Work Text:
“No, your other left!” Prompto laughed, waving Noctis over in the other direction.
“Tell me this is the last one?” Noctis huffed in feigned annoyance as he shuffled over. He leaned against the nearest boulder and dramatically clutched his stomach as he pouted, “Ignis probably has breakfast waiting already.”
“Last one!” Prompto smiled back brightly, ignoring the overacted drama he was so used to. With a backward step, he raised the camera to eye level, framing the shot to get Noctis right under the arch behind him. “Hey, turn away from the rocks a little!”
“Prompto, come on. Just take the picture.”
Prompto lowered the camera slightly to pout at Noctis. “But the shadows aren’t right!”
Noctis rolled his eyes but turned away from the boulder a bit. “Better?”
Prompto re-framed the shot and clicked once. Noctis’ scowl wouldn’t make a great photo. “Hey, can you act like you’re not being asked to eat beans?”
Noctis laughed and Prompto snapped the picture. “Ok! One mo-“ His words caught in his throat for half a second and then, “Noct, move!” He dropped the camera to the end of its tether as he summoned his weapon, firing off two shots at the same moment a massive coeurl pounced down on Noctis. “No!”
But it was only the ghostly afterimage of the prince. Noctis had already warped to an adjacent cluster of boulders. Prompto’s relief was cut short as the wounded animal turned its attention to him instead. “Crap…” he breathed, heavy gun aimed carefully at the coeurl’s snarling face.
“Prompto!” Noctis’ voice came to him muffled through his own fear.
He and the coeurl stared at each other for what felt like minutes until movement farther back caught his attention. Of course, they weren’t solo hunters… “Noct, another one!” And in the split second his eyes flicked toward the second animal, the first leapt.
Huge jaws clamped over his shoulder and he went flying backward with the force of the creature. For a moment all he could register was heat and pressure and the deep wet smell of the animal’s breath.
***
Noctis watched in horror as the first coeurl sent Prompto tumbling backward, dragged along by the animal’s jaws, one wild shot fired into the air as the gun fell to the ground. But he couldn’t get over there yet. The second huge cat was almost on top of him and he only barely managed to leap back to avoid its sharp claws as it landed, snarling. He had fought many coeurls in the past weeks. Formidable creatures. Fast, vicious, and deadly in an instant with one wrong move. He couldn’t take his eyes off it for a moment, though a heart-splitting scream tested his resolve. He dodged and leapt, keeping one move ahead of the cat, managing to get a slice across its haunches with his sword as he waited for the right moment. And finally, it came. As the coeurl raised its huge paw to slash at him up on a rock, he dove off of it, rolling under its front legs and with all his strength sank his sword into its gut, dragging the blade sideways as he maneuvered out again. The animal tried to come after him, but its insides were moving to the outside, and it didn’t get more than a few yards before falling to the ground.
Panting, hands sticky with the coeurl’s blood, he turned on his heel toward where Prompto had been. But he wasn’t there. “Prompto!” he shouted, eyes catching movement by a boulder. Prompto was struggling with all his might as the animal dragged him jerkily across the ground by one leg, its face bloody.
Noctis warped over in the space of a breath, before the coeurl had time to notice, and shoved his blade into its side, meeting resistance as it broke ribs. But it had more fight in it than the other had and whipped around with a wide swipe of its claws, sending Prompto sprawling across the sand. But it was fatally injured already. The fight was short-lived, and he finished the creature quickly, not even waiting for the body to still before dismissing his blade and sprinting back to the boulder. Prompto was on his knees, head to the ground, arms around his middle as blood seeped into the sand beneath. His camera lay in scattered pieces nearly twenty feet away, the strap still around his neck. “Prompto!” Noctis shouted, freezing just feet from him in horror at the sight of so much blood. He dropped to his knees at Prompto’s side, hands outstretched but hovering in midair, not sure what to do. They hadn’t brought anything with them. Why hadn’t they brought anything with them? He leaned forward and gingerly touched Prompto’s back in one of the few places that hadn’t been ripped to shreds. A weak groan answered him between ragged breaths. “Prompto, can you hear me?”
