Author's Note: Many Final Fantasy XV fans feel certain Prompto revelations were treated too lightly, brushed aside like a wayward speck of dust. That, plus my ever-growing love for the baby chocobo, brought this idea about. I wanted a character to pass my affection and concern for Prompto onto, and in reading the latest Square-Enix news, I found the PERFECT character.
Sora.
Thus, a Final Fantasy XV/Kingdom Hearts crossover in which the Sailor Scouts of Lucis are on a journey with Sora, Riku and Kairi, battling Organization XIII and Ardyn. Off they go to protect Eos as Keyblade Masters (because Yen Sid was a moron for not letting Sora become a Master).
This can be read as either Sora/Prompto fluff or Sora and Prompto bromance, depending on your comfort level with ships that feature an age gap. I wrote this with the former option in mind, not at all having a problem with ships that carry an age gap (cough cough akuroku fan). If you select the bromance option, please be kind. Do not attack me or anyone else that brushes towards akuroku-esque ships. Thank you!
"Are you okay?"
A question asked as the stars sung, and dreams grew. A question asked as memories coursed through the veins of time, each one precious, kind, forever warm and bright. It was asked with eyes of light, shining bright even in the darkest night. And as their friends slept, the keeper of bright light awaited the answer, spirit anxious yet forever calm.
It was a question asked as the stars rose, climbing out of slumber and above a mosaic of memories. It was a question Prompto couldn't ignore, as it was presented with tenderness, levels of patience and kindness he felt he didn't deserve. He fought his hardest to dodge the question, but (as he found out the hard way), his evasive maneuvers failed against Sora. He dodged Noctis, dodged Ignis, and even dodged Lea. Gladiolus and Riku were up in the air, as he felt his defense systems crumble against their ever-vigilant spirits, but Sora? Completely underestimated by everyone (except Riku and Noctis), Sora obliterated Prompto's fortresses with laser vision. Claiming to be obsessed with taking pictures of the stars and moon didn't steer him out of the line of fire, either. As beautiful as the jewels above Eos were, they were no help against Sora's watchful eyes. So, he faced a question asked as the stars sung, every word wrapped in love and care he could not ignore.
Wrapped in dreams, the others sailed far away from the edge of the world, leaving their two friends behind. While wrapped in dreams they sailed, far away from the Keyblade War, far away from Ardyn and the Organization's havoc. Unable to find any dreams to wrap himself in, the team's photographer left no trace of himself in their tent. Camera in hand, he swore to capture more memories of their time together. Swore to capture the stars as they sung, shining with the light his friends gave him. But it was on the edge of the world Prompto felt helpless, facing the one made of those same stars.
Kairi, Iris and Gladiolus held a competition to see which chocobo was the most innocent: Sora or Prompto. Sora's cluelessness and innocence had him out in front most of the time, but Prompto knew the Keyblade wielder was right next to Ignis when it came to having a strong, wise spirit. Riku's testimonies were regular confirmations; he assured Noctis' long-time friend he was in good hands whenever Sora was around, as one would be hard-pressed to find a stronger light. So it was against the one made of stars he stood, winds blowing and stars shining. "Yeah, I'm fine," Kairi's little brother answered, his voice a whimper. And not a second of that answer was believed, by Sora or Prompto.
Prompto offered his friend a smile, one as radiant as the stars but even more fragile than their light. "Just thought I'd come out here for a little fresh air, y'know? Such a nice night, too. Gotta catch the stars at their finest!"
"Yeah, I hear ya," Riku's guiding light nodded, arms folded in a genuine show of deep understanding. "They're pretty amazing. Riku, Kairi and I used to watch them every night."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously," Sora replied, eyes glowing with a light that had calm crashing into Prompto like a brick to the head. The impact had nausea rippling through him, causing him to land a hand on his forehead for a second. "We shared our dreams with them," the one made of stars continued. "We promised them we'd become Keyblade Masters, and here we are. Saving the world from bad guys, with all of you. Guess I gotta thank 'em, because without their help, we wouldn't have met!"
Cupping his hands to his mouth, Sora lifted his eyes to the stars. "Thank you, stars! Without you, I wouldn't have met Prompto! Thank you!"
"You're gonna wake up everybody up, dummy," Noctis' friend warned in hushed tones, smiling, merriment lighting up his eyes. Prompto was the last person to urge an advent of calm, unless Sora was in the picture. Chuckling, he went on with the warning. "You know Ignis will kill you for ruining his beauty sleep."
"He's nothing to worry about," came the warm, optimistic reply. Sora turned to him, arms behind his head. "You guys make Iggy out to be a big ol' grump, but I know better. He's just as adorable as Kairi's Moogle. If not more."
Prompto pointed at him playfully, pretending to be as shrewd as Yen Sid. "Tell him that and it might be the last thing you tell anyone."
"All right," Kairi's big brother challenged him, never one to be bothered by any challenge-even ones that put something as little as his life on the line. "You're on! Ignis isn't as bad as you guys say he is, and I'll prove it!"
Much to Prompto's surprise, a frown struck Sora's face. "You wanna know who's really scary? Gladio."
"Really? Didn't think anyone could scare you," the team's first chocobo said, rubbing his chin, eyes glazed over in emotions of inconceivable complexity. The weight of those words missed Sora-or did they? Burying that mystery for a moment, Sora pressed on with the revelation. "Th' big guy's pretty creepy when it comes to his Cup Noodles," he went on, cupping a hand over his mouth, as though he were revealing an ancient secret.
"I mean, come on. Who needs Keyblades? All we need to do is tell the Organization guys to say somethin' bad about his noodles, and there you go. Instant victory. You won't ever catch me sayin' anything about his noodles, no way."
The photographer's laughter started out low, then it started to grow and glow. With his friend smiling in the distance, he succumbed to the purest, sweetest elixir no one else could create, tears streaming down his cheeks. When the waves of euphoria ebbed into a tranquil mixture of relief and gratitude, Prompto gave Sora one of his smiles.
He spoke one word, plain and simple, yet deep and warm. "Thanks."
"No problem," Sora replied, seemingly nonchalant, but the other chocobo knew the truth. "Prompto?"
"What's up?"
"You can always talk to me. Whenever you don't wanna tell any of the guys anything, just come to me. I'll do my very best to help you. That's a promise."
Prompto rose his eyes to the ones that created Sora, hoping his friend didn't catch his eyes burning with tears. "I'll keep that in mind," he vowed.
The moment he found himself alone with the stars, he shared those same tears with them.