Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There were tonnes of perks to living at the palace.

He could go and see the chocobos in the stables anytime he wanted. Literally any time. He abused that a bit for the first couple of days, spending an entire day helping the keepers out by feeding the birds gysahl greens, brushing their feathers and riding them to keep them exercised. That had been a lot of fun, but there were other things to explore now that he had a full free pass to just about anywhere on the royal grounds.

The kitchens were amazing, and you were allowed to go in there whenever you wanted to. Night and day somebody was on duty and he didn't have to cook. If he wanted a triple chocolate fudge sundae, someone would make it for him right there and then. You want pizza for dinner? No problem. You want pizza for breakfast? No problem! Except if Ignis caught you.

That was another great thing; now he lived in the palace and his bedroom was next door to the others, he got to see them all the time. No more going home to his apartment while his friends hung out in the evening. Now he could just bound into any one of their rooms at any hour. Although Noctis got a bit pissy if he was sleeping, Prompto had learned that his highness took his rest very seriously and didn't appreciate being woken up at two in the morning to be offered a spoonful of triple chocolate fudge sundae. Go figure.

The best feeling was that he finally belonged, though. The guards all knew him by name and didn't look at him as if he was some strange intruder anymore. They'd even started smiling back at him when he wished them good morning. And he was allowed into the audience chamber while the king and his counsel discussed strategies and war and supply issues and other boring stuff. Except it wasn't boring because he got to spend that time with his friends, rather than wondering what they were doing without him. And every time he was able to pipe up with a useful idea or comment that royal advisors twice his age thanked him for, he felt even more useful than ever.

But still…despite all of that there was something missing. Something that he wanted more desperately than anything.

Prompto wanted a puppy.

He'd wanted one ever since he'd been a kid but his parents had refused and when he'd finally got his own apartment he'd only been able to afford a block where the landlord was a grumpy old behemoth. The only exception was the nice old lady's elderly dog on the ground floor; she'd lived there before anyone could remember, and the landlord had been nice enough to let her keep him when he'd taken on the apartments. But as soon as the dog was gone she'd been forbidden from getting another. Prompto wondered who in their right minds could object to such adorable bundles of fluff.

Noctis had mentioned a puppy when he'd first moved in, but nothing more had been said since. He understood that Noctis was busy and under pressure from his father, but…but he wanted a puppy, dammit.

So he'd started dropping hints like a kid at Christmas. He'd left magazines open around the place with pictures of dogs in. When it was his choice for movie night he'd picked the film Lassie, despite the fact he wasn't actually a fan of the film. He would casually mention dogs during conversations, point them out in the park or idly wonder out loud how much dog food cost. He'd been doing it for a fortnight, but so far nobody had so much as mentioned buying a puppy.

He was starting to get worried that perhaps he wouldn't be allowed one. Noctis had never had a pet, maybe his father didn't like them? Or was allergic? He was laying on his bed bemoaning his puppy-less fate when the prince appeared in his doorway.

'Hey,' the dark haired man called, not bothering to knock since the door was wide open.

'Hey,' Prompto returned with a smile. Because it was good to see him; Noctis had been shut away with his father for two days now while they discussed personal matters, no doubt concerning the prince's up and coming "coming of age" ceremony. Even Ignis and Gladiolus hadn't been invited to the epic long meeting. 'How did it go?'

'Eh, you know. Father son talks,' Noctis said dismissively. 'He actually tried to talk to me about sex. Most awkward fifteen minutes of my life. Especially when I had to correct him.'

Prompto snorted. 'You learned well, young Padawan.'

'I had great masters. You taught me all the important things in life, Ignis taught me the boring stuff. Between the two of you I think I know just about everything I'll ever need.'

'Including that move where you have to-'

Noctis flushed. 'I left that one out of my conversation with father.'

'Probably for the best,' Prompto agreed. 'If he got curious and tried it he might put his back out.'

Noctis snorted and pushed away from the doorframe, sauntering over and flopping down on the huge king size bed beside Prompto. 'So tired, though. I could sleep for a week.'

Prompto poked his cheek. 'You can always sleep for a week. Don't tell me father dearest didn't give you nap breaks, you were probably both dozing for more than half of that.'

'A third, at most,' Noctis said, ignoring the attack. His eyes weren't opening for anything. 'Did you miss me?'

'Miss you? Nah. Iggy and Gladio had no idea what to do with themselves without you to look after, though, you're kind of their whole reason for being.'

'I'm sure. My guess is you spent the whole time playing video games and riding chocobos, Gladio ate his weight in barbecue ribs and spent the rest of the day hunting monsters to beat up and Ignis read the whole time. In fact he'd still be reading now if he had his way. He'll only have paused to refill his cup of tea.'

'Man, you know us too well,' Prompto said.

