Author's Note: I was meant to post this one shot on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day but unfortunately - and mainly due to poor time management and my working rota - I'm really really late in posting this (sorry) but I was still adamant that it would be posted this year.
I apologise in advance if there are any spelling and/ or grammar mistakes in this, it was kinda a rush job (as you can probably tell - once again, very sorry) I'll go back and edit a when I get a chance to as I'm not 100% happy with this one (ha! Am I ever?) but if there's anything that bugs your guys or just anything that you notice, please don't hesitate to tell me - I'll greatly appreciate it.
I just want to mention in here that this is set when Prompto and Noctis are both nineteen - as I don't recall making this very clear in the actual fanfic - which is why they're referred to as teens.
I used two prompts for this story; one being "I don't want to be alone this Christmas" and the other being "it doesn't look like it's going to be a white Christmas".
I don't own Final Fantasy XV nor any of it's themes and character; these belong to Square Enix - please support the official releases.
Hope you enjoy!
~Fox
Summary: Noctis is shocked to learn that Prompto will be spending Christmas alone... again.
Rating: K
Uploaded to AO3 under the same pen name.
Noctis straightened himself up as he climbed out of the driver's seat of the car; he pulled his black jacket tighter around himself before he zipped it up and pulled the hood over his head in order to shield his hair from the light drizzle of rain.
The raven haired teen half-jogged the short distance along the pavement to a familiar grey building; he rapped his knuckles against the glass of the front door and waited patiently.
Noctis could hear the sound of unmistakable footsteps trudging down the stairs issuing from the other side of the door before it creaked open to reveal a the freckled face of a blond boy.
"Noct?" The other teen blinked at Noctis in confusion as he opened the door wider so that Noctis could see him better. "What're you doing here? I thought you had your duties and stuff to do today?"
"Actually, I had my driving test today," Noctis confessed with a sheepish grin.
"Wha-?" Prompto gawked at his friend. "You kept that quiet! How did it go?"
"I passed," Noctis help up a set of car keys to show the blond, "I just told you that I had duties in case I failed – anyway, I thought we could play some video games at my place to celebrate."
"Sounds great," Prompto stepped aside to let Noctis step into his house, "come in for a sec, I've just gotta get change," Prompto added as he motioned towards his baggy jogging bottoms.
Noctis closed the front door behind himself after he crossed over the threshold – taking his hood down as he did so – while Prompto quickly darted back up the stairs to his bedroom.
The raven haired teen slowly walked through the hallway; silently noting the drab and bare walls. Noctis reached a doorway that led into Prompto's living room; his eyes were instantly drawn towards a spindly fir tree that had placed on top of a small coffee table and had been sparsely decorated with a single, straggly piece of tinsel and tiny silver baubles.
A frown formed on Noctis's lips as he passed through the doorway into the living room to approach the small tree; upon closer inspection Noctis could see that the tree was beginning to droop and the tree's needles were beginning to discolour in some places.
"No lights," the raven haired teen murmured to himself as he knelt down in front of the tree and ran his hand along one of the thin branches – Noctis moved his hand towards the base of the tree and felt inside the tree stand to find that there was no water inside before he glanced about himself and the tree; mentally making a note of the layout of the living room and the location of any radiators or vents, "and no source of heat nearby either – but it's bone dry," he cast his mind back to the bare hallway and saw the same theme within the living room.
Noctis straightened up to his full height as he surveyed the room again with a thoughtful expression; his eyes lingered over the large living room window – that was located directly behind the small tree – before his gaze then moved to the adjacent wall.
After a few moments of thought Noctis sprang into action; he carefully lowered carefully lowered the tree to the floor – Noctis flinched as a few of the baubles fell from the tree and scattered across the floor before he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that none of them had broken upon impact. After ensuing that he had set the tree down safely, the prince grabbed the small table, moved it so that it was set against the wall that was adjacent to the window and brushed any loose fir needles off of the table top; he then picked the tree up again – more cautiously this time – and set it down on the table once more.
Noctis collected the fallen baubles from the floor and stowed them away in his jacket pocket as he headed back out of the living room, through the hallway to the kitchen at the back of the house; there he found a large pint glass and filled it up with cold tap water from the kitchen sink before he headed back to the tree in the living room – he carefully poured the water from the glass into the tree stand and repeated his actions again and again until he was happy with the amount of water that was now in the tree's stand.
Noctis set the glass down on another coffee table – that stood between Prompto's sofa and television – and began to retrieve the baubles from his pocket and carefully placed them back onto the tree one by one.
"I'm ready when –" Prompto walked into the living room – holding his phone in one hand and his phone charger in the other hand – his sentence began to trailed off as his eyes flitted between Noctis and the fir tree, "– you are," he finished his sentence in a slow voice.
Noctis gave a startled jump and whirled around on the spot to face his friend.
"I'm sorry," Noctis ruffled his hair guiltily, "it looked like it was dying – you really shouldn't leave your Christmas tree in direct sunlight, so I moved it away from the window and…" he tried to explain in a feeble voice, "I should've asked first…"
"No, it's fine," Prompto quickly recomposed himself and flashed a grin at his best friend, "it looks better there actually – the room looks much brighter."
