Chapter 1: so it begins

"What?" I ask again because surely I must have heard wrong. I slap my ears with both hands and stare quite openly at Ignis who won't look at me, instead his bespectacled gaze is focused somewhere on the horizon.

We're in my crappy apartment, he is standing with his back pressed against the wall, arms crossed tightly in front of his chest while I sit on the couch, the phone game I had been playing with- until the words I never wanted to hear come out of his mouth actually did- is paused. The phone now rests on my lap; my hands hang uselessly at my sides and why the hell is Specs so silent? The afternoon light coming in from the windows give his glasses an annoying glint that doesn't allow me to see the emotion in his eyes.

"I think I have already made it clear enough" he says at once, strained and unnaturally calm for the topic we're discussing. Or well, more like the bomb he dropped on me with no consideration whatsoever.

Fuck that, I think. "Yeah, but I think I'm going to have to hear it again" I retort using the tone I know sounds particularly annoying "Because I'm not sure I heard you quite right and if I did, Gods help me-"

He clicks his tongue and rudely cuts me off, effectively repeating that simple sentence that makes me want to throw something out the window. Him, preferably.

"Noctis is getting married"

I can't help it.

"Ignis, what the fuck?"

There is really no other answer for that. What the actual fuck? "What on Eos… Seriously, if you're messing with me, I'll tell Gladio the truth about who really ate his noodles" I threaten lightly, deciding to think that this is a very elaborate and messed up joke to mess with me.

Yes, it has to be. I huff and grab the phone again in my hands. Silly, Iggy, thinking he can ruffle my feathers like this; he'll have another thing coming his way. I hear him sigh tiredly from the other side of the room.

"Prompto…" he begins but I'm having none of his shit and turn up the volume of my game, humming the chocobo song so I can tune him out. This seems to piss him off, because the next thing I know, the phone is slapped out of my hands and I'm face to face with a dead serious Ignis Scientia. His advisor side is on full mode right now and somewhere inside me, I feel something shatter.

I swallow nothing, drop my gaze to my gloved fingers, stare at the dark colors that remind me so much of the guy I-

"Tell me you're lying, please" I beg for the last time, the strange sense of loss I had experienced the whole day now made perfect sense.

Ignis, slowly, gently, as if he's dealing with a frightened animal that would flee at the slightest provocation, rests his hand on my shoulder. Normally, this would comfort me but at the moment it feels strangely cold. I feel strangely cold.

"I wish I was" he mutters. Noctis is getting married, is what I hear in loops, over and over, an eternal cycle of a sequence of words I cannot understand when they are put together like that. I see blue eyes, the most beautiful shade I've ever seen looking back at me with poorly concealed affection. I see hands, the hands of a king taking me by the wrists and tickling at my sides so I will surrender the game controller. I see his laugh, the one few people have been blessed with the opportunity to witness, his crinkled eyes as he keels over at one of the really bad jokes that come naturally out of me. I see his tranquil, sleeping face from that time we had a catastrophic sleepover when we were sixteen and I also see what happened previous to that, his drunken expression as he pressed an alcohol filled kiss to my unmoving lips. And I see him, barely a week ago, pushing me inside an empty room in the palace and leaving temporary proof of the claim he has over me: a red bruise on my neck that even now, when it's changed colors to purple, still itches under the black turtleneck he gifted me on my eighteenth birthday.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. My lower lip quivers and I bite it, put all my strength into it until I can taste salt and metal. I should have known, should have expected something like this to happen. It was too good to be true, yet I believed like the stupid boy who had received a letter and thought himself important that at the least, I could have this. Years and years of pining and dreaming made me foolish enough to think we would have stayed together. He got under my skin and I let the illusion blind me to everything else.

I sigh, take a deep breath, my heart weakly beating inside me. "When did it…" Pathetic. I can't even bring myself to ask the full question. I clear my throat and try again "When was it decided?"

"This morning. The Chancellor of Niflheim came by himself apparently and offered King Regis a deal he could not afford to refuse. The Empire will cease their attacks on Insomnia, as long as every other territory in Lucis is surrendered to them and the Prince agrees to marry Lady Lunafreya from Tenebrae as a symbol of the new formed peace between our nations"

"And of course, His Highness accepted" I fill in. I hate how small my voice sounds.

"Yes" Ignis agrees quietly.

To Lady Lunafreya, huh? It's not surprising at all. Of course it would be her. What better choice than her? The kind, young and gorgeous Oracle of the people, the messenger between Humans and Gods. The perfect fit for Noctis.