Noctis finally opened his eyes. 'Not too well. Perfectly well enough. You guys needed a break, it's been pretty intense recently with that prisoner from Niflheim stirring up problems.'

'I didn't need a break. You probably did, but I would have preferred to have you outside those doors. I can't bug you as much when you're all locked away.'

'Sure you can, you just have to be creative,' Noctis said, then sat up. 'Well, my father is taking a nap, and he thinks I am too, so…'

Prompto's face fell a little as he realised he was going to lose Noctis already. 'Want me to tuck you in?'

Noctis grinned. 'Nope. Want you to come with me.'

'To bed?'

'No. What's with you today? You're usually on my wavelength. We’re going out. Ignis is sorting out a car, Gladio is waiting for us downstairs. I was meant to be coming and getting you but we got a bit sidetracked. So come on, get your boots on and get your cute little ass moving.'

'We got sidetracked?' Prompto mumbled, but he dug out his boots from the mess on the floor (he'd had plenty of time to break in his new room and he liked it best when everything was close at hand on the floor) and then he followed Noctis downstairs and out of the castle to where Gladiolus was leaning across a black convertible talking to Ignis.

'Ah, you found us,' Gladiolus said, noticing them approach. 'Thought you'd got lost.'

'We were talking,' Noctis said with a shrug, then without bothering to open the door lifted himself up and slid into the seat behind Ignis.

'Shotgun!' Prompto called.

'Please don't tell me you have one,' Ignis groaned.

'Not on me, chillax,' Prompto said, vaulting the side of the car as Noctis had done and settling into the passenger seat.

Gladiolus actually opened the door and took his seat next to Noctis. He'd barely got his belt buckled before the prince had his feet up in his lap, stretched out like a lazy cat.

'Wake me when we get there,' Noctis said.

'You always say that. And the temptation to leave you in the car with a window rolled down like a dog is almost overwhelming,' Gladiolus said.

At the mention of dogs Prompto slumped in his seat a little. Even mentioning the "d" word was enough to have him pining these days. When he rested his elbow on the window ledge and watched the world go by he saw happy people walking their dogs, or petting their dogs, or giving treats to their dogs, or picking up their dog's mess…okay maybe not every part of dog owning was glamorous, but if it meant he could have a dog then Prompto would do anything.

'Where are we going?' Prompto asked distractedly. He wasn't sure the route they were taking led anywhere particularly interesting. Especially something that Noctis would miss a nap for.

'A spot of shopping,' Ignis said, keeping his gaze fixed on the road.

'For what?' Prompto asked.

'Things,' Noctis said, not opening his eyes.

'What kind of things?' Prompto asked, suddenly finding the game amusing, because they clearly didn't want to tell him.

'Thingy things,' Gladiolus said.

'You guys are being weirder than usual. And when I'm the one saying that then you know there's something wrong. Come on, where are we going? It's not like I'm going to tell anyone, we're in a car. Wait. Are you guys kidnapping me?'

Gladiolus snorted. 'Oh damn, he's foiled our plans.'

'I've kidnapped you all, I keep you in cells at the palace, remember?' Noctis said.

'Is that why my bedroom window has bars on it?' Gladiolus asked.

'Yes. You're all my slaves, at my beck and call twenty four seven.'

'Sounds about right,' Ignis muttered under his breath.

'Silence, slave,' Noctis said.

Prompto wasn't sure what to make of it as Noctis's face was perfectly deadpan. It was enough to distract him from his thoughts of dogs, and instead for the rest of the trip he tried to remember if Gladiolus's bedroom windows really did have bars on them. He had almost convinced himself that they didn't when they turned into an industrial shopping area. There were several stores; a huge DIY shop, a sofa shop, a place that did amazing Accordo pinewood furniture. And. And. AND. And a pet store. Prompto felt his heart hammering in his chest as he leaned forward across the dashboard, taking in the glorious deep purple sign of Insomnia Pet Mart.

'We…oh my god…y-you guys,' Prompto said, his voice thick with emotion. 'This is the happiest day of my life. I just want to take a moment to absorb this feeling. I want to remember it for the rest of my life.' He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savouring the euphoria. His feels were exploding all around him like fireworks, the thought of all the puppies he was going to see, how they'd run up to him and he'd pet them all and give them hugs and get to take one (or maybe all of them) home. It was more than he could bear.

Noctis sat up properly and blinked as the car rolled to a stop. 'Prom, are you okay?

Prompto sighed happily. 'I have literally never been better. My life is perfect now. Sorry, you might need to give me a second here.'

'Okay,' Noctis said slowly, shrugging to Gladiolus. 'I've never seen anyone so happy to buy a sofa.'

'Well, I've only wanted this for all of my…life…what?' Prompto's eyes snapped open and he spun in his seat fast enough to give himself whiplash. 'Sofa? What are you talking about?'