Noctis returned a small smile to Prompto, "we can put up more decorations, if you like – I'm sure your parents won't mind," he suggested.
Prompto's grin faltered slightly, "nah, it's okay – I like it as it is – besides we're supposed to be celebrating," the blond picked up the pint glass and surveyed it with a bemused expression.
"That was me," Noctis told his friend, "I used it to water the tree – it'll probably need some more by the time you get home later."
Prompto gave a small nod before he left the room to put the glass back in the kitchen.
"You ready?" Prompto asked when he returned to the living room doorway.
"Yeah," Noctis replied; he then followed Prompto to the front door – both boys paused only to pull their hoods over their heads before they ducked out of the door.
Noctis waited until Prompto had locked his front door and led the blond towards a sleek, black convertible that had five seats and a leather interior. A crest – of which resembled a Chocobo talon – adorned the car's hubcaps and tires. Prompto's eyes flickered towards the licence plate as he walked around the rear of the car – which read "Insomnia RHS-113 - The Royal Capital".
"Wait, I recognise this car," Prompto mused aloud to himself as he slowed his pace to take a closer look at the vehicle.
"It's dad's Regalia," Noctis told the other teen as he unlocked the car and climbed into the driver's seat while Prompto took the passenger seat – the raven haired prince whipped his hood off again and adjusted the rear view mirror as he spoke, "he said that I could borrow it until I get my own car."
"What about your dad?"
"He's got other cars," Noctis shrugged indifferently as he put the key in the ignition, "he only really uses this one if he's leaving the crown city – and even that doesn't happen often anymore."
The Regalia's engine roared into life as Noctis turned the key in the ignition; the engine then dulled down into a soft purr – the prince carefully pulled away from the pavement and guided the car along the tarmac road.
The pair fell quiet while Noctis concentrated on the road and surrounding traffic – letting overplayed Christmas songs and news broadcasts from the car radio fill the silence until they pulled up outside a vast apartment complex.
"– although conditions across the capital will be mainly unsettled, temperatures should remain above average leading into the Chris-" the radio announcer's voice disappeared as the engine of the Regalia was cut off with a metallic click.
In the silence that was left after the car radio was turned off, the two boys could hear frequent thuds against the roof and windscreen of the Regalia as the raindrops became heavier.
Prompto unbuckled his seat belt and reached for his door handle but soon froze when he realised that Noctis has remained still – the blond teen glanced around at his best friend to find that Noctis was staring at him with a thoughtful expression.
"You okay there, buddy?" Prompto asked; rousing Noctis back to his surroundings.
"Yeah," Noctis jerked into motion; he unbuckled his seat belt too before slowing his movements and turning slightly in his seat to address Prompto once more, "can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go for it."
"I've been round your house every year since we became friends and you guys always decorate for Christmas –" Noctis voiced the niggling thought in the back of his mind aloud, "– and I mean really decorate; you're probably the most festive person I know, but this year you don't have any decorations up and –"
"So you noticed?" Prompto cut across Noctis with a small laugh. "Actually, I don't think I'll be doing Christmas this year," Prompto admitted.
Noctis stared at the blond with an expression of mingled shock and confusion, "why not?" He asked before he could stop himself.
"Well…" Prompto pondered for a moment before he elaborated, "I don't see the point anymore; my parents are away again this year – they've got business in Lestallum or something; they don't even know if they'll be home in time to see the New Year in," the blond teen began to fiddle with the hood cords of his jacket as an excuse to avoid eye contact with the prince, "and you're going away for your annual royal visit to Altissia with your dad – Gladio and Ignis will be going too, right?" Prompto briefly glanced at Noctis before he returned to messing about with his cords. "So it's just me – I didn't see the point in celebrating on my own again."
"Again?" The raven haired teen gave Prompto a quizzical frown. "What do you mean again?"
"I've been alone every Christmas since I was fourteen," Prompto shrugged indifferently, "I just decorated my house in case my parents came home from their business trip early but they never do and I don't think this year will be any different – it's okay though; it really doesn't bother me, I actually enjoy having this time of year to myself," Prompto added quickly with a cheerful grin as he saw the astonished look upon Noctis's face, "anyway, that's enough about that, those video games aren't going to play themselves – last one inside is a slimy Malbodoom!" Prompto gave the other teen a playful shove before he opened the car door and clambered out of the Regalia while Noctis did the same.
The two boys ran through the torrential downpour of rain until they found shelter inside the apartment complex; where they took an elevator to the twenty seventh floor – using a key card that only Noctis and a select few others possessed in order to bypass the other floors.
"I'm soaked!" Prompto groaned as he toed out of his shoes and ran a hand through his rain-flattened hair.
"Change into these," Noctis took a pair of jogging bottoms and a hooded jumper off of the radiator and threw them at Prompto before he removed his own shoes, "there's towels in the bathroom cupboard; help yourself – I'll put your clothes in the tumble dryer in a minute, I've just got to make a quick phone call," he told Prompto and watched as his friend smiled gratefully at him and shuffled into the apartment's bathroom.
