Chapter Text
“Hey Noct,” Prompto says suddenly, in a pensive tone, from his current spot on the floor of Noctis' living room.
Noctis only hums in acknowledgement and continues to scroll down on his social media app, feeling too lethargic to do anything else.
“Isn’t it kind of amazing how us ace peeps -- I mean, queer folks in general to be honest -- always manage to find our equals?”
Noctis turns his head to the side in response, a wide smile surging on his face and laughter bubbling up. “Dude, didn’t we have this conversation already? Or am I confusing that with the talk about this same subject you had with Iris, like, three days ago?” He laughs at Prompto’s exaggerated groan of distress.
“Ugh, man, leave me be! I just was thinking about this lately and now I can’t get it out of my head!”
Noctis laughs again, finding the energy to switch to lying on his side in order to see Prompto properly.
“Alright then, talk and get it out of your system.”
“‘Kay so, one of the biggest examples of this is the two of us, being aces and all. Then there’s Ignis, who is a demi like you -- though he is demisexual instead of demiromantic -- but you guys can still bond over it. And there’s also Aranea and Iris for my pan self, and Gladio and Luna are like, bi buddies.”
“All this just reminds me of that post, I’m sure you’ve seen it before -- proposing alternatives to ‘gaydar’? Like bi-fi, pan scan, ace trace?” Noctis says with a chuckle, and Prompto laughs.
“Kinda like that, yeah! I just can’t stop thinking about how incredible it is that we just flock together without even knowing.”
Noctis pauses to genuinely consider it for a moment, staring at the coffee table and mindlessly fiddling with his phone. ”I don’t know -- maybe we subconsciously recognize something of ours in them? Like the way we react to something, or a mannerism that when considered as a whole makes us want to be closer to them?”
“That’s… a super neat way of thinking about it, yeah. Hard to believe that our brains would do us such a solid, though,” Prompto says, and both of them snort.
“I know, right? We’re so used to it giving us shit that when it actually works for the best we get surprised.”
“Yeah.”
Their conversation lulls to a stop, and Noctis dozes off as Prompto stares at the ceiling, quietly thinking about whatever. A few minutes later, when Noctis is right on the edge of truly falling asleep, Prompto taps his forehead, making him groan in annoyance.
“Hey dude, can we order a pizza?”
Noctis makes a noise of disgruntled assent. “You do it though,” he mumbles, turning his back to Prompto and settling deeper into the sofa for a nap.
His friend only laughs and ruffles his hair affectionately, and then Noctis is off into dreamland.
x
The clock reads 01:17 on a Thursday.
On that particular day, the time means that Prompto has been meaning to go to bed for around two hours and counting so far, and Noctis keeps laughing out loud in his dark and quiet room when they say their goodbyes only to pick up the subject again three minutes later.
Prompto’s half rambling, half complaining about the latest episode of a show he watches, and Noctis stays mostly silent, only interrupting to ask for clarification or comment on a certain plot point. Noctis had dropped the show literal years ago after some bad decisions from the writers, while Prompto had continued to watch it out of some sort of morbid curiosity, as he’s prone to do. Noctis doesn’t mind listening to Prompto talk about it, however -- it’s amusing to hear how much the quality has dropped since he lost interest.
Prompto sends nearly a screen-full worth of emojis and Noctis snorts, turning on his side and adjusting the blankets so that they keep covering all but his head and hands. Soon enough, Prompto is sending messages in all caps, and Noctis has absolutely no difficulty in imagining the way he must be at that moment: sitting on his bed, nearly jumping off it in fact, arms vibrating with the effort to stop them from flailing just so that he can keep typing.
'God, you're such a dork,' Noctis begins to type in the chat box, grinning at his phone and shaking his head. 'I can't believe I'm in lov--’
Wait.
What??
Where did that come from? Noctis slowly lowers his phone, eyes wide. His mind is racing at a speed that nearly breaks the sound barrier, and he feels a breakdown incoming fast.
When did this happen??
