( The campsite smells of the embers of the fire that dies just behind them, cool and damp with night air and the salt of seawater. His skin catches drops of moisture, still slick from a dip a half hour earlier, when he was pretty sure everyone else was asleep. Dumb move that Ignis would probably have a stroke about? Probably, but Noctis' night had been one of tossing and turning, of pressing his hands to his temples and trying to stem headaches. The water, cool as it is, helps him spring back to a state of being awake, helps him stave off the hours until dawn, when he probably will fall asleep, for a half hour before Gladio or Ignis start shaking him awake and rolling their eyes at his yawning.
In the silence and the safety of their rocky outcrop, it's not difficult to hear footsteps, movement. The sounds of someone else who isn't asleep. He doesn't turn back, doesn't look because all of their habits are easy to predict - the older two sleep through the night easily.
He and Prompto tend to drift back and forth. Sleep a million hours or none at all. )
Hey.
( And where would he be without that, without the boy who had spent so long being shy, who now finds himself so completely intertwined in Noctis' life that disentangling seems impossible?
So he doesn't ask if Prompto can't sleep, just presses his hand to the space next to him in a silent invitation. )
( that's the funny thing about being out at a campsite instead of in an actual motel, or somewhere with a real bed; and it isn't because he hates camping itself, or that he can't quite get as comfortable in a blanketroll as he would in that real bed, or that he's worried there might be some daemon that wanders too close when they're sleeping and vulnerable –
most of it, whether he actively admits it or not, is tethered to the fact that he always knows when the prince can't sleep. when he's found himself restless and spends the hours before dawn either meandering about the haven or just staring off into the horizon, when the headaches are bad enough that it's all he can do to distract himself the best he can.
the older two, they might have been with him far longer than he has, but with such determination running through him to make an impression, to be the sort of person a future king would want to be friends with, he'd had something to prove and he'd finally made some headway, even if he still sometimes catches himself thinking that he doesn't belong.
( he's working on that, really. )
their current site is small enough that he doesn't have to look around for long before he finds him, smiling to himself at the greeting and all but plopping himself down into the space next to him without any thought of pretense. just the two of them, like this, it almost feels like they were back in high school; when all they had to worry about were exams and what was being served for lunch and having enough spare cash for a trip to the arcade.
nostalgic, in a sense, enough to briefly forget what lies ahead of them. ) Hey. ( he settles, lightly bumping his shoulder against noct's as he pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them. ) How long you been out here, anyway?
( It's strange for Noctis to think about that, that Prompto worries about being enough for them all. It will remain strange for as long as that knowledge remains implanted, buried deep at the base of his spine because if there's anyone who has been enough, simply by virtue of being himself, of being sunshine and caring, it's the guy sitting next to him, all but radiating warmth and comfort. He feels himself unwind a little further and splays his fingers out behind him, pressing his weight back and looking up at the stars.
Okay, so Gladio may be a little nuts about camping, but even Noctis has to admit he's onto something about the night sky. There's really nothing like the one you see in the wilderness, with the company of your best friend beside you. The one who's best at making you forget everything else that could and will be when the sun rises, the journey he has to undertake whether he wants to or not. )
Uh, an hour, I guess. ( He rocks himself back into the present, out of space and into the space he shares with Prompto, close enough that he can feel his presence brushing against his skin. ) Felt sticky.
( Among other things that Prompto's already aware of, that he doesn't want to talk about because there's nothing any of them can do about those headaches. They just come and come and take his sleep away from him.
He glances sidelong at Prompto, something softer tugging at the ends of his mouth, at his expression. Something that twists into almost-playfulness. ) And I'm pretty sure I heard a wasp buzzing about.
( he's gotten better at playing the part of someone that fits in better than he thinks he has any right to – and looking at him, spending time with him would make it seem like he's everything but the shy and awkward kid he's been most of his life. he tries hard, because he's always going to feel like he's still just the plebe he'd started out as, not having the fortuitous circumstance to have been born into a royal family or placed within its employ. just your average joe with a heart of gold.
and yet somehow, he's still enough for a prince to get close to. that's the kind of thing you never quite see coming until it's already happened, and still, sometimes it's a bit difficult to believe.
he's definitely good at distractions – whether he actively admits it or not – and if he can keep the other's thoughts away from the things that could, ultimately distract him in a bad way, he's doing his job better than he'd thought. he's always good for a laugh, or lending an ear to vent any sort of frustration that might arise, or any other manner of things that end up making himself more useful than he thinks he would be otherwise.
he gives the other a sidelong sort of glance at the comment about being sticky, maybe a laugh to go with it, because man, if he doesn't understand that feeling. on the days where they don't have time to make proper camp and end up sweaty, gross and cramped into the regalia until they find a chance to stop again, he can't very well say he likes thinking about the fact that, were he to take his clothes off, his pants might just be able to stand up on their own.
( there's a reason he gets so excited about bathtime. )
but he gives a sort of muted shudder at the mention of a wasp, and he nudges his shoulder again, this time with a bit more weight behind it than before. a purpose, all things considered. ) Hey, don't joke about that kinda thing – you know how I feel about bugs! ( his mouth pulls down into a frown, and he catches himself looking around them, seemingly idly, but with his eyes peeled for the sight of spindly insect legs, ears for the sound of buzzing wings. )
( Aww, c'mon, like he could resist the urge to make his friend flustered. There's something so endearing about it, something that lightens the mood and takes his mind off the headaches and keeps him focused on the brush of skin against skin, the ease of being here when it's quiet and they don't have to hunt.
The laugh that bubbles up out of Noctis should be enough to tell Prompto that he's just being a brat, as usual. ) Way too early.
( Also, if there had been wasps? You can bet your last gil that Noctis would not be nearly as calm. Bugs. Icky. Do they even like being near water, because he doesn't remember ever encountering them near large bodies of the stuff?
Maybe they should just always travel by the water. Pick up some seafood. Yeah. That sounds good. No bugs. Fewer bugs. )
( the laugh that comes is enough to ease some of the tension that had seized him up at the mere mention of wasps – and his mouth pulls into a half-pout, half-frown, though it's little more than a mockery of the real thing. above all else, he can't not be glad at the fact that his friend is in good enough spirits to tease, because when he can't even manage that much?
there's definitely something going on.
so … he relaxes. all but deflates, shoulders hunching as he rests his chin on his knees, staring out at the water before them. there's something eerily calming about this time of night, while there are creatures stirring just beyond, and somewhere there's bound to be a daemon lurking about – but here, contained within the safety of the campsite, next to noctis, he doesn't think there could be anything better to keep him in that frame of mind.
he leans a bit more bodily against him, not quite thinking of such a thing as personal space – and that should mean something, really, with how comfortable he's gotten, with noctis especially – and heaves out a sigh that sends the edges of his bangs briefly upward.
he's not pouting.) … hate bugs. They're stupid. And gross. And creepy.
( and, yes, icky. but he'll leave that word for you, and you only. )
( Lots of things should mean something, like the easy joy that comes from sitting with his friend in the open air, the warmth that puts his mind and muscles at rest despite the cold and the last drops of his late night dip casting goosebumps across flesh.
But no one ever said Noctis was ever particularly good at figuring anything out (just ask Iris).
For these moments, they are safe. Nothing wants to come near the runecast stones that are havens for hunters and others alike, and everything is as close to normal as it can be. For the time being he's nothing more than Noctis, the guy with three great friends. No titles, no epic quests or being told he's the "Chosen One" bullshit, just - Noctis.
Noctis, the guy who tilts his head and watches Prompto flutter his bangs in the low light, whose eyes linger just a little too long on the way the campsite washes bright blue across Prompto's features. )
I'm with you there. Wish we could just use giant bug spray and never have to see 'em.
( sometimes he catches himself trying to think of what it must be like, to have the weight of the future the other has waiting for him resting on his shoulders, the implication of as much. and it isn't that he lacks the capacity for understanding – but more that it's so far out of his reach that he doesn't think he'll ever be able to wrap his head around it. keep it simple, think of the whole thing as little more than the world's longest road / camping trip with three other guys that he would trust with his life.
( this is what it means to have friends. to have people that you know you can count on, that will have your back no matter what comes next, and that will give you shit just for the sake of giving you shit because if you can't tease the ones you love the most, what can you do? )
out of the corner of his eye, he catches noctis looking – doesn't say anything, but there is a shy sort of tint to his smile when it comes, and he breathes out a soft laugh. ) Or carry around a flamethrower and torch 'em the second they pop up.
( what on earth are you boys even on about now. what is this conversation.
but honestly, a flamethrower would still result in less collateral damage than letting this one get his hands on a flask full of fira. )
( Like for like, because Noctis has always wondered what it would be like to be on the other side. Sure, there are all these attempts at being normal, working part time jobs, going to school, going on this trip with his friends. But those things lose their luster when looked at again - part time jobs with constant comments, the majority of friendships built upon a shared destiny, some bloodborne right of each of them to fulfil this duty and place.
Not that he'd trade Ignis or Gladio for anything, but sometimes a guy is prone to wonder, just who would he be friends with if he had nothing but freedom to choose.
(He chose Prompto, even if the guy spent so much time staring at him when they were younger - lots of people did - he chose him to stand beside, to travel with. The one who's never treated Noctis like a prince, just like a guy. The one who makes him forget about the duty and the weight, even if only for a few moments.)
