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Noctis could honestly go the rest of his life never having to attend another goddamn business meeting again.
Being the son of a very important business executive, Noctis Caelum grew up being refined into the role he’d eventually be taking in place of his father. He’s been learning the ins and outs of the company, attending meetings since he was a teenager, and honestly, the novelty of being the runner up in one of the biggest companies in all of Lucis wore off some time ago.
His father always stresses the importance of upholding business relations, thus the purpose of the meeting today, in Altissia, a city so far from home, that used to be incredibly luxurious to Noctis... until the cascading waterfalls, the stupidly pricey, yet strangely proportioned foods, and the pompous, expensive hotels wore off, too.
He’s never known the life of mundane normalcy. His tastes are expensive, albeit a little childish at times, and he never wears anything less than something that is suited for royalty. The way he walks speaks volumes about how much he is worth, and honestly, at times, he doesn’t entirely feel worthy of a single dime.
Noctis has always felt as though there is something more to life than just the shiny suits and black credit cards, but like hell did he ever get a chance to talk with someone about it. Someone who lives outside of that world.
All the people he knows are fellow executives, people trying to one up his father and their business, and now that he’s been preparing to take over the company, it seems they flock in numbers tenfold the amount they’d done before. As if they are trying to leave some sort of impression on the young suitor, just barely twenty, so fresh in the world of business. Most of them are fake, ungenuine people, and Altissia is full of them. Noctis has learned to see right through them, though; being raised in this industry gave him advantages some of the older birds don’t always have, and that is both a blessing and a curse, at times.
Today’s meeting is in the heart of the city, far from his hotel, and pretty much everything else that Noctis had grown accustomed to around here. The bar is far from everything else, too, and he’d pondered the idea of downing a glass of rye before hitting the pillows tonight, but everyone here travels by gondola, which doubles the time to get anywhere. It’s more of a nuisance than anything else, despite how much people rant and rave over how romantic and wonderful the system is.
Still, he has to relent to the damn thing to get to where his hotel was stationed, which, luckily, is a few paces from a gondola port.
There wasn’t one far from where the business meeting was, so Noctis walks the distance with his eyes glued to his phone, mind preoccupied with firing off a couple important emails to his father. Regis Caelum had much to attend to back in Insomnia, so Noctis had gone in his stead, a bit reluctantly, because he’s not a huge fan of the humidity and facades Altissia seems to sport. By now, he’s a bit of an expert at dodging people whilst typing away on his phone, so it really isn’t a struggle for him to make a beeline for the gondola, although he admittedly is slightly rushed and a tad bit annoyed.
“Step right up and take a ride-o-la on the gondola!” chimes a merry voice, not unlike any of the other gondoliers, which cuts through the bustling noise of the city-folk as they passed by.
Without looking up, Noctis steps onto the wooden dock, then dips into the little boat, taking a spot right near the front. Furthest from the gondolier, as he usually does.
“Hey, there! Where can I take --”
“To the Leville station, please,” Noctis responds, quipped. He doesn’t intentionally mean to cut the guy off, but it’d been a long day, and honestly, the last thing he feels like doing is making nice and socializing.
“You got it!” The gondolier is perky, regardless of how short he’d been with him, as he pushes them away from the port with his paddle. The boat sets to motion, slowly drifting along the surface of the water somewhat sideways, but it is quickly redirected to float forwards, and soon enough, the dock is some feet away from them.
For the first few minutes of the gondola ride, Noctis is entirely focused on his phone. Some of the emails are fairly pressing, but one of them has him stuck in the middle of a stupid argument over a business deal. It’s enough to have him sighing, head tipping down so he could run a hand through his hair.
Fuck, he hates being caught up in all this crap.
“Long day, huh?” questions the gondolier, apparently having heard his drawn out sigh, despite being on the other end of the boat.
Noctis snorts. “That is the understatement of the year.”
“Surprised you didn’t ask me to take you to Weskham’s. You look like you could use a drink,” the gondolier muses.