Noctis shuffles through his memories -- remembers nights spent lazing around with a game or a movie, afternoons in which Ignis and Gladio managed to join them in whichever plans they had for the day; even the mornings spent looking at the same bored teacher for nearly three hours straight in high school, already nearly two years behind them. He’s looking for a shift of some kind, after which he started seeing Prompto as more than just his best friend -- a precise moment in which his brain decided that yes, Prompto Argentum is worthy of your romantic attraction -- but he comes up empty.
It baffles him. Noctis can do little else than turn to lie on his back again and stare at the ceiling; his phone dark at his side.
Having finally noticed it, Noctis can go through some of their moments together with perfect hindsight: the deep fondness he frequently felt around Prompto, especially when the boy was nerding out; or the urge to just reach out and mess his hair up and pull him close with an arm around his shoulders, all while laughing at his protests.
“Ah, fuck,” Noctis says into the quiet space of his bedroom. “I’m really in love with him, aren’t I?”
Noctis turns in bed once more, flat on his belly now to bury his head on a pillow. He’d scream at it, but the shock and the relentless butterflies that have decided to take up residence in his stomach rob him of his energy to do so. As a consequence, he only maintains that position as his brain enters crisis mode.
An absolutely unknown amount of time later, Noctis has an idea and quickly fumbles for his phone. He leaves Prompto’s chat without even reading the latest messages, and goes straight to Luna’s -- praying that the seven hours of difference between the Insomnian and Tenebraean time zones will mean that she’s already awake and potentially ready to deal with his meltdown.
Noctis: luna
Noctis: luna are you awake i need your help
Luna: I’m here! I would wish you ‘good morning’, but it’s nearly 3 am there. (๑`^´๑)
Luna: What do you need help with? ୧(๑•̀ㅁ•́๑)૭✧
Noctis turns the phone in his hands, trying to decide how to phrase it -- how to make her understand the weight of this realization. In the end, he decides to go right to the point; rip the band-aid off in one go.
Noctis: i’m in love with prompto
Luna:（・□・）
Luna: I’m guessing this is a recent discovery?
Noctis: very recent
Luna: Finally! ٩(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و
Luna: I had started to wonder if you’d ever realize it. (￣▽￣)ノ
Luna: Teasing aside, are you alright?
Noctis: i guess??
Noctis: not quite sure how to feel about it, or what to do with this information
Luna: [ •́ ‸ •̀ ]
Luna: Well, love is a beautiful thing, and I’m sure that being in love with Prompto must be an especially interesting experience due to his very bright and active personality. ( ˊᵕˋ )♡.°⑅
Luna: So at least for the how to feel about it part, I’d say to try and look at this discovery more positively?
Luna: As to what to do with it… Think about it for a second and tell me what you think you could do.
Noctis: i could always just ignore it? pretend that i had no epiphanies tonight and just try to stay as we are
Luna: Or? (｡•́︿•̀｡)
Noctis: or i could maybe…
Noctis: i don’t know, try to drop some hints and see how he feels, and possibly make things awkward forever?
Luna: What makes you reject the possibility of him returning your feelings?
Noctis: the fact that i never noticed anything that could point to that in all our five years of friendship even though prom will get a crush on at least 80% of the population?
Noctis: like, only shitty people aren’t crushed on by prompto
Luna: Well then, given that you are not a shitty person, and based on your own words, it would be quite fair to believe that Prompto has or at least has had a crush on you at some point. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
Luna: And if he had one in the past but never nurtured it, what stops you from reawakening it now? (･ω<)
Noctis: HKBKLBLL
Luna: o((*^▽^*))o
Luna: I mean, you don’t exactly have a great track record of realizing people have crushes on you...
Noctis: luna oh my six
Luna: Or realizing you have a crush on someone, for the matter.
Noctis: stop
Luna: I really think you should at least try to see if he’d be open to it.
Noctis: but how the hell would i even know if he would??
Luna: Well, do some things and see how he reacts! Test the waters! Be more affectionate than usual, and see if he feels uncomfortable with it, or if he is receptive to the extra attention. Maybe let yourself smile more often when he’s near or looking at you.
