ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛᴏ (messofhangups) wrote in knowhereic, @ 2017-09-24 16:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | final fantasy: canon: prompto argentum, final fantasy: canon:noctis lucis caelum |
WHO: Noctis Lucis Caelum & Prompto Argentum
WHAT: Reunion
WHEN: After this
WHERE: Marketplace
RATING/WARNINGS: There's some language but that's about it.
STATUS: Complete!
There were three possibilities Prompto could think of for Noctis replying to his post. One was that he had completely lost it. Or he had died. Which, the more he thought about it was a pretty likely scenario. Talking dog, giant floating head in space… the fluffy ball he’d adopted in about ten seconds flat - it was all lost your marbles or very weird afterlife worthy after all. The second was that Noctis wasn’t really Noctis. Prompto had nothing if not vividly crystal clear memories of Ardyn pretending to be his best friend - the kind of memories that had haunted his sleep since. The third was the one he hoped for. Longed for. Wanted to believe so badly it actually hurt. And that was that it was Noctis. An idea that seemed too good to be true, but maybe - just maybe it was. Prompto made it to the Marketplace quickly and approached the taco stand from a distance, he stopped behind another booth and just watched for a minute as he worried his lip between teeth. It sure as hell looked like Noct - which told him nothing because Ardyn sure as hell looked like Noct too. Finally he shifted the strap of the bag he’d found to put his Tribble in, took a deep breath and walked over. And while every single inch of him wanted to do nothing more than just tackle Noctis to the ground with a hug he stopped a foot or two short and instead said, “tell me something he wouldn’t know.” Paranoid maybe, but… well, Ardyn had done a number on him. The past two years had done a number on him. He needed to be sure. Noctis heard Prompto before he saw him, and he closed his eyes for a moment, a rush of air leaving his lungs. He's alive. He made it. Of course, maybe it wasn't really Prompto, but he dismissed the thought as soon as it came. While he had every reason to be wary, Noctis was just too relieved — relieved down to his bones — to know that his best friend had survived. It meant Ignis and Gladio had likely survived too, and that he hadn't sent all of them to their deaths. He'd arrived in this new place completely preoccupied with an anger he couldn't control. Ardyn's manipulation, his friends' apparent deaths, the fact that he'd been fighting all this time just to die himself ... and yet, looking at Prompto now, seeing him standing there in the flesh — it reminded Noctis of his priorities. Strangely, it grounded him. This was worth it. Prompto surviving was worth it. "First time we tried beer together, I threw up on your shoes." Noctis didn't know why he chose that memory. It just sort of tumbled out of his mouth, and he was blinking back tears before he knew what was happening. "I begged you not to tell Ignis, but he found out anyway because I had a hangover. He asked you what happened. Do you remember that? You made up some —" Oh gods, he was actually crying now. "— some stupid story, it was really bad, dude — and Ignis was so surprised he laughed. I hadn't even heard him make a noise like that before, but he did for you." Noctis wiped his eyes with shaking hands and laughed. Mostly at himself because, what the hell? This was awkward. It had been one year, eleven months, two weeks and four days since Noct had disappeared into the crystal - not that he had been counting. One year, eleven months, two weeks and four days that Prompto had felt like an actual part of himself was missing, some giant gaping hole punched right through him where Noct had once been. He had never known it was possible to miss someone so much it actually hurt - but then Noct disappeared. And it hurt. It had hurt so damn much he didn’t even know what to do with it half the time. He’d wake up in a cold sweat and summon and summon and summon again, that familiar pull and tug and the blue crackle across his skin as his gun came into hand the only way to remind himself that Noctis was still alive. It was a different ache as Noct spoke. A different sort of longing with the realization that maybe this was option three. Still there but tinged with the hope that maybe, just maybe, he had his best friend back. Prompto’s lips pressed together and he swallowed hard, blinking back tears of his own as Noct continued to talk. “Hey - the food poisoning part was… buyable,” he protested, his voice thick and rough and he let his gaze fall to his feet as he dug a toe into the ground. “The part where you were forced to eat the food at knife point might have been a bit much…” thinking on his feet was not his forte. “Noct - I -” he looked up at that, eyes bright with tears and flung himself at Noctis. His head buried into the side of his friend’s neck as his arms wrapped tight around the other. And okay maybe it was overkill but… two years. It had almost been two