Chapter Text
Later, when he was writing up the report, Ignis would comment they should have known. The should have at least suspected something was wrong. All the signs were right in front of them. From the pale skin that burned so easily in the sun, the preference for rare burgers and steaks, and most damning and obvious, the anemia that kept him on numerous supplements and off the blood donors lists. Instead they had ignored the signs and had accepted the mundane explanations, accepting Prompto as a simple commoner, a human.
It was impossible to accept those explanations now. Not with Noctis, hurrying an unlucky maid out of his rooms, a towel pressed against her still bleeding hand. Not with Gladio struggling to hold a frenzies Prompto down on the floor. And certainly not with Prompto fighting to break Gladio’s hold, his eyes a blazing red and his incisors extending into fangs. Like the three of them and all the rest of nobility on Eos, Prompto Argentum was a vampire.
Firmly telling himself there would be time for questions and recriminations later knelt beside the struggling pair pressing a hastily grabbed blood pack to Prompto’s mouth. Prompto immediately stopped fighting Gladio’s grip as his fangs pierces the pack and he set to draining it like a starving man. Which, Ignis mused was exactly what he was.
“I got Sarah to escort Milla to medical to have her hand checked out,” Noctis half whispered as he joined Ignis his eyes filled with questions and concern “and I called Cor, he said he’s on his way. What else can I do to help?”
Ignis nodded, grateful at Noctis’ initiative “Call for Dr. Brayton. Prompto will need to be examined and it might as well be done here. How are you holding up Gladio?”
The Shield had relaxed his grip on Prompto slightly but didn’t look ready to release him entirely. “I’m good. Blondie may be in a blood frenzy but I’m still stronger than he is.”
Blood frenzy. A state starving and desperate vampires entered at the tiniest scent of blood. Granting them three-fold their normal strength and speed to help catch their prey. An accurate diagnosis, but Prompto entering a blood frenzy raised several unsettling questions.
“Has he ever been properly fed? Did he even know he needed blood?” Ignis wondered, watching Prompto draining the pack without slowing he doubt it. Standing Ignis unconsciously brushed non-existent dirt from his slacks. “I’m going to fetch a few more packs. I suspect it will take more than one to satisfy him right now.”
Making his way to the little breakfast nook in Noctis’ rooms he ran through everything they had found in their original background check on Prompto. A foundling turned into the checkpoint guards by a group of hunters. Their report claimed they had found him in the remains of what looked to be a refugee caravan, although they could not find any identification among the victims. Prompto himself had been weak and in need of medical intervention with Insomnia the closest place available to provide it. From there Prompto had been treated and placed into the foster system until his adoption by the Argentums shortly afterwards. Prompto himself had been all of ten months old. A sad beginning, but not that uncommon of one. Insomnia occasionally received waves of refugees as niflheim expanded their borders. Except none had been vampires, or nobility. Any noble in the lands Niflheim took were either killed or forced to swear allegiance to the emperor. If any had ever escaped none had made it to Insomnia. With this event everything about Prompto would have to be re-examined.
Gathering an armful of blood packs Ignis returned to the trio on the floor, Prompto had almost finished the first pack and his frenzy showed no sign of easing. Ignis reached up and pulled the nearly empty pack away earning himself a deep growl and a glare.
“Hey, none of that.” Gladio warned, tightening his grip.” We have more for you.”
Ignis didn’t let himself be bothered by it. Prompto was simply reacting on instinct. Offering up a new pack calmed him easily enough. “It’s fine Gladio. He can’t help it right now.”
Noctis reached over, ignoring a warning from Gladio, running his hand through Prompto’s blond hair. Ignis wasn’t sure if it was to comfort Prompto or Noct himself. “How long is he going to be like this?”
“It’s hard to say. My understanding is that cases of blood frenzy are extremely rare. We’ve managed to organize sufficient supplies that no-one starves enough to enter one. All we can do is keep feeding him until he calms down and wait.”
