Ignis pulls out his phone, “Well, you said that Carbuncle could text you. Have you tried texting anyone else?”
Noctis feels like slapping himself, the solution was so obvious, “Good idea. I’ll text Prompto and you text Gladio?”
Gladio texts Ignis back almost instantly. By the time he arrives on a gondola Ignis has tried texting Prompto three times and Noctis four, plus one phone-call which got them nothing but a windy noise that wasn’t quite static.
“Hey,” Gladio says, looking around as he steps out of the boat, “No Prompto yet?”
“No,” Noctis says, “He hasn’t even answered his phone.”
“He’s probably just racing chocobos. He wouldn’t be able to answer mid-race,” Ignis says calmly, “We’ll give him 15 more minutes, then if he hasn’t gotten in touch yet we should split-up and search for him.”
If Noctis hadn’t known him since forever he might have missed the faintest line of worry Ignis' eyes.
“Sounds like a plan,” Gladio says, looking at Ignis too, and then he's dipping down and pressing a kiss against Ignis’ forehead. None of them were ever that demonstrative in public before, especially the older two, but there’s no consequences left to worry about now.
Gladio turns to Noctis and Noctis tilts his head up for his kiss. He scowls at Gladio when he gets his hair ruffled instead.
“. . . Your text said Kenny Crow’d been hassling you again?” Gladio asks, “‘Cause he hasn’t stopped messing with me, either.”
“Shit,” Noctis hisses out.
“Stick to the plan, there’s no need to panic yet,” Ignis says, sitting back down at the table he and Noctis had eaten their late lunch at, “Prompto’s an experienced fighter now, he’s not helpless.”
Gladio grumbles and sits down opposite him, “Yeah, you’re right.”
Noctis, after some hesitation, takes the third chair. It makes the fourth feel conspicuously empty. There’s four crystal bowls and and a layered dessert waiting ready on the table, Ignis looks at them but makes no move to serve them out.
“What is that, anyway?” Gladio asks.
“It's called tiramisu, it’s a local favourite,” Ignis says.
Gladio leans forward to study it, “It smells like coffee.”
“That would be because it’s coffee-flavoured,” Ignis says in a tone of infinite patience. Noctis bites back a laugh.
“You’re getting pretty debauched, ain’t ya, Ignis?” Gladio grins, “I mean, wow, coffee-based desserts before dinner, you’re really letting your hair down here.”
“Actually, Noctis and I just finished lunch,” Ignis says, leaning back and looking at Gladio over his glasses, “It was nice. It was romantic. Noctis ate a carrot and absolutely no one complained that it wasn’t Cup Noodles.”
“Hey, I like food other than Cup Noodles!”
“I also wanted to cook something more challenging than meat-on-a-stick.”
“I thought you liked where I stuck my meat.” Gladio leered.
Ignis visibly struggles between wanting to retort and not wanting to descend to Gladio’s level. He's saved from having to chose when Noctis’ phone suddenly buzzes. Prompto’s name is flashing on screen and Noctis nearly drops his phone in his hurry to answer.
He opens the text and reads it, then sucks in a breath and tries to stop the shaking of his hands, “Guys, it’s from Prompto’s phone but it’s NOT from Prompto.”
“What do you mean?” Ignis asks. Noctis passes his phone over in response.
“Kaw Kaw, Kids,” Ignis reads out reluctantly, mouth twisting, “If you ever want to see your friend again, you’d better find him fast. Or maybe you’re okay with him giving his life for art. Kaw. Kaw . . Kaw . . . etc.”
Ignis hands Noctis back his phone, almost absently, and gets up to pace the floor.
“There’s a clue in that somewhere,” Ignis mutters, “Giving his life for art? It couldn’t be that demonic painting, could it? That’s far too easy . . . “
“Specs, he attacked us with stale fries this afternoon,” Noctis says, getting up too, “I don’t think we’re dealing with a mastermind here.”
“The sun’s starting to set.” Gladio says, also standing, hands flexing at his side subconsciously as if he’s about to draw a sword.
“We’re less than ten minutes away,” Ignis says, “Sunset’s not for another hour, we can make it.”
“If I warp I can be there in under minute,” Noctis says.