years. Noctis wrapped his arms around Prompto immediately and squeezed, as if holding onto his friend with everything he had might keep them from being torn apart again. It was a selfish thought. Stupid. But he felt himself shaking anyway, or maybe it was Prompto who was the one trembling, and he choked back another half-laugh that sounded like a sob. "I'm so glad you're alive," he said fiercely. He had yet to actually release Prompto from the hug. (The Hug? It felt significant.) "I thought—are the others—?" Noctis couldn't finish. His throat closed, cutting the words off as if to prevent the possibility from being real. He almost didn't want to know the truth, not if it was more awful news, but he couldn't not find out. What a fucking mess. There was also something different about Prompto that only just began to dawn on Noctis as they held one another. It wasn't as though they hugged like this often, but there seemed to be more ... muscle definition here than he remembered his friend having before. As if a significant amount of time had passed. He didn't quite loosen his hold at all, but Noctis leaned his head back a little. "Uh. Prompto? You're ... kind of ripped." He poked his friend's side accusingly. Because priorities. It might have been a bit of both because there was a definite shake in Prompto’s body as he squeezed right back. The relief of Noctis being there - warm and solid in his grip - was beyond belief. He had waited for, dreamt of this moment since Noct had disappeared. Of course their current situation wasn't exactly one he'd ever considered. But he'd more than take what he could get. Just like he'd take every second of this hug that Noctis was willing to give, even if he knew it didn't mean the same thing to Noctis as it did to him - he'd long since stopped trying to lie to himself that his feelings for Noct were just platonic. Dead. It suddenly dawned on him with Noct’s words that he thought they would be dead. Which made sense he realized. If the last thing Noctis remembered was the crystal than the last thing he would have remembered of them was being left behind with Ardyn. “Yeah, I'm alive, dude,” he assured Noct. “Iggy and Gladio too. But I don't think they're here.” Wouldn't that be nice though. He laughed at Noct’s comment and dropped an arm so he could wipe at the wetness in his eyes. “Uh.. thanks, buddy?” Another laugh, almost nervous and he rubbed at the ridge of his nose. “It’s uh - it’s been a while so…” he trailed off with a shrug. It was the best news he could have possibly gotten. The three of them were all right. They were safe. Noctis leaned into Prompto with more of his weight and said nothing else, just savored the moment with quiet gratitude. His friend felt different, but he was still Prompto — steady and warm and real. On some level, Noctis knew that hugging even a best friend for this long wasn't exactly normal, and he'd probably have to let go at some point, yet he held on anyway and ignored the the nagging feeling that he was missing something really important. It had begun to creep up on Noctis ever since they set out on their road trip, and it intensified when things like the sun caught Prompto's hair or his friend's smile reached his eyes. When they touched it got even stronger, which meant this Thing He Couldn't Figure Out was back again and he'd have to actually exercise a little self-introspection at some point if he wanted to resolve it. Just the thought of that made Noctis tired. He immediately let go when Prompto shifted an arm away, except he found himself holding onto his friend's side in a grip that said please don't leave. It was kind of embarrassing, but they'd both cried, so ... they were even, kind of? "We'd better find somewhere else to talk," Noctis suggested, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from Prompto. They had drawn something of a crowd of curious onlookers, and it didn't feel right to have this conversation out in the open. "Over there. Come on." With a hand pressed against his friend's back, he led them to a much quieter cafe off the main marketplace. Don't worry Noct - two could play at the clingy game and Prompto’s own arm slid around Noctis’ side in a mirror movement of his. As though if he stopped touching Noct the other would just up and disappear. Again. He nodded at the suggestion and they made their way over to the cafe. It was thankfully not full and Prompto snagged them a table away from the other patrons. There were so many people buzzing about he'd realized quickly and it had already started to set him on edge a little. He’d gotten used to the sparsity of Hammerhead. He took his gaze away from the crowd and looked back at Noctis. And as much as Prompto wanted to just pretend like they had nothing to discuss but how crazy it was that they were on a giant floating head in space, he knew Noctis would want to know what happened. How they managed to escape from Ardyn. “After you -" a pause as he swallowed against the lump in his throat. “We tried to take Ardyn down but nothing -" he trailed off a little and shook his