Prompto felt a low chuckle against the back of his neck. His blood ran cold. Prompto turned his head.
A familiar ratty scarf brushed the tip of his nose.
"Verstael, Verstael," drawled the low, creeping voice of Ardyn Izuna against Prompto's ear. "You need only ask, old friend, and the empire I will lay at your feet."
Besithia replied with an exasperated scoff.
"Ardymmmph–!" Prompto shouted into the gag.
Ardyn cut him off with a fraternal pat against the shoulderblades. The impact set him stumbling forward, even as he tried to turn and face the Nif chancellor, reaching out for his weapons. But the man was upon him before he could blink.
"Up you go, now," Ardyn said, digging his thumbs into each of Prompto's wrists. The boy shouted and involuntarily let go. His firearms tumbled to the ground.
Ardyn gripped the collar and hoisted Prompto in the direction of the seated research chief. Prompto threw his arms out to grab at the lip of the chassis, fighting against the other's attempts to shove him in. He reached one arm back, and tried to retrieve his handgun from the Armiger to no avail.
"What's this?" Besithia asked.
Prompto's fingers and toes had gone completely numb. He'd turned away as soon as he heard Ardyn's voice, and couldn't bring himself to look at the man.
Besithia sighed in exasperation. "I haven't got time for your games. The night's events have yet to be finalized, and I've half a mind to call the whole thing off just to get it off of my hands."
"Allow me to stand in, then, and spare yourself the trouble." Ardyn tipped his hat to the scowling old man, ignoring Prompto, who continued to squirm and struggle against the collar. "You know how I adore a good midnight soirée. Speaking of..."
"Incultam's pet?" Besithia cast a clinical glance over Prompto as he said it. Prompto shoved back against Ardyn, using the car for leverage.
"Indeed. We're well acquainted, one might say." Ardyn steered Prompto into the open door headfirst as he said it, seemingly oblivious to the boy's continued protests. "I believe you two enjoyed a little rendez-vous last night."
"You know that, you pest," Besithia said. "You yourself insisted on coming by to collect the boy for his master. What is this about?"
"My friend," Ardyn said. He paused for dramatic effect. Prompto squirmed in his grip.
When Besithia remained impassive, waiting, Ardyn continued. "Do you recall the child who was stolen from the Zegnautus facility?"
"The one those Lucians absconded with?"
"Precisely."
What? Not the next thing he'd been anticipating from Ardyn's mouth. Prompto slackened for a moment in confusion, which was all it took for the man to urge his body over the last several inches of space to drop before Besithia's shins. Besithia was looking past him at Ardyn with new interest.
"I thought you'd like to see the fine young man he's become, these twenty-odd years later."
Prompto couldn't breathe. Between the gag and the collar, the heat of Ardyn's presence at his back, the gravel of his voice vibrating against Prompto's back – an overwhelming sense of suffcation gripped his throat. He tried to say something through it. The words he was hearing filtered against a buzz of white noise that filled his ears. What on earth was happening? What was this?
Ardyn continued with a brisk pat against the back of Prompto's head, as though this were just a lunch date and he a nonpartisan participant. "So, as thanks for bringing your pets to Insomnia, I've brought the boy to you."
He gripped a fistful of Prompto's hair, and twisted him to face Besithia properly.
"Time to meet daddy dearest," he murmured. Prompto whimpered through his nose.
"Go on, take a look," Ardyn said.
Heedless of the boy's attempts to jerk away, Besithia first reached out with one curling hand and restrained Prompto's right arm in an unshakable grip, sneering at his attempt to pull away.
He delicately peeled back Prompto's wristband. Prompto dug his teeth into the gag, as hard as he could.
This was it. The worst moment of his life. Picturing how it would happen had kept him up all night, or woken him in a puddle of sweat, so many times.
He hadn't slept for a week when Noctis told him Ignis was running a background check, not knowing himself what the man might find. He'd thought about runnning away, balanced the grocery money his parents had left against a bus ticket and haircut.
Besithia actually let out a surprised sound as he uncovered Prompto's deepest, darkest secret.
There it was. The black ink stood against his bare skin for all the world to see.
Ardyn clapped his hands together as Prompto wheezed against the gag, tears coming unbidden to his wide-open eyes. Besithia's gaze landed on him now, too, for the first time with obvious interest.
