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[photoshooter]

[That snaps him right out of his sad, timid hunch.]

What?

[He stares hard at Noct, like somehow he can read what Noct's trying to say--or if he isn't trying, what he is saying unintentionally. After a second, he adds, frowning:]

Why not?

[nascere]

[ Good question -- why? Noctis glances over at him sharply, jaw set. It's all well and good to depend on the people you love most until they get hurt because of you. Prompto gets caught, possibly tortured(?) and for what? And now this. ]

Did it make things better?

[photoshooter]

[He blinks and frowns, then rubs at the back of his neck.]

Well--no, not yet, 'cause we haven't figured out exactly how to save you yet, but... [He shakes his head and refocuses.] What? Noct, what do you mean? "Make things better" how?

[nascere]

I don't know -- I just...

[ Noctis frowns, and squints at him, uncertain. ] You're not upset?

[ And wait, what's this they're talking about -- ] What do you mean you haven't figured out how to save me yet?

[photoshooter]

Of course I'm upset! But you...

[He studies Noct's face, eyes flickering between Noct's.]

You didn't think we were gonna just let that happen to you, did you?

[unfatalist]

...What exactly does the Crystal do to him? You've said that before, that it "gets" him, but I'm not...

[He lets the thought trail off, letting it go free for a moment as something else occurs to him — the faintest hint of some of those thoughts warring in Prompto's mind, the implication of that soft gulp. And maybe, on some level, it's because in this he and Prompto are two of a kind, looking to the sacrifices they can make themselves as their go-to solutions, and tolerating ones that involve others only afterward.]

It sounds as though, from the events you remember, I chose not to take the chancellor's offer to go with him. I suppose that might be a way of effecting some sort of change...

[photoshooter]

What? No. No no no, go with Ardyn? No.

[The last no shudders as he does, tightening his arms again and shrinking down into his boots. The thought of Ignis strung up on that cross--Prompto squeezes his eyes tightly shut and sucks in a sharp breath, shakes his head jerkily.]

No.

[He can't let that happen to Ignis. That can't happen to Ignis, that utter, unfathomable powerlessness. He was nobody; once Ardyn had his fun with him at the facility, he lost interest, he only needed him to bait the trap. He could do so much worse to Ignis or Gladio. He could hurt Ignis so much more than he already did.

Prompto shivers and tries to think his way free of those dark bars.]

Wh...what if Noct's been right all along? What if we c-can help him save Lady Lunafreya? That'd change everything, right?

[nascere]

[ Noctis stares at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. How does he say it, that maybe -- maybe it could be the only way. If the gods had asked for his life maybe his dad had known about it, too (no, he must have known, he must have been chosen for something), and while Noctis hates the thought of dying, to be allowed to hope seems much worse if it amounts to nothing in the end.

And his best friend, the one who's always by his side, would probably be devastated. ]

What if that's the only way?

[ What if all his life has been in preparation for this? ]

[photoshooter]

[Prompto's mouth starts to go dry, hearing Noct ask that question. The surety he felt talking to Ignis--even if they didn't know what to do, even if all their options seemed bad--wavers only now, faced with the unexpected.

He thought they could all work on the solution together. He didn't imagine Noct would go along with his so-called "fate" from the start. Suddenly stung and cold, Prompto looks down, blinking rapidly at the fluffy top of Sparky's head, then looks up again, forcing the hope he wants to feel.]

W...we won't know until we try. Right?

[It's always worked before, even against the impossible. The four of them, everyone who helped them through their journey, they worked together and got through so much. He pushes on, trying to hold his cracking heart together.]

You haven't already given up, have you? You were gonna save Lady Lunafreya and everyone.

[nascere]

I am. I want to. Luna, you, Ignis --

[ Gods, but it hurts his heart to hear Prompto that heartbroken and sad -- he's never heard him take this tone before, and Noctis, for a moment, doesn't know what to do to make it better.

