A/B/O Promptis bc omg yaaaaas

[starless_sky]

 
It has been a miserable month so far. He thought he had everything, he thought he had the third astral in the bag, he'd finally make contact with Luna and convince her to join them. He'd finish this war against the empire and get the crystal back and everyone would go home. He could be with Prompto then, because he KNEW Luna would understand. Hell, she probably had someone else. He never felt like they were in love even through their notebook messages. They were friends forever but that was all it was, friendship. He was on the cusp of it, on the cusp of getting Luna away from the empire, the move that would turn the tides in this uphill battle but then everything changed and things went downhill and kept rolling down and down just getting worse. Luna died and Ignis was blind, darkness was falling, the daemons were getting worse, he was unhinged, he couldn't fucking focus, he was snapping at his friends, Gladio was at the end of his patience with it and they were getting further into imperial territory which just meant everything was going to be tougher. More security checks, tighter security checks. More guards... more events like how he and Prompto had to get off the train to fend off mechs. 

And gods, Prompto. Noct had... he didn't want to think about it and at the same time he couldn't get it out of his mind. Prompto's panicked face as he fell from the train. Standing there on the top watching as his body quickly shrank in the distance and was gone... the sinking feeling like he wanted to fall to his knees and maybe drop of after him. The horror of realising he was duped. That chase through the train was Prompto... he had thought in the back of his mind that the way Ardyn had been talking was weird, it wasn't his normal speech pattern but he hadn't... been thinking then. He was just so angry, he needed to avenge Luna, he needed to avenge his father. The crytsal. Insomnia.... what he'd said to him, he'd blamed Prompto for everything then threw him off the train. What must he think now? He'd told him he loved him, that he wanted to mark him, that he wanted to be his alpha back in high school and in Altissia he made it clear to Prompto his feelings hadn't changed but then Luna died and poor Prompto had kept a sensitive distance while Noctis withdrew from the world... it looked like he changed his mind didn't it? 

Prompto was alone and vulnerable to Ardyn... Ardyn. How could he let this happen? He would fix this, if he had to tear down every window and door in Gralea. But that may not be necessary. He was sure the asshole chancellor would place him in the keep. If it wasn't so damn hard to stop getting his hopes up every time there was an illusion. Every time it was an MT running ahead, dipping around a corner, or slumped in a chair Noctis' breath hitched and then his heart sank when it wasn't him. He started to wonder if it would only be illusions and maybe Prompto wasn't here after all. But then they headed into a chamber, one that didn't seem like the main path but just for completion he and Ignis and Gladio stepped inside. Down a musty hallway of cells.... and there he was. Or at least an image of him. He couldn't get the doors open fast enough. What was he in? Gods... Ardyn is going to pay for this. He didn't miss the circular saws on the table. He didn't want to think about it. He had to get him down, had to get Prompto out of that thing. 

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[wideaperture]

Prompto pressed his lips together, hating the idea of having to make a choice. But then, this was his child too, wasn't it? They were talking about the baby in terms of how they related to the throne, but Prompto was just as much a father as Noct was - probably more so, if Noct took his sweet time showing up.

Prompto forced that dark thought from his head, choosing to trust his alpha. He also wanted to trust his friends.

"You're this kid's Shield, aren't you big guy? I trust your judgement then," he told Gladiolus.

[starless_sky]

Noctis would be back as soon as he could but... for him the time he took in the crystal felt like no time at all, like seconds. He couldn't absorb the massive power of the crystal any faster.

Gladio blinked at Prompto then smiled a bit. He appreciated the faith in his judgment. This was his job and he was the baby's shield... Prompto and Ignis' too. Iris and Talcott too.... Monica... everybody.

"Lestallum has more reliable power, Cor. If Meldacio goes dark we're sitting ducks... they have good hunters but we'd be better off inviting them to relocate to Lestallum. I worry about their lights going out."

Cor folded his arms as he considered it.

"I say we turtle up here, we have power, there's a hospital here and plent of medics and people... strength in numbers, right?"

"Numbers of mostly innocent civilians, Gladio."

"Yeah but... it'll be cruel to raise the kid in Meldacio with no one to play with. We can defend wherever we have to. I think Prompto and the baby will be happier here." he looked to Prompto. Was that right?

[wideaperture]

"I could always dye my hair and hide in plain sight too. Maybe grow facial hair?" Prompto offered, grinning a bit now. "What do you say?" he asked Gladio. "Think I can pull off a beard?"

time skip maybe? Maybe to farther in the pregnancy or birth?

