By the time that Noctis and Prompto's mouths had separated by unspoken mutual consent, the fireworks had ended, the spiralling neon sparkles and burning colours long dissipated into the cold, translucent blackness of the evening sky. A slight breeze that was heralding the onset of night was just on the wrong side of chilly, even given the summer season, and the blond snuggled roughly into the Prince, a wide and toothy grin on his freckled face.
"Dude, I think my ass has gone to sleep," he announced suddenly, causing Noctis to snuffle with immature laughter.
"Perhaps we should get going? Don't want anything to happen to that sweet butt of yours," Noctis grinned wryly, triggering another flush of pink to spread across Prompto's cheeks.
"Ha ha, very funny! But yeah, it's starting to get a little chilly," Prompto conceded, his icy fingers seeking warmth underneath Noctis' suit jacket.
"Woah, you're freezing," remarked the Prince, feeling the blond's cold hands through his silk shirt. He took both of Prompto's hands and cupped them tightly within his own, pulling them toward his mouth and blowing hot air to warm them up.
"Let's get you outta here. Shall I call Iggy to come get us, or should we just catch a cab back to my place?"
Prompto was shrugging, about to suggest that he would go along with whatever Noctis wanted (not because he was royalty, but because he would quite frankly sacrifice any of his own desires if it made his best friend even a tiny iota happier. Sometimes, the strength of this sentiment worried him, but the joy he felt in it far outweighed any sense of masochism that might be implied by his affection).
"Wait up," Noctis interrupted, pulling out his own mobile phone and seeing a message there, apparently sent by Ignis shortly after he had delivered them to prom.
Iggy - When you are ready to leave, message the number I am about to text you and ask for Amias. He will pick you up. Think of it as one last little surprise.
Raising a sceptical eyebrow, Noctis showed the bright screen to Prompto, who was peering at the slightly-cryptic message. The message beneath consisted of a simple, short telephone number.
"Should I text it?" Noctis asked, scratching his head, perplexed.
"Sure? I mean, I guess we should," replied the blond hesitantly. "But I honestly have no idea what this is all about. Iggy didn't mention anything about it when we were making all of our plans!"
Noctis thumbed out a brief message to the provided phone number, indicating that they were ready to leave. And not even a minute later, after the teens had scaled their way down from the playground treehouse, his phone chimed with a reply instructing them to meet in front of the school.
"Looks like we've got a ride," the Prince announced, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. "Shall we get going?" he asked, offering his date a courteous hand and a warm smile.
The blond beamed his thousand-watt smile and gratefully took Noct's hand, swinging their arms happily as they walked. "Totally flying right now," he sighed, squeezing the Prince's hand tightly in a spontaneous rush of fondness.
Noctis answered in his typical laconic manner, his tone warmed by pleasure. "I'm glad you're happy."
They made their way back inside the gymnasium, and were vaguely surprised to note that the pounding music had since died down, the lights were a little higher, in particular on a platform that had been strewn with almost-monstrously large ivy tendrils, all of which were powdered with silvery glitter. Large spotlights and a lone microphone, along with the murmurs of the massive, anticipatory crowd and a buzz of fresh energy, signalled that something important was about to occur.
As the two teens meandered their way through the hordes of onlookers, they barely noticed the school principal taking centre stage and sputtering on and on about starting new traditions, making the most of their bright futures, and being inspirations for others. Noctis was trying to usher Prompto to the main door so they could get out of the crowd once and for all, but the blond nudged him insistently.
"Dude, no, they're gonna crown the King and Queen. Pleeease, let's just see who it is and then we can go," he begged, with his cheesiest grin.
"Alright, alright," Noct acquiesced, holding his best friend's hand lightly as Prompto bounced on his tiptoes to see past a guy in front who was considerably taller than he was. With a grin, Noctis moved forward, bypassing the tight and mumbling crowd, leading them nearer the stage where Noctis stayed silent and tried to look inconspicuous, and Prompto hummed and fidgeted in anticipation. Noctis was about to check the time on his phone, sensing the speech was coming to a climax, when he heard Prompto squeak excitedly beside him.
"...and it gives me great pleasure to announce our royal couple this year...our very own Prince Noctis and his partner Prompto Argentum."
Suddenly, the pair found themselves at the point of converging spotlights. Both teens looked up with shock and surprise as the Principal congratulated them on being this year's Prom Kings and called them up to the stage to accept their crowns amidst an ear-splitting racket of yells, cheers, clapping, and for some reason, a rather heavy rock instrumental soundtrack that was spurring the bustling crowd around them to start to push them forward, a multitude of warm hands on their shoulders and backs prompting eagerly.