Without realising, as it does more and more often as they set about on this journey, Noctis' expression softens when Prompto's does. If he can thank this trip for anything, he can thank it for confirming the fact that these are the right guys to be his, for bringing them all closer together. To the throne and beyond, through all the challenges that surely still await them.
Through all of that, he has the right men for the job. )
Maybe we'll find you one.
( He laughs, hand shifting to hold his weight against the rock, fingers brushing against Prompto's side, his hip, and stilling there. Just the smallest thread of contact between them. )
( there's nothing wrong with wondering – really, on his own end, he wonders what had been enough to make his efforts at catching the prince's attention successful in the first place. ( for as much as he'd introduced himself as if they'd never met before, noctis had immediately caught him – haven't we met before? – and it had been enough to make him feel briefly foolish, sheepish in the sense that he shouldn't have to act like they'd never crossed paths before in the first place, because you never know what someone is going to remember, and what they're going to forget.
but suffice it to say that it has never been a title, never what comes with such a thing that had made him want to be friends with him in the first place. that much is sure. )
and for all there has been little room for the crown prince to select those he wants to spend his time with, that prompto had made the cut at all is something that he sometimes still finds himself struggling to wrap his head around. and even with those moments that find him unsure of his place with the others, whether or not he belongs, one small look from his friend is enough to reassure him, to chase away the doubt that seeks to darken his ( sometimes forcefully ) optimistic attitude.
the corner of his mouth turns slightly upward at the comment, and up a little more still at the touch that lingers – and he unconsciously angles himself toward it, all but leaning against the other's side as he gives a sort of wistful sigh.
and it isn't about the flamethrower. ) Yeah? Oh, oh, y'know what would be cool? If Cid could upgrade my crossbow with one!
( prom … that is a terrible idea … and you know it. )
( Who really knows what makes a person choose another? Sometimes it can be answered - some people are chosen for their use to another - but most of the time it's something indescribable, something that can be neither touched nor spoken of, lest it lose everything it is.
It just is. Noctis will never be able to put into words exactly why Prompto, over everyone else that might have - had he given them the chance - treated him like a guy instead of a Prince, is the one who stuck, who wove himself so firmly in the tapestry of Noctis' life that he couldn't even begin to find the threads that are himself and are this blond flame of warmth that sparks like gold amongst all the other colours. (But really? He can't say he cares to explain or dislodge. He'll just enjoy this, as it is, whatever it is.
And whatever it becomes.)
The softest snort of a laugh leaves Noctis' lips, huffed out with an exhale of breath, at Prompto's idea. That. That would be awful. And probably give Ignis a heart attack, but it would look pretty cool. But there's a smile on Prompto's face that is just there, barely visible in the low light but audible in his voice, the thing that has made Noctis' heart catch in his throat on more than one occasion, the thing that he's sure leaves his cheeks pinker than they should be-
The thing that makes him listen to that ever-fleeting impulse and lean in to catch Prompto's lips with his own. )
( something indescribable. that – yeah. even though he'd convinced himself very early on that there were so many things about noctis that were more than enough to draw the sort of attention that comes from searching for a friend ( none of which have ever been tied to his status, mind you, because to this one it's little more than a title, even with everything that comes with it ), there's always been that subtle little pull, just at the bottom of his ribs, that has him wanting to stay as close to the other as he can get away with. as close as he's allowed.
and he's never been able to find the right word for it, maybe because he's not great with them or because it hasn't been invented yet, but either way, it doesn't really matter. noctis had chosen him after he'd dredged up the courage to say more than a passing hello in the first place, and even if neither of them quite know how to put into words what keeps them so close to one another, both figuratively and literally, he thinks … that's okay.
things don't always have to have a name for them. sometimes … they can just be.
he hears that snort of laughter, something so in-tune with the other and his usual attitude that he doesn't think much of it – but he does turn just enough to get a better view of him, better than what his peripheral vision allows, and maybe he won't be able to see the slight tinge of pink that rises to his cheeks, but he does catch the hint of his own grin, something that sinks down into the bottom of prompto's own heart and lifts it up just a little bit more, the whole of him feeling so much lighter than he can recall ever being in his whole life –
and then there are lips against his own, the lightest pressure, a bit chapped from their time on the road, but soft, like so much of noctis himself is given half the chance to get a better reading of him. he jolts with it, but only out of sheer surprise before the whole of him relaxes completely, leaning into the kiss as he would any other touch the other would give him, the thrill of something new and wanted thrumming through him like the first, sharp bolt of a thunder spell.
( Royalty. Prince. Impending King. There's so much attached to these things, so much weight and duty, but no one ever really talks about the little fact that it's all laid out. You don't get to choose much, if anything, in your life. Day one to now, it's all given to you, everything is set out to make you a leader, no matter who you might be. And though Noctis gets his freedom, got shipped off to school instead of locked up with tutors, made to work, allowed to play-
He's destined to marry Luna, destined to rule a country. There's no room for feelings in these things, no room to want more than he's given. He doesn't get to think, never tried to explore any of it, not when everything's set out before him. When things will always be that way.
But it's when you say that can't be, this is impossible, that the impossible happens, isn't it? Thinking about this is ill-advised, heartache and distraction waiting to happen, but it's so easy to forget anything but those freckles and the flutter of lashes, the soft touch of Prompto's hair when his hand shifts, runs through those layers. Nothing else matters but the gentle press of his weight when Prompto relaxes into the touch, nothing but slowly running a hand through blond hair and gently resting it at the back of his head.
Things light up when his eyes slide shut, spark through him with the same sort of uncontrollable heat that lights up when he absorbs fire energy, bright and sunlike.
Just like the boy whose thigh lies warm and firm under his hand. )
( what must it feel like, he catches himself wondering sometimes, to not only be destined to walk a certain path, but to have everything along that path written in stone before you're even old enough to understand what's going on? he knows that, from a very young age, noctis had been aware of what awaits him once he comes of age, both as a king and husband to the oracle.
… luna.
there's the smallest pang of guilt that seeps into him at the thought of her, though by all rights, she shouldn't have a place in his head with the other's lips working against his own as they are – but it's just that, because he's betrothed, because he's meant for someone else, and even if there's ample time before it all comes to fruition, it won't change the fact that he won't be able to keep him.
( like he ever would have been allowed to, in the first place. )
but he's nothing if not an opportunist, seeking out the proverbial door that opens when another closes and the like, and it's without a single thought to anything else that he brings both of his hands up to rest on slender shoulders, fingers curling lightly against muscle and bone, the pad of his thumb just close enough to the collar of noctis' shirt to brush over the warm skin of his throat. ( and he's always been that, whether he chooses to believe it or not, the sort of warmth that attracted him like the moth to a flame, the sort of person that prompto has always wanted next to him, come what may. )
he shifts, just a little, the muscle beneath the other's hand tightening with the movement as he presses in the slightest bit closer, a soft, wanting little noise escaping him, belying anything that he might be trying to keep from himself –
but mostly, the fact that he's caught himself wanting this before now, and that's something that he isn't going to be able to ignore anymore. )
( Noctis lacks the words to explain the situation, to explain exactly what it all is. Luna's warm, too, in her own way - kind and smart and pretty, all the things a prospective queen should be -, and he does care for her, adore her, has spent so much time with her in his life that it's near impossible to figure out who he is without their correspondences, without her presence.
But it doesn't burn, the warmth is nothing more than a blanket - comfortable and familiar -, not the embers that spark when he feels Prompto's lips against his. It isn't the spark of skin against skin that comes when he feels a thumb against his throat, and it's probably all too easy for the other to feel the skip of his pulse, the way it rushes and sticks in his throat, almost like the rush of adrenaline that accompanies battle, but without the aching muscles, without the injury.
With nothing but his heart in danger.
His fingers curl just a little around Prompto's thigh when he hears that noise, unable to stop himself from parting his lips - just a little, like doing too much will be too much (for himself or for Prompto, he doesn't know) - and pressing in just a little more, hand bearing a touch more weight onto the other's thigh when he leans in, warm-turning-hot, skin probably flushed red with everything, despite the cool air that lingers around them, the lack of fire to provide any warmth.
The body next to him provides all the warmth he needs, has done for longer than Noctis realises. Just a faint, little fire in the base of his spine that eventually grew too large to ignore. )
( from what he's heard about luna – the way noct talks about here – she's nothing but warmth. the sort that eases tension, smooths away roughened edges as though they'd never been there in the first place, with kind words and a soft voice and an even softer touch. any man would have been lucky, gifted to find themselves in her presence, a single thread woven into a life that encompassed so much more, and … and yet.
here noct is, with him, with their collective little fires burning all the brighter the longer they stay connected, and now that he's been allowed this close – allowed this level of contact – he doesn't think he's likely to let go of it so easily, even when he knows what it means for their future. there has always been some sort of … something shifting and shuffling and rolling around in the back of his mind that he's been trying to ignore since that first day of high school, when he'd finally worked up the nerve to speak to him again after so long, after working himself up to being the kind of person that noct deserved to have as a friend.
