Twenty-Four Touches :: Handshake
Freshly having come out victorious from a battle on their home turf, Noctis managed to get injured. However, thanks to the help of Prompto, everyone has come out on top. Though no one really knows Prompto nor his motivations, all they know is that he arrived with the rest of the Niflheim fleets, making them all largely suspicious. Thanks to Noctis speaking up and vouching for him, Prompto is reluctantly allowed into the party.
Notes: Part of a Versus-XIII AU. I've been toying with this one off and on. But I think without super solid foundations of what the characters were like, it's all just assumptions. Prompto seems pretty different personality-wise, so I try to make him a bit more of a pain in the ass. Likewise, because Primam and her brother didn't grow up the same as I write them in mainline canon, she's pricklier and less inclined to cut Prompto slack.
Word count: 1,304
A sneer was present on Primam's face as she, Gladio, and Tandem hurried to shield and guard an injured Noctis. Ignis was behind them, helping to heal any of the wounds that the prince had sustained in their recent bout. Where Gladio and Tandem had their weapons summoned into their hands, Primam's hands flurried and teemed with ice magic.
In front of them? Well, there stood a young man who retained this smirk upon his lips, a shotgun resting upon his shoulder. He had golden blond hair that fell loosely over his right eye — mussed by the wind more than anything. For a moment, he regarded them all incredulously, that cocky look still on his face.
Now…the man had not done anything. Not yet… And it seemed that Noctis' combat-trained retinue was unwilling to allow any further harm to come to him.
"My, my…" the man started, tapping his shotgun upon his shoulder a couple times. "Tough crowd. Literally."
"The hell you want, Niff!?" Primam snarled between grit teeth, still poised to attack if needed.
"Hey now, cool it, Frosty," the man said, holding up his free hand in mock surrender. He then leaned over, catching a glimpse of Noctis.
The prince seemed fine…breathing at any rate. Conscious as well. A better result than the alternative, that was for sure.
Settling back onto his feet, the shotgun-toting man reaffirmed his gaze upon the three in front of him. "I ain't here to cause trouble. In fact…I was hopin' you'd be amicable to letting me tag along. An alliance, if you will."
"Tch, don't even joke…" Gladio growled, his teeth bared in a slight grimace.
"He's…not joking…" Noctis piped up from behind them. Ignis had helped Noctis back up to his feet. While Noctis held a hand over his healing wound that Ignis kept a steady stream of Cura magic focused on, he glanced between his Shield and Arms. Then he looked toward the man. "I don't know why he did it…but this guy stuck his neck out for me."
"Saved his life, in other words," the blond supplied with a shrug.
"H-Heh… Don't flatter yourself…" Noctis replied, a smirk settling upon his own lips. "Could'a handled those MTs without your help. Maybe even claim you're the reason I got hurt at all."
"Oh? Talk about ungrateful," the man said, shaking his head. Still, he laughed in good nature before resting a thumb along his belt and walking forward with a slight bounce to his gait. "The name's Prompto. Merc by trade…and Niff by birth."
Prompto cast a pointed look in Primam's direction since she had spat it with such venom.
His smirk widened and he approached her first, moving his free hand and holding it out in polite fashion.
"We don't gotta be friends…but I'd like to at least start off on the right foot. 'Specially if I'm gonna spend time with the five of you," Prompto said.
Primam's eyes flicked down to Prompto's proffered hand. Then she looked at Noctis.
"Are we actually going to have him come with us?" Primam asked, awaiting the prince's word. He was the decision maker, after all. Her magic had since died down, leaving her palms bereft of those icy flurries.
Noctis remained quiet for a moment, his expression falling pensive. His nose scrunched slightly as he mulled over the options that were surely swimming through his head. He looked up, meeting each of his combat-retinue's gazes briefly before nodding. "If there's anyone who can help us combat Niflheim, why not someone from Niflheim himself?"
Noctis looked toward Prompto. "Besides… 'S five against one… What's he going to do if he betrays us? Cos he ain't outrunning any of you."
Tandem let out a small laugh, his expression becoming cocksure. His dual swords shimmered out of existence, and he clapped his hand to Prompto's in formal greeting. "Sure can't… Name's Tandem. One half of the Arms of the King and of House Chorus. Hurt Noct, and I'll hunt your ass down."
"Duly noted," Prompto commented. His hand was let go, and then Gladio extended his own. His hand was firm and somewhat friendlier.
"Gladio of House Amicitia. Shield of the King," Gladio introduced. "It doesn't need sayin'…but I'm with Tan on this one. Hurt the prince, and we'll hurt you."
A low huff fell from Prompto's nose. The message was coming across loud and clear.
As long as Primam remained reluctant, Ignis seized the opportunity to reach forward past the others and take up Prompto's hand. "Ignis of House Scientia. Hand of the King."
"Really good to meet all of ya," Prompto said with a slight drawl, giving a halfhearted bow. He then looked back at Primam and offered his hand to her again. "And the…lovely lady with a glare that could kill?"
Primam scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"C'mon…" Prompto coaxed, leaning in slightly. "Unless you like me callin' you 'Frosty'?"
"Tch…" Primam huffed and finally reached out, clasping her hand in Prompto's. For a moment, she stayed silent, her gaze narrowing as she looked down at their hands and then focused back up at him. "Primam of House Chorus. The other Arm of the King."
"A pleasure," Prompto said, starting to pull his hand back. Primam's grip tightened and she jerked his hand down.
"I also insist that if you refer to me by name, you call me 'Prim'." There was a glower in her gaze that said this was a 'non-negotiable' request.
"… Understood, my lady~" Prompto replied, bowing deeply. He tilted his head to look back up at her. He still had a cocky look on his face.
"Good." Primam finally let go of Prompto's hand. A sigh fell from her nose, and she looked back at Noctis. "The Star of Lucis isn't going to carry all of us…"
"Yeah, thanks…" Noctis said with a groan, his hand going back to his wound. "Not like I didn't already figure that out."
"'Star of Lucis'?" Prompto repeated in question.
"Vehicle… Only really seats four, usually. But we squeeze in with the five of us." Noctis waved off Ignis so he could stand on his own two feet.
"I see…" Prompto curled a finger against his chin in thought.
Primam bounced a leg irritably before she placed her hands on her hips. "We could always just leave him here…"
"Me~yow, she always like this?" Prompto asked.
"We could take a detour back to the Chorus estate," Tandem supplied, ignoring Prompto's question. "Got my bike back there. I'll take it. I can use it to scout ahead, even. Our, uh…new guest can take the Star of Lucis with the rest of you guys."
"As if… It's cramped enough back there with the four of you. I know how to drive that bike just as well," Primam protested. "I'll take the bike and the Niff if we're actually letting him tag along with us."
"Oho…riding the bike with Frosty?" Prompto purred, sidling up close to her. He decided to tease her: "You move fast."
"Astrals help me, I will freeze that tongue out of your mouth…" Primam hissed, stepping aside and distancing herself from him.
"Temperature play? Already?" Prompto shot back, grinning. He seemed to be enjoying seeing her bristle after getting under her skin.
"You sure riding with him's a good idea?" Gladio asked, glancing between the two.
"Well I'm not riding with Tandem. And I don't trust him with the prince." Primam was defiant in that respect.
"C'mon, Frosty, I'm right here," Prompto said, feigning hurt.
"Regardless, taking a detour to the Chorus estate is what we'll do… We can discuss passenger arrangements on the way," Ignis sighed. "So long as everyone can stomach being stuffed into the back for twenty minutes at the maximum."
