Chapter Text
“Okay, Your Majesty, how about a smile?”
Noctis Lucis Caelum, the King of Lucis, was currently seated on a chair that had been placed perfectly underneath a surrounding array of differing spotlights, the section behind him cut off by an ivory paper backdrop. The man’s advisor had assigned a photoshoot for Insomnia Magazine onto his agenda for the day, and he had eventually run out of excusing things to attend to first before he’d been forced to begrudgingly get pampered by Ignis himself, his hair having been styled to perfection, his face clean-shaven, and his raiment ever so regal. Once he had been deemed adequate enough, he had been tossed out of his apartment to make his own way over to the room in the Citadel where it was all taking place.
His advisor’s instructions had been rather simple; show up, sit down, smile, stay attentive, don’t fall asleep, and keep any and all grievances he had to himself—nothing overly strenuous, the king had supposed.
However, despite it being the primary action that the activity entailed from him, Noctis quickly discovered that ever since he had arrived, he couldn’t quite keep his focus on the camera that was pointing at him.
Instead, his curious gaze kept falling back to the beautiful blonde male behind the lens that was speaking to him whilst the camera flashed, exclaiming out notions of encouragement, praising him for the expressions that he pulled on.
He seemed young, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, with a delightfully warm smattering of freckles adorning the pale skin of his face. His eyes were cerulean, his surprisingly fetching gaze only enhanced by his soft and attractive features, and his bubbly voice cast an aura of exuberance, entirely adorable.
But besides all of that, there was just some peculiar quality that he held, something magnetic and loveable in those stark blue eyes, that winsome smile. Noctis had found himself infatuated before he even knew it, and the sheer velocity at which his insides had begun to sparkle with these emotions for this stranger was truly enigmatic.
“Okay,” said boy suddenly announced after taking another shot of him, drawing the king away from his absorbed thoughts, “I think I’ve definitely gotten what I needed, Your Majesty.”
“So… we’re finished?” Noctis asked mildly after a second, his voice hinting at the surprise he felt at how fleetingly the time had passed.
“Yes, I believe we are all done!” the blonde confirmed with an oblivious smile, his features quickly growing more controlled after his breezy exclamation, “And before you leave, please allow me to genuinely thank you for making the time in your schedule to partake in and cooperate with our publication, Your Majesty.”
Noctis almost laughed at that, noting how even the sound of this boy’s formalities was endlessly endearing. “No problem.”
The boy grinned at him. Noctis smiled back charmingly.
“And um,” he said much softer after a moment, his cheeks tinting slightly with colour, “Thank you for your patience, as well. I’m sure you must get this all the time, but… you’ve really been a dream to work with!”
The king paused for a moment of genuine surprise, but gradually, his features softened with amusement. “I must say, I really don’t get that very often,” he chuckled freely, humoured by the unfamiliar words, “Some troubling clients in your field, I take it?”
The photographer shot him a seasoned smile. “You’d be surprised, Your Majesty.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” the raven replied swiftly, disregarding self-control in favour of scratching at an urge that had bubbled up within him, “I mean, I could never understand how anyone could give any trouble to someone as cute as yourself.”
The boy just stared at him blankly, his features buffering as if he was carefully replaying the words in his head, another moment passing right before his face instantly flamed over with colour, his entire frame stiffening.
“A-Ah! T-That’s…!” finally came the tight response, embarrassment visually taking hold of the boy’s features, “T-Thank you, Your Majesty…!” he squeaked out highly, his abrupt bout of shyness almost comical.
“You’re very welcome,” Noctis replied smoothly.
An impressively strained smile and rosy blush was soon all he was being given. “B-But yes, even- even so…”
The king just grinned to himself, the reactions beyond adorable. The thought of discovering every other kind he could reap from the blonde sent a lively tingle down his spine. “Forgive me if I’m just wasting your time by asking,” he stated after a few moments had passed, his tone ever so nonchalant, “but would you mind if I saw some of your handiwork?”
“N-No, not at all!” the blonde quickly replied, spinning around and somewhat scrambling for his camera. “I apologize for the lack of variety; I figured that shoulder level shots would best fit the format of the magazine’s cover.”
Whilst he was no expert in photography in the slightest, gazing into the brightly lit screen of the camera, Noctis could still discern and admire first-rate and flattering pictures when he saw them.
“Well, let me be the first to say that these look really good,” he complimented, humming in admiration, “I’m sure your boss will be impressed.”