( because he deserved the best. still does. of that, prompto remains convinced. )
when noct's lips part, when the weight of the hand against his thigh presses in just a little more, when the beat of his pulse beneath his fingertips skips a little higher – he's convinced he's dreaming, that this can't possibly be real, because there's an ache in his chest that reminds him of just how long he's been ignoring it in favor of anything else, distractions that always fall short and leaving him still wanting, skipping through the photos he's taken that all somehow have managed to catch his prince in varying states of sass and still somehow endearing, the curve of a mouth now pressed against his own something far more genuine than anything else he's ever seen in the whole of his short life.
those lips part, and the tip of his tongue brushes shyly, gently, almost-not against his bottom lip, feeling the way his body wants to press in closer all on its own, finding himself scooting in and closing some of the distance that exists between them. fingers stay pressed against the tap-tap-tap of his pulse, a reminder that he isn't dreaming, that this is real and so is he, and whatever he's done up to now to deserve the other's closeness, his kisses, his warmth –
maybe, he thinks, he hadn't needed to try so hard to be something he deserves. )
( She's many things. Really, he couldn't ask for a better prospective wife, as Prince. He knows this, doesn't need reminding, and will never deny any of it, nor the fact that she's more than worth the blush, the flutter, the awkward-childhood crush that still leaves a fondness even now.
They say you never forget your first. That something always lingers. But all thoughts of Luna seem to fly from his mind, like the swirl of a blizzard spell, scattering ice everywhere, emptying the space within him, replacing it with sunlit flares of warm gold; the strands of hair threading through his fingers as one of his hands becomes a bit more certain, a bit more emboldened by the shift of weight, the body pressing in against his. The brush of lips, the sensation of skin against skin, against fabric, the curl of his fingers against rough denim and soft layers of feathery hair, the ghost of a tongue that brushes against his lip, so brief it has Noctis chasing it with his own, trying for something more firm.
Something as real as the weight of the body now pressing closer to his. Something that comes alive in the same way Prompto does when he realises there's a great photo spot near by - and doesn't Noctis always acquiesce, even when it'd be better not to take the detour, unable to dampen the sunshine beaming from the passenger side seat - and runs through all his veins, sets faint hairs across his arms on end.
Something that makes him feel like this all just might be worth it. That there's light to take on the darkness, one that isn't supposed to come from him. One that requires no magic or artifacts, that is found in nothing more than a smile and the echo of a voice saying hey, Noct-
His tongue brushes against Prompto's, just as that hand leaves those strands of hair alone long enough to trail down a cheek, rest at his jawline. Just. There. Still and present. )
( no, you never forget your first. the lingering flutter of butterflies in the pit of your stomach, the skitter of something electric along nerves that still feel too hypersensitive, no matter how long it's been. the fondness, even after it's faded, nostalgia taking the place of something impermanent –
even if, when he really thinks about it, as embarrassing as it might be: who had been his first?
you're not supposed to have a crush on the crown prince.
and he doesn't think about it now, though the flutter of butterflies still rests in his core, lighting him up from the inside out and setting all those peripheral nerve endings tingling, just short of burning with how close noct is to him now, the weight of his mouth against his own and that hand at his thigh, both a comfort and something that sets his heart to near-pounding behind his ribs.
( he'd never thought he would get this. never thought he'd be worthy of it, even for as much as just a single look from the other is enough to leave his heart wanting, the willingness to follow him anywhere more resolute than any thought that has passed through his mind before. )
one of his own hands slips down, fingers grazing over the hollow of his throat and resting, ultimately, splayed against the point at which his heart beats, the comfort of each thump behind clothing and skin and bone washing over him as something tangible, something warm and inviting, and he finds himself leaning even closer –
until he's found that he's all but crawled into the prince's lap, lean thighs framing the other's as he settles against him, fitting almost too easily into the spot he's made for himself. he pauses, pulls back just a little like he's only just realized he'd moved – and he makes a frantic sort of sound in the back of his throat, the flush painting his cheeks deepening by several shades. ) I – is this … okay?
( little late for that, isn't it? teeth worry the edge of his bottom lip, but he doesn't move away, because this feels good, right in some way that he can't quite put a finger on, something almost like … coming home after a too-long absence.
but then again, noct has always felt like that to him. )
Well, whatever this is. First kisses, first friend, friend not chosen by duty or title, but simply by being nice. Fun. Someone worth knowing, worth keeping.
Keeping. He could have lost Prompto right here and now, could have made the wrong step entirely by giving into the urges that flickered and burned within, by letting fire consume him and bringing them to this point, but he's kissing back, he's getting closer and the slow, almost clumsy way they're melting together is somehow too hard and too easy to stick to. Things that are and aren't enough all at the same time, where his hands freeze in their bid to explore, his tongue moves slow and hesitant. It's an edge, a precipice. Somewhere he could freefall, just dive into the depths and let everything else disappear into meaninglessness. But each thud of his heart comes with the weight of hesitation, of not wanting to spoil something that's already so delicate, as though Prompto himself is a skittish cat Noctis might scare off at any moment by going just a touch too far.
Of course, it's hard to continue that train of thought when Prompto's ended up in his lap, warm and heavy and present and all too real. It's hard to do anything when that sensation is there, distracting, finally leading his hands to unlock and trail across Prompto's shoulders, down his arms.
Noctis smiles, a brief little thing that comes with the softest exhale of laughter, as though this manages to wash away all the things that have him mixed up. )
Yeah.
( And, if the answer wasn't enough, Noctis is happy to demonstrate how okay this is with the brush and nip of lips against Prompto's jawline. )
( yeah. first. whatever this is, because he's convinced there has been nothing before it that could have even come close to the way noctis can make his stomach tighten with just a look, whether he's conscious of it or not, the way his heart trips over itself and his breath catches in the back of his throat whenever they're close like this –
well. they've never been close like this but that's just one more of those firsts, one of the smallest things that leaves him with the anticipation of what might come next, if he'll be pulled in close or pushed away, if he'd somehow managed to overstep their collective ( albeit blurred ) boundaries by taking the smallest liberties. closing the distance between them.
( and here he is, settled into the other's lap as though he'd never been anywhere else, warm and comfortable and all too real as his arms slide over noct's shoulders, fingers linking together behind his head as he hums out a small sound at that yeah he gets in return. it isn't much, but it doesn't have to be, because it's always been the little things between them that have made the biggest impact. )
lips against his jaw, and his head tilts to offer a little more should the other push a little further, a shaky but relieved breath pushing out of him as he turns back toward the line of that nipping mouth, catches it with his own, bolder by degrees. ) Yeah. ( he echoes, a natural mimic, voice still soft and almost delicate around the edges as he kisses him. sweet, grateful, reverent –
everything owed to him by noct's presence alone. )
( It's just a first. Maybe that's all it needs to be. Maybe there's no real word for what they were, are, or are becoming. Perhaps all they need to have is this feeling, this spark that lingers there, something indescribable and vibrant. Alive with colour in a world that steadily gets darker and darker.
And in this dark, in the pitch black and silence of the night, all Noctis wants is to be closer, to find the light that they're losing, being denied with each passing day, to clutch it close to his chest and never let go. His fingers find places to rest, the strength to cling and curl and tug him closer with the pieces of clothing he latches onto, the slight emboldening of Prompto's movements, of his lips catching his own opening floodgates, knocking away skittishness and dragging out a sort of clumsy, aching need, his fingertips caught in their own prayer for more, for everything of the other to wrap around him and never let go.
He presses into the kiss a little harder, tongue no longer hesitating, nothing but curiosity in his movements, exploring new land for the first time.
Maybe that's what they are. A first exploration, with all the promise and wonder that comes from a body not your own; anticipation that causes Noctis' hips to rock slightly, has his hands skirting under the hem of Prompto's shirt, to map out all the little things (muscles and skin and bone) that lie there. )
( he's never been that great with words — always finding himself flustered, tripping over the ones he wants to find the meanings to, falling short of the ones that really make an impression — but it just might be that there isn't a word for what they are, or what they're becoming. there are a few that might fit, a few that give over what stirs in the very bottom of his heart, what lingers at the base of his spine, what dries the back of his throat, but they're the sort of things that don't require a voice to be heard, or need to be said at all, because it's all in the way he touches him that every little point is driven home.
( it might be hesitant, unsure, inexperienced, but they've gone through so many firsts together already, all those tiny little steps that had brought them here in the first place, the careful, meticulous shuffle into friendship, into trust, into this. it's in the way he touches him, kisses him, looks at him as though he wants to keep him —
even if he can't, and they both know it. ah, well. what's the hurt in living in the moment? )
the smallest noise, the simplest thing filters up to rest on the tip of his tongue at that experimental upward rock of hips, a motion that he finds himself pressing into at the same moment fingers slip beneath his shirt, as his own slip around to the nape of noct's neck and clasp there. twined together beneath the fall of dark hair just for the sake of something to serve as a grounding point, something to keep him tethered to this moment, because he might just still be convinced that he'll wake up; back in the tent, back in his bedroll, back with nothing but himself for company as the other three sleep away the small hours of the morning, and his heart is left wanting.
a whimper, a moan, he isn't quite sure what it is — but it's given over all too easily, from the tip of his own tongue to noctis' as it curls against him, as it plies a subtle roll of his own hips in retaliation, something that lets him chase down the slivers of pleasure that play tag along his nerve-endings. that spike and ebb, and leave him breathless.
this is one first he'd play reruns of, again and again, until he's gotten it all memorized — and then once more, for the sake of it, frame by frame until it's all worn thin, just to lose himself in the touch of hands and lips, in the warmth of him. )
( The worst nights are those where any sort of respite seems to be miles away. Where campsites are too far from parking places and caravans are hard to come by. The nights where they've been in dungeons until the clock ticks past midnight and by the time they get to the car, Noctis and Prompto have commandeered the back seats, for once, to pass out, start snoring.