I remember the small upturn of his lips as he read the message she had sent him, the light almost unnoticed blush covering his cheeks. The careful stroke of his pencil on paper as he wrote an equally careful answer. The way he would get all pensive and nostalgic when he spoke about her. How flustered he would get when Gladio, Ignis and I (swallowing the bitter pill of my jealousy) teased him about him having a crush on her, writing to each other passionate loves letters throughout the years-we'd jokingly ask him when were they due to marry.

Now, here it is. All joking aside, the time has come for them to get truly married. I guess it is true what they say about being careful of what you wish for, or what you say because It might come true. Naïve Prompto. Stupid Prompto. You got fooled for the last time.

"When?"

I honestly don't want to know, half of me has given up on this entire conversation and wishes only to hide in my room and melt into a puddle of heartbroken feelings. The other half wants to know so I can see how much time I have left to get a grip and get my shit together.

Ignis hand, the one on my shoulder, shakes a bit "The terms are still being discussed. They'll have to settle on an agreement and after that, they will have to make the official announcement of the engagement"

Okay. Snorting, I fiddle with the leather bracelets on my left wrist. I still avoid Ignis's gaze, creating imaginary holes on the surface of my pants because I can't seem to cope with the knowledge that my first love is about to marry someone else. Not that I had great expectations about our relationship either, but I had hoped…

I shake my head, right hand goes to grab the wrist of Ignis's hand, the one touching me and I squeeze with shaky fingers. All the while I feel my eyes get moist, my breathing slow, my thought flow get even more messy than usual.

"Prompto," Ignis says, kneeling down to my level to try and catch my lowered eyes "Whatever it is you and Noctis-"

"I know!" I exclaim, a smile creeping onto my face "I know, Ignis, You don't have to tell me. It's over. He's royalty and I'm a commoner, blah, blah, blah. It's not like we were going to get married or anything, anyway"

Too much for not being bitter. I might as well wear a sign saying 'I'm a fool, I thought I was the main character in a videogame and got slapped right in the face'. But the thing is, it hurts so much. And I don't know what to do to make it go away. I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to roll on the floor and I don't know, smother myself with the pillows.

"Do not get sarcastic with me, Prompto Argentum" he says and I want to laugh in his face. He sounds so much like the mother I never had and it makes me so mad. "I know that to you, it was much more than just messing around"

Nails dig in his skin where the glove does not cover it "Whatever it meant for me, Ignis, does not matter anymore. He's getting married; I should have seen this coming from miles away. Poor Prompto, boohoo. Can we move on now?"

"No" he denies "Because you do care and it is killing you inside"

Funny, Ignis was Noctis's friend first, so why does he know me so well? Almost like we have known each other our entire lives. He sees right through me like he would right through a window.

"What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do?"

At this, he seems speechless which is weird for him and says a lot about my current situation. His mouth opens minimally, then closes again. His frown deepens; he's probably organizing his ideas inside his head.

"I am sorry" he tells me at last, and his hand moves from my shoulder to take mine. Gods, I want to cry so badly but I'm ashamed to do it in front of the man who has become family to me.

"What do you have to be sorry for, dude? It's not your fault. If anything the one who should be apologizing-"

Oh.

I realize in that moment I have not asked the most important question. The beginning of a headache starts to take over, and I feel a tick moving at the corner of my right eye. Boy, am I mad. Red is all I see when I say "Does he know?" my voice must be acid enough to let Ignis know who I'm referring to because he swallows guiltily and his eyes drift from mine for a second.

"Yes, he knows he is getting married. Otherwise the negotiations wouldn't have started"

"Ah. So he sent you instead of coming here himself and saying it to my face?"

Imbecile, dumb, noob, nerd, thickheaded Noctis Lucis Caelum!

I untangle my hand from Ignis's and stand up, all the blood rushing madly to my forehead where a vein throbs persistent. One thing is the marriage itself which I can't really hold against him because it's not like he chose it and while it may or may not tear me apart, I have no reason to get mad at him for it. But another thing entirely is to not dare to show up his mug around here and break himself whatever it was that he started.

I move to the door where I left my boots and put them on violently, shoving my feet harshly in them. Ignis quickly comes up behind me, his footsteps resound in the quietness of my home.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I snap "Putting my goddamn shoes on"

"Don't assume things on your own. You don't know what Noctis must be feeling-"

"Well, whatever he must be feeling," I grumble, directing a serious look to Ignis "I want to actually hear it from the man himself. Take me to the Citadel"

Ignis's frown lines deepen and I almost fear he might stay that way forever if he keeps doing it.

