Prompt Post
Dec. 7th, 2016 04:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ffxv_kinkmeme Welcome to Round One of the FFXV Kink Meme!
CLOSED for prompts | OPEN for fills
Please have a look at the extended rules here.
The important rules in short:
Please direct any questions or report any problems to the Ask a mod post.
Prompt, write, draw, comment, and most importantly have fun!
(You can also check out our Pinboard for Filled or Unfilled prompts)
UPDATE 12/30/16: I'm looking for some help! Details here. (I'm always looking for more pinners; this is an open invitation.)
I've added/clarified some rules to make life easier to my pinners. Please refrain from changing the subject lines except when filling or updating a fill. It makes it easier for us to keep track of what we've already looked at. Thank you so much!
UPDATE 1/28/17: We've opened up a Drabble Tree post! Go check it out.
UPDATE 2/21/2017: ROUND ONE IS CLOSED FOR PROMPTS. Please feel free to continue posting fills. Round Two will open for prompts and fills on 3/1/2017.
CLOSED for prompts | OPEN for fills
Please have a look at the extended rules here.
The important rules in short:
- Post anonymously.
- Negative comments on other people's prompts (kink-shaming, pairing-bashing etc.) and personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated.
- One prompt per comment. Warnings for common triggers and squicks are encouraged, but not required.
- Prompts should follow the format: Character/character, prompt.
- Keep prompts to a reasonable length; prompts should not be detailed story outlines.
- Fills should have the word "Fill:" at the start of the subject line.
- Otherwise please avoid changing the subject line.
Please direct any questions or report any problems to the Ask a mod post.
Prompt, write, draw, comment, and most importantly have fun!
(You can also check out our Pinboard for Filled or Unfilled prompts)
UPDATE 12/30/16: I'm looking for some help! Details here. (I'm always looking for more pinners; this is an open invitation.)
I've added/clarified some rules to make life easier to my pinners. Please refrain from changing the subject lines except when filling or updating a fill. It makes it easier for us to keep track of what we've already looked at. Thank you so much!
UPDATE 1/28/17: We've opened up a Drabble Tree post! Go check it out.
UPDATE 2/21/2017: ROUND ONE IS CLOSED FOR PROMPTS. Please feel free to continue posting fills. Round Two will open for prompts and fills on 3/1/2017.
Luna/Noctis/Prompto, A/B/O
Date: 2017-01-01 03:51 pm (UTC)Preferably more on the porn or Prompto freaking out over the political (and mechanical?) implications than kid fic!
Re: Luna/Noctis/Prompto, A/B/O
Date: 2017-03-02 03:40 am (UTC)But it's your call OP. I'll find something else.
Also what are your tastes on Angst&Drama with a guaranteed Happy Ending?
Re: Luna/Noctis/Prompto, A/B/O
Date: 2017-03-02 07:01 am (UTC)Gosh, I was losing hope! I'm perfectly fine with mentions of Regis/Prompto! And I would definitely like a happy ending, but angst along the way just makes it sweeter.
Thanks for your interest and looking forward to what you come up with!!
Re: Luna/Noctis/Prompto, A/B/O
Date: 2017-03-07 12:43 am (UTC)(also, spoiler surprise: Nyx is pretty much alive here)
Re: Luna/Noctis/Prompto, A/B/O
Date: 2017-03-07 03:23 pm (UTC)Everything sounds fine to me! And I LOVE anything where Nyx is surprise alive. Really looking forward to this, thanks!!
Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1a/?
Date: 2017-03-08 01:20 am (UTC)What to expect: Angst, Drama, a lot of Mixed signals and unreliable narrators. A happy end. A bit of soul searching too. A weird focus on fate (because of course, this is still FFXV) and dreams. Nyx being alive. People commenting that Ignis is a great catch (it’s more of a running gag at this point, I apologize). Prompto not realizing people think he’s a good catch. The most awkward conversation ever. Regis/Prompto as A Thing That Happened, up to you to add which level of dub-con it was on when we reach there.
What not to expect: A Beta reader. Non-con. Ardyn having bad touched Prompto. A tragic End. Character bashing (well except for that one stuffy council member, but that’s also a running joke)
---
Sometimes Prompto dreams of warmth. Of floating on a soft surface. Of being held lovingly, like a child, like something precious. Of holding too, of winding arms around slim but strong bodies. Of whispering words, of words being whispered back. Sometimes he doesn’t want to wake up, in them, he feels complete, at peace, refreshed and safe.
Sometimes he is aware of the mirage, and so, he stops, forces himself to wake up and not fall in the tempting embrace. His bed is empty, for good reasons; his parents are dead (his adoptive ones, he knows he’ll never think –never call- whatever the things that birthed him as such); he has friends, but the dreams touch boundaries they won’t ever cross.
But there is light, so there is hope. He’ll get there, eventually.
Sometimes Prompto has nightmares, and he remembers that just like dreams, nightmares can become true. He knows. He’s seen them.