Gladio clasps him on the shoulder, firmly, and says, “Go.”
Noctis is warping across the canal before Ignis can even tell him to be careful.
A second warp takes him to the top of the stairs and a third across the bridge and then he’s there, staring at the stacks of armored crates now blocking the archway leading down to the storage area. Noctis switches on his flashlight and tries to get a look through the railings lining the staircase.
There’s a huddled form, slumped against the stacks of crates, that’s all too familiar.
“Prompto!” he whispers and then yells, much louder, “PROMPTO!”
It’s a long, long, horrible moment before Prompto stirs and looks up around groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Oh thank fuck,” Noctis says, breathing it out like a prayer, “Prompto, over here!”
“Noct?” Prompto looks up. His eyes widen when he sees Noctis and he scrambles to his feet, “Noct!”
“Are you hurt?” Noctis asks, his eyes scanning Prompto anxiously.
“Only my pride, really,” Prompto chuckles nervously, rubbing at the back of his head. He smiles at Noctis, a little shyly, “I feel better now you’re here, though.”
Noctis stretches a hand out through the railings. Prompto reaches back and they tangle their fingers together.
“It’s going to be okay,” Noctis promises him, “Gladio and Ignis are on their way.”
“I know,” Prompto’s smile grows a little brighter, “I know that now, you guys will always come to bail me out. I . . . “
There’s a rustling noise and Prompto looks down, talking to something in the shadow of the stairs, “No, it’s okay, he’s cool, don’t worry.”
“There’s someone else in there with you?” Noctis asked, brow furrowing, “Who else has that asshole been kidnapping?”
“What, wait, no?” Prompto lets go of his hand and ducks out of sight, remerging with his arms full of golden fluff. “Not people. Chocobo chicks.”
The chick warks at Noctis indignantly, bristling its feathers. “Oh hey if you’re just going to be rude to Noct I’m going to put you down again,” Prompto scolds it. The chick just chirrups grumpily so Prompto laughs and sets it down.
“Sorry about that, Noct.” Prompto says reaching back out to twine their hands together again, “Yeah that’s . . . kind of how I got into this mess, heh. I heard it and it sounded upset and when I came down here I found some bastard had trapped it in a box . . . and then the next thing I know I’m getting hit with a stop spell by . . . er, don’t laugh at this next bit . . . “
"Let me guess, Kenny Crow?” Noctis says, huffing despite himself, “It’s not just you, he’s been fucking with all of us.”
“Oh! Oh, good! . . . I mean, no, wait, that’s bad,” Prompto says, wincing, “Just . . . not as embarrassing as I was afraid of?”
Noctis gives his fingers a squeeze, “Hey, you were protecting something helpless, there’s nothing embarrassing about that.”
Prompto bites his lip, “Thanks, Noct.”
Noctis rubs his thumb over Prompto's knuckles, "Always."
"So, um, think Gladio's going to be able to move those crates?" Prompto asks. Noctis looks over at them. They look solid and very very heavy.
“Maybe, but I think I can,” Noctis says, letting go of his hand, “I’ve got an idea.”
He mentally rummages through the Armiger, then reaches out to Prompto again, “Here, put this on.”
Prompto takes the little metal trinket and stares at it, “Um, Noct . . . isn’t this a Fire Crest?”
“Yeah,” Noctis says, searching through the Armiger again, “also you might want to stand back, just in case.”
Even through the railings and the gloom, Noctis can see Prompto’s eyes go wide, and then there’s more tiny, annoyed warking as he ushers the chick down the stairs. Noctis is about to step back himself but then Prompto appears again and says, a little breathlessly, “Also, in case this doesn’t work, I need you to know that I love you and that your hat is the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
And then Prompto’s ducking back out of sight again. Noctis listens until he's sure he can no longer hear his footsteps ringing against the stone stairs.
Noctis moves back, gauging the weight and heft of the Quadcast Firaga in his hand. “Well,” he says to himself, “The sun’s not setting any slower.”
Then he lobs it.
A minute later, surveying the wreckage, he thinks he may have overdone it. Just a little. The flames burned in colours not seen in nature and while there’s no crates left there’s also not much of a railing, just molten puddles of metal hissing on the floor, and the bricks are still glowing with heat.
