Archive of Our Own

“I’m telling you, dude, there’s literally nobody on this entire planet who can beat that damn high score.”

Noctis Lucis Caelum gazed into the eyes of his best friend, his usually fond and nonchalant gaze currently replaced with a thoughtful look that was steeped in a distant sense of paranoia. Prompto was sitting at the desk right in front of him, having twisted around to face him from the very moment the teacher decided to dismiss the class—just like they always did.

“You have no way of knowing that,” the prince swiftly argued in response, his brows knitted together in contemplation. “I just think that we should go back again after school today and get it even higher, y’know, to make sure. I have a reputation to uphold, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Prompto sighed exasperatedly, but his bright smile still never quite left his face. “We literally spent almost two hours standing at that arcade last week before you somehow managed to get that insane score; we’d literally have to make a deal with an actual daemon to get it any higher, and I for one think that that might just be doing a little bit too much.”

“Prom,” Noctis said quietly, his gaze imploring, “Don’t you have any faith in me? Don’t you believe that Noct Gar could finally reign supreme over the Justice Monsters Five’s leader board for all of eternity?”

“Pretty sure he already is,” Prompto remarked flatly.

“Because if we want that to happen,” Noctis continued, paying the comment no attention. “That scrawny score needs to be beaten for good. Now tell me; are you with me?”

The raven shot his hands forward for his best friend to take. Rolling his eyes dramatically, the blonde slowly took them into his own, trying his best not to show how his lips were twitching at the sides. “Six, you must realize all that I put up with for you, right?”

“Getting to be around while history is being made? Not a sweet enough deal for you?”

Prompto chuckled faintly as his head shook from side to side, the blonde putting on a quick show of deliberation. After a moment, his shoulders drooped greatly, his accepting features already indicant of his answer. “I swear, if there are no complementary snacks involved in this plan…”

Noctis glanced around quickly at the rapidly departing class, right before giving his friend a little grin, tender and personal. “That’s a yes, right?”

Prompto just sighed handsomely, good-natured to the very end. “Just be glad that I love you, dude.”

The prince tried his very best to not show how his chest swelled up with emotion when he heard those words, his headspace swiftly glowing with inner warmth and affection.

Once, it would’ve once been a purely platonic sensation; but now, as luck would have it, it just so happened to be adorned with pining romanticism.

In theory, Noctis could concede that it probably wasn’t the smartest move to accidentally fall head over heels for his best friend—especially when the sentiment was in fact one-sided. But be that as it may, the various snippets of flippant reciprocation he received still had his belly doing flips, that only helping to keep his idyllic love alive and flourishing. Noctis supposed that allowing such a thing to continue could have some tricky consequences in the future, but he had yet to scavenge up the incentive to forfeit any of the fluttery butterflies that came along with it all.

So he let his feelings keep his insides toasty for a little while longer.

Around halfway through subtly swooning over his crush, however, and the abrupt sound of a girl’s voice calling out Prompto’s name from right beside them all but effectively ruined the moment.

Noctis had half a mind to glare at her for impeding on his doting thoughts, but Prompto immediately piped down and released their grip, looking up at the girl neither of them had ever spoken to with an abrupt curiosity as to why his name in particular was being called for once.

“That is me, yes!” the blonde laughed timidly after a moment, smiling gradually as he straightened up in his chair. “What can I do for you, miss?”

Trying not to get lost in those radiant features, Noctis willed himself to remain impassive. The girl, on the other hand, appeared to be exceptionally nervous, her posture jittery, features tense. It was quite the peculiar sight. “Well… you see, I- I kind of wanted to ask you something before you go?” she said in a high voice, “If that’s okay?”

Despite the oddity of those words, Prompto didn’t lose his bright smile for a second. “As long as you aren’t confessing to a murder, then I’m fairly certain it’s definitely okay! Lay it on me.”

The prince couldn’t help but let out a little smile at that, but when he noticed that the girl quickly gave a quaint one of her own, his faltered just the slightest bit. Of course, he corrected that only a moment later; he was overthinking the gesture, he figured, considering that Prompto could surely get anyone to smile no matter what the circumstance was.

The weird girl took a soft breath, quickly swallowing as she prepared to speak. With how shy she was acting, the raven was waiting for her to ask Prompto something about the class they just had, or perhaps for some future help with her homework. But then again, there was always the chance that she just started up the conversation with Prompto so that she had an excuse to move onto the prince himself, like so many girls had used to do before they finally got the message that he truly wasn’t interested. He wondered if perhaps this one had somehow missed the memo. Fidgeting with his fingers, Noctis impatiently waited for her to drop the bomb.

“Would you… perhaps, like to go out for… something to drink, later?”