Deciding that it’s probably rude to keep his face turned away while having a conversation, while also realizing that this guy isn’t going relent in talking to him, Noctis lifts his gaze. He’s met with a friendly smile spread across a freckled face, and bright blue eyes that are hidden underneath a wicker, round rim hat. Locks of uneven, somewhat curled blonde hair hang out from under the hat, framing the slender face of the boy, and of course, he is wearing the typical uniform associated with a gondolier - the same black and white striped short sleeve shirt and matching black slacks.
And, when Noctis looks closely, he sees a name tag enscribed with, “Prompto” attached to the front of the shirt.
“I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or not,” Noctis murmurs, eyebrow perking. “There’s a bar in the hotel, though.”
“Ah,” Prompto breathes, standing straighter, smiling knowingly at him. “You’re the type to lounge in bed and drink, huh? Good choice.”
Noctis shrugs. He’s a sucker for comfort, so being wrapped up in a blanket with a glass of wine in his hand is incredibly appealing.
“So, if I can ask - what’s got you wanting to hide away and drink by yourself? As much as it is a nice choice, that’s not a fun way to end a day.”
This Prompto guy is incredibly charming, Noctis has to give him that. The way he quirks his lips into such an innocent, soft, yet inviting smile, is… weirdly comforting after the past few days he’s been having. It’s been meeting after bloody meeting, arguments over settlements and so many dollar amounts floating about in the air that it makes Noct dizzy just from recounting the memory of it all.
“You probably can’t ask,” Noctis teases, lightly.
Prompto perks an eyebrow in retaliation. “Probably isn’t good to keep it all bottled up, though.”
Noctis likes how this kid somehow has him relaxing a little, though, which is something he hasn’t really felt in quite a long time. Strange, how a gondolier is able to sort of poke through his usual facade like that.
“Probably not,” Noctis hears himself agreeing, as he settles back against the chair, eyes casting over the glossy water that ripples around the edges of the boat. A silence sort of lulls between them, as Noctis works on plucking up the courage to speak the right words.
How can he even begin talking about this stuff without sounding ungrateful?
On top of that, Noctis is always wary of people, keeping an eye out for their motives, seeing if they’re trying to blindfold him and take advantage of him. He doesn’t get this vibe from Prompto though. To him, it seems as though Prompto is trying to help him relax out of honest concern for the well-being of the stranger sitting in his boat, rather than to try and rob secrets from him.
He knows, too, that he shouldn’t be blabbing about any of the things floating around in his head, but there’s a strange inclination to do just that…
Why?
“You ever own a company?” Noctis begins.
“Nope. Looks stressful.”
“It is.” Noctis gives his head a bit of a shake. “My dad runs one of the top businesses in all of Lucis, and I’m meant to take over that business, but…”
Prompto tips his head down at Noctis, while strong arms adjust the paddle at his side so that the boat is simply drifting instead of heading in a particular direction. “It’s a lot, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… and I just don’t know if it’s what I really want to do.” Noctis shifted so his elbows rested on his knees, his head hanging low, so he could card a hand through his dark, shaggy hair. “I’ve been raised with the knowledge of taking over the company, and for a long time that was just something I accepted. Something I knew was expected of me. All I know is this business, but it’s not anything I’m passionate about. The ball has been passed to me so quickly and it just feels like it’s the heaviest bowling ball I’ve ever had to carry, y’know?”
The more he talks about it, the easier it is to really divulge how he feels, which is strange all on it’s own. Noctis isn’t that great with communicating his feelings, not by a long shot, but somehow, it all keeps going back to the vibe he gets off of Prompto. Like there’s a safety net around the boat, protecting him against the harsh judgement of the world.
“I’m the youngest person in our entire family line to ever take over the company, and somehow, it just doesn’t feel right, or fair. Like, what I want to do doesn’t even matter,” Noctis adds.
“How old are you?” Prompto questions, innocently enough.