He didn’t add wait for Cor or Dr Bryant to arrive and take over the situation. He couldn’t and wouldn’t let it show but he was feeling out of his depth. So they sat in there, the silence only broken by growls when they exchanged empty packs for full ones.
Finally after Prompto had drained another two packs the red in his eyes started to fading back to their normal brilliant blue. Blinking in confusion at the worried expressions on Noctis’ and Ignis’ faces, twisting in Gladio’s grip to see a similar look on him. “W-what happened? Why are we on the floor?”
“Ahh, back with us then.” Ignis breathed out a sigh of relief. “Why don’t we move to the couch.”
Noctis grabbed Prompto’s hand, pulling out of Gladio’s grip and off the floor. “You gave us all a scare. You went into a blood frenzy.”
“Isn’t that a vampire thing?” Prompto said a little dazed, letting himself be led to the couch.
“Yep. Welcome to the vamp world.” Gladio said, picking himself off the floor. “You gave Milla a scare, going after her like that.”
Prompto looked stricken, likely horrified by the thought of attacking anyone. Ignis frowned at the back of Gladio’s head, adding a lecture about tact to his itinerary. Any reply from Prompto was cut off by a knock at the door.
Ignis watched for another moment as Prompto was settling on the couch before moving to open the door revealing both a dour faced Cor, and the current on call Citadel physician Dr Bryant.
“This had better be good Ignis. I’m still dealing with the fall out of the security alert from earlier.” Cor’s irritation was clear and for a moment Ignis wondered if Noct has made the right call summoning him.
“Of course Marshall but this is important.” he insisted, quickly running through the evening’s events and the reveal of Prompto’s vampiric nature. Dr. Bryant quickly excused himself from the conversation in favor of examining Prompto. When Ignis finished he stood waiting for Cor to comment.
“Alright, seems clear enough. Although I do want to know why Argentum is even here at the Citadel. You were ordered to bring Noctis here because of the subway explosions. Why did you include a civilian?” Cor demanded.
“That was my decision Marshall.” Ignis admitted “Prompto was with us when the order came through. As he was recently granted clearance for the Citadel residential section I felt bringing him with was safer then dropping him off and possibly compromising the car’s security.”
“Hmm we may need to review those procedures.” Cor murmured stepping past Ignis to approach the group gathered around the sofa. “Still I guess it’s better he frenzied here instead of on a bus or in the subway.”
Ignis shuddered at the thought. If Gladio had not been so quick on his tackle, if Prompto had gotten his teeth into Milla he could have drained her dry without noticing what he was doing. Out on some public transport the chances of anyone close by being able to stop a frenzied vampire were slim. Following behind Cor Ignis knew he had made the right decision to bring Prompto along.
Dr Bryant was busy with his exam, ignoring Noctis hovering nervously behind him. The doctor was frowning as he looked over Prompto’s eyes, mouth and skin, noting the signs that even Ignis could identify as severe vitamin and blood deficiency. “And you said you’ve never feed on blood before?”
Prompto shook his head, blinking owlishly up at the doctor, struggling to stay awake “Never, no-one ever suggested I needed to.”
“I see, and how much did you drink during your frenzy.”
“I, I’m not sure.” Prompto’s eyes flicked over to Noctis, and then to Ignis and Gladio questioning. “It was all blurry.”
“He had four packs.” Noctis supplied, looking like he wanted to inch closer.
“Four and a half before the red faded completely from his eyes.” Ignis added.
Dr. Bryant nodding, “Alright. For now you seem fine, but you’ll need some extra feedings and quite a bit of rest. And it might seem odd, but I’ll need a few blood samples for testing.”
Numbly Prompto offered up his left arm, his speech slurring slightly, “Okay.”
Cor stepped closer as Dr Bryant applied a bit of antiseptic and began drawing a few vials of blood. Setting a hand on Prompto’s shoulder to draw his attention. “Prompto, did your parents ever tell you anything about your adoption? How you got to the adoption center, if there was any information about your birth parents? Anything that might not have been in the official records?”