Ignis drinks more coffee than is recommended in order to stay awake while the navigator continues to show nothing but road and nowhere to sleep. It won't be the first time, or the last, but it will never be comfortable, and he will never feel entirely secure in traversing the roads without sunlight to banish the daemons.
His eyes burn, but at least he isn't alone up front. (Not any more.) )
Not struggling for legroom, I hope.
( Has he ever bought that reason for sitting up back? Probably not. )
( they're all worried about losing track of time when they're running about like this, simultaneously completing fetch quests for merchants and taking care of bounties – and even if gladio himself isn't all that worried about being able to take on whatever comes at them during the night when they have no other choice but to keep driving until they find somewhere to stop, the nerves that come from being forced onto the roads after dark are tangible things.
he doesn't blame any of them for being uncomfortable, but at least the kids are worn out enough to have passed out in the backseat, and he's just awake enough – still coming down from the adrenaline high of their last encounter – to be decent company for their resident chauffer.
he shifts in his seat, pointedly, making an elaborate show of stretching long legs on in front of him as much as he's able. funnily enough, there is just as much legroom in the front as there is in the back, and it doesn't matter that ignis has never bought his excuses for wanting to stay back there in the first place.
because he doesn't have to explain himself to anybody, okok.
there's a grunt, and a small laugh as he casts a sidelong glance in the other's direction. ) It's roomier than I thought it would be.
You holdin' up okay? ( he'd offer to take over, give a bit of a break, but …
( Well indeed. But Ignis won't say anything about that. He'll just take another sip of coffee, glance at the navigator again. Surely they're getting closer, the last thing any of them need is to not only be stranded out of the way of a campsite, but completely devoid of petrol as well.
Calling Cindy is an option, but not the ideal one. Not at this time, and he is loath to make a lady go out of her way as much as he is to make her bloody her hands. )
As well as can be expected. ( As long as they're driving, it'll be fine, although he worries about what all this caffeine is going to do to his sleep cycle. )
Do you think we've missed something?
( It just seems that it's been an awfully long time on the road, and even longer still since they've come across anything dangerous. Surely one or the other should have happened by now. )
( he knows that cindy never minds coming to get them when they have to call her to do so – but it's a matter of principle, really, that they should stay on top of things and not find themselves stranded when it would have been simple enough to stop at a station a bit out of the way to fill up. top off. whatever.
and he has to admit, whether he likes to or not, it's a bit too quiet for his liking. with how long they've been on the road and how long it's been since their last encounter, monster or imperial. he gives a thoughtful sort of sound at that, rubbing at the edge of his jaw. ) Don't think so, but now that you mention it … I'm not a hundred percent sure.
( that feeling you get when you don't think about something until someone else brings it up, and then it's the only thing you can think about. ugh. talk about a drag – )
I think we're all just tired, or somethin'. Once we get some rest I'm sure everything'll feel like it should.
( oh, and, idk. thanks for not calling him out on the fact that he doesn't know how to drive. truly, you are a bro. )
( With the kids the Prince and Prompto asleep in the back, and themselves in less than ideal condition, it would hardly do to be caught in a battle. His lips purse for a moment - this definitely seems like a trap. Too good to be true.
Instinct isn't always right, but in this case it's better safe than sorry. )
Do you know of any nearby rest stops? ( So sue him, while you were all in the diner, Ignis was at the shop, stocking up on packets of Ebony to make his life easier.
You don't call him out on his coffee problem and he won't say anything about not taking driving lessons. Not out loud, anyway. )
( it's definitely beginning to feel more and more like a trap the further they go, and gladio would be lying to himself, the gods and everyone in the car if he tried to get away with saying that it didn't leave him feeling a bit unsettled. he checks the navigator just to validate what he's thinking – which is, of course, that he can't think of any rest stops that aren't still miles away – and he flops back against the seat with a sigh, something that borders on a groan.
do you think he's really going to judge you for your caffeine habit? what mother doesn't practically need an iv drip of the stuff in order to keep up with their children?) None that aren't at least an hour away. ( it sounds almost as a grumble as he rubs at his eyes, then trains his gaze back on the road in front of them. )
Not even any decent places to set up camp. I'm about to say the hell with it and pitch the tent right in the middle of the road.
( Going in blind. Not exactly Ignis' preference, but alas, the world calls for it more often than not, and in this inky darkness-
Well, they'll be going in blind in more than one way. With a low huff of air, a definite sign of dissatisfaction, Ignis pulls the Regalia over to the side of the road and checks on their passengers in the back.
Still sound asleep and looking incredibly innocent. If he didn't know better, he'd think they were just any two boys, worn out from a day of fun. )
It's that, or we carry them both until we find a more suitable location.
( They're both less than ideal, but Ignis' voice leaves no doubt as to which of those options he'd rather take their chances with.
Hint: It's the one with far less likelihood of also being run over, should they oversleep.
Ignis pls when have you ever let anyone oversleep )
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE ugh this would be me writing for prompto post-13
( going in blind is never going to be a preference for anyone, but sometimes there are no other alternatives, and you've got to do the best with what you've got. and … more often than not, they find themselves flying by the seat of their pants at any given time, not knowing what they're about to find themselves up against one way or the other, and there's nothing else but to call it but … what it is.
behind them, the younger boys are still fast asleep, looking far, far more innocent than they have any right to. ( sleep does that sort of thing to you, doesn't it? makes all the edges softer, everything a little less harsh, even when the darkness around them is all but suppressing everything –
but at least their prince and photographer are getting some much-needed rest. they definitely need it. )
he snorts out a laugh, running a hand back through his hair. ) Yeah, that ain't gonna happen, and you know it. ( could you even carry one of them? with those scrawny arms?
gladio … not everyone can be a musclehead like you. don't you even start judging.
he twists around in his seat when they come to a stop, peering into the back with the slightest hint of mischief in his eyes as he looks back to ignis. ) How you wanna wake 'em up?
( Now, see here. He's more than capable of shifting at least one of them. Prompto is tiny and there's always the piggy back option. Muscleheadedness is not always required.
Although if Gladio insists, he can always carry both of them, like a good pack mule. Ignis won't complain. (Although he will give out a very dignified, thank you very much huff at the insinuation that he couldn't.)
His eyes, and body, eventually follow Gladio's own, once the car is fully shut off and he's had yet another sip of coffee.
(Of course he isn't smirking. That's just a trick of the light. He'd never be so devious-
Who are we kidding?) )
Cold water usually does the trick for Noct, if we have any.
( It starts with a place he's never been and a girl who quite literally tries to slap him for spilling shots on her new, designer top.
(The apology - literally buying a replacement - had cost ten bounties to fund. No one ever said being a Prince meant unlimited funds.)
But, somehow, he manages to make the apology work. Maybe a little too well.
Wanna meet up next time I'm here? and she said yes, and the rest of the guys promptly (haha) took the piss out of him. Noctis has a girlfriend. Haha. Very funny. At least someone in this foursome was gonna have his own hotel room when they got to the city. Privacy and even a day off. He might even get to lie in, and wouldn't that be something?
(Yes, it would, Noct. You clearly don't know Emily Davis as well as you want to.)
The room itself is nice, but remarkably modest for a guy poised to rule an entire country, and maybe he sprung on getting some decent alcohol prepared in a cooler on the small dining table that's there. He plucks the bottle from the cooler, checking it's what he asked for, before turning to Emily for her opinion. )
[Emily's expression leaves no room for doubt that she's looking at one or both of those things with disdain.
The replacement top is satisfactory only because she picked it -- identical to the one he'd ruined, thanks a lot, do you know how long she'd been waiting to get it in the first place -- so really, he should be doubting his decision-making skills.]
Aren't you a prince? This is, like-- like maybe the mayor of some shithole would spring for something like this. [At least she's honest?] Poor me a drink and I'll let you know if it's all right.
( Look, this is not something he's particularly good at, and after all the time running around the country, hunting and living from the land, the luxury feels a bit odd.
Suffice to say, that this is way opulent in comparison to the caravans they usually crash in. Or the tent.
(But, maybe, if all goes well, they can spring on a couple of nights at the beach in Galdin Quay. There's a lovely hotel there that he's never checked into.) )
Yeah, well. I- ( Man, is that a long story. ) - Didn't want to overdo it, you know?