“ . . . If Ifrit had seen that he’d have felt inadequate.” Prompto’s voice drifts up from the darkness.
Noctis forgets all about the damage as he leaps down, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Prompto steps closer, into the light, “I knew my prince was going to come for me.”
They grin at each other and then Noctis is pulling him close, running his hands over Prompto’s sides and kissing his mouth, his jaw, his cheek, his neck, any part of him that’s convenient. Prompto’s kissing back just as enthusiastically and it’s messy and uncoordinated and Prompto’s nose pokes Noctis in the eye at least once but they can’t seem to stop.
Noctis is sneaking a hand under Prompto’s shirt when Prompto yelps and pushes him away. Noctis stares at him in confusion but Prompto’s looking down and asking “Why’d you peck me, buddy?”
It takes a moment for Noctis to realise Prompto’s talking to the chocobo chick.
The next thing he knows he's toppling backwards as Prompto throws them both to the ground, the brickwork behind their heads exploding into a shower of dust and shards.
When Noctis’ eyes clear from the debris he sees a red dot dancing across Prompto’s side. He swears and rolls them out of the way a second before the floor shatters exactly where they had been laying.
They look up to see the familiar figure of Kenny Crow standing in the ruined archway at the top of the staircase, aiming a sniper rifle down at them. Noctis tenses, trying to make the mental calculations. Can we warp-strike faster than Kenny can shoot?
“Get ready to run into the store-room,” he whispers to Prompto.
“What? No!” Prompto hisses back, "I'm not leaving you!"
“Caw Caw Kids,” Kenny Crow calls down as he takes aim, “Are you ready for Kenny’s Special Surprise?”
There’s a blur of movement behind Kenny and the next moments happen to Noctis in a jumble of sensations. The crack of the rifle discharging at the ceiling. The white of the plaster raining down. The dull thumping noise of Kenny Crow falling down the stairs. Finally, the light dimming as the familiar silhouettes of Gladio and Ignis crowd the archway.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Re: Fill (3/4): Noctis/any or OT4- Carnival date
Date: 2017-02-04 02:31 am (UTC)Ignis pulls out his phone, “Well, you said that Carbuncle could text you. Have you tried texting anyone else?”
Noctis feels like slapping himself, the solution was so obvious, “Good idea. I’ll text Prompto and you text Gladio?”
Gladio texts Ignis back almost instantly. By the time he arrives on a gondola Ignis has tried texting Prompto three times and Noctis four, plus one phone-call which got them nothing but a windy noise that wasn’t quite static.
“Hey,” Gladio says, looking around as he steps out of the boat, “No Prompto yet?”
“No,” Noctis says, “He hasn’t even answered his phone.”
“He’s probably just racing chocobos. He wouldn’t be able to answer mid-race,” Ignis says calmly, “We’ll give him 15 more minutes, then if he hasn’t gotten in touch yet we should split-up and search for him.”
If Noctis hadn’t known him since forever he might have missed the faintest line of worry Ignis' eyes.
“Sounds like a plan,” Gladio says, looking at Ignis too, and then he's dipping down and pressing a kiss against Ignis’ forehead. None of them were ever that demonstrative in public before, especially the older two, but there’s no consequences left to worry about now.
Gladio turns to Noctis and Noctis tilts his head up for his kiss. He scowls at Gladio when he gets his hair ruffled instead.
“. . . Your text said Kenny Crow’d been hassling you again?” Gladio asks, “‘Cause he hasn’t stopped messing with me, either.”
“Shit,” Noctis hisses out.
“Stick to the plan, there’s no need to panic yet,” Ignis says, sitting back down at the table he and Noctis had eaten their late lunch at, “Prompto’s an experienced fighter now, he’s not helpless.”
Gladio grumbles and sits down opposite him, “Yeah, you’re right.”
Noctis, after some hesitation, takes the third chair. It makes the fourth feel conspicuously empty. There’s four crystal bowls and and a layered dessert waiting ready on the table, Ignis looks at them but makes no move to serve them out.
“What is that, anyway?” Gladio asks.
“It's called tiramisu, it’s a local favourite,” Ignis says.
