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“Say, would you… maybe consider shaving?”
Prompto blinked in surprise and glanced at Noctis’ reflection in the bathroom mirror. His boyfriend was standing behind him, an unreadable expression on his slightly flushed face.
“What?” Prompto asked, confused, as he turned around to face Noctis.
Noctis flushed even more and made a vague gesture towards Prompto’s face. “You know… your… Well, do you think you could shave it?”
One of Prompto’s hands moved to cover his goatee. He still wasn’t sure how to react, and Noctis was avoiding his eyes, staring awkwardly towards the side of Prompto’s face. “I mean… Sure, if that’s what you want,” he said slowly. “I’m sorry, I thought you liked it—”
“I do!” Noctis interrupted him, meeting Prompto’s gaze with wide eyes for a second before looking away again. “I do, it’s just, um…” Noctis deflated. “It’s stupid, forget it.”
Prompto had always been an expert at reading Noctis’ moods. The slightest inflection of his voice, the smallest frown, or the way he’d avert his gaze, eyes half-hidden behind his bangs - Prompto could always tell how his best-friend-now-boyfriend felt and what he needed from him. Somehow, even ten years apart hadn’t changed that… Well, mostly. Now and then, Prompto would catch something new in Noctis’ eyes, something that hadn’t been there back when they were younger. There was a lingering sadness, a quiet yet desperate longing. While it had already been six months since the light had come back and Noctis had escaped his prophesied death, Prompto still had trouble knowing how to help those moods.
With other refugees, remaining members of the Kingsglaive or hunters, it was easy. They had all been through the long night together, seen the same horrors. Prompto understood firsthand how that felt. But Noctis… His own experience was so different, so difficult to fathom for everyone else. How do you deal with going to sleep at 20 years old and waking up ten years older? How do you handle sacrificing yourself for the sake of your world? And now… how do you cope with having missed out on everyone else’s hardships - having missed out on growing up and essentially having had ten years of your life stolen?
If he was perfectly honest, Prompto wasn’t sure he could ever understand what went through Noctis’ mind when it came to all this. But he was certainly never going to stop trying to help him. Softly, he reached out to put his hand on Noctis’ arm. “I’m sure it’s not stupid. I’m just not sure I understand.”
Noctis sighed. “I just thought… I never got to see it grow.” Prompto gave him an encouraging smile, hoping he’d continue. When Noctis glanced up at him, Prompto was sure he could see a hint of a smile flash on the corner of his boyfriend’s lips. It was gone as fast as it had appeared, though, and Noctis let out a frustrated huff. “Really, it is stupid. But it sucks, you know… Sometimes it hits me just how much I missed out on. And I thought maybe a small thing like that, just seeing you go through the change… It would already be something.”
A rush of affection went through Prompto and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Noctis. He felt his boyfriend relax slightly in his embrace and tightened his hold a bit. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how it must feel to have such a gap in your life… Of course I can shave, it’s no big deal. But Noct, if there’s anything else I can do, anything that would help you feel better…”
Noctis gave a weak chuckle as he hugged Prompto back. “Do you think you can take us back to the past?”
Prompto snorted. “If you mean that literally, then I think you have way too much faith in my abilities. Now… if that’s an offhand way to ask to look through the photo albums again, I’m sure I can help.”
Noctis pulled back just enough to look at him, and Prompto was relieved to see there was a small smile on his lips as he nodded. “That would be nice… The ones from high school?”
Prompto couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, it must be bad if you miss our awkward teen phase.”
“Shut up,” Noctis retorted, punching him lightly in the shoulder. “Besides, you looked good back then too,” he added, averting his gaze.
“It’s cute that you can still get embarrassed when we’ve been together for months already,” Prompto teased.
“Shut up. Are we doing this or not?”
Prompto leaned forward to place a small kiss on Noctis’ lips. “Lead the way, Your Majesty.”
Time flew by as they went through the old photo albums, huddled together on the bed in Prompto’s room. It was getting late, and they should probably have gone to sleep soon considering how much work they had to do every day, but Prompto didn’t feel like breaking the moment. Noctis was finally smiling and laughing again, and Prompto just wanted to see his boyfriend happy for a while longer.
“Dammit, not fair,” Noctis exclaimed. The picture he was pointing at was a selfie of Prompto doing a thumbs-up in front of a TV showing how he had just beaten the high score of their favorite racing game… and Noctis asleep on the floor just behind him. “You shouldn’t take advantage of your prince’s weaknesses to cheat at video games.”
“Hey, I won fair and square. My opponent just happened to not be conscious enough to press the buttons.”
“That’s not what I call fair and square,” Noctis protested, pushing him away. Prompto laughed and Noctis sighed loudly. “Man, it was fun, though. Playing all through the night, barely getting any sleep.”
“And getting lectured by Ignis the next day when you inevitably fell asleep in class.”
