A/N: Prompto volunteers to help Hammerhead get some spring cleaning done, now that the sunlight is back and the world is safe. It's a decade of dust. As someone who is allergic to dust, this is my own personal nightmare.
Wedding Dresses and Lingering Perfume
"God, I hate cleaning!" Prompto groaned, throwing himself back onto the piles of paper behind him. Little puffs of dust popped into the air with the impact, and he immediately found himself in a fit of sneezes.
Cindy's laughter echoed through the front of the hangar. "Don't die there, blondie! You haven't cleaned out the back gutters yet!"
"Yes ma'am," Prompto sniffled back, wincing as her laughter echoed once more at his feeble reply. He pouted, sitting up and crossing his arms, eyes raking in the piles of books, newspaper articles, and other miscellaneous junk which had been left in the back of the Hammerhead hangar for the last decade. Each surface was coated in a thick layer of dust, and even the slightest movement was enough to stir up a veritable storm of grey within the little area.
Shuffling carefully to not disturb the books any further, Prompto continued tackling a new pile. "Why did I ever volunteer for this?"
He knew why. Eleven years had gone by since he had met Cindy, and the flame he held for her had never diminished. As for Cindy… her marriage to the garage was going pretty well. She never so much as glanced his way, in any context other than oh, the king's friend, hey blondie!
I'm hopeless, Prompto groaned internally, sorting the assorted papers in front of him into discard and keepsake piles. Now that the sunshine was back and peace restored, Cindy's tyrannical cleaning of Hammerhead was the next thing on the to-do list.
Suddenly, the cover of a magazine caught his eye. Startled, he picked it up, gingerly wiping the dust off the lightly finished paper. "'Exclusive: an interview with the designer who made the world-famous dress for the Oracle, Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret' – it's Lady Luna's wedding dress!"
Prompto grinned wide, taking in the image of the pure white dress. It was still stunning, even after all those years- although, to him, nothing could compare to the real thing their little group had viewed in Altissia before the Hydrean's trial. The real dress had been gorgeous.
He ran his thumb over the page, looking at the rest of the little pictures framing the dress. A few photographs were of the designer and seamstresses, but the two which stood out were of Noctis and Lunafreya. They both looked so perfect for each other, darkness and light complementing each other harmoniously. Prompto leaned back, thinking of how Noctis would have looked on the wedding day, dressed in his royal raiment.
They would've looked lovely together.
The blond let his head loll back, eyes glazing over in thought. I still can't believe Noct is gone, he thought. Hell, I still can't believe I was even a part of this crazy adventure at all.
People knew him as Prompto Argentum, the right-hand man of the late King Noctis Lucis Caelum. People looked at him with respect, with admiration- it was such a different situation than the one that Prompto had once envisioned for himself.
"I guess I have you to thank for that, huh, Lady Luna?" Prompto mused. He closed his eyes, inhaling sharply-
The scent of the perfume still lingered in his nose, and with that scent, hope. All those years ago, when Luna had sent him that letter to thank him for saving Pryna, Luna had given him a reason to live, a reason to keep trying.
Without you, I probably never would've gotten here, huh? He smiled, soft, thoughtful. If you hadn't given me the push I needed to talk to Noct, none of this would've happened. I'd still be all alone… heck, would I even be me without Noct in my life?
He shuddered at the thought. No. No, I wouldn't. Noct saved my life. He gave me a reason to keep going, to better myself. I might not even still be here, if I hadn't had him by my side.
He looked back down at his best friend, a fresh-faced twenty year old in the photo. Being his friend changed my life. He looked at Luna's photo, smile growing. And you were the one to thank for that. I saved Chibi- Pryna- but you saved me, you sent Noct to me.
A rush of emotion washed over him, and he quickly pressed his lips together to quell the tears threatening suddenly to spill over. Thank you, Luna. Thank you for guiding me to Noct. I am who I am because of him, because of you.
Suddenly, another voice cut into his reverie, shaking him out of his thoughts. "What in the blazes is takin' you so long there?" Cindy chided, watching Prompto skeptically.
The man paused, realizing how long his daydream must've taken. He then merely chuckled at her confusion, standing up and dusting his knees off. The magazine in his hand glinted in the sunlight shining through the window, highlighting the ethereal beauty of the wedding dress upon the cover. His smile widened, gingerly brushing his thumb over the small headshots of Noctis and Luna beside the dress. "Nothing," he said, placing the magazine in the 'To Keep' pile. "I just found something that made me happy, that's all."
She raised an eyebrow. "Well that's all well and good, y'know, but we gotta finish this here cleanup before the sun sets! I do not want this to go on for any longer than it has too!" She sneezed for effect from all the dust floating in the air in the musty room, turned on her heel, and called, "You got thirty more minutes before supper, and then Taka's feeding us, with or without you!"
"Got it!" Prompto called back. Stretching, he raised his eyes towards the window at the top of the room, gazing up at the sky above.
So blue, so clear.
I kept my promise- I looked after him, the best I could. Now it's your turn to take care of Noct for me, okay? he thought, smiling softly. I'm trusting you to look after him.
Somehow, he knew it was a promise Luna would keep.