“Just turned twenty a couple months ago.”
“Yikes. We’re the same age,” Prompto comments idly. “I can’t even imagine having to take over a company right now.”
Noctis sighs, head hanging lower. “I have no choice, though.”
“Why’s that? I mean, besides family obligation and all that stuff.”
A rather grave, somewhat sickly look overcomes Noctis’ face, as he lifts his head a little to stare at, really, nothing in particular. He hates thinking about the reality of it all, the real reason why he’s being given the opportunity now instead of later, like it’d originally been planned.
“All of this wasn’t supposed to happen until I hit my thirties, but my dad’s health isn’t the greatest,” Noctis murmurs. “He’s been sick for a while, so we’ve been slowly preparing for the takeover to happen. I’ve been doing this stuff since I was a teenager, and it was manageable then. With dad’s health spiralling, though, everything’s been sped up. I can barely keep up half the time because there’s so much to remember; dates, budgets, figures, client names, so many freakin’ schedules and I just…” he sighs. “I just want to pull all my hair out sometimes.”
“No kidding!” Prompto states, eyebrows raised, the shock evident in his voice. He’s leaning against his paddle, eyeing Noctis with a look of empathy and something softer, something Noctis can’t seem to place. Not pity, not sympathy… he doesn’t quite know what it is. “Can’t say that I blame you, dude. Sounds rough.”
That certainly is an understatement, and Noctis is sure Prompto can see that plain as day on his face, so he decides against voicing such. Today has turned out to be one of those hair-pulling days, but what’s interesting and different about it is he seems to be unloading all his crap onto this stranger, to this gondolier.
And feeling amazingly good about it.
“Have you talked to your dad about all this?” Prompto asks.
Noctis sighs, heavily. “I can’t. If he knew about any of this, I’d surely be disowned or something. I can’t do that to him, either. Not when he’s sick. He needs me to do this, so it’d be selfish of me to even bring it up.”
“So, then, what is it you are passionate about?” Prompto questions, quite suddenly.
Tipping his head up towards Prompto again, Noctis blinks, regarding his question with a softened expression of his own. Then, he chuckles, bashfully, and that seems to immediately capture Prompto’s attention. Those bright blue eyes zone in on him, sparkling a little with curiosity, and all Noctis can do is give his head a bit of a shake and card a hand through his hair.
“Call me crazy, or lame, or whatever,” Noctis says quietly, “But, I really don’t know. I just know it’s not this built up life that my dad’s made for me. I just… I have a different image of how my life should be, y’know. Kinda filled with colours, instead of the drab boringness that business is. It’s constantly filling my head, this new world that I imagine being so… I dunno, bright, and fun.”
Prompto stares at him for a moment before his lips curl into a coy smile. “That’s not lame. I think it’s pretty cool that you’re not like, some weird robot that has no dreams or imagination.” Pushing his paddle into the water, he continues with, “I’ve always pictured business people to be really dull and kinda old.”
“You’re not wrong on that one,” Noctis smiles. “Most of them are at least twenty or thirty years older than me.”
Prompto leans in, lifting a hand as if he’s trying to whisper into Noctis’ ear, except he’s speaking clear as day to him. “Do they all smell like the strongest, most disgusting potpourri you’ve ever smelled?”
A laugh falls out of Noctis’ lips, wholeheartedly, as he leans in, too, and murmurs, “Worse. Like they’ve been soaking in it for days and never decided to wash it off.”
“Oh, hell,” Prompto laughs a gleeful sound, tossing his head back a little. “That’s just gnarly!”
“You have no idea,” Noctis laughs, too, smiling up at this kid that is just as captured by the moment as he is.
Honestly, he feels lighter than he’s ever felt, being able to sit here and innocently chat up Prompto. To have a genuine laugh with someone who isn’t trying to take him for what he’s worth. It’s refreshing.
“Hey, listen,” Noctis begins, sitting a little closer to where Prompto is standing, chin tipped up in his direction again. “Sorry for being a little snappy earlier.”