Shaking his head and scrabbling to back away still, he heard the door shut and felt Ardyn move closer to press up against him. The larger man's fist still tugged at his hair, his scalp on fire. Prompto could see every one of the teeth in his mouth.
"Oh, how I love bringing families together."
No... It's not true. You're wrong, dammit! Prompto shouted into the gag harder than ever, but the sound stoppered in his sore throat. He kept shouting and shouting, consumed by instinctive fear that overrode the knowledge no one outside would hear him, and even if they could, one look at the collar and no one would lift a finger to help.
He opened his eyes. He looked desperately at Besithia's slave, kneeling across from him at the man's heels, still holding the end of Prompto's leash, but the boy remained impassively staring into the middle distance.
"So it is," Besithia breathed, scowl relaxing in a moment of genuine surprise. He put down his phone and reached for Prompto's face, cupping his chin in both hands. Ardyn's, still at the back of his neck, prevented him from moving back even an inch. "A clone, one of millions belonging to the NH-series. Born of my own flesh and blood."
Prompto's breakfast tried to leap back up his throat.
"How curious," Besithia continued. He dragged his thumbs down Prompto's cheekbones, gaze wandering hungrily. "To think it was able to reach maturity. And without obvious signs of system failure, at that. The genius of my invention is enough to surprise even me."
Prompto heaved around the gag.
Besithia released him. The man leaned back again, to look past the boy at Ardyn. "You have outdone yourself again, old friend."
"I'm afraid the boy still belongs to our dear friend Mr. Incultam," Ardyn said. Oh, shit. Ignis.
His hands had moved up to knead at Prompto's shoulders. Prompto shook off the grip, and Ardyn allowed it. He snapped his fingers, and Besithia's slave shifted. Prompto just had time to feel his leash going taught again before his chin landed against the carpet of Besithia's car. The other boy had trapped a short length of lead against the ground with both hands.
"But I daresay... he's not the most well-behaved."
Prompto jerked again, gasping like a fish, unable to raise his head a single inch.
Ardyn laughed under his breath. He pet Prompto's hair in slow, lazy strokes as he continued to address Besithia. "Perhaps your enterprising young friend will accept a finders' fee," he said.
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timeasmymeasure
Fill: Ignis/Prompto, undercover as owner/slave, 11/?
Date: 2018-01-18 05:50 am (UTC)Prompto felt a low chuckle against the back of his neck. His blood ran cold. Prompto turned his head.
A familiar ratty scarf brushed the tip of his nose.
"Verstael, Verstael," drawled the low, creeping voice of Ardyn Izuna against Prompto's ear. "You need only ask, old friend, and the empire I will lay at your feet."
Besithia replied with an exasperated scoff.
"Ardymmmph–!" Prompto shouted into the gag.
Ardyn cut him off with a fraternal pat against the shoulderblades. The impact set him stumbling forward, even as he tried to turn and face the Nif chancellor, reaching out for his weapons. But the man was upon him before he could blink.
"Up you go, now," Ardyn said, digging his thumbs into each of Prompto's wrists. The boy shouted and involuntarily let go. His firearms tumbled to the ground.
Ardyn gripped the collar and hoisted Prompto in the direction of the seated research chief. Prompto threw his arms out to grab at the lip of the chassis, fighting against the other's attempts to shove him in. He reached one arm back, and tried to retrieve his handgun from the Armiger to no avail.
"What's this?" Besithia asked.
Prompto's fingers and toes had gone completely numb. He'd turned away as soon as he heard Ardyn's voice, and couldn't bring himself to look at the man.
Besithia sighed in exasperation. "I haven't got time for your games. The night's events have yet to be finalized, and I've half a mind to call the whole thing off just to get it off of my hands."
"Allow me to stand in, then, and spare yourself the trouble." Ardyn tipped his hat to the scowling old man, ignoring Prompto, who continued to squirm and struggle against the collar. "You know how I adore a good midnight soirée. Speaking of..."
"Incultam's pet?" Besithia cast a clinical glance over Prompto as he said it. Prompto shoved back against Ardyn, using the car for leverage.
"Indeed. We're well acquainted, one might say." Ardyn steered Prompto into the open door headfirst as he said it, seemingly oblivious to the boy's continued protests. "I believe you two enjoyed a little rendez-vous last night."
"You know that, you pest," Besithia said. "You yourself insisted on coming by to collect the boy for his master. What is this about?"