Rousing a little Prompto nodded. “I-i have a tattoo, on my right wrist. Mom said the adoption agency hid it from them until after the adoption was final. Mom and Dad were always scared if anyone saw it I would be taken away from them.”
“A tattoo? Why would. . .?” Cor shook his head, dismissing the question. Reaching for the wristband that covered Prompto’s wrist and presumably the the tattoo in question. “I’m sorry but I need to see it.”
Prompto whimpered but didn’t resists as the band was pulled away revealing stark black line against pale skin. Cor took out his phone snapping a picture of the mark. “Thank you for telling us.”
Pulling his arm close Prompto stared at the mark. “The adoption center claimed not to know what it meant. But they they still threatened my parents about keeping it hidden. And the number ‘NH” has to have something to do with Niflheim right?”
“Maybe, maybe not” Cor awkwardly patted Prompto’s shoulder, watching the young man’s head droop to the side. “We’ll get it figured out and go from there. Until then you should get some rest”
Prompto made a small noise of protest even as his eyes fell closed. Dr Bryant finished drawing his samples, placing a band-aid over the the needle marks, and settling the arm down gently. “I’m surprised he stayed awake this long. A blood frenzy puts a great deal of strain on the body leading to extreme exhaustion. He’ll likely sleep for a while.”
Packing away his tools and the samples he had collected, Dr Byrant stepped away. “I’ll get these checked out and have the labs put as much of a rush on the results as they can.”
Noctis finally stopped hovering, moving to Prompto’s side and easing him into a more comfortable stretch out position on the couch. Cor watched him fret over his friend and tried not to worry. Like his father Noctis did not make friends easily and he was fiercely protective of the ones he choose to keep close. If the tattoo was proof of a connection to Niflheim it could become a problem. “Thank you. As soon as you have any results please send them to myself and His Majesty.”
“I will.” Dr Bryant gave a quick, before exiting the prince’s rooms.
“Right then. I need to finish the write up the subway explosion, report this mess the Regis and get started digging into Prompto’s background,” Cor announced. “And eventually someone will be by to move Prompto to a guest room.”
The response was immediate and pretty much what Cor expected.
Noctis looked up, his expression a mix of indignation and worry. “Why move him at all? He can just stay with me. He already has clearance.”
Cor fixed his prince with a steady gaze, “Prompto Argentum the common born human was granted clearance to be in the royal household. Prompto Argentum the vampire of unknown house, and with a self-admitted possible tie to Niflheim was not.”
Noctis looked away slightly abashed. “Can’t it wait until morning, or when he wakes up? He’s had a big enough shock. He shouldn’t have to wake up in a strange room.”
“I’ll let your father decide. It might be better to get it over with. Besides it’s not like we’re planning on putting him into a cell over this. Now if you’ll excuse me. There’s work to do.” Cor turned on his heel heading to the door.
Ignis followed behind, “Thank you for your assistance Marshall. I apologize for pulling you away from your investigation.”
“It’s fine Ignis. Making sure the royal family and those around are safe is my primary job. It looks like you have everything handled here. Notify me if Argentum wakes up or if there’s any change.”
“Of course.” Ignis nodded
Cor gave a small bow before exiting the room, and beginning the long trek back to his office. He could wait until Dr Bryant completed his preliminary tests to tell Regis about Prompto. He could also begin his own investigation into Prompto’s background while he waited.
Once he returned to his office and sat down, Cor first grimly reviewed the investigation findings of the subway explosion. Five people dead with dozens more injured. The only tiny bright spot was that is appeared to be a complete accident rather than a terrorist attack or deliberate sabotage. Not that it made any difference to the dead and injured, it did take it out of his jurisdiction and into the city’s civil engineers to figure out and deal with.