Noctis pointed to the store they had parked in front of; the Insomnia Sofa Mart. 'I wanted a new sofa for my bedroom. Heard they're the best.'

The sound of his world crashing down around him was deafening. Prompto sat in his seat with his mouth open as his friends piled out of the car.

Eventually Gladiolus got bored and opened the door for him. 'You coming?'

'Sorry. It's just…I'm so happy. I've dreamed of Noctis getting yet another sofa for his bedroom my whole life, that it's hard to believe the day is finally here,' Prompto said, his tone a cross between bitter and shellshocked.

He followed them into the shop, craning his head to the side so he could see the pet shop. A little girl and her mother were leaving the store, and after them came a father and son, the young boy holding a lead with an excited puppy barking and jumping around. The girl and mother paused to crouch and pet the new addition to their family and their laughter drifted over to the sofa store. Prompto felt tears collect in his eyes; did they have to be so damn happy? Couldn't they do that behind closed doors so they didn't depress non dog owners?

Inside the shop smelled of leather and fabric. Way too clean, way too neat and tidy. Prompto pictured the pet store; noisy, smelly, but full of love. Here there were just lines of sofas. Leather sofas. Fabric sofas. Red sofas. Black sofas. Even a weird fluffy sofa that Prompto swore he saw moving in the corner of his eye. He steered Noctis clear of that one; his friend was tiny and would be a mere snack for the possibly carnivorous sofa.

'So, what are you looking for?' Prompto asked after half an hour of searching. The store really wasn't that big, and they'd circled the selection five times.

'Well, it would have to be black to go with my room,' Noctis said. 'And I want it to be fabric, but not shiny. And wide, because I want to nap on it but I don't want to roll over and fall off. And I want it to have those little heated elements to keep me warm. And it should have footrests that come out from the bottom. And one seat should be able to tilt back, but not make the others tilt back too. And silver feet, not wood.'

Ignis sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. 'Perhaps you've specified too many requirements. It's unlikely that you'd find a sofa matching your exact description in a general store. It may be that you perhaps have to sacrifice one of the features. What would you consider the most important aspect of your ideal sofa?'

'What I just said,' Noctis said, crossing his arms across his chest. 'They're all as important as each other.'

'But I doubt we'll find the exact sofa here-'

'I'm not compromising on any of it, Ignis, I know what I want.'

'Highness, the store doesn't have the sofa you want. You'll either have to settle for something different or travel to another store-'

'I'm the prince of Lucis. If I want my sofa to have all that stuff then my sofa will have all that stuff.'

'Perhaps a custom made sofa will be better?' Ignis asked.

There was silence as Noctis absorbed this. 'No. I want it for this afternoon's nap.'

Ignis exhaled slowly. 'The store won't keep them on hand. Even if you found this amazing perfect sofa you wouldn't be able to take it away with you-'

'I'd take the display model.'

'Highness, do you recall the talk we had about times when you're being unreasonable?' Ignis asked.

'No,' Noctis said.

'Well I remember it vividly, so allow me to brief you with the highlights-'

'I want a puppy!' Prompto suddenly yelled. Everyone fell silent, and turned to him with wide eyes. 'Sorry. Um. Was that out loud?'

'Yes,' Gladiolus said, raising an eyebrow. 'Are you okay?'

Prompto's breathing was coming out in short little gasps, as the very last straw snapped in two. This was it. He was going crazy. 'No. No I'm not okay. You drag me out here, taunt me by showing me the pet store then bring me to help Noctis buy a sofa that doesn't even exist.'

'It exists somewhere,' Noctis mumbled.

'In your mind doesn't count, Noct,' Prompto said exasperatedly. 'So I'm a good friend, and I walk around and save him from the people-eating furry sofa, and admire the other sofas, and act all interested in everything. But seriously, it's a sofa. You're the son of the richest guy in Lucis, just get someone to make you it, they'll probably have it done by this afternoon if you offer them a big fat juicy bonus in their wage packet.'

'I suppose I could do that,' Noctis said.

'There. Sorted. Now can we please leave? I'm sick of sofas. I need to go back to my room and be puppy-less,' Prompto said.

They left the store pretty quickly after that, walking past the furry sofa that had a single arm sticking out from behind the sofa cushions and out to the car. Prompto was too upset to look at the pet store as they left, but he did glance into the rear view mirror. There was a rainbow arching over the store. Goddammit.

He was stubbornly silent the whole trip home, and as soon as the car had come to a stop he leaped out and stomped all the way up to his room. He even went so far as to slam the door behind him as he flung himself on the bed and screamed into his pillow. A few minutes later he could hear footsteps in the corridor outside, and he crept over to the door so he could hear his friends.