Prompto turned his head slightly toward Noctis at the question, dragging his forehead across the rough sand in the process and with effort, managed to gasp, “yeah…”
Noctis’ stomach knotted on itself as he gently tried to get Prompto to uncurl and was met with a pained cry. “I’m sorry,” he repeated over and over as he turned Prompto onto his side and then partially propped up in his arms so the mess of his back wouldn’t lay on the dust and grit. Prompto was tense and shaking slightly when he was finished, breathing quickly through his teeth with his eyes shut tight. “It’s over, it’s ok, I won’t move you anymore, I promise,” he said quietly, not trusting his voice not to break.
There was just…so much damage. Noctis struggled to take it all in. Some wound behind his hairline stained a portion of his hair brilliant red. The deep punctures around his shoulder and chest were already bleeding into the fabric of his own clothing. Prompto’s left arm was clearly broken and he held it tightly against him with his right, pressed over the long gashes that had shredded the front of his shirt. Noctis kept up a constant stream of positive nonsense as he continued to look him over. Prompto’s left leg bled steadily from yet more deep puncture wounds marking the place where the creature had grabbed and dragged him only minutes before. Noctis looked around desperately for something to stop the bleeding, and with a quiet exclamation, he suddenly remembered his jacket. As gently as he could, doing his best not to jostle Prompto, he slipped it off and pressed the fabric firmly over the deepest punctures. Prompto cried out, trying to recoil from the pain. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Prom, I have to…”
It was a minute or two before Prompto could do more than groan or whimper under the unwelcome pressure. But it was important to stop the bleeding. At least some of it. There was so much…
“Sorry…” Prompto’s voice was weak, but he opened his eyes slightly at last, searching out Noctis’ face. His right eye bloomed with blood. “Should’ve seen,” he pulled a breath through his teeth, “should’ve…seen it sooner.”
“Don’t worry about that.” He smiled anxiously down at Prompto, whose right heel dragged noisily through the gravel as a wave of pain seemed to wash over him and he tried to steady his breathing to no avail.
“Could’ve…killed you.” Prompto said stubbornly, shutting his eyes again as his whole body tensed and he groaned.
Noctis shook his head, settling his hand on top of Prompto’s, knowing it would do nothing to help. “But it didn’t, Prom. I’m fine.”
In the short silence that followed, Noctis’ mind whirled through any and all medical knowledge he’d ever retained from his training or Ignis’ many lectures. But there wasn’t anything he could apply. He bit his lip as he looked helplessly around again for something useful. Anything.
The sound of Prompto weakly attempting to clear his throat pulled his attention back. “How bad?” he asked, flexing his fingers shakily, but halting the movement with a gasp as his broken arm shifted unexpectedly. When Noctis grimaced but didn’t respond, Prompto turned his head toward him slightly, wincing. “Noct?”
Noctis swallowed past the lump in his throat and forced calm into his voice. “It’s…not great, Prom.”
“Not great,” he repeated dully as a tear traced a line through the blood and grit. “Ok.” He pressed his lips into a thin line, but Noctis saw the tremble in them as he continued to take fast, shallow breaths through his nose.
“You’re going to be fine.” He wasn’t sure if the words were more for Prompto’s benefit or his own, but he was sure Prompto didn’t believe them any more than he was trying to convince himself he did.
“My camera?” The question caught him off guard as Prompto finally opened his eyes again, looking hazily across the ground toward the shattered remnants of his camera.
“It’s…it’ll be fine, Prom. We’ll fix it up, don’t worry.” We’ll fix you up…
He cursed inwardly at the stupidity of thinking they’d be safe for a few hours. It was entirely his fault and he couldn’t even carry Prompto back to camp without causing even more damage. And then his head snapped up with a flash of realization. The fear of the moment had driven it from his mind. “Ignis!” he exclaimed, letting go of the jacket for a moment so he could shove a hand into his pocket.
