Behind the Blonde Mask - A Final Fantasy XV Fanfic

Was It All Just A Facade?

    "The most fascinating tidbit about your dear Prompto....Turns out he's not empty either. He's got quite the "skeleton" in his closet." 

    'What? Prompto...? Prompto wouldn't hide anything from us, right?'

    Noct didn't know anymore. He'd been in that damn building for too long. For all he knew, Prompto could be dead.

    But he didn't want to think about that. Prompto was strong, he'd get through it. Ignis and Gladio were strong too. Hell, knowing them, by the time he got there they'd of already found Prompto and the Crystal.

    'Heh, that'd be great. And there'd be no doubt about their safety."

    But he knew the likelihood that they had already found them was very low.

    Still, he couldn't get Ardyn's voice to leave his head.

    "What has Prompto been hiding from us? And why? He knows we'd never hate him!"

     Noct suddenly thought back to all of the conversations he had with the insecure boy, and knew he was wrong.

                                                                                    ~Flashback~

    "Hey Noct, you got a moment?"

    Turning away from the distant sunset, Noctis faced his blonde friend.

    "Yeah, what do you need?"

    He watched as the male sat down next to him with a grunt.

    "Am I... a burden to the team?" Prompto asked hesitantly.

    "What? Of course not!" Noctis reassured the blonde.

    Prompto leaned forwards and frowned. He was different. He wasn't strong like Gladio, smart or good at cooking like Ignis, or important like Noctis. Hell, half the time he couldn't even shoot straight. He almost KILLED Noct when he wanted a picture. In his eyes, Prompto saw himself as nothing more than a failure and a burden. 

    "A-are you sure?" 

    "Prompto, why would I lie or joke about something like that? Yes, I am sure. Why are you asking me this?"

    "I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't a problem. That's all."

    "Well, ok..."

                                                                                   -Flashback over-

    'Crap, It's my fault that I didn't realize this and I just let him walk away. And I said all those things on the train... Oh god...'

    By the time he left his thoughts Ardyn decided that it was time to play a little joke on him. He got stuck in a room and had no way out. Ignis and Gladio showed up with enough time to save him, and they were able to get out of their predicament. They continued forward, catching up on their last couple of days apart. Noctis didn't really care though. He just wanted Prompto to be safe.

                                                                                       -Time Skip-

    'He's close, I can tell.'

    "Noct, I have a feeling we're going to find Prompto soon." Ignis stated.

    "I was thinking the same thing." He replied.

    They came to a locked gate, and were unsure of how to open it, since they had no key.

    "I see that we have an obstacle in front of us." Ignis stated.

    "Let's break it down."

    Noctis's companions looked at him like he was crazy, but went ahead with his idea. Gladio rammed his shoulder into the door four or five times until it fell down with a *THUD*. Noct would've stayed there to make sure everyone was ok, but a weak voice ahead of them caught his attention.

    "...Is anyone there...?"

    The bluenette bolted down the dark hallway, passing many cells and rooms, finally stopping in front of the last room. Squinting, he made out the shape of a figure in the room. Noctis reached out to the figure, feeling the familiar fabric of Prompto's vest.

    "Ignis, Gladio! I found him!" He shouted, waking the blonde on the restraints.

    "Noct...? Is that you?" Prompto whispered, his voice raspy.

    Noctis didn't say anything, instead deciding to free the boy from the restraints. Once he was off of them, Prompto was pulled into Noctis's arms as he squeezed him tight in a hug.

    "I'm so sorry Prompto."

    "It's ok, Noctis..."

    Ignis and Gladiolous made their way over to the two, frowning when they saw the cuts and bruises that littered Prompto's body.

    "Were you worried about me?"

    "Of course we were! Where did that question come from?"

    "Pretend I never said anything, ok?" Prompto whispered, avoiding the question.

    He stood up and began walking away, only to be stopped by a hand on his wrist. He turned around and stared expectantly at the prince.

    "Prompto, tell me what's wrong."

    He couldn't know. If he knew, he would hate the blonde.

    "But I-"

    "NOW."

    Ignis placed a hand on Noctis's shoulder signaling him to stop. But the blonde's quiet voice caught their attention.

    "I love you, ok? Are you happy now?" Prompto whispered.

    Noctis was silent. He had no clue what to say, do, think, or feel right then. His head shot up as he was snapped out of his trance by a sound his ears barely caught. As he looked closely at Prompto's face, he spotted tears dripping off of the boy's face and silently hitting the ground. His eyes widened and he swiftly leaned up and placed his hand on Prompto's cheek. The blonde stared at Noctis, trying to understand what he was doing. He was taken aback, as the bluenette brushed his lips against the other's. But as quickly as it began, it was over.

    "N-noct?"

    "I love you too Prompto... I'll always miss you, and you'll never be a burden to me," 

    "Thank you Noctis."

    And as they connected their lips again, Prompto smiled.

                                                                                   -The End-