Chapter Text
As Noctis’ hands ghosted over the piano keys, he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. Vivid memories of when he used to play the piano. Even though he claimed he could no longer hear the notes, music always would be a part of him. He keyed out the first few measures of Clair de Lune before stopping cold in his tracks. The world seemed askew, and it was hard for him to catch his breath. He pulled back his hand and grimaced. Realizing that something he loved had become the thing he loathed to look at troubled him.
In his elementary school years, he gathered moderate fame as a child prodigy. The human metronome they called him. Never played out of time and always followed the score to perfection. His technicality had won him - or rather his mother - a certain level of notoriety among his peers. They despised him for it. He played with no heart, no soul and passed it off as music. He had won competition after competition and even had the potential for music scholarships. Now in his sophomore year of high school, he had completely given up on playing the piano. Each languid stroke of the keys reminded him of his mother and how she seemed to haunt him.
His relationship with her was not picturesque in any sense. She abused him until he managed to play a piece as the score proposed. And while she did hit him and call him names, she never damaged his hands. In the end, she never saw her son as a person, but as the skills his fingers possessed. It crushed Noctis to know that he could never live up to her expectations.
He turned his back to the piano and headed to his room, determined to move on from the past.
Noctis grumbled as he made his way to the Lucis Performing Arts Hall. He had always disliked the shenanigans Ignis and Gladiolus roped him into. The newest one being that Gladio had a crush and dragged his two best friends along for support. The epitome of a suave charmer, Gladio, wanted his friends there to make sure he didn’t embarrass himself. Noctis thought it laughable.
“Ugh, why do I always get -” Noctis thought out loud, kicking a rock on the city sidewalk. A sweet melody stopped him in his tracks. The shrill noise of a violin pierced through the afternoon air. The sound seemed to draw him towards the park across the street. Whatever he expected to see, this wasn’t it: a teenage boy with creamy blond hair playing the violin on a bench. The sylleblossom trees scattered throughout the park painted a pretty picture.
The boy was beautiful in the way sprites of fairy tales possessed beauty. His disheveled hair and grunge-like clothes suggested a devil may care attitude, but the ethereal cadence he played indicated otherwise. A single bead of sweat traced his brow — no doubt from concentrating on the music. His lips twitched upwards ever so slightly in a mercurial manner. The blond’s closed eyes alluded to the confidence in his ability. No insecure musician would ever dare to close their eyes during a performance. No, this was a maestro, blessed by the Six themselves.
Noctis stood transfixed as the boy with the blond hair played his violin. His nimble fingers glided across the keys, plucking the strings to create a lyrical sound. Then scrambling for a tempo as he reached the climax of the piece. While the music was beautiful, Noctis could pinpoint the discrepancies in time. A raging allegro to a melancholy adagio. Regardless of these mistakes, Noctis could see this musician had something he didn't. And he envied the emotion the blond poured into his music.
“Hey…you don’t have to stand there, you know?”
An uncertain voice pulled Noctis from his dreamlike state, and he blinked twice. He was confused as to why the music stopped. His eyes met with violet ones, and he could feel his heart speed up. In that instant, on a peaceful April afternoon, Noctis Lucis Caelum could tell he had fallen in love.
“N-no particular reason I guess. You sounded wonderful...not that you needed me to tell you that,” he responded in a disinterested manner, though he couldn't contain his awe.
The violinist broke out into an infectious grin and waved Noctis over to his bench. “No big deal. I’ve been playing the violin for years now.”
Noctis waved a hand to dismiss the comment. As he sat down next to the boy, he couldn’t stop himself from staring into his entrancing eyes. “Nah man, take it as a compliment. From one fellow musician to another, at least.”
The boy’s grin stretched wide, and Noct could tell he had it bad. “Say, I never caught your name, fellow musician.”
“Noctis Lucis Caelum.” He stuck out his hand, and the boy with creamy blond hair shook his hand. Noctis jumped at the shock he felt from the connection he felt from the brief touch of their hands.
The boy relaxed his grip and withdrew his hand. “Oh, so you’re one of Gladio’s friends! Nice to meet you, Noctis, I’m Prompto Leonis.”
“Gladio?” Noct inquired.
“Mhm. Gladio promised he’d show up today for my performance. You kinda interrupted my warm-up, but it’s whatever,” Prompto answered. His violet eyes lit up as he mentioned the fact that someone had promised to see his performance.