“Y-You really think so?” the boy laughed timidly, scratching the back of his head, clearly abashed.
The king gave a quick nod, keeping his eyes on the blonde. The photographer had told him his name when he had walked through the door, and it was right on the tip of his tongue. “…Prompto, was it?” he ended up trying.
“A-Ah, yes!” the blonde quickly confirmed, his smile both radiant and nervous, “That’s me.”
“You seem a tad uncomfortable, if you don’t mind me saying,” the raven noted benevolently, “Is this your first time doing something like this in the Citadel?”
That warranted a sheepish look. “Is it that obvious...?”
Noctis shrugged, his smile gentle. “Just a bit.”
“To be honest, Your Majesty, I’m still just a student,” the boy, Prompto, admitted softly after a few moments, “so I haven’t done anything even nearly as high-profile as this; but thankfully, the company that I’m working for gave this opportunity to me since the original photographer who’d been assigned to take your picture got sick. But… I’m really grateful that I’ve been given such an amazing chance to prove myself.”
Something in those words blossomed forth a small bud of concern within the king. Keeping it casual, Noctis stretched his arms out as he began to speak. “You… must be pretty young, then? To still be a student?”
To his surprise, Prompto gave a laugh. “I’m actually twenty.”
The king processed that stupendous information, letting it stir delicately in his mind.
“In that case, I must say that you age quite nicely,” he joked, keeping his mannerisms light and blasé, “You must already have a girlfriend and everything, then?”
“Ah- actually, I unfortunately don’t…” Prompto responded after a moment, a curiously doleful frown taking hold of his features, “Because I’m still a student, I… you know, I don’t really make- like, a whole lot of money. At all, really. And I guess that’s… not an attractable feature, to others.”
Noctis made sure to keep his expression calm. “So, you are still looking?”
Prompto stayed silent for a few moments, the ambience having turned rather tender. “I mean, I am, but- honestly, Your Majesty, I’m not very good at… dating,” he confessed quietly, gaze having turned somewhat vulnerable, “I get really awkward at times like that, and start saying things that I totally don’t mean, and end up messing things up. It’s been so long that at this point… I mean, I’d really be fine with anyone, y’know...?”
The boy took a breath, staring blankly at the floor beneath them. “As much as I love my job, I have to move around a lot, and… well, it gets pretty lonely at times. It’d just be really nice, always knowing that I have a special someone in my life to come back to, y’know?”
Noctis watched him silently, ignoring the beating of his heart. A few moments passed by lazily.
“A-Ah, but I won’t give up!” Prompto hastily assured in a fretful voice as he seemingly snapped back to life, apparently realizing only then how longing he was sounding to the ruler of their kingdom, “Don’t worry about me, I’m sure that somebody, somewhere, would be willing to spark that special connection between us! I’ll just have to be ready for when it eventually happens!”
A forced and short-lived laugh followed the words, the blonde taking a second before he was just gazing hesitantly at the king, seemingly mortified. “Damn, I’m sorry for suddenly going full-blown, personal deep-diving with you, Your Majesty…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Noctis assured in an honest voice, “I think it’s cool that you’re willing to open up about this stuff.”
“O-Oh. That’s good, I guess…” Prompto nodded gently, his timid smile gradual, “Well, I don’t want to take up any more of your time, so I guess that our business is concluded, then? Unless there is something else that you’d like for me to do, Your Majesty?”
Noctis took in the form of the beautiful boy before him, staring up at him with those strikingly blue eyes. It was clearly evident that he yearned for companionship, much like he himself was, and yet by some outrageous anomaly, nobody was willing to give it to him. So unbelievable was it, that the raven didn’t even hesitate before speaking.
“Actually, there is,” the king stated cleanly, simply uncaring as to how forward he was suddenly coming across, “Do you mind telling me if you’ve got any plans for later today?”
Prompto blinked. “I… do you wish to take more photos at a later time, Your Majesty?” he asked, his voice clearly confused.
“No, not at all. Yours were perfect.”
“Then I… I’m afraid I don’t follow…” the blonde admitted sheepishly, “Is there something else that you’d like from me?”
“Yes, actually, there is,” Noctis announced decisively, his placid heart unexpectedly fluttery as he continued, “You see, the life of royalty is honestly a lot lonelier than you might think it’d be. But it seems like, in your own way, you might somewhat understand how I feel; as such, I was hoping that perhaps you could give us a chance to get better acquainted. Would that be a problem for you?”
Prompto gaped at him.