Noctis waited until he heard the bathroom door shut with a small snap before he moved into his bedroom; where he unzipped and peeled off his sodden jacket and tossed it unceremoniously to the floor after retrieving his phone from one of the pockets. He pressed the wake button on his phone and waited for the LCD display screen to light up in response; he then automatically traced a pattern across the screen to unlock the device – he instantly moved his thumb to tap on the contacts icon and easily located the phone number he wanted from his limited choices before he pressed the phone to his ear and waited to hear the voice of his recipient on the other end of the call.
"Hey dad," Noctis greeted as he heard the line pick up, "I have a favour to ask – it's about our trip."
"He said what?" Ignis asked in a disbelieving tone as he paced around the Citadel gardens with his mobile phone pressed to his ear.
"He said that he didn't want to go with King Regis this year," came the voice of Gladiolus Amicitia through the speaker of the phone.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"So my old man says," Gladiolus replied, "he was there when King Regis got the phone call."
"You mean to tell me that he didn't even tell his father in person," Ignis tutted more to himself than to Gladiolus, "did he at least give a reason?"
"All he said was something about wanting a quiet Christmas this year."
"And King Regis was fine with that?"
"Apparently so."
Ignis let out a weary sigh as he closed his eyes and massaged his forehead with his free hand.
"It's weird," Gladiolus's voice broke the silence between the two men, "it was only a few weeks ago that Noct was complaining about spending less time with his dad – I thought that he would jump at the chance to be closer to King Regis; even if it meant a week of royal duties and dignitaries."
"Indeed," Ignis agreed, "I suspect that there is more to this than meets the eye."
"You don't think Noct and his dad had an argument or something, do you?"
"No," Ignis replied thoughtfully as he slowly opened his eyes and let the massaging hand slowly fall back to his side, "one of us would've definitely heard about it if they had – he more likely to shirk his duties as a protest or a means of sulking. Let me talk to him, maybe I can convince him to change his mind."
"Alright, but don't push him too much – you know how stubborn he can be," Gladiolus gave a small chuckle, "let me know what you find out."
Ignis carefully steered his car into a spot behind the familiar black Regalia before he unbuckled his seat belt, opened the door and got out of the silver vehicle; pausing only to cast a brief glance towards the balcony on the twenty seventh floor as he closed the door and locked the car.
Ignis did a swift double take and his eyes widened in horror as he saw smoke billowing out of the windows.
"Noct," Ignis murmured to himself as panic began to course through his whole body. He quickly ran into apartment complex, darted into one of the elevators and slammed his key card against the sensor without hesitation – his mind began to race with fear and concern as the numbers flashed by on the control panel until the light settled on the number twenty-seven and the doors finally began to slide open.
Ignis tore from the elevator before the doors had a chance to open more than halfway and ran down the corridor until he found the apartment he was looking for; mentally noting the lack of smoke in the corridor as he ran but quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind – he pressed his key card against another sensor and pulled the door open as soon as he heard the metallic click of the lock.
"Noct!" Ignis ran into the apartment without pausing to take his shoes off; he covered his mouth and began to cough as smoke hit the back of his throat.
"I- Ignis?" Noctis was stood beside the balcony door with a tea towel in his hands; trying to waft the smoke outside.
Ignis surveyed his surroundings closely; in the kitchenette, the oven door had been left open and on top of the oven was a silver baking tray with a black substance in it – from which the smoke was currently protruding from. Noctis had managed to open all of the windows in the kitchenette and living room space along with the balcony door.
"What's going on?" Ignis frowned quizzically at the raven haired teen.
"I… er… had a bit of an accident," Noctis replied as he draped the tea towel over his shoulder and ruffled his hair sheepishly, "but I've got it under control now," he added hastily as he then tried to wave more smoke out the open door, "shut that door before the smoke goes into the corridor and sets all the alarms off!"
The older man heaved a relieved sigh as he went back to close the door before he moved into the kitchenette; he closed the oven door, turned the oven off and surveyed the charred remains in the baking tray. Ignis's eyes then moved towards the kitchen counter – where he found an assortment of ingredients including cinnamon, ground ginger and syrup. With a quick glance towards the kitchen sink, Ignis was able to see a used mixing bowl and rolling pin.
"What were you trying to make?" Ignis enquired curiously as he tentatively poked at the blackened mess in the baking tray to see how hot it was.
"It doesn't matter," Noctis said dismissively as he crossed the room and tipped the contents of the tray into the bin.
"Why didn't your smoke alarm work? Does it need new batteries?"
"No – I removed it," Noctis motioned towards a white device that was sat on his dining table.
"Why?"
"Because it wouldn't shut up," the prince ran the kitchen tap – occasionally putting his hand under the running water to check the temperature until it was just right – before he dumped the tray into the sink along with the rolling pin and mixing.
"Please, allow me," Ignis removed his black suit – carefully draping the garment over one of the dining chairs - before he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, and extended his hand to take the scour off of Noctis.
Noctis silently complied; leaving Ignis with the washing up and taking a dishcloth instead to wipe down the kitchen counter after he put the rest of his ingredients away in various cabinets.
The pair cleaned and tidied in almost complete silence; only the sound of splashing water, clinking glass or china and the dull thud of kitchen cabinets could be heard.
