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Kids are curious creatures, Prompto’s learned quite early on when he took Regina in. One of the things he had to be extra careful of was her not swallowing anything she could choke on as she tried to figure out (with her mouth) what things were. Now he understood why all the cleaning supplies have those “Keep out of reach from children” signs on the back.
And the second they start talking, they want to know everything. Which isn’t necessarily bad, but little kids can’t read the mood properly, yet, so when Regina ask something that’s… a bit embarrassing to most, she doesn’t realize this and keeps demanding an answer.
Although… even when they can read the mood, Prompto’s learned that that doesn’t stop kids from asking questions and requesting answers.
And it definitely doesn’t stop Regina.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait… you wanna know what now?” Prompto asks, almost sure he’s heard her wrong. Though, with how Regina’s fidgeting and fingering the pillow she’d picked up at some point (which she’s now holding to her chest), it’s not easy to make himself believe that, even if her voice remains steady as she repeats her question.
“About your first date. Yanno… cuz Father was… well, yeah. Did you even go on dates, actually?”
That was a question he had never really expected to be asked, ever. Sure, he knew that Regina wanted to know as much as she could about him and her “Father”, as she had gotten to calling Noct since she had turned 16 about 5 months ago, but this? Hoo-boy…
She’s going to keep asking until he answers her, so he sighs heavily as he plops down on the armchair across from her. “First date, huh? Good one… hm…”
He runs a hand through his hair as he thinks back… back to the days when things had been so much easier for… well, for everyone really. Or, well, everyone in the Crown City. He thinks back to his school days after becoming friends with the crown prince of Lucis, quickly rising up to “best friend” ranking in maybe a day or two… maybe even faster, really.
And the longer he thinks about it… the more he realizes…
“Well… I don’t think we actually did have an actual… well, ‘date’…” he admits finally.
Regina looks a little disappointed at the news, but she nods in understanding. “Ah… yeah, I figured… I mean… it only makes sense… right…”
There’s definitely something else to her words, given how much she’s now fiddling with the edge of the pillow, but he can’t be sure why that is.
The conversation is quickly abandoned for other, lighter subjects, but it’s clear that it’s still eating at her, despite the lack of… well, ‘real’ answer. While Prompto was pretty sure he’d given as honest an answer as he could possibly give her, the question stays on his mind for much longer than it probably should, and he finds himself thinking back more and more to his time in the Crown City… to his time with Noct…
He sighs as he comes with nothing, even as he flicks absently through his photo albums while Regina is out fishing, because it’s Wednesday, and they always eat fish on Wednesday because…
Prompto pauses and blinks, thinking back to the reason why he said they would always eat fish on Wednesdays… and then he smiles fondly.
When Regina comes back, carrying a hefty bucket full of fish, a content smile on her face at the good catch she’s gotten, Prompto praises her on her good job, and they start to work on deboning the fish so that they don’t bite down and/or choke on them later during dinner. As they work, though, Prompto looks over to his daughter, and notices from the look on her face that she’s likely still thinking about her earlier question.
So he speaks up.
“You know…” he starts, as he tosses the bones of the fish he’s been working on in the trash, “I think I may’ve been mistaken.”
She looks at him oddly, wise enough to set down her knife so she doesn’t accidentally hurt herself. “About what?”
“About our first date.”
He can see her eyes widening from the corner of his eyes, and he smiles softly as the interest and curiosity that had never really left flared back to life. He tells her that they should finish working on the fish first, and then he’ll share, and she nods excitedly.
They’ve never dealt with the fish as fast as they do then, and once they’re done, Prompto leads her back to the living room, where they sit down and he finally begins to talk…
It was already a rough day; Noct’s dad hadn’t been doing well, and Noct had been (once again) reminded of his father’s mortality by Ignis, which wasn’t helping things. On top of that, their teachers had, naturally, not cared about any of their feelings (or seemed not to, anyway), and Noct was just so DONE with everything that particular day.
The question, however, was what were they supposed to do about it? Noct was certainly not in the mood for the arcades; he wanted to be somewhere where they wouldn’t be bothered by anyone, and while either Prompto’s house or the prince’s apartment was an option, it just didn’t seem like it’d do at that time.
Prompto was looking through one of magazines he’d gotten recently, trying to look it through for something to do… and then he found an add that promises to give exactly what they need right then. When Noctis walked over from putting away his books for tomorrow, Prompto showed him the add and asked if he wanted to go there.
Noct wasn’t sure initially, but eventually said: “Sure, let’s go.”
To which Prompto had jokingly replied: “Then it’s a date!”