head. “I shot him in the back, dude, and he walked it off like he didn't even feel it. And uh - We haven't seen him since.” Which was unsettling if you asked him. “We could still summon our weapons thankfully so we managed to get back out of that damn maze. Aranea picked us up and got us out of Gralea.” It somehow felt both like a lifetime ago and yesterday all at once. Those first few days - weeks - burned into his memory. The sheer chaos of it all, the immeasurable grief and pain of losing Noctis. He's sure it shows on his face even now. And because he knows what the next question would probably be… “that was almost two years ago.” Noctis stared (glowered, really) down at his hands. The table was between them now, and although the space was still a little cramped, it felt like they were miles and miles apart. Maybe it's why he was leaning forward so far. It's not like he was having any trouble hearing what Prompto said, the words cutting him like a blade to the stomach. "I'm sorry," he murmured, and glanced up at his friend with frustration written all over his face. "I should have been there. I should have fought harder. You went through so much already, and I —" Noctis swallowed hard and forced himself to keep looking at Prompto. "You're always there for me, and I keep abandoning you when you need it most." The look on his friend's face on the train ... and then again, when they found him locked up ... Noctis' frown deepened. It didn't seem fair to him that other people had to suffer for something his and Luna's families had fucked up generations ago. This was their price to pay. No one else's. He looked down again because it was easier to get the words out that way. "I can't promise you that I won't disappear again. But ... while I am here, I want you to know that I've got your back. Okay? Anything you need." Prompto shook his head. “Don't,” he said. Soft but not without weight behind it. “You didn't do anything wrong, Noct, you didn't - abandon me,” he assured Noctis and hesitated for a moment before he reached a hand across the table to rest on Noct’s. Prompto had been angry over the years, angrier than he had ever thought he could be. At Ardyn, at the gods themselves for being complete dicks in his opinion. But he had never been angry at Noctis. How could he be. It wasn't like Noctis chose to get sucked into the crystal. He’d thought, they'd all thought it would fix things, not make it worse. Which maybe, in hindsight, was a stupid thought. Touch a magic crystal, save the world. Yeah, right. “You've always had my back,” he pointed out with a smile. Noctis snorted to show just what he thought about Prompto's assessment of the whole situation. "You're too nice for your own good," he mumbled to himself, but the feeling of his friend's hand was a welcome one. He turned his own over immediately so that their palms pressed together. It was grounding to have that point of contact, and it eased something in Noctis that had been wound tight since he arrived. "I really haven't, though," he continued on, and this time, his gaze was fierce and bright when he looked at Prompto. It was the look he always got when he made a decision about something, and wasn't about to back down. "This whole thing was always about me. And you've been going through your own stuff. I just ..." Noctis sucked in a breath, holding his friend's hand just a little tighter. "I want to be a better friend to you — like you've always been for me. You deserve a hell of a lot more than you give yourself credit for." He didn't mention the fact that this would be his only opportunity to fulfill that wish. And he didn't plan on mentioning that any time soon. If he fought that sort of knee jerk reaction to lace his fingers through Noct’s as his palm turned upward then they could still pretend this totally wasn’t holding hands right? Just two bros chilling at a table with their palms together. Perfectly normal things to do given the circumstance right? He got it, understood a bit where Noctis was coming from. But it still felt wrong to Prompto. Because he didn’t see it that way, didn’t see some one sided set up like Noctis apparently did. He shook his head again and looked up from their hands to Noct. “Noct you have been a good friend, the best friend,” he smiled a little again. “If you hadn’t let me just... shove myself into your life -” he smirked at that because that was pretty much how it had gone down, he shrugged. “I don’t know where I’d be.” Well, that was kind of a lie. He knew exactly where he’d be - he probably wouldn’t have even made it passed the fall of Insomnia, and he would have died as friendless and alone as he had been before Noctis. He gave in at that and laced his fingers through Noct’s, a gentle squeeze before he let go with a grin. “But hey, if you want to go into super friend mode or something I’m probably not going to complain.” Another grin. Gods he had missed Noct. Noctis watched Prompto through narrowed eyes. He knew he could be a bit dense when it came to other people — Gladio and Ignis were constantly pointing out the