[starless_sky]

He grinned. "Try it if you want but I don't know how much you can hide. That smile is a dead giveaway and we need it now more than ever." especially with the world the way it was.

Cor nodded. "It's decided, then. We'll continue training and recruiting here." Aranea, Biggs, and Wedge were already on that, people threw themselves at the recruitment opportunity, it wasn't even a hard job to get volunteers.

Gladio smiled in relief at Prompto. He was feeling better. "We stick together. We wait for Noct. We kick anyone's ass who gets in our way in the meantime."

yep!

[wideaperture]

From that day, Prompto made sure to smile and make jokes as often as he could. No more moping or wallowing in his angst, he needed to be regular old Prompto to put everyone around him at ease.

He got used to the idea of having a baby too. He made all of his appointments, took vitamins, watched what he ate - which was extremely easy with Ignis so close by. He also took pictures. Every day, right after he got up, he'd take a full body picture of himself angled to the side. It was similar to when he had been so determined to lose weight, only now he could zoom through the pictures and see his baby bump growing.

It was before it had really starting showing that the demons were joined by half-finished MTs and mindless clones of Verstael Besithia. The fist time they had encountered one, Prompto couldn't shake the lingering sense that he could have been one of them just as easily. He knew Ardyn was sending him a message, but he wasn't sure just how much the creepy old man knew.

[starless_sky]

There was a lot happening. Gladio was to be a father now too! All the more reason they stay in Lestallum. It's more defensible in his eyes even if the power plant required a cleanout once in a while. He'd gladly do it to keep his and Noct's omegas safe... and their kids... damn, Noct was going to be a father. He wondered how it would go. What his reaction would be when he returned and Prompto was round as a beach ball.

But things were getting creepy. Iris was stronger, the army was better and bigger, Cor was training them every day... but no one expected the MTs. Some of them just looked like guys in armor and in one battle outside the city, they were taken down. One of them was caught in an explosion of a nearby abandoned car. He was severed in half and his armor became shrapnel. Gladio hissed at what he saw.

"Prompto wasn't kidding." the blond hair... the slender body... it could be Prompto. It really looked just like him, enough that Gladio got a chill and felt the need to call his friend.

....ring ring.

[wideaperture]

Prompto was staying with Ignis now. It had been difficult at first to be told he couldn't fight, but once Ignis was stuck indoors too it was easier. Eventually, everyone knew, Ignis would have to stay in bed or risk his health and the health of his child, so Prompto was getting used to hanging out with him and learning how to cook.

When his phone rang it took him a moment to answer because he needed to clean his hands before grabbing his phone.

"No, it's Gladdy--" Gladio heard him say in the background as he switched the phone on and then, much more clearly, "Hello?"

[starless_sky]

Gladio blinked at that. Gladdy? Was he picking it up from Iris? He just hoped Ignis never called him that...

"Ah... hey. Bad time? Listen. I... this is messed up but I just had a thought about your plan... about faking your death? Well we just had an unprecedented windfall. Dunno how you'll feel about it but thought you should know. We got hit by MTs... one of them is pretty intact..." and he hoped that was enough for Prompto, please don't make him explain the rest, don't make him say any more. It was awful just looking at that Prompto in the armor.

[wideaperture]

Prompto was quiet for a long moment, as his mind processed that implication.

"It's one of the clones, isn't it?" he asked, after a moment. He still wasn't entirely sure how he felt about those things.

Somewhere to side, Gladio could hear Ignis inquiring what was going on, but Prompto reassured him everyone was okay. Well, everyone but one of the clones sent to freak them all out.

[starless_sky]

Gladio felt guilty. "....Yeah. He's... not in the best shape. He's dead but he's in good enough condition that he's recognizable. I say we use this, we're not going to get a better chance than this, Prompto."

He didn't want to think about the work that would go into this but that's just what was required.

"Is Iggy okay? What's going on there?"

[wideaperture]

"He's fine. He was teaching me to make that soup he makes when someone has a cold. So, you know, when he's bedridden and Iris is out kicking daemon ass, he has something edible in the house." He felt a little self conscious talking about it. He was carrying two children and wouldn't have half as many complications as Ignis was going to encounter in the upcoming months.

Then, after a moment, "So you want to take the clone's body, and pass him off as me, so that people think I'm dead?" Then, after a moment, in which he honestly felt a chill go down his spine. "We'll have to figure out how to make the body match mine, even the barcode would be different."

[starless_sky]

Yeah... fun surprise Prompto... twinsies! Yaaaaay. No idea what gender yet, too early to tell. But there were definitely two. Ignis assured him it was for the best, he had plenty of support and he would endure this pregnancy and never have another. Not that he didn't wish for more children but he doubted he and the child would survive if he and Gladio did this again.