Noctis sucked in a breath. Of course the one person he felt a genuine connection is the one person who’s off-limits. So Prompto was Gladio’s crush, and Noctis could see why. Prompto had the innate ability to make one feel at ease. The type of person who could light up an entire room with their smile alone.
Noctis looked askance and bit his lip. He opened his mouth in apprehension, but before he could utter a sound, a low chuckle interrupted him. “Ha, seems like you two are on friendly terms.”
At the sound of Gladio’s voice, Prompto’s eyes lit up. “You made it!” The blond handed his violin to Noctis and ran to greet the tall brunette. He kissed his cheek and Gladio blushed at the sudden display of affection. Prompto pulled back, face dusted a pretty hue of pink.
“Of course, Sunshine. I promised I’d be here, right?” Gladio replied. Though on the outside, he appeared embarrassed, he was preening himself like a peacock. Prompto rocked back on his heels, and a slow smile stretched across his face.
“Ahem, I see you’ve already met. Now, Noctis, we must be going if we are to allow Prompto proper time to warm up,” a curt voice interrupted. Noctis turned his head to see his lifelong friend, Ignis. Ever the pragmatist, Iggy made a sound argument. But, Noctis grumbled at the fact that he couldn't spend more time with Prompto.
Prompto pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. “Oh shit! I better get going! See ya later, guys!” The blond hastily- yet with care - packed away his violin and grabbed a nearby tote. As he was about to sprint off towards the performance hall, he stopped himself in his tracks. He turned to look back at the three of them, his eyes shifting ever so from Gladio to Noctis. The pianist felt his heart speed up again for the second time that day. “Oh, and remember to look for me on stage,” he added with a playful lilt to his voice. He ran off, quicker than a jackrabbit and more graceful than a gazelle. Noct found it astounding that someone so...exuberant captured his heart.
Noct felt a faint heat to his face and cleared his throat. Gladio let out a sigh and turned to face his friends. “Isn’t he cute, guys?”
“He seems...full of energy. About time you found someone with extra energy to spare,” Ignis commented. “I will admit he is a nice boy.”
“Yeah, yeah...he’s alright…” Noct trailed off. He hated to admit it, but he was envious of Gladio. Two years younger than him, Noct was always playing catch up with his older friend. Gladio garnered all the attention from girls and guys, which was a surprise to no one, seeing as Gladio exhibited a proficiency for mastering whatever task he set his mind on. It also didn’t hurt that Gladio’s looks were of a male model; rough around the edges with a flirtatious grin.
Ignis was only one year older than Noct, but he was wise beyond his years. He had befriended Noctis in his younger years, seeing as the two were next-door neighbors. He also acted as a surrogate guardian for him. Ever since the death of his mother, Ignis had taken it upon himself to help out whenever Noctis needed him. Whether it was helping with laundry, cooking, or tutoring, Ignis had always been there for him.
“Hey, Noct? You with us? Your mind seemed to have wandered there for a moment.” At Iggy’s voice, Noct blinked and returned from his trip down memory lane.
Noct feigned tiredness and tried to come up with a convincing lie. “Hm? Yeah, I’m just tired from staying up too late playing King’s Knight.”
Iggy’s sea-green eyes bore into his blue ones, and he could tell his friend wasn’t buying it. “Of course. Well, from my estimation, we should be heading over to the auditorium about now. Gladio’s hopeless crush will be performing in...hmm…30 minutes?”
At the mention of his name, Gladio swatted at Ignis and started walking towards the exit of the park. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s get going. I promised Sunshine that I’d be there to see him and I don’t break promises.”
Noct rolled his eyes at his friend’s response. It was laughable seeing his burly friend smitten with someone. Never mind, that fact, what was even more ludicrous was the fact that Ignis could tell he had a crush on Prompto. Ignis always could read him like a book.
As they walked the two blocks to the performance hall, Ignis appeared lost in thought.
“Whatcha thinking about, Specs?” Noct asked. His friend was reflective and introverted, but he almost always seemed to make a jab here and there on Gladio’s latest flavor of the month.
“Hmm, I know you two haven’t known each other long, but it appears you have a fondness for Prompto. However, I must warn against becoming too close to him. Gladio might misconstrue your actions as flirting, and I had introduced them in hopes they would compliment each other nicely in a relationship....”
Noct could feel his face heat up. “That’s...not true.”
“Hm, as you say so. Even so, your role in this whole plan was to be the ever-reliable ‘Friend A,’ not a potential suitor. I had never anticipated you and the violinist would get along....”
“Whatever, just shut up about it, Iggy,” Noct grumbled.