obvious to him — but he didn't have the luxury of ignorance anymore. Not when it came to some of the things Prompto faced and was still facing. Once he was aware, Noctis could be as stubborn as a bloodhound, unequivocally resolute and determined to a maddening degree. Prompto wouldn't be able to dance around this anymore. But he didn't want to pressure his friend into talking about anything he didn't want. That was the opposite of good. So Noctis blew out a breath and crossed his arms when Prompto released his hand, flexing his fingers a little after. Why did they tingle? "You know what I mean," he said, exasperated, but his voice was still gentle. "I'm not going to push you, alright? I want to know what happened while I was gone, if you're really okay, but ... when you're ready." Noctis knew he would have to at least explain who Ardyn really was, but that could wait a little longer. He wanted to make sure he was a good support for Prompto first and foremost before they moved on to the ridiculousness that was the giant magical rock situation. The thing was his definition of okay had drastically changed in two years. If he looked at the life he had just been pulled from without having gotten there himself, there was no way in hell he would ever use the word okay to describe it. But he felt okay. A new sort of okay. He had been alive which most hadn’t been able to say, his life in Hammerhead at least had some kind of purpose which kept him going and kept him from drowning under the weight of everything. Yeah maybe he only slept a handful of hours at a time - but then that wasn’t different than anyone else really. Maybe he had memories he could do without but they all did. So no, maybe he wasn’t really okay, but he was okay enough. And while he wanted to assure Noctis of such, just blow off the concern - concern he’s never really been good at having directed at himself. He can’t. Noctis just looked so damn sincere and he was trying so hard that Prompto didn’t have the heart to brush it off. But he also didn’t want to add to the guilt Noct was clearly feeling by delving right into the fucking mess the world had become. “I'll get there, Noct, I promise,” he said instead. “And that goes both ways you know,” he added and scratched the bridge of his nose. “I have no clue what happened to you in that crystal but if you want to talk about it… I’m here.” Many expressions flew across Noctis' face. Hurt, concern, fondness, pride — Prompto was so much stronger than he'd given him credit for before. He was probably the strongest person Noctis had ever met, and he realized that now. It made him so fucking proud to be his best friend. Even if he didn't have the words to convey that. "Okay." He leaned back in his seat as if a weight had been lifted. In some ways, it had. Prompto acknowledging his efforts was all he wanted — that his friend knew he was there for him. That he saw. "Okay," Noctis repeated, a little louder this time, as if he were trying to rally himself. "There's ... some stuff I need to tell you. Ardyn is probably my grandfather." He felt like he was going to be sick when he said it, but he forced the words out in a flat tone. Gods forbid Ardyn came here and Prompto didn't know what to expect. "The Crystal was supposed to choose him to be king first, but it rejected him after he absorbed too much of the Starscourge into his body. He must've been an Oracle. Trying to help people." Noctis picked at a loose thread on his sleeve. "Anyway. Our ancestor ... or just mine, I don't really know ... campaigned against him. The Astrals chose Luna's family, the people chose a new king, and he lost everything. Except he's immortal, apparently. And pissed still." There was a definite expression of what the hell as Noct spoke, but he made no move to interject. In fact, Prompto was quiet for a long moment even after Noctis stopped talking as he absorbed the information. It… made sense. Sort of. In some still completely fucked up way. The immortal part at least made a shit ton of sense - given that he had shot the guy point blank in the back - the kind of shot he shouldn’t have been able to walk away from but he had. “That’s -” another brief pause as he pressed his lips together. “Dude that’s kind of fucked up,” he finally settled on. “But it kind of… I mean it kind of makes sense though, right?” He shrugged. “Everything he did, the games he played with us - with you - if he saw you as getting what he thought was supposed to be his… makes sense why he’d have it out for you so badly.” He leaned back in his chair a little. “So if he’s immortal what the hell are we supposed to do then?” Not like they could do anything really from here. But if he could get back? If he knew what to do and could bring that back somehow? Maybe he could fix it all. "I guess," Noctis agreed, though he looked decidedly conflicted about it. He'd thought about this in the brief time he floated between time and space without a body. Just the memory of that made his skin crawl. "He has every right to hate Luna and I, but to hurt the people he tried to save once