Ardyn’s ghost grip lingers. Firmly buried and locked but still there. Whatever peace he could get whatever closure he could have, delivered. Sometimes though, when he sees Noctis and Luna being happy together, when he sees the destruction of Nilfheim, of Eos, during the three Years of Darkness, when he sees a baby being born, a child laugh, he can almost hear his voice, feel his hand and the ice through his veins.
(Feel his insides twisting out, empty and cold –like the monster he can be but his skin won’t allow)
Some days are harder to breathe. That’s all. Less frequent now with the restorations more than halfway through.
And if everyone else can go on with their lives after the tragedy, if his friends can go forward through their loss and grief and sacrifice, he won’t be any different.
(He can’t be)
(Oh but you are. Aren’t you, boy?)
Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1b/?
Date: 2017-03-08 01:25 am (UTC)He went drinking with Cor last night. Technically. In reality, he had barely arrived at his home in Insomnia after his trip from Nova Nilfheim when the bell rang and Cor greeted him with a familiar stern gaze and two bottles of hard liquor.
Prompto only needs one.
He never gets plastered, getting drunk is renouncing control and he’s already forced to do it seven days each year because his body demands so. He was so close of losing it completely during that nightmare in Nilfheim. His life is about deciding and cherishing the control he has over it.
So no. A bottle might be able to inebriate him, but one shared offers no risk greater than getting overly contemplative during their talks. It’s a tradition that started during the Years of Darkness, and one that neither (he hopes) wants to break three years after sunrise came back to its normal cycle.
He had asked for some delivery, finding it distasteful to offer ration bars to the man who was practically his father figure, and sat down on the sparsely used living room after it arrived. They had talked about life then. About his journey, the reparations of Nova Nilfheim –not much because their conversations are not exactly heavy on the protocol and information they can read on a report- the life on Insomnia, the headaches caused by the stuffy council, Cor’s worry at having seen a white hair and then punishing the squads of glaives in training after finding out it was a prank. He had laughed, and shared stories about the mishaps he’d suffered as well during Altissia, when confusing pollen with golden sugar while making tea, of the pranks Biggs and Wedge did on him while he was verifying the supply lines and the new railroad.
He doesn’t share the fact that those two are still searching Gralea archives for the MTs registration program.
“What do you want to do?” Cor had asked during a lull in the conversation. Light reflecting the glass, and for a moment Prompto had thought this man hailed as immortal looked very human and approachable. He had felt like seventeen again, the seventeen very nearly eighteen, when he had first been asked that. That time he had answered with his determination to follow the path of the gun.
He remembers having answered last night with a cheerless shrug and a soft I don’t know. Cor had only studied him for a moment before nodding and briefly placing a hand on his shoulder. He had expected a reproach, a bit of judgement, a bit of guidance. His only words had been something along the lines of consult that with your pillow. Prompto had hoped for a miracle, but the new morning greets him with the same sense of disorientation and unease as the day before. It’s a little pathetic, all this time, at twenty six, he is still unsure.
Sometimes he envies Gladio and Ignis for a minute (or ten): they both know what they want from life, they had known since childhood what they wanted to be, what they would become; the expectations and talents. He would like a bit of that certainty and self-assuredness for himself.
His only childhood dream was to become Noctis’ friend then Gladio’s and Igni’s, but at this age he knows it is not enough. They all have their own lives, and he can’t fixate his own life, have it be determined, by his relationship with other people.
(He had tried it during the years of darkness, to find a purpose for himself and of himself. Last time he had decided to do so was on Insomnia, when he choose training and a gun. It had felt right and proud… until realizing years later to have been bred for that exact purpose and worse.
It should have been different during the Years of Darkness. With nothing more to hide about himself, it should have been easier to draw the line between friendship, need and closeness. To find a space for himself while doing something he chose to do and help. Yet instead of lessening the attachment to others and taking it back to himself, he cheated and moved some to Lunareya.)
He needs to find a life of his own, a purpose of his own, a path and a choice.
He doesn’t want to estrange himself from his friends, he wants to go around the world; he wants to remain a Crown citizen, he wants to connect with the survivors of the country that should have been his home; he wants to help rebuild Nova Nilfheim, Altissia and Insomnia; he wants to go around taking pictures of whatever he fancies, he wants to be on the hunt protecting people; he wants to live on a Chocobo ranch, he wants to remain in the replica of his adoptive parents house, he wants to live at the Cita–.
He can’t do them all. He can’t choose them all. He’s an adult too; he doesn’t have the luxury of time. There are responsibilities he must bear. And choices entail sacrifices.
“Say, do you know what you want to do tomorrow? You could always join us in Nova Nilfheim, you’ll be welcomed”
He’d just have to choose what sacrifices he’s willing to make.
(He can’t shake the feeling that something is missing.)
Re: Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1c/?