Gladio leans forward to study it, “It smells like coffee.”
“That would be because it’s coffee-flavoured,” Ignis says in a tone of infinite patience. Noctis bites back a laugh.
“You’re getting pretty debauched, ain’t ya, Ignis?” Gladio grins, “I mean, wow, coffee-based desserts before dinner, you’re really letting your hair down here.”
“Actually, Noctis and I just finished lunch,” Ignis says, leaning back and looking at Gladio over his glasses, “It was nice. It was romantic. Noctis ate a carrot and absolutely no one complained that it wasn’t Cup Noodles.”
“Hey, I like food other than Cup Noodles!”
“I also wanted to cook something more challenging than meat-on-a-stick.”
“I thought you liked where I stuck my meat.” Gladio leered.
Ignis visibly struggles between wanting to retort and not wanting to descend to Gladio’s level. He's saved from having to chose when Noctis’ phone suddenly buzzes. Prompto’s name is flashing on screen and Noctis nearly drops his phone in his hurry to answer.
He opens the text and reads it, then sucks in a breath and tries to stop the shaking of his hands, “Guys, it’s from Prompto’s phone but it’s NOT from Prompto.”
“What do you mean?” Ignis asks. Noctis passes his phone over in response.
“Kaw Kaw, Kids,” Ignis reads out reluctantly, mouth twisting, “If you ever want to see your friend again, you’d better find him fast. Or maybe you’re okay with him giving his life for art. Kaw. Kaw . . Kaw . . . etc.”
Ignis hands Noctis back his phone, almost absently, and gets up to pace the floor.
“There’s a clue in that somewhere,” Ignis mutters, “Giving his life for art? It couldn’t be that demonic painting, could it? That’s far too easy . . . “
“Specs, he attacked us with stale fries this afternoon,” Noctis says, getting up too, “I don’t think we’re dealing with a mastermind here.”
“The sun’s starting to set.” Gladio says, also standing, hands flexing at his side subconsciously as if he’s about to draw a sword.
“We’re less than ten minutes away,” Ignis says, “Sunset’s not for another hour, we can make it.”
“If I warp I can be there in under minute,” Noctis says.
Gladio clasps him on the shoulder, firmly, and says, “Go.”
Noctis is warping across the canal before Ignis can even tell him to be careful.
A second warp takes him to the top of the stairs and a third across the bridge and then he’s there, staring at the stacks of armored crates now blocking the archway leading down to the storage area. Noctis switches on his flashlight and tries to get a look through the railings lining the staircase.
There’s a huddled form, slumped against the stacks of crates, that’s all too familiar.
“Prompto!” he whispers and then yells, much louder, “PROMPTO!”
It’s a long, long, horrible moment before Prompto stirs and looks up around groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Oh thank fuck,” Noctis says, breathing it out like a prayer, “Prompto, over here!”
“Noct?” Prompto looks up. His eyes widen when he sees Noctis and he scrambles to his feet, “Noct!”
“Are you hurt?” Noctis asks, his eyes scanning Prompto anxiously.
“Only my pride, really,” Prompto chuckles nervously, rubbing at the back of his head. He smiles at Noctis, a little shyly, “I feel better now you’re here, though.”
Noctis stretches a hand out through the railings. Prompto reaches back and they tangle their fingers together.
“It’s going to be okay,” Noctis promises him, “Gladio and Ignis are on their way.”
“I know,” Prompto’s smile grows a little brighter, “I know that now, you guys will always come to bail me out. I . . . “
There’s a rustling noise and Prompto looks down, talking to something in the shadow of the stairs, “No, it’s okay, he’s cool, don’t worry.”
“There’s someone else in there with you?” Noctis asked, brow furrowing, “Who else has that asshole been kidnapping?”
“What, wait, no?” Prompto lets go of his hand and ducks out of sight, remerging with his arms full of golden fluff. “Not people. Chocobo chicks.”
The chick warks at Noctis indignantly, bristling its feathers. “Oh hey if you’re just going to be rude to Noct I’m going to put you down again,” Prompto scolds it. The chick just chirrups grumpily so Prompto laughs and sets it down.