Noctis nearly bit his tongue off.

Unaware that Lucian royalty was trying not to die right behind him at that very moment, Prompto gawked up at the girl in peerless silence, struck with a case of brain-numbing astonishment.

“Y-You mean… like, a date?” he eventually choked out in a turbulent voice, the last word coming across as more of a squeak than anything else.

The suggestion was beyond ludicrous, and the prince’s head shot towards the girl to see her reject the notion, to hear her laugh it off, or apologize for so stupidly giving his poor friend the wrong idea with her ridiculous statement.

But all she did was give a little nod, her pale cheeks dusted with rosy pink.

Noctis’ jaw almost hit the ground.

With a murmured hum of faux comprehension, Prompto at least tried to look less baffled. He failed. “Um… why?”

The girl blinked, her thin hands folding together timidly. Noctis remained frozen, wordless utterances failing to escape past his lips as the stupefying scene continued to unfold.

“Why…?” she eventually repeated, “Well, it’s just that- um, over the past few weeks, I… I guess that, I couldn’t help but take notice of you? If that make sense? I mean, you’re a bit reserved, and you only ever spend time with Prince Noctis; but I’ve still seen how nice you are, to everyone in class. You’re also kind of cute, and I was just… hoping that maybe we could get to know each other better?”

Prompto continued to stare up at her, his mouth stuck in a permanent ‘o’, his disbelief certainly apparent to say the very least. “Are you… being serious?”

“Of course, I am!” the girl said as she laughed out loud, Noctis still coherent enough to immediately work to banish the shrill noise from his memory. It took a little while, far too long for the raven’s liking, but she eventually quieted down, her features quickly turning hesitant. "I mean, unless of course, you- don’t want to…? Because in which case, I’m totally just joking and you can forget about this-”

“N-No!” Prompto stammered out as he shot up straight, surprising both Noctis and the girl with his sudden volume. “I… I wouldn’t mind that at all!”

Noctis’ neck almost broke at the velocity at which it snapped towards his best friend.

Unaffected by the world that seemed to be trembling around them right at that very moment, the girl perked right back up, clearly relieved. “Really?”

Prompto nodded fervently as he gazed at her, his freckled cheeks flushed and gorgeous. For once, Noctis was too preoccupied with trying not to explode to marvel at the sight of it.

“I-I… I mean, are you doing anything this evening?” she inquired somewhat eagerly next, delicately tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Like, two hours after school, maybe?”

“So soon?!” Prompto yelped out gawkishly, immediately blushing at his own little inept outburst. “Um! I mean- totally! Ah, that is, I would totally be okay with that, because I don’t have anything to do then, so that should be- yes, that sounds great! If you- are okay with it!”

Prompto spluttered out a hysterical laugh, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly. The girl giggled shyly alongside him, completely unminding.

Noctis tried his very best to hold himself back from summoning his sword.

He had to say something. The prince didn’t care about anything else in that instant, he had to stop whatever the hell he was looking at from happening.

“H-Hey!” came his abrupt exclamation as he as well shot up from his desk, trailing off as he realized that he had cleverly forgotten to come up with anything but that. Two surprised sets of eyes immediately landed on him, and the raven had to fight back the whispering urge to run away.

“O-Oh,” the girl said slowly, as if just taking notice of him for the first time. “Hello, Your Highness.”

Prompto just observed him oddly, his features slightly twisted in confusion. “Noct?”

“I-“ he stuttered out awkwardly, his cheeks suddenly in flames. “Prom, what about- our plans? Later?”

“What? You mean the ar-” Prompto cut himself off at the sharp glare Noctis gave him, tensely forcing out a chuckle a few moments later. “Oh, that! I… well, um, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle that just once without me, dude! I’ll help you out next time, I promise!”

Noctis shot his friend an aggrieved look, his gut shivering as denial washed through him. “But…”

“It’s alright, Your Highness,” the girl suddenly piped up, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Prompto said he’ll go with you another time; you really don’t need to worry.”

Noctis looked up at her, and by all the divine power of the Gods, he somehow didn’t fling himself at her.

“Right…” he murmured as he gingerly sat back down, holding his anger back by the mental handful. Seeing this horrid girl telling him that Prompto wasn’t going to spend time with him was not the way it was supposed to be. Not with how she'd rather have him spending his time.

The prince bit into his lip harshly, forcing himself not to glare at the girl. No matter what the context may be, Prompto would always be his everything. The one he could always rely on to make him feel better, the only human on their entire star who he could always call on whenever he was feeling down—the sole reason as to why he started to remember that his life was actually worth living.