Date: 2017-03-08 01:30 am (UTC)He had wondered for weeks if he had been a good child for them. If he had said thank you enough times to the man and woman who had taken and adopted a cursed child like him. It was a sorry state of affairs all around.
His only solace, as macabre as it was, was that he was not the only one who lost a family member. There was obviously Noctis and Luna, but Gladio too had lost his father, his mother, and his youngest brother a baby barely a year old.
Luckily Ignis had been saved for that heart ache; he had lost and sacrificed enough already.
Anyway, the house he grew up in was partially destroyed, but there were furniture and objects that could be salvaged. There was a tapestry of pictures among them, and the photo album of his firsts shoots. They were filled with moments he shared with his parents and childhood too. There was even a picture of Pryna that he had given to Luna as a present.
He had found a purpose in the pictures, a desire to have another tapestry filled with pictures of his journey, of the things he had encountered, of his friends. A reminder that life could go on, and joy was around the corner. That he was not alone, that none of his friends were ever alone.
(A reminder that he had lived if the worst happened and he was no longer in this world)
The house he’s in is similar in build to the one he grew in. However, aside from having the same furniture (repaired and lovingly cared for –when he’s there), there is nothing similar. Some of the walls are cluttered with framed pictures, or a big tapestry with the pictures he has taken throughout the journey, and his subsequent journeys for the rebuilding efforts. There is one his friends helped create and compose.
It probably looks like a crazy stalker’s house for the outsiders. But for Prompto, its home.
It helps in days like these when he barely has any energy. The full length mirror in the hallway is framed with pictures on the upper right corner. In the pictures he’s smiling and happy, and in the mirror he’s not. He’s pale, a bit wrung out, there is sunburn on his cheeks and shoulders, his hair is a mess too and his breath leaves a lot to be desired. Prompto sighs. He deserves a nice long bath, and he will get it.
Maybe he is just a bit out of his funk, he muses lightly while getting comfortable in the bathtub after thoroughly brushing his teeth and scrubbing himself pink and clean. Usually it is not this bad. Not like, it is bad at all or always. There are more good and great days than bad.
It’s the breathing thing. Some days are good some are tiring. Like anything in life. Casual? Casual.
It’s probably Aranea’s suggestion before leaving that got him like this. He should seriously consider the offer sometime soon. The schedule for his last trip is for the end of next month. He still got time. Prompto stretches a little with a groan and winces when he hears some of his bones pop. This growing older thing is not as pleasing as advertised.
(Cor would chastise him for being overdramatic. He can picture it: “You still haven’t grown hair on your face and yet declare yourself old”)
(For the record, He has, just one or two. He had to cut them out of cheer embarrassment. Did normal MTs have facial hair?)
He’s back on Insomnia and almost like a tradition after his greeting with Cor, is calling Ignis to see if he’s up for a visit. He’ll talk to Gladio later, if he’s not ambushed by iris first. There are spices he has brought with him. Organic, carefully handled and stored. He wouldn’t say fastidious but his friend is very insistent about the quality.
That evening he’s in front of Ignis flat, right on the dot and doesn’t even have to ring the bell before his friend opens the door and ushers him inside. He’s always surprised by the range and accuracy of Ignis hearing sense. He’s amazing, and a tad bit scary.
“Pardon the informality” he begins, and he notes there is a tiny hint of a new accent on his studied voice. Had he been involved in international treaties recently? “These last few days were eventful” Oh that explains it.
Informality by Ignis, of course, means he’s either not wearing shoes, or a jacket. This time is both, so he takes both off as well before going to the kitchen and giving the container with spices.
He receives them with a tank you, hand immediately going for the handle (no longer needing to waddle first to reach it) and turns around on his territory. Prompto leans on the counter, happy to chat and watching him work and fuss on the new spices. Like old times, mostly.
Being here is how it starts to sink in that he’s finally back in the city; into familiar territory.
(Shouldn’t Nova Nilfheim be familiar too?)
The flat smells of Ignis, faintly on the kitchen, but stronger in places where he frequents more and uses less spices. There is a scent of Ebony that permeates the living room, and well used chaises with matching pillows too. There is a coffee table, a mix of carved wood and clear glass. No books under it anymore, every single one had been replaced with Braille and moved to the shelves on the walls, re classified from most used to less used.
…Which reminds him of a little project he put on hold. Better do it now that he was back with some time on his hands.
His interrupted out of his musing by an offered glass of juice. He takes it and after making sure He’s momentarily alone, examines the contents. It is blue, with shiny parts. He discretely took a picture of it. Prompto knew better than to ask. Drink first ask second was the unspoken rule after he threw up on the carpet that one time he learned the juice had anchovies in it.
Way before their journey Ignis had started the trend of nutritious brewages by mixing different fruits, vegetable nuts or spices and Prompto had been more than glad to be used as a guinea pig. It had understandably gone out of control by the time Noctis was officially crowned King. Gladio had complained once of being a terrible enabler and then washing his hands off the problem. He had no shame about it.
