photoshooter | PhanRift IC Inbox

I'm all good. I promise.

[ His arms tighten around Prompto, just slightly. ]

He didn't attack me or anything.

...Good.

[He exhales shakily and keeps walking, more under his own power now. Gradually, the trees start fading back in and the mist takes over the snow once more.

Prompto doesn't stop shivering.]

...Noct, I gotta sit down. My legs are all messed up.

[He feels like a flan with 1 HP left.]

[ It's good that their surroundings are going back to normal. But Prompto's still cold, and Noctis can't put him down, can't quit moving until Prompto is somewhere warm and away from this place. ]

Nope.

[ And he puts his arm under Prompto's knees and lifts him up into his arms. He gives Prompto a worried look, though. ]

Is this okay?

[He makes a muted ! noise, then manages a shaky half-laugh and does his best to relax into Noct's hold.]

Rescued by a prince. O-ooh la la.

You're the luckiest guy here.

[ Prompto is... pretty light, actually, and Noct doesn't have too much trouble carrying him. He's hoping Prompto warms up a little faster in his arms, too. ]

Do you... wanna go to your room, buddy?

[After a moment, he gulps and shakes his head.]

I dunno where to go, dude.

[Well, at least he's managing complete thoughts now.]

I wanted--after you got here, I hoped we could just. Stay here forever. A-and it'd be safe. You'd be safe.

... Chicken room.

[ His heart feels like it's being torn to shreds. Prompto's worried, worried about him, and it hurts. ]

Yeah. I... yeah. [ He swallows hard, the words all stuck in his throat. ] But... hey. I'm here. You're here. We'll... figure this out, okay?

[He's not sure he wants to go even to the chicken room. Nowhere is safe anymore, they can run into Ardyn at any time and there is absolutely nothing he can do to stop it, and no one can protect them.

No one can--or no one will protect Noct, who deserves more than anything in this or any world to be protected. There's a thick, painful lump in Prompto's throat. Half of Noct's jacket falls away as Prompto reaches up to wrap his arm around him, to hold himself close.]

...It's not fair. That it k-keeps following you, Noct, you deserve so much better...

[ His breath catches a little bit, and he holds Prompto close. He isn't sure if it's Prompto's words or how close he is that's got his heart aching, but he can't focus on that. He needs to worry about Prompto, because Prompto is... he's falling apart, and Noctis wants to help him keep the pieces together. ]

We just... have to figure out where to go from here, Prompto. We'll get through this, okay? I swear we will.

...O-k-kay.

[Hold on. Breathe. Noct's here, right here, and that's what's important. This is what he has to protect, this closeness, so Noct's never left alone to be hurt again.

One breath leaves a faint glitter of frost on Noct's shirt, but then the next erases it, back to normal.]

If we go somewhere, w-we gotta get my egg first. Yeah?

[ He feels the frost before he sees it, and he swallows hard. Prompto is breathing, though, and that's the important part. Even if he couldn't protect Prompto from the hurt and the fear, he can soothe it as much as he can.

... At least, he can try. ]

Yeah. 'Course. Can't leave our baby all alone, right?

[Any other time, he'd laugh. Right now he only manages a louder breath as he curls closer. There's an us. They're we.]

Okay. Okay.

[It's like the news exploded his ability to think or do anything--to be anything--across the earth in a fine, undifferentiated spray. Now, here in Noct's arms, there's enough scooped together to start to draw the rest back in.

He's not nothing. He's Prompto Argentum. He has his best friend right here. Nothing in the entire world is more important.]

You got the tent still?

[ And Noctis holds him that much closer, scared that if he lets go, Prompto will disappear into thin air. Silly, considering he was the one who did that, when he went into the Crystal--but Prompto had just been caught up in a blizzard, one of his own creation.

He realizes he can't lose Prompto. It's a realization that nearly knocks the breath out of him. Prompto's always been important; for Astrals' sake, he's Noctis's best friend. But after Prompto had been so hard to find, after he'd nearly worried himself to death... he realizes, maybe it's more than that. ]

I don't go anywhere without it.

[ His thumbs brush small circles along Prompto's arms. ]

Just gotta find the perfect place to set it up.

...Okay.

[If he's a knot of dread and terror, it's like someone's finally let go of the two pulled ends of string. Prompto doesn't unwind, not yet, but now he can without breaking.

'Let's hide out in the tent somewhere' is the vaguest seed of a plan, but it's somewhere to go. It's familiar; it's seen them through fun times and not-so-fun, held their card games and Gladio's snoring and Noct's groaning at waking up.

Breathing becomes something he can control once more instead of the bare minimum his body needs to take care of to stay conscious. They're okay. It's going to be okay.]

S-sorry I made you come find me. I didn't mean to worry you...

[ The apology makes his heart ache painfully. It's a knife twisted deep in his heart, and Noctis swallows hard. ]

Prompto... you don't have to apologize, okay? You're my best friend. I'll always come find you.

No matter what.

[Oh.

It's too close--Zegnautus Keep is too close to him now, with the broken MTs in the blizzard and the mist and Ardyn Izunia out there somewhere, architect of it all. Prompto presses his face into Noct's shoulder, nods, and says nothing.

And because he says nothing, a soft sniffle ends up being his answer.]

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