Luna: It’s also important to see if he’s receptive in a friendly way or in a more… tentative? way. If he only sees it as the first, you might have to step up your game. （。＞ω＜）。
Luna: I didn’t get where I am with Nyx now by doing nothing~ (*´꒳`*)
Luna: In the end, you decide what you’re going to do, but I really advise you to pursue this. I have a feeling you two would be very happy together. (♡ ὅ ◡ ὅ )ʃ♡
Noctis: …thanks, luna, for listening and for the advice. i think i’ll just sleep on it for now
Luna: It was no problem! My chat will always be open for you, so never hesitate to ask for my help. (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ )
Luna: Good night, and may your dreams be pleasant!
Noctis: night, luna
Noctis sighs and rubs his eyes, feeling drained but not quite ready to sleep. He connects his phone to the charger and exits Luna’s chat, pausing for a moment before tapping on Prompto’s.
Prompto: dude i just can’t believe they did it. like i know it’s been Bad for a while but,,,, how stupid are the writers, to do this???
Prompto: it’s so far from his character, he fought so hard against it and stood by his decision no matter the cost and now he just says yes????? JDKDSSJAKDL (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Prompto: i’ve continued to watch this show through so much shit but this is nearing last-straw point, i stg.
Prompto: welp, you’ve been offline for a couple minutes so i’m guessing you fell asleep
Prompto: which is something i should have done two hours ago
Prompto: no time like the present, am i right?
Prompto: night, noct!
Prompto: (ɔˆ ³(ˆ⌣ˆc)
Noctis can’t help but stare at the kissing kaomoji -- he is absolutely unable to tear his eyes away now that he knows he’s in love with Prompto. His friend has sent him variations of it countless times over the years, but seeing it now makes something burst free inside his chest and start a riot in his ribcage.
He thumbs the lock button and the screen goes dark, but the emoji refuses to be forgotten -- he wonders how it would feel like, if it had played out in real life; wonders if Prompto’s lips would feel soft against his cheek, or maybe against his own lips--
Noctis puts the phone under the pillow his head is resting on and takes another to hug while he rolls in bed, hoping the movement will purge these sudden images from his brain. When that fails, he curls up and hides his surely blushing face in the pillow, with both his heart and his brain racing.
I’m so screwed, he thinks to himself in a solemn tone. He’s gonna come over this weekend, how the hell am I gonna look at him without making a fool of myself?
Noctis groans and turns again, to be able to look at the clock -- 03:49, it shows -- and goes back to his original position, still clutching the chosen pillow like a lifeline.
I wonder how it would be like, if we were dating…
Damnit, Luna, he thinks with a mental sigh. Damn you for managing to give me hope…
His ability to sleep under any circumstances holds true even as his heart tries to beat its way out of his chest, and between one blink and the next, Noctis is out like a light.
x
Saturday arrives, and Noctis tries not to have a meltdown while he waits for Prompto to arrive. He usually leaves home after having lunch, and it’s barely an hour after midday; there’s still some time until he gets to Noctis’ apartment, due to the distance between their places.
Thursday and Friday had been… interesting, to say the least. Noctis could not for the life of him stop thinking about Prompto -- his grin, his easily excitable nature, the way the light would catch at his blond hair as well as bring out his freckles; the way they could just exist around each other in total comfort, as evidenced by their regular sleepovers and get togethers that had started way back in high school and were still happening at least bi-weekly to this day.
It wasn’t difficult to hide all that through a text conversation though, so Noctis was certain that Prompto had no inkling of the low-key crisis currently happening with him.
Concealing such thoughts with Prompto right there at his side, however, was something completely different. Astrals help him.
Noctis was already trying to come up with excuses to use, though without much success. How could he explain the sudden bouts of blushing and awkwardness, and still be able to do so without making Prompto think it’s because he did something wrong?
The distinct vibration of the messaging app they all use pulls his attention, and Noctis unlocks his phone to a new message from Prompto himself.
Prompto: arriving at your building now ୧(˃◡˂)୨
Prompto: u best be awake to receive me!
Noctis would normally scoff or smile at such a message, but this time he is so busy trying to not spontaneously combust that he does neither.
He’s arriving, in a few minutes he’ll be here with me and oh six I’m going to have a heart attack, Noctis screams internally, giving in to the urge to pace around, hoping that it will manage to calm him down.