( Wrong answer, dope. But he does, at least, pour a drink and hand her it. It's a good white wine, one often served at the palace back in Insomnia, before everything. )
[Though he'll never outright complain, he's always agreed with Noctis's simple statement that 'Camping sucks when it rains.' While the havens are safe from daemons and predatory wildlife, they lack any shelter aside what they've brought with them. (And you can't very well cook dinner inside the tent, every time having to endure standing outside in the constant drizzle, and getting soaked throughout, hair relaxing and falling from those typically impeccable spikes-)
And even after they all hole up under the tent and tarp (He's so glad for Gladiolus's skill with pitching one as quickly and precisely as he does-) it's another ordeal in and of itself to coordinate changing from wet clothing, and finding a place for it to dry- Unable to hang it outside, what with the downpour, but not wishing for it to take up what little space is already afforded by the small tent for them to sleep. (And of course none of them want to stay in the cold, soaked clothes, as that would only be asking for sickness to come in-)
So it just ends up miserably humid, the small lanterns a far-cry from the typical campfire and lacking in its warm comfort, each member of their group weary and dampened and cramped in the thin confines of their temporary abode. There's still time before it's a reasonable time to sleep, as the sun had been setting earlier and earlier in the day, drawing out the time they spend at camp.
And so Ignis has settled himself comfortably in a corner, idly shuffling through the worn deck of playing cards they'd (thankfully) brought along with them for just such occasions, every so often pausing to reach down for the steaming mug of coffee beside him. (At least he drinks less in the evening, tends to brew it milder, a touch sweeter-) before returning to sorting out the cards in his hands.]
...Noct, are you still awake?
[He certainly hopes so. It's too damn early to sleep, and he knows that fact typically does absolutely nothing to dissuade the Prince when he's decided to lie down. Absently moving the cards in his hands, he'll cut them, layer them together with a faintly fluttering noise as the stiff cards roll past his fingertips, and begin again.
If nothing else, it would be an excellent opportunity to see if the Prince had been working on schooling his expressions and sharpening his mind and strategy.]
( Once this is over, and he's on the throne, Noctis has two main plans for the country: 1. Ban vegetables from his food, always 2. Make sure there's more motels around the country.
He hates camping for too many nights, misses the comfort of a mattress, the warmth of a quilt and the softness of a pillow underneath his head. And maybe, just maybe, Noctis can sleep just about anywhere, at any time, but trying to conk out in a sleeping bag, in a tiny tent that locks all the moisture and sweat and heat inside of it?
Well, that's not so easy. So, mostly the Prince lies back in his sleeping bag, hands threaded behind his head, staring at the roof of the tent, willing himself to sleep already. Muscles that ache from days of travel - both on the road and by foot - and too little time to unwind only protest more at sleeping on the rocky outcrops that are havens.
Yeah, he's not sleeping. )
Yeeeah. ( It's a drawl as Noctis slowly pushes himself up and glances over, takes in the cards and; )
( His bones still creak, muscles still ache. His body feels more than ten years older, the price of magic, of heritage and destiny: it eats away at your being, your body and soul. Eventually, you decay into nothing, far faster the more you use.
But his story ends soon enough, ends with the fall of a madman and the ascension to a throne he won't keep. His place in history was determined long before he stepped into the crystal, before infiltrations and road trips and engagements to princesses of distant countries.
Noctis understands this now, even when the cool air - one of the few things the eternal darkness didn't snatch from the lands - brushes his cheek with a wisp and they all settle down for camp, letting Gladio and Ignis take care of things, falling into old habits without thought or pause, just doing what they always do. Even if a choice that was never his weighs heavy in his stomach-
His destiny is noble; the remnants of Galdin Quay, the myriad of monsters and the stark hardness in Talcott's eyes as he spoke of everything in those ten years of isolation, they leave no doubt of the right thing to do.
The right thing can still weigh heavy, potent with the knowledge that he's recovered his friends, his brothers, only to leave them again. That they've spread themselves into something independent, broken and shattered by the weight of everything they endured here, and perhaps those cracks in their union cannot repair themselves in the course of one last mission together.
(His father's people dissolved into something incomplete too. Perhaps this is the real curse of their power. Not the wear on bodies, but the wear on souls and friendship.
Are they cursed to lose their brothers?)
The curl of smoke and sear of wood warm the air around him, inviting and earthy and real in scent and crackle of flame. He senses the presence of the others without trying, without listening for the sounds of footsteps or the murmur of anything, their heartbeats and selves almost electric with life after the cocoon of nothing that was the crystal. He lets his feet guide him away from the fireplace, to the edge of the hill they've camped upon, drops down onto the soil next to Prompto, brushes his hand against Prompto's shoulder briefly (the uniforms have been a long time coming, but something in him still expects the denim jacket, a bare shoulder.
It feels odd, and that heavy knot turns in his stomach.) )
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owntempos2016-12-21 12:57 am
i'd say i'm sorry but i'm not
how do i bratprince
In the silence and the safety of their rocky outcrop, it's not difficult to hear footsteps, movement. The sounds of someone else who isn't asleep. He doesn't turn back, doesn't look because all of their habits are easy to predict - the older two sleep through the night easily.
He and Prompto tend to drift back and forth. Sleep a million hours or none at all. )
Hey.
( And where would he be without that, without the boy who had spent so long being shy, who now finds himself so completely intertwined in Noctis' life that disentangling seems impossible?
So he doesn't ask if Prompto can't sleep, just presses his hand to the space next to him in a silent invitation. )
just like that
most of it, whether he actively admits it or not, is tethered to the fact that he always knows when the prince can't sleep. when he's found himself restless and spends the hours before dawn either meandering about the haven or just staring off into the horizon, when the headaches are bad enough that it's all he can do to distract himself the best he can.
the older two, they might have been with him far longer than he has, but with such determination running through him to make an impression, to be the sort of person a future king would want to be friends with, he'd had something to prove and he'd finally made some headway, even if he still sometimes catches himself thinking that he doesn't belong.
( he's working on that, really. )
their current site is small enough that he doesn't have to look around for long before he finds him, smiling to himself at the greeting and all but plopping himself down into the space next to him without any thought of pretense. just the two of them, like this, it almost feels like they were back in high school; when all they had to worry about were exams and what was being served for lunch and having enough spare cash for a trip to the arcade.
nostalgic, in a sense, enough to briefly forget what lies ahead of them. ) Hey. ( he settles, lightly bumping his shoulder against noct's as he pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them. ) How long you been out here, anyway?
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Okay, so Gladio may be a little nuts about camping, but even Noctis has to admit he's onto something about the night sky. There's really nothing like the one you see in the wilderness, with the company of your best friend beside you. The one who's best at making you forget everything else that could and will be when the sun rises, the journey he has to undertake whether he wants to or not. )
Uh, an hour, I guess. ( He rocks himself back into the present, out of space and into the space he shares with Prompto, close enough that he can feel his presence brushing against his skin. ) Felt sticky.
( Among other things that Prompto's already aware of, that he doesn't want to talk about because there's nothing any of them can do about those headaches. They just come and come and take his sleep away from him.
He glances sidelong at Prompto, something softer tugging at the ends of his mouth, at his expression. Something that twists into almost-playfulness. ) And I'm pretty sure I heard a wasp buzzing about.
( No you didn't, Noctis. Don't be a brat. )
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and yet somehow, he's still enough for a prince to get close to. that's the kind of thing you never quite see coming until it's already happened, and still, sometimes it's a bit difficult to believe.
he's definitely good at distractions – whether he actively admits it or not – and if he can keep the other's thoughts away from the things that could, ultimately distract him in a bad way, he's doing his job better than he'd thought. he's always good for a laugh, or lending an ear to vent any sort of frustration that might arise, or any other manner of things that end up making himself more useful than he thinks he would be otherwise.
he gives the other a sidelong sort of glance at the comment about being sticky, maybe a laugh to go with it, because man, if he doesn't understand that feeling. on the days where they don't have time to make proper camp and end up sweaty, gross and cramped into the regalia until they find a chance to stop again, he can't very well say he likes thinking about the fact that, were he to take his clothes off, his pants might just be able to stand up on their own.
( there's a reason he gets so excited about bathtime. )
but he gives a sort of muted shudder at the mention of a wasp, and he nudges his shoulder again, this time with a bit more weight behind it than before. a purpose, all things considered. ) Hey, don't joke about that kinda thing – you know how I feel about bugs! ( his mouth pulls down into a frown, and he catches himself looking around them, seemingly idly, but with his eyes peeled for the sight of spindly insect legs, ears for the sound of buzzing wings. )
Isn't it … too early for them to be out?
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The laugh that bubbles up out of Noctis should be enough to tell Prompto that he's just being a brat, as usual. ) Way too early.
( Also, if there had been wasps? You can bet your last gil that Noctis would not be nearly as calm. Bugs. Icky. Do they even like being near water, because he doesn't remember ever encountering them near large bodies of the stuff?
Maybe they should just always travel by the water. Pick up some seafood. Yeah. That sounds good. No bugs. Fewer bugs. )
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there's definitely something going on.
so … he relaxes. all but deflates, shoulders hunching as he rests his chin on his knees, staring out at the water before them. there's something eerily calming about this time of night, while there are creatures stirring just beyond, and somewhere there's bound to be a daemon lurking about – but here, contained within the safety of the campsite, next to noctis, he doesn't think there could be anything better to keep him in that frame of mind.
he leans a bit more bodily against him, not quite thinking of such a thing as personal space – and that should mean something, really, with how comfortable he's gotten, with noctis especially – and heaves out a sigh that sends the edges of his bangs briefly upward.
he's not pouting.) … hate bugs. They're stupid. And gross. And creepy.( and, yes, icky. but he'll leave that word for you, and you only. )
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But no one ever said Noctis was ever particularly good at figuring anything out (just ask Iris).
