, wanting nothing to do with him anymore. The things they had said to him were among the worst things he had ever heard in his life, and it wasn't even real.
He knew that. Prompto knew all of those times were just his imagination playing tricks on him in his weakened and tormented state, but still he couldn't help but be affected by it all. But here now, in real life, they still cared.
They still wanted him.
It was all so much to take in, he wasn't sure he could take it.
Feeling himself beginning to well up again, Prompto tried to keep himself from crying again, wanting to avoid the embarrassment of crying in front of his friends again But a few of the tears found their way, managing to slip through despite his best efforts to keep them at bay.
Sensing his friend's emotional distress, Noct immediately turned his complete attention back to the blonde. Taking Prompto's hand in his own, Noct offered his best friend and gentle yet concerned glance.
"You okay, Prom?" Noct asked, hoping they hadn't somehow upset him in some way with what they had said, but also extremely worried that his wounds were bothering him still too. "Are you in pain? Or... was it something we said...?"
"N-No, it's just..." Prompto sniffled, trying to hold himself together but starting to fail rather miserably now with Noct trying to comfort him. It was always harder to hold it together when someone was trying to comfort him, he had learned that a long time ago. "I just thought that if I told you... you wouldn't want me anymore..."
"Oh Prom..." Gently pulling Prompto into his arms, Noct held his friend close, horrified that Prompto had ever been so hurt that he would let himself believe such a horrible thing. "There's nothing you could ever say or ever do that would make us not want you. You're one of us. And that's never going to change, okay? I know it's cheesy and corny as hell to say, but we love you."
"I am sorry you had to endure such a heavy burden on your own, Prompto..." Ignis sighed, feeling around for a moment before his hand found a place on Prompto's shoulder, feeling truly horrible about never taking the time to notice how hurt Prompto had been all this time. "I'm sorry we weren't there for you when you needed us all this time... but we're here for you now. I hope you know that..."
Burying his face in the crook of Noctis's neck, Prompto nodded as best he could, for just a moment forgetting that Ignis couldn't see anymore. He hated making the others feel bad, it was the last thing he wanted for them but still, Prompto couldn't help but appreciate their concern and sympathy. It was more love than he had ever been shown by another human being before in his whole life, since his adopted parents hardly ever spent any time at home when he was in high school or even back in elementary school.
But the love his friends were showing him now... he swore he would never take it for granted.
"It's alright, Prompto." Gladio spoke up, definitely feeling bad about the weight Prompto was made to carry.
But more than that, the shield was angry. Angry that their friend's life had been so completely filled with strife and hardships and he had never taken the time to notice.
Their friend was hurting all this time and it took Ardyn kidnapping and torturing him for the brothers to finally see it.
Holding Prompto gently and protectively in his arms, Noct and the others patiently waited.
After about ten more minutes of crying, Prompto finally began to calm down, his sobs slowing and descending into a soft array of sniffles before finally fading to silence as his previously swift and hitched breathing slowed into deep, quiet breaths.
Softly rubbing Prompto's back Noct, wanted nothing more than to take him home where he could be safe forever. But he knew he couldn't.
At least not now.
"We have to go." Noct stated, holding Prompto as close as he could without hurting him.
If he was going to heal his best friend's body, they needed to find what had sealed his power and destroy it. And thinking back to his journey through the fortress, he realized he just might know where it was they needed to go.
And it wasn't far.
"We have to get my powers back." He practically ordered. "It's the only way to help Prompto."
"But Prompto's still injured, Noct. We shouldn't move him." Gladio argued, knowing full well that Noct was ultimately right but the idea of causing Prompto any more pain was almost unbearable to think about.
"We'll have to." Noct sighed heavily. "Look, Gladio, I don't like it any more than you do. In fact I can guarantee you I like it less. But we have to do this."
Adjusting his position so he could look Prompto in the eyes, Noct ran his fingers through his glorious golden locks, moving the partially messy bangs out of his face. Prompto's eyes were still red and puffy from crying, and his hair hadn't been able to return to it's regular swoopy style. As strange as it was, it hurt Noct to see how different and lifeless Prompto's body looked now. It was that state Noct was determined to reverse.
"We're just gonna have to carry him."
"You let me handle that." Gladio offered, wanting to argue about taking Prompto with them, but considering what had happened the last time Noct had left Prompto alone he was willing to let it go.
And even if just he and Noct went, if something happened while they were gone Ignis wouldn't be able to handle it on his own without his sight. And Prompto would be completely helpless to do anything at all in his wounded state. Besides, Gladio hadn't taken his eyes off of Ignis since his little episode before, worried about what this place and all the pain and sadness that had come from it was doing to poor Ignis's head.
So he decided to concede to Noct's plan just this once.
"Are you sure this course of action is wise, Noct?" Ignis questioned, not entirely convinced this was the best thing to do right now.
"No, I'm not." Noct confessed, knowing it was stupid but honestly he doubted there was anything at all they could do at that point that would be particularly smart either. And if it meant they could help Prompto, Noct really couldn't care any less about his plan being wise or not. "But we can't just sit around here and do nothing anymore. It won't do Prompto any good. Or any of us."
"But, Noct..." Prompto wanted to object, not wanting his friends to go through any more trouble on his account.
But Noct quickly shut that down.
"But nothing, Prom." Noct insisted. Staring directly into Prompto's flawless blue eyes, he took his hand into his own, careful not to squeeze it too tight. "We have to get my powers back at some point anyway, right? And if it'll help you, then for fuck's sake we're going now!"
Prompto stared back into Noct's own blue eyes, not quite as surprised by his determination as he would have been back in high school. He knew full well how protective Noct had become of him over the years, not about to deny that he enjoyed knowing his friend cared so much. Nodding slightly, he understood Noct was only trying to look out for him and the others too. And if they could get his powers unsealed they would be able to go back to their mission, which honestly was more important to him than getting himself fixed up.
Although he knew if he ever told Noct that his friend would make such a huge deal out of it, and Prompto didn't want to upset him so he elected to keep that little bit to himself.
"Alright then." Noct said, nodding back at Prompto as a determined grin crawled across his face. Giving Prompto's hand one more squeeze, he looked over his friends, more than determined to see this through. "Let's get going."