Prompto’s characteristic knocking pattern sounds out, and Noctis actually does smile out of habit. It goes a little shaky around the edges once he remembers he’ll have to open said door and that doing so will bring him face to face with Prompto and all his sunshine disposition, so Noctis isn’t completely sure he can handle that. But he can’t just leave the boy standing outside, so Noctis takes a deep breath, then another, and goes to open the door.
Even all his previous mental preparation doesn’t stop him from being one hit KO’d by what he sees on the other side: Prompto Argentum, cheeks flushed and hair windswept -- Noctis remembers that the weather forecast predicted wind today -- with his usual overnight bag hanging from a shoulder and a brilliant grin on his face.
Noctis’ heart stops and restarts as his brain provides him with the fitting sound of a machine whirring loudly, hard at work. He blinks, dumbstruck, for around three seconds before hitting himself mentally and opening the door wider to finally let the boy in.
“You alright buddy? Looked a bit out of it right there for a sec,” Prompto says with a slight frown that lasts a millisecond before the grin returns. “Are you even awake yet, Noct? Can we add sleepwalking to the list of strange shit you do?”
Noctis scoffs derisively and punches Prompto’s shoulder, making his smile even wider. Meanwhile, Noctis’ brain short-circuits in consequence of the casual touch.
“So, any news for us to freak out about before we do anything else?” Prompto asks airily, dropping his bag beside the sofa before dropping himself on it.
“Yeah, there’s been a new trailer showing more of yet another world for KH3; they released it overnight,” Noctis says remarkably evenly, taking his laptop from the coffee table and turning it on. He’s glad Prompto asked such a question; it gives him something else to focus on, a way to settle back into their usual familiarity.
“Man, they’re on a roll, aren’t they? Months of silence and now -- what, three trailers already? What world is it for, by the way?”
“Pirates of the Caribbean.”
“For real?? Port Royal is gonna be in KH3??? Oh man, I gotta see this,” Prompto says, nearly bouncing in place as Noctis gets the link to the video.
Noctis, meanwhile, tries not to jump when Prompto scoots closer and their arms touch -- close enough for the blonde to be able to see the screen properly, but hopefully not close enough for him to hear Noctis’ heart go haywire.
The video starts and Prompto leans in, eyes glued to the screen. Noctis tilts it more to his side, since he’s already watched it. He looks at Prompto with the corner of his eyes -- partially to see his reaction, and partially to die a little over his countless freckles.
Noctis starts to smirk when the trailer nears its end, already predicting Prompto’s reaction to the following scenes. And as he expected, as soon as Kairi finally shows up, Prompto screams. Then, only a few seconds later, Riku shows up in all his beautiful HD glory, and Prompto downright screeches.
Noctis would be lying if he said that didn’t hurt, close to his ear as it was, but his wince is replaced by a laugh once Prompto jumps up from the sofa and starts running around the living room, screaming incoherently about Riku, the Replica, and Kairi.
A few minutes later, Prompto throws himself on the sofa again and stares directly at the ceiling, still trying to process the trailer.
“They’re all so beautiful,” he says with a hint of wonder. “Beautiful, beautiful HD babies, I love evolving technology -- Sora is gorgeous, Riku’s gonna give me a heart attack and Kairi is the cutest thing ever, oh my Six.”
Noctis chuckles and sets the laptop back on the coffee table. “I can’t wait to play it, but at this point I just don’t trust any release dates they give us,” he says.
“Agreed, but it’s still nice to have one at all.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
They fall into comfortable silence, and Noctis takes out his phone to start fiddling with the apps he has installed. Prompto has a tendency of going deep in thought while staring at the living room’s ceiling -- much like during their little talk about queer radars a week before -- and Noctis finds it amusing as hell.
And now, the way Prompto will just forget the real world while immersed in one of those thinking sessions gives Noctis the perfect staring opportunity: with Prompto so out of it, Noctis can drink his fill of the sight and store it in his heart forever.
“Anyway, what’s on the ace agenda for today, Noct?” Prompto asks suddenly a while later, grinning up at Noctis who tries to keep his soul from leaving his body.
“There’re the three episodes from Boku no Hero Academia we have backlogged -- which I’m absolutely sure will break us emotionally -- and the Black Panther blu-ray that finally arrived on Friday,” Noctis answers, managing to keep his tone level by some miracle.