For these moments, they are safe. Nothing wants to come near the runecast stones that are havens for hunters and others alike, and everything is as close to normal as it can be. For the time being he's nothing more than Noctis, the guy with three great friends. No titles, no epic quests or being told he's the "Chosen One" bullshit, just -
Noctis.
Noctis, the guy who tilts his head and watches Prompto flutter his bangs in the low light, whose eyes linger just a little too long on the way the campsite washes bright blue across Prompto's features. )
I'm with you there. Wish we could just use giant bug spray and never have to see 'em.
( Noc...tis... )
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( this is what it means to have friends. to have people that you know you can count on, that will have your back no matter what comes next, and that will give you shit just for the sake of giving you shit because if you can't tease the ones you love the most, what can you do? )
out of the corner of his eye, he catches noctis looking – doesn't say anything, but there is a shy sort of tint to his smile when it comes, and he breathes out a soft laugh. ) Or carry around a flamethrower and torch 'em the second they pop up.
( what on earth are you boys even on about now. what is this conversation.
but honestly, a flamethrower would still result in less collateral damage than letting this one get his hands on a flask full of fira. )
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Not that he'd trade Ignis or Gladio for anything, but sometimes a guy is prone to wonder, just who would he be friends with if he had nothing but freedom to choose.
(He chose Prompto, even if the guy spent so much time staring at him when they were younger - lots of people did - he chose him to stand beside, to travel with. The one who's never treated Noctis like a prince, just like a guy. The one who makes him forget about the duty and the weight, even if only for a few moments.)
Without realising, as it does more and more often as they set about on this journey, Noctis' expression softens when Prompto's does. If he can thank this trip for anything, he can thank it for confirming the fact that these are the right guys to be his, for bringing them all closer together. To the throne and beyond, through all the challenges that surely still await them.
Through all of that, he has the right men for the job. )
Maybe we'll find you one.
( He laughs, hand shifting to hold his weight against the rock, fingers brushing against Prompto's side, his hip, and stilling there. Just the smallest thread of contact between them. )
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but suffice it to say that it has never been a title, never what comes with such a thing that had made him want to be friends with him in the first place. that much is sure. )
and for all there has been little room for the crown prince to select those he wants to spend his time with, that prompto had made the cut at all is something that he sometimes still finds himself struggling to wrap his head around. and even with those moments that find him unsure of his place with the others, whether or not he belongs, one small look from his friend is enough to reassure him, to chase away the doubt that seeks to darken his ( sometimes forcefully ) optimistic attitude.
the corner of his mouth turns slightly upward at the comment, and up a little more still at the touch that lingers – and he unconsciously angles himself toward it, all but leaning against the other's side as he gives a sort of wistful sigh.
and it isn't about the flamethrower. ) Yeah? Oh, oh, y'know what would be cool? If Cid could upgrade my crossbow with one!
( prom … that is a terrible idea … and you know it. )
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It just is. Noctis will never be able to put into words exactly why Prompto, over everyone else that might have - had he given them the chance - treated him like a guy instead of a Prince, is the one who stuck, who wove himself so firmly in the tapestry of Noctis' life that he couldn't even begin to find the threads that are himself and are this blond flame of warmth that sparks like gold amongst all the other colours. (But really? He can't say he cares to explain or dislodge. He'll just enjoy this, as it is, whatever it is.
And whatever it becomes.)
The softest snort of a laugh leaves Noctis' lips, huffed out with an exhale of breath, at Prompto's idea. That. That would be awful. And probably give Ignis a heart attack, but it would look pretty cool. But there's a smile on Prompto's face that is just there, barely visible in the low light but audible in his voice, the thing that has made Noctis' heart catch in his throat on more than one occasion, the thing that he's sure leaves his cheeks pinker than they should be-
The thing that makes him listen to that ever-fleeting impulse and lean in to catch Prompto's lips with his own. )
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and he's never been able to find the right word for it, maybe because he's not great with them or because it hasn't been invented yet, but either way, it doesn't really matter. noctis had chosen him after he'd dredged up the courage to say more than a passing hello in the first place, and even if neither of them quite know how to put into words what keeps them so close to one another, both figuratively and literally, he thinks … that's okay.
things don't always have to have a name for them. sometimes … they can just be.
he hears that snort of laughter, something so in-tune with the other and his usual attitude that he doesn't think much of it – but he does turn just enough to get a better view of him, better than what his peripheral vision allows, and maybe he won't be able to see the slight tinge of pink that rises to his cheeks, but he does catch the hint of his own grin, something that sinks down into the bottom of prompto's own heart and lifts it up just a little bit more, the whole of him feeling so much lighter than he can recall ever being in his whole life –
and then there are lips against his own, the lightest pressure, a bit chapped from their time on the road, but soft, like so much of noctis himself is given half the chance to get a better reading of him. he jolts with it, but only out of sheer surprise before the whole of him relaxes completely, leaning into the kiss as he would any other touch the other would give him, the thrill of something new and wanted thrumming through him like the first, sharp bolt of a thunder spell.
oh. )
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He's destined to marry Luna, destined to rule a country. There's no room for feelings in these things, no room to want more than he's given. He doesn't get to think, never tried to explore any of it, not when everything's set out before him. When things will always be that way.
But it's when you say that can't be, this is impossible, that the impossible happens, isn't it? Thinking about this is ill-advised, heartache and distraction waiting to happen, but it's so easy to forget anything but those freckles and the flutter of lashes, the soft touch of Prompto's hair when his hand shifts, runs through those layers. Nothing else matters but the gentle press of his weight when Prompto relaxes into the touch, nothing but slowly running a hand through blond hair and gently resting it at the back of his head.
Things light up when his eyes slide shut, spark through him with the same sort of uncontrollable heat that lights up when he absorbs fire energy, bright and sunlike.
Just like the boy whose thigh lies warm and firm under his hand. )
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… luna.
there's the smallest pang of guilt that seeps into him at the thought of her, though by all rights, she shouldn't have a place in his head with the other's lips working against his own as they are – but it's just that, because he's betrothed, because he's meant for someone else, and even if there's ample time before it all comes to fruition, it won't change the fact that he won't be able to keep him.
( like he ever would have been allowed to, in the first place. )
but he's nothing if not an opportunist, seeking out the proverbial door that opens when another closes and the like, and it's without a single thought to anything else that he brings both of his hands up to rest on slender shoulders, fingers curling lightly against muscle and bone, the pad of his thumb just close enough to the collar of noctis' shirt to brush over the warm skin of his throat. ( and he's always been that, whether he chooses to believe it or not, the sort of warmth that attracted him like the moth to a flame, the sort of person that prompto has always wanted next to him, come what may. )
he shifts, just a little, the muscle beneath the other's hand tightening with the movement as he presses in the slightest bit closer, a soft, wanting little noise escaping him, belying anything that he might be trying to keep from himself –
but mostly, the fact that he's caught himself wanting this before now, and that's something that he isn't going to be able to ignore anymore. )
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But it doesn't burn, the warmth is nothing more than a blanket - comfortable and familiar -, not the embers that spark when he feels Prompto's lips against his. It isn't the spark of skin against skin that comes when he feels a thumb against his throat, and it's probably all too easy for the other to feel the skip of his pulse, the way it rushes and sticks in his throat, almost like the rush of adrenaline that accompanies battle, but without the aching muscles, without the injury.
With nothing but his heart in danger.
His fingers curl just a little around Prompto's thigh when he hears that noise, unable to stop himself from parting his lips - just a little, like doing too much will be too much (for himself or for Prompto, he doesn't know) - and pressing in just a little more, hand bearing a touch more weight onto the other's thigh when he leans in, warm-turning-hot, skin probably flushed red with everything, despite the cool air that lingers around them, the lack of fire to provide any warmth.
The body next to him provides all the warmth he needs, has done for longer than Noctis realises. Just a faint, little fire in the base of his spine that eventually grew too large to ignore. )
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here noct is, with him, with their collective little fires burning all the brighter the longer they stay connected, and now that he's been allowed this close – allowed this level of contact – he doesn't think he's likely to let go of it so easily, even when he knows what it means for their future. there has always been some sort of … something shifting and shuffling and rolling around in the back of his mind that he's been trying to ignore since that first day of high school, when he'd finally worked up the nerve to speak to him again after so long, after working himself up to being the kind of person that noct deserved to have as a friend.
( because he deserved the best. still does. of that, prompto remains convinced. )
when noct's lips part, when the weight of the hand against his thigh presses in just a little more, when the beat of his pulse beneath his fingertips skips a little higher – he's convinced he's dreaming, that this can't possibly be real, because there's an ache in his chest that reminds him of just how long he's been ignoring it in favor of anything else, distractions that always fall short and leaving him still wanting, skipping through the photos he's taken that all somehow have managed to catch his prince in varying states of sass and still somehow endearing, the curve of a mouth now pressed against his own something far more genuine than anything else he's ever seen in the whole of his short life.
those lips part, and the tip of his tongue brushes shyly, gently, almost-not against his bottom lip, feeling the way his body wants to press in closer all on its own, finding himself scooting in and closing some of the distance that exists between them. fingers stay pressed against the tap-tap-tap of his pulse, a reminder that he isn't dreaming, that this is real and so is he, and whatever he's done up to now to deserve the other's closeness, his kisses, his warmth –
maybe, he thinks, he hadn't needed to try so hard to be something he deserves. )
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They say you never forget your first. That something always lingers. But all thoughts of Luna seem to fly from his mind, like the swirl of a blizzard spell, scattering ice everywhere, emptying the space within him, replacing it with sunlit flares of warm gold; the strands of hair threading through his fingers as one of his hands becomes a bit more certain, a bit more emboldened by the shift of weight, the body pressing in against his. The brush of lips, the sensation of skin against skin, against fabric, the curl of his fingers against rough denim and soft layers of feathery hair, the ghost of a tongue that brushes against his lip, so brief it has Noctis chasing it with his own, trying for something more firm.