Their friendship was one of extraordinary value; it meant so much to him that he’d never even dare to confess his feelings at the risk of damaging it, considering that he and Prompto were the most important person in each other’s lives from the very beginning. They functioned best together, couldn’t bear to be away from each other for long periods of time, and were practically inseparable. And yes, it obviously hadn’t passed him by that a certain kind of love had worked itself into the mix—but so long as things remained the way they were between them, he knew that he could live with it.

And now here this girl was, suddenly threatening to take that away from him.

Noctis glanced at Prompto, but he was already conversing with her again, and she to him. They were already getting along, smiling to each other. She was being too nice, laughing too loudly, her interest vilely transparent.

And yet his best friend couldn’t see what was happening, couldn’t gaze past the girl’s façade—he was too blinded by her petite laughs and uplifting compliments. Too flattered that a girl was actually asking him out. He couldn’t see that she was trying to steal him away from the person who already loved him.

A few minutes passed by in what felt like ages right before numbers were exchanged, the destination disclosed, excited goodbyes given, right before the girl finally left, waving cheerfully back at Prompto. The blonde waved back twice as fervently in response, his entire frame glittering with elation.

Turning around to look back at the quiet prince, the blonde sighed hugely in an inflated voice, his features still excited.

“Holy shit, dude… did all of that really just happen? Did I actually just get asked on a date, or am I dreaming right now?”

Noctis couldn’t bring himself to smile. “I’m afraid it’s all happening.”

Prompto swiftly clasped onto his cheeks with his hands. “I can't believe that she actually likes me... and I can’t believe that I’m about to go on my first date in like two hours, I- oh damn, I need to go home and pick out the perfect outfit…! Sweet baby chocobos, I have no idea what I’m going to wear, I don’t even think I’ll have time to do laundry…! And I think I have these nice brown pants, but I don’t think I have the right shirt for it… but what if I-“

The prince blinked whilst his friend anxiously babbled on, a stark epiphany scoring across his mind in those moments, bright and prominent. It was undoubtedly unethical, and it had his nerves convulsing at the very thought of it; and yet at that very second, the alternative only seemed so much worse.

With a strained breath, the prince decided that he didn’t care how wrong it was; he was going to do it. He didn’t have a choice, not when he had so much to lose. Promptly clearing his throat, he realized too late that it sounded more like he was gagging, but still he managed to push forward.

“H-Hey, Prom?” he blurted out with forced enthusiasm, “How about we, like, go back to my apartment, and pick out some of my clothes for you to wear? We’re around the same size, and I’m sure I’d have plenty of things that would…” the prince hastily swallowed back his distaste, “…impress her.”

The blonde immediately halted all movement, his eyes widening considerably. “Wait, really? But- aren’t you going to the arcade? What about beating your high score?”

Noctis kept his features indifferent. Nowadays, getting new high scores didn’t mean nearly enough if Prompto wasn’t right there beside him, cheering him on, getting him to laugh. Making him feel alive and normal. “…Nah. I thought about it, but I guess I’ll just do it another time.”

Prompto literally bounced on the spot, his exhilaration beaming. “Wah…! Noct, is that really okay?!”

The raven grunted candidly. “Well, I’m offering, aren’t I?”

“Six, you’re the best!” his friend exclaimed as he shot forwards and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug, his familiar body warmth instantaneous and distantly consoling.

Noctis could only smile thinly.

Halfway to his apartment complex, and the prince still couldn’t get that girl’s figure out of his mind.

He had thought that he’d start thinking properly about his little idea and end up disregarding it entirely along the way, but every reoccurring thought of his friend’s date had his insides filling up with swirling emotions that he didn’t want, inadvertently spurring him on. The more he thought about her, the more hideous her thieving face became in his mind. The unsightlier her smile. Now he couldn’t picture her hair as anything other than live snakes, ready to bite at Prompto.

There was no way he could let his best friend go; not for this person.

It took a few minutes just for him to work up the inner courage to speak, but he eventually found his voice.

“S-So, a date, huh?” he nonchalantly started as they walked, keeping his gaze elsewhere. “That’s really something, isn’t it?”

“You’re telling me,” his friend laughed.

Noctis just nodded naturally. “Listen, I was thinking, don’t you… think that you’re going into it a bit fast? I-I mean, you did just meet her, after all.”

If Prompto picked up on anything, he didn’t express it. He just continued to stick by the raven’s hip, the sound of his bag tapping against his side consistent. “No, not really. She seemed pretty cool, didn’t she?”

“I… don’t know.” Noctis said next, his voice deceptively casual, eyes ahead. “It was a bit hard to tell, wasn’t it?”

“Well…” Prompto hummed in thought, before flashing him a grin. “I’ll definitely get a better impression of her on this date, yeah?”

Noctis barely managed to hold back his grimace.