After most of the smoke had dissipated, Noctis moved through the apartment and closed all of the windows that he had thrown open earlier and adjusted the heating to overcome the now freezing room before he threw himself down on his sofa with a tiresome sigh while Ignis flicked the kettle on and refitted the smoke alarm.
Ignis poured tea into two mugs before he approached the sofa where Noctis was sitting; offering one of the steaming mugs to the young prince.
"Thanks," Noctis murmured as he took the mug and used it to warm his numb fingers.
Ignis placed his own mug on the coffee table, perched himself down on the sofa beside the raven haired teen and readjusted his glasses carefully, "what were the gingerbread men for?"
Noctis gave the bespectacled man a nonplussed stare, "how did you know they were gingerbread men?"
"Flour, eggs, butter, ground ginger, cinnamon, syrup –" Ignis counted a few of the ingredients off on his fingers, "that and I saw the cookie cutter in the sink."
"Oh," Noctis sat back in his seat, "I fancied gingerbread."
"Why didn't you go to the shops?"
"They sold out," the prince lied.
"At Christmas," Ignis scoffed; picking up his mug and taking a swig of tea, "unlikely."
"What are you doing here anyway?" Noctis shot at the bespectacled man. "I thought you had other errands to do today."
"I received a phone call from Gladio earlier," Ignis told Noctis, "he told me that you have cancelled your plans to go to Altissia this year," he stared expectantly at the teen.
"News travels fast in the Citadel," Noctis mused more to himself than to his advisor.
"Would you care to enlighten me of your reasons?"
Noctis remained quiet as a thoughtful expression settled over his features before he decided to tell Ignis the truth, "Prompto."
"Prompto?" Ignis quirked an interested eyebrow.
"Yeah – did you know that he's spent every Christmas for the past four years alone?"
"I didn't – to be honest I can't say I know much about Prompto," Ignis admitted, "only what I've learnt from you and the limited time I've spent with him."
"Don't act like you don't do a background check on everyone I come into contact with," Noctis gave a snort of laughter - but he quickly adopted a serious demeanour, "I just wanted to spend time with Prompto this year, I don't want him to be alone again," he cast a sideways glance at Ignis, "I guess you're going to lecture me about my royal duties now, aren't you?"
Ignis sat in contemplation for a moment before gave Noctis a small smile, "no - I'm not."
"Really?"
"Actually, I think what you're doing for Prompto is rather noble," Ignis gave his friend a warm smile, "but yes – your royal duties and public image are important and you shouldn't take them so lightly."
"There it is," Noctis chuckled as he finally took a mouthful of tea.
"This doesn't really answer why you were making your own gingerbread when there's a perfectly good shop nearby."
"Homemade always tastes better," Noctis said, "at least, it does when you make it."
"I'm flattered – so what are your plans for Christmas?"
"I just thought that I'd bring Prompto round here for the day – open presents, have snacks and play video games," Noctis gave a vague shrug, "if you're not busy, why don't you come round too?"
"What about Gladio?"
"He'll be going with my dad and Clarus, won't he?"
"No – I don't think he will," Ignis replied, "he's the prince's shield after all – Christmas Day is no exception," the bespectacled man sat in thought once more before he turned slightly in his seat to look at Noctis, "why not have our own party?"
"Party?" Noctis arched an eyebrow at his advisor.
"If Gladio remains behind this year, it's almost certain that he'll be charged with looking after Iris," Ignis reminded the prince, "perhaps we should invite both of them and have a party of sorts – have you told Prompto of your intentions?"
"Uh… no, not yet."
"Then I have a suggestion to make."
"– predicting closer isobars around the crown city as well as eastern areas like Ghalad in the run-up to Christmas; this will bring blustery conditions across the capital –" a man wearing a navy suit motioned towards the north eastern regions on a large map of Lucis as lined diagrams flashed across the map, "– as we head further into next week, we can see a warm weather front sweeping in from the western regions; so at this stage, I'm fairly confident that we'll be seeing a wet and windy Christmas rather than a whi–"
Noctis picked up the television remote and pressed down on the standby button with an impatient huff – cutting off the weatherman's announcement as the television screen went blank before switching off.
"Hey! I was watching that!" A burly man with brunette hair complained from his seat on Noctis's sofa.
"It's the weather forecast, Gladio," Noctis rolled his eyes at the brunette, "they'll probably broadcast it again in about an hour, besides I didn't invite you to my apartment to watch the TV all night."
"Then do you want to tell me why you did invite me here?" Gladiolus shot back as he quirked an eyebrow at Noctis. "And why did I have to bring Iris with me?" He added jerking a thumb at a girl in her early teens with shoulder length, brown hair who was staring around the apartment from her seat beside Gladiolus.
"It's about Christmas," Noctis replied, "I thought you guys might want to help me set up a surprise party."
"A party?" Iris piped up excitedly.
"Who's the surprise for?" Gladiolus asked with an interested expression.
"Prompto," Ignis answered simply; he was sat in one of the wooden chairs beside the dining table, "I'll explain the reasons later."
"Are you in?" Noctis asked; turning his attention back toward Gladiolus and Iris.
Iris turned in her seat slightly to give her older brother a hopeful stare.