“Hell yeah dude I’m ready to rest in fucking pieces,” he says. “I’ll go grab us a box of tissues while you set everything up.”
Noctis laughs and connects the laptop to the TV, the first episode already queued up and ready to go. He waits until Prompto deposits the tissues on the coffee table and gets comfortable on the sofa again before turning to look at him.
“You ready for this?” Noctis asks, with a raised brow and a finger hovering over the touchpad -- the cursor ready over the play button in turn.
Prompto takes a deep, calming breath, and nods resolutely. “As I’ll ever be, buddy.”
x
Four hours, quite a lot of tears and ugly sobbing, and a Black Panther rewatch later, the boys decide it’s eating time. They move into the kitchen to raid the fridge and pantry, talking about TV shows as Prompto whips up something for them to eat.
Noctis’ heart has mostly quieted down by then. This is familiar, something they’ve been doing for literal years; it’s so easy for them to fall into their banter; to work together in the kitchen or at a game. It does wonders for Noctis’ nerves to know that his discovery won’t change these moments at all.
They go back to being sprawled on the sofa after eating, scrolling through their social media and merely existing together. The open balcony door lets a cool breeze circulate through the apartment, and it’s peaceful enough that Noctis begins to seriously consider a nap.
“Hey Noct, since serious gaming is all but out the question given that we’re still processing the ending of our latest adventure, what do you say about going out tonight?”
Noctis side eyes him, making a show of slumping his shoulders. “Where are you thinking of?”
“Nowhere specific, to be honest? We could just drive around, catch some pokemons, get a few pokestops and hatch some eggs.”
Noctis gives the idea some thought. It had been a while since they had really gone out to hunt for pokemon, and the day had been lazy and sluggish up to that point. If they stayed in the apartment, cooped up with no big RPGs in progress to hold their focus, they’d get antsy and restless.
So he nods in agreement. “Alright then, get ready. I think we’ll drive around town for around an hour and then go to that park that is full-on pokestop heaven.”
Prompto lets out an excited whoop! and Noctis chuckles.”You’re the best, Noct!! What would my account be without you,” he says and mimics wiping a tear, making Noctis laugh and bat his arm away.
“You only want me for my car, and thus, my ability to drive wherever the pokemons show up,” Noctis counters.
Prompto makes a show of being shocked and both of them dissolve into laughter. Once Prompto stands up, Noctis extends an arm to him, wordlessly requesting assistance to get up. Prompto gives it with a roll of his eyes as Noctis yawns and stretches once he’s back on his feet.
He ignores the way his arm tingles from Prompto’s touch and goes off to his room to get a light jacket just for precaution. Prompto is standing near the front door when he comes out, all ready and with Noctis’ car keys at hand.
“Let’s go catch some pokemons, you dork.”
“Yeah! ”
x
“You know, sometimes I think about it and I get like super honored that you trust me and my abilities enough to let me catch pokemons for you,” Prompto says out of the blue as they drive down one of the busiest boulevards in Central Insomnia. They are avoiding the late afternoon traffic by going deeper into the city instead of out to the periphery, watching all the Saturday workers go back to their homes after a long shift on the other side of the street.
“I trust that you know that if you screw up and lose a rare pokemon on my account, you’ll be found dead in a ditch the next day,” Noctis says nonchalantly, deciding on which streets to take to get the most pokestops and the least traffic.
“Cold, but also completely untrue. You love me too much to do that to me. Good try though, buddy!”
Noctis nearly chokes on air, using all his brainpower to keep the wheel steady and his reaction unseen. He hears sirens go off inside his head, and is immensely grateful for the setting sun behind them since it provides low lighting that partially conceals his surely fire-red face.
“Yeah, right,” he attempts to bite back, four seconds too late and with a voice too strangled to sound very convincing. Prompto doesn’t seem to care, happy as he is with both of their phones on his lap, alternating between them to catch most of the pokemons that spawn nearby.
They spend close to an hour driving around, taking the longest route to the closest pokestop heaven, also known as Phoenix Park. It takes them a while to find a parking spot, and it ends up being farther away from their usual starting point than would be ideal, but they shrug and agree that it’ll only mean more kilometers for their eggs.