Especially when Iris sent him a picture of Gladio looking vaguely green.
Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1d/?
Date: 2017-03-08 01:40 am (UTC)It also helps that tonight he’s thrashing the Honorable Noble Houses of the Council. He recognizes one of the names as the fatty with a balding head that was sniffing all the time about how ‘improper it was for Regis Droit du Seigneur to attend His Majesty’s wedding and be allowed a place of Honor’. He had turned red and purple when Luna had declared that Camelia Claustra (an omega) would be the one to walk her to the altar. Never mind that she’s pretty much the Regent of Altissia and one of the most badass people he knows.
“…for a famed literate, it’s a pity his words were most inopportune”
“Does that mean he couldn’t read the atmosphere?”
“Certainly enough to be sentenced”
Prompto dissolves in laughter and after a while Ignis unwinds enough to move onto what’s happened on his journeys.
“She’s going to steal one of us away. Either you with a ring or me.” He admits cheerfully after a long enthusiastic tirade about Nova Nilfheim’s new engagement laws. Once upon a time he had a silly crush on the dragoon. It pretty much died when she began asking him about his ‘bespectacled friend. You know, tall thin, knows how to handle his spears?’ It was pretty much buried when he caught sight of a faint blush on his friend after relying a message. Gladio had let a good catch go, sucks for him, Ignis deserved better than to be second fiddle to Lady Whatever Whatnot.
“I’d be cautious of the belief of her doing the taking.” Ingis hums conspirationally, looking very ominous with the faint smoke of recently made ebony.
Prompto snorts.
“Try to take her away from Nova Nilfheim Ig, see what happens.” Aranea was protective and proud of her City. Like a true dragoness with her treasure. Nova Nilfheim, despite its name, was less of a recognized empire and more of an established colony. A couple of buildings compared to Lestallum. Certainly a century or so to go before going somewhere close to the size of Gralea. But it was theirs, it was Nilfheim, it was home.
It was sustainable too. Bursting with sturdy people that did not shy away from hard work and dreamt big and hopeful.
There is a premeditate pause before he asks “Would you take their side?”
That was more than an innocuous question. Prompto wonders just how many people know about her offer. Ignis he could understand, now that he thinks about it, Cor most likely knew too.
“I don’t know. Did you take Iris side when Gladio was against her courting Cindy?” he deflects mildly, and slurps his smoothie. Whatever the fruits Ignis chose tonight, this is a killer combination.
“You didn’t either. Though I remember your reasoning to be frivolous,” Ignis concedes blandly. There is a little quirk on those thin lips and a familiar jab, but Prompto knows Ignis doesn’t mean it to be cruel. He’s able to read his cues and nuances pretty well after years of being together as friends.
“I didn’t want to help the competition.” He points with false indignation.
If snorting wasn’t so beneath Ignis station he would have done so by now. “Figures. I will tell her not to invite you to her wedding”
“Wedding?!”
So there was not going to be a wedding (thank the Six) but the courtship was a thing now that Iris was of age to actually pursue Cindy lawfully. However, it was enough to bring to his attention how much he had missed since his task on the rebuilding efforts.
How long has it been since he saw them? Two months? Three? It brought things to perspective. He had called, some daily others weekly, and he had sent pictures too. But it was nowhere near enough as to having them close –and this was just Ignis. He expects it to be worse with Gladio. He’s pretty sure he would not want to leave the room if he ever gets an afternoon with Noctis and Luna together.
He had missed this closeness, the scent of Ignis and his banter. The coziness of familiarity, the sound of footsteps of his flat, the sight and sensation of the leather chair, and the cool tiles of the kitchen counter.
Would you take their side?
It is harder to find the resolution to go away now that he’s back. Prompto closes his eyes for a little, losing himself in the smell of Insomnia, the sounds of the city bustling around him so unlike the open fields and constructions in Nova Nilfheim or the sound of waves and water in Altissia. Something whispers home in the smog and the rush of the city that never sleeps.
It is easier to bury miles away from it, but impossible to deny while in it.
Could he really follow through and accept Aranea’s offer?
He can stay in Lucis. He can even go to the reconstructed Altissia and drop by Claustra. The brand on his wrist just reminds him of somewhere he’s needed the most.
Alright that’s it. Enough of Ardyn things for the day. For the month. Promise? Promise.
He’ll have to talk about it with Noctis too. Maybe see if he can be an exchange envoy of goodwill of sorts for a few years if he decides to go. He’s not aware of all the bureaucratic procedures that must entail, or the nobility diplomatic nonsense he’ll have to learn and do. If Prompto were meaner, he would seed some suspicion about how opportune it was that more than half of the noble houses of Lucis had a few survivors from the siege of Insomnia.
It’ll be fine though, Ignis can get it done –and if Noctis decrees it with Luna’s approval no one will complain. (To his face at the very least) The problem would be convincing Gladio it is for the best, but manageable. He did that before when he had gone to the frontlines while Gladio stood behind to guard Luna alongside Nyx and Ignis decided to train and become stronger in Lestallum during the Years of Darkness.