Gladio had already gotten a vasectomy. He wasn't ready for when this really got hard and Ignis began to struggle.

"Yeah.... that's what I want to do. It's our best option, Prompto. And we'll get one of the tattoo artists in town to draw something up, we can get that fixed. We can fix the hair... I think this'll work. Don't worry you don't have to see it." unless he can't style his hair... which he won't be able to do even if he watches Prompto do his own hair every day trying to learn.

"Hey... tell Iggy I'm bringing him some things home. I found a couple cases of Ebony and I snagged them, not that he can have much but even if he waits to drink them, they're good canned forever."

[wideaperture]

"Oh wow, that's great, big guy," Prompto said, genuinely smiling even if the subject they had been discussing disturbed him. He relayed the news to Ignis, but only shared that Gladio was bringing something home for him. He thought that the big guy would like to surprise Ignis with just what that thing was.

He chuckled a bit at Ignis responding with a calm request for thanks. "Ah man, he's gonna love it," he teased a bit.

Then, after a moment, "I do kind of want to see him..." he admitted. "Someone... someone should be sad that he's gone, even if he never had a chance for freedom."

[starless_sky]

Gladio was quiet on the other end, then finally. "You got a point, I guess... I'll bring him." an he does. He calls Prompto again once the group returns to Lestallum.

"Hey. I'm outside if you want to see your guy... I want to warn you though... he's not in good shape." like he's chopped in half at the waist and they were only mostly sure they got the correct legs, these were the only legs that were intact enough to bring along... not that they would test any different from each other. They were clones... but it was a process Gladio could have lived without having to go through.

"Just head outside, Iris is coming in." as he says this Iris unlocks the front door and announces herself. She's here to relieve Prompto and watch after Iggy and dote on her brother in-law and growing niece or nephew.

[wideaperture]

Prompto had told himself was prepared, that he had taken a moment to brace himself and knew what he was going to see, but he still wasn't entirely ready when faced with the reality.

His hand when to his stomach, where his children were growing, as he thought about being cut in half like that. At least... at least this type of injury would make everyone believe that the babies hadn't survived.

He came closer to the clone, feeling a huge lump in his throat, and reached out. Carefully, he stroked the head that looked so much like his own. He didn't have the same freckles though, probably because he had never been allowed out in the sun much.

"I'm sorry we couldn't save you too," he said softly, and felt his vision blurring a bit. He also felt a little sick, because nothing really prepared you to see a man cut in half.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and then turned to Gladio. Time to talk business and fake his death to protect the twins. "All right, I have some pictures of my tattoo from different angles that I took while we were waiting, that way the artist we go to can have close ups without having to yank around my arm. We need to get it done quickly, so we can arrange the funeral and make a big show of it."

[starless_sky]

Gladio stood there ready to catch Prompto should he fall out or even pass out. It wasn't like this was easy, it even made him gag just looking at it. He knew... he knew it wasn't Prompto but every time he glanced at the body he got a spike of anxiety as if he were startled. He looked so real, just dead on.

He had already made arrangements with a tattoo artists to... doctor a tattoo on a corpse. He was glad for the photos. "Good, I can lie about who this belongs to." because Prompto was supposed to play dead now. He had to keep out of sight which might be easy once the twins are born healthy and happy. Gladio was certain of it. He wanted to be there with Prompto not just to support him but to learn how birth works first-hand so he could better support Ignis.

"I gotta get the hair right... hold still, let me look at you. How do you get your hair like this?"

[wideaperture]

Prompto smiled at bit at that despite himself. "Why don't I take a shower tonight and after I'll do my hair with you watching and take some pictures of that for reference too?" he suggested.

Staying out of the way wouldn't be too difficult was Ignis was under strict 'stay-at-home-and-don't-strain-yourself' orders. He wondered if it might just be better for him to fully move in with the two of them, because having a place of his own would increase the chance of someone stumbling upon him.

"Just.... treat him well, okay? If it weren't for the people who smuggled me out of the empire, I might have easily been him. It's not his fault he was never given a chance to be a person."

[starless_sky]

"Yeah I know.... I know, kid." he sighed. He didn't want to think too hard about the other MTs, he couldn't save them but he did think of them all like Prompto. He wondered if they had hearts and minds like him or if they had it programmed out of them by now. He had thought they were mechanical when he killed them wholesale back when it was the four of them.