Prompto blinks in surprise, regarding him. “Dude, don’t even apologize. Hearing your story, it totally makes sense that you’re all wound up.”
Rubbing along the back of his neck, Noctis chuckles, faintly, “It’s a bit crazy, but I do owe you an apology. You didn’t need that. So, yeah…”
Clearly taking the hint, Prompto nods, knowingly, and offers a kind smile. “Well, apology accepted, then!”
The gondola saunters slowly towards their destination, which Noctis can see very clearly in the near distance. A sort of sinking feeling settles in his belly for the moment, and he sighs, straightening his back subconsciously. As if the world is weighing on him again, reminding him that the moment he steps off the gondola, he has to return to the hell that is his life.
It’s a little silly, but he doesn’t want it. He wants to stay on this gondola, with Prompto, and forget his troubles. Already, he’d been feeling so good, and he isn’t ready to return, but he knows there’s no avoiding it.
It seems Prompto is a little disappointed, too, gauging the reaction on his face, and it sort of spreads a warmth in Noctis’ belly. Not something he’s familiar with, and he’s discovering that this is a common theme around this guy…
“Well, looks like this is your stop,” Prompto says, sounding regretful, as he settles the gondola against the wooden dock by use of the paddle, eventually leaning forward to fasten everything against the dock. There’s a light shift of the gondola as it bumps against the wood, and Prompto holds onto the tail end of the gondola to keep himself balanced.
“Looks like it,” Noctis agrees, quietly, rising to his feet. He gathers up his briefcase, peeking over at Prompto out of the corner of his eye. The guy looks a little dejected, but he’s trying very hard to cover that up. If Noctis wasn’t so good at reading people, he’d certainly miss that entirely, but he sees it, and he can’t ignore it.
So, he steps towards the gondolier, brandishing his phone. “Do you have a cell phone?”
“Huh?” Prompto blinks, surprised. “Yeah, I do. I can’t use it during my shift except for emergencies.” He shifts, only a little, onto one foot. “Why?”
Gesturing his phone towards Prompto, Noctis shyly smiles, “It might be nice to have an emergency contact I can call if I need to get out of a horribly boring, potpourri smelling meeting, don’t you think?”
Immediately, Prompto flushes pink, and he cracks a wide smile before taking the phone and plugging his number into the contact card on the screen. “You’re probably right there, Mister Important Executive.”
Taking his phone back, Noctis finds himself a little bashful, awkwardly standing on the gondola for a few moments longer than necessary to look over the details of Prompto’s information. After those moments, though, he slowly steps up onto the dock, flashing Prompto a nervous smile. Why is this kid so disarming? He usually has so much composure…
“I guess I’ll catch you around?”
“You bet, Noctis! See you soon.”
•~•~•~•~•~•~••~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Altissia truly is beautiful in the summer.
Noctis hasn’t ever noticed it before, which Prompto finds absolutely fascinating considering how often his friend’s visited this city; with the weeks passing and the amount of extended gondola rides he’s given Noctis, showing him around to different areas he’s never seen before, Prompto’s convinced the guy is definitely inclined to believe that it’s a city with many hidden treasures.
Prompto likes to think one of the newly hidden treasures is Noctis, but he hasn’t said that to his new friend just yet. Whether or not he does is still in the air at this point.
The only thing Prompto knows, though, is that the constant flutter of butterflies in his belly is incredibly real.
It’s this exuberant energy that has him flying out of his apartment, on a day off, to go down to the gondola docks, dressed in some of his most nicest clothing that isn’t a uniform.
Prompto knows the boats can’t be taken out unless they’re on shift, but he’s close with the owner. He knows he can get away with borrowing one for a price, which, more than likely, would be long, extended shifts, but he thinks it’s worth it if it means surprising Noctis.