He’ll just have to convince himself first if that’s something he wants to do. But that’s what a choice is all about anyway.
Re: Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1e/?
Date: 2017-03-08 01:46 am (UTC)(Of course, if you visited at night the probabilities were higher, but he’s not an idiot. Or indecent, no matter what stuffy councilors think)
Or in his case, a proper invitation sent by Pryna herself for tea tomorrow afternoon. She’s waiting for him after he returns from Ignis, mail ready and expecting a treat. It’s not the first time he’s met her in curious circumstances. It was almost commonplace during the Years of Darkness, but it did not stop completely after Ardyn’s defeat. That Pryna now expects a treat in return is entirely his fault though.
He gives it to her while reading the letter. Usually, when he gets invitations through her, they usually show the place they’ll meet in Insomnia. This time it is in the Citadel. The first time ever, especially because he’s heard Luna complain before about copped places and privacy and not wanting to feel trapped in a castle to do what she wants anymore.
Curious.
He still goes, of course, using the secret doors and hallways he knows got get inside. Nobody will think of stopping him at the entrance and wherever he goes, but habits die hard. Also, it was a message sent by Pryna, so really, he thinks a bit of discretion and stealth is appreciated.
There, at the end of the hallway, is Nyx. The war hero doesn’t seem surprised to see him practically appear from nowhere; instead he only raises an eyebrow and motions at his nonexistent clock. He still has a few minutes, thank you. Gladio is not there, which means either Noctis told him to get the day off (unlikely) or he’s warping to the sitting room under his shield’s nose (likely).
He greets Nyx, Luna’s unofficial shield with familiarity (he’s still a fan boy. He can’t believe he’s talking to the war hero on the same you-you level. This is the guy that everyone and their cats know Gladio worships and he just greeted him casually. His life is great) before going inside.
The sitting room is big and spacious and private. It is also near enough to the Royal Chambers and he’s sure they choose that on purpose to have a kick at the council on the next meeting. He remembers vaguely from Ignis rant that someone had insisted on the importance of heirs and that Noctis had succinctly slammed it with the fact that he was conceived five or so years after his father had married.
It would be a skyward scream when they learned they had a private tête-a-tête with him. Someone better record that, he wanted to enjoy every single minute of it. Actually, he could go to the council meeting and enjoy the show from the first row.
There was an idea.
Noctis and Luna were already there. Not in the same sofa, which was weird, but had this thing where they incline their heads on sync and smiled fondly before touching each other’s cheek. It was terribly private and he felt both an intruder, and blessed for being close enough to witness such acts of pure love and bask in the warmth.
There had been a bit of a trouble during the first months after the marriage. He didn’t know how to act around them while maintaining the ‘propriety and decorum demanded by his station and deference for his Royal Couple’. There had been weeks of restraining himself a little, of consciously detaching himself from the instinctual flow of hugging, ruffling hair, and elbowing either Noctis or Lunafreya. There had been nights he couldn’t sleep while thinking about how a certain act could be misconstrued by either Luna or Noct as an attempt to steal their mate. Alpha pairs were supposed to be very possessive of their own. Worse, how would the media react to any of it?
If there was a working branch that always flourished quickly, was the gossip media.
Thankfully, by now everything is fine. Mostly. It seemed that the old good rule of thumb of ‘outside doors public, inside doors private’ was still in effect. That and Luna always teases his friend, her husband, about how she’s stealing him away whenever he sits next to her and not Noctis. For a King, his friend still hasn’t been able to get a decent comeback.
(Prompto would be lying if he said that’s not part of the reason he likes to sit next to Luna)
So it is still good to do what feels natural to him. So he kisses Luna on the cheek as a greeting and half hugs Noctis with a smile. He sits on the nearby ottoman stool though, feeling that if they are not sharing the sofa, neither should he, missing the shared look of concern between his friends.
They start with a small talk while drinking tea (he’s not a fan, he rather wants Ignis’ weird blue shiny shake) and eating pastries (those, he likes). There are some stories shared, Noctis complaining that Umbra was starting to acquire bad habits, Prompto denying having anything to do with them and instead gushing about the new photos he took and the lime-green cactuar he saw. There are also some enquiries about how the repair efforts were going in Altissia and Nova Nilfheim and greetings from Aranea and I will have the report by next week, I promise.
Noctis laughs mildly. He pretty much knows that he’s a mess for filling formats. In his defense, the formats do not have enough room for him to explain everything he deems important.
Luna just shakes her head and they enjoy the silence for a bit. Prompto is about to go on another topic when Luna asks “Have you wondered what you are going to do tomorrow?”
Uh that was familiar. Did Aranea say something? Because that was mean. Did Gladio know it too?
Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1f/?
Date: 2017-03-08 01:56 am (UTC)A bulb lights up.