“Oh, I wonder how much money I should take?” the blonde piped up quickly, his features laced with sudden consideration. “Noct, do you think we’ll be getting milkshakes or something? How much do you think milkshakes would cost?”

Grunting in temporary defeat, Noctis didn’t even spare his friend a glance, instead going back to contemplating over how badly he wanted to strangle his date. “Dude, she’s asking you out. Let her pay.”

Prompto gasped from his side, shooting him an accusing stare. “Noct! Do you actually know nothing? No wonder nobody’s lining up to ask you out, you’re totally useless at dating!”

“Like you have so much more experience?” he shot back with a frown he hadn’t realized had crawled onto his face.

The blonde huffed poshly, brandishing his index finger meaningfully. “Well, clearly! Everybody knows that the gentlemanly thing to do on a first date is to pay for the food. Or drinks, in this case. It’s literally a rule.”

Noctis grumbled, unimpressed. “Well then it’s a stupid rule.”

“But she’ll totally appreciate it, y’know?”

Bristling at that notion, the prince bit into his lip. “Like I care how she feels.”

The rhythmic bumps of the blonde’s bag stopped resounding. Noctis promptly halted his pace, glancing back to where Prompto had stopped walking, his insides torn between feeling curious and apprehensive as he took in his frowning face.

“What?” was all he asked.

Prompto was gazing at him, his expression hesitant. “Why do you have to be such a grouchy prince, dude? Are you seriously this upset about me not going to the arcade with you?”

The prince stiffened, his features instantly losing their sharpness. “No, Prom, it’s- it’s not about that. It’s not about anything, really, because there’s nothing wrong.”

“Well, there’s obviously something…“ his friend insisted faintly, his tone more concerned than angry. “You’ve been acting weird ever since we left.” There was a small pause. “Did I… do something to upset you?”

“No, you didn’t!” Noctis immediately declared, the aching sight of his friend’s displeasure igniting something bitter and hostile within him, “It’s that-“

The raven callously ground his teeth together, forcefully cutting himself off at the last second before he blurted out anything stupid. However, looking at Prompto, he couldn’t help but notice that the blonde’s gaze had already turned ever so slightly harsh.

“It’s that what?” he asked, his voice somewhat critical. “…Noct, are you upset that I’m going out on a date?”

A biting coldness burst inside of the prince’s stomach, but he forced it not to show. “No, I’m definitely not. I told you before, it’s nothing, okay? Seriously, let’s just get back to my place.”

The prince spun back around on his heel, waiting tensely for his friend to start moving again before he did the same.

“…Okay.” was all Prompto eventually muttered in response, the distinct tapping resuming as he continued on.

Zipping all of his feelings up into an internal box and leaving them there to stagnate, the raven wordlessly resumed his pace beside his friend, cursing himself for being the way that he was.

Neither of them tried to initiate any conversation after that, and thus the walk back was saturated in atypical silence.

Around ten minutes passed by the time they got to his apartment, but by then it seemed evident that Prompto was distracted enough by his nerves to at least forget about the little spiff between them, his positive energy returning bright as ever as he bounded through the door, Noctis silently ensuing.

“Okay, I only have an hour and a bit to get ready, so it’s time to make like a cactuar and speed up,” the blonde declared as he carefully leaned his bag against the sofa, “Can I leave my stuff here, Noct? If you aren’t busy later, I could come back when I’m finished and tell you about everything that went down while we play King’s Knight or something.”

Despite the blatant appeal of the suggestion, the prospect of playing video games with his best friend still couldn’t relieve the prince’s sour mood. He put on an empty smile. “If you want to.”

“Awesome!” Prompto grinned genuinely, shooting him a thumbs-up. “Thanks, dude.”

Wordlessly, the raven took in his friend’s radiant features, painfully beautiful and warm even right after having one of their rare altercations. His characteristic optimism made him even more attractive in his opinion; it was a quality that had the prince wanting to marvel at his face for an absolute eternity.

And then he remembered that there was someone who wanted to take it all for themselves.

The impact of the overriding recollection had something inside of him corroding, dyeing his thoughts red, rekindling his earlier aggravation. Helplessly biting into his cheek, the prince almost let out a sunken growl as he thought of the girl’s face gazing so intently at his best friend’s. He couldn’t let it happen, after all. It was his face to marvel at, the love of his life. Even if it was never even meant to be, he was not willing to give it up even so. Not yet. Hell, not ever.

Noctis clenched his fists tightly by his sides and decided to just put his foot down, his fears be damned. “Actually- Prompto, we need to talk.”

“Um… okay?” the blonde nodded lightly as he made for the bedroom, “Let’s chat while we choose what I should wear.”