They’ve gone pokemon hunting in this particular park enough times to have decided on a set route to use while walking around; one they can repeat over and over without encountering a pokestop still on cooldown. Even after two years of the app’s release, there’s still a fair number of people visibly playing it aside from them, reminding them of the excitement-filled days when it first launched in Insomnia.
From time to time, Prompto halts them to pet a cute dog out on a walk, their owners always laughing at his excitement while Noctis holds both phones and watches him with fondness.
This entire day is proving to be a true test to Noctis’ heart -- he’s lost count of how many times he felt as if it was fit to burst, or the times in which it nearly flat-lined, only to restart thrice as fast as it had been before. Noctis would not trade this day for anything in the world, however; even with all the sudden crises and near-death experiences, he would cherish this feeling for the rest of his life.
They tire of pokemon hunting after close to one and a half hours of walking around, and start making their way back to the car, their phones’ batteries considerably lower.
“Noct, I’m getting hungry -- we should have dinner somewhere!”
Noctis’ mind immediately jumps into screaming ‘date! date!’ , and he has to beat it with a stick until it’s quiet again before responding. “Where? Crow’s Nest?”
“Mmm nah, I wanted something more like a proper meal,” Prompto says, swinging his arms back and forth. “Hey, I remember your dad mentioning a restaurant the last time we all got together- where was it again? I think it was on a corner of Somnus Avenue, near the Frostbearer Gallery?”
Noctis makes a noise of understanding. “That small, family-owned Italian place, right? Sure, we could go there if you want,” he shrugs.
“I think it would be nice! Your dad said it had a cozy atmosphere and great food, and it’s always good to go somewhere new,” he says, ending it in a singsong voice.
It isn’t very difficult to find the restaurant, with the help of a GPS. From what they can see through the front window, it seems to live up to its reputation of being homely, so they park and cross the street to venture inside.
Noctis and Prompto smile when they hear a bell and soft music as they open the door; the man and woman near the counter turn to look at them with grins on their faces.
“Welcome to Biagotti’s!” the woman greets, walking to them. She blinks a few times in apparent shock for a moment while looking at Noctis, before shaking her head faintly and smiling again. “Table for two, gentlemen?”
“Please,” Noctis nods, puzzled by her behavior. She leads them to a table close to one of the walls and waits until they sit before giving them the menu.
“Pardon me for my rudeness,” she starts, facing Noctis. “But you reminded me of someone. Are you the son of Regis Lucis Caelum, by any chance?”
Noctis and Prompto exchange surprised looks -- Regis had said he hadn’t visited the restaurant in many years, so her still remembering him left them stunned -- before turning back to her.
“Yeah, he is my dad,” Noctis confirms, and the woman beams.
“How wonderful! My, it’s a shock to finally meet you, and an adult already! Regis and Aulea used to come here frequently, you see, and they would stay up to very late. We’d end up sharing stories about our children, but they never had the chance to bring you here. A few years later, Aulea passed, and Regis stopped coming by… Oh, but what am I saying; bringing the mood down like this! I apologize for the sudden rant. I’ll leave you to choose your meals -- when you’re ready to order, just ask for me -- Ornella -- and I’ll come around,” she says and then walks off to the counter.
Noctis and Prompto look at each other, their eyes still a bit wide, and nearly start laughing at each other’s faces. That whole situation had managed to beat the chorus of ‘it’s a date! ’ -- that had started again once Noctis saw the restaurant’s decoration -- back to the ground. It was certainly a strange situation, but the outcome was not wholly unwelcome; Noctis was also curious about what the staff could tell him about his mom.
“I’m really impressed she still remembers your dad and also that she was able to correctly guess you were his son after one glance, dude,” Prompto whispers while leaning closer, mindful of the place’s echo.
“I am too. They must have left quite the impression to still be remembered nearly two decades later.”
“I kinda wonder why your dad stopped coming by, but it must have been because of the memories. Maybe we could tell him of tonight and see if he wants to come back?”
“Maybe. Even if he says no, it will probably be nice to know he’s still remembered.”