Time continued to roll by in absolute silence.
“Do you require assistance?”
“N-No…” the blonde eventually whispered, his frame seemingly paralyzed, “I’m- just kind of trying to process what’s happening right now…”
“I’m asking you out,” Noctis stated bluntly, frowning to himself, “Sorry, I thought that you had gotten that.”
Prompto continued to look disabled. “O-Oh.”
“Surely, you’ve been asked out before?”
“Not by any kings, no…”
“I guess that makes sense…” Noctis conceded, nodding slowly to himself, “But you know, dating royalty isn’t much different than dating a regular citizen.”
“I’m not- I’m not sure that’s right…”
“If it makes you feel better, your lack of money most definitely isn’t a problem for me,” the raven added thoughtfully, “If anything, it’s a plus.”
“I don’t- really see how…? Unless you think that I…“ the blonde trailed off, his features somehow growing even more strained, “I- uh, I don’t mean to offend you, Your Majesty, but I’m… I’m not willing to get paid for- like, any royal booty calls or anything…”
Noctis snorted flatly, purposefully shaking his head. “It isn’t sex that I’m interested in,” came his adamant response, “it’s more than that. I want to get to know you better, to make a connection; I want something real. And you… you seem absolutely perfect for me.”
Prompto blushed from where he stood, the pretty sheen delicate and alluring on his skin.
A beat passed. “But don’t get me wrong, I would very much like to get acquainted with your body, as well.”
The flush instantly morphed into a stark crimson.
“But… why me?” the blonde eventually spluttered out, unable to look directly into Noctis’ eyes as he stood there, fidgeting nonstop.
The king thought about it. “There’s just something about you. You seem cute, and kind, and like you’d be lots of fun. For me, that’s all I want.”
Prompto appeared to be at a loss for words. “That’s… really?”
“Yep.”
A long while passed awkwardly. Noctis just waited impatiently for the blonde to give him some type of response to his sentiment.
“Forgive me if I’m being rude, Your Majesty,” the blonde finally uttered, his features blatantly shy, “But- isn’t this a bit… unprofessional?”
Noctis contemplated the notion for a few moments. “You’re probably right. But then again, being professional is amazingly boring, and so I tend to just leave that type of thing to my advisor.”
Prompto stood there, having gone back to gawking at him unintelligently. “I… see.”
Despite the dim connection he had hoped would thrive, Noctis couldn’t help rapidly beginning to lose hope in his ambitions at the lingering silence. “If it’s me that you aren’t interested in, it’s fine,” he eventually added, his tone having audibly deflated, “It was merely a suggestion, after all. One that you can totally ignore, if you’d prefer.”
The boy looked so uncomfortable in that very moment, biting roughly into his lip as he stood there soundlessly, that Noctis didn’t even bother waiting for an answer.
“I’m sorry for making this uncomfortable for you,” the king announced with an embarrassed nod, trying to keep the chagrin out of his voice, “and I also didn’t mean to come off so brazenly, so again, I apologize.”
Noctis quickly spun around and took a step forward.
“Um!”
Noctis felt his heart jump automatically as he ceased his movements, slowly turning back around to look at the blonde. Prompto was tightly clutching at the hem of his shirt, his entire complexion having changed shades as he gazed at the king, his body remarkably taut.
“Actually, I… I don’t have anything that needs my… immediate attention, Your Majesty. If… you still want to… go somewhere, later?”
Noctis kept his intrigued gaze on the nearly quivering boy before him, the twinkling feelings from earlier hastily replacing the abrupt disappointment that had assaulted him. Furthermore, his features were soon beaming with relief. “I’d like that.”
Prompto looked like he didn’t know what to do with his body. “Then I… guess it's a date, Your Majesty?”
The king grinned. “It would seem so. And please, call me Noct.”
Prompto straightened up quickly, overly nervous at the sudden prospect. “Um-! Are you sure…? Is that… really okay?”
The king shrugged lightly, trying to conceal some of his overwhelming joy. “Such troublesome formalities should be restricted to council meetings and the such, wouldn’t you agree…?”
“But we’re in the Citadel.”
Noctis couldn’t help but laugh at that, the chime pleasantly affectionate. “Well, nobody’s around, and so I grant you permission to refer to me as Noct. As king.”
A few seconds passed by, but eventually, Prompto was shooting him a painfully cute smile, his eyes coyly glimmering up at him. “…Noct, then.”
The sight was so adorable that the king couldn’t even attempt to conceal his smile.