Finishing that report, Cor moved on to the mystery of Prompto Argentum. There wasn’t much in the file. The official birth certificate filed by the foster care and adoption agency, listing his birth parents and birthplace as unknown, and a guess for his birthdate. A few school and medical records. Information on his parents, a software engineer, and a nurse. Both reported as loyal to the crown and supportive of immigrant rights and had been cleared to work in the Citadel itself at various points in their lives. And finally a copy of the report of Prompto’s surrender to the border guards as an infant.
Frustrated at at the lack of clue in the file, and annoyed that the report left out the detail of the tattoo Cor tried to pull up the original report, hoping it would have some additional details. Instead he could only blink as the computer told him the file wasn’t found in response to his query. He double-checked the report number listed in file. He had typed it in correctly. Either the report itself had been entered wrong in the computer system, or the copy provided by the adoption agency was fake.
He was about to start checking all the reports from the around the day it was claimed Prompto was brought into Insomnia when his email notification chimed, checking it he found Dr Bryant had finished his initial tests. The doctor had tried to keep the report professional but he was clearly angry about the condition Prompto was in. The words gross incompetence and neglect were spread liberally and prominently throughout the report. Printing out the report Cor added it to the slim file and stood up from his desk. Time to add this mess to the pile on Regis’ desk.
The trip to Regis’ office was short, the halls nearly empty as Cor’s footsteps echoed through them. Nodding at the two guards, Cor pushed open the huge doors heading inside. Regis was sitting at his desk, with Clarus leaning over as they reviewed some report or another. Cor stopped in front of the desk with a quick salute, “Regis, Clarus, evening. There’s been an incident with Noctis’ friend, Prompto Argentum.”
Regis looked up, eyes weary and concerned. If only for how whatever happened would affect Noctis, he knew all too well how rare good friends were for royalty. “What happened? Is the boy alright?”
“He’s a vampire who went into a blood frenzy.” Cor offered the folder to Regis. “No-one was hurt but it brings up a lot of uncomfortable questions.”
“Indeed,” Regis took the folder and began looking through it, frowning at Dr Bryant’s report of Prompto’s condition, “I take you’ve already started researching his background.”
Cor nodded, “Yes, but so far it hasn’t been encouraging. I wasn’t able to find the official report from the Border checkpoint guards confirming the story the adoption agency gave It could be an error in filing, but I do not believe so. And Prompto himself told me of a barcode that was tattooed on to his wrist as a baby. He says he doesn’t know what it means, but expressed concern it indicated his origin as being from Niflheim.”
Clarus spoke up, his voice laced with disapproval and anger but unsure of the target, “If the tattoo does tie him to Niflheim could he have been brought here as some sort of sleeper agent.”
“Be a bit foolish to mark him so obviously if he was, but I guess we have to entertain the possibility.” Regis commented idly , “Even outside of that scenario, we have what appears to be a noble trafficked as an infant and given to people either unwilling or unable to see to his needs.”
Drumming his fingers against his desk as he finished reading the summary diagnostic, Regis thought over the various scenarios that could have led to a vampire child being adopted by human parents. A simple error and pure ignorance would actually be the best possible scenario. Despite decades of research and scientific reasoning there were still people who insisted nobles didn’t need to feed on blood to survive. People who kept demanding a chance to prove their theory, offering up various experiments that all involved some noble simple stop drinking blood. If any of that group had gotten a hold of a noble born baby, one that couldn’t be tracked, or wasn’t even being looked for it wasn’t inconceivable they would try to raise it without blood.
Reaching into a drawer of his desk, Regis searched for the emergency custody form that he needed, grateful Lord Scientia kept him prepared for almost any possibility. Filling in the date, and Prompto’s name, he glanced at the other two men “I’ll need you both to sign as a witnesses to this.” offering the document first to Clarus who signed his name without comment.
Cor raised an eyebrow as the form was turned to him, “A little extreme don’t you think? We’re still early in the investigation.” Still he added his signature to the witness line, passing the paper back to Regis.
“I believe his current condition warrants it.” Regis signed his name, and stamped on the official seal. “For the duration of the investigation of his origin and treatment by his guardians and depending on the results Prompto Argentum will be a Ward of the Crown.”