Chapter Text
Noctis wasn’t paying attention to anything in particular at that point in time. The hissing of espresso machines, the clatter of dishes, the monotonous conversations between patrons and workers, all seemed to coalesce into a giant bubble of nothingness. To be fair, he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, or really any night that summer. Each night he told himself he would go to sleep earlier, and every night he disappointed his future morning self. That’s why he was in no way prepared for the cashier to say:
“Large iced coffee, soy milk, two pumps of caramel sweetener, one of vanilla, light ice, right?”
“I’ll get a large iced-- wait, yeah,” Noctis replied, surprised at the sudden progression of events. Noctis wasn’t the brightest when it comes to social interactions, and didn’t really remember most things about most people, especially random workers at cafes in different countries. SO how this cashier remembered his, very involved order to put in the nicest, unbiased terms, was lost on him. “How did you know?” He asked, taking out his wallet.
“You’ve come in here like every day this summer, bro. And you order the exact same, very particular drink.” The cashier responded while perusing the price menu by the state-of-the-art, prehistoric register that still had typewriter-like keys and buttons. Altissia had its charms, but automated registers with user-friendly interfaces had not yet made it to every establishment. “Too bad I can never remember how much it actually costs.” He chuckled to himself. “That’ll be 350 gil.”
“Am I that predictable?” Noctis asked before giving the tender to the blond cashier. Their hands briefly touched in the swap of money for goods, and Noctis took this moment to look at the other boy. He was about the same age as him and had light-blue eyes, not unlike a perfect afternoon sky.
“That, and I’m just like super observant. Not much happens here, to be honest.” The blond responded after he pulled his hand away. “I have a couple ‘regulars’ here but you’re the only one that orders something so… annoying?” The cashier laughed and Noctis couldn’t help but want to laugh with him too even if he had just been insulted.
“Hey. I’m the customer and I’m pretty sure the customer is always right.” Noctis chuckled a little which prompted the cashier to join in too. Noctis didn’t even notice the small line that had begun to form behind him. The people in the queue didn’t seem to mind, however. Nobody really minded anything here in Altissia, “The City of Love and Serenity, Under the Tidemother’s Watchful Eyes.” At least that’s what the brochures that were basically shoved at Noctis when he first arrived said.
“Don’t worry, Noctis. It’s getting annoyingly made right now.”
“Wait… How did you know my name?” Noctis was sure he hadn’t mentioned his name in their interaction or mentioned it before. And although he hadn’t been approached on the street yet for being a prince, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Sooner had come much too soon.
“Oh,” The cashier responded, blushing a little. The growing reddish hue on his otherwise white face accentuated the small clusters of freckles around his cheeks. “Your name is, like, totally on your wallet.” He pointed at Noctis’ wallet and sure enough, above the Lucian crest was, embroidered in royal calligraphy, his first name. “Sorry if I surprised you though. I guess I’m just your overly-friendly, slightly-awkward, neighborhood cashier.”
Noctis chuckled through his nose at this long-winded description the blond had of himself. He actually smiled and his eyes crinkled a little, allowing his dark blue eyes to sparkle for just a second. “Well,” He squinted to read the blond’s slightly smudged nametag. “Prompto, it’s hard to come by genuinely friendly people where I’m from, so you’re a refreshing treat.”
Prompto laughed a little too loudly at that; Noctis remained unaware of how weird calling him a treat probably was. At least he hadn’t called him a snack...
“What did I say?” Noctis asked.
“I guess I’m a… treat?” Prompto replied raising his eyebrows up and down. Now it was Noctis’ turn to blush redder than a cockatrice.
“That’s… not what I meant…” Noctis replied, shyly averting his gaze to the counter below him. He then, finally, noticed that a healthy number of people had joined the queue and a few might be annoyed at this point. But they would never show it; Altissia was just like that.
“Oh, Noctis. Don’t be embarrassed. We all say weird things sometimes. Like I once tasted Chocobo poop, not on a dare, but because I thought I could become a Chocobo or at least run as fast as one… That might have been a bit weird and I think I’m going to quit my job here so I don’t have to see you again and be reminded of how I told you how I voluntarily ate poop.” Both boys laughed at that. Prompto because he just divulged one of his deepest, most embarrassing secrets to a stranger, and Noctis because someone had just told him that he may still have traces of Chocobo poop in their mouth.
“I have a… large iced coffee with soy milk, two pumps of caramel sweetener, one of vanilla, and light ice on the bar.” A brown haired barista called from the bar.