just to get back at us ... I don't know if I can forgive that." Luna had, he knew. How she could find such inner peace about it all was beyond him, but then again, she had always been a far more forgiving person than Noctis ever could be. He flexed his left hand with a wince. Sometimes stress made his pain act up. "I'm supposed to kill him," Noctis said simply, because it was the simplest thing about this entire mess. "The Gods want him dead, too. It's why I'm stuck in the Crystal. I just ... don't know when they'll let me actually do it." He struggled not to withdraw into himself like he usually did when dealing with shit and kept his gaze on Prompto, focusing instead on his friend's reactions and potential needs. It helped keep him from losing his fucking mind, at least. Prompto listened intently - because while he might be a bit all over the map sometimes he knew when things were important and required attention. And this was definitely important. Even if the answer maybe wasn't what he wanted to hear. His own hands balled into fists of their own, though for a far different reason than Noctis’ - and Prompto made note of the wince and figured he'd get Noct back the barracks soon. It was new though, the anger that could sometimes sneak up on him. The level of frustration that he'd never really felt before everything that had happened leading up to Noct disappearing. And it was a struggle then as he tried not to give into it. Because what the fuck? The gods just up and decided to shove Noctis in a crystal and make him wait for who the hell knew how long while the rest of the world got to what? Slowly die out until the gods decided to let Noctis reclaim his kingdom? It was bullshit. “Well, that's fucking dumb,” he huffed out. What else was there to say really. That actually startled a laugh out of Noctis. It was anything but funny, this entire mess, but he had so much pent up energy that Prompto's totally unexpected response was exactly what he needed to hear. "Right? Seriously, though. We go through all of that and I have to incubate like some plant." His smile vanished a moment later, though. This hadn't exactly been an easy thing to digest, and he wondered how Prompto was really taking it. Noctis didn't regret telling him, of course, but he did wish he had better news. There were shadows in Prompto's eyes he'd never seen before. Things he couldn't possibly understand. "Do you trust me?" Noctis blurted out. King of Conversation, this one. “There’s a joke in there about napping but I’m not quite sure what it is yet,” he added with a lopsided grin. Not that anything about the situation was really funny, but sometimes all you could do was try to poke fun of it. Prompto knew it would still take a while to really sink in and for him to digest it. But for the moment he could deal with it. It was, after all, a lot easier to deal with when Noct was there and they were very much removed from all of it. He turned more serious though at the question and nodded. “Yeah, of course,” he answered easily. “Always, Noct.” Always had and always would. Noctis rolled his eyes at the napping comment and groaned, but it was mostly for show. He didn't mention that sleeping in that thing had been the furthest thing from his mind. He'd been way too terrified and confused and angry, but that was a conversation for another day (assuming he ever got around to confessing it). So Noctis unfolded his arms and kept his hands under the table this time, careful not to let on again about the lingering phantom pain. He nudged Prompto's knee with his own and offered a similar lopsided grin. "Then trust that I'll be coming back, okay? Like hell I'm leaving you guys." It hurt to say it. Really hurt. Because he knew the truth — that he would, in fact, be leaving them again not long after returning. But ... for now, and maybe a little while if he was lucky, Noctis wanted to believe there was some way out of it. He had to have hope, or else what was left? He bumped Noct’s knee back in return. “Yeah, I know, buddy,” he answered sincerely. And he did. Even at the lowest points, even when the darkness felt even darker. Even when his faith and his hope in some things had felt shaken and it faltered it never did in that. In Noctis and that one day he would come back to them. One day they would figure everything out and do what they had set out to do: make the world a better place. Together. It was what kept him going sometimes if he was honest. If he couldn't have faith in himself, he could still have faith in Noctis. He leaned forward in his chair a bit as his arms folded on the table in front of him. “Still missed you though, dude,” he said and shrugged a little. Didn't matter if he knew Noct would come back, didn't make the missing him part any easier. A grin and he shook his head. “Sorry that was cheesy,” he said and segued the conversation into something else. “Let’s go find something to eat and head back,” he suggested. They'd have plenty of time - hopefully - to deal with the serious. Right then he just wanted to hang out with his best friend. |