“N-No, before that,” the raven insisted hesitantly, “I need to talk to you now.”

His friend slowed to a halt, spinning around quickly with a wavering frown. “Uh, sure. What’s on your mind, exactly?”

Noctis tensed as he thought about it, his breath subconsciously hastening alongside his nerves. “It’s- it’s about your… date. And about us.”

Prompto gazed at him, and for a while he didn’t react. However, his expression soon grew tentative, the sight of it twisting the prince’s stomach. “Oh… that.“ The blonde took a moment before letting out an inward sigh, a few seconds passing before his fingers gingerly began scratching the back of his head. “…Noct, it’s okay. Really. I get it.”

The prince faltered immediately, his brain short-circuiting as his upcoming declarations all but evaporated. “What?”

His friend gave him a knowing look. “Dude, you don’t need to play dumb. Do you really think it isn’t obvious? I just so happen to be an expert on all things Noctis, so I can totally tell, you know.”

Noctis’ stomach plunged into an abyss, his entire body suddenly alight with anxiety, his heart beating in his ears as the shocking words resounded in his mind. “You… can?”

Prompto just nodded in response, his face unreadable. “You’re jealous.”

As if he had been struck by lightning, overwhelming shock coursed through the prince in that very instant, locking his limbs straight and rendering him almost entirely speechless. “…What?”

“Dude, I’ve known you for how long?” Prompto continued, his expression somewhat tolerant. “You don’t need to try and hide it. And I’m not mad, okay?”

It appeared that his numbness was meant to be short-lived, for it was soon replaced with bubbling pools of distress and frustration, and how powerfully it all swirled within the raven, tainting his voice with a sense of ire that surprised even him. “Prom, seriously, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Do you really need me to spell it out for you?” the blonde huffed as he crossed his arms, clearly annoyed at his inability to catch on. “You’re jealous of me. Envious. Whatever you want to call it.”

The raven couldn't believe it. “The actual hell do you think I’m jealous of…?!”

“Why, let’s see,” Prompto retorted, “The fact that I’m the one getting asked out by a pretty girl and you’re not, even though you’re the famous one, Mister Big-Shot Prince?”

Noctis gaped at him, incredulity not even able to cover the swirling wall of emotion that was slamming into him. “You- cannot seriously believe that…?”

For all his timid and unassertive ways, Prompto didn’t seem like he was going to back down. “Can’t I? Well then please, explain it to me, Noct—I’m all ears. Please elaborate on your oh-so-simple reason as to why you’re trying to get in the way of me having a date, when it has literally nothing to do with you.”

The prince’s frame stiffened abruptly, an abundance of answers springing onto his tongue.

“Because I love you.” “I can’t lose you to somebody else.” “I wouldn’t be able to survive without you always being by my side.” But for some reason, none of that could actually come out of his mouth. A measly “Prom…” was all he could manage in the end, the time suddenly unable to feel even close to right.

Prompto just looked at him standing there, the blonde’s gaze turning downcast. “I’m going to go get ready. If you don’t want me to use your clothes anymore, then tell me.”

The words had the prince glaring at the floor, his crushing resentment and anger biting at his skin. But beyond that, his feelings still lay there inside of him, glowing dimly regardless of it all. Premonitions of their indivisible future together no longer existing flashed before his eyes, and in spite of everything, it was enough to keep him going. “Prom, you can’t go on this date.”

His friend shot him a look of utmost disbelief. “Come again?”

“Your date,” the raven quietly continued, “This evening. With that girl. I can’t let you go.”

“Um…” the blonde uttered, his face bleeding out unparalleled astonishment. “Noct, I actually think that I should get going, for real. I actually- have proper clothes. At home.”

Unwilling to be denied, the prince pushed on before Prompto could move to leave, fully aware of how insane he was sounding, but unable to do anything about it. “I- I can’t tell you why right now, but seriously, you just can’t, okay?”

“Listen, I think you’re tired, so I’m just gonna go.”

Prompto went to walk away, but Noctis wouldn’t allow it, swiftly grabbing hold of his wrist as his friend yelped in surprise. “I won’t let you.”

“Six, Noct!” Prompto suddenly yelled as he ripped his arm back, quickly taking a few steps back. “What the hell has gotten into you?!”

“Please…” Noctis practically begged, unsure of what else he could do. “Please, don’t go.”

Taking a deep, unsteady breath, Prompto slowly shook his head from side to side as he failed to fathom what was going on, desolation etched onto his face. “Noctis, fucking hell, I… okay, I’m sure this sounds bad, but I think- I think we might need some time away from each other—that would probably be best for the both of us.”

