Caius stood awkwardly in the kitchen, toying with the buttons of his vest while Prompto stared in shock at the camera on the countertop. He had the same nervous tic as Prompto, a sideways tilt of the head while he worried his lips, and his gaze focused on everything but the young man gingerly picking up the camera with a steady hand.
“I know it’s not much,” he said. “I didn’t bring you here with the intention of being your father. What we were doing to you was, was wrong, and I couldn’t leave you alone in a strange city, and…” He let out a long, gusty breath. “I’m—“
“Sorry, I know.” Prompto looked up at him with a grin. “Don’t worry about it, Caius. Thank you.” He pulled the man into a bone-crushing bear hug, which made Caius overbalance and stumble on the tile floor. “You did alright, for a not-dad. When I come back, I’ll introduce you to Luna.”
“That… will be terrifying,” Caius admitted, when Prompto finally let him go. “But I’ll try to look forward to it.”
Prompto raised the camera and took a shot of Caius’ pale, slightly panicked face, and gave him a thumbs up. It was a perfect portrait.
“Alright,” he said. “Time to meet my sister, I guess.” He heaved his duffle bag over his shoulder and left Caius standing at the kitchen counter, staring after him like he was a welcome apparition that had finally decided to move on. Maybe he’d find some sort of peace after this, maybe he wouldn’t. Being with Noct had taught Prompto that there wasn’t much use in trying to push someone. They had to come by it naturally.
Which made him laugh, because ten years ago, he’d been a scared, worrisome kid so starved for affection that a few days with an injured dog had changed his life. What was he going to be after this?
Ignis met him at the Citadel, and helped shove his bag into the back of the Regalia. Prompto had decided the risk was worth it, and had slipped Luna’s latest letter in a side pocket, along with his favorite photo of the three Nox Fleuret siblings: Ravus and Luna fussing over a three year old Sol, whose face was red with screaming sobs at the indignity of being forced into a while formal suit. The letter was a little troubling, but only at the last, when Luna had decided that she was going to take Prompto’s marriage concerns in hand personally.
Sol, she wrote. Don’t worry about the wedding. I have a plan, and it’s time to tell Noctis who you are in any case. You don’t want him to find out at Altissia. Better to hear it from you. Be brave! You are a charming, clever, sunny young man, and if Prince Noctis doesn’t still love you after this, he and I will have words.
Your loving sister,
(tell him!)
Luna
Right. Everything seemed easy when it was written down in Luna’s elegant script. In the real world, it was a little more complicated than that.
King Regis saw Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, and Noct off to the car after all the formal goodbyes were over, and watched the Regalia veer into the streets of Insomnia, towards the main exit to Leide. They had about a week to reach Altissia in time for the ceremony, and the peace treaty between Insomnia and Niflheim was supposed to take place around the same time. Noct was, as expected, still furious, but perhaps Luna had said something to him as well, because he seemed more convinced than ever that the marriage simply wasn’t going to happen.
Then the car broke down, and they met Cindy, the most glorious woman to have blessed the earth upon which she walked. It took about an hour of teasing mooning on Prompto’s part for Noct, glowering darkly, to pull him into the caravan across the way and demand answers. Prompto had apologized through helpless laughter, and it took nearly two hours of fervent, and probably entirely inappropriate, affection to get him laughing, too. Ignis and Gladio bore it all with exasperated resignation, but it definitely lightened the mood of the trip. Ignis even turned on the radio for a bit as they drove for the Quay, zeroing in on a program about the upcoming wedding between the Oracle Lunafreya and Prince Noctis of Insomnia.
“Get this,” one of the announcers said, after a minute of canned reporting. “The treaty doesn’t actually call the Oracle by name. It just says that Prince Noctis is to marry ‘the youngest surviving member of the royal line.’ The Oracle herself asked for that stipulation. So that means…”
The second announcer laughed. “You’re saying if the Oracle kicks it, he’ll have to marry General Ravus?”
“It’s legal in Tenebrae,” said the first. “Get with the times, my man.”
“Well, let’s hope the Oracle gets to Altissia safe, because otherwise, the crown prince is gonna be—“
“Turn that shit off,” Noct said. Ignis switched to a different station, and glanced over at Prompto.
“Prompto? Are you well?”
Prompto turned to him slowly, trying to keep the shock out of his eyes. “Yeah,” he said, in a weak voice. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Luna’s not gonna let it happen, Prom,” said Noct, in a voice that was almost low enough to be a growl.
Prompto nodded automatically. Luna’s insistence that he tell the truth to Noct before they reached Altissia suddenly made too much sense. “Oh my gods,” he moaned, and covered his face in his hands.
Ignis reached over to rub his shoulders soothingly, but there was no comfort to be found. Luna had devised a way to get around the wedding, after all, and to ensure that the treaty went forward as planned. She probably thought she was doing Prompto a favor.
The only problem was, Prompto wasn’t sure he could tell the truth. If Noct knew that he’d been lying all this time, why would he ever agree to this? He was doomed to a loveless marriage either way. At least with Luna, there wouldn’t have been a betrayal.
I’ll tell him tomorrow, Prompto thought, as they pulled into the parking lot of Galdin Quay. When we’re on the boat to Altissia, I’ll tell him.