"Ummmm, what was that?" Prompto asked in disbelief, staring at Noctis beneath the bright, glaring lights as the crowd cheered themselves into a frenzy.
"I think, uh, I think we're supposed to go up there," the Prince pointed hesitantly toward the illuminated stage.
Noctis wasn't making much effort to actually move though, and his usually pale features were quite violently red. Even as Prompto was wincing at the deafening whoops and screams of encouragement around him, creating cacophonous echoes around the massive gym, he felt an equal, sympathetic pain for Noctis. The Prince looked mortified, more embarrassed than he had ever seen him before. Before the restless crowd could force the issue, Prompto took Noctis' hand and tugged it gently. The applause as they made their first halting steps towards the platform was momentous.
"Don't tell me we're really going up there," Noctis grimaced as Prompto led him toward the stage.
"We sure are your Highness! The Prom Kings need to address their people!" he beamed with an anticipatory smile as the sea of students parted, creating a pathway for the pair. Prompto interlaced his fingers with Noctis' in an affirmation of support, but also to ensure that the very nervous Prince couldn't try to slip away into the crowd.
The heat of the spotlights followed the two teens as they made their way up the thick, ivy-entwined staircase and onto the stage where the cheering escalated to a roaring applause with wolf-whistles and phone flashes from the rows of fangirls lining up at centre stage.
Noct's scowl and watery-eyed wince at the glare of spotlights and flashes meant that his face was a picture (literally – social media was blatantly being updated in real time by more than a few of their classmates, and even one or two teachers who were lurking at the edges of the gym).
Laughing in disbelief, Prompto yelled at Noctis and was still barely audible over the noise. "Holy shit Noct, this is awesome!"
The Prince grunted in non-committal reply, grudgingly taking the golden, surprisingly heavy yet delicate crown bestowed upon him. Prompto couldn't stop cooing and giggling as he received his own, thinner but more complex crown with bright-eyed awe.
"I already got a crown, I don't need another one. And there was less fuss when I got that one," Noct was grousing, just loud enough for the blond to hear.
"Well, this is my first, and I've gotta say, it feels pretty nice!" chortled the ecstatic blond, gratefully accepting the giant bouquet of roses that was handed to him as he awkwardly waved at the cheering crowd.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, let's hear a few words from our lucky couple!" the Principal announced, fiddling with the microphone to free it from its stand and placing it into Noctis' unwelcoming hand. The crowded gymnasium quickly grew silent and the music was quietened as the masses eagerly awaited their royal address.
"Better say something nice, Noct," Prompto said joyfully, elbowing his date gently in the hopes of breaking Noctis' frozen stare at the hordes of cell phones recording them.
Noctis had spoken in front of crowds before – he had made public appearances, attended high-class functions, given speeches at charity galas and political councils alike, despite his young age. Ignis and other staff had been tutoring him as such since his childhood. But somehow, the idea of an unplanned monologue in front of a gymnasium full of his teenage colleagues took the cake as probably the most terrifying thing that he had ever endured.
Blinking a few times, feeling his face literally stinging with blushes, his fingers throbbed as his fight-or-flight instinct started diverting blood away from his extremities and to his heart and muscles. Managing to spare a sidelong glance at Prompto, who was gazing at him both expectantly and endearingly, he nodded, feeling infinitely better, and began to speak.
"...I have to say, I was kinda hoping to sneak out before we got to this bit," he admitted in his husky tones, and there was a collective ripple of kind laughter. He continued haltingly, clearing his throat. "If it wasn't for Prompto, I wouldn't even be here tonight...and then someone more deserving than me would have received this," he smiled shyly, gesturing to his crown, which he proceeded to perch upon his head. "As it is, we're both here, and I'm thrilled about it. Seriously. This is just an added bonus. I know I could have done a lot more to deserve this...heck, you all know I'm just the quiet dork who sneaks off for naps at lunch. I barely qualify for a real crown," he shrugged, and more warm laughter followed, as well as a few scattered 'we love you Noct!' yells.
"But it's really Prompto who deserves this. He does everything. He's got the grades, he's a great athlete, he started the photography club, and he's the sweetest person...I'm a lucky guy, huh?" Noctis asked the crowd, blushing and chuckling when cheers and wolf-whistles followed. "So...thanks again, guys. Prom, you wanna say a few words?" Noctis offered the microphone to the blond with one noticeably-shaking hand.
Prompto grabbed a hold of Noctis' hand, squeezing it soothingly as he handed off his floral bouquet and took the microphone. "Thanks Noct," he said into the mic with an awkward smile as the device shrieked with high-pitched, ear-splitting feedback. He struck the mic with his palm, successfully quieting the screeching noise, and stared out into the bright lights, squinting a moment until his eyes adjusted.
