[ this is what he was afraid of. there's no easy way to reveal something of this magnitude, because this isn't just earth-shaking, it's— destructive, and awful, and life-ruining if he fucks it up badly enough. there's no easy way, but surely there must be an easier one that Noctis is too clumsy to see, a way that doesn't feel like he's gutting Prompto and then trying to fix the wound by pulling the knife back out. he doesn't know what to do. ]

I'm sorry. [ he really, really is. he wishes he could take it back, and he could try again, maybe, do better next time. but he can't, and he has to fix this somehow. ] I didn't— It just didn't seem right not to let you know.

[ as bad as this is, it probably would have been worse if Prompto found out later that Noctis had been keeping it a secret from him. there are different kinds of secrets, he's learning, and some of them just fester over time. he sits here and he thinks — if his dad had told him about the prophecy, the whole one, right before he left Insomnia, then he would have been angry. and maybe it wouldn't have made sense, because surely it would have been worse to grow up with that hanging over his head, but he'd be angry anyway, and it would have been justified. if he kept this from Prompto, it'd be the same thing. it's not a decision he should get to make for him.

he's not sure if Prompto wants to be touched right now, which is awful, because that's not usually a question he has to ask himself, but. he puts a hand on Prompto's shoulder, doesn't grip him too hard; still there, but easy enough to shrug off if he wants it gone. ]

I don't know what happened for you to find out, we didn't talk about that. [ there wasn't time. he should have made time, maybe, and that's a stupid thought, he just. he wants it to be easy. he always does. ] We got split up for a while, and. There just... There was this door in Zegnautus that we couldn't get open, and you put your barcode over it and it worked, so you. Told us.