'-supposed to know he wanted one that badly? I knew he wanted one, and I kept meaning to take him to get one, but there was always something in the way,' Noctis's voice was muffled behind the wood of the door, but clear enough. 'I didn't know it was hurting him that much.'

'Not your fault, highness,' Ignis said.

'I could have taken him. I've had some spare time, and the last couple of days while you've been locked up with the king Iggy and I could have gone with him. I'd forgotten to be honest. I keep thinking of it every now and then, but it's never the right time to do it.'

'We need to get him one,' Noctis said.

More footsteps, and Prompto realised they were coming to his door.

'Highness, you're exhausted,' Ignis said. 'While I agree it was wrong of us to make him wait I think if you collapsed in a pet store it might cause more problems. And Prompto is upset right now, the experience wouldn't be the same as if we went once he's calmer.'

Damn right, Prompto thought angrily. He was still kind of mad at them, but not so much. They had intended to get him one. They just hadn't realised just how desperate his need for one was.

There was a yawn loud enough for Prompto to hear through his door, then the scuffle of fabric. It wasn't hard to picture Gladiolus lifting the prince into his arms, and then there were more footsteps, this time away from his door into the room opposite. Noctis must have been looking dreadful if Gladiolus was carrying him the few feet to bed. The urge to leave his room and go and be with them was overwhelming, after all it was why he'd wanted to live in the palace in the first place, but his stubbornness won out and he stayed put. As much as he wanted to join them he was still wound up. So he sat alone in his room, on the floor leaned up against the wall. And he fell asleep thinking of puppies.

-

He woke up in his bed, warm and comfortable. For a moment all was right in his world, then he realised that he hadn't gone to sleep in bed. And that he was still angry with his friends about the whole puppy thing. But clearly Gladiolus had come in and found him on the floor and thoughtfully tucked him into bed. Okay, they got points for that. Hell, he couldn't stay mad at the dorks for long.

With a pang of sadness he realised today was Friday, and that last night he'd missed out on Sleepover Thursday, a tradition he had started since arriving at the palace. Prompto had introduced Sleepover Thursdays which usually involved them all in Noctis's room since it was largest, and either the four of them would draw the curtains on the four poster bed to make a sanctuary or else would actually build a proper pillow fort and sleep crowded together so closely that they ended up kicking each other all night long. Thursday nights were the best.

He quickly showered and dressed, then ventured out of his room. Noctis's door was closed, as per usual before eleven in the morning, but the other two doors in the corridor were open. Soft voices came from Ignis's room so Prompto crept down the hallway and peeked around the corner. Gladiolus and Ignis were standing in the middle of the room deep in conversation. Prompto wondered if they were talking about puppies, but after eavesdropping for a few moments they were speaking about prisoners and security measures. Boring.

'Morning,' Prompto said, walking into the room.

Ignis jumped a mile as his back had been to the door, Gladiolus just gave him a wave and a lazy grin. 'Morning there, sunshine. You had a bit of a lie in, I hope the prince 's habits aren't rubbing off on you.'

'Guess I was just tired,' Prompto said with a shrug.

Ignis was watching him carefully, and the taller man stepped toward him. 'Are you alright, Prompto?'

It took a second for Prompto to realise Ignis was expecting him to snap again and start yelling about puppies. His cheeks flushed a light pink and he shook his head. 'I'm fine. I swear. Sorry about yesterday, I just…well…'

'You want a puppy,' Gladiolus said.

'I wasn't particularly subtle, was I?'

'No, not at all,' Ignis agreed. 'But we understand.'

'Which is why Noct asked us to wake him as soon as you were up,' Gladiolus said. He started out of the room, clapping a hand to Prompto's shoulder as he passed. 'Sit tight, I'll go get him. If I'm not back in five minutes or you hear things being thrown, come and save me, alright? Waking him up before he's ready is a suicide mission.'

'You don't have to,' Prompto said, feeling guilty. Noctis slept a lot, he understood that. And the poor guy had been pretty wiped yesterday.

'He insisted,' Gladiolus promised, and disappeared out of the room.

A hand squeezed his shoulder, and Prompto turned to face Ignis.

'His highness has had plenty of sleep, please don't worry.'

'Heh, you're telling me not to worry?' Prompto said. 'First time for everything.'

'Yes, well, if I didn't worry about all of you then who would? You certainly don't do it yourselves,' Ignis chided, but he was smiling. 'Ah, that was easy.'

Gladiolus was guiding Noctis into the room by the shoulders. The prince was yawning, but dressed, although his hair was more dishevelled than usual. He gave Prompto a sleepy nod. 'Hey.'

'Hey. Are you actually awake, or sleepwalking?' Prompto asked.

'I'm awake. I think,' Noctis said, turning his head to Gladiolus. 'Am I?'