Gladiolus threw a surveying glance at Noctis, Ignis and his, "I've got nothing else better planned – our dad will out of town with King Regis so it'll just be me and Iris on our own," the prince's shield shook his head and gave a small, amused smile, "we'll help you out."
"Yes!" Iris cheered happily as she bounced in her seat. "What do you need us to do, Noct?"
"First of all, we need to decorate this place – I never put decorations up because I'm never here for Christmas," Noctis frowned slightly as he cast his eyes about his bare apartment.
"So you'll need a Christmas tree, some lights, baubles and tinsel," Gladiolus pointed out, "if you're going to have any tree, it needs to be a real one – I can get you one tomorrow."
"Right," Noctis nodded at Gladiolus.
"We should hang up some foil garlands," Iris offered as her eyes were drawn towards the ceiling before she addressed her brother, "I'll go with you tomorrow Gladdy; we can get some when we buy the tree."
"I take it we're leaving the cooking to you?" Gladiolus aimed his question at the bespectacled man.
"Naturally," Ignis bowed his head, "I'm sure you won't mind helping me, right Noct?"
"Sounds good to me," Noctis nodded at Ignis, "but I'm leaving the vegetables to you."
"And the gingerbread," Ignis mused more to himself; earning himself confused stares from Gladiolus and Iris while Noctis ruffled his hair sheepishly.
"I just had a thought," Iris spoke up again; breaking the silence that had fallen between them, "if we're not home then Jared and Talcott will be spending Christmas alone," she told the three men sadly.
"Jared and Talcott?" Noctis blinked at the girl in confusion.
"Jared Hester is the Amicitia family servant and Talcott is his grandson," Gladiolus explained.
"Would it be okay to invite them too?" Iris aimed her question the Noctis.
"I can't see why not, the more the merrier," the raven haired prince shrugged, "that's settles everything then."
"Just one more thing," Ignis announced to the group, "as far as Prompto is aware, Noct is going away with King Regis for the festive period – I suggest that we continue as though this is true so as not to have our plans exposed. After King Regis's departure on the twenty-third, we should remain out of sight of both Prompto and the public."
"If we're supposedly out of town for Christmas and this party is supposed to be a surprise for Prompto, how is he going to know to come to your apartment on Christmas Day?" Gladiolus asked as a thoughtful frown crept onto his face.
"I think I've got that covered," Noctis mused to himself aloud.
Noctis woke up in his bedroom within the Citadel rather than his own apartment on the morning of the twenty-third.
He was careful to dress in the black three piece suit that Ignis had left out for him the night before – he completed his attire with a black and white tie and a pair of highly polished shoes – before he hastily left his bedroom and took the closest elevator down to the entrance hall on the ground floor.
"Good morning," Ignis greeted Noctis and inclined his head at the prince as the elevator doors slid open – he too was wearing a smart suit.
"Am I late?" Noctis asked as he stepped out of the elevator and quickly fixed his fringe.
"Right on time – for once."
The pair approached a small group of other men by a set of large, oak doors; Gladiolus was stood beside a well-built man with a shaved head who was wearing black and gold uniform – Noctis instantly recognised this man as Clarus Amicitia; the shield of the King and Gladiolus's father. Clarus was talking animatedly to another man – this man had grey hair and weathered facial features; he wore a black suit that was adorned with a white pinstripe pattern along with a black cape that was draped over his shoulders and a golden knee brace had been firmly fastened to his right leg. A silver, horn like crown was held in place behind the man's right ear. The man was leaning heavily upon a black and silver cane.
The three men stopped their conversation and turned their attention towards the two newcomers as Noctis and Ignis's footsteps drew closer.
"Good morning, your majesty." Noctis chimed as he offered the man with grey hair a steep bow.
"Come now," Regis smiled warmly as Noctis rose to his full height, "we are quite alone - there's no need to be so formal, my son." Regis surveyed Noctis's outfit closely for a moment, "I trust you haven't changed your mind?"
"No," Noctis replied with an apologetic expression.
"The suit is for the press, I presume?"
"Yeah."
Regis nodded slowly at his son, "then this is goodbye for now," he added; clapping Noctis on the shoulder, "I hope you enjoy your party – and wish Prompto a Merry Christmas from me," Regis gave the teen a knowing smile.
Noctis gave his father a nonplussed stare, "how did you -?"
"I'm the King," Regis chuckled, "and I'm your father – I know everything."
"News really does travel fast in the Citadel," Noctis murmured more to himself as he saw Clarus and Gladiolus share a glance out of the corner of his eye.
"It's time," Regis announced aloud to the rest of the group, "come Clarus," the king then pivoted on the spot as two glaives pushed open the giant oak doors and stepped out of the Citadel with Clarus close behind him – pausing to glance up at the overcast sky.
The five men descended the steps of the Citadel; splitting off at the bottom of the stone stairs as King Regis and Clarus climbed into the Regalia while Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus took another black car with tinted windows. Noctis noted two other black cars – one was situated in front of the Regalia and the other was situated behind his own vehicle; these cars were reserved for members of the Kingsglaive as security during royal events and occasions.
Ignis carefully followed the Regalia through the gates of the Citadel – where reporters, journalists and photographers were already awaiting King Regis's retinue.