But now looking at this corpse he knew... they had to have thoughts and feelings. He wondered if they had a will of their own when they were in the MT suits... he would never have answers to those questions and he ought to forget them altogether. It didn't help them now to think about that. But he could only imagine what it must feel like to be Prompto standing in this room.

"Wouldn't treat him badly." he raised an eyebrow. "I'll talk to the tattoo artist then while she's working I'll come home and check on Iggy." and relieve Prompto and Iris of Iggy-duty. He had half a mind about that too...

"Prompto... you know I've been thinking about moving Iggy. A big place just became available at the north end of the city, it's defensible, got lots of rooms... enough for all three of us plus you and your two. And even Iris and Talcott if we felt like it. It'd be a good fit. I'm making the arrangements to get Iggy there now. It'll be easier for him when the baby comes, it's all one floor... I want you to think about if you want to stay there too. It'd be easier for all of us to stay together."

Meaning it'd be easier for Gladio to watch over them if they're consolidated in one place, easier for the adults to watch all three children in one place, and easier for Ignis to be supervised if someone was always around.

[wideaperture]

Prompto's face lit up at the offer. "That would be great!" he said. He couldn't help but feel good to be included in Gladio's long term plans. "We should move soon, before the baby becomes too big and Ignis has to stay in bed."

He already knew that Ignis was going to hate that time, being forced into inactivity really wasn't his style. Having a place where everyone else was around him might help.

[starless_sky]

Gladio grinned. "Good. Hoped you'd say that. It'll make it easier on me and Cor to look after you all if you're together... the kids might like to be together too. Dunno how long that might be but they can have built-in playmates... and yeah. We're gonna get this moving as soon as we can. Iggy needs to get used to the place before he's bedridden." he sighed.

"I hate doing that to him..." it really weighs on him but he has to do this. He has to make sure they're safe... and he wants their baby, it's not just a duty to make another shield, he really wants to be a father. He always wanted a bigger family but Ignis wasn't going to be able to do that... so he has Prompto's twins and Talcott to help supplement for the kids they won't have.

"You go on now, I'll catch up with you later to do your hair." Only when the time comes it's a mess. Gladio gets it in the bathroom, gets it very well but it just doesn't translate on the corpse they have. Finally Gladio has to call Prompto down and ask him in a regretful voice.

"Can you.... help me. Just help me with him, it's... it's not working right. Dunno what I'm doing wrong, I followed your steps to a T."

[wideaperture]

Prompto isn't exactly looking forward to seeing the body again, but he doesn't deny the request. It's important they really do pull this off. If they don't, who knew what kind of life his children would have.

So he made sure that Ignis was settled in and then focused on making his way down back to Gladio.

"I'm here to the hair rescue, big guy," he says, offering Gladio a small smile that doesn't exactly reach his eyes. "Let me see what's going on with this guy."

[starless_sky]

Ignis was settled, Iris and Talcott were staying with him, Gladio looked apologetic when Prompto arrived in the morgue.

"Sorry.... just couldn't get it convincing." and indeed the body looked eerily like Prompto, eyes closed, cold as a jug of milk. His hair... it was close but not quite. The flip wasn't staying up high enough, wasn't curling as tight above his head, the bangs were the right length but they didn't want to stay on the side of his face.

[wideaperture]

Prompto considered the clone for a moment and then sighed before coming nearer to help with the hair. "This has to be pretty unsettling for you too, you need a break?" he asked.

He hands started to work on the hair, trying to get it to behave. It was a little unusual to do this style on someone else. There was only one person's hair he had ever had his hands on who wasn't him, and that was the king who had disappeared into a crystal. It was more than a little awkward to expand that list to another clone who looked exactly like him.

[starless_sky]

"It's... it is what it is. I'm gonna stay. I gotta see what works on his hair, I couldn't figure it out." he watches Prompto's hands work and gets a few tips out of the demonstration. By the time he's finished the clone looks just like Prompto. It's enough to make Gladio want to check that he had the right one. He sighed.

"Alright... that's the best we can do. Did you pick what you want to dress him in?" because it wouldn't work at all if he was wearing his MT crap.

[wideaperture]

"I have some spare black..." He paused a moment, then sighed again. "Man, this is so weird. But I figured black was the best color because of everything is signifies. We have to pretend like this is the King's omega and that his death caused the new line of Lucis royalty to die."

His hand went to his stomach sub-consciously. "The clothes should be nice then, right? Something that would fit that station. Whatever that means," he added, almost as an afterthought. After all, what did it mean that his children should be heirs to a throne that had most of it's power stripped from it and that lied in the middle of occupied territory.