"My friend," Ardyn said. He paused for dramatic effect. Prompto squirmed in his grip.
When Besithia remained impassive, waiting, Ardyn continued. "Do you recall the child who was stolen from the Zegnautus facility?"
"The one those Lucians absconded with?"
"Precisely."
What? Not the next thing he'd been anticipating from Ardyn's mouth. Prompto slackened for a moment in confusion, which was all it took for the man to urge his body over the last several inches of space to drop before Besithia's shins. Besithia was looking past him at Ardyn with new interest.
"I thought you'd like to see the fine young man he's become, these twenty-odd years later."
Prompto couldn't breathe. Between the gag and the collar, the heat of Ardyn's presence at his back, the gravel of his voice vibrating against Prompto's back – an overwhelming sense of suffcation gripped his throat. He tried to say something through it. The words he was hearing filtered against a buzz of white noise that filled his ears. What on earth was happening? What was this?
Ardyn continued with a brisk pat against the back of Prompto's head, as though this were just a lunch date and he a nonpartisan participant. "So, as thanks for bringing your pets to Insomnia, I've brought the boy to you."
He gripped a fistful of Prompto's hair, and twisted him to face Besithia properly.
"Time to meet daddy dearest," he murmured. Prompto whimpered through his nose.
"Go on, take a look," Ardyn said.
Heedless of the boy's attempts to jerk away, Besithia first reached out with one curling hand and restrained Prompto's right arm in an unshakable grip, sneering at his attempt to pull away.
He delicately peeled back Prompto's wristband. Prompto dug his teeth into the gag, as hard as he could.
This was it. The worst moment of his life. Picturing how it would happen had kept him up all night, or woken him in a puddle of sweat, so many times.
He hadn't slept for a week when Noctis told him Ignis was running a background check, not knowing himself what the man might find. He'd thought about runnning away, balanced the grocery money his parents had left against a bus ticket and haircut.
Besithia actually let out a surprised sound as he uncovered Prompto's deepest, darkest secret.
There it was. The black ink stood against his bare skin for all the world to see.
Ardyn clapped his hands together as Prompto wheezed against the gag, tears coming unbidden to his wide-open eyes. Besithia's gaze landed on him now, too, for the first time with obvious interest.
Shaking his head and scrabbling to back away still, he heard the door shut and felt Ardyn move closer to press up against him. The larger man's fist still tugged at his hair, his scalp on fire. Prompto could see every one of the teeth in his mouth.
"Oh, how I love bringing families together."
No... It's not true. You're wrong, dammit! Prompto shouted into the gag harder than ever, but the sound stoppered in his sore throat. He kept shouting and shouting, consumed by instinctive fear that overrode the knowledge no one outside would hear him, and even if they could, one look at the collar and no one would lift a finger to help.
He opened his eyes. He looked desperately at Besithia's slave, kneeling across from him at the man's heels, still holding the end of Prompto's leash, but the boy remained impassively staring into the middle distance.
"So it is," Besithia breathed, scowl relaxing in a moment of genuine surprise. He put down his phone and reached for Prompto's face, cupping his chin in both hands. Ardyn's, still at the back of his neck, prevented him from moving back even an inch. "A clone, one of millions belonging to the NH-series. Born of my own flesh and blood."
Prompto's breakfast tried to leap back up his throat.
"How curious," Besithia continued. He dragged his thumbs down Prompto's cheekbones, gaze wandering hungrily. "To think it was able to reach maturity. And without obvious signs of system failure, at that. The genius of my invention is enough to surprise even me."
Prompto heaved around the gag.
Besithia released him. The man leaned back again, to look past the boy at Ardyn. "You have outdone yourself again, old friend."
"I'm afraid the boy still belongs to our dear friend Mr. Incultam," Ardyn said. Oh, shit. Ignis.
His hands had moved up to knead at Prompto's shoulders. Prompto shook off the grip, and Ardyn allowed it. He snapped his fingers, and Besithia's slave shifted. Prompto just had time to feel his leash going taught again before his chin landed against the carpet of Besithia's car. The other boy had trapped a short length of lead against the ground with both hands.
"But I daresay... he's not the most well-behaved."
Prompto jerked again, gasping like a fish, unable to raise his head a single inch.
Ardyn laughed under his breath. He pet Prompto's hair in slow, lazy strokes as he continued to address Besithia. "Perhaps your enterprising young friend will accept a finders' fee," he said.