Noctis instantly faltered, every thought in his head dissipating alongside the words that just escaped from his best friend. Astonishment and hurt, that was what immediately blossomed within his chest as the insane words replayed in his mind, over and over. “What?” he eventually demanded weakly, “That’s… totally ridiculous, what do you mean?”

“Is it really that crazy of an idea?” Prompto uttered blandly, his eyes narrowed in unspoken sentiment. “Because you know what, it isn’t even just that you’re just jealous. You’re clearly under the impression that just because you’re such a big part of my life and I rely on you for so much, you can monopolize all of my time.”

“What-“ Noctis spluttered out in dismay, “Prom, I’m not monopolizing you!”

Despite himself, Prompto actually laughed. The sound was eerie. “Dude, my Gods, open your eyes! You’re going absolutely nuts at the very first time I try to spend time with somebody that isn’t you! I know that’s you’re used to being the only person in my life, but that still doesn’t mean that you can just decide what I get to do, or who I get to spend time with! I’m not yours, and I can do what I want.”

“I know that!” Noctis argued, the radiating heat in his face contrasting uncomfortably with the iciness of his insides.

“Then why are you saying I can’t do this?! Because if this isn’t about the arcade, and you’re also claiming that you’re not jealous, then it’s obvious that you’re just butthurt because I want to hang out with someone besides you.”

The prince stared at his best friend, the gaze feeling hollow, his psyche thundering with too many emotions for him to process it all. “You’re wrong,” he said plainly, “I wouldn’t do that, you know that. You can be friends with whoever you want, it’s wouldn’t bother me.”

Prompto gave him a questioning look. “Is that so? Then you’re totally fine with me going on this date, yeah?”

Noctis went to speak, but ended up cutting himself off yet again as he realized that the objection that had risen to his lips was as true as it was incriminating.

Noting his apparent reluctance to answer, Prompto just shook his head once more, letting out a dismayed breath at his point appearing to have been proven.

The infuriating sight was too much for Noctis to take, the crushing unfairness of it all garnering up all of the furiosity inside of him, the prince unable to hold back his voice any longer. “She’s not the one for you, Prom!”

His friend flinched at the sudden exclamation, the blonde quickly staring at the raven in disbelief. “By the Gods, what are you going on about now?! And how would you even know that? You’ve literally met her once!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that she doesn’t deserve you!” the prince fervently insisted.

“And who the hell are you to decide that?!”

The words were itching to come out, Noctis struggling to repress it all. “It- it doesn’t matter!”

“By the Six, Noct, listen to yourself! You’re sounding absolutely crazy!”

Noctis flinched at the words, but still he pressed on. “I’m really sorry, Prom, but please, just listen to me!”

“Why are you apologizing?” Prompto questioned heatedly, “Just admit it! Just admit that you’re jealous, and move on!”

“I’m not jealous, okay?!” Noctis almost yelled, his self-control already hanging by a mere thread, “I just don’t want you to be spending time with her!”

Prompto’s eyes narrowed sharply. “And why shouldn’t I?”

He was about to snap. Noctis could feel it. “Because you have me!”

“So what?! What is that even supposed to mean?!”

“It means that you don’t need to be with her!”

“And why the hell should I be with you over her-?!”

“Because I love you, okay?!”

Time seemed to slow down in that very moment, and it was suddenly very, very quiet.

As soon as his trembling words had burst out, Prompto’s adverse disposition completely collapsed, all of it replaced by a state of dumbstruck astoundment.

“…What?” was all he said, his voice a mere whisper.

“I’m so sorry, Prom, but I do.” Noctis eventually admitted after a little while, the words steeped in shame. His face was burning as his vulnerability came pouring out, his aching heart bared helplessly to his friend. “And I can’t- I just can’t handle the thought of you… leaving me.”

Prompto continued to wordlessly gape at him, the raven taking a strained breath before continuing.

“I know that it’s totally stupid and selfish, because we aren’t even together like that, but I- I can’t help it. I’ve always known that I could be content, just with us at least being each other’s number ones, and always there for each other, but… I know that that would change if you fell for someone. You wouldn’t want to just hang out with me anymore; not when you’d be spending all your time with her. You’d be digging into your life now to make room for her, and there just wouldn’t be enough space for both of us. If you fell in love, you’d end up making her your number one, and what we have together would be left behind. And I know, you’d still make some time for me, but… it wouldn’t be the same. It couldn’t be. We would start to grow apart. You’d… leave me for her, and…”

Noctis didn’t know when he started crying, but the sudden tear sliding down his cheek disrupted the thoughts in his head enough for him to finally take notice, the prince angrily wiping away at it with his arm. “…I’m sorry.”

Prompto just stared at him, all of his anger having completely vanished, his jaw hanging loosely. “Noct…" he uttered confusedly, "why… why didn’t you tell me…?”