“Well that’s your drink and there are people that want to take in all this blond beauty,” Prompto gestured to himself, making sure to embellish the faint shadow of definition on his arms. “So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow when you get the same drink at the same time.”
“I really am a regular aren’t I?” Noctis asked after dropping in a 100 gil tip into the tip jar that he was sure that Prompto designed. Who else would have drawn a Chocobo taking a dump of gil? It even said: Here’s a TIP: Don’t eat yellow snow. Unless you’re into getting dehydrated.
“You’re such a regular that I’m going to come up with a cool nickname for you. Don’t worry, you won’t be Noctis for long.” Prompto laughed at his own joke, gave a quick wave to Noctis, and turned to help his next customer.
“Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t Noctis Lucis Caelum,” Noctis said quietly to himself, his mood deflating back to its baseline zero.
Altissia in the afternoon was almost as beautiful as it was during the morning and the night, but honestly, it was and will always be the epitome of beauty no matter the time of day. If one were to open a dictionary to the words: beauty, serenity, divinity, or really any synonym of any of those words, one would see Altissia’s flower-lined balconies, gushing waterways, and rustic architecture.
Noctis found out this beautiful truth by just walking along the waterways and feeling the light ocean breeze lapping against his skin. He felt the collective Altissian soul rising between the cobblestone walkways, flowing through the mazes of alleyways, and falling from the meticulously sculpted rooftops.
Noctis walked by a couple of flower carts, filled to the brim with chrysanthemums, lilies, roses, and other florals. The cashier was busy chatting with a customer about flowers and their lives. They might be friends, might be complete strangers. That’s what really surprised Noctis on one of his first days in the city on the ocean. The people in Altissia actually talked to one another. They waved to their neighbors and knew everyone’s names. Noctis couldn’t tell you who lived down his apartment hall, let alone across Insomnia.
And when the Altissians talked to each other, they actually talked to each other. Not just about the weather, Insomnia’s topic of choice, but about things that actually mattered. People stopped and asked how Sumia’s aunt has been doing since moving to Gralea, how little Ricken was liking his new school since his family moved back to Lestallum.
And to a city-born and raised boy like him, this was completely new. Altissia was completely foreign. Not just in the fact that it wasn’t his home country but because their culture--- their whole way of life--- was so drastically different.
Maybe that’s why his father so strongly suggested that Noctis go on the trip before he started his first year of university.
It was almost three o’clock and the sun still hung high in the sky, beating down on him, but not burning. Noctis had finished his coffee and didn’t have much planned for the rest of the day. One might assume that the crown prince of the most influential nation in all of Eos would have some sort of plan for his day. And to be fair, if he were in Lucis, in Insomnia, one would be correct. Every day, from the day Noctis was born, was completely planned by his father or, more recently, the council and so-called “princely duties.” These ubiquitous duties could take the form of anything ranging from combat practice with his assigned Crownsguard bodyguard, Gladiolus, to trying - and mostly failing - to learn ancient Solheim with his retainer Ignis, and even, sitting in on boring governmental meetings about things he did not care about in the slightest. (Although the inner workings of how military prowess is garnered, maintained, and utilized might interest most nineteen-year-olds, Noctis was not one of them.)
He barely had time to breathe, let alone do anything that he actually might enjoy.
But here in Altissia, oceans away from the towering citadel and its daunting towers, Noctis was free. Free from itineraries that begin at 6 am and end at 9 pm. Free from mandatory etiquette classes, because who cares which fork you use first as long as the food tastes good, right? Free from the burden of being the crown prince who would someday, probably soon, take the throne from his father and be stuck in Insomnia every day of every year.
“How many times has my father left Insomnia in the past year?” Noctis asked himself as he walked past a fountain of the Tidemother, Leviathan herself. Her serpentine body wrapped itself around a pillar engraved in ancient Solheim text, her large fins simulating waves. Noctis translated the text in his head as the names of the Hexatheon: the six gods who were said to have given life to mankind eons ago. Water gushed out of the three spouts, creating beautiful arches around the towering Astral. “Has he even been to Altissia in this decade?” There were so many things outside of the Crown City that Noctis hadn’t experienced yet. So many places he hadn’t seen. People he hadn’t met. “Am I going to be stuck in the citadel all my life, like him?”
Shaking himself from these encroaching fears, Noctis left the fountain plaza and came across the gondola waterway that led to Arena Galviano. Noctis had only seen the Arena in a world geography book he had read to quell his boredom when he was recovering from the incident all those years ago. It was the largest, and only, gladiator arena he had ever seen.