"Sorry," the blond apologized with a giddy laugh. "I'm not good at this sort of thing, and I'm pretty sure I can't top that speech, so I'm not even gonna try!" Prompto joked, drawing out a ripple of laughter from the audience. "The only thing I really wanna say is that up until just recently, I was afraid of what the future may hold past graduation. But the fact that I'm here tonight with this insanely amazing guy just goes to show that anything is possible. And so, I really want us all to look at graduation as a fresh, exciting new beginning – the start of even greater adventures! Or at least, that's the way I see it," he added sincerely with a hopeful smile. "So, congratulations everybody, and good luck with whatever the future holds!"
He placed the mic back on its stand as the gymnasium of teenagers broke out in loud, frenzied cheers. "Oh, and thanks for this!" he shouted over the roaring crowd, pointing to the ornate gold crown balancing on his head. "And I hope you all don't mind, but I just have to do this now," he added with an enormous grin, throwing an arm around Noctis' shoulder and pulling out his cell phone to snap a selfie with his date. "Gotta document this monumental occasion," he snickered to the Prince.
Noctis laughed helplessly, fighting the urge to scratch his face, the skin of which was so hot it felt like it was about to blister. Taking a quick, dizzying breath, the Prince grabbed Prompto's slim wrist to keep it in place, murmuring, "Another one." Without further ado, he leaned into the blond and gave him a firm, claiming kiss on the mouth. The tumultuous applause and cheers that followed were so loud he felt as if his skull was vibrating, his ears aching.
Noctis spoke up, fighting to be heard by his best friend even though he was only inches away. "Please can we go home now?" he begged with an adorable, crooked grin.
"Sure thing, your Highness," the blond smiled with a nod. "Don't want to keep our ride waiting."
Noctis moved quickly to usher his date from the stage and out the back doors of the gymnasium, hastily making his way to the front of the schoolyard, Prompto in tow.
"Wow! I can't believe they let us keep the crowns," Prompto laughed, still giddy with excitement. "Feels all… royal!"
"I didn't realize you wanted a crown that badly," the Prince snickered, wrapping his arm around the blond and drawing him close for a quick peck on the cheek. "All you had to do was ask and you coulda had mine any time."
"I think I prefer it on a one-time-only basis," Prompto laughed. "You know you gotta treat me like a Prince now, right? Gotta worship me all night."
The blond had asked the question innocently, but he could tell that Noctis had interpreted it as innuendo because his eyebrows raised, he swallowed and he blushed a little.
"Your wish is my command," the brunette shrugged, smirking.
"All right!" Prompto chuckled and made to high-five his best friend, who responded with a firm, affectionate palm.
They soon found themselves at the front of the gymnasium, the majority of random onlookers and the occasional paparazzi now departed. Relieved, Noctis led the blond in the direction of the road, feeling as well as hearing Prompto scoff, pointing ahead.
"Dude, a limo. Wonder who got dropped off in that? I mean, it probably cost a bomb. How do ya park something like that? Kinda showy..." Prompto pondered aloud. Both teens startled as the sleek, absurdly-long black limousine a little way ahead of them beeped loudly, and it's high-powered lights flashed.
As the driver's side window opened and a white glove waved the pair over, Prompto's eyes widened. "No way!" he squeaked with surprise. "Is this for us?"
"Looks like we know what Iggy's final surprise was," quipped the Prince, eyeing the gleaming, extravagant vehicle that was almost twice as long as the one his father used for special occasions.
"Can you believe the size of this thing?" Prompto said with astonishment as they approached the car and the chauffeur, outfitted in formal attire complete with a black top hat, got out to hold the rear door open for the couple.
"Greetings, your Highness," the man welcomed with a bow. "I am here to escort you home this lovely evening."
"Wow, thank you!" Prompto sang, eagerly boarding the limo and dragging Noctis in behind him. Inside, the interior was illuminated with neon purple lighting that reflected off the luxurious deep purple, leather seats. "Man, this is unbelievable!"
"Pretty fancy," Noctis murmured as the door closed behind them and they sank comfortably into the plush back seat. Beside them sat a shiny, silver tray holding two crystal glasses and a bottle of Champagne chilling on ice.
"Your father has provided some refreshments for the ride home," the chauffeur informed them after climbing behind the wheel. "Please enjoy!" he announced happily while rolling up the black-tinted privacy window behind the driver's seat.
A tiny, white card sat beside the bottle of bubbly, which Prompto keenly picked up and read aloud.