'Close enough,' Gladiolus said.

'Well you'll all have to put up with it, because this is as awake as I'm going to get without coffee,' Noctis said, yawning and stumbling back a step. 'Okay. So…Prompto. I'm really, really sorry. I know I forgot, and I should have made time, and I'm sorry. But I'm going to fix it now.'

Prompto felt his blush returning. 'Noct, it's okay, I was out of line and-'

Noctis stepped forward and grabbed his hand. 'No you weren't. And it shouldn't have had to come to that. So I'm going to make it right. We're going out and we're going to travel around all of Lucis until you find the perfect puppy, okay?'

'Okay,' Prompto said, returning Noctis's smile.

They filed back into the car and Ignis drove to the industrial park they had visited yesterday. This time they went past the sofa shop and parked outside the Insomnia Pet Mart. Inside was as perfect as Prompto had imagined; in one corner the shop glowed blue with tanks home to a variety of luminous fish, turtles, giant snails and other assorted aquatic creatures. In another sections birds of every colour under the sun squawked to each other, and in an enclosure bunnies piled on top of each other as they napped.

Gladiolus peered into the enclosure and pointed to an ebony haired bunny dozing peacefully on the steps to the hutch, clearly not having had the energy to make it to its proper bed. 'We should buy that one and call it Noctis.'

'I don't see the resemblance,' Noctis said with a huff, walking away. Gladiolus caught him easily and pulled him into a headlock, ruffling his hair.

'No breaking the prince,' Ignis reminded him as he passed, following Prompto to the back of the store where the larger animals were kept.

'Oooh, spotty,' Prompto said, running over to a cage that housed two Dalmatians. The dogs leaped to their feet as Prompto approached, and scrambled up the bars to try and get to him. Prompto laughed and poked his fingers through the cage, laughing even harder as the dogs bashed against each other trying to lick his fingers. 'I want one of these.'

Ignis smiled fondly at the sight; he was sure if Prompto had a tail the boy would be wagging it just like the Dalmatians. 'They are very fine dogs, however perhaps you might like to look around before making your final decision rather than choosing the first one you see?'

Prompto frowned, but he had to admit Ignis was right. He was so desperate for a dog that he'd have taken anything presented to him. He let the Dalmatians lick his fingers for a few more moments before standing up. 'Bye-bye guys, see you in a bit,' he told the dogs. They didn't understand and watched him go to the next cage wondering why the excited blond boy was leaving.

'Oh wow, I want one of these. Look how cool they are,' Prompto said, crouching down to reach through the bars and let a pair of Husky dogs sniff at his hand. One growled a little and began gnawing on his fingers. 'Oh man, so cute. And when they get bigger they can pull me on a sled when it snows. Adorable and practical.'

'Okay, so far you want a Dalmatian and a Husky. Anything else?' Gladiolus asked, amused.

Apparently yes. Prompto went around all the cages as Ignis suggested and decided that he wanted one of everything. Even the Rottweiler that had razor sharp claws and almost sliced his hand off.

Finally Prompto looked over to Noctis, almost desperately. 'I can't decide. I don't know what kind I want, just that I want a dog. How am I supposed to choose?'

Noctis tore himself away from a chocolate Labrador. 'Well, which one did you feel a connection with? If you haven't got a breed in mind, then you just have to pick the one you feel a bond with.'

Prompto bit his lip and slowly moved around all the cages. The dogs were all happy to see him, wagging their tails as they climbed up the bars. But as gorgeous as they were, he didn't feel a bond with any of them. 'I don't…I don't know. Maybe it's because I've got too much choice? I'm kind of overwhelmed. Maybe you should just pick one for me? I'll love whatever one I get.'

'I'm not picking it for you, it has to be one you love,' Noctis said, nudging him with his elbow. 'Come on, this isn't the only pet store in Insomnia. And if we need to go out of town then that's fine too. We're not stopping until we get you the perfect dog.'

Prompto smiled. This was the guy he loved, the man who would do anything for his friends and stop at nothing to make them happy. 'Okay. Where next?'

'Good question. Ignis, take us to the next pet shop.'

Ignis had a list of pet shops programmed in to the satnav so they set off for the next and repeated the procedure of Prompto going round all of the cages and petting the dogs within them. As always the dogs were happy to see him and even happier to show off their limitless energy. Prompto loved each and every one of them and quickly found that were it up to him he'd have a palace full of dogs.

He was still running his hands through the fur of a funny-looking poodle when Noctis crouched next to him. 'Can't see you with a poodle, Prom. You need something with as much energy as you have so you can tire each other out.'

'Yeah, I guess,' Prompto said, retracting his hand. The poodle simply sniffed the air for a moment then wandered away from the cage front. 'But that only crosses off one breed out of a million. I still have no idea what I want, nothing leaps out as being better than the others. I want them all!'

