Chapter Text
An avalanche of chaos broke out over Balamb Garden, leaving hundreds of broken hearts in its wake. The night seemed to go on without end as students and faculty alike worked tirelessly to rebuild their home, wanting the light of precious memories to color the hours that had yet to be awakened. Fortunately, the valiant hearts behind the Garden were determined to make sure their home would meet a new day with its spirit intact. One and only one worry tugged at the back of their minds as the hours fell off the clock, filled with collective efforts to put their home back together: the state of SEED's favorite gunner and the Garden's beloved photographer. The young man abducted by the one behind the Garden's recent chaos.
After trudging through darkness that threatened to transcend the end of time, a determined, resilient group of SEEDs rescued the photographer-but he wasn't taken home unscathed. Barely emerging from Hell's most savage recesses, their Prompto was returned home with a mosaic of wounds-on the inside and outside. Much to his boyfriend's horror, the freckled chocobo-turned-human couldn't even tolerate the sight of a certain instructor being anywhere near him. Prompto was constantly weeping, not wanting anyone to be anywhere near him, having developed a painfully high intolerance to touch. Luckily, with his brother and dorm mate performing the Chocobo Dance, the shattered spirit was brought back into the light of truth. He was surrounded by friends-family-and the man that loved him beyond reason.
While he could barely string more than two words together, still exhausted beyond words, Prompto was in possession of an appetite that rivaled that of the Balamb Garden's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion's. A double-edged sword drove itself into their spirits; it was fantastic to see their friend wasn't against eating or drinking, but seeing him instantly inhale steaming hot tea as though he only had five minutes left to live wasn't exactly something to be thrilled about. Two more stakes through their souls were two strings Prompto managed to weave together: 'I tried' and 'I'm sorry'. Short and vague, but informative enough to let them know somewhere along the line he tried to escape, tried to break free. All on his own.
Determined to not even let an insect look at him the wrong way, his fellow SEEDs rapidly bounced back and forth between assisting the Garden's recovery efforts and looking after the photographer. Ignis, aided by Iris and Instructor Trepe, occupied himself with cooking up delicacies packed with nutrients because "if he's going to eat and drink like the bird we all know he is, then he must be fed properly,", taking a playful stab at how they affectionately saw Prompto as a baby chocobo. Hours passed in the wake of his bittersweet return, with the master chef and his assistants in the kitchens, bedside vigils constantly held at Prompto's side, and a certain trio planning to put an end to Trabia Chancellor's goals before he struck again.
Sunlight began to paint their horizon, giving it a joyful, ethereal glow as though the world had been parched for decades. Squall, Laguna and Noctis, in the midst of planning a full-scale assault on Prompto's tormentor, were thrilled by the updates on their chocobo's recovery. Weeping became sniffles as the sun rose, coloring a battered world in the golden, uplifting shades of a new day. A smile, although small and fragile, had returned to Prompto's freckled face. So, knowing an invaluable part of their lives was well on the road to recovery, the trio found themselves excited about their upcoming mission. That excitement saw fit to fly right out of the window once the photographer found the strength to explain himself, with Squall constantly throwing darts in his efforts to do so because who in their right mind wanted Prompto to return to the Hell he barely emerged from-even if it was mentally? But, always wanting to be of some assistance, Noctis' dorm mate shed light on a nightmare that never should have happened. "I tried to get out of there, seriously, I did," he told them, referring to Chancellor Izunia's assault and how he had been cornered by Ardyn himself, lifting and crushing hearts all at once. While it was wonderful to hear Prompto put more than two words together, his opening topic wasn't one anyone could smile about.
"Well, it was kinda after I thought I could get rid of the guy myself. Stupid, huh? After you guys told me to whistle for help, I tried to take him alone."
Laguna's face was unreadable. Squall looked as though he wanted to slit his wrists with his Gunblade and embrace Prompto in tears. With instructor and swordsman in possession of uncharacteristic expressions, the photographer chuckled weakly. "Son of a bitch dragged me into his lair," he continued, his voice frail, light with a world of love but heavy with heartache. "Can't remember everything right now-"
"It's not like we want you to remember anything," Squall muttered, his voice a low, vicious snarl, wishing Prompto would talk about something else. Wishing Ardyn would just burst into flames. Irvine's fellow marksman gave him an infinitely warm, loving smile. "But he did call me a lot of names. Told me all about me being a-"
Squall's impatience and the absence of tolerance towards Prompto strolling down Memory Lane embedded themselves into Noctis. "A chocobo. Yeah, we get it. Can we move it along already?" the Leonhart's other half groaned, hand against his forehead, knowing full well what his little brother was. Prompto's barcode was in plain view. They all knew. Laguna, quiet, strangely unreadable Laguna, knew. They all knew-
And didn't care.