It’d been known for some time now that his friend has a huge business deal today, so it’s a day of endless meetings, and Prompto can’t help but feel the most incredible amount of sympathy. Over the weeks, they’ve gotten pretty close, and more than anything, he wants to help loosen some of the weight on Noctis’ shoulders.
That’s harmless, right?
With the promise that Prompto would return the gondola by early morning, he sets out, rowing himself to the port closest to the conference centre Noctis would be at. Considering how many times Prompto has picked him up and dropped him off here, he’s got the route memorized and makes it there in short time.
The gondola is saddled up against the dock, and Prompto perches against the wooden post, phone drawn out with a mobile game on the screen. For a while, he plays, waiting as patiently as he can for Noctis to come out.
It’s not the first time he’s had to wait. He’d learned a long time ago that meetings were something one couldn’t always rush, so patience is key every time.
“Prompto?” comes the exhausted, yet pleasantly shocked, voice of Noctis, immediately catching his attention. Looking up, Prompto sees his friend meandering towards the dock, dressed in one of his fancier suits, clearly meant for sealing a business deal. He looks sharp as ever, and a rise of fluttering roars in his belly. “I thought you had the day off.”
“I do,” Prompto agrees, smiling knowingly, as he steps towards the gondola and gestures to it. “I figured I could be a nice friend and help you relax after a long day of hell.”
Noctis laughs, giving his head a bit of a shake, disbelief written all over his face. “What did it take to swing this one?”
“That’s for me to know and for you to never find out. Gonna get in or what?” Prompto teases, ignoring the giddiness, allowing for the casualness of their friendship to wash over him. He always has to hold an air of professionalism when operating one of the gondolas, but today, none of that exists.
Noctis rolls his eyes and steps into the gondola. He slides off his suit jacket, sets it on one of the empty seats, and settles back into his usual chair with an amused grin on his face. “You’re so extra.”
“Call it what you want, I’m just trying to help out my buddy!” Prompto grins, pushing the gondola away from the dock and out into the stream of water, away from the conference centre.
They float for some time, but Prompto has a destination, so he takes them along the channel towards the outskirts of the city. Up until then, he’d heard not much from Noctis other than the occasional exhausted sigh and the tapping of his fingers on his phone. Probably trying to get his dad caught up on everything that transpired in the meetings. Prompto doesn’t understand most of the lingo, so he tries not to ask unless Noctis prompts it, which doesn’t happen too often, really.
“Where are we going?” Noctis asks, after that bit of silence, looking around.
“Somewhere different,” Prompto smiles. They’d not really ventured too far out of the city limits, mostly because it’s not permitted, but, well, what the bossman doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
It’s late evening, and for a while, there’d been an orange gloss over the water as the sun sets further toward the horizon. Now, though, the stars are starting to sparkle in the night sky, and Prompto is determined to get as far away from the city lights as possible. It dims the view, and that’s not at all what he’s trying to accomplish here tonight with Noctis.
Prompto parks the gondola by some rocks, though they are still technically in the middle of the expanse of water, just beyond the stretch of boats that line the city’s outer edge. He lodges them there with a somewhat heavy set anchor, then steps down off the platform and settles in beside Noctis, a playful grin on his face.
Noctis is staring at him, eyes narrowed, a small, shy smile tugging at his lips. “What is this all about, Prom?”
“I told you,” Prompto chuckles. “I wanted to help cheer you up.”
“By taking me out in the middle of the water?” Noctis questions, clearly confused.
“If you’d look up, you’d see why.”
So, Noctis does, and Prompto is immediately enraptured by the captivated expression overcoming Noctis’ entire being. As if this is the first time he’s ever seen the stars, twinkling so bright above them, splattered across the sky in jagged patterns.
Prompto lets his friend enjoy the moment in silence for a few minutes while he settles himself down so he’s laying out on the long bench of the gondola. He tucks his arms under his head, propping it up, while he gazes up at the stars, too.