'I've heard of crazy old cat ladies, can you get crazy dog guys?' Gladiolus asked. 'I can just see your room being overrun by dogs.'

Prompto groaned and pushed himself to his feet. 'This is hopeless, I can't pick one in particular, they're all awesome. We could go to a hundred pet shops and I still won't be able to choose between them. They're all so perfect and wonderful and amazing and I just want one so badly, but now I'm actually allowed one my brain has just short circuited. I can't believe this…'

Noctis wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him gently. 'Hey, the more you worry the harder it will be. We're not in a rush, I promise you you'll get a dog whenever you're ready for it. But maybe today isn't the day to pick one? Maybe go away and have a think about what you've seen today, then choose in a few days time?'

Prompto frowned. 'It won't do any good, I still won't know. I've got a brain block, I just can't…and I'm going to ruin the best thing that will ever happen to me. Why can't I just pick one?'

'Because you haven't found the right one yet,' Noctis said simply. 'When you know you've found something you love, then you just know. Trust me.'

'Do you mean me? Are you calling me a puppy?' Prompto asked, amused.

'Kind of. You're energetic enough to be one. From the moment I saw you I knew we were going to be friends. You need to find a puppy that you share a bond with.'

'How long will that take?' Prompto asked.

'As long as it needs,' Noctis said with a shrug. 'Wanna hit some more stores?'

They did, but no bonds were formed that day. Prompto went home more depressed than ever. He didn't come down for dinner that night, and when Gladiolus came to see him in the evening he just curled on his bed and barely said a word.

The next day he was woken by the curtains being drawn and sunlight flooding into his room. He groaned and shielded his eyes, pulling his blankets up over his head. 'Go away Gladio, I'm not getting up yet.'

'Wrong answer,' said a voice that wasn't Gladiolus's. The bed dipped a little and the covers were pulled away from his face. 'Trust me, you want to be awake. I had an idea.'

'Shouldn't you still be asleep?' Prompto asked, looking past Noctis to the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was ungodly early by Noctis's standards. Mid-morning by everyone else's.

'Couldn't sleep, I was thinking about you and puppies,' Noctis explained.

'I'm flattered,' Prompto said.

'Seriously, I've had an idea. Come on, get up, we're going out.'

Prompto really had very little say in the matter; Noctis went about picking clothes for him and ushering him along to make him get ready faster. Once he was dressed (and before he had a chance to even style his hair) Noctis grabbed his hand and led him out of his room, down to the ground floor then out to where their friends were waiting in the car already.

'Do you guys ever get bored of waiting for Noctis?' Prompto asked as they set off. It seemed the other two were always waiting for them in the car.

'Sometimes,' Gladiolus said.

Ignis nodded in agreement. 'There have been multiple instances where his highness has nipped back into the palace to retrieve something and half an hour later Gladiolus has gone looking for him only to find he's managed to fall asleep somewhere.'

'Define "multiple instances", I can't think of more than two,' Noctis said grumpily.

'That's still "multiple", technically,' Prompto pointed out.

'Don't you get technical on me too, that's Ignis's job. You're supposed to back me up,' Noctis complained.

'So where are we going?' Prompto asked, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

'It's a surprise,' Noctis said.

Prompto groaned. 'Is it another sofa shop?'

Noctis frowned. 'No.'

'Thank Etro. Did you ever get your sofa?'

'No, I forgot about it,' Noctis said. 'I should chase that up when we get back.'

They drove for a few miles, and despite asking several (hundred) times Prompto was still none the wiser as to where they were heading. He assumed a pet store, but after yesterday's debacle he wasn't sure why his friends were bothering. He'd screwed up so badly, and his jumbled mind still didn't know exactly what kind of dog he wanted. He just knew that he wanted something that would be happy to see him every night, that would play with him and sleep on his bed and be a companion that he could look after for the rest of its life. Why was it so hard to find the perfect dog?

When the car came to a stop, however, there was no pet shop in sight. Instead there was a large grey building with a friendly sign outside welcoming people in. Prompto stared for a long moment, and a smile slowly spread on his face. Noctis always had the best plans.

He was out of the car in seconds and heading toward the animal shelter. Inside was overly warm and seriously noisy, with birds screeching from an avery and rodents shuffling around enclosures. Dogs were barking in the back and that was where Prompto headed. They were nothing like the neat, prim and proper dogs he had seen in the pet stores. There was no uniformity to them with a selection of each breed, but rather the mismatched odds and ends that nobody had wanted.