Noctis shrugged. “I always fell asleep in class anyway.” Before Prompto could confirm the truth in that statement, Noctis was punching his arm excitedly. “Oh, say, could we look at the ones from the Assassin’s Festival? It was so cool that we could go, after missing it every year back in high school.”
Prompto hesitated. “I mean, sure, but don’t you need to sleep?”
“...Five minutes?” Noctis asked, and Prompto shook his head, because there was no way he could resist Noctis when he was giving him that look.
“Alright. Five minutes.”
Noctis’ last meeting of the day had ended uncharacteristically early. Even Ignis hadn’t insisted he stay longer for once - which had definitely been a good surprise, as Noctis had just gotten a text from Prompto asking him to come up to the king’s apartments instead of Prompto’s assigned bedroom. Usually he’d rather crash on Prompto’s bed - the place was less filled with memories for him, so it was easier to just stay there. But it was small, and the facilities were shared, so sometimes it was nice to escape to the upper floor together and have more privacy.
Besides, Noctis was rather sure that eventually they’d move up there together - he just didn't think he was ready to broach the subject yet. Anyway, for now, he was just going to enjoy whatever Prompto had planned for them tonight.
He pushed on the heavy door leading to the living area, and froze immediately. His mouth fell open and he looked around, barely able to believe what he was seeing. Banners from the Assassin’s festival were hanging along the walls with a larger one covering the couch; lanterns were hanging from the ceiling; accessories and memorabilia were scattered across the various surfaces and - was that a TV? Where had Prompto gotten a working one?
Speaking of Prompto, he was leaning against a wall, a cocky smile on his freshly shaven face, and wearing the same revealing costume he had had during the festival. Except it looked ridiculously good on him now that his shoulders had become so much broader.
Noctis gaped at his boyfriend for a few seconds longer until he felt like he could manage to say something - and even then all that escaped him was a rather strangled “How?”
Prompto chuckled and stepped towards Noctis, wrapping one of those distracting arms around his shoulders. “Remember how we asked Holly to keep some stuff for us after the festival? Well, she did. She showed me where she had stored this stuff a few years ago… Back then it just made me angry, and I would have thrown it all out if Ignis and Gladio hadn’t stopped me. I guess I’m glad they did… I know they’re a bit torn and the colors have faded, but I thought it would be fun to try and recreate the atmosphere a bit.” He squeezed Noctis’ shoulders a little tighter and his voice grew fonder. “After all, you were smiling so much when looking at those photos the other night…”
A deep ache suffused Noctis’ chest and he let out a choked up sound. “You did all this… for me?” His eyes were still looking around the room, although the initial disbelief was slowly being replaced by awe.
“Of course I did,” Prompto said with a small, incredulous laugh. Then Noctis felt a tug on his shoulders and he turned to look at Prompto, whose expression was now soft and serious. “Noct, you know I love you. Whenever I see you suffer, struggle with everything that happened… I wish I could help you somehow. So, of course I'll throw a miniature Assassin’s Festival in your room if I can - and if it means you can have fun for one night.”
Noctis closed his eyes for a few seconds, collecting himself. He swallowed hard and smiled at his boyfriend - best friend - partner… Really, someone he wanted to keep at his side forever. “Of course you did,” he said softly, lifting one hand to stroke the side of Prompto’s face. His fingers landed on Prompto’s chin and his smile turned wistful. “You did shave it after all.”
“Well, I said I would, didn’t I? So congratulations, Your Majesty, you will now be able to fully witness my face go through the awkward phase between being hairless and sporting a glorious goatee.”
“I can’t wait,” Noctis laughed, leaning forward to place a soft, slow kiss on Prompto’s lips. “Thank you. So much.”
“If you’re happy, then my job here is done. Well - not yet, there’s a costume for you too. So go change and show off your kingly muscles, already,” Prompto said, gesturing towards the bedroom.
His mind still somewhat reeling with happiness, Noctis quickly went to the bedroom, where another assassin’s costume was indeed waiting for him on the bed. He changed in a hurry and went back to the living area where Prompto was waiting for him on the couch.
Looking up at Noctis, Prompto made an appreciative sound as he gave him a very much not subtle once-over. “You clean up nicely.”
Noctis rolled his eyes and snorted. “The look you just gave me was a lot less smooth.”
“Well, I don’t know, man, isn’t it against etiquette to tell your King he’s looking super hot?”
“I’m the king, and I say it’s fine,” Noctis replied matter-of-factly, sitting next to Prompto on the couch. “I will also say that you do… clean up nicely as well,” he added, giving his boyfriend a pointed look.
“Hold on to that thought, Your Majesty,” Prompto laughed, winking at Noctis. “First, we’re here to play.”
Noctis looked down and saw that Prompto was handing him a controller. A glance towards the TV showed that his boyfriend had loaded the old Assassin’s Creed game - the one they had spent so many hours playing back when they were younger. He took the controller with shaky hands and shot Prompto another disbelieving glance. “Again… how?”