“Kids…? No way are you guys?!” Prompto is now on his feet, chair long forgotten. Kids! His friends were going to have kids. As in, more than one. Twins! How cool is that?
“Prom–“
“Have you thought about a godfather yet?” he complies, sitting down again. Next to the expectant mother. Because that is the nice thing to do. Not because he wanted to peer and see if he had ignored the baby bump before or anything. “Because I wanna–"
Luna giggles a little at his enthusiasm and pats his head like a child. Six! She’s going to be a great mother. He can see it.
“No we aren’t having kids. Not yet. But I’m glad you feel so strongly about them.”
“Kids are cute.” He admits bashfully and a bit disappointed. What can he say? He knows this couple in Nova Nilfheim that just gave birth. The baby didn’t stop wailing for days and it kind of became a neighbor effort. Not that anyone minded; it was the second baby in the city, a very joyful occasion all around. She was the cutest thing he’d ever seen, and her wrist would never be branded. All right Prompto, enough about that, no more Ardyn stuff for today or this month. You promised.
Luna and Noct share a look that is equal part fond and happy. There is no doubt their kids will be cute. Ah, he would like to nanny them a bit. Ignis or Gladio will complain about being a bad influence, but he has more experience. Well, maybe not more than Ignis, what with him tutoring Noctis since he was a kid. But he definitely has more expertise than Gladio.
Recent too!
“We are glad you think so, because Prompto…” Luna says, holding hands with Noctis who looks at him expectant. This is it, Prompto thinks somewhat smug, I am going to be a godfather!
“We would like you to have our children.”
“Yes!” he says immediately, before he catches up with the proposal and balks. His stomach drops, and he feels faintly sick. “Hold it. What? Why? Aren’t your kids going to be the Inheritors of Eos?” Gladio had started the joke, but there was a lot of truth in the statement. There is a painful smile on Noctis, the same one he had the first time Gladio said the joke. Now the blond wonders if maybe the pain was genuine and not just dramatics. “Your wedding was blessed by the Astrals and everything”
Why do you need me? He wants to ask too, but retrains himself from doing so. That’s not a topic he wants to dwell in as long as possible among friends that could read him like a book. Inside him, his blood runs cold. He can almost feel Ardyn’s fingers on his back. This is a terrible idea.
“In theory,” Noctis speaks, a hand ruffling his hair on a decidedly un-kinglike manner. “In practice? Not so much. We both are Head royals of our own countries, battered as they are.” He adds with an apologetic note while looking at Luna “That and we have our own divinely designated duties.”
Prompto is lost after that. Shouldn’t it actually be better that way? Kids from two powerful bloodlines would be even more powerful. Right?
“Ravus was supposed to take the throne of Altissia after we married so there was no issue.” Luna explains once she sees his face.
“So you can’t have children together because it would be troublesome to the succession line or something?” he summarizes. Not that he believes it is a good excuse anyway. But what does he know? He’s not a kingly expert. It also doesn’t explain why they are asking him.
“Or something.” Oh hello there annoyed arm-crossing Noct. Good to see years of ruling had not washed away your basic disdain for silly rules and norms. Oh, wait, so this is what the council was yapping about?
“Even without that is not as if we could anyway.”
“Could…?”
“My womb is sterile Prompto.”
“Oh,” it takes a moment to process the words at the sheer unfairness of it. They can’t have children. They love each other, they want children and they can’t have them. When he does, he follows with the only thing he can think of: holding her hand tenderly. “I- I’m sorry.” He says through the guilt in his lungs.
It was the stab. It had to be the stab. If he had arrived earlier he could have prevented that too instead of just barely saving her that time in Altissia. Not that he had really saved her; Nyx had ended up saving them both in the end. He had been more of a deadweight that day. He had gotten better of course.
Luna just shakes her head. There is a soft and enigmatic smile on her, but at least she squeezes his hand in thanks. It makes him feel a bit better. Only just a bit. He really wants to hug her, but that might be Noctis prerogative so he places a palm on her hand and presses reassuringly.
Again, he misses how Noctis looks at their joined hands and grimaces.
“So you want me to… uh surrogate?” he says after a while, trying to sound as professional as possible and dispel the awkwardness in the room. Because it was every day that your friends, royal friends, ask you to surrogate their babies. It was a bad idea on principle anyway, because he did not belong to anything related to royal blood, and his body–
“Royal couples don’t surrogate” Noctis clarifies with a wave of his hand seemingly annoyed.
“But didn’t you just say…?” Did he have to have the potential royal pup in secrecy or something? More fuel to the –admittedly- heavy load on the bad idea truck.
“Well yes” he starts, and if Prompto didn’t know better, he’d believe Luna was finding all of this hilarious. “It is a bit more complex Prom.”
Noctis sighs for a bit, but he knows the cues like a second skin and tenses in anticipation. Whenever Noctis got like this he was thinking how to drop the bomb more carefully.
“Have you thought about being an omega?”
There is a pregnant pause in the room. Luna blinks in a clear sign of embarrassed longsuffering.