Prompto's heart broke as he looked from cage to cage. Each dog had its own personality; from the Dachshund sitting quietly on its stomach watching him with wary eyes, to the Boxer that tried to squeeze through the bars in its eagerness to try and rush at Prompto and say hello. Prompto passed by each of them, taking a moment to observe them, to get a feel for them. He wanted them all; they all bore marks that he could relate to; being the odd member of the family, the one that went forgotten more often than not. The one that nobody had wanted. The one hoping for a family to come and save them from the loneliness. Prompto glanced over his shoulder to the family that had saved him; Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus were watching him, each of them smiling at him. His family. The people that had saved him from himself.

Prompto swallowed back a lump in his throat as he petted the muzzle of a Border Collie, and then stroked the patchy coat of a worryingly skinny Greyhound. They all needed love and Prompto wished he could give a home to each and every one of them. But he wasn't going to push his luck, and it wouldn't be fair on the dogs if he got more than he could handle. He still had duties during the day; he was a council member, and one of Noctis's appointed guardians. Having a dozen dogs would be too much, unfortunately.

There were so many, it felt as if he'd visited hundreds. He spun on his heel to make sure he hadn't missed any, and that was when he saw them. Thee Labrador puppies. A black one and a golden one, both scrabbling at the metal of the cage door, whining and trying to get to his attention.

'Hey there little guys,' Prompto said, crouching down and poking fingers through the cage. The puppies barked happily and their tails wagged at supersonic speed. Well, the golden one's did. The darker furred puppy's tail was more of a stump. And when he looked closer the golden puppy's left ear was slightly misshapen, and the fur was bald over it. But they were both so happy to see him, their tongues hanging out as they climbed over each other to get a better view of him.

'Came in with a litter, house fire and the owners couldn't keep 'em. Only a month old,' said a voice from behind him

Prompto glanced around to see a young man in a blue uniform. 'How many were there?'

'Six. Four golden, two black. The others were snapped up the day they came but these little ones have been here a week.'

'Why…' Prompto knew why. They were imperfect. He turned back to the puppies, so happy and eager. Prompto stood up and turned to Noctis, biting his lip. 'Noct…'

Noctis was already smiling. 'We'll take them both.'

Prompto had no words. While the man went to go and find forms, Prompto just stared at his friend. 'Noct, you said one…I can't let you get me two. What will your father say?'

'it's a pretty big palace, I think we'll cope. 'Sides, look at them, they need each other. Split them up they'll be lonely,' Noctis said. 'I told you that when you found the one you loved you'd know it, it's not your fault you fell in love with two. You're my best friend, I just want you to be happy, Prom. That's all I've ever wanted.'

That was his undoing. Prompto could feel tears stinging his eyes so he cross the room in a few short strides and flung himself at his friend, almost sending them sprawling into Gladiolus. 'Noctis, you are the best friend I could ever ask for. Why the hell do you keep doing this for me? What did I do to deserve you?' Prompto asked, resting his head on Noctis's shoulder.

Slim arms circled Prompto's waist, and Noctis tipped his head to touch Prompto's. 'You deserve me. You deserve all of this. For just being you. You're my family, Prom, and I'd move heaven and earth for any one of you dorks. In the grand scheme of things getting you a couple of dogs isn't much really. Especially if it makes you this happy.'

Prompto grinned. 'I'm not a dork.'

Gladiolus slapped him on the shoulder. 'You so are. But you're our dork and we wouldn't have you any other way.'

-

With the puppies in crates the group detoured to the pet store and circled the aisles chucking things into a trolley. Food, toys, leashes, collars, treats, books on dog care. Anything that Prompto wanted went in the trolley and Noctis paid for it all without batting an eye.

Gladiolus carried the puppy crates up to Prompto's bedroom, Ignis took the bags of stuff and Noctis held on to Prompto's hand to stop the blond man from trembling too much with excitement. It didn’t work; Prompto was officially more excited than the puppies. He took the stairs three at a time, leaving Noctis to trail behind him, and burst into the room where Gladiolus was setting the crates down.

'Prom, calm down or you'll pass out,' Gladiolus said.

'I just can't believe they're actually here and they're mine and they're adorable and they're real and oh my god,' Prompto said, at supersonic speed. He crouched down beside the crates and went to open one, before pausing and glancing up at Ignis. 'Can I? Is it alright?'

Ignis chuckled. 'Go ahead. Be warned, however-'

Prompto didn't wait for the warning, he unclipped the metal door of the crate. The puppy flew at him, yipping excitedly and launching itself at Prompto's chest, climbing up him to lick at his face and batting the forgotten door to the cage with its tail.

'They might be a tad excitable,' Ignis finished needlessly. He glanced up in time to see Noctis in the doorway, snapping pictures on his phone.

Still clutching his phone Noctis knelt down beside Prompto and began scritching the puppy behind its non-injured ear. That sent the Lab into a tizzy, unsure which of the two boys to focus its attention on so it ended up spinning around and climbing over both their laps.

