#’but the prince of any falling empire knows that everybody want to drive onto the night if it’s a drive back home’

[thisisreal-really]

lokius are kinda ginasfs by fall out boy coded if you really think about it

[echoes-of-the-clockwork]

Book One: Gold (Prompto x Reader) Chapter XXIV

Prompto drove the snowmobile out of the facility. The vehicle sped across the snow as they tried to find a safe place away from the empire. (Y/n) unwound one of her arms from around him and conjured a few flaming throwing knives. She tossed them at the soldiers that were trying to stop them, knocking them out of the way. "You focus on driving! I'll handle the enemies!" She shouted over the engine.

"Gotcha!" Prompto guided the snowmobile through the opening she created. He tried his best to avoid the paths littered with imperial forces, but some of them he couldn't avoid at all.

(Y/n) continued to use her magic even though it was weak. They didn't make it far before they were being followed by airships. Seeing the incoming bombs, she instructed Prompto on which way to go in order to avoid being blown to smithereens. While giving him directions, she managed to conjure a large fiery vortex that consumed many of the airships. It was weak, but powerful enough to take down the air vessels.

Her body slumped against Prompto's back once they were in the clear for a short while. Her breathing was shallow and he could tell. "Hang in there a little longer, (Y/n)."

"Whatever they drugged me with hasn't completely worn off." She smiled weakly. "But I'll do my best."

As he drove off a ramp and off the cliffside, her grip tightened around his waist. She could feel the extent of her exhaustion and shook her head, trying to stave it off as long as she could. She was pulled from her tiredness the moment she spotted MA Hoplomachuses in the distance. Holding up her hand again, she formed her own fiery missiles and used them to intersect the mechs' projectiles. She saved them from being blown off the snowmobile.

As they sped past the mechs, (Y/n) could see the edges of her vision were turning black. She was beginning to lose consciousness and barely couldn't keep her eyes open. She closed her eyes for a brief second, but they shot open when she heard another MA Hoplomachus. Lifting her head from Prompto's back, she watched as the mech landed in the snow and blocked their path. It fired a barrage of missiles at them, which she was unable to protect them from.

Prompto expertly dodges the first three missile, but the fourth hits the ground just behind the snowmobile as he drove off a cliff. He lost his balance due to the blast from the explosion and wound up losing control of the vehicle. They both flew off the snowmobile and crashed into the snow at the bottom of the cliff. (Y/n) lost consciousness, her body slowly being covered with the fresh snowfall.

On the other hand, Prompto was still conscious. His body was in pain from the crash and he laid in the cold snow for a short while. Then, he slowly rolls onto his back and lays there looking up for a moment at the falling snow. He shuts his eyes for a brief moment. "Catch ya later, Aranea..."

After a quiet moment passes, Prompto pushes himself onto his hands and knees and crawls over to (Y/n). He checked her for injuries before sitting beside her with a heavy sigh once seeing she was uninjured. "At least I'm not alone..." Standing up, he pulled the snowmobile out of the snow and placed it right-side up.

Next, he returned to the spirit and scooped her up into his arms. He carries her over to the vehicle, placing her unconscious form behind him. Patting his pants, he found the bandana that was once tied around his arm. He grabbed her wrists and tied them together with it while they were hooked around his waist. "Hope it isn't too tight, (Y/n)," he whispered. Leaning forward, he grabbed the handles and started the snowmobile.

Carefully, Prompto drove the rest of the way to Decratom Haven. He parked the snowmobile right beside the runic stone before untying (Y/n)'s wrists and carrying her the rest of the way. He placed her down on the cold ground, already missing her warmth.

His next course of action was to start a fire. He managed to locate some sticks and ignited them by striking two rocks together. He tossed the rocks aside, huffing out a grunt. "What I wouldn't do for fire magic right about now..."

With the campfire now burning bright, Prompto searched for any provisions left behind by previous campers. Luckily, he found a single can and a spoon. He sat down beside the curled up (Y/n) and popped open the can to enjoy its contents.

As night fell over Eos, Prompto lowered the can. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he knew he would need sustenance after what all happened and what is to come. He took a few bites before leaving the rest for the spirit. "Almost as good as what Iggy used to make," he chuckled feebly. He sets the can down and looks around. His eyes landed on the unconscious girl. "Well, at least it's quiet for a change and you can get some rest, (Y/n)."

Prompto stared into the bright flames of the campfire for a moment before pulling up the sleeve of his jacket to reveal the barcode on the back of his wrist. He grunts and grits his teeth, then begins frantically trying to scratch the barcode away. "Damnit!" He cursed after seeing it was futile. Looking back into the fire, the boy reaches down and picks up a burning stick. He looks down at his barcode and begins lowering the stick toward it. He holds the burning wood above his barcode and begins breathing heavily.

Just before he could press the burning wood against his skin, it was snatched out of his grasp. His head shot up to see (Y/n) was conscious and had stopped him. He stared into her golden eyes with his turmoil-filled cerulean ones. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came from him.