Well, time to bypass the details on Ardyn telling him the foundation of his origins. None of them were the least bit interested. If anyone had the right to turn tail and run, it was Laguna-but the instructor remained rooted in place, eyes cast downward, silent. Squall looked as though he wanted to run his Gunblade through everyone, turn it on himself and end the vicious cycle of boredom Prompto had plunged them into. Prompto laughed through a fresh wave of tears, clutching his bed sheets, realizing the room had suddenly become even brighter. "Sorry, bro. Anyways, just wanted to let you guys know to watch out and I love you, okay?" he added with a smile, the look blindingly bright, warm, beautiful.
As though Ardyn hadn't done anything but give him a few papercuts.
"This probably doesn't need to be said, but the guy's bad news. I mean REALLY bad news. I wanna go with you, but-"
Affectionate, gentle snickers ran through the room at Squall's tone. Some were treated to the look on his face and weren't able to suppress chuckles. "That would totally make sense," Laguna's son cut in, eyes widened, taking on an uncharacteristically energetic energy. He turned to his two teammates, beaming: "Why don't we gift-wrap Prompto and take him back to Ardyn? I'm sure the guy misses him. After all, we did kinda ruin his party."
...
"Great job, jackass," Noctis snarled, his voice stricken with quiet anger. He understood Squall's point of view and the rampant fear behind it. He knew Prompto was on the same page. So the following words were just a playful, affectionate stab at someone that had become an integral part of his family. "Just what we needed-for little brother to cry some more."
"Lotus blossom's got a point, though," Instructor Loire put in, just as calm and jovial as ever, as if they were discussing lunch options. Seeing Ignis and Gladiolus wrap their arms around a tearful, blushing photographer, the brunette went on standing in between the two swordsmen. He twirled a wisp of his black hair as he spoke, eyes reflecting the warmth and glow of the sun. "We're one man short. I'd rather take ol' cuddly chop's knife and plunge it into my heart before taking Prompto with us," he went on, referring to Squall and his Gunblade. "but we should take another one of these guys with us. Just in case we need to split into teams. I'm afraid a team of two and a team of one just won't cut it. So whaddya say, guys?"
Noctis' input came instantly. "I vote Ignis."
Squall looked to his other half, then at his father. "I'm okay with Instructor Scientia," he shrugged, as though they were still considering lunch options. "What about you, Dad? Mind taking Instructor Scientia with us?"
Glowing over the word 'Dad' being spoken without even a hint of malice, Laguna shook his head. Noting the agreement flowing between his three friends, Ignis intervened. "Are you all absolutely certain?" he asked, arms still wrapped around Prompto, panic running through the veins of each word. "This isn't a decision to be taken lightly. Should you not take someone that's able-bodied and a little more confident in their strength? Why not Gladiolus or Iris? I won't do anything but sl-"
Prompto's boyfriend pulled him away from the bedridden chocobo, leading him out of the room by the arm-cutting off Ignis' attempts at self-loathing because with them still picking up the pieces of a chocobo's shattered spirit, who wanted to hear another beloved friend verbally bash their own skull in? "Ooookay, Iggy it is," Squall's father sang, determined to keep his eyes forward, ignoring his friend's protests all the while.
"C'mon. We instructors have to stick together. You know what they say-birds of a feather fly together."
"Wait."
What Laguna didn't want to happen happened. That voice belonged to none other than Prompto, soft, fragile and pleading. All eyes fell on the photographer as he spoke, smile still shining with the light of a spirit that had been temporarily shattered, but would never be broken. "I'm sorry, Laguna," he confessed. Laguna had turned to him with quiet eyes, seemingly calm eyes, eyes that concealed a feverish urge to slowly boil Ardyn alive.
"Sorry I pushed you away. I knew it was you. I just...just didn't want you to touch me, that's all. I was afraid you...well, I was afraid you wouldn't...um, I kinda sorta thought you'd burst into flames or something if you touched me. I mean, our ol' buddy Ardyn kinda did do a few numbers on me. But I really am sorry. I love you, okay?"
Prompto's room in the infirmary was overtaken by a malevolent spirit, one born from the hearts of all present and filled with the need to spill every drop of blood that dwelled inside a chancellor's body. Laguna, still holding Ignis' hand, considered a variety of ways to execute his boyfriend's tormentor, inclined to choose death by frost because why not? He was pretty handy with Ice magic. Maybe it wouldn't be as much fun as boiling Ardyn alive but hey, watching someone freeze to death could still be pretty amazing.