The prince gazed at the blonde through blurry eyes, taking a moment before trying to speak again. “I thought that… it’d ruin what we had. If you knew that my feelings for you were… more than friendly. I get that you aren’t like me, and how uncomfortable that could make things, especially with how… close we are.”

“But… why me?” the blonde inquired in a small, confounded voice, “You know that I’m just a pleb, right…?”

“Prompto…” Noctis spoke softly, his honest words somehow coming out as genuine as humanly possible despite it all, “I didn’t fall in love with your status—I fell in love with you.”

Prompto actually startled at that, his eyes widening considerably.

Sure that his words had unsettled the blonde, Noctis found himself cringing at himself, replaying the words in his head as mortification took hold of him. “I’m sorry if that sounds stupid. I… didn’t think this through.”

“N-No, it’s… it’s okay.” Prompto assured in a stunned tone, his eyes still enlarged.

The two just stood there after that, Noctis trying and failing to think of something else to add, Prompto evidently too lost in his own head to pronounce his own feelings on the matter. The raven’s apprehension at not yet having received a proper reaction to his confession tasted positively rancid, and yet still he had no clue as to what to say next.

The silence was jarring.

“This is… a bit more awkward than I thought it’d be.” Noctis eventually admitted, trying his best to partially defuse the situation with a poor attempt at humour.

Prompto looked over at him once more, still standing in the same place, his eyes filled with what seemed to be a surprising level of emotion. “…Are you- embarrassed?”

“Ever so slightly,” the prince mumbled lowly as he stared down at the ground, fidgeting in unparalleled discomfort.

Prompto just nodded slowly to himself as he took in the answer, his features immersed in thought. “Well… how about I do something really embarrassing, too, then?” he inquired finally, the tone void of any malice. “That way, it’ll cancel yours out. But first… you need to close your eyes, okay?”

Noctis frowned, really and truly confused as to what was currently happening. “Why do I need to-“

“I told you to close ‘em.”

The prince hesitated, but soon begrudgingly shut his eyes at the blonde’s command. Curious as to what his best friend was getting at, he couldn’t help but also feel mildly annoyed that he was playing games at a time that felt so crucial to him, at a time he was expressing such a huge secret, risking their friendship and-

Every single thought in his head took a nosedive as a pair of soft lips suddenly touched his own.

Gasping in surprise, the prince had half a mind to jump backwards as he reopened his eyes just to see his best friend’s face so close to his own, his soft lips pressed up against his own, the shock that instantly came along with it all instantly staggering enough to render him entirely breathless.

And just like that, the gentle pressure was gone, and Prompto was leaning back, looking into his discomposed eyes. Despite the smile that adorned his face, the rosy blush on the blonde’s cheeks was absolutely radiant. “…I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“P-Prom…? W-Why?” the raven stuttered out in shock, intelligent language easefully falling out the window.

Prompto sighed lightly, his smile twitching shyly. “I can’t believe I’m actually telling you this right now, but… I’ve been crushing on you for ages, Noct.”

Noctis had half a mind to pinch himself awake.

Suddenly aware that he was just standing there in statue-form like an idiot, the prince quickly forced himself to speak. “You… have?” he eventually managed to ask, everything inside of him still stunned.

The blonde merely nodded, the gesture honest.

“But… girls…?” was all the raven could manage in his stupor.

Prompto hummed in understanding, his eyes trailing down. “I… told myself to just move on from the idea of being with you. I just never thought that it’d happen, that you could… feel any type of way towards me, other than that of a friend. Y’know, there’s no use in trying to pursue the impossible?”

“So… what you’re saying is…” Noctis said slowly, the words baffling to him as they came out, “…you’ve felt the same as I have, all this time?”

Prompto blinked, a small smile crawling onto his face. “Y-Yeah? I guess I have...?”

Noctis nodded stiffly, his brain suddenly feeling a lot more like it could kamikaze out of his skull. “I think I might need to sit down.”

Laughing singularly, Prompto offered a hand of support, but the prince soon waved it off, forcing himself not to faint right then and there on his own.

“I’ve been thinking about all of this for so long…” the raven droned in a stupefied voice, “but now you’re saying that it all could’ve been avoided?” He gave an overwhelmed laugh. It sounded like he had been punched. “I… really wish I had known that a little earlier.”

“I suppose it really could’ve helped if I had told you a few hours ago…” Prompto laughed awkwardly, the chime dying down as his features turned nervous. “Oh man, I really went ham on you back then, didn’t I? But I never would’ve dreamed that… well, thinking about it now, it kinda makes sense, why you were so… passionate, about it all. I guess, if I found out that you were into some random girl, I can't even imagine how I'd feel... I’m really sorry, Noct.”