Come one and all and experience the amazing Totomostro!!! PLACE YOUR BETS!!!
Noctis heard the excited announcer and quickly decided to see what Totomostro was all about. He remembered that Ignis had told him a little bit about it before he left for his summer trip. Totomostro, as he remembered in Ignis’s posh accent, was a type of gladiator battle but instead of human gladiators, there were monsters brought in from all around Eos. Enthusiastic, and probably inebriated, people would place bets on which monster they thought would win in a battle to the death. It’s pretty gruesome watching raging Garulas rip apart tall Anaks before being annihilated by towering Treants. But people always love a good show.
Noctis put 50000 gil into one of the four monster teams on the board. He didn’t put too much weight into the amount of money he put in. He was the crown prince of Insomnia after all; money wasn’t something he ever had to worry about. He wasn’t entirely sure why he put any money in, except for Ignis’ advice, “When in Altissia do as the Altissians do,” and how everyone in the arena was so happy.
Not just happy. Exuberated. Jovial. Ecstatic. Noctis could go on and on with synonyms that would never be able to fully capture the depth and complexity of it all. People were cheering louder than he ever thought possible. Children were running around with cactuar and moogle balloons, laughing like they had never laughed before. He had never experienced anything like this before. And didn’t think he ever would again.
“Noct!”
Noctis had just entered the main hallway leading to the colosseum proper when he heard this familiar-sounding voice. Blond, coiffed hair became visible to him, making its way through the crowd. The audience made a loud roar. Some monster just won. It was almost time for Noctis’ monster’s turn in the ring. But he didn’t notice that right away as he came face to face with those eyes.
“Noct! I decided on your nickname!” Prompto exclaimed when he finally caught up to Noctis, having to push past quite a few drunk arena-goers. He gestured with his hands for Noctis to do a sideways high-five, followed with a fist bump. Like how “bros” greet other “bros.” Noctis, however, didn’t get the memo and awkwardly shook his hand. Awkward in the fact that the way their wrists twisted was not comfortable at all and that it was not what Prompto or any other self-respecting “bro” would have done. In this situation… in any situation.
He was, in a word, a disaster.
“Dude!” Prompto laughed so hard that he had to bend over to catch his breath. “You’re supposed to slap my hand with a high-five, or would we call it a side-five? We can talk about it later. And then you’re supposed to fist bump!” He explained before taking Noctis’ hand and acting out the proper way to greet a “bro.”
“I have never seen this in my life,” Noctis replied matter-of-factly, relishing inside in this new way to greet friends.
“Wait, seriously dude? That’s wild! Did you grow up under the Rock of Ravatogh or something?” Prompto spun around, laughing.
“I’m serious! And I did not grow up under the Rock of Ravatogh.” Noctis replied, laughing along with Prompto. “But how did you find me? There are a lot of people here.” He gestured to the crowd that was still growing around them.
“Well, I’m not stalking you, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Prompto said back. “I always come to play Totomostro after work on Fridays. And you’re pretty easy to spot.”
“What is that supposed to mean, Prompto?”
“Well, first I’m so excited you remembered my name!” Prompto did a little jump for joy. “And second, you’re probably the only one in all of Altissia dressed in all black.”
He gestured emphatically at Noctis’ attire. Black denim jacket with literal skull buttons, over a dark gray shirt with, once again, literal skull prints. Black pants that didn’t even reach his ankles, black buckled boots, and, wait for it, a black leather glovelet on his left hand.
“Like would it kill you to wear more, you know, colors?” Prompto asked as they found two empty seats. Nobody ever really ended up sitting in the arena though. If you’re sitting, you’re not standing, and if you’re not standing, you’re missing out on monster bloodshed. And who wouldn’t want to see sabertusks rip each other’s tusks out?
“You’re one to talk.” Noctis retorted. He pointed up and down Prompto’s body. “You’re wearing a black vest, black gloves, a black shirt with some white, black pants. And are those literally leopard prints? And black boots too.”
“But you see, dear Noct,” Prompto said, scooting forward in his seat in anticipation for the match to begin. “I don’t always wear black on black on black. But you almost always wear black. Like I cannot tell you the last time I saw you come into the cafe not wearing black.” People began to file into their row with drinks and food. “Wait, let me guess.” He turned closer to Noctis. “You either only have one pair of clothes that you wash every night or, even worse, never wash. OR!” He jumped up in excitement. Noctis instinctively leaned forward to catch him if he were to fall. “You have like multiple pairs of these same clothes just hanging in your closet. Like different copies of this same exact outfit for the entire week!”