“Haha, well, this one was a bit harder, but…” Prompto was rubbing the back of his neck, his face flushing a little. “The area where I used to live is one of the least damaged. I went to check out the place, not really expecting anything, but… a lot of stuff seemed to be intact. I brought the TV and console to Cindy, and she helped me fix them… They’re old and there was so much dust inside that I’m not sure they’ll last the night, but we’ll never know until we try.”
Noctis shook his head fondly and grabbed Prompto by one of the straps on his costumes, pulling him into a kiss. He chuckled softly at the surprised sound that escaped Prompto at the sudden move, and turned the kiss more passionate, toying with the line between innocent and very much too distracting to keep up with the original plan for the night. When Noctis sensed Prompto was about to give in and forget about the game, he pulled back and smirked a little at the dazed look in his boyfriend’s eyes. “You’re awesome,” he said genuinely; then his smirk widened. “And now, I’m going to kick your butt.”
“Wha—” Prompto blurted out; then his eyes switched to the TV, where Noctis had already launched the game. “Hey, who said you could go first!?”
“Well, I’m the king,” Noctis replied cheerfully. “And you seemed to be distracted.”
Prompto huffed. “That’s cheating. But it’s fine, you’ll fall asleep eventually and I’ll beat your score then.”
Noctis only shrugged, his eyes not leaving the screen. “We’ll see.”
They were woken up by the sound of their phones’ alarms. Well, Prompto woke up, but Noctis only groaned, burying his face deeper against Prompto’s shoulder.
“Dude, come on… You’re squishing me,” Prompto complained, his voice raw with sleep.
Noctis groaned again and moved to lay his head properly on Prompto’s chest. “...’s your fault. You let me sleep on you.”
There was a quiet laugh, and Noctis heard it resonate against his ear. “In my defense, I don’t even remember falling asleep.”
Blinking slowly, Noctis managed to focus a little and glanced towards the TV. The screen was dark. “Do you think the TV died on us during the night?”
Prompto reached out, squirming a bit underneath Noctis, and grabbed the remote that had fallen on the floor. He tried turning on the TV, but nothing happened. “Seems so,” he said with a frown. “And I can’t see the LED on the console…”
“Dammit…”
“Sorry, Noct… Seems this was a one-time thing, unless we can salvage some better preserved equipment another time.”
“That’s not the problem,” Noctis said, and he raised his head to look at Prompto. “I can’t remember who was winning.”
Prompto snorted and shook his head. “Nerd.”
“ King of Nerds , please.”
“Super Mega Nerd.”
Noctis let out a low, irritated growl and simply pounced, effectively shutting Prompto up with a kiss. When they separated, he looked at Prompto for a moment. “You look like shit.”
“Wow thanks a lot, Your Majesty - so do you, by the way.”
Noctis shrugged. “Well, I do feel like shit. No surprises there.”
“I guess you haven’t gotten better at handling all-nighters in the past ten years.”
“Ugh, we’re so old, we should just stay here and nap all day long,” Noctis grumbled, his head falling back on top of Prompto’s chest. He wiggled a little to find a comfortable position and sighed cheerfully. “Hmm, comfy.”
Prompto laughed. “I don’t think Ignis will accept the ‘we’re old’ excuse for you not turning up to the morning council.”
“Hmm, but the all-night gaming marathon experience wouldn’t be complete without Ignis nagging us the next day.”
“Well, considering he and the others helped me plan this, I certainly hope there won’t be too much nagging,” Prompto retorted, then started nudging Noctis gently. “Alright, Your Sleepiness. Time to get up.”
“...Five more minutes.”
“Noct, come on - also, these costumes are super uncomfortable to sleep in and I’d like to take it off.” That got Noctis’ attention enough for him to raise his head and give Prompto an impish look. But Prompto just laughed again. “Oh no, we certainly don’t have time for that and you know it.”
“Not fun,” Noctis pouted, then glanced at the light coming through the blinds and sighed. “But I guess you’re right,” he conceded, pushing himself up with a loud groan.
“Don’t be sad,” Prompto teased, wrapping one arm around Noctis’ shoulder once he could sit up as well. “It’s only a rain check.”
“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Noctis replied, smirking at Prompto before leaning in and kissing him softly. “Thank you, Prom. It was amazing.”
“Like I said, if you’re happy then that’s all I want,” Prompto replied, his smile bright and loving, and Noctis couldn’t help but wrap both his arms around his boyfriend, holding him tightly and burying his face in the crook of Prompto’s neck.
“I’m happy.” And Noctis really was. Sure, rebuilding the world was hard, and he still struggled with everything he had lost, with the years that had been taken from him. But he had his friends by his side - he had Prompto by his side, just as he had promised all those years ago, and Noctis’s fingers gripped the fabric of his boyfriend’s costume hard as he recalled that particular exchange.
Really, as long as he could come back to Prompto every night, Noctis knew he would be able to overcome the past and help build the world back up. After all, the future had never seemed so bright.