"Prompto, tread with caution. Don't do anything reckless you or Noctis might regret later"

"What is the worse that could happen?" This time I can't keep the sarcasm from rolling out of my mouth "He has already got himself engaged" After this, I open the door without a second thought and a disgruntled advisor following close behind.

I walk, shoulders squared and chest puffed and nerves eating me alive. I try to look calm but my hands shake, my knees almost give out with every step I take. Ignis is hot on my heels, most likely to make sure we don't cause a ruckus or something equally embarrassing. Everyone in this place already knows me by now so no one is surprised to see me strolling around as if I own the palace.

We arrive at Noctis's room just to find it empty of any prince-like presence. This will take a while, I realize and curse whoever made this place as big as it is. It would be ridiculous to scout out every room, it would take me at least two lifetimes to check them all and even then it's unlikely that I'd find him.

Ignis clicks his tongue "If he is not here, the probability that he might be training with Gladio is high"

"And if he isn't?"

I try to think of all the parts of the palace I've been to with him but at the moment none come to mind-it's all a jumble of feelings and new games and movies-and for some reason what comes up is the chocobo song again. I'm not obsessed or anything, just…. Chocobos are great, okay?

"Prompto?" Iggy breaks me out of my internal monologue. "Are you alright?"

"Ehhh" I rub the back of my neck sheepishly "I was just thinking. I got distracted for a bit" More than just distracted but eh, what can I say "Anyway, let's go find his Royal Asshole"

"That… probably sounded much better inside your head" Ignis says dryly, clearly not impressed at my display of passive-aggressiveness.

Most of the time I lose control over the filter between my brain and mouth so um, he's right. "It did sound better in my head" I admit before we exit Noctis's room and head to the wherever he is supposed to be at this hour.

We don't find him anywhere. Thirty minutes roll by without a clue of where he could be, walking in circles like we're playing a very boring game of cat and mouse. It is only when we decide to pass by the throne room that we actually find the sneaky guy. He's talking with Gladio, his back is to us and they seem to be discussing about something in very heated tones. From what I can see of Gladio's face, I would definitely not want to be the recipient of the look he's giving Noctis, whose arms are raised in the air as he tries to get his point across. I have only seen him act so upset whenever he argues with the other man.

I stop in the middle of the hallway, Ignis is by my side but somehow it feels as if he's miles away. In front of me lays the broken dream, the broken hope, the broken everything. Truth is I don't want it to be over. Despite the mess we've made, he is still my best friend. No matter how well I get along with Gladio and Ignis or even anyone else, Noctis is the one who knows me best. Inside out and no, I don't mean it in a sexual way (though that would have been nice too). He accepted me when no one else had and… great, now I'm hesitating. I know why. I'm afraid that after this conversation our relationship could change for the worse. This can either go awkward normal, or skyrocket and it's crash and burn for us.

I inhale deeply, willing myself to be brave and get this over and done with.

I walk forward.

Gladio's is going to yell something; I can tell but then his eyes raise and focus on me finally. His pupils widen. Here goes nothing. His lips press tightly and he grabs Noctis by the shoulders, turns him around so he is facing me and-I'm not ready for this.

I'm already seeing him in his wedding attire, looking handsome as ever, his black hair styled back and those eyes and smiles that should be only for me directed at someone else, at the beautiful Lunafreya whom I envy so much. Dressed in white she walks towards him and they look perfect together. Everyone would stare in admiration, wishing they someday could find their perfect match yet knowing they could never hope to achieve their level of perfection.

I bite the inside of my cheek, tasting blood. Noctis's image fades back to the present time, he's dressed in his normal clothes, all black and his hair spiked up; however he looks awful. His face is red-I think it's because of his discussion with Gladio-, there are dark eye bags underneath his stormy blue orbs making it look like he hasn't slept in days. His lips look red bitten, that little habit he has whenever he gets nervous –

Why am I staring at his lips? Focus, Prompto.

"Noctis"

"Prompto"

We say each other's names at the exact same time and when this happens, we try again only to repeat the same action for at least three times. I close my mouth with a 'clang' and feel my cheeks heat up. Jeez, talk about awkward. I was not wrong about that part at least. Already foreseeing we'll be stuck doing this until someone dares to break the silence with something different from our names, I say "Congratulations on your marriage"

My inflexion is happy but it can't be any more artificial. The words are foreign and poisounous, they scald my throat.

To his credit, Noctis doesn't flinch, merely stares at me blankly "Thank you" he answers, and falls silent again.