“You’re ridiculous.” Noctis laughed. “I have other clothes. I guess I just really like these ones?”
“Hmmmmm. Well, you have to wear something brighter some day. Please tell me you don’t just have black, gray, and/or white clothes. That would be so depressing.”
“I have colorful clothes… I think?”
“Well, if you don’t, I’ll take you to my favorite thrift store here in Altissia.”
“Sounds good.” Noctis wondered if people who had just met someone ever really offered to bring someone they barely knew out to go shopping. Sure, it was Altissia and all with its air of hospitality and sunshine but this was a bit much… But he wasn't entirely sure.
Our monsters are about ready to rumble! Booths will close in one minute!
PLACE YOUR BETS!
“So, which monster did you bet on?” Prompto asked. He had calmed down pretty quickly from attacking Noctis’ choice of clothes.
“Umm, let me check again.” Noctis reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a slightly crumpled slip of paper. “Team Blaster Bro? I honestly have no idea what that’s supposed to mean though. I kinda just picked it because I liked the name.”
“Well good thing I’m here. I’m your Totomostro expert. A Totomostro extraordinaire, if you will.” Prompto grabbed Noctis’ slip. “Alright, the ‘Blaster Bros’ are actually Coeurl’s and they’re pretty solid here, blasting everybody with their lasers.” He made laser noises and guns with his hands. Noctis laughed with him. “I’m not sure why they give the monsters weird team names though, like Blaster Bros and Ravatogh Runners. Like all I really need to know is how hard my Wyverns are going to whoop your overgrown cat’s butt.”
“Did you just say that you think you’re going to beat me?” Noctis asked, pushing Prompto’s shoulder. It was slightly more defined than what he imagined it would be.
“You know it, dude. Your Coeurl might be able to shoot laser beams out of its long whiskers but my wyverns shoot fire and fly around and are LITERAL DRAGONS.” Prompto made giant wings with his arms, elevating himself a little over Noctis which was easy;. Prompto was only an inch or half an inch shorter than Noctis on a good day. “Have you ever heard of a lion-tiger test tube mistake ever beating a freaking dragon? What guards the princess’s tower? Not a cat. A dragon!”
“Well, you make some, not-so compelling points, Prompto. But you’re forgetting the most important part.” Noctis started.
“And what’s that, my dude?”
Now entering the arena: Blaster Bro, Ravatogh Runners, and Spiny Speedsters! May the best monster win!
“The princess always gets saved, the dragon always dies, and… uh… cats are cool?”
Prompto turned to look at Noctis and they both broke out laughing. Then came the screaming. Monsters are wild.
“That. Was. So. Rigged!” Prompto exclaimed as he and Noctis walked out of the arena. “How does a tiny cactus with arms that dances around like a two-year child on methamphetamine beat three dragons that can breathe literal fire and brimstone and a laser cat with lasers?!”
During the match, the three wyverns (that Prompto had affectionately named Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles because girl-power?) and the coeurl (that Noctis felt obligated to name, so he named it Kat with a K) had immediately gone after each other. The coeurl kept shooting its lightning laser beams at the flying lizards and the lizard bat things shot fire at the electric feline. However, the ferocious monsters failed to remember the third combatant, the cactuar, who from the sidelines, kept shooting thousands upon thousands of tiny needles all around the arena. Not even the constant barrage of lightning and fire and brimstone and whatever else dragons use to keep princesses locked up in towers could stop the whirlwind of needles. In almost no time at all, the big cat and dragons lay dead on the ground while the cactus danced victoriously over their cold dead carcasses.
“Simmer down, Blondie,” Noctis said, patting his newfound friend on the shoulders. “I don’t think the monsters really cared about who bet on them so it can’t be rigged, right?”
“Oh contraire, my dark-haired friend. That’s what they want you to think!” Prompto laughed before he jumped on the nearest bench. “They must have rigged it somehow. I don’t know how but I will find out! Or my name isn’t Prompto ‘Detective Extraordinaire’ Argentum!”
Noctis laughed as they continued down the street. Prompto walked on top of the cobblestone ledges and wooden benches, jumping to avoid gaps.
While they were in the arena, the sun had said goodbye to Eos and the moon had taken her rightful place in the night sky. Lanterns had turned on, the hanging lights on the trees growing brighter and brighter. The stars in the sky, tiny universes of possibility, reflected on the gondola waterways. A perfect Altissian night. One Noctis had only seen in photographs and picture frames before that summer.