With that out of the way, they finally look at their menus to pick what they’re going to eat. A few minutes later, with their meals decided, they wave to Ornella and she approaches with what seems to be her default smile. She diligently writes their order on an old-fashioned notepad, and raises her head to study them.
“Noctis, correct?” she asks, and Noctis nods. “And yours, if I may ask?” she turns to Prompto.
“Prompto,” he answers with a small smile.
“Would you like any drinks while waiting?”
“Just water, please,” Prompto says.
“I’ll be sure to bring it shortly,” she says and walks away.
While they wait for the food to be done, two other couples arrive and sit down. Noctis and Prompto talk in quiet tones, adding to the white noise of the restaurant. Noctis won’t lie and say that his heartbeat is at a completely normal rate, what with the whole restaurant all but screaming ‘perfect place for a date’ right at his face, but he manages to distract himself by falling into routine. They’ve eaten out countless times before, be it at Crow’s Nest after an afternoon at the arcade or at a pizzeria with the others, and Noctis will be damned if he makes it awkward now .
So they joke around and talk about the things they do when they’re not attached at the hip; they eat and discuss whether to get dessert or not, and if yes, which one to get. They decide on the first thing with chocolate in it that sounds good, and Ornella laughs freely at their enthusiasm and thanks them for the praise.
Prompto takes longer to finish his piece, wanting to savour it fully; so Noctis shakes his head fondly and gets up to pay their bill.
The man at the counter grins as Noctis approaches. “Have a nice date, kid?” he asks in a teasing tone, and Noctis nearly trips on his own feet and falls flat on his face.
“Oh shush!” Ornella says at his side, slapping his arm with, by the sound of it, quite some strength. “Don’t embarrass him! How many times must I tell you stop meddling?”
“Um,” Noctis opens his mouth, absolutely sure that he’s blushing.
“Please forgive Vinicio, my dear, he doesn’t know when to stay quiet. Did the two of you have a nice meal?”
“Ah- yeah, it was delicious,” Noctis stutters, a bit dazed and wondering if he should ask what’s on his mind. “Er, do we… look like a couple?” he asks tentatively, voice pitched low and resisting the urge to check Prompto’s current location.
“Yes,” Vinicio responds without the slightest hesitation, earning another resounding slap to his arm. “Ow, woman, he asked!” he says, but Ornella simply huffs. “But I’ve also seen enough couples in this restaurant to be able to perceive that you’re not quite there yet, though you particularly are head over heels.”
“Um.”
Noctis tries to not imagine his face melting off, because it currently feels as hot as a star’s corona must be. Ornella leaves Vinicio’s side to fetch Noctis a glass of water, which he presses to his cheeks in a futile attempt to cool them down.
“Let’s proceed to the payment already, alright? Your boy seems to have finished and is looking over here, waiting for you.”
Noctis only nods, in fear of somehow having a vocal keysmash instead of proper words coming out of his mouth if he attempts to speak. Ornella touches his shoulder once that’s done, and Noctis looks down at her gentle face.
“You and that boy can come here whenever if you want to hear about Aulea, alright? I’m sure you must be curious to hear more about her, and we would be more than happy to tell you some stories. And about your situation with Prompto, don’t worry; your father wasn’t all that different from you and it worked out for him, didn’t it? We’ll be happy to help another generation of your family get together with your chosen partner,” she says, ending it with a cheeky wink that makes Noctis’ face go up in flames all over again.
“W- we’ll talk about it; t-this is a really nice place. And yes, I’d love to hear more about mom the next time,” he says, a bit strangled at the beginning but calmer at the end.
“Wonderful! Now go to him, he seems a bit restless already.”
Prompto smiles up at him once he’s close enough, getting his fidgeting under control. “Hiya buddy! Took quite some time to pay that bill, huh?” he teases, and Noctis rubs the back of his head.
“Sorry about making you wait.”
“Nah it’s cool. I guessed that you might want to talk with them about your mom, so I decided to hang back and give you guys some privacy.”
Noctis wants to say that there was no need for that. That Prompto was more than welcome to hear those stories as well; to learn about her just as Noctis does. It doesn’t feel like the right time to say such a thing, however -- it feels a little too serious and heavy, so Noctis keeps his mouth shut on the subject.
