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“Well, what are you waiting for?” Ignis smiled brilliantly.
“Yeah!” Prompto was practically bouncing. “Blow out the candles already so we can eat it!”
He was referring to the chocolate cake that Ignis had set on the tabe before the Prince. It was coated in a chocolate glaze that dripped down the sides, and little fish that were formed out of white chocolate swam on the top of it.
Of course earlier Prompto had been holding up the process of blowing out the candles because he had stopped them so he could take about 25 pictures of the dessert.
Noctis took in a deep breath, preparing to blow out the 18 candles that adorned the cake.
“Wait,” Gladio patted him on the shoulder, making him wheeze in surprise. Gladiolus just laughed. “You gotta make a wish first.”
Noctis started to squint at him in disbelief, but the expression on the Shield’s face was earnest, and Noct remembered that wishing on birthday cakes was something the Amicitias did every year.
It was kinda cute, actually. Seeing Gladio pause and close his eyes everytime he had his cake in front of him before blowing out all the candles in one go.
Noctis looked around the table, and found Prompto nodding in agreement and Ignis smiling demurely, obviously amused at the notion.
The Prince captured the moment in his head. The lights were low, the candles illuminated each of their bright smiles, the smell of baked treats fresh from the oven, the sunset peeking in through the blinds of his apartment windows.
It was perfect.
He closed his eyes and breathed in again.
Please , he thought to himself, his eyes squeezed tight. No matter what happens, gods, please keep us together. Help us find each other again.
The four of them. Comfortable and happy around a campfire somewhere in another life.
He blew out his candles.
Of course, when he wished that, this is not what he was expecting.
Memories flashed through his mind quicker than he could process.
The fall of Lucis, the road trip, screaming Luna’s name, watching Prompto fall off a train, Ignis’ doubt, Ardyn on the throne- it was all whipping through his mind so fast but so vividly he could hardly comprehend what it meant.
Then he remembered. He remembered having to die. He remembered his last moments with them. He remembered the tears streaming down their faces. He remembered seeing the scars that adorned them after 10 years of darkness.
It was all over.
His people were safe, and he was gone forever.
But there were new memories now.
New images, ones he hadn’t seen before, began to fill his subconscious.
The first one was a tender, soft moment. Everything was fuzzy to him, like it wasn’t quite real, but he could see very clearly his father’s face smiling down at him. But it wasn’t the aged and melancholy face that Noctis knew so well. It was still his father, but his eyes were wrinkled from laughter, his beard only tinged with silver.
He looked… happy.
A few more memories popped into his head like daisies through the snow. Falling off a skateboard for the first time, eating ice cream too fast, finding a weird way to pull out a tooth, having a popcorn-throwing fight, and even watching a scary movie with a friend of his and getting scolded for it later.
These were memories that weren’t his.
Were they?
It was still very much him in all those scenes, but those had never been part of his childhood. Hadn’t they?
His friend was stocky, blond and freckled. Prompto? His eyes were big and blue, his blond hair was rowdy and fluffy. He stopped Noct to take pictures of everything and was still a bit shy around people. It was definitely Prompto. But at the same time, it wasn’t?
This Prompto drew a lot. He drew so much that apparently Noctis had taken up drawing as well just so they could do something together. Noctis thought he was much worse at it than Prompto was, but the blond would brush it off and shower Noctis with a hundred more compliments. This Prompto snuck Cosmic Brownies into Noct’s room whenever they had a sleepover, and liked using sharpies to give himself and Noct little tattoos.
Moreover, this Prompto was already friends with Gladio and Ignis. Or, were they Gladiolus and Ignis?
This Gladio’s dad owned a gym, and Gladio and Iris apparently helped out there. Prompto said that’s how he and Gladio met, because the big guy wanted to help him work out.
This Ignis owned a coffee shop and ran it all by himself. Or so he claimed. In reality, a kindly man named Cor owned the coffee shop but that didn't stop Ignis from acting like he was in charge. Ignis and Prompto got acquainted through Prompto’s very frequent visits to the coffee shop, also called Moogle Mugs.
The memories seemed so clear now, so real.
It was strange, Noctis could’ve sworn he had just been on the throne in Lucis, dying for his people. Not sitting on a log and feeling the warmth of a small campfire seep through his clothes.
Noctis opened his eyes.
A small campfire billowed and tossed happily in front of him, surrounded by a short wall of small cobblestones. Three sticks protruded over the fire, each one adorned with a big fluffy marshmallow.
His eyes traced the stick closest to him, discovering it led straight to his own hand.
“Thought you were gonna fall asleep, dude,” Prompto’s cheery voice snagged his attention. When Noctis looked at him, the blond gave him a shining smile.
“I imagine we’re all rather tired,” a soothing voice lilted. Noctis’ head swiveled towards the source and saw Ignis sitting on the log next to him, his long eyelashes fluttering just above his cheeks.
Ignis turned to smile at Noctis as well. His hair was messy and covered his forehead, styled like it was when he was younger. Or, younger in their past life? His glasses weren’t the familiar rectangles, but rather were large and circular, making his shimmering green eyes look even bigger. For some reason he reminded Noctis of an owl. He definitely looked like someone who ran a coffee shop.
“You haven’t even eaten a s’more yet, specs,” Gladio chuckled, bringing his stick closer to himself so he might inspect the marshmallow at the end.
Gladio’s hair was short and spiky, still shaved close on the sides, but stuck straight up in the middle. He was still muscular, but not to the extent that he had been before. Noctis imagined that practically growing up in a gym would keep someone on their toes. But the scar across his eye was missing. Had it ever been there?
“And I don’t plan on it, Gladio,” Ignis replied, tilting his head towards the bigger boy.
“Why not?” Prompto, in the short time they had been talking, had already fixed himself a s’more, eaten it, and had put another marshmallow over the fire.
Ignis raised an eyebrow at the blond. “I don’t find it particularly healthy to eat such a sugary snack this late at night.”
Prompto stopped mid-lick of one of his chocolatey fingers. A guilty expression flickered across his face for a second, but he continued enjoying what was left of his dessert.
“What’s the point of camping if you’re not gonna get out of your comfort zone?” Gladio smirked.
“I’m well out of my comfort zone,” Ignis chuckled wryly. “I refuse to give up my fitness as well.”
Gladio laughed aloud at that. He began to put his marshmallow between two crackers.
What Noctis began to notice was the uniforms they were all wearing. Each of them wore a light brown shirt tucked into tan shorts with a dark brown belt. They all had matching handkerchiefs that were tied around their necks. Some of them even had some patches sewn onto their shirts.
Camping…
They were Boy Scouts, weren’t they?
Noctis snorted.
The other three turned to look at him.
“Noct,” Ignis said calmly. “Your marshmallow is on fire.”
Noctis yelped but quickly drew his stick back from the fire, blowing ferociously on the treat to put the flame out.
As he was blowing on it, he couldn’t help but remember some time ago, in some far away place, he made a wish on his 18th birthday.
I guess wishes do come true, he mused.