“Uh, I am one?” he supplies completely lost, relaxing again. This was a cactuar on a chocobo ranch. Omegas weren’t something that you could ponder on becoming. You were born in it, just like Alphas and Betas. Just how more bizarre could this afternoon go?
“Let me correct myself.” Wow a floundering Noct, common species six years ago, very rare nowadays. He should have brought his camera to register and preserve endangered wildlife “How long has it been since you saw –thought- yourself as an omega?”
“Since my last heat?” he guesses tentatively but even the answer sounds weak to himself. It is more of a question than an answer. Not that he’s unaware. But the first thing that came to mind was not something he could say and then pretend to be fine about it. No sire, he could go through this bizarre conversation just fine.
“Prom…” Noct’s voice is exasperated, not unlike how he used to act after he realized he ate veggies during the trip. Not exactly dangerous, but he tries to lean away from any potential outburst. Something stops him.
Luna’s hand is now firm on his, grip resolute and unmoving. Preventing him from running away, or just going back to be on his chair and keep his distance. The air around them shifts to something that whispers small caution or maybe it was already there and he’s now just becoming aware? He admits he’s not acutely in sync with his senses while among friends, already used to only just zero on them out in the field. But this is ridiculous. There is something instinctual about letting her be, to sit down and not struggle. Well she’s an alpha through and through; it is a bit surprising to actually be reminded of that.
“Look.” He tries again, careful on not sounding too defensive. He’s with two alphas, he never thought he had to compute that with these two that way but here he was. “Just what brought this all up? We have never, y’know…” he trails off a bit at the end while looking at Noctis, because now that he thinks about it… Wasn’t it a hand waved topic between them? He distinctly remembers a painfully awkward conversation a month or so after that thing with Regis and –and his cheeks feel warm now. Great.
To his relief, Noctis looks equally mortified by it. All signs of the sudden exasperation gone. Which is good, because it is about time they let this topic drop and just go on other merrier ones. Then again, the previous topic was about surrogate royal babies. Well not surrogate, probably having them in secret? Maybe it is not wise to bid anything on the next topic being better.
“You haven’t?” Luna’s surprise is palpable and her grip relents for a moment while she looks at her husband. Prompto is not dumb enough to try and get his hand out. “Noctis!” she scolds lightly he looks properly chastised. The blond feels a pang of sympathy, and wonders if the ‘sleeping on the couch tonight’ also happens on royal couples.
“I see…” she begins and looks at him right in the eye, her hand a bit tight but mollifying again and Prompto chooses to just go with the flow. He sees nothing. There is always a first time to experience being an active part of a conversation he has no clue about.
“Prompto, I am afraid we started this conversation in the wrong order. I had thought you knew.” She explains, while tugging his hand and placing it on her knee. What? “I am not an expert of the subject, but I will do my best to explain the nuances between relationships”
He had never thought the Oracle would give him the talk at twenty-six. Maybe if he just tries to look at the nice ceiling really hard he can believe this isn’t happening. Huh, those were new lamps. Also Luna’s knee feels good and right, it fits perfectly on the palm of his hand and –Prompto we are not thinking that with her husband in the same room what is wrong with you?!
Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1g/?
Date: 2017-03-08 02:07 am (UTC)Luna keeps smiling placatory, almost motherly. He can almost see the don’t worry my child; I will take care of your doubts. There is no need to feel ashamed written on her face. Another time he would find it calming, he sure did during the Years of Darkness; right now however, he really, really doesn’t want the kind of solace she’s offering.
At least now he knows this time he’ll be able to leave them and go back home without regretting closing the door behind. A first, but apparently this is an afternoon of firsts as well.
This was the awkward afternoon. He expects tomorrow to actually be fun. He’s owed at least that much.
The silence works on his favor at least because Luna coos softly and leans a bit. She smells wonderful, he thinks idly before chastising himself again.
“It is fine Prompto. We don’t have to start today.” She’s caressing his arm understandingly and for the first time ever he flinches lightly. This really isn’t something he wants to touch. Ever. Much less with them. “We have time still. Don’t we?”
That actually makes him pause.
“About that…” he doesn’t know how to continue because he thought they knew already? Ignis and Cor did, so how didn’t they know? Not that he’s decided already, but the possibility was there. He has their undivided attention again, there is the murmur of caution in the air too, but part of him is just glad they are dropping the whole omega thing.
He coughs for a moment, and it feels weird to not do it with his left hand. “Aranea suggested that I go to Nova Nilfheim permanently, and I–"
“Prom you don’t mean to say you’re leaving us…!” Noctis interrupts and there is something decidedly kingly, commanding, about his tone, his posture in general. Very disorientating.
“… I’m just saying. I haven’t decided something yet.” He tries to mollify, forgetting for a moment that one of his hands is still trapped in Luna’s and she won’t let go. She actually doesn’t look happy with the development either. Oh no.