“All done, not forgetting anything?” he asks instead, patting down his own pockets as Prompto looks over the table a last time.
“Nope, everything’s on me,” Prompto says and stands up.
Ornella is near the door, and catches their attention one last time. “Thank you for your patronage, boys! I hope to see you again soon!”
“Thank you for your lovely service and delicious food!” Prompto says with the same amount of enthusiasm, and Noctis gets the distinct impression that she would be pinching Prompto’s cheeks if she could.
They exit the restaurant, pulling their jackets closer to their bodies in response to the bite the wind has acquired. Noctis looks at the sky, noticing the heavy clouds forming up and coming closer.
“I guess we’re in for quite the nightly storm,” Prompto hums at his side as Noctis unlocks the car.
“Yeah, and we might as well have a first row seat to it, with how high my apartment is,” he says, somewhat wryly, and Prompto snorts.
“It’s good that we went out today then! It seems like we wouldn’t be able to do so had we waited for tomorrow.”
“Yeah, it is, and it does.”
A quick cursory look at the dashboard to see if everything checks out and they’re off onto the night, finally going back home.
x
True to their predictions, the downpour starts in the wee hours of the morning, and the day dawns with the sun hidden behind thick clouds. It’s still raining steadily when they wake up around eleven, and it’s quickly decided that they’ll only leave their cocoons for food, bathroom, or to reallocate to the sofa.
There is a special dungeon on King’s Knight that only opens on Sundays, filled with the best craft materials one could ask for, so Noctis manages to convince Prompto to move from the futon to the bed, doubling the amount of blankets on top of it and allowing them to strategize better. He tries not to think about how Prompto is so close that he could just turn to his side, lean forward a bit and be able to kiss him -- those thoughts won’t help them defeat the terrible boss waiting for them, so they are shoved into a box and kicked away.
It’s nearly half past midday once their growling stomachs manage to get them out of bed. Lunch consists of reheated leftovers from Ignis, who insists on piling food onto Noctis, claiming that he will never eat properly otherwise. Noctis and Prompto are certainly not complaining.
The bed still retains some of the previous warmth when they return to it, and they game some more before inevitably falling back asleep. The four blankets they have on the bed do the job of protecting them from the chill quite well, and they drift off in toasty-warm cocoons.
Early evening is dedicated to marathoning the first TV show that manages to catch their attention, with snacks covering the coffee table alongside a small bowl of popcorn that’s set on the sofa between them. Noctis sometimes watches Prompto instead, taking in the sleep-mussed hair and the faintest marks on his cheek left there by the pillows.
Prompto meets his eyes a few of those times; catches Noctis looking at him with what is probably a dumb smile on his face, and every time that happens, he blushes a little and turns back to the TV, a shy smile curling his lips.
At this point, Noctis would be completely fine with no kissing -- he would be perfectly happy with just nuzzling Prompto and hearing him laugh because of it; or even have Prompto laying his head on Noctis’ shoulder, possibly while they held hands. And it’s such a quiet, peaceful day that he doesn’t even stress about all these little daydreams; it takes all his energy to keep himself from just doing those things, consequences be damned.
He’s happy to notice that he’s putting one of the things Luna advised him to -- namely smiling more -- in motion without conscious thought, as well. Noctis reasons that all those feelings that bubble up in his chest whenever he looks at Prompto need to be expressed physically in some way, or else he might as well explode.
Noctis could totally go for another nap, so he uses that as an excuse to do something quite daring. His heart rate spikes as he takes the popcorn bowl so as to set it on the coffee table, and Prompto looks at him questioningly as he scoots closer.
“May I?” Noctis asks once he’s nearly horizontal, head hovering above Prompto’s lap. Prompto, in turn, blushes bright red, but nods shyly after a couple seconds of pondering.
Noctis softly drops his head on Prompto’s thighs, almost immediately closing his eyes and bringing the blanket closer to his body. After a moment, Prompto raises a hand and starts caressing his hair; Noctis hums and opens one eye to peer at him, seeing that Prompto has a small, soft smile lighting up his entire expression.
Noctis falls asleep quite content, with Prompto’s soothing hand leading the way.