“Oh, you might want this back,” Prompto said before jumping down from the bench and landing right in front of Noctis. Their faces were extremely close. So close, in fact, that if Noctis would have been even an inch closer, their lips would have touched.
“Here you go.” Prompto reached into his pocket and took out Noctis’s Totomostro receipt. “I know we lost but like, I like to keep mementos of things I do and put them in scrapbooks and stuff. So I didn’t know if you wanted it back or not.”
“Oh, I actually forgot about it,” Noctis replied. Noctis took the receipt and put it back into his own jacket pocket, not knowing what he would even do with it. They continued on their way towards the main gondola station, walking side-by-side. Their steps fell into the same rhythm almost immediately, and their arms swayed back and forth at the same speed, their hands mere inches apart. Just by looking at this mismatched duo, no one would have guessed they had really only just met that day.
“You know, I thought I recognized you when you came in the first day, Noct.” Prompto started after they boarded one of the many gondolas. The waters were only lit by streetlights and the moon with its retinue of stars, making small pockets of reflections on the glassy black water. Noctis had never seen so many stars back in Insomnia.
“What do you mean?” Noctis asked. He had been alternating from studying Prompto’s mannerisms, like how he stretched his arms behind him and patted the side of the gondola to a somewhat familiar rhythm, and from gazing at the reflections of the city on the black waters. Noctis leaned over the side of the gondola and placed his hand in the water, creating ripples in the reflections.
“You didn’t tell me you’re THE Noctis Lucis Caelum.”
“What?” Noctis came up abruptly, quickly shaking off his wet hand. “How did you-”
The receipt. It had his name on it. His full name. His princely name. Noctis, for night. Lucis, for light. Caelum, for heaven. He had been trying to keep it a secret, not telling anyone his full name. Up until that point, the only people who definitely knew who he was were Weskham, his father’s family friend who was putting him up for the summer, and Camelia Claustra, the first secretary of Accordo, and, the kiosk machine from the arena. But Noctis could only run from his name for so long. And his time had run out.
“It was on your receipt from the game, my dude.” Prompto laughed. “You’d think I would have recognized you earlier though. You’re kinda a celebrity.” He looked up at Noctis and saw his newfound friend’s face saddening by the millisecond. “Bro, what’s wrong?”
Noctis looked up at Prompto, his dark blue eyes much darker than they were before. He was taking a while to come up with an answer.
He wasn’t okay. There was something wrong. But Noctis didn’t want to tell Prompto everything, or really anything. He had only just met this guy. How could Noctis tell this complete stranger everything that had compounded on itself in just nineteen, almost twenty, years? How could he open himself like the books and music that were his only real friends in his youth? How could he do this?
“Think fast!” Prompto exclaimed. He put his hand over the side of the gondola and splashed water at Noctis. Noctis was so lost in thought that he wasn’t fast enough to dodge the onslaught and got soaked.
“What was that for?” Noctis exclaimed, briefly pausing his inner turmoil. He looked down at his now drenched pants and laughed.
“You got sad and I didn’t like it.” Prompto smiled. “But like, dude, what’s wrong? You can tell me. Or not. Whatever you wanna do.” Prompto looked around, noticing how slowly all the gondolas were going. Slower than usual. There was probably a school of fish taking its sweet time swimming through the water which happened more often that one would expect or like. “We’ll probably be here a while.”
“Well,” Noctis gulped. Was he about tell Prompto everything? About his life? He took a breath. “I’m the ‘crown prince of Insomnia, sole heir to the Insomnia throne and continuance of the Lucian bloodline’,” Noctis made sure to make actual air quotes. “And well…” Noctis trailed off and looked out into the black water. He couldn’t tell Prompto “everything.” He never told anyone everything, not even his only three close friends he had known for years. “Growing up as a prince you quickly learn that people become your friends for your crown or your dad or your money or all of the above. Never for you.”
He sighed and took another breath. He slowly leaned out of the gondola, staring off into the black sky. “I don’t really have many friends because of it. And I can literally, and I do mean literally like the definition of the word literally, count the number of actual friends I have on one hand.” He held up his right hand and recounted his friends in his head. Ignis. Gladio. Luna.
“Dang, dude,” Prompto replied before reaching across the gondola and placing his hand on Noctis’s knee. Noctis turned back to look at him and saw Prompto’s kind smile. “For the record, Noct, I became your friend not because you’re a prince. But because I always wondered what could be going on in someone’s head for them to get the same crazy complicated iced coffee every day for like two weeks. Like, bro, that’s crazy.”