“Sorry about that, Noct.” Prompto says reaching back out to twine their hands together again, “Yeah that’s . . . kind of how I got into this mess, heh. I heard it and it sounded upset and when I came down here I found some bastard had trapped it in a box . . . and then the next thing I know I’m getting hit with a stop spell by . . . er, don’t laugh at this next bit . . . “
"Let me guess, Kenny Crow?” Noctis says, huffing despite himself, “It’s not just you, he’s been fucking with all of us.”
“Oh! Oh, good! . . . I mean, no, wait, that’s bad,” Prompto says, wincing, “Just . . . not as embarrassing as I was afraid of?”
Noctis gives his fingers a squeeze, “Hey, you were protecting something helpless, there’s nothing embarrassing about that.”
Prompto bites his lip, “Thanks, Noct.”
Noctis rubs his thumb over Prompto's knuckles, "Always."
"So, um, think Gladio's going to be able to move those crates?" Prompto asks. Noctis looks over at them. They look solid and very very heavy.
“Maybe, but I think I can,” Noctis says, letting go of his hand, “I’ve got an idea.”
He mentally rummages through the Armiger, then reaches out to Prompto again, “Here, put this on.”
Prompto takes the little metal trinket and stares at it, “Um, Noct . . . isn’t this a Fire Crest?”
“Yeah,” Noctis says, searching through the Armiger again, “also you might want to stand back, just in case.”
Even through the railings and the gloom, Noctis can see Prompto’s eyes go wide, and then there’s more tiny, annoyed warking as he ushers the chick down the stairs. Noctis is about to step back himself but then Prompto appears again and says, a little breathlessly, “Also, in case this doesn’t work, I need you to know that I love you and that your hat is the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
And then Prompto’s ducking back out of sight again. Noctis listens until he's sure he can no longer hear his footsteps ringing against the stone stairs.
Noctis moves back, gauging the weight and heft of the Quadcast Firaga in his hand. “Well,” he says to himself, “The sun’s not setting any slower.”
Then he lobs it.
A minute later, surveying the wreckage, he thinks he may have overdone it. Just a little. The flames burned in colours not seen in nature and while there’s no crates left there’s also not much of a railing, just molten puddles of metal hissing on the floor, and the bricks are still glowing with heat.
“ . . . If Ifrit had seen that he’d have felt inadequate.” Prompto’s voice drifts up from the darkness.
Noctis forgets all about the damage as he leaps down, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Prompto steps closer, into the light, “I knew my prince was going to come for me.”
They grin at each other and then Noctis is pulling him close, running his hands over Prompto’s sides and kissing his mouth, his jaw, his cheek, his neck, any part of him that’s convenient. Prompto’s kissing back just as enthusiastically and it’s messy and uncoordinated and Prompto’s nose pokes Noctis in the eye at least once but they can’t seem to stop.
Noctis is sneaking a hand under Prompto’s shirt when Prompto yelps and pushes him away. Noctis stares at him in confusion but Prompto’s looking down and asking “Why’d you peck me, buddy?”
It takes a moment for Noctis to realise Prompto’s talking to the chocobo chick.
The next thing he knows he's toppling backwards as Prompto throws them both to the ground, the brickwork behind their heads exploding into a shower of dust and shards.
When Noctis’ eyes clear from the debris he sees a red dot dancing across Prompto’s side. He swears and rolls them out of the way a second before the floor shatters exactly where they had been laying.
They look up to see the familiar figure of Kenny Crow standing in the ruined archway at the top of the staircase, aiming a sniper rifle down at them. Noctis tenses, trying to make the mental calculations. Can we warp-strike faster than Kenny can shoot?
“Get ready to run into the store-room,” he whispers to Prompto.
“What? No!” Prompto hisses back, "I'm not leaving you!"
“Caw Caw Kids,” Kenny Crow calls down as he takes aim, “Are you ready for Kenny’s Special Surprise?”
There’s a blur of movement behind Kenny and the next moments happen to Noctis in a jumble of sensations. The crack of the rifle discharging at the ceiling. The white of the plaster raining down. The dull thumping noise of Kenny Crow falling down the stairs. Finally, the light dimming as the familiar silhouettes of Gladio and Ignis crowd the archway.