Something as real as the weight of the body now pressing closer to his. Something that comes alive in the same way Prompto does when he realises there's a great photo spot near by - and doesn't Noctis always acquiesce, even when it'd be better not to take the detour, unable to dampen the sunshine beaming from the passenger side seat - and runs through all his veins, sets faint hairs across his arms on end.
Something that makes him feel like this all just might be worth it. That there's light to take on the darkness, one that isn't supposed to come from him. One that requires no magic or artifacts, that is found in nothing more than a smile and the echo of a voice saying hey, Noct-
His tongue brushes against Prompto's, just as that hand leaves those strands of hair alone long enough to trail down a cheek, rest at his jawline. Just. There. Still and present. )
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even if, when he really thinks about it, as embarrassing as it might be: who had been his first?
you're not supposed to have a crush on the crown prince.and he doesn't think about it now, though the flutter of butterflies still rests in his core, lighting him up from the inside out and setting all those peripheral nerve endings tingling, just short of burning with how close noct is to him now, the weight of his mouth against his own and that hand at his thigh, both a comfort and something that sets his heart to near-pounding behind his ribs.
( he'd never thought he would get this. never thought he'd be worthy of it, even for as much as just a single look from the other is enough to leave his heart wanting, the willingness to follow him anywhere more resolute than any thought that has passed through his mind before. )
one of his own hands slips down, fingers grazing over the hollow of his throat and resting, ultimately, splayed against the point at which his heart beats, the comfort of each thump behind clothing and skin and bone washing over him as something tangible, something warm and inviting, and he finds himself leaning even closer –
until he's found that he's all but crawled into the prince's lap, lean thighs framing the other's as he settles against him, fitting almost too easily into the spot he's made for himself. he pauses, pulls back just a little like he's only just realized he'd moved – and he makes a frantic sort of sound in the back of his throat, the flush painting his cheeks deepening by several shades. ) I – is this … okay?
( little late for that, isn't it? teeth worry the edge of his bottom lip, but he doesn't move away, because this feels good, right in some way that he can't quite put a finger on, something almost like … coming home after a too-long absence.
but then again, noct has always felt like that to him. )
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Well, whatever this is. First kisses, first friend, friend not chosen by duty or title, but simply by being nice. Fun. Someone worth knowing, worth keeping.
Keeping. He could have lost Prompto right here and now, could have made the wrong step entirely by giving into the urges that flickered and burned within, by letting fire consume him and bringing them to this point, but he's kissing back, he's getting closer and the slow, almost clumsy way they're melting together is somehow too hard and too easy to stick to. Things that are and aren't enough all at the same time, where his hands freeze in their bid to explore, his tongue moves slow and hesitant. It's an edge, a precipice. Somewhere he could freefall, just dive into the depths and let everything else disappear into meaninglessness. But each thud of his heart comes with the weight of hesitation, of not wanting to spoil something that's already so delicate, as though Prompto himself is a skittish cat Noctis might scare off at any moment by going just a touch too far.
Of course, it's hard to continue that train of thought when Prompto's ended up in his lap, warm and heavy and present and all too real. It's hard to do anything when that sensation is there, distracting, finally leading his hands to unlock and trail across Prompto's shoulders, down his arms.
Noctis smiles, a brief little thing that comes with the softest exhale of laughter, as though this manages to wash away all the things that have him mixed up. )
Yeah.
( And, if the answer wasn't enough, Noctis is happy to demonstrate how okay this is with the brush and nip of lips against Prompto's jawline. )
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well. they've never been close like this but that's just one more of those firsts, one of the smallest things that leaves him with the anticipation of what might come next, if he'll be pulled in close or pushed away, if he'd somehow managed to overstep their collective ( albeit blurred ) boundaries by taking the smallest liberties. closing the distance between them.
( and here he is, settled into the other's lap as though he'd never been anywhere else, warm and comfortable and all too real as his arms slide over noct's shoulders, fingers linking together behind his head as he hums out a small sound at that yeah he gets in return. it isn't much, but it doesn't have to be, because it's always been the little things between them that have made the biggest impact. )
lips against his jaw, and his head tilts to offer a little more should the other push a little further, a shaky but relieved breath pushing out of him as he turns back toward the line of that nipping mouth, catches it with his own, bolder by degrees. ) Yeah. ( he echoes, a natural mimic, voice still soft and almost delicate around the edges as he kisses him. sweet, grateful, reverent –
everything owed to him by noct's presence alone. )
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And in this dark, in the pitch black and silence of the night, all Noctis wants is to be closer, to find the light that they're losing, being denied with each passing day, to clutch it close to his chest and never let go. His fingers find places to rest, the strength to cling and curl and tug him closer with the pieces of clothing he latches onto, the slight emboldening of Prompto's movements, of his lips catching his own opening floodgates, knocking away skittishness and dragging out a sort of clumsy, aching need, his fingertips caught in their own prayer for more, for everything of the other to wrap around him and never let go.
He presses into the kiss a little harder, tongue no longer hesitating, nothing but curiosity in his movements, exploring new land for the first time.
Maybe that's what they are. A first exploration, with all the promise and wonder that comes from a body not your own; anticipation that causes Noctis' hips to rock slightly, has his hands skirting under the hem of Prompto's shirt, to map out all the little things (muscles and skin and bone) that lie there. )
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( it might be hesitant, unsure, inexperienced, but they've gone through so many firsts together already, all those tiny little steps that had brought them here in the first place, the careful, meticulous shuffle into friendship, into trust, into this. it's in the way he touches him, kisses him, looks at him as though he wants to keep him —
even if he can't, and they both know it. ah, well. what's the hurt in living in the moment? )
the smallest noise, the simplest thing filters up to rest on the tip of his tongue at that experimental upward rock of hips, a motion that he finds himself pressing into at the same moment fingers slip beneath his shirt, as his own slip around to the nape of noct's neck and clasp there. twined together beneath the fall of dark hair just for the sake of something to serve as a grounding point, something to keep him tethered to this moment, because he might just still be convinced that he'll wake up; back in the tent, back in his bedroll, back with nothing but himself for company as the other three sleep away the small hours of the morning, and his heart is left wanting.
a whimper, a moan, he isn't quite sure what it is — but it's given over all too easily, from the tip of his own tongue to noctis' as it curls against him, as it plies a subtle roll of his own hips in retaliation, something that lets him chase down the slivers of pleasure that play tag along his nerve-endings. that spike and ebb, and leave him breathless.
this is one first he'd play reruns of, again and again, until he's gotten it all memorized — and then once more, for the sake of it, frame by frame until it's all worn thin, just to lose himself in the touch of hands and lips, in the warmth of him. )
idk
me either.
Ignis drinks more coffee than is recommended in order to stay awake while the navigator continues to show nothing but road and nowhere to sleep. It won't be the first time, or the last, but it will never be comfortable, and he will never feel entirely secure in traversing the roads without sunlight to banish the daemons.
His eyes burn, but at least he isn't alone up front. (Not any more.) )
Not struggling for legroom, I hope.
( Has he ever bought that reason for sitting up back? Probably not. )
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he doesn't blame any of them for being uncomfortable, but at least the kids are worn out enough to have passed out in the backseat, and he's just awake enough – still coming down from the adrenaline high of their last encounter – to be decent company for their resident chauffer.
he shifts in his seat, pointedly, making an elaborate show of stretching long legs on in front of him as much as he's able. funnily enough, there is just as much legroom in the front as there is in the back, and it doesn't matter that ignis has never bought his excuses for wanting to stay back there in the first place.
because he doesn't have to explain himself to anybody, okok.
there's a grunt, and a small laugh as he casts a sidelong glance in the other's direction. ) It's roomier than I thought it would be.
You holdin' up okay? ( he'd offer to take over, give a bit of a break, but …
well. )
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Calling Cindy is an option, but not the ideal one. Not at this time, and he is loath to make a lady go out of her way as much as he is to make her bloody her hands. )
As well as can be expected. ( As long as they're driving, it'll be fine, although he worries about what all this caffeine is going to do to his sleep cycle. )
Do you think we've missed something?
( It just seems that it's been an awfully long time on the road, and even longer still since they've come across anything dangerous. Surely one or the other should have happened by now. )
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and he has to admit, whether he likes to or not, it's a bit too quiet for his liking. with how long they've been on the road and how long it's been since their last encounter, monster or imperial. he gives a thoughtful sort of sound at that, rubbing at the edge of his jaw. ) Don't think so, but now that you mention it … I'm not a hundred percent sure.
( that feeling you get when you don't think about something until someone else brings it up, and then it's the only thing you can think about. ugh. talk about a drag – )
I think we're all just tired, or somethin'. Once we get some rest I'm sure everything'll feel like it should.