He doesn't say anything else, and his expression shifts from taken off guard to completely uninterested in the conversation.

That's it?

THAT'S IT?

Thank you and what else?

I ask exactly that. Noctis raises a brow, crosses his arms in front of his chest, looks at me like I'm another stranger, one of those kids that gazed at him with poorly hidden awe we'd make fun of in our high school days. What is this? I wonder and feel my stomach twist.

"What do you want from me, Prompto? An invitation to the wedding?" He is cold and distant, none of the things I ever imagined I'd associate with him. The sarcastic comment makes my blood boil again. How dare he?

"Screw you, I want an explanation." I demand, feeling my temper rise.

"Do you not know what a marriage is?"

"It's not the marriage I want to know about. And even if I did, you're the stupid one for thinking that-Wait, that doesn't make sense. Whatever. What I want to know is why you sent Ignis to talk to me instead of moving your cowardly ass to end what you started"

"What I started? I started nothing"

"Bullshit. Or do you just kiss anyone because YOLO?"

"What if I do? Does that concern you in any way?

"Dude, you kissed me. You started it. What happened-"

"What supposedly happened between us, it means nothing."

Ignis and Gladio watch our exchange as if they're on a tennis match, moving their heads from one side to the other.

"You're lying, you spoiled rich boy. You kissed me for a reason, you can't just deny it like it never happened and treat me like this"

"Maybe I kissed you because I pitied you" when he says this, whatever argument I was going to make dies instantly on the tip of my tongue. I recoil as if he had slapped me. Hell, if he had slapped me, it would have been less painful than his words just now.

My eyes widen like saucers and I stare at this frenzied looking stranger that's wearing my best friends' (my Noctis') face and his clothes and his skin and his beautiful whole being. Something deep and dark and sad coils inside me and I take a step back.

Ignis reaches out for me but I slap his hand away. Noctis for his part suddenly opens his jaw as if understanding the magnitude of what he has just said and begins to stutter, scramble for words to feed me excuses or whatever and I'm not really in the mood to listen to him.

"I-I didn't mean that, Prompto, I'm sorry"

What he was going to say next, I'll never know because right then the doors to the throne room open and out comes King Regis, his entire ensemble of advisors and a tall unknown man trailing behind them.

All the words Noctis was going to tell me die unpronounced.

Nocts, Gladio, Ignis and I, we all freeze when we see this guy. To use the word eccentric to describe this new addition would be an understatement. I would dare even say he's… ominously creepy. It must be because of the hat or the ridiculous amount of frills he has on his clothes. I purse my lips in utter distaste, my argument with Noctis not forgotten but taking a backseat at the moment. This man, he must be the Chancellor of Niflheim.

He's holding a very unilateral conversation with the King, who looks the opposite of amused. The chatter stops however when they see us standing in the hall. I immediately straighten up and salute Noctis's father before bowing slightly. Ignis and Gladio do the same while Noctis stares with open hostility at the one I assumed to be The Chancellor. The one who ruined my life by extending a deal to the King.

Our eyes meet and a spark of interest flash in those eerie hazel eyes. Nope, I turn my gaze to the floor and hope for his attention to be caught by far more interesting than me things.

"Ah, Chancellor Izunia, I guess you have not met my son as of yet" The King says then- thank the Gods-, the tone he's using implies there is nothing he would rather do less than introduce Noctis to this man. He gestures to the frozen figure of Noctis "This is my son, Noctis"

The weird man smiles and boy is it not nice. When he and Noctis cross stares I swear I feel the air drop at least five degrees, goose bumps cover my arms and I rub them, feeling awkward and wondering what am I doing there at this point.

"The future husband of our dear Oracle" the Chancellor greets jovial enough but there is something incredibly off in the way he says this "It's good to meet you at last. Ardyn Izunia, at your service"

"Nice to meet you as well"

Okay, I might be mad as hell with him but all the kudos go to Noctis right now for holding in his displeasure as best as he can.

"You must be quite glad at the arrangement your father and I have just made. Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae is certainly a beauty worthy of praise and I have heard you and her are considerably fond of each other"

There goes my lunch, I think as I feel my stomach do a dance beneath my skin. Thank you and fuck you, is what I feel like yelling at this sick man for reminding me of the whole source of my problems. He's obviously getting some kind of kick out of this. I don't trust him at all. Besides, he's from Niflheim; at this thought the barcode on my wrist burns lightly and I reach with my other hand to scratch it.

This day sucks.

"I'm ecstatic" Noctis responds, his tone at odds with the supposed happiness he's feeling.