But the encroaching darkness and the crystal seem way more immense than just rescuing his loved ones, and he doesn't think there's any place in what Pryna had showed Ignis for negotiation. Does he even have a choice? Has he ever had a choice? But no, he can't go down that road now -- he has his friends to take care of.

He looks back at Prompto and Sparky, trying and failing to muster a smile. ]

I was always gonna save you guys. [ That's... the whole point, right? ]

[photoshooter]

Then let us help, Noct. I... I always...

[It's Prompto's turn to take comfort from Sparky's warm, negligible weight, from the soft smoothness of his feathers. He curls around his chocobo, shrinking in, but when he speaks again, his voice doesn't waver.]

You've always stood by me, even when I thought I was worth worse than nothing. When I found out... what I am. And what I was supposed to do to you, and all our friends.

[He knows he hasn't told him yet, but he has to say this. Noct has to know.]

But you didn't even blink, Noct, when I told you. It didn't matter what I was meant for or where I came from, because... because I'm with you guys. I'm one of you. That's what you said, a-and all that other stuff, my past, it doesn't mean anything next to that. That you believed in me.

[When Sparky cheeps and nips softly at Prompto's hands, he realizes his hold's tightened and he sits up, breathing in shakily, then turns to meet Noct's eyes.]

So I don't care what you're meant for, either. I'm not gonna leave you to deal with the world's crap by yourself, you're my best friend and I won't stop until we find a way to fix things that doesn't kill you. Ignis, too. We're gonna figure it out.

[Like he's afraid Noct will interrupt him here, he raises his voice a little and speaks faster.]

And if--if--we don't get it in time, and you have to... If that happens, which it won't. [Prompto swallows, pale under his freckles.] Then at least... at least you won't have had to bear that weight all alone the whole time. If we all work together, that's. That's... You won't be alone.

I couldn't stand that, Noct.

[nascere]

[ Noctis' gaze flickers to Sparky, because the little buddy is more comforting to look at, because even despite Noctis' best efforts his best friend's sadness permeates. He shrinks, smaller, and Noctis has to be stronger for Prompto, too -- his best friend is ever at his side, always, and the prince trusts him with his life, depends on him for so much, and it occurs to Noctis that if he ever leaves Promptis' side, the ache would be unbearable.

But then he parses the entire thing, momentarily distracted by the words that catch his attention. Beyond the revelation of his own death, there's something else that nags, snagging at him. Prompto had said that he hadn't blinked when he told him about where he came from, which is baffling when he doesn't remember any such thing.

Had he told his future self, then? It seems the most likely. Gently setting his own overwhelming emotions aside, Noctis knows that he has to sort this one out first -- there are things Prompto hasn't told him yet, and he lifts his eyes to meet his gaze, sensing his nervousness, the pallor under his freckles.

There's something more that's going on here, he's just not sure what it is; but he's working to catch up. ]

What did you tell future me?

[ Best to start there, and then move towards working out everything else. ]

[photoshooter]

[There it is. Prompto drops his gaze, stills his hands on Sparky's feathers, and then gathers the little guy up, transfers him carefully back into Noct's lap.]

I wasn't born in Lucis.

[Retreating back into his own space, Prompto rests his hands in his lap, the back of his wrist cradled in his other palm, staring at his fingers as if his story's mapped there, somewhere.]

I was... made... in a research facility in Niflheim. They've been cloning, just. Millions of babies up there. And they pump the babies full of Starscourge, and.

[He shrugs, stiff and pale around the edges, then nods.]

That's what MTs are, under the armor. That's what I found out when I was up there.

[After a pause, he lifts his head so he can study Noct's face, see what might change this time, hesitant and hoping and resolved, either way.]

I was one of those kids, Noct. The ones they mass-produce to turn into MTs.

[nascere]

[ ...Huh.