'What's his name again?' Gladiolus asked, sitting down in front of them. The puppy abandoned them for the newcomer and leaped into Gladiolus's arms, lapping up the attention the bigger man gave him by petting him roughly and hugging him close.

'She. The golden one is a girl,' Prompto said, stroking her tail but unable to divide her attention. 'She's called Honey. Isn't that just the most adorable name?'

'Honey. Love it,' Gladiolus said, smoothing down her ears. The puppy didn't seem to mind her injured ear being touched; it had healed, it was just bald. 'I think she loves me. I have that affect on women.'

Prompto snorted. 'Yeah, give it time. We'll see where her loyalty lies when she figures out I'm the one that feeds her.'

'Prom, she's a dog. They love everyone equally. And by equally I mean to the extreme,' Noctis pointed out.

'Good point. Well, let's see what her brother thinks of the chiselled god, huh?' Prompto said, crawling across the carpet to the other crate. The latch was barely off before the door burst open and the black lab burst out, his stump of a tail frantically wagging back and forth as he took in his new surroundings. Prompto went to hug him but the Lab darted away like it was a game and immediately began exploring the mess that was Prompto's bedroom.

Gladiolus laughed. He'd gathered Honey up in his arms and the female puppy was happily being cradled and licking his chin. 'Way to go, Prom. You've got one dog that loves me more and another that's trying to eat your socks. Score.'

'Shut up,' Prompto muttered, chasing after the darker puppy. 'Eclipse, give it back! Now. Wait, what's the dog command for it? Drop! Drop it!'

Eclipse clearly hadn't been trained yet, and seemed more amused than anything at Prompto's wild yelling and arm gestures. Every time Prompto got close the puppy would race off in the opposite direction playing keep away with the green sock.

'Guys, don't just sit there laughing, help me!' Prompto said, almost tripping over a pair of boots he'd left lying on the floor as he made a mad grab for Eclipse.

'You need to work on training them, this would be an excellent opportunity,' Ignis said. At some point he'd sat down too and was running a hand through Honey's fur.

'Easy for you guys to say, you're sitting with the calm one. I'm dealing with a lunatic whose stolen my sock.'

'Is that safe? I don't think I'd want one of Prompto's socks in my mouth…' Gladiolus said.

'It's clean,' Prompto insisted, whooping with joy as he finally managed to grab the sock. Unfortunately Eclipse thought he was playing tug of war, and dug his claws into the carpet, clamped his teeth around the sock and pulled as hard as he could.

'Oh man, this is priceless,' Noctis said, holding up his phone to record the event on his phone.

'Noct, you're supposed to be my friend. Put that phone down right now and help me get my damn sock back!'

'Sorry, no can do,' Noctis said.

'Ugh, you all suck,' Prompto muttered, pulling the sock as much as he dared without hurting the puppy. Eclipse had no such worries and growled playfully as he chewed the toes. Then the puppy got bored and let go, which sent Prompto sprawling on his butt holding the wet sock. Eclipse jumped on top of him and shoved his cold, damp nose in Prompto's face.

'Still glad you got them?' Noctis asked, saving the video to his phone memory.

Prompto pushed the energetic puppy off his chest a little and turned to his friends, beaming widely. 'Hell yeah!'

Eclipse ran over his face and into another pile of clothes, reappearing with a pair of boxers between his teeth.

'Sure about that?' Gladiolus asked.

Prompto sighed dramatically and began a new chase. 'Yeah. Yeah I am.'

When Eclipse had finally worn himself out and run out of things to steal, chew or climb on, he curled up on the little blanket they set out for him. Prompto was also tired out, so curled up on the carpet himself. He lay on his side and reached out a hand to gently stroke Honey's tail as she dozed happily on her own blanket.

Ignis ran a hand though Prompto's hair, smiling down at him. 'Are they what you were hoping for?'

'Better. Way better,' Prompto said, smiling fondly at the two sleeping puppies. 'They're perfect. Thank you for taking me to find them. You've all been amazing, you have no idea how long I've wanted a dog for. All my life people told me no and now I have two. I still can't quite believe it.'

'They're definitely going to make life around here a lot more interesting,' Noctis said, laying himself down next to Prompto. 'Wonder what my father will say.'

Ignis froze. 'You…did inform his majesty that you were going to be purchasing a dog for Prompto. Didn't you?'

Noctis shrugged and turned over, intending to fall asleep. 'I meant to. The time was never right, though. I'm sure he'll be fine.'

Ignis swallowed hard, and looked at the puppies. With a growing sense of dread he knew that somehow this would end up being his fault.

Prompto wasn't worried though; his puppies were adorable and they were his and even if the king said no he was sure after he'd seen them he'd agree they were awesome and that they could stay. Who could say no to puppies? And anyway, it was a huge palace. What harm could two little puppies do?