Noctis stared back into Prompto’s eyes, trying to hold back whatever emotion was growing all throughout his body. Was it the sadness of the uninvited memories slowly creeping up to the surface? Was it happiness that Prompto had said such kind words? Was it annoyance at the fact that the gondola couldn’t be going any slower than it was? Noctis tried to still the growing tempest of feelings and could only muster out, “Thanks.”
“No need to thank me, my dude.” Prompto laughed, leaning back onto the side of the gondola. “Just, you should probably cool it on the crazy drink orders or I might have to revoke my friendship card.”
“Wanna know what’s even crazier than my large iced coffee, soy milk, two pumps of caramel sweetener, one of vanilla, light ice?” Noctis asked, scooting a bit closer to Prompto, their faces getting dangerously close to one another.
“What?” Prompto asked, inching just a bit closer to Noctis.
“This.” Noctis quickly reached over the side of the gondola and splashed water towards Prompto. He deftly dodged the small deluge and the water instead hit the gondolier in the back of the head.
“Sorry!” Noctis yelped to Prompto’s uncontrollable laughter. Noctis soon joined in the laughter and the gondolier shook his head, hiding the slightest of smiles.
“Let’s keep our hands inside the gondola from now on. Don’t want them to be bitten off.” The gondolier said, his wry smile unseen by the two.
A comfortable silence fell on the gondola, enveloping the two former strangers in a blanket of ease. The gondolier began humming a familiar tune and Noctis sighed. He recalled fragmented images of his mother and father softly singing this song to calm him down after he could swear he saw daemons hiding in his closet. He could still remember the faint smell of the daisies, her favorite flower, that he placed on the casket to this song being played by a solo pianist.
“Prompto,” Noctis started, looking out amongst the water, trying to push the last memory from his mind. The gondola was almost at the Palsino Street station, his stop. “I have to ask you something.”
“What’s that?” Prompto sat up, returning Noctis’ gaze.
“Why did you really come up to me in the arena? I have to ask like was it because you knew who I was? You said you thought you recognized me from before the cafe. And I’ve had to deal with a lot of fake people in my life and I just need to know now. I know you said it was about the drink but I-”
“You don’t trust me?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Prompto. I just don’t really know you yet. Not really. And I think you probably know a lot more about me and I just don’t know, you know?”
“You said 'know', like ten times in your last breath, by the way.” Noctis laughed at that. “But I get it, I think,” Prompto started again. “I’m not gonna lie I recognized you and, on top of me, as a barista, wanting to know more about your crazy drink order, I think a part of me wanted to be able to say to myself that I actually talked to you, the ‘Crown Prince of Insomnia, sole heir to the Insomnia throne and continuance of the Lucian bloodline.’” Prompto made remarkably similar air quotes to imitate Noctis.
Noctis sighed at that, dropping a little. The lights seemed to dim and the water grew blacker and blacker. The stars and moon were being swallowed by this ever-growing blackness. If he fell in, he could fall all the way down, never to be seen again.
“Whoa there, Noct. Don’t sigh. I specifically put air quotes to try to get you to smile!” He playfully shoved Noctis’s shoulder to try to garner any semblance of a smile, but the only thing that came out of Noctis’s mouth was another sigh, quieter and even more hopeless than before.
Nevertheless, Prompto trudged on.
“But the main reason I came up to you was that you seemed like a cool guy every time you came into the cafe. You didn’t act like I thought a prince would, you know conceited and stuff, although I guess I’ve never met royalty before unless you count someone dressed up as Malboro Buddy,” Noctis laughed. “And... I just wanted to know who you actually were. In the end, I don’t really care about the fact you’re a prince. I’m just glad you’re not like an ax murderer or something. You know, axes have families and lives too so if you murder one, there are consequences that most people don’t think about. No baby ax should have to live knowing that there might be a murderer lurking around the corner, coming for it, its parents and everyone it knows and loves.”
The axes got Noctis to finally let out a tiny smile. The tear that was instinctively growing in his right eye started to disappear as well.
“And of course, we only just really met today,” Prompto finished, “But I’m glad we got to know each other, and you’re like really cool and stuff. And by the way, you can exhale now.”
Noctis let out a large breath. His heartbeat returned to its normal speed. “Wow, I didn’t realize I was kinda holding my breath there.”
“Well, it’s great to know that I take your breath away.” Noctis squinted at Prompto, unsure why that sounded the way it did. Didn’t people usually only say that about people they have feelings for? Or was this just another social cue in which Noctis was not privy. “And I’m glad you can breathe properly, Your Highness. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you like suffocated right here.”
