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Prompto was lost. No matter which way he turned, he was met with another unfamiliar corridor, another set of strange doors. He tried to make a mental map as he wandered, but the hallways never started making sense, regardless of how far he walked. The worst part of it was that everything was so damn silent. All he could hear was his own breathing, his footsteps, and his heartbeat resounding in his ears.
Where was Noctis? Where were Ignis and Gladio? Where were you?
How long had he been in this place? He was losing track of time, he realized. It could have been days, or mere hours. He was probably going around in circles, which didn’t make it any easier to remember where he had been.
As he walked, all he could think about was your face. It kept drifting in and out of his mind. The expression on your face when Noctis had attacked him, knocking him to the ground. You had rushed over to him afterwards, making sure that he was all right, even though neither of you could figure out what had spurred the prince to do such a thing.
Prompto had followed after his best friend, and then…
Now he was here, in this place, and he didn’t know if he would ever…
No. He would see you again. You, Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio. You would all come for him. There was no other alternative. He just had to hold out until then.
Cold metal at his back. Painful cuffs around his wrists. He couldn’t remember how he had gotten here. Still alone, frightened now. His head was cloudy, filled with thoughts and doubts that threatened to tear him apart. All that was holding him together was his memories of you and his friends. Memories of the time before the fall of Insomnia.
Prompto…
He could still hear your voice, feel your soft touch against the side of his face.
Prompto.
More urgently this time, calling for him…
“Prompto!”
His eyes opened, and he realized that he was no longer strapped to that horrible device, but lying in a soft bed, your warm body pressed against his. You were watching him in concern, one hand resting gently against his cheek.
“You were having another nightmare,” you told him, your voice quiet. “Was it…about that place?”
He gave a single nod, his cobalt eyes haunted. Turning over onto his side, he reached out, throwing his arms tightly around you. He buried his face in your chest, and you could feel him shaking.
“Hey, hey, calm down,” you murmured, running your fingers through his soft golden hair. “They can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe.”
“Yeah,” he replied, his voice muffled. Slowly, his shivering was dying down. “Yeah, I know. You and the guys came to find me. You rescued me, just like I thought you would.” No matter how terrifying things had gotten, there had been a part of him, locked away where it couldn’t be touched, that still believed he would be found. That thought was the only thing that had kept him from breaking in Zegnautus Keep.
He’d believed in his friends, and in you, and he had been saved. You and the others would always be there for him when he needed you, as he had then.
Ever at his side.