( oh, and, idk. thanks for not calling him out on the fact that he doesn't know how to drive. truly, you are a bro. )
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the kidsthe Prince and Prompto asleep in the back, and themselves in less than ideal condition, it would hardly do to be caught in a battle. His lips purse for a moment - this definitely seems like a trap. Too good to be true.Instinct isn't always right, but in this case it's better safe than sorry. )
Do you know of any nearby rest stops? ( So sue him, while you were all in the diner, Ignis was at the shop, stocking up on packets of Ebony to make his life easier.
You don't call him out on his coffee problem and he won't say anything about not taking driving lessons. Not out loud, anyway. )
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do you think he's really going to judge you for your caffeine habit?
what mother doesn't practically need an iv drip of the stuff in order to keep up with their children?) None that aren't at least an hour away. ( it sounds almost as a grumble as he rubs at his eyes, then trains his gaze back on the road in front of them. )Not even any decent places to set up camp. I'm about to say the hell with it and pitch the tent right in the middle of the road.
help rping as this child is hard after YKW
Well, they'll be going in blind in more than one way. With a low huff of air, a definite sign of dissatisfaction, Ignis pulls the Regalia over to the side of the road and checks on their passengers in the back.
Still sound asleep and looking incredibly innocent. If he didn't know better, he'd think they were just any two boys, worn out from a day of fun. )
It's that, or we carry them both until we find a more suitable location.
( They're both less than ideal, but Ignis' voice leaves no doubt as to which of those options he'd rather take their chances with.
Hint: It's the one with far less likelihood of also being run over, should they oversleep.
Ignis pls when have you ever let anyone oversleep)I CAN ONLY IMAGINE ugh this would be me writing for prompto post-13
behind them, the younger boys are still fast asleep, looking far, far more innocent than they have any right to. ( sleep does that sort of thing to you, doesn't it? makes all the edges softer, everything a little less harsh, even when the darkness around them is all but suppressing everything –
but at least their prince and photographer are getting some much-needed rest. they definitely need it. )
he snorts out a laugh, running a hand back through his hair. ) Yeah, that ain't gonna happen, and you know it. ( could you even carry one of them? with those scrawny arms?
gladio … not everyone can be a musclehead like you. don't you even start judging.he twists around in his seat when they come to a stop, peering into the back with the slightest hint of mischief in his eyes as he looks back to ignis. ) How you wanna wake 'em up?
nopes out of that idea ;-; happy aus only
Although if Gladio insists, he can always carry both of them, like a good pack mule. Ignis won't complain. (Although he will give out a very dignified, thank you very much huff at the insinuation that he couldn't.)
His eyes, and body, eventually follow Gladio's own, once the car is fully shut off and he's had yet another sip of coffee.
(Of course he isn't smirking. That's just a trick of the light. He'd never be so devious-
Who are we kidding?) )
Cold water usually does the trick for Noct, if we have any.
idek. i know you said cute but uh. i tried?
close enough / au where he doesn't know luna w/e
(The apology - literally buying a replacement - had cost ten bounties to fund. No one ever said being a Prince meant unlimited funds.)
But, somehow, he manages to make the apology work. Maybe a little too well.
Wanna meet up next time I'm here? and she said yes, and the rest of the guys promptly (haha) took the piss out of him. Noctis has a girlfriend. Haha. Very funny. At least someone in this foursome was gonna have his own hotel room when they got to the city. Privacy and even a day off. He might even get to lie in, and wouldn't that be something?
(Yes, it would, Noct. You clearly don't know Emily Davis as well as you want to.)
The room itself is nice, but remarkably modest for a guy poised to rule an entire country, and maybe he sprung on getting some decent alcohol prepared in a cooler on the small dining table that's there. He plucks the bottle from the cooler, checking it's what he asked for, before turning to Emily for her opinion. )
Is this alright?
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[Emily's expression leaves no room for doubt that she's looking at one or both of those things with disdain.
The replacement top is satisfactory only because she picked it -- identical to the one he'd ruined, thanks a lot, do you know how long she'd been waiting to get it in the first place -- so really, he should be doubting his decision-making skills.]
Aren't you a prince? This is, like-- like maybe the mayor of some shithole would spring for something like this. [At least she's honest?] Poor me a drink and I'll let you know if it's all right.
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Suffice to say, that this is way opulent in comparison to the caravans they usually crash in. Or the tent.
(But, maybe, if all goes well, they can spring on a couple of nights at the beach in Galdin Quay. There's a lovely hotel there that he's never checked into.) )
Yeah, well. I- ( Man, is that a long story. ) - Didn't want to overdo it, you know?
( Wrong answer, dope. But he does, at least, pour a drink and hand her it. It's a good white wine, one often served at the palace back in Insomnia, before everything. )
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And even after they all hole up under the tent and tarp (He's so glad for Gladiolus's skill with pitching one as quickly and precisely as he does-) it's another ordeal in and of itself to coordinate changing from wet clothing, and finding a place for it to dry- Unable to hang it outside, what with the downpour, but not wishing for it to take up what little space is already afforded by the small tent for them to sleep. (And of course none of them want to stay in the cold, soaked clothes, as that would only be asking for sickness to come in-)
So it just ends up miserably humid, the small lanterns a far-cry from the typical campfire and lacking in its warm comfort, each member of their group weary and dampened and cramped in the thin confines of their temporary abode. There's still time before it's a reasonable time to sleep, as the sun had been setting earlier and earlier in the day, drawing out the time they spend at camp.
And so Ignis has settled himself comfortably in a corner, idly shuffling through the worn deck of playing cards they'd (thankfully) brought along with them for just such occasions, every so often pausing to reach down for the steaming mug of coffee beside him. (At least he drinks less in the evening, tends to brew it milder, a touch sweeter-) before returning to sorting out the cards in his hands.]
...Noct, are you still awake?
[He certainly hopes so. It's too damn early to sleep, and he knows that fact typically does absolutely nothing to dissuade the Prince when he's decided to lie down. Absently moving the cards in his hands, he'll cut them, layer them together with a faintly fluttering noise as the stiff cards roll past his fingertips, and begin again.
If nothing else, it would be an excellent opportunity to see if the Prince had been working on schooling his expressions and sharpening his mind and strategy.]
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1. Ban vegetables from his food, always
2. Make sure there's more motels around the country.
He hates camping for too many nights, misses the comfort of a mattress, the warmth of a quilt and the softness of a pillow underneath his head. And maybe, just maybe, Noctis can sleep just about anywhere, at any time, but trying to conk out in a sleeping bag, in a tiny tent that locks all the moisture and sweat and heat inside of it?
Well, that's not so easy. So, mostly the Prince lies back in his sleeping bag, hands threaded behind his head, staring at the roof of the tent, willing himself to sleep already. Muscles that ache from days of travel - both on the road and by foot - and too little time to unwind only protest more at sleeping on the rocky outcrops that are havens.
Yeah, he's not sleeping. )
Yeeeah. ( It's a drawl as Noctis slowly pushes himself up and glances over, takes in the cards and; )
What're we playing?
hi
yo
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( He doesn't think the collective wallet can take that room and everyone's drinking habits. )
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( Normally it was something like the food chain, not the hunt and booze chain. )
i warned you fucker
Then would you take a chance on me
- - - -
And he told me that I'd done alright
And kissed me till the mornin' light, the mornin' light
- - - -
Ooh
Easy days will come
When you rest your heavy soul
Ooh
Easy days will come
When your hard living is done
but were you prepared...
But his story ends soon enough, ends with the fall of a madman and the ascension to a throne he won't keep. His place in history was determined long before he stepped into the crystal, before infiltrations and road trips and engagements to princesses of distant countries.
Noctis understands this now, even when the cool air - one of the few things the eternal darkness didn't snatch from the lands - brushes his cheek with a wisp and they all settle down for camp, letting Gladio and Ignis take care of things, falling into old habits without thought or pause, just doing what they always do. Even if a choice that was never his weighs heavy in his stomach-
His destiny is noble; the remnants of Galdin Quay, the myriad of monsters and the stark hardness in Talcott's eyes as he spoke of everything in those ten years of isolation, they leave no doubt of the right thing to do.
The right thing can still weigh heavy, potent with the knowledge that he's recovered his friends, his brothers, only to leave them again. That they've spread themselves into something independent, broken and shattered by the weight of everything they endured here, and perhaps those cracks in their union cannot repair themselves in the course of one last mission together.
(His father's people dissolved into something incomplete too. Perhaps this is the real curse of their power. Not the wear on bodies, but the wear on souls and friendship.
Are they cursed to lose their brothers?)
The curl of smoke and sear of wood warm the air around him, inviting and earthy and real in scent and crackle of flame. He senses the presence of the others without trying, without listening for the sounds of footsteps or the murmur of anything, their heartbeats and selves almost electric with life after the cocoon of nothing that was the crystal. He lets his feet guide him away from the fireplace, to the edge of the hill they've camped upon, drops down onto the soil next to Prompto, brushes his hand against Prompto's shoulder briefly (the uniforms have been a long time coming, but something in him still expects the denim jacket, a bare shoulder.
It feels odd, and that heavy knot turns in his stomach.) )
You alright?