The bespectacled man followed the Regalia closely as they were guided through the streets of Insomnia towards the Crown City checkpoints – Ignis took a side road at the last turn off before the checkpoints and signalled towards a stationary black car that was parked in the road; which instantly roared into life at Ignis's signal and took their place in the royal retinue.
"Who was that?" Noctis enquired as he glanced out of the back window at the retreating car.
"Your father's idea - he shared my concerns regarding your reputation; it wouldn't look good to the public if their prince went off gallivanting and ignoring his royal duties – so King Regis arranged for a replacement car to trick the press," Ignis explained as he looped the car around the backstreets towards Noctis's apartment, "that's why I had you stay at the Citadel last night and dress smartly before we left; any paparazzi who were present today were bound to get a photograph of you leaving with the king – after he arrives in Altissia, your father's plans are to announce that you have been taken ill and will be resting; as your advisor and shield, it'll be understandable that Gladiolus and myself are absent too – this way we have the perfect alibi and you are still seen to be committed to your duties."
"This was my dad's idea?" Noctis stared at Ignis in disbelief before another thought crossed his mind. "Wait, what about the paparazzi in Altissia? There's bound to be some waiting for dad when he gets off the boat."
"Already sorted," Ignis waved the prince's concerns away, "King Regis will be docking at a private harbour and escorted to his lodgings straight away – as a security measure, Prince Noctis will disembark from the royal vessel under the protection and guidance from members of the Kingsglaive only; this is a perfectly reasonable manoeuvre regarding our current state of affairs with Niflheim and the possibility of spies in Accordo."
"Won't they find that suspicious though?"
"No doubt about it – but they will have trouble proving anything," Ignis smirked to himself but quickly returned to his serious demeanour, "this is a one off event though – I can assure you that this will not happen again."
"Understood," Noctis nodded at his advisor.
"Trust us, you have nothing to worry about – the glaives are in on it too," Gladiolus reassured Noctis as he saw a worrisome expression flash across the prince's face, "at least a small circle of them are; so our story will add up – we used this as an excuse to up the king's security; Captain Drautos, Nyx Ulric and Crowe Altius are in that car. Put this on," Gladiolus passed a hooded jacket to Noctis, "keep the hood up – just in case."
Ignis pulled up to the curb and turn off the engine of the car; the three men quickly climbed out of the car and headed towards the apartment complex – Ignis passed the car keys to a pair of men who were walking in the opposite direction. Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus kept their faces concealed by the hoods of their jackets until they were safely inside the Noctis's apartment.
"Who were -?" Noctis began.
"More glaives," Gladiolus answered automatically as the three men took their shoes off and moved further into the apartment.
"Was that another idea of my dad's?"
"Actually it's one of mine," Ignis corrected Noctis, "it would be too obvious if one of the royal vehicles were parked outside the apartment – so we arranged for more members of the Kingsglaive to wait for our arrival; they'll return the car to the Citadel when the paparazzi disperse."
"How many precautions have you taken?" Noctis blinked at Ignis in astonishment.
"Hopefully enough."
"Welcome back!" Iris greeted the three men as they walked into the living room; her arms were laden with tinsel and baubles as she was stood beside a large fir tree along with an elderly man and a young boy.
"Good morning, your highness," the elderly man greeted Noctis with a steep bow.
"This is Jared Hester," Iris introduced the man to Noctis with a grin, "and this is Jared's grandson; Talcott," she added as she nodded towards the young boy.
"Hi Prince Noctis," Talcott waved enthusiastically, "how are you doing?"
"Please mind my grandson's manners," Jared bowed again.
"He's okay," Noctis reassured Jared as he waved back at Talcott, "I like it," the raven haired teen then let his eyes sweep around the apartment; he noted the snowflakes and multi-coloured garlands that hung from the ceiling along with the string lights that framed the windows and balcony door, "I like the decorations too," he added.
"Jared and Talcott helped me with them," Iris told Noctis, "we've only just started the tree though - want to help, Gladdy?" She aimed her question at the older Amicitia. "We need someone who's tall to reach the top branches."
The group split into three; Gladiolus and Jared took over the Christmas tree lights and decorations while Iris and Talcott draped tinsel or artificial garlands over any surfaces they could – leaving Noctis to team up with Ignis in the kitchen.
Prompto stared vacantly at the small Christmas tree in his living room; he didn't know why, but Prompto had continued to water the tree over the past week as per Noctis's instructions – the result of which became more evident as the tree had begun to perk up again and some colour had returned to the pine needles.
Noctis had briefly phoned Prompto on the first day to tell his friend that he had arrived safely in Galdin Quay – where they would be staying before completing their trip to Altissia by ferry – the pair had then switched to texting each other every day.
Prompto gave a small jump as his phone began to loudly vibrate against the coffee table behind him; pulling Prompto out of his stupor. He picked his phone up to see Noctis's caller ID along with a selfie of the pair together flash up on his screen – the blond pressed on the green flashing circle to pick up the call and pressed his phone to his ear.
"Heya," Prompto spoke into the receiver, "how's the trip?"
"Boring," came Noctis's voice through the speaker, "as soon as we got here we went to the hotel and after that I've pretty much just been confined to my room," Noctis heaved a weary sigh.
"I heard about your cold," Prompto gave a small chuckle, "that's just your luck."