The raven sniffled back the emotions that threatened to leak, giving a soft laugh. “S’okay. I’m pretty sure you were completely justified in your actions.”

“Well, I’m still going to say sorry. I should’ve known that you’d never do something like that. Thinking back, I really don’t even know why I got so upset with you. I guess it was just the idea of you being controlling of me, it just threw me way off..." the blonde frowned, his features overtly remorseful. "I’m kind of embarrassed…”

Discomforted at the sudden display of regretful emotion, Noctis hummed to himself as an alleviating thought popped into his head, a smile slowly growing onto his face. “Well, Prom, how about this? I promise to forgive you and forget about it all, without any strings attached—so long as you cancel your date right now.”

His friend’s eyes widened. The prince blinked.

“Shit!” Prompto suddenly exclaimed, Noctis jumping back in surprise. “I totally forgot! Oh crap, I have to go...!”

The raven frowned, puzzled by the outburst. “Can’t you just- I don’t know, send her a text?”

“Dude, I can’t just go ahead and stand her up!” Prompto stated adamantly as he fluttered around on the spot, “That’d be horrible.”

“Well, I guess that’s true…” Noctis stated stupidly, his mind completely out of ideas. “I- suppose you’ll just have to go there and break it to her?"

His friend exclaimed in appalled panic.

"B-But hey!" Noctis quickly added, "Y’know what, if it helps you, I’ll totally come with you, and I'll be there when you’re done! Y'know, for support!”

Only then did Prompto pause, right before slowly giving the raven a doubtful look. “So, what you’re saying is that you’ll follow me to the café, only to happily leave me alone to walk up to the girl who just admitted that she had a crush on me not three hours ago, tell her that I’m not interested in her on our very first date, and then walk away.”

Noctis blinked slowly, processing that information. “I… love you?”

“Unbelievable.”

Prompto buried his face into his hands where he stood, groaning lengthily out of fretful nervousness. Unsure of what else to do, the prince carefully pat his shoulder, trying to be comforting.

A few moments passed, drenched in thoughts of the immediate future. It was rather icky.

Prompto was still hyperventilating into his palms, but eventually he took a telling breath. “…Hey Noct?” his voice resonated, Noctis immediately focusing all of his attention on him.

“Yeah...?”

There was a long pause. “…Do you really love me?”

“Of course, I love you.” Noctis stated instantly, “Without a doubt. I thought you… knew that already?”

Prompto laughed softly into his fingers. “Nah, I did. I just- wanted to hear it again.” The blonde slowly raised his face from his hands, locking eyes with the raven as his cheeks flushed beautifully. “And… I love you, too, y’know?”

Despite it already having been conveyed in a different manner, hearing the words out loud almost had the prince tearing up, weirdly enough. With the abrupt sentiment that was coursing through him at that very moment, all he could think to say was, “…Thank you.”

And right then, Prompto’s lips pulled downwards. “Wait, who says 'thank you' to ‘I love you’?”

The prince froze, anxiety instantly flooding through him. “I-I mean, uh-“

It only took a second before the blonde’s smirk appeared, a sly chuckle escaping past his lips. “I’m joking.”

Noctis glared, unable to stop himself from feeling embarrassed. “That was mean.”

“Yes, it was.” Prompto conceded, “Here, let me hug it better.”

The blonde opened his arms for the raven, his grin coy.

With a huff, Noctis discarded his annoyance entirely as he happily fell into his best friend’s embrace, squeezing them together in a special kind of way that he had always wanted to. After enjoying the fulfilling sensation for a few more moments, the prince slowly pulled away, just until their faces were right next to one another’s. “Say, before we head off,” he murmured timidly, “Do you think that maybe we could… try that kiss again?”

Even though his cheeks immediately flushed stark red at the suggestion, Prompto still ended up grinning, his eyes sparkling as he gazed up at the raven. “I’d like that.”

Without another word, the prince pulled the blonde in and met his lips with his own, the warmth and affection that surrounded them a thousand times more potent than it had been during their previous attempt. Merely ‘great’ didn’t come close to covering it; it was heavenly.

Pulling away with a desirous breath and forcing himself not to pull back in, Noctis carefully gazed into the eyes of his friend as he calmed down. “You know, I'm just forewarning you, but now that this has all happened, I'm afraid to say that you’re going to be stuck with me even more.”

Despite the hinted caution in those words, Prompto still shot him a jovial grin nonetheless. “Wouldn’t want it any other way, buddy.”

Holding onto the love of his life as his emotions danced in a way they’d never danced before, Noctis knew that he’d never be able to let him go.

And he was pretty sure that he was okay with that.