“Oooo, yeah I don’t like that nickname. At all. But thank you.” Noctis looked back at the water and its blackness became just a little brighter. Maybe the moon and the stars hadn’t gone away for good.
“Okay…” Prompto replied. “So I have Noct, and no ‘Your Highness’. And I’m going to assume ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘Your Princeliness’ are also out of the question. So I’ll just have to come up with at least one more.”
“Well, then I’ll just have to come up with one more for you too.”
“So, what I’m hearing is that we’re going to be hanging out again.” Prompto pointed out.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Noctis asked, “Isn’t that what people do?”
“Well, that’s what normal people do but normal people don’t sigh as much as you do when they’re in front of someone as amazing as me, and also you ARE a prince so....”
“Oh yeah, I’m a prince. So I’m better than the normal person.”
“Touche, Luci.”
“Did you just call me Luci?”
“Yeah, because your middle name is Lucis?”
“Try again.”
The gondola docked into the station, rattling the boys. The gondolier finished his vast repertoire of humming tunes and began his routine for his end of the night procedures. This was the last boat for the evening and he seemed eager to go home. Hopefully not to murder axes as Prompto might have assumed.
“Okay how about this,” Prompto started after putting a couple of gil into the tip jar. Noctis did the same but with about ten times the amount. He was a prince after all. The gondolier tipped his head in thanks, secretly disappointed he wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on their conversation anymore that night. They made an interesting duo.
“Saturday is my day off from the cafe and I’m going to be heading to the islands off the coast to take some pictures.” He patted the camera hanging on his side. Noctis realized he hadn’t fully registered that Prompto had been taking pictures the entire night; he would have to be much more attentive from here on out. “And I would love to have a co-captain on the way over and just some company that aren’t my younger sisters who only want to dance to that one Taylor Swift song.”
Noctis laughed when he pictured Prompto trying to take pictures of some type of tree while his sisters, who no doubt had blonde hair like him, ignored him and danced around to award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, all-around-amazing human being Taylor Swift.
“What’s the song? Shake it Off? Me! maybe? I don’t know. They even bring their own waterproof speaker and everything. They’re honestly so extra.”
“I’d love to, Prom.”
“Ooo, I like that one. You’re a quick one there, Noctolini” Noctis shook his head tersely which made Prompto laugh. “Alright, just going to draw a big red line through that one.” Prompto drew a line in the air, with a flourishing checkmark at the end. “I’ll get you one soon, I promise.” Prompto high-fived Noctis and he actually caught the cue and did it back. Palm on palm and everything; no hand-shaking at all. “Okay so this is the plan: I’ll come up with another rocking nickname for you by Saturday, that gives me two days even though you only needed like what? Ten minutes?”
“In your defense,” Noctis butted in. “Prom is just a shortened version of your name like Noct, which is a pretty great nickname, by the way, is just shortened version of my name.”
“You do know how to make a guy feel smart, don’t you?” Prompto winked at Noctis, prompting a weird warm feeling to bubble at the base of his stomach. “Anyway,” Prompto trudged on, walking backward to face Noctis. “We’ll both have two nicknames for each other. Then let’s meet outside the cafe and then we can head out and have the best day getting pictures and hopefully we’ll even see it.”
“See what?”
“That’s a surprise, my dude.”
“I hate surprises. The last time I was surprised I ended up almost falling off a balcony.”
“Ooo, save that story for Saturday!”
“Alright, Blondie. Sounds good.” They both laughed, continuing along the sidewalk. They passed food carts and thrift stores closing up for the night and kids running around their parents on their way home. Lights twinkled along balconies, giving the streetside flowers a dim yet luminous glow. Something about Altissia at night made both of them sigh in contentment.
“Well, this is me,” Noctis said outside of Maagho, the star restaurant of Altissia. It’s known far and wide as the most prestigious restaurant in all of Eos. Its signature dish, Fine Caviar Canape, is the most expensive dish in all of Eos, clocking in at 300,000 gil.
Noctis had only ever had it once when Weskham had visited Insomnia for the funeral. It didn’t taste as good as it should have.
“Well, of course, a prince would live in the bougiest restaurant in the whole world.”
“The owner, Weskham, is friends with my dad and offered to take me in. Because if not, I would have stayed at the Leville.”
“Ahh, so you had to choose between either the bougiest restaurant in the world or the bougiest hotel in the world. You really were stuck between Ifrit and the Starscourge.”
“You really know your Cosmogony.”