"Tell me about it – Ignis is pretty on top of it though and it's given me an excuse to stay away from meetings and stuff. Anyway, I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas."
"You too, buddy."
"Oh, that reminds me!" Noctis said. "I forgot to give you your present before I left - I've left it at my apartment, you've still got a key card to my door, right?"
"Don't worry about it, I've got yours too so we'll just do it when you get back."
"I want you to open it today," Noctis told Prompto more adamantly, "promise me you'll go and get it today!"
"Okay, I promise I will," Prompto reassured his friend.
"Good," Prompto could hear the triumph in Noctis's voice, "Merry Christmas, Prom."
"Merry Christmas, Noct."
The pair ended their phone call.
"I've got nothing else to do today," Prompto heaved a sigh as he moved to the front door; where he started to put his shoes on.
His eyes flickered towards a small, digital camera that was resting on the table beside the front door next to his house keys – the blond quickly grabbed his keys and the camera before he braved himself and stepped into the cold blustery winds outside; letting the front door slam shut behind him before he locked it and began to walk in the directions of Noctis's apartment.
The roads and pavements of Insomnia were vacant – with the exception of the odd speeding car or a family who were walking in the opposite direction and wished Prompto a Merry Christmas as they crossed paths. Prompto grinned at the family and returned the greeting before returning to his sulky demeanour as soon as they were out of sight.
Prompto reached into his jacket pocket for a pair of earphones; he untangled them as he walked and carefully placed an earphone in each of his ears before he pushed the earphone connector into the audio port on his mobile phone – he then scrolled through the vast selection of music on the device until he finally settled on a song that appealed to him and began to hum along to the tune as he continued his journey across the capital.
It wasn't until Prompto had reached his destination that he had realised how numb his fingers and toes had become - the blond teen rubbed his cold hands together are he called for an elevator; hoping that the friction would help him warm up a little.
As soon as the elevator door opened, Prompto stepped inside, held the key card – that Noctis had given to him during their school years – against the sensor and waited for the elevator to shudder into life as it automatically carried him to the twenty seventh floor while he pulled the earphones from his ears and stuffed the wire back into his pocket.
Prompto tentatively crossed the threshold into Noctis's apartment – he had always hated letting himself into the apartment; even when Noctis was home – he pulled his shoes off and placed them carefully next to the front door as he closed it behind himself.
Prompto paused for a moment to frown as he realised that the all of the curtains in the apartment had been drawn and he was standing in the dark – he caresses the wall with his hand until he found the light switch and flicked the lights on before he moved further into the apartment.
"Merry Christmas!"
Prompto gave a startled jump as six people chorused at him.
He blinked in confusion as he stared at the scene before him; Noctis, Gladiolus and Ignis were stood in front of a large, heavily-decorated Christmas tree along with Gladiolus's little sister; Iris, and two other people who Prompto didn't recognise. Each person was wearing a Christmas themed jumper and – in Gladiolus and Iris's cases – reindeer headbands.
Beneath the Christmas tree were many gifts wrapped in an assortment of colours.
The kitchen table had been set with a red and white table cloth along with chair covers to match – the table had been laden with fine china, silverware, tall wine glasses, crisp white napkins, red and green Christmas crackers as well as a centrepiece that consisted of holly, mistletoe and ivy.
Enticing smells – that mainly consisted of cooked turkey – wafted from the kitchen and Prompto could see that the countertops had been packed with Tupperware boxes as well as plates and dishes that had been covered in foil.
The blond's eyes scanned the apartment; taking in every small detail until they finally found Noctis's face among the group in front of the Christmas tree.
"What's going on?" Prompto finally found his voice. "I thought you were away for Christmas?"
"I was," Noctis answered simply and gave a small shrug, "but then I changed my mind."
"Come – take your jacket off and have a seat," Ignis beckoned at Prompto as he stepped towards the dining table, "dinner is almost ready."
Prompto slowly unzipped his jacket, shrugged the garment off of his shoulders and hung it up on one of the coat pegs beside the front door before he complied with Ignis's request and moved to one of the chairs at the kitchen table as Iris and a young boy pulled the curtains open again – letting the weak sunlight stream into the apartment – while an elderly gentleman plugged in the Christmas tree lights and the windows lights.
Ignis, Noctis and Gladiolus began to transfer the foil wrapped plates and dishes from the kitchen counters to the dining table as Prompto, Iris and the remaining two guests settled themselves down.
"You must be Prompto," the elderly man eyed Prompto with interest from the chair opposite the blond teen, "I don't believe we've met before, but you're a friend of master Gladiolus's, right?"
"Yeah," Prompto reached across the table to extend his hand to the man, "I'm Prompto Argentum, it's nice to meet you, Mr -?"
"Jared Hester," the elderly man grasped Prompto's hand in his own and smiled warmly before he motioned towards the boy beside him who was talking excitably to Iris, "and this is my grandson; Talcott. I've heard a lot about you, Mr Argentum."
"Y- you have?" Prompto ruffled his hair sheepishly.
"The prince tells me that you have a keen eye for photography."
"Oh, yeah!" Prompto chuckled nervously. "It's more of a hobby really, my pictures aren't that great."