Noctis stares at him for a long, long moment -- no, it doesn't bother him that Prompto is from Niflheim, or that he's cloned, even if it's a surprise. It bothers him that the Empire is callous and awful enough to pump babies full of Starscourge and churn them out like mindless attack bots.

Prompto had been one of those kids, and he can't help but reach out and squeeze his shoulder briefly. They've been killing MTs, and the horror of it is not lost on him. But there is no way to save them -- unless they nipped it at the source, right?

Sparky settles in his lap, cheeps and looks up at Noctis, but the prince's attention is wholly on Prompto. As far as he's concerned, Prompto is one of them -- no ifs, no buts. ]

Okay. [ He says finally, like Prompto hadn't just told him he was a pre-MT baby from Niflheim. No, Prompto is Prompto, and Noctis loves him all the same. ]

So we're just going to have to crush the Empire totally, aren't we? We're gonna save all those babies, too.

[photoshooter]

[Blink.





Blink blink.]

Uh, I mean, I don't know if there are any around to save? Last I remember, the whole country was already falling apart without our help, probably they aren't, um, making new ones from scratch anymore. And Aranea and I got rid of the guy that was in charge of that.

[His head tilts slowly as the tension fades out of his shoulders. Softly, he says:]

You did it again.

[Noct absorbed the horrible truth of him without flinching. With the wry, grateful ghost of a smile--he knew Noct would accept it but he didn't know, and it's such a relief to have his belief confirmed--take that, irrational anxiety!--he bumps Noct's arm with his elbow.]

See, that's why, though. Because you're the kind of guy who says that stuff and means it, and then you make it happen. You make the planet a better place.

That's why we can't... the world needs you, Noct. But it needs you alive. I... we need you alive. So let's figure it out together, yeah? [He's quick to add with another elbow nudge:] We can crush what's left of the Empire on the way if you feel that strongly about it, buddy.

[nascere]

It was?

[ Because the last he heard, Niflheim was preparing to be at Altissia with Ravus at the helm. He's clearly missed a lot, and it's just as well that the country is falling apart -- there's no one to pursue and capture the survivors of Lucis. Even more troubling, however, is that there is bound to be plenty of chaos with both of Eos' biggest kingdoms toppled.

Hmmmmm.

Noctis smiles now, briefly, when Prompto looks cheered and relieved, and he starts petting Sparky, who's already getting antsy from the lack of attention. Maybe Prompto's right, maybe he needs to be alive, maybe there's another way around this -- he doesn't allow himself to hope properly just yet, because that way probably lies madness and a world of what-ifs, but he wants to do something, anything, if it can make things better. ]

Maybe not crush it, then. But what if we made something better? There's no need for war anymore now that both countries are down, right? We can go home after that -- fix and rebuild everything.

[ And even if Noctis doesn't make it home with them, Prompto at least knows what he means to do. ]

[unfatalist]

[Would it? It's a question he's contemplated in passing, but with an eye toward the emotional benefits it would produce for Noct, not on the greater ramifications it might have as a whole. So, then. What if Lunafreya weren't to perish at the altar, where he and Ravus found her?

Her allegiance was to Noctis. Could her influence have turned Ravus to join them, properly?

If he saves her, perhaps he'll be awake by the time he and Ravus reach the altar. If Ravus doesn't attack, they can flee the altar sooner — perhaps before Ardyn and his MTs can even arrive. And if they can manage to regroup with Prompto and Gladio, then Ardyn would have no one to deceive them with.

If Ardyn never catches up to them, he'll have no opportunity to blind him.

And Prompto said he had gotten knocked off the train on the way to Tenebrae —]

...Why were we going to Tenebrae, Prompto? When we were on the train, as you said. Do you recall our purpose?

[photoshooter]

Why...?

[It takes Prompto a second to pull free of Zegnautus Keep and reorient himself once more. Not that it helps much. Every question on this line leads back to Gralea.

No, he's fine.]

The train goes through there. To get to Gralea. We had to get the Crystal back, and that's where they were keeping it. Noct was supposed to use its magic to make things better...