"What were you planning to do, Prompto?" She demanded, her tone lower than he had ever heard before. She was scolding him like a child.

"I just... I just want this thing to go away," Prompto confessed, eyes looking back at the barcode on his wrist.

Her eyes narrowed. "And you thought burning it would be a good solution?"

"Yes..."

She quickly got to her feet with the burning stick in her grasp. "Let's test that solution then." She combed her (h/c) locks aside and pulled down the collar of her outfit to reveal the barcode on the back of her neck. She brought the burning stick up to it, but she was immediately stopped by Prompto.

"Stop!" He bellowed, flying to his feet and grabbing her wrist. "Please, don't burn yourself, (Y/n). I... I realize how stupid of an idea it was."

"Don't tell me you thought that would work," they heard Aranea say. Prompto releases the spirit's wrist and takes a few steps back from her to look at the ex-mercenary. (Y/n) kept her back to her as the woman addresses them both. ""Prompto" and "(Y/n)," right?"

The guardian turned around with an amused smile, tossing the stick back into the fire. "Wow, you actually used my name."

Aranea guffawed as she sits down by the fire. "Don't get used to it, firefly."

(Y/n) remained standing while Prompto sits down. The blonde didn't say anything and hung his head. This didn't go unnoticed by either woman. The youngest one said nothing while the older one tried to lighten the mood. "You could at least look happy to see me."

The (h/c)-haired girl hugged herself. Not only had the boy learned the truth of his origins, but hers as well. "It's...been a long day, Aranea."

"Hasn't it for all of us," she sighed.

Prompto just continues to look down, saying nothing. Aranea tried to spark up a conversation with him. "I ran into your buddies in Tenebrae." This got his attention and he looked up at her. "You and your girlfriend got 'em worried sick."

Prompto looks back down, his melancholic gaze focusing on the ground. He remained silent.

"You both gonna go see 'em or what?" Aranea questioned.

"I think we should," (Y/n) said, voicing her opinion.

The boy looked up at her for a brief second before hanging his head. "I... I can't."

The spirit's eyes widen in bewilderment. She could tell he was in despair over learning the truth, but she never expected it to stop him from seeing his friends ever again. "Prompto..."

He didn't dare look into her eyes as he explained why he couldn't see the others. "I can't... I'm not like them. I was born here—in Niflheim. All this time and I've never told them. And that's not even the worst part. I wasn't born into a happy family. I was made—created in some laboratory. The entire reason I exist is to make Noct and all of them miserable. How could I possibly see them? They'd never accept the real me."

The same went for (Y/n), but she had come to terms with her origins years ago. Unlike her, Prompto just learned the truth behind his existence. Feeling guilt knew at her heart, she turned and left the haven. She could feel eyes on her back as she trudged through the snow towards the nearby frozen lake.

Prompto and Aranea had both watched her leave, but the boy couldn't tear his eyes away from her until she was a mere speck in the distance. He turned his grief-stricken gaze back to the fire. While his words were meant to describe him, they also described her just as well. However, his emotions were torn asunder unlike hers who seemed to be intact.

Aranea, after a few moments of silence, smiles. "You spent all that time driving around together and you still don't know what kinda guys they really are. In case you forgot, your princely pal and I weren't always on such friendly terms. But you know what? He put all that aside and asked me to make sure you and firefly were safe."

Prompto was taken aback at the news. "He did?"

"Think he'd do that for someone who "makes him miserable"?" She remarked.

Prompto swallowed the lump forming in his throat and asked, "Is everybody okay?"

"All things considered, I guess. Sounds like they've been through a lot since you and firefly left, but they're still dead set on getting to the capital."

"Hope they make it..." He mumbled.

"They'd have a better shot with you two around."

Prompto became even more curious. "Did they say anything else about me or (Y/n)?"

"Not that I can recall," Aranea answered.

"Right..." He clutched his hands together tightly.

"His Highness was so worried about you two that he could barely speak, but don't worry—I whipped him into shape."

"So...he doesn't hate us after all..."

Aranea saw the turmoil of emotions in his eyes, but she could tell what he truly desired. She stood up with a sigh. "Look—I can tell you want to get back together with them. So why not let them know?" She begins walking away.

"You think they'd let me and (Y/n) back? After all this?" Prompto retorted. The ex-mercenary stops and turns back toward him. After a brief silence, he speaks again. "And even if they did let us back, we'd probably cause them nothing but trouble. I don't know how we could live with ourselves."

Aranea exclaims in frustration and begins walking back toward himself. "Because you're doing such a great job of living with yourself and firefly now." She kicks him onto his back and crouches down over him. "What do you want then? You worry so much about what other people want from you that you don't even know what you want anymore! Your life isn't yours to live! You're too busy wallowing in your own self pity that you can't see what's right in front of you! Are you really so blind that you can't see the one person who cares more about you than any other person on Eos is already here?!"

She grabs both sides of his face in her hands. "Forget about what everyone else thinks for a second. Figure out what it is you're really after here and see what you already have." She stands and takes a few steps back. "Now get your ass up and go talk to firefly. If you don't realize how lucky you are to have her, I'll take her off your hands."