"He's just being modest," Noctis told Jared as he made some space on the table to put another dish down, "he's always takes the best pictures and he's way better than all of the royal photographers my dad hires."
"Th- thanks," Prompto murmured as a red blush crept across his cheeks and reached as far as his ears.
With the table fully prepared, the remaining three members took their seats at the table and the group began to help themselves to food while chatting animatedly to one another.
Prompto had managed to learn a great deal of folklore and ancient legends from Jared as well as tales from the Amicitia household – of which Gladiolus and Iris joined in to reminisce their childhood memories and hear stories about their father.
Meanwhile, Noctis had been drawn into Talcott's enthusiastic ramblings about Cactuar figurines – from what Noctis could gather, Talcott had already received one of the figurines from his grandfather earlier in the morning as a Christmas present and was already looking forward to adding more to his collection.
Ignis had poured everyone around the table a drink of wine – with the exception of Iris and Talcott who were offered sodas and lemonade instead – and prompted his fellow dinners to eat more; focusing particularly on the picky prince whenever the chance arose.
"I thought the minimum drinking age was twenty," Prompto mused to himself as he took a small sip of his wine.
"It's a small oversight that we can overlook for the occasion," Ignis notified the teen, "that is as long as you drink responsibly."
"Just this once?" Noctis murmured in an undertone so that only Prompto could hear him. "I have to drink this stuff at every royal gala and event I attend."
"Yes – but it is usually only one glass for formality," Ignis shot at Noctis while Prompto tried to stifle a laugh.
Prompto spent the majority of the afternoon telling awful jokes from Christmas crackers, taking pictures on the digital camera that he had brought with him and playing board games with his friends after Noctis and Ignis had washed all the dishes, plates and cutlery from their Christmas dinner.
At three o'clock in the afternoon Ignis prepared a large buffet on the now bare dining table – so that everyone could grab a plate of food as and when they were hungry – while Noctis switched on the television in time for King Regis's Christmas speech and Gladiolus poured more wine for a toast.
They followed up the evening with rounds of Pictionary; using Christmas carols and festive movies as their theme – Iris soon decided to make the game more interesting by blindfolding the person whose turn it was to draw - and quickly turned into playful bickering, fits of laughter at their friends' drawings and a candy cane sword fight between Noctis and Gladiolus.
By the end of the night, Jared had retired to the sofa; preferring to save his waning energy and instead watched while Iris and Talcott eagerly peeked at and prodded the presents under the Christmas tree while they tried to guess what was inside each.
Noctis watched the pair from the kitchenette and could feel a small smile tug on his lips – his eyes were then drawn towards Prompto; who was stood by the balcony door and was staring out of the glass window.
"Hey," Gladiolus patted the prince on the shoulder to gain his attention, "want to start unwrapping presents?"
"You guys go ahead," Noctis told the brunette as he and Gladiolus approached the tree – Noctis stooped down to find the present he wanted before he then returned to his full height, "I'll catch up with you in a minute."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," Noctis offered the older man a reassuring smile as he ushered Gladiolus towards the tree.
Noctis approached Prompto – who's gaze remained transfixed out of the window - and cleared his throat to announce his presence.
"Is something wrong, Prompto?" Noctis asked tentatively as he slowly moved into his best friend's line of sight and fiddled with the present in his hands.
"Hm?" Prompto's gaze snapped away from the window and focused on Noctis instead. "No, no! Everything's great," Prompto reassured Noctis with his usual grin.
Noctis held the gift out to his best friend, "this one is for you."
Prompto's face fell as he smacked himself on the forehead and let out a groan, "I left yours at home."
"Don't worry about it," Noctis chuckled, "I'll open it when I get home from Altissia," he added with a sly grin and watched as Prompto played with a ribbon bow on his present, "you can open it now."
Prompto cast a sideways glance at his friend before he carefully pulled the ribbon apart and began to tear the wrapping paper away.
Inside was a white box with the words "Lokton LX-30" printed in large black letters beside an image of a camera.
"I'm not as clued up on cameras like you are," Noctis told Prompto while he stared at the blond expectantly, "so I found the latest model of the most popular brand - if you prefer a different camera, we can always buy a different one," he added hurriedly.
"It's perfect," Prompto gave Noctis a grateful smile while the prince gave a sigh of relief, "thank you," he then watched as Gladiolus handed a large, gift wrapped box to Talcott, "you know what? I'm glad that I'm not alone this Christmas," Prompto told Noctis as he continued to watch the rest of their friends laugh while they unwrapped their presents.
"There's some over here for you two," Gladiolus called out to Noctis and Prompto as he handed a small gift to Ignis, "come on, before we unwrap them all without you."
"Coming!" Prompto called back as he and Noctis began to walk towards the rest of their friends.
"Huh?" Noctis saw a flash of something white out of the corner of his eye; making him stop in his tracks and drawing his attention towards the window while Prompto continued towards the Christmas tree.
Snow drifted down from the sky in large clumps and settled to form a powdery, white layer over the balcony - with each passing second, the snow began to fall heavier and heavier until the fine powder started to resemble a thin sheet instead.
"Well look at that," Noctis mused in a quiet voice, "it looks like we're going to have a white Christmas after all.