King Regis has good instincts, because he notices at once the strange atmosphere surrounding them and chooses to wisely dissolve it, forcing their attentions somewhere else. "These are Gladiolus Amicitia and Ignis Scientia, Noctis's future shield and advisor" he signals to them and they trade greetings with this Ardyn Izunia guy.

Meanwhile, I try to fade into the background and pray nobody notices my presence, slowly inching away from them. This backfires terrible. The Chancellor of Niflheim quick as lightning turns his heavy stare from Ignis and Gladio and yes, centers it on me. I feel all my alarms go wild inside my head and I stop moving. The marked arm goes instantly behind my back, as if I'm shielding myself from discovery but that's impossible. There is no way he knows…Right?

His eyes seize me up, doing a whole body scan. It's uncomfortable, I feel a full body shiver run through me and the desperate need to claw at my skin gets unbearable. Never in my twenty years of age have I ever experienced anyone looking at me in such an invasive manner, without shame or hesitation. I shift my weigh from one foot to the other, my palms sweating rivers and I give a tentative smile because maintaining a façade in this type of situations is important.

The King's eyes widen minimally, noticing my being there for the first time. Gee, glad to know I'm that memorable.

"And who might you be?" the slimy man asks. The smile turns into a smirk, and I swallow nothing, wanting to run away far, far, away from this guy. I look desperately to the other people in the hallway in search of some support, even when it still isn't clear why I'd need support in the first place. But everyone else looks uncomfortable, not knowing either what to do with themselves.

At last, King Regis steps forward as my savior and prevents me from speaking directly to this man "He is Prompto Argentum. My son's…" And why the hell not, he drifts off suspiciously at the end of the sentence. His eyes fly to Noctis who's on my left side. What is going on? Is it so hard to say the word friend?

"… friend" he completes his statement before looking at the Chancellor again. That was so not natural; The Chancellor seems to pick up on this. He repeats the word 'friend' and it sounds far creepier than when the King said it.

I nod, gaze falling at the floor beneath me. That is when suddenly, a hand enters my field of vision. I look up startled to find myself face to face with Ardyn Izunia, who I swear on my life wasn't this disturbingly close to me a second ago. I can't help but flinch, staring wearily at the hand being offered to me. He hadn't done this with Noctis, Ignis or Gladio. What's so special about me? But then, I see the somber faces of the King's advisors and I know I can't mess this up, despite my increasing want to slap this man on his nasty face. Technically, the peace treaty has not been made official yet, so no one can afford any screws up unless they want to terribly offend the Empire and destroy any opportunity of stopping the war, at least momentarily. We're all forced to play in this man's game until it's all over and settled.

So I breathe in deep and shake his hand, ignoring my natural reaction of repulsion "Pleased to meet you, Chancellor Izunia" I smile more widely. My cheeks hurt from the exaggerated effort.

The fingers wrapped around my hand squeeze strongly, I can already feel the imprints his digits will leave behind. His expression is… not good. "You may call me by my name, 'friend' of the prince. And believe me, the pleasure is all mine"

I hear a sound similar to someone choking coming from the left. From the corner of my eye I catch Noctis glaring daggers at the Niflheim representative. The man for some unknown, fucked up reason hasn't let go of my hand. He holds it tight as he turns his head around to speak to the King.

"I hope it is of no inconvenience to you if I remain here in Insomnia longer than expected. I promise I won't do anything that would jeopardize our agreement"

"It is no problem at all" Answers automatically the King. He can't look less enthused about it but nothing can be done about it. Like I said, it's either follow his rules or… well, I don't even want to think of the alternative.

Anyhow, all I want to know is when his revolting hand will let go of me, thank you very much. I hope it happens some time soon. Albeit my hopes prove futile when his other hand covers mine, rests on the back of my palm and engulfs it fully in his grasp. Well, shit. Discreetly, I try to disengage myself from this awkward handshake that has turned into something far more worrying. He gives me a sharp smirk "Nevertheless, I'll need a guide to show me the way in this foreign city. Otherwise, I might get lost. You, on the other hand, seem to be quite knowledgeable in this particular matter. Would you care too much to enlighten me?"

"Excuse me?" blinking idiotically, I struggle to digest what he has just told me. He can't possibly be implying what I think he is…

I have a bad feeling about this.

"I'm asking you to be my guide, Prompto Argentum"

"WHAT?!"

Nevermind, fuck my life.

A/N: If you liked it, don't forget to leave comment :) Feedback is very much appreciated.