“Nah,” said Prompto between shallow breaths, smiling lopsidedly. “Prompto…remember?”
In spite of himself, Noctis smiled back and muttered, “Smartass.” A second later, his phone was in his hand. “Ok, hold on, Prom.”
But the screen refused to work properly, unable to read his touch through the slick blood on his fingers. With a growl of frustration, he hurriedly set the phone on the ground and wiped his hand across his own shirt, hoping that was enough. His hand shook as he made his second attempt, holding his breath as the call finally went through.
Ignis answered on the second ring. “Highness? Will you be joining us for breakfast?”
“Ignis!” he nearly shouted, “Prompto’s hurt!”
Ignis’ voice was immediately serious. “Where are you now?”
“We’re uh…” He took a moment to really take in his surroundings. “I think we’re about three miles southeast of the camp. Big cluster of boulders. Please, please hurry!”
“What do you need?”
His voice shook as he looked down at Prompto’s alarmingly pale face. “Everything. Bring everything!”
“Understood.” As he lowered the phone, he heard Ignis call for Gladio. Noct had never been so thankful for a strong signal.
“Noct…” Prompto began, looking up and searching out Noctis’ face again.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sor-“ his words were abruptly cut off by a fit of coughing, strangled breaths forced through gritted teeth, eyes suddenly wide with fear and streaming from the pain of it.
“Prom!” Noctis tried to shift him a little more upright, but it didn’t seem to help. Flecks of blood forced their way through Prompto’s teeth, staining them red. “Try…try to calm down, Prom,” he said. “Just breathe. Just breathe. I’m right here.”
“I-I-“ a cough and a gasp, “I’m…“ His unbroken hand found Noctis’ arm and he clutched it in a vicelike grip, short nails digging into skin as he struggled to take in air.
“Ok, it’s ok. Don’t try to talk!” His voice broke as panic flared in his chest. “Iggy and Gladio will be here soon, it’s ok.” He could do nothing except keep rambling encouragement and holding him as gently as he could, waiting in a cold sweat for the fit to end.
Gradually, Prompto’s coughing subsided, leaving his chin covered in a mist of blood and his lips almost blue as he fought to catch his breath. “Hey,” he wheezed after a minute, voice barely above a whisper as he shivered in the warm morning sun, “Noct?” He looked upward, but his eyes were unfocused.
“Yeah, Prom?” Noctis asked, his own eyes searching for any sign of the Regalia. Where are they?
“Get my…” He let his eyes fall closed and just breathed for a moment, loosening his grip on Noctis’ arm. “Get my pictures…developed.”
Noctis tried to adopt a casual tone as he replied, “Get your own pictures developed,” but his voice betrayed him.
Prompto ignored his response. “The last…one is good.”
“They’re all good, buddy,” he said, trying to force some brightness into his voice.
Prompto’s voice was almost inaudible as he whispered, “Thanks,” into Noctis’ shirt, his hand losing its grip entirely.
Alarmed, Noctis shook him gently. “Hey, come on, buddy.”
Prompto barely reacted. His brow furrowed slightly as he breathed, “tired,” and his head came to rest against Noctis’ chest.
Ice ran through Noctis’ veins. They were running out of time. “I know,” he said gently. “I know, but just a little longer, ok?”
But Prompto didn’t respond this time.
“Prom?” He shook him a little. “Prompto?” He patted his cheek. “Stay with me, Prompto…come on. Please!” But there was no sign that his words had gotten through. His own vision swam as tears welled up and spilled over. He tightened his grip, burying his face in Prompto’s bloodstained hair as fear overwhelmed him. “Don’t do this,” he begged. “Please.” He rocked back and forth with Prompto in his arms on the bloody sand. “Don’t you dare do this!” The world seemed to fall away around him. “Not you too,” he choked out. “Not you…not you…”