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timeasmymeasure
FILL 7/? Re: Prompto is the kidnapped younger brother of Luna and Ravus AU (Promptis)
Date: 2017-01-29 01:17 am (UTC)“I know it’s not much,” he said. “I didn’t bring you here with the intention of being your father. What we were doing to you was, was wrong, and I couldn’t leave you alone in a strange city, and…” He let out a long, gusty breath. “I’m—“
“Sorry, I know.” Prompto looked up at him with a grin. “Don’t worry about it, Caius. Thank you.” He pulled the man into a bone-crushing bear hug, which made Caius overbalance and stumble on the tile floor. “You did alright, for a not-dad. When I come back, I’ll introduce you to Luna.”
“That… will be terrifying,” Caius admitted, when Prompto finally let him go. “But I’ll try to look forward to it.”
Prompto raised the camera and took a shot of Caius’ pale, slightly panicked face, and gave him a thumbs up. It was a perfect portrait.
“Alright,” he said. “Time to meet my sister, I guess.” He heaved his duffle bag over his shoulder and left Caius standing at the kitchen counter, staring after him like he was a welcome apparition that had finally decided to move on. Maybe he’d find some sort of peace after this, maybe he wouldn’t. Being with Noct had taught Prompto that there wasn’t much use in trying to push someone. They had to come by it naturally.
Which made him laugh, because ten years ago, he’d been a scared, worrisome kid so starved for affection that a few days with an injured dog had changed his life. What was he going to be after this?
Ignis met him at the Citadel, and helped shove his bag into the back of the Regalia. Prompto had decided the risk was worth it, and had slipped Luna’s latest letter in a side pocket, along with his favorite photo of the three Nox Fleuret siblings: Ravus and Luna fussing over a three year old Sol, whose face was red with screaming sobs at the indignity of being forced into a while formal suit. The letter was a little troubling, but only at the last, when Luna had decided that she was going to take Prompto’s marriage concerns in hand personally.
Sol, she wrote. Don’t worry about the wedding. I have a plan, and it’s time to tell Noctis who you are in any case. You don’t want him to find out at Altissia. Better to hear it from you. Be brave! You are a charming, clever, sunny young man, and if Prince Noctis doesn’t still love you after this, he and I will have words.
Your loving sister,
(tell him!)
Luna
Right. Everything seemed easy when it was written down in Luna’s elegant script. In the real world, it was a little more complicated than that.
King Regis saw Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, and Noct off to the car after all the formal goodbyes were over, and watched the Regalia veer into the streets of Insomnia, towards the main exit to Leide. They had about a week to reach Altissia in time for the ceremony, and the peace treaty between Insomnia and Niflheim was supposed to take place around the same time. Noct was, as expected, still furious, but perhaps Luna had said something to him as well, because he seemed more convinced than ever that the marriage simply wasn’t going to happen.
Then the car broke down, and they met Cindy, the most glorious woman to have blessed the earth upon which she walked. It took about an hour of teasing mooning on Prompto’s part for Noct, glowering darkly, to pull him into the caravan across the way and demand answers. Prompto had apologized through helpless laughter, and it took nearly two hours of fervent, and probably entirely inappropriate, affection to get him laughing, too. Ignis and Gladio bore it all with exasperated resignation, but it definitely lightened the mood of the trip. Ignis even turned on the radio for a bit as they drove for the Quay, zeroing in on a program about the upcoming wedding between the Oracle Lunafreya and Prince Noctis of Insomnia.
“Get this,” one of the announcers said, after a minute of canned reporting. “The treaty doesn’t actually call the Oracle by name. It just says that Prince Noctis is to marry ‘the youngest surviving member of the royal line.’ The Oracle herself asked for that stipulation. So that means…”
The second announcer laughed. “You’re saying if the Oracle kicks it, he’ll have to marry General Ravus?”
“It’s legal in Tenebrae,” said the first. “Get with the times, my man.”
“Well, let’s hope the Oracle gets to Altissia safe, because otherwise, the crown prince is gonna be—“
“Turn that shit off,” Noct said. Ignis switched to a different station, and glanced over at Prompto.
“Prompto? Are you well?”
Prompto turned to him slowly, trying to keep the shock out of his eyes. “Yeah,” he said, in a weak voice. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Luna’s not gonna let it happen, Prom,” said Noct, in a voice that was almost low enough to be a growl.
Prompto nodded automatically. Luna’s insistence that he tell the truth to Noct before they reached Altissia suddenly made too much sense. “Oh my gods,” he moaned, and covered his face in his hands.
Ignis reached over to rub his shoulders soothingly, but there was no comfort to be found. Luna had devised a way to get around the wedding, after all, and to ensure that the treaty went forward as planned. She probably thought she was doing Prompto a favor.
The only problem was, Prompto wasn’t sure he could tell the truth. If Noct knew that he’d been lying all this time, why would he ever agree to this? He was doomed to a loveless marriage either way. At least with Luna, there wouldn’t have been a betrayal.
I’ll tell him tomorrow, Prompto thought, as they pulled into the parking lot of Galdin Quay. When we’re on the boat to Altissia, I’ll tell him.