[He closes eyes and shakes his head more sharply, like he has to physically jostle his memory back further. The twilight before darkest midnight.]

Gladio didn't want to stop in Tenebrae at all. But I think Noct wanted to say good-bye to her. To Lady Lunafreya.

[unfatalist]

So that would change things, as well. With Lunafreya still alive, there'd be no need for the travel to Tenebrae. Which might mean no opportunity for the chancellor to step in and deceive Noct on the train.

[He lets out a slow breath.]

So. Perhaps it could change everything. There's still the chance that Noct can change what's to happen — and yet I worry about telling him as much.

[photoshooter]

Huh? Why?

[Prompto frowns, confused.]

Isn't it better for him to know there's a shot?

[photoshooter]

[That, more than anything Noct could have said instead, gets Prompto to smile. He smacks Noct's shoulder gently, halfway to a grin but stuck at something softer and warmer. This is the Noct he knows. This is the king who's his best friend.]

You know it, dude. All of us together... Who cares where people come from? I think deep down, we all want the same thing. Just... the chance to live our own lives.

[Prompto nods firmly and looks up for affirmation.]

Don't you think?

[nascere]

[ It's comforting, too, to know that Prompto's smiling -- like the sun just came out from behind the clouds. Sad doesn't suit him, not really, and Noctis is turning over that revelation in his head, curious.

He's sticking close to his best friend -- unwilling to stray far as he nods in affirmation, readily giving him what he needs. ]

Yeah. Yeah, of course.

[ Prompto does, more than anyone, and Noctis wants him to find happiness, too. He's quiet for a moment, contemplative, before he speaks up softly. ] How'd you find out, anyway? About the MT thing.

[photoshooter]

Oh, man.

[The second word's muffled as Prompto brings his hands up in a tent over his nose and mouth, takes a deep breath, and then lets it out slowly. After a second, he sighs again, sits back, and crosses his arms over his chest.]

Ardyn.

[ofcourseitwasardyn.jpg

Bitter distaste undergirds everything Prompto says--no, it's stronger than that. Prompto's scared of him, too. No, wait. It's more than that.

Prompto hates him. Almost as much as he loves his friends. Prompto wants every atom that forms Ardyn Izunia to vaporize and die.]

He told me after we got separated. He had me brought to that Magitek research facility, the one where I was made. He... said some stuff, and of course I wouldn't have believed him, but I. Um.

[Again, he hunkers down a little, but his hate's strong enough to keep his head up against his discomfort.]

I have... this codeprint on my arm. I mean, I've always had it. And all the computers and scanners in the facility recognized it and let me through the doors. Because, well. All MTs have those codeprints, apparently, and I do, too.

[He shrugs.]

Pretty hard to argue with that, right?

[nascere]

[ Of course it's Ardyn, troublemaker extraordinaire, man of infuriating mystery and most obviously an enemy who's out to get them. He still doesn't quite see where he fits in with all this, there are too many pieces that don't fit right, but that's a thought for another day.

The important thing is this: Prompto hates him -- Noctis has never seen that look on his face before, and he knows, instinctively, that whatever went down had roused such a powerful, abiding hatred that he knows is entirely justified. Sparky cheeps in concern, wriggling out of Noctis' arms to waddle importantly to Prompto, evidently thinking something might be wrong with him.

He nods after a moment, taking in his story. Clearly, it's taking so much out of his best friend to relay this to him, and Noctis can't imagine what it must be like, being all alone, being told things like these... oh, how he wishes he was right there with him. Prompto must be struggling with it even now, he thinks, but he's not alone -- he's never alone, not as long as Noctis has something to say about it. ]

Can I see it? The codeprint.

#A5001B (i'm... sorry for him, prompto...)

[retrobeats]

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btw you don't actually have to send this on or anything dude this is just the most i've laughed about anything in like 2 weeks so i HAD to share