Somehow they were able to convince Ignis to take them, coz it was quite a bit away from their usual hangouts, and then they were off. They talked the whole way… well, Prompto did, Noctis just mostly listened and sometimes hummed or said a few words, which wasn’t anything new.
When they arrived, Ignis asked when he should pick them up, but neither was sure so they said like an hour or two, maybe three, max, before Noct just said he’d call if they needed to be picked up.
The came inside and it was really weird and really relaxing all at once. The place looked like some sort of giant lake in the middle of the massive room, but the “sky” above was obviously a projection, as the colors and celestial bodies were going way too fast. Neither of them had any real idea what they were supposed to be doing, so Prompto went up to one of the employees and asked for a quick lesson.
And quick was right; it barely took ten minutes, and then they were left alone to enjoy their time alone.
Naturally, Prompto was the first to get bored, but Noctis seemed to be so calm and peaceful, that he didn’t dare tell him so. Because hell, they were there for the prince, after all, so who was he to deny Noct anything.
“…aren’t you supposed to hold it still, Noct?” he asked after a few more minutes as Noctis flicked at the reel of his fishing rod a bit.
“So he says,” Noct said with a snort. “but why would a fish go for an unmoving target?”
“Because it’s easier?”
“And not as fresh.”
“Okay, buddy, if you say so…”
About a minute after he started flicking the reel randomly, though, Noct’s lure suddenly went under and his rod curled as there was a sharp pull. Startled, Noct almost froze until Prompto shouted at him to reel and start working on getting the fish to shore. Sadly, that one got away, but Noctis was not deterred and he cast out another lure.
The second one went a lit better, but still no catch.
Prompto said: “Third time’s the charm,” and sure enough he managed to land one this time. Prompto took his picture with the fish, to celebrate his first ever catch, after which they went right back to it, because the Six-be-damned, Prompto was going to catch something, too!
But even with Noct’s help and “expert” advice, it took him at least six more tries before he finally caught himself a fish. It was nowhere near the size of the one Noctis had caught earlier, but hell, Prompto was just glad he’d been able to catch something!
Noct took a picture of him with his catch, of course, and after that, they debated on whether to stay a little longer or to just go home and call it a day. As tempting as it was to just keep going, they both knew that they couldn’t stay there for the entire night. They still had school in the morning…
In the end, they fish for two hours more before Ignis comes to pick them up regardless. As they were heading off, collecting their stuff before they go outside to join Ignis (since he’d gone on ahead), Prompto’d exclaimed loudly: “Well! I’d consider that a successful date! Wouldn’t you say?”
Noctis had hummed in thought, as if he was seriously debating the question, before he said: “No, not yet.”
“Whuh? Why no—”
Prompto hadn’t even been able to finish the question before he was grabbed by his tie and then suddenly dragged forward with a yowl of alarm. Not that that sound lasted long, as Noct’s mouth was suddenly right there and hot and firm and… then the realization hit him that Noctis Lucis Caelum was kissing him! The hell?!
Noctis didn’t even offer him the time to properly react to the sudden kiss, as the raven pulled away just as suddenly, a cheeky smirk on his lips. “Now it’s a successful date,” was all he said, before he started walking off.
And Prompto? Prompto spent a few moments standing around, blinking and just staring at nothing, before his brain finally caught up and he whirled around to run after Noct. “Hey!!”
“Wha—”
This time Noct couldn’t finish his sentence as Prompto yanked him in by the collar of his jacket and slammed their mouths together a second time. No one was complaining (that Prompto could recall), and when they broke apart, Prompto growled out: “You’re an ass, you know that?”
And Noct—the ass—merely smirked and asked: “Don’t hear you complaining.”
“…Ass.”
“Prom.”
“Huh?”
“Shut up.”
And then Noct curled his hand in Prom’s hair and pulled him in again.
Regina’s laughing and he doesn’t blame her; he’s laughing at least half as hard recalling how his “first date” ended. And now he also remembers why he’d not remembered their first date sooner… it simply hadn’t started out as one. It just ended up being one.
By the time they finish laughing, they are both slouched along the couch, huddled up against each other for warmth. It’s getting chilly sooner and sooner, which means it will be winter soon, but they really don’t care about that. It just isn’t important…
“…Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“…do you miss him?”
“…yeah.”
They fall silent for a while more…
“…I wish I could’ve met him…”
Prompto smiles. “I’m sure he would’ve liked you.”
“…really?”
“Yeah, I’m sure of it.”
Regina smiles softly and settles against her dad’s side. Prompto smiles as well, as he wraps his arm around her shoulders.
“…love you, Dad…”
“Love you, too, sweetheart.”