“But you haven’t dismissed it immediately. Why?” Noctis presses on, maybe it is something in the light but Prompto swears he sees the alpha’s canines growing. There is a ghost of a snarl on his face too.
“Noctis–"
“You can’t just leave!” Noctis practically roars, standing up, ready to pounce, eyes light red. A shiver ran down his back at the sight, hairs standing on end, he could even hear his heart beat speed up. Shit he’s serious. And pissed.
“Even if that is what I choose?” he asked airily, lungs filled with indignation and faux bravery. It took everything to keep his face up, his neck was itching, his hands were certainly trembling in Luna’s, but at least his face was up. However, his sight was clearly focused on the floor. Good job at losing you assertiveness there Prompto, fantastic really.
“Gentlemen” Luna speaks, but the tension did not break yet, her voice is taut, like a rope pulled taut by a knife before giving in and cut. She tugs him back to the couch (when had he gotten up?) and adds “your spirits are ruffled. I suggest we keep this conversation for another afternoon.”
“Luna–"
“As you wish my Queen.” The answer was automatic, but Noctis turns around so fast that it clues in what he just said “No wait shit- I didn't mean it like that!”
“You are not due to leave for another six weeks am I correct?” Luna interrupts again, firmly, tight, like the grip on his hand. Prompto was surprised he could still feel it. He didn’t care if he lost it at this point. That’s one rule he broke, didn’t he?
“Yes.” He had a feeling Noctis wouldn’t let it be five weeks. Hopefully he was wrong, but he had the sudden suspicion that he won’t be able to get a foot outside of Insomnia anymore. At least not without being chased down by the Kingsglaive.
“Then allow us one afternoon each week. There are topics we need to talk about.”
It was a request but there was finality in her voice. It left no room to decline. Not that he would, because yeah, he had to apologize for that my Queen slip. At least by the looks of it, Noct wouldn’t be sent to the couch now. So yay victory for friendship.
It’s not like Luna could send him to the couch anyway, surrogates didn’t sleep with on the family bed. Especially potential ones that are actually going to refuse anyway.
“Prompto? Did you hear me?”
“Ah yes. Yes, I can do that, I can give you more days too, I’m not–"
“A day each week is fine. We don’t want to force you.” Luna interrupts lightly with an understanding and graceful air around her. Though by the looks of Noctis, he was very much against the idea. While at twenty he would have done his best to postpone anything embarrassing and bothersome, the years trapped in the crystal had apparently taught him to get through them as quickly as possible.
Prompto appreciates the sentiment even if something inside is still cowering at the unsolicited outburst.
“Understood” What else could he do? Well they were forcing him but he could go on and pretend they aren’t. The Six, he was going to talk about omega things with his best friend's wife. Now that he thought about it, with said best friend in the room too.
Oh and they wanted him to be a surrogate. And by his friends’ reaction, a No would not suffice.
His life is a joke.
That’s all for now *jazz hands* We are starting slowly. Next time we stray away from Prompto and get to know Noctis Lucis Caelum: mixed messenger extraordinaire.
Re: Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1g/?
Date: 2017-03-08 12:46 pm (UTC)Writernon you are a hero and I am B L E S S E D
I'm really feeling for Prompto here, mixed signals is right (the way his mind jumped straight to 'dirty little secret' when Noct said 'royals don't surrogate' was heartbreaking and also maybe Noct should have, like, written his points down beforehand or something). Not to mention he still hasn't processed everything that went down with Ardyn and ahhh
I love all the little details you added too like Ignis's new smoothie habit and Aranea starting and being fiercely protective of her new territory. It makes everything feel so fleshed out. And Luna is really going to have her work cut out for her going forward.
Thanks for writing and looking forward to more!
Re: Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1g/?
Date: 2017-03-09 04:27 am (UTC)I'm happy Prompto's immediate thought of "dirty little secret" packed the expected punch :D That's more or less the moment that conversation officially went in different directions for everyone.
But who says Noctis didn’t write down the talking points? Granted, it was more a general idea, he still floundered spectacularly. Because of Issues™. They didn’t even get to do all the talking points that afternoon. /hint: they had dinner plans!)
Prompto in regards of what happened with Ardyn and Nilfheim in general is like the meme of the dog in the burning house “I’m fine” which is a Problem™. Everything could be Ardyn’s fault and he wouldn’t be mad. Apologetic, maybe, but not mad.
Luna wants to help. She’s absolutely ready to. But Noctis isn’t helping and she ignores the extent of how much. Expect Noctis to sleep on the couch. Actually, expect some “Noctis sleeps in the couch” jokes at one moment or another.
Re: Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1g/?
Date: 2017-04-30 05:04 pm (UTC)Re: Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1g/?
Date: 2017-03-09 03:40 pm (UTC)Re: Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1g/?
Date: 2017-05-17 12:42 am (UTC)Re: Fill: (To Decode) Mixed Signals 1g/?
Date: 2017-06-02 04:17 am (UTC)