“I can tell you more about it this weekend if you’d like, Nocty-Wocty.”
“Prom, you’re really bad at this nickname thing.”
“Just watch,” Prompto scooted in front of Noctis and held open the door. “By Saturday, I’ll have a nickname that will knock your black boots off. And hopefully, get you to get out of these black clothes.” He pulled on Noctis’s shirt playfully. “You’re like a walking phantom.”
“I don’t even know how to respond to that,” Noctis replied. He wasn't sure how he felt about Prompto pulling on his shirt so close to his skin. But he also wasn't sure if he didn't like it.
“I leave a lot of people speechless. Get used to it. I’ll probably leave you at a loss for words all day on Saturday.” Prompto winked, which Noctis found… interesting. This was the second time he had winked that night. But maybe it was just an Altissian thing. And it's not like he didn't not like it.
Noctis walked in through the open door. “I’ll be waiting.” He and Prompto shakily tried to do a cool bro handshake but Noctis fumbled. Prompto laughed. “See you on Saturday! And get better at your bro handshakes! Bro-shakes? Brakes? Anyway, see ya!”
As Prompto walked away, Noctis couldn’t help but feel just a tad bit emptier. Like a blond, blue-eyed hole that he didn’t know could exist in his chest had just been created. And needed to be filled as soon as possible.
“By the way Weskham, I’m going to be out all Saturday. So I don’t think I’ll be able to help out in the restaurant if that’s alright.”
“Finally found some friends here in Altissia?” Weskham replied from the kitchen where he was more likely than not whipping up some new dish he was going to try to sell to the imposter and pretentious connoisseurs that frequented Maagho. Most people who came in probably couldn’t tell a two hundred bottle of wine against a five dollar bottle of wine if it hit them in the face.“It’s fine. Business is going to be slow on Saturday. Apparently, Camelia is having a huge political talk with a whole banquet and everything. I would think you had to be there.”
“I wasn’t invited to that I don’t think… But, yeah I made a cool friend today. We’re going to the islands off the coast to take some nature pictures and stuff.”
“Sounds good, Prince.”
“Thanks, and please don’t call me Prince. It’s Noctis, or Noct, for short.”
“Alright, ‘Noctis’,” Weskham replied, emphasizing his name.
Noctis chuckled at that. “Good night.”
He walked into the guest room where he was staying and opened the blinds. He looked down to see Prompto sitting at a bench playing around with his camera, the street light above him illuminating his blond hair. He wondered which photos Prompto was tweaking or deleting. He thought about how great the day had turned out to be.
Maybe the summer wasn’t going to be so bad.
Noctis lied down on his bed and took out the carbuncle plushie from under his pillow. Its seafoam green coat worn away, its previously ruby red jewel, browner than anything, and the red stains still visible even after all those meticulous and painstaking cleanings.
“Hey, Carby. I made a friend today. A real friend. Right? It’s weird. But he’s so cool and funny and like, I don’t know. Having friends is weird, yeah?”
Carby didn’t say anything back. How could he? But he did look into Noctis’s eyes and brought him a sense of calm. He’s done this for Noctis’s entire life. Hidden in his room, away from everyone else.
“Good night, Carby. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Noctis put his plush friend away under his pillow and closed his eyes.
A light knock came at the door, followed by an envelope. Noctis stumbled out of bed to get it and noticed the Tenebrean Seal keeping it closed. It smelled of sylleblossoms and vanilla and his name was written in the most carefully scribed calligraphy he had ever seen.
It had to be from Luna.
He put it on his nightstand, deciding to read it tomorrow. He hadn’t thought of Luna since their last correspondence almost a week ago. Wherever in Eos she was, she apparently didn’t get great cell service and handwriting letters were always their go to. Even when they were younger and Noctis had moved back to Insomnia from staying at her home of Tenebrae for almost a year. Handwritten letters and notebooks carried across oceans were just their thing.
Sky-blue eyes and blond hair flashed into his dreams. He reached out to them, wanting nothing more to than hold them in this arm. They ran away into the infinite white space. He followed them around and around, passing newly appearing and disjoined buildings, jumping from bridge to bridge. Noctis followed them down a twisting corridor where two dogs, one black and one white were sleeping. He jumped over their sleeping bodies and finally caught up to the person he was chasing. He was ready to embrace them with all of his might.
He turned them around.
It wasn’t Luna, his girlfriend.
He would recognize these blue eyes forever.
Noctis woke up, sweating. He turned to see the envelope, barely illuminated by a sliver of moonlight.
“Crap.”