"It's from your old man! 'My best wishes to both of you, I hope you have had an enjoyable evening and that you will appreciate this token of gratitude. Noctis, for always making me proud, and Prompto, for being the best companion my son could ask for – Regis.'" Prompto cooed at the sentiment, feeling quite overwhelmed. "Oh man, that's so sweet. Your dad's awesome."
Noctis nodded self-consciously, letting out a husky laugh. "It coulda been a lot more embarrassing," he conceded, as the limousine's engine started with a barely-audible purr.
"So...a toast?" Noctis gestured at the ice-wet bottle of Champagne and the delicate glass flutes.
The blond nodded enthusiastically. "I've never had this before! Okay, so, uh...'to us?'"
"Yes. To us. But more importantly, to you on your new status as royalty!" the Prince laughed as he uncorked the bottle with a loud pop and generously poured their drinks. "Better not get too drunk," he grinned, handing Prompto one of the two very full glasses. "I just might try to take advantage of you."
"I think I've already had enough of that for one night," quipped the blond jokingly. "Although, something tells me that this time, I might not mind," he added daringly before taking a large gulp of the cold, fizzy liquid.
"Hey, slow down. Hold it in your mouth for a second, savour the flavour," Noctis chuckled, sipping at his own sparkling alcohol and gasping at the sweet, bubbly burn in his throat.
Prompto adopted a mock-serious face, his cobalt-blue eyes glittering mischievously. "...Wait...we're still talking about the Champagne, right?"
Noctis almost choked on his drink, spraying half of his mouthful across the back of the limo while the other half went up the back of his nose with a fiery sting. "Gahh!" he muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You gotta warn me before you say something like that."
"Sorry!" Prompto feigned regret as the two began laughing. The blond had only had a couple of sips, but he was already starting to enjoy the liquid confidence.
It didn't take long for the alcohol to go to their heads. Prompto hadn't eaten all day due to nerves, and Noct's meetings had run through lunch. As soon as he had escaped, he had spent the next few hours asleep.
Predictably, Prompto became more high-pitched, giggly and was talking about everything and nothing with great enthusiasm, whilst Noctis collapsed often into deep, husky giggles and was feeling absurdly happy in the low light of the limo.
"Your suit looks so good...but it's gonna look so much better on my bedroom floor," the Prince said quite suddenly, as Prompto was taking a rare breath to fuel his excited chattering about being Prom King.
The blond's face, already flushed from the alcohol, instantly turned a deeper shade of red. He immediately stopped his rambling and turned toward Noctis. "Is that so?" the blond asked with a provocative grin, twirling a lock of the Prince's fine, dark hair around his finger. "Think you're gonna get lucky tonight, huh?"
Noctis huffed out a laugh, baring his teeth in a predatory grin, before bumping the tip of his nose against the freckled blond's in a dichotomous display of lust and sweet affection. "I know it. You know what else I know? We're not gonna get any sleep. And that crown is the only thing you'll be wearing."
"Is that right?" snickered the blond, grabbing the Prince's tie and ghosting his lips over Noctis' teasingly, only to pull away each time Noct leaned forward in an attempt to capture a kiss. The action inspired a throaty groan from the Prince, which Prompto thoroughly enjoyed so he decided to continue. "Well then, it's a good thing I'm not tired," he whispered suggestively into Noct's ear.
He pressed himself against the Prince, releasing the tie and running his fingers through the back of raven tresses. Noctis grinned appreciatively and leaned forward, finally seizing the elusive kiss he so desired.
Silently thanking the Gods (or more precisely, the high-end car manufacturer) for the excessively roomy leather seats, plush and purple and princely, Noctis scooped one hand around to cradle his best friend's shoulder blades through his white suit jacket. He ushered him gently but firmly backwards and tried, without elegance or much success, to wordlessly persuade the wriggling, giggly blond to lay down, who was giving as good as he got and didn't seem to want to be dominated without a fight.
Recognizing that he was going to have to try harder, the Prince set down his empty Champagne glass, freeing his other hand to get lost in the blond's hair. He moved his lips downward across Prompto's jawline, licking and kissing and gently biting his way to an exposed earlobe. The blond quietly whimpered as the Prince discovered his weak spot, obliterating it with kisses and playful, teasing sucks.
"Mmm, you know that's not fair," Prompto sulked light-heartedly as he finally yielded to the Prince, falling backward onto the cool, leather seat.
"What can I say? You taste too good to resist," said Noct with a pleased smile.
