Chapter 4: We Own the Night

(Back to present – after the paparazzi chase)

Noctis kept his foot heavy on the gas as the two teens sped down the freeway, putting the lights of Insomnia far behind them.

"Man, my heart is still pounding, dude!" Prompto snickered over the booming alternative metal. He pulled down the visor, and sized up his hair in the mirror, adjusting the blond strands that had fallen out of place during their earlier escapades.

"Um, how far are you gonna drive?" the blond inquired. Not that he really cared much about getting Noct home by bedtime, the Prince slept way too much as it was, but he realized that Insomnia was now quite a distance back and there was a startling lack of places to turn off of the divided highway.

"I'll pull over at the next turnoff. We should probably stop somewhere to get a look at the car too. Size up the damage before we head back," the Prince mumbled anxiously, silently praying that the damage wasn't anything he couldn't fix quickly before his dad found out. He had already contemplated and decided that he'd be willing to go so far as to swallow his pride and beg Ignis to help him arrange for the necessary bodywork if it spared him from his father's wrath. Getting caught in a porn shop by the paparazzi was going to be bad enough, but any damage to the Regalia would probably result in him being grounded for the rest of his entire existence.

"Yeah, good idea. And I'm really sorry, Noct," Prompto sighed, staring into his lap and fidgeting with his gloves. "I didn't mean for… all this to happen," he added with a frown, his quiet words barely audible over the music.

Noctis knew enough about his best friend to know when he was actually feeling sincere guilt. It was an endearing look on the blond that didn't appear very often. "S'ok, Prom," the Prince reassured, reaching out and rustling up the blond's hair. "Guess I'll have to find a way to get you back," he chuckled.

"Understood," saluted Prompto with a cautious smile that showed he was honestly thankful his best friend was still talking to him.

"Looks like we can turn off up ahead," Noctis announced as they passed a sign indicating an upcoming exit onto Old Quarry Road. "Let's get a look at the car, and hopefully find an overpass that gets us onto the other side of the freeway."

The Regalia geared down as the teens took the exit onto a small deserted roadway that was surrounded on either side by dense forest. Not used to the lack of streetlights and road markings, Noctis flicked the Regalia's headlights on high beam and focused his efforts to keep the vehicle on the pavement and out of the thick vegetation that flicked threateningly against the side of the car as they drove past.

"Where are we?" Prompto looked around, wide-eyed, as if in a foreign land. He never ventured outside of Insomnia, so the only landscape he was familiar with was made of concrete. This place was all-together something different.

"Not sure, but I hope there's a spot to turn around somewhere soon," Noctis remarked, noting the road was much too narrow for him to maneuver the over-sized luxury vehicle into a U-turn.

"Wow, it's beautiful here!" chimed Prompto appreciatively.

The Prince was too absorbed in his own thoughts, working out his plan to fix the car, to notice the look that flashed across Prompto's face, akin to a lightbulb going off in the teenager's head. Almost instantly afterward, the blond reached out and pushed the button he was previously informed he was never allowed to touch - the one that put the Regalia's top down.

"Do you smell that?" Prompto asked excitedly as the top folded in on itself behind them, exposing the pair to the cool night breeze. "It's nature, dude! Who knew that fresh air and trees could smell so good?"

Noctis smiled. His friend sure could offer a wonderful distraction at the most fitting of times. "Yeah, it's pretty nice out here," the Prince agreed, momentarily forgetting about all the trouble he was in. "Maybe we can plan a road trip out of the city some time. I mean, if you would want to, that is."

"Really?" asked Prompto enthusiastically. "That would be awesome! Bet I could take some great scenery photos out here!"

"Well, don't get too excited about that just yet. It's dependent upon me living past tomorrow…" warned the Prince as he finally pulled the car off the road into a small offshoot that looked like a tiny parking area at the edge of a steep cliff. He turned off the engine, and let out a deep sigh.

"Want me to check it out first?" the blond asked apprehensively, almost reading Noctis' mind.

"Thought you'd never ask. I'm afraid to look."

With that, the blond bravely leapt from his seat and hopped around the rear of the vehicle to size up the tailgate that had made contact with the dumpster. His phone flashlight came on and illuminated the Regalia's shiny metal, along with the dense shrubbery that bordered the small, grassy lookout. "Woah dude, come check this out," he shouted, staring at the back of the car, mouth agape.

"Oh gods, that doesn't sound good," muttered Noct. The brunette rubbed his temples, took a deep breath, and mustered up the courage to get out of the car. He popped open his door and hesitantly shuffled through the short grass to stand beside his friend.

"Would you look at that? It's almost unbelievable," exclaimed the blond as they both peered in disbelief at the fender of the Regalia that was sporting nothing more than a couple of minor scuff marks. "Man, this thing must be built like a tank!" Prompto bellowed excitedly, pounding a gloved hand on the trunk of the car.

"Lucky for you," laughed the Prince with a huge sigh of relief. "I have to admit, I was expecting much worse." Noctis could barely believe his good fortune as he rubbed his fingertips along the barely noticeable scratches.

Suddenly coming down from the adrenaline rush and noticing he was practically sweating to death in his puffy vest, Noctis slipped out of his coat and tossed it into the backseat of the Regalia, appreciating the cool air against the back of his damp t-shirt. He made his way around to the front of the car and sat against the hood to decompress and admire the stars that stretched out before the abyss of darkness below them that he figured could only be the quarry.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" the raven-haired teen remarked appreciatively.

"It sure is," piped Prompto, taking a seat beside Noctis and staring up at sky.

"You never see stars like this in Insomnia. Guess there's just too much light at night," Noctis pondered.

"Yep. If only I had been paying attention that day in science class when we learned about the constellations and planets…" mused the blond regretfully. "At the time, it just seemed like useless information I'd never need or use. But seeing them now, I wish I knew what was what, ya know?"

The Prince chuckled. "Guess that'll teach you to pay attention in class."

"Pay attention in class? Me? Never!" grinned the teen. "Oh, by the way, check this out!" Prompto exclaimed as he reached around under his jacket and hauled out something he'd earlier tucked into the back of his belt.

"Oh hell no. Tell me you didn't," Noctis laughed heartily as he looked down at the porno mag being proudly presented to him. The words Tattooed Muscle Studs were spelled out in big yellow letters across the top.

"Yep, I sure did," Prompto beamed with an ear-to-ear grin, apparently not worried at all about adding shoplifting to their list of birthday celebration crimes.

"Guess that explains why the shop clerk was coming after us with a gun," muttered the Prince. He could only imagine what tomorrow's tabloid headlines were going to read.

"Sorry about the selection, if it's not your thing," the blond said hesitantly. "Kinda didn't have time to be picky when we were scrambling outta that place!"

"Oh boy," the Prince sighed lightheartedly, taking the well-intentioned present from his friend.

"Either way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUDE!"