With silence being heavier than twenty moons, Laguna remained in the doorway, Ignis' hand still in his. Prompto's smile, although tinted with worry, remained effervescent. Trying to silence the need to set the world on fire, the brunette smiled at the beaming photographer, took a deep breath and:
"Marry me."
Set the world on fire himself.
"H-h-huh?" a blushing gunner asked, fists at his throat, face ablaze with shyness. A wave of shock and euphoric swept through the others, creating a cloud of exuberant gasps. Squall looked as if Seifer had just waltzed into the room wearing a tutu, jaw scattered on the sun-kissed floor in a million pieces. Laguna gave none of them any reason to write the order off as a joke; the marksman was solemn, hopeful, his energy alive with valor that soared beyond the stars. "Marry me," he shrugged, as though he had just asked Prompto to recite his name, with love and memories permeating each breath.
"When we get back, I mean. Make me the happiest creature alive by becoming my husband. I'll give you your dream wedding, don't you worry, Lotus blossom, whether you want something teeny tiny or loud enough to make the Sorceress jealous."
"B-b-but-"
"Oh, I get it," Laguna chuckled, arms folded, eyes still glowing with the sun's purity. "You're worried about what your brothers think. Well, truth be told, I kinda already asked them for your hand in marriage."
"Yeah, we're okay with it," Noctis put in, as if they had just agreed to hot dogs for lunch, with Ignis and Gladiolus supporting him. Prompto became as red as Ifrit from head to toe, clutching his sheets even harder, freckles melting underneath the violent waves of red.
"But-I-wait a minute! Hold on a second! You wanna marry me, after, I dunno, everything that's happened? Now? As in, RIGHT now? Do. You. Mean. It?"
"I'm with Sunshine on this," Squall stepped in, his voice almost shrill with disbelief. He turned to Laguna with flashing eyes, his energy alive with a lion's roar. "Do you honestly want me to deal with this right now?"
As innocent as a newborn, Instructor Loire frowned at him. "Deal with what?"
"Deal with not just having YOU for a father, but having HIM for another father," the bladesman shot out, pointing at the bedridden chocobo. "I can't even tolerate you! You seriously want me to jump right into having the guy that sings the Chocobo Song as a father? I still think of him as my little brother, and right now, I want to put Chancellor Izunia's head on the edge of my blade for what he's done to my baby brother, but you want to come back and make Prompto my father? You're not even gonna give me a warm-up period?"
"Squall?"
Noctis' other half whirled around on Prompto with a loud, long sigh, complete with a round of eye-rolling. "What?!"
"It's okay. I won't do it if you don't want me to."
All eyes landed on Squall, for it was his next words that would determine the fate of the universe. Squall was rooted in place, eyes locked on the smiling, saddened photographer tugging on his sheets. Silence returned to their little sanctuary and was even heavier than before. The swordsman broke it by biting his bottom lip and muttering:
"For fuck's sake."
Sunlight spread across Noctis' face. His boyfriend had left his side to take Prompto into his arms. A small, happy 'hiya' popped out of his classmate's mouth as soon as Squall made contact, encasing the gunner in an embrace that wouldn't have been broken if Ifrit ordered them to separate. As soon as his fellow SEED's warmth broke through the barriers of his spirit, infusing his body and mind with light, Squall lifted his head so his eyes met warm, happy eyes. "Do whatever you want," the Leonhart told him, his own eyes shining with tears. Much to everyone's surprise and excitement, he kissed Prompto's forehead.
"He makes you happy. End of story. Just don't expect me to start calling you 'Dad' right off the bat, or you'll be disappointed."
"You can still think of me as your baby brother," Prompto offered hopefully, helpfully, but the swordsman shook his head.
"Won't work. Things are already weird. How about 'Sunpop'?" A reference to the treats the cafeteria served sometimes; sweet, ice cold delicacies called 'pop bars'. Treats Prompto shared with Zell as soon as they found out the cafeteria had them on hand. "You like those damn ice cream bars, and it's got the word 'pop' in it, so that should give me a good start."
...
"I take it from the goofy smile on your face you like it," Seifer's long-time rival muttered, wiping his eyes. "And on the note of goofy smiles, I'm kinda sick of standing in a sea of them. Are we going to get moving, or should we just have the damn ceremony right now?"
"We should probably get moving," Instructor Ignis Scientia admitted. "No time like the present to enjoy a good show. And I am most curious about seeing what our dear friend Ardyn has up his sleeve."