"You know what...you're not half bad at this. I'd never guess you had zero experience whatsoever," Prompto sniggered, sighing softly at the sharp nip to the vulnerable skin of his neck, and then grunting in displeasure as the Prince pulled away. "Ahh, make your mind up, dude. Either tease me or take me," the blond smirked, a kind of maleficent innocence in his eyes as he gazed up at his best friend from the relative luxury of the expensive leather seat.
"Don't mind if I do," the raven-haired teen grinned, staring down into expectant sapphire pools as he unfastened Prompto's bowtie and dropped it casually to the floor of the vehicle. "Tease you, I mean," Noct clarified, leaning forward to unfasten the collar of the blond's dress shirt. "You know, I've been waiting a long time for this. Kinda wanna take my time," he added, tracing a finger down Prompto's neck, leaving a trail of goose bumps across the pale, virgin skin he had just exposed.
"Well, who am I to refuse His Majesty?" Prompto asked, amused. He couldn't help but wonder, how long had Noctis been waiting exactly?
Suddenly needing to taste more of the blond's skin, Noct lowered his head and laid siege to Prompto's neck with an assault of wet kisses.
"Gods," the blond gasped, his fingers digging into the Prince's shoulders. Prompto had dreamed up this fantasy for years when he was alone at night in his bedroom, but now that it was actually coming true, there was no way to describe how much better it felt in real life. His body was quickly starting to react and his hips involuntarily jerked upward against Noctis' weight.
Prompto fought to keep his passion-weak eyelids open, keen to continue watching as Noctis' dark, soft hair bounced slightly with every insistent nuzzle and nip from the Prince's teeth. The drag of wet enamel and the random hint of slick, hot tongue was pumping eager blood between his legs and speeding his heart, and he licked his lips and swallowed hard. He could barely even begin to think about concentrating enough to reciprocate, merely squeezing his best friend's firm shoulders, cradling his neck, smoothing raggedly through his hair.
Noctis was fingering deliriously at the splayed fabric of his open collar, nuzzling and suckling upon the hard ridge of his collarbone, and the single-minded, almost insatiable attention was nearly enough to send him over the edge in a delightful agony of mess and pleasure. Closing his eyes, seeing the hazy ghost of the low, lilac strip lighting of the limousine on his eyelids, Prompto licked his lips once more, fighting to control his breath and find the words to get Noctis to postpone his ministrations.
Prompto was unable to find his voice that was lost behind the jagged breaths hitching across the back of his throat while Noctis continued to devour his pale, freckled skin. Suddenly, the limousine came to a halt, the Prince's audible groan of irritation signalling their arrival at his flat. He reluctantly withdrew his lips from Prompto's collarbone, and smirked at the bright red mark he had left behind. "Sorry, kinda felt like marking my territory."
"Damn, Noct," Prompto wheezed, clearing his throat. His deep rosy blushes almost rivalled the strip lights for gentle illumination, and Noctis began to smile as his best friend adjusted his clothes, tried to sit up, and glanced down at his obvious erection with considerable anxiety, trying vaguely to cover it up with his hand.
It occurred to the Prince that he had the same conundrum, and he could even feel rogue filaments of his hair sticking up at odder angles than usual, manhandled out of place by the blond, whose pale throat and the top of his chest were already reddening with the assiduous attention he had relished there.
As the chauffeur's footsteps echoed ominously around the vehicle, the two teenagers scrambled back to their seats, straightening their collars and smoothing their chaotic hair, their flushed faces plastered with awkward grins all the while.
"Don't worry, you look great," the Prince reassured the blond who was struggling with his buttons, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't bother doing them back up," he snickered.
"Noct!" Prompto whined, his voice cracking with nervous excitement. He had just barely managed to collect his discarded bowtie and stuff it scandalously into his pocket before the door swung open.
"I hope you enjoyed the ride, your Highness," the elderly gentleman bowed professionally, gesturing for the couple to exit.
"Yeah, it was real nice. Thanks," the raven-haired teen said appreciatively, climbing out of the car.
"Um, y-yeah. Th- thanks a lot!" Prompto stuttered as he sprung from the vehicle, avoiding eye contact with the man. "Hope you don't mind if we take this with us," he mumbled quickly, nodding toward the open bottle of Champagne in his hand.
"Not at all. Please enjoy!" the chauffeur smiled and bid them goodnight.
"So… guess I'm staying over then?" the blond asked, his voice alluding to the slight nervousness that was setting in upon him like the cool night's breeze that rustled through his hair.
Noctis laughed gently and nuzzled his head warmly against Prompto's shoulder. "I surePN9 hope so. Now that we're boyfriends, I don't think I ever wanna let you go."
Prompto smiled happily, his heart swelling within his chest and his stomach doing somersaults. Yep, this was definitely the best night ever.
