In class, Noct says, smiling, "You sure took a long time. I nearly forgot to save you my veggies."

Prompto snags Noct's lunch box and chews whatever emotions he's having into tiny little chunky veggie bits and swallows them down.

Prompto says, "The day you start eating vegetables will be the day I quit photography, Noct, and it'll never come."

Noct says, "Ignis would make you into his own personal deity if you managed to make me eat my vegetables."

"I think he'd cry big grateful tears," Prompto says.

"That's a thing to think about. Maybe I should start cleaning up around my place, huh? Do the dishes for once."

"Imagine if you made another friend. He'd think he was dead in purgatory," Prompto says, too fast. Too late for take-backsies.

Noctis stiffens.

"I don't need another friend," he says. "I've got you, don't I?"

Prompto goes quiet.

"Yeah," Prompto says, and Noctis grins and Prompto breathes and everything is good and well and okay again.




Noctis kisses him in his fancy penthouse one afternoon. His fingers curl into Prompto's shirt and he sucks Prompto's tongue into his mouth and Prompto can't breath and never wants him to stop, ever.

But Noct has no friends. Prompto is his only friend, and if Prompto kisses Noct back then Noct will have no normal regular non-kissing friends, and Prompto doesn't want that.

He wants Noct to be happy.

So he pushes Noct back and says sorry, i'm sorry but we can't do this, noct i'm sorry.

Noct's glare is like one of Ramuh's thunderstorms. Why, he wants to know. I want to, Noct says, his fingers warm against Prompto's skin.

"I can't," Prompto says, voice pathetically small. "Noct- I can't, you're my only friend."

Noct's expression smooths out abruptly. He goes still and silent, lets go of Prompto and moves away.

"That's what this is about," Noct says.

"What?"

Noctis says, calmly, quietly, "She told you."

"I- no. Noct, please-"

"You know what, Prompto? It's fine."

"Noct, don't- don't do anything, please-"

Noctis shrugs him off, his expression blank and still. He's the calm before the storm and Prompto is scared.

"Just go," Noctis says.

Prompto bites his lip until he tastes blood. "Noct," he says, sorry, sorry, i'm so sorry-

Noctis says, his voice cracking, "Leave."

Prompto says, "okay."




The next day, the girl that wouldn't talk to him grabs his wrist so hard his bones grind together.

She hisses at him, her eyes wild in her terror, what did you say, what did you tell him, you little bitch, i told you not to tell fuck you fuck you-

"Let him go," Noctis says.

She startles badly. The poor girl, she cries, big ugly sobs, and she says, almost a wail, liking you was the worst mistake of my life, dropping Prompto's wrist and fleeing.

He has bruises.

He rubs at them absently. Noctis leans back against the wall, looking like he hasn't slept in days.

Your Highness, Prompto says, and Noctis flinches, says don't give me that, don't you fucking dare.

"You knew."

Noctis says, "What if I did?"

Prompto grits his teeth. Sets his jaw, readies himself for the worst fucking argument he's going to have in his whole entire life.

"You can't just threaten someone away like that! Why the hell are you trying to control my life?"

"I'm not!" Noctis says. His jaw is clenched tight too. "I'm just looking out for you, honestly, Prompto-"

"I don't need you to babysit me," Prompto hisses. "Fuck you, Noctis."

"I'm not babysitting you," Noctis says, his voice low and dangerous. "I'm looking out for my best friend."

"I'm pretty sure best friends don't go around threatening each other's love interests!" Prompto snaps.

"You don't even like her!"

"How the hell would you know! Stop making choices for me-"

"I'm not! I just-"

"What? You wanted me to stick by your side forever without any distractions? Feel like a charity case? I'm pretty sure that's not what friends do!"

"Prompto," Noctis says. "Take that back."

"No!" Prompto yells. They'd be causing a commotion if this wasn't one of the more remote areas. Thank the Astrals for small miracles. "I don't want to do this anymore Noctis, fuck you-"

Noctis's hands are at his throat, too warm, too much pressure.

"Prompto," Noctis says, quietly. His face is blank again. Smooth, expressionless. "Shut up."

Prompto is momentarily blindsided by heavy cloying fear. But only momentarily, because he gets the fuck over it and starts thrashing and kicking and biting. He thinks he lands a few kicks, and Noctis is shrieking in pain and anger and fuck, fuck, Prompto's forgotten Noctis can warp, shit-

The last thing he sees is Noctis's face, twisted in fury, and a flash of blue.