Prompto's eyes widen at Aranea's declaration. He pushed himself off the ground and stood up. Looking towards the frozen lake, he saw the guardian was still there. Thanks to Aranea, he finally realized he wasn't truly alone in this world. Even if Noctis and the others didn't accept him, he still had the one person that mattered the most—(Y/n).

Leaving the warmth of the campfire, Prompto went to speak with her. Even with no light source, the snow provided the entire area with a semblance of illumination. When he reached her side, he stared out across the surface of the frozen lake. Before he could even say anything, she spoke up. "I'm so sorry, Prompto," she mumbled sorrowfully. Tears were forming in her eyes, her body shaking slightly. Prompto turned his head, eyes widening when seeing her current state. He reached out to touch her, but his hand froze midair when she continued. "I'm sorry for keeping everything a secret. I didn't want you to find out this way. I wanted to tell you about who we truly were years ago, b-but I could never build up the courage. I was afraid that if you learned the truth, you would want to get rid of me and you'd shut yourself away from the world. I should've told you so you would've been able to sort through your feelings and come to terms with it sooner. This is all my fault..." The floodgates were destroyed and tears streamed down her cheeks. Her body shook with sobs.

Prompto's heart shattered at her words. He felt his own tears forming and took action. He turned her so she was now facing him and cradled her face in his hands. He wiped away her tears, leaning his forehead against hers and staring into her tear-stricken eyes. Taking a couple steps closer, he pressed his body against hers. "None of this is your fault, (Y/n). Even if I did know sooner, there's no way I'd get rid of you. You mean too much to me, even more than the guys. You've been my world since we first met. Aranea's right... I'm the luckiest guy on Eos because I have you. Even if Noct and the others don't want us back after telling them the truth, we'll still have each other."

"Prompto..." (Y/n) whispered his name between sobs.

"I still need time to come to terms with all this and sort through my feelings. Will you help me, (Y/n)?"

She smiled through her tears. "Of course I will." She placed her hands over his.

"And if you don't mind... I'm super curious about you now. Think we could talk?"

"Yeah. Let's head back to the haven."

Back at Decratom Haven, Prompto and (Y/n) sat beside each other near the campfire. The girl hugged her knees to her chest as she listened to the crackling of the firewood. "I am...was the guardian of Verstael Besithia. What you saw was a warped version of the man I once knew. I used to help him with his research until his methods became inhumane. My plan was to betray him and share his secrets with Lucis. Verstael learned about my plan to betray him and...killed the real (Y/n)."

"So, that memory echo the guys and I saw in the quarry..." Prompto's voice trailed off.

"Was of my death. After killing the real (Y/n), Verstael dedicated most of his time to recreating her in his own image. His main goal was to overwrite her memories and have her remain loyal to only him. From what I discovered in the facility, he failed over and over again. For years, he continued to try and recreate her, but he would only make it so far before the clone perished. Even after so many failed attempts, he wouldn't give up. After many years passed, he eventually made an exact copy of (Y/n) with no memories of the past."

"And that's you," Prompto mumbled. "Then how do you remember all this if his experiment was a success?"

"He wasn't able to erase my memories, only lock them away. When I turned twelve, I remembered everything. When I first saw your barcode after I regained my memories, I knew exactly who you were. Of course, I never said anything and look where we are now..."

Prompto hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. "Well, now I understand why you're four years older than. I didn't question it at first until you told me the truth about guardians. If you were supposed to be a fragment of me, how are you four years older than me? But now I know." Remembering what Ardyn said earlier, he chuckled and leaned his head against hers. "Thank the Six both of us were taken away from the facility. I'm not sure what my life would be like without you."

"I wonder the same sometimes," (Y/n) confessed. "A life being raised by Verstael with those horrid memories in my head would've been awful..."

Prompto suddenly yawned. He snuggled closer to her and closed his eyes. Although his emotions were still a mess, he was more composed thanks to his chat with the guardian.

Seeing he was tired, (Y/n) released her knees. "You should get some rest, Prom."

"So should you. I can tell you're still exhausted," he said.

"You've no idea..." She huffed, laying down on her back once he released her. "That drug they injected me with is still kicking my ass..."

Prompto laughed before falling onto his back beside her. Although he was laughing and smiling on the surface, he was still a mess on the inside. He stared up at the cave ceiling for a few minutes, falling into deep thought. It wasn't long until he was brought back to reality when the chill of the snowy landscape gnawed at his bones. Not even his current set of clothes or the campfire could stave off all the cold.

Turning over onto his side, he faced (Y/n). He realized she had curled up on her side, facing away from him. It was the perfect position. Scooting closer, he snuggled up to her with an arm lazily wrapped around her waist. He pulled her closer until her back was flush against his body. Feeling her warmth made him sigh with content. "You're so warm, (Y/n)," he mumbled. When receiving no response, Prompto figured she was already fast asleep. He tucked her head under his chin. Her warmth eventually spread through his entire body, brining him comfort. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.

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