“I’ve been to a lot of places,” Noctis begins, still staring upwards, neck craned enough that it’s straining his voice a bit. “But I’ve never been to a place that lets me see the stars so clearly…”
“On really slow nights, or nights where I’m stuck on the outskirts of town to watch out for boat parties, I’ve just sat here for hours and stared at them,” Prompto explains, his smile turning fond. “It’s really calming, watching them, beyond the hustle and bustle of the city. A good, quiet place to sort of get away from everything. I kinda figured you’d appreciate it after the last few days of crazy you’ve been having, y’know?”
There’s a shift on Noctis’ face, as their gazes meet, and it’s one Prompto doesn’t quite understand, but swears he’s seen before. In moments where he wonders if Noctis knows he’s looking, when maybe he thinks Prompto isn’t. It almost immediately goes away the second Noctis realizes he’s been caught, and Prompto often wonders if he’d been seeing things.
This time, though, it’s staying.
“You okay there, buddy?” Prompto wonders aloud, sitting up slightly. This question elicits a bit of a blush from Noctis’ cheeks, though, and it’s bright enough to see in the darkness around them.
Prompto is definitely more curious than ever.
“Yeah, I just…” Noctis tries, clearing his throat, rubbing his neck a little, eyes averting. “... I’ve never really had anyone do something like this for me. It’s really thoughtful. I… don’t know what to feel about it.”
Prompto smiles, relaxing the tenseness in his body, and he reaches up to clap gently along the broad of Noctis’ shoulder. “Well, I think you deserve the whole lot of those stars up there, and everything they make you feel, Noct.”
“... it’s not really the stars that are making me feel things, Prom.”
Before Prompto can really say anything to that, Noctis is shifting his body so that both hands are landing on either side of his neck. They clasp there, gingerly, bringing Prompto in a bit, and immediately his heart is pounding so loudly in his ears. He can smell the faintest hint of cologne on Noctis’ skin as their bodies draw nearer, and when their lips brush together, there’s a shock of electricity zapping between them.
The way that Prompto is positioned, he’s only half risen from where he’d been laying, so a huge chunk of his energy is used in holding himself up. His elbows shake, both as a result of his own weight, and of the electric fire Noctis is pouring into him through their kiss.
There’s no hesitation in returning the kiss, either, as Prompto tips his chin up, letting the full expanse of his lips press into Noctis’.
For a while, they stay like this, but then Noctis is moving again to bright a hand around Prompto’s back, seating him up completely so it’s not such an awkward angle. It allows for them to deepen the kiss, too, as Prompto feels the gentlest brush of a tongue along his bottom lip. Obeying, he parts his lips, responding with a lick of his own, and soon enough they’re tangled in each other’s tongues. Creating their own magical dance that is both soft and passionate.
Limbs cross over, Prompto’s wrapping his arms around Noctis’ neck and torso, while he feels a hand tangle into his hair and another settling against his waist. Drawing him in closer.
And then, they’re pulling apart, though entirely out of the need to breathe than anything else.
Prompto blinks his eyes open, a little deliriously, and he finds a half-lidded, dark blue gaze meeting with his. A sigh emits from his lips, though it’s a bit short and stuttery, and he can’t help the stupid grin that’s spreading across his face right now.
“... I take it the feeling is mutual?” Noctis whispers, voice so gentle, as a hand trails up to cup Prompto’s cheek, to lightly brush his thumb along his jaw. Noctis’ features are so gentle, serene, as they’re basked in the moonlight, and Prompto feels another flutter in his chest so strong, he swears Noctis can feel it too.
“Do you really have to ask that, dude?” Prompto breathes a laugh, earning one in return, before he tips his chin in to kiss along Noctis’ lips again.
There’d been many secrets exchanged in this gondola. From work, to personal, to outright silly things that really held no merit at all. All of which were just as importantly kept as the next.
But, as they spend the evening wrapped up in each other’s arms, kissing one another so softly, so passionately